A message from the Principal...
Welcome
to Laguna Continuation High School’s Web-site.
Laguna High School is located in Sebastopol, California, which is
approximately 60 miles north of San Francisco, and eight miles west of Santa
Rosa. It is housed in an
attractive, state-of-the art facility, which was completed in 1996.
The student population varies between 100 to 110 students.
The students come predominantly from the two comprehensive high schools
in the district, Analy and El Molino. The
graduation requirements for Laguna match the comprehensive high schools’ and
are among the highest in the State; i.e. 230 credits.
Our students have a number of means by which they can complete their
secondary education: graduation from one of the three district high schools;
passing the G.E.D. or the C.H.S.P.E.; or entering the local junior college or
Lewis Adult School. Students
usually come to Laguna deficient in graduation credits. We offer a number of options for making up credits: taking
courses at the Santa Rosa Junior College; Work Experience and Workability;
community service; credit make-up at home or after school; R.O.P. courses; and
independent study. Laguna recently
reached an agreement with Analy High School whereby Laguna students can take
classes at Analy when space is available.
Laguna emphasizes transitioning to both higher education and the world of
work. This is implemented through a
Career Center, Workability for the special education students, Work Experience
for Juniors and Seniors, guest speakers, workshops, and a focus on career/life
planning in the classroom.
Along
with an excellent academic program, Laguna has a student council, an athletic
program, a community service program, peer mediation, Safe School Ambassadors,
Interact Club, a literary magazine, a yearbook, and a student speakers program.
Local service organizations provide funding for our students for a
“Ropes Course” which emphasizes building teamwork skills, overcoming fears,
building a sense of community and increasing self-confidence and self-esteem.
Laguna has applied for and received, every five years for the past twenty
years, the Model Continuation High School Award, one of only a handful of
schools who can say this. Our
last WASC review, in 2004, earned us a six-year accreditation.
Our Academic Performance Index (API) is consistently the highest in
Sonoma County among continuation high schools, and our latest test scores put us
in the top five percent in the State.
The School Board is committed to providing quality education to the
Laguna students as demonstrated by supporting a seventeen-to-one student teacher
ratio and providing a budget which supports updated textbooks, technology and
sufficient materials and supplies.
The
school day begins at 7:50. Students
go to three classes, followed by a snack break, during which the snack bar sells
moderately priced snacks and gives breakfast to those who qualify for the Free
and Reduced Lunch program. Snack is
followed by a 20 minute Silent Sustained Reading class in which the entire
school (including teachers) reads novels of choice. This is followed by three more classes, resulting in a six
and a half period day. School ends
at 12:30. Many students go on to
jobs, to the junior college, or to R.O.P. and other classes on the Analy High
School campus. The staff meets
weekly to do an on-going evaluation of the effectiveness of the total program
and to review student progress. The
staff prides itself on maintaining a warm, nurturing school climate that
emphasizes academic success in a structured, safe environment.
If
you would like more information, or to visit us, please call me or our
counselor, Sandy Reynolds, at 824-6485. Enjoy
your visit to our web-site.
Respectfully,
Ross
Bickford