Orinda Academy Blog
Friday Flyer 1/15/2021
The Friday Flyer is a weekly communication from Orinda Academy. Please read it to stay up-to-date with news and events. View this email in your browser Orinda Academy Friday Flyer January 15, 2021 There is no school on Monday, January 18 in observation of the Martin...
Friday Flyer 12/11/2020
The Friday Flyer is a weekly communication from Orinda Academy. Please read it to stay up-to-date with news and events. View this email in your browser Orinda Academy Friday Flyer December 11, 2020 QUICK LINKS Attendance | Shop the Spirit Store | OA Instagram | OA...
Friday Flyer 12/4/2020
OA Annual Fund - Make a Gift On-Campus Days: NEXT WEEK by Grade Level Check your email, or read Sue's letter HERE with details and parameters of our on-campus days by grade level next week. IMPORTANT: Please RSVP to Sue for your student's attendance next week. Our on...
Feeling Bad as a Parent?
Article by Sue Porter featured in the Piedmont Post on Wednesday, August 28, 2019 Almost every parent I know feels bad about their parenting. If you’re anything like them, these are some of the things you feel bad about: You feel bad because you don’t spend enough...
Approaching the college application process
Article by Sue Porter featured in the Piedmont Post on Wednesday, August 21, 2019 For parents, there are two ways you can approach the college application process: from a scarcity mindset, which inevitably devolves into competition, or from an abundance mindset, which...
The Gift of Boredom
Article by Sue Porter featured in the Piedmont Post on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 Before you schedule every minute of your child’s summer, consider carving out some time for them to do nothing. In fact, carve out enough time for them to do nothing that they get...
Learning Support Techniques For High School Students
Learning Support Strategies Ask Danielle Jaynes, Orinda Academy’s Learning Specialist, what her long-term goal for OA students is, and she’ll get a smile on her face. “By senior year you know your learning differences, you know your strengths and weaknesses, and...
Sue’s News – A blog from the Head of School
Vol. 1, No. 3 Dear OA Families, Only three weeks left until the end of year! It’s hard to believe, but school is almost over - graduation will be here in a flash. We will be headed off in many directions come mid-June, so please get in touch soon if you would like to...
Three Key Supports that Ensure Student Success
What an Independent High School can do for your child Pop quiz: What does the student support team, self-advocacy, and a cup of tea have in common? If you said Mollie Mowat, our assistant head of school for student affairs, you’re right! As head of our student support...
Search Committee Announces New Head of School Sue Porter
On behalf of the Orinda Academy Board of Trustees, it is with great pleasure that we announce that Susan Eva Porter Ph.D. has been selected by the Board of Trustees to serve as Orinda Academy’s next Head of School. Sue comes to us from The Bay School of San Francisco,...
The Importance of Health Education and How Parents Can Help
Although a college prep curriculum is focused on things like science, math, and foreign language, health education never stops being important. A comprehensive health education curriculum gives students the tools to care for themselves for life. Achieving academic...
A Quick Look at Assignment Scaffolding
Assignment scaffolding can be a helpful way to break down large assignments so that they are more manageable for students. Scaffolding gives students with different learning styles a broad view of an assignment and splits it into manageable pieces so that students can...
A 10th Grader’s Checklist for College Planning
If your child is in a college prep school, then you know college planning is no longer relegated to senior year. In fact, students start planning for college as early as 10th grade to ensure that they are on the right track to get into the school of their choice. What...
A Look Back at Our 2016-2017 Accomplishments!
We’re heading toward the end of another incredible school year here at Orinda Academy, and we’re very proud of what our prep school students have achieved! The 2016-2017 school year started with a retreat to the redwoods, where our advisors and students bonded over...
Quick Tips for Succeeding Despite Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a common learning disability that involves problems identifying speech sounds, which leads to difficulty reading. Dyslexia is not reflective of a student’s intelligence, but rather is simply a learning difference. Although dyslexia is a lifelong, incurable...
Get a Closer Look at Our International Program
Orinda Academy is a unique, independent college prep school that welcomes students of all backgrounds, cultures, and nationalities. When you watch this video, you’ll hear our founder, Ron Graydon, talk about some of our school’s many strengths. You’ll also hear from...
The Parent’s Guide to the High School Brain
Parents of kids in high schools tend to share one common trait: they sometimes wonder who this new teenaged person is who replaced their sweet, younger child. Although most people attribute the bumps in the road that occur during the teenage years with hormonal...
Planning a School Visit
There is only one way to know for sure if Orinda Academy is right for your child: visit our campus. We encourage families who are considering choosing our school to arrange a visit, explore our grounds, and learn more about our curriculum. Orinda Academy capitalizes...
College Prep Curriculum: A Guide for Parents
Many private schools offer a college prep curriculum, but what exactly does this mean and is it right for your child? College preparatory schools come in all forms, but they all generally adhere to the graduation requirements of the state and they have a focus on...
Executive Functioning Strategies for Students
If you’re like many college prep school students, you’re likely looking for ways to improve your academic performance and help ensure your success when you transition to higher education. You might benefit from learning about executive functioning skills and how to...

19 Altarinda Road, Orinda, CA 94563
(925) 254-7553
admissions@OrindaAcademy.org
Orinda Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Federal Tax ID 94-2692929
Our bright and creative students thrive in our nurturing, small class environment. Through a combination of academic support, executive functioning skill development, and social/emotional balance, every student reaches their full potential.
Orinda Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender identification, sexual identification, or family composition in the administration of its policies, procedures, or admissions process.