G E F F E N A C A D E M Y AT U C L A
Geffen Academy at UCLA is a university-affiliated school for students in grades 6-12. We value academic depth and inspiration within a
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humane educational environment. Our community
So much of Geffen Academy is centered around students finding their voices. — Phoebe
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is guided by principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Geffen Academy students are encouraged to be questioners, analysts, and presenters, who are creative, collaborative, and active young adults. Our students practice their skills, competencies, and relationships with deliberation. Geffen Academy graduates believe that knowledge is beautiful, transformative, and relevant to one’s life and civic responsibility in a global community.
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Our Mission
School Culture
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An educational culture that leads forward student honor code
A
s a student of Geffen Academy, I will adhere to the principles of integrity and equal opportunity.
I will not impede other students’ or my ability to learn and thrive, both as a student and as a person.
School-wide Learning Goals at Geffen Academy Geffen Academy utilizes the school-wide learning goals as a common language to guide students, faculty, parents and the school community on the ideal type of school culture. Every classroom will focus on some aspect of this common language to define what makes Geffen Academy unique. The five goals are: Persistent Inquirers • How are you challenging your thinking? Thinkers and Creators • How do we take our ideas and turn them into solutions that impact your community? Powerful Communicators • How are you listening and responding? Compassionate Partners • What are you doing to consider and invite in other perspectives? Adaptable Learners • How are you applying skills to balance your physical and mental health?
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I saw taking Mandarin as an opportunity to learn something new. – JayLoni
At Geffen Academy, our educators are reflective practitioners with deep experience. They are committed to supporting students’ ideas, academic interests, and individual growth. These are some of the goals every educator strives for: • Use humor, joy, and enthusiasm • Provide opportunities for students to create understanding •T hink good learning comes from making mistakes, embracing failure, and appreciating revision • Use different modalities and teaching methods • Provide lessons with rich and interesting content Student Support Student services are provided to students with learning differences, physical, and mental health needs. Students utilize the expertise of our Student Life team to coach and advise them through various academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs.
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a c a d e m i c p r o g r am
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The opportunity to explore
T
he curriculum at Geffen Academy is tied closely to the school’s mission and learning goals. We aspire
for our students to gain knowledge, develop skills, and cultivate awareness that will support their intellectual groWth throughout their lives.
Middle School The Middle School is a period of discovery. The curriculum has been designed to give students opportunities to explore their strengths, to challenge themselves, and to investigate ideas that inspire them. One important focus of the Middle School’s curriculum is the development of core disciplinary skills, as well as substantive work on the school-wide learning goals. Upper School Upper School is a time of deliberate practice, taking skills learned in Middle School and applying them ever more deeply, expansively, and thoroughly. Geffen Academy’s curriculum reflects this by providing courses that challenge and inspire. This general education is accompanied by a student’s specialization in a field or fields of their choosing.
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I completely feel supported at Geffen Academy – my teachers are always behind me in anything I want to pursue.
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— Bridgette
83%
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classroom educators with advanced degrees Curriculum Areas English - Provides students the capacity to deeply experience literature from a variety of genres and periods and to use those experiences as the material of consequential thought.
34% students of UCLA families
History - Encourages students to use the knowledge gleaned from their studies to become informed, active global citizens. Humanities - Aims to forge a vibrant sense of community within each grade level, as well as to provide a grounding in essential skills and analytical perspectives. I-Track - Uses technology and design thinking to develop the habits of the minds of innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders to solve real-world problems using a variety of tools. Math - Accommodates students with different preparation skills and enthusiasm for math. Teachers regularly evaluate our students’ progress and needs. Physical Education - Helps students find a lifelong approach to their health and physical wellbeing. Science - Prioritizes the process of learning, rather than knowing and memorizing facts. Science classes are about discovery, and our curriculum strives to be student-centered.
Visual and Performing Arts Embodies the construction of knowledge through narratives contained in films, paintings, animations, drawings, photography, plays, dance, and ceramics. Wellness – Teaches students the tools and coping mechanisms to handle the mental and physical challenges that can arise over the course of a lifetime. World Languages and Cultures Teaches languages through a communication-centered and sociocultural approach through exploring the connections with language communities in Los Angeles. We currently offer Spanish, Mandarin, Latin, and French.
Geffen Academy Facts
9:1
81 zip codes represented
Student to Teacher Ratio
171
Sending Schools
15
Average Class Size Upper School
16
Average Class Size Middle School
34%
Students Receiving Tuition Assistance
Class sizes vary by discipline. Averages are based on Fall 2020 data and do not include PE.
Academic Advising & College Guidance The Academic Advising program informs students and families about graduation requirements and course options, collaborates with students and educators for appropriate placements, advises students about four-year course trajectories, and prepares students for post-secondary plans. The College Guidance program assists students to be prepared to apply to college. Counselors work with students starting in the eleventh grade, to teach them about terminology, timeline, application components, and college research. Counselors also work with families to provide information about post-secondary options, the application process, financial aid, and other important facets of college guidance.
student life
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A place where the leader in every child is cultivated
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tudent voice. Student action. Student-driven. The pioneering spirit at Geffen Academy runs strong. Students hold
the privilege and responsibility for co-creating their student life experience at Geffen Academy.
Students have initiated and collaborated with each other and educators to bring to life their ideas for building school culture. Geffen Academy is a place where student feedback is incredibly valued and is centered in the work that we do. Co-Curricular Experience Students drive their co-curricular experience at Geffen Academy with tremendous support from their educators. Clubs - Students initiate clubs from topics like robotics, intersectional feminism, yoga, and philosophy. Clubs meet weekly and have been invited to collaborate with academic departments to host special events. All clubs are inclusive of everyone and welcome drop-ins. Student Council - Having created the honor code, this leadership group organizes spirit weeks, various drives, such as sanitary supplies for the homeless women and children adn the UCLA Children’s Hospital toy drive. The Council’s primary goal is to increase community engagement and coordinate student events. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Our students are committed to creating a school culture where everyone is valued, is taken seriously, and is treated with dignity and respect. Students celebrate unique identities by participating in nationally-recognized symbolic and heritage month commemorative activities. They hear from guest speakers of various walks of life and share in their own ethnic and ancestral traditions with each other in a joyous and authentic manner. Our students are passionate about change and progress for values they believe in—for everyone. Retreats and other off-campus experiences - We believe in the power of nature and natural settings to be one of our most impactful educators. Our off-campus grade level retreats are designed to immerse students in the natural world and find ways to deeply connect with each other and define their identity as grades and our identity as a school.
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People here make it hard to be anti-social… that is my favorite part, how people treat each other. – Isaiah
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Our interscholastic athletics program is tailored for the purpose of benefiting students rather than the institution. Students enjoy not only a robust program, with a wide variety of opportunities to participate, but also access to UCLA’s superb sports facilities. The Geffen Academy Bruins use athletic facilities throughout Westwood and the UCLA campus.
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I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone. When I play basketball, I feel free — I’m proud of myself.
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– Alessandra
We are proud that a majority of our students participate in sports, including cross-country, tennis, volleyball swimming, basketball, soccer, and track and field. We do not currently offer baseball, football, or gymnastics.
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Athletics Our athletic program provides students with life-long lessons for personal growth such as sportsmanship, teamwork, ethical behavior, perseverance, commitment, loyalty, self-discipline, pride, responsibility, and leadership skills.
The power of partnership
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Geffen Academy and UCLA
O
ver the past 100 years, UCLA has been ranked as the
#1 public research university in the nation—and, by far,
the youngest comprehensive research university to reach the top tier rankings across the globe.
Geffen Academy at UCLA was born — and took on its first students in 2017 — out of a desire to provide an exceptional education that embodies UCLA’s unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and research, service, and teaching. Geffen Academy students are uniquely positioned to experience a number of opportunities available only here in the foreground of a world-renowned university. •U CLA undergraduate and graduate students contribute to campus life, as members of BruinCorps, CalTeach, leaders of the school’s Classics Club, as teachers’ assistants, on-campus tutors, and student chaperones. • Every year, we host “UCLA at Geffen Academy Day” where UCLA professors and staff deliver learning experiences to students on our campus. Award-winning astrophysicists, legal historians, culture makers, literary scholars, and robotics engineers share their research and accomplishments with our students. • Our student athletes are exposed to UCLA’s long and impressive athletic legacy. Geffen Academy students who participate in athletics play at the UCLA Student Activities Center, Drake Stadium, the Sunset Canyon tennis courts, and intramural fields. • Several times a year, field trips and classes are conducted at the UCLA Schools of Music, Dance, World Cultures, Botanical Gardens, and other areas of the UCLA campus. By joining the UCLA family, your student will enjoy a place in a vast and active community of over 500,000 alumni, 43,000 college students, 48,000 faculty and staff, and a large group of donors and supporters worldwide.
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I feel very grateful that we have the opportunity to meet with actual faculty from UCLA. I was really excited to actually work with someone at UCLA because my dad went there, so being able to be there while I am in high school is really incredible. – Justin
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11000 Kinross Avenue | Los Angeles, CA 90095 | geffenacademy.ucla.edu