Academic

Bridge is designed as an alternative Newcomer school of choice for 10th, 11th, or 12th grade students entering or currently enrolled in the San Mateo Union High School District and who are identified as Newcomer multilingual learners. Our staff is dedicated to creating a safe and compassionate alternative educational space centered in love, hope, and justice in order to support the educational and personal goals of our students.

Our goal is to accelerate students’ language acquisition through all of their courses: English, Math, Social Science, Science, PE and Visual Arts. Because most of our students enter with interrupted formal education or few to no high school credits, our staff collaborates to design educational experiences that specifically meet our  particular students’ needs in order to prepare them to be successful in their transitions  after Bridge, whether that be our Adult School, college, career, or other path they choose.

Our school year is broken into three trimesters, allowing students more flexibility to advance into higher level English and Math courses as they progress as well as complete the multiple Science and Social Science requirements for graduation. We offer additional academic support in numeracy and literacy for students’ who have experienced extended periods without schooling.

We work to keep classroom size small and create collaborative learning environments so students have multiple opportunities to receive the support they need. Bridge offers an after school learning center and all students have licenses to online English and Math programs that support their acceleration.

We believe education extends beyond the classroom and strive to support all students needs; we have weekly community circles, a social worker, mental health therapist, family engagement coordinator, and bilingual support staff.