NOVA Opportunity School, formerly Nova Community Day School, was conceptualized through the Grant Joint Union High School District Educational Options Division several years ago, and continues now as part of The Twin Rivers USD. As various stakeholders gathered to discuss and address the need for a specific program to meet the needs of the district’s suspended expulsion students and retained 8^th grade population continued, the NOVA Opportunity School Concept developed into a funded proposal.

 

While only now in its second year of existence, NOVA has evolved over the past seven to nine years from a full time Opportunity Program devoted to serving the needs of the District’s Retained 8^th grade population to a full time Community Day School Model.

 

The transition involved the original model, then called the Academic Achievement Academy, to Transition to High School or THS, to what is now called NOVA Opportunity School.

 

NOVA now serves students from all over the Twin Rivers Unified School District in grades 7 – 8. NOVA staffs full time teachers who instruct students in the core curriculum, as well as Science, and also supports a full time SDC/RSP Special Education Program.

While the majority of the student body is still comprised of the districts retained 8^th graders, one self-contained class is devoted to the education of the district’s 7-8^th grade students who are referred for various reasons to NOVA through the District’s “District Collaborative Student Transfer” Committee or D-COST. D-COST is hosted by the District Student Services Department and is a process whereby administrators form the District’s schools meet weekly to discuss appropriate placement for students within the various schools and programs.

 

NOVA promotes behavior modification, good attendance, and academic achievement in a small student to teacher ratio and specialized curriculum instructional delivery models such as New Century Education, Advanced Academics, Strategies for Change, Leadership Works, and California State Standards based instruction and assessment.

Curriculum Guide Binders have been developed to assist staff in delivering a cohesive instructional plan throughout the year.

 

NOVA started the 2006/2007 Academic year with an entirely new teaching staff, new policies and new programs. The staff and the student body are ethnically and culturally diverse thus creating a welcoming atmosphere for all students.

 

NOVA believes that a professional supportive and academically focused school atmosphere promotes and establishes trust and consistency among staff and students. With consistent best practices in the delivery of standards based instruction and assessment, consistent application of attendance and behavior policies and consistent and reliable communication among staff, students and community, NOVA is better able to implement the TRUSD’s mission statement is, “To inspire each student to extraordinary achievement every day” and further lends credence to the Educational Options motto which states, “Those kids aren’t those kids…. Those kids are OUR kids.”

NOVA continues to strive to “make every kid the mission” through our daily interactions and our short and long term planning. NOVA staff and students are a living, breathing expression of the Twin Rivers Unified School District’s overall objective to leave no child behind.