Community Wellness

Community Wellness

Student Safety & Wellbeing Are Priorities

The health, safety, and wellbeing of our students is of utmost importance to us. This Community Wellness section contains resources and information related to all elements of our campus health and safety measures.

The social-emotional development of teenagers is just as important as academics in developing confidence and competency.

Giving students a full, well-rounded view of themselves through exploration is the best way to develop confidence and competency. Our co-curricular programs do just that, encouraging the brand-new beginner as well as providing depth and mastery to a more experienced student. We pay attention to the whole person, helping students find balance and wellness, and giving them opportunities to develop self-awareness and self-knowledge.

Additionally, we have a variety of programs and support in place to facilitate the social-emotional development of our students.

Student Support & Counseling

School Counselor
There are times when issues confronting students may be best addressed by a licensed professional. We are fortunate to have a licensed counselor on campus for appointments. The school counselor is available to talk with parents about any concerns regarding their teen, and with students to address whatever issue is on their minds.

Counseling services are available four days a week for both individual students and small groups. We also maintain a robust list of therapist referrals for families seeking counseling for their student on an ongoing basis.  

Student Support Team 
The Student Support Team meets twice a week to discuss academic and emotional concerns as they arise. The Team consists of the Assistant Head of School, Dean of Student Life, Director of Counseling, Director or Academic Services, and Director of Student Support. Our weekly Student Review Meeting, a session with all teachers and advisors, helps surface the names of any students about whom we have academic, social, or emotional concerns.

Health & Wellness

The Health & Wellness program is designed to inform, challenge, and support students in their ethical and personal decision making. Students grapple with complex health and moral issues and gain the skills and resources necessary to make informed and responsible choices for themselves.

Health & Wellness courses and workshops address topics such as mental health, stress management, sleep, nutrition, drugs and alcohol, conflict resolution, friendship, questions of identity, digital citizenship, communication skills, gender roles and gender fluidity, and body image. The curriculum is developed as a spiral, so that students touch on content repeatedly throughout their time at SA, but at different levels based on their age/development.

In the 9th and 10th grade years, students take a semester-long course designed to equip them with the knowledge and tools they will need to thrive in high school and into adulthood. 9th graders also receive mentorship from seniors who have been trained to be Health & Wellness Teaching Assistants.

11th and 12th grade students engage in Health & Wellness workshops throughout the year, with content focused on topics relevant to their social, emotional, and physical development.

Advisory

Advisory is a comprehensive social-emotional program that helps students as they develop a sense of self and seek to find balance in their lives. 
 
Students are placed in mixed grade level (9-12) groups of about ten students each with a faculty advisor, and they continue in those groups throughout their time at Sonoma Academy. Advisors come to know their advisees deeply over the course of four years, and are useful in helping students navigate their lives and experiences at Sonoma Academy. Advising groups meet twice weekly; once for a study hour and once for an Advisory check-in and activities.

We have identified four domains of students’ lives—school/academics, friends, family, and health— all of which play key roles in developing both identity and integrity—the core exploration of adolescence. Through the Advisory program, we also address the developmental tasks that students face in high school:

  • Freshmen: Adjusting to high school and new community
  • Sophomores: Exploring, branching out
  • Juniors: Mastering passions, honing interests
  • Seniors: Making decisions, practicing leadership, mentoring

Physical Education

Our Physical Education program is grounded in the notion that fitness can and should be fun, and the idea that there are many paths to physical wellness. 

Integrated with the Health & Wellness curriculum, PE at SA includes cultivation of lifelong healthy habits, such as exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, and other elements of physical wellbeing. 9th and 10th graders each take one semester of Health and Wellness or PE that meets twice per week; all students also have access to active Exploratory classes like Soccer and Basketball. 
2500 Farmers Lane 
Santa Rosa, CA 95404 
(707) 545-1770 
inbox@sonomaacademy.org
 

Sonoma Academy Is...

...the only private, independent, college preparatory high school in Sonoma County. On our beautiful campus nestled at the base of Taylor Mountain in Southeastern Santa Rosa, our students are able to explore their interests and passions in a rigorous and inspiring environment that develops a lifelong love of learning and prepares them for college and beyond.

Sonoma Academy admits students of any race, color, religion, ethnicity or national origin, citizenship, gender or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or disability, to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity or national origin, citizenship, gender or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and tuition assistance programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.