Providing The Educational Opportunities That Change Lives
Parents FAQ
One of the biggest things parents can do for their children is to ensure that they graduate from high school ready for college and careers. That’s because students who finish college with a bachelor’s degree earn, on average, $25,000 per year more than students with only a high school diploma. (Students who enter the workforce with only a high school diploma barely earn a living wage. Over a lifetime, college graduates earn over $1 million more in salary than high school graduates.)
Mean Annual Earnings of Population Age 18 and Over, 2008
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2009 Annual Social and Economic Supplement
Making Waves has developed proven methods for equipping our children with the skills, knowledge, and drive it takes to succeed in college, and be well-educated and well-rounded. The odds that a Wave-Maker will complete college is six times higher than for other underserved students in California. Only 12 percent of African American and Latino young people in California graduate from college, compared to 73 percent of Wave-Makers. Click here to learn more about what Making Waves does to make this happen.
Making Waves is no longer accepting student applications for the after-school programs (MWEP) but will continue to expand through its charter school, Making Waves Academy. Click here for information about how to register your child in the Student Enrollment Lottery, the vehicle by which charter schools in California select and enroll new students. The lottery gives all Californians equal opportunity to enroll their children in a desired charter school.
We accept and enroll 100 fifth-grade students each year at the Academy. In recent years these students have been selected from a pool of approximately 300 applicants.
Typically, parents and students attend the public lottery held at the school so they can find out instantly. All families are mailed results from the lottery.
Siblings of current Wave-Makers are drawn first to keep families together. Students who attend Title I schools in West Contra Costa County (WCCUSD) are drawn second. All other student names are then drawn. (Please note that in all years so far, the school has been filled before reaching into the pool of “all others.”)
We only accept incoming fifth-graders. If at any time a Wave-Maker moves away and a spot becomes available, the school staff refers to the waiting list from that class’s lottery night. Students are drawn from that initial wait list throughout Making Waves Academy.
School hours for students are Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 5:55 p.m. Click here to see a sample schedule. In addition, about one-quarter of Making Waves students attend a four-hour Saturday school to increase their academic performance.
No. Making Waves’ Saturday school is one of our most popular programs. We strive to make it fun and engaging, and typically students ask to attend.
If a student makes below a C- in a core class, he or she goes to enrichment summer school for three weeks, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. All students will be enrolled to attend Summer Academy for enrichment. Core classes are: English, math, science, social studies, and Spanish.
Education Program (MWEP) families are required to complete 20 volunteer hours. Making Waves Academy parents and guardians are required to attend monthly parent meetings and parent-teacher conferences.
Parents are supported by monthly parent forums and on-going meetings with the Dean of Students and the Family Relations Coordinator. Click here for information about parent supports and for an example of an agenda at a parent meeting.
Yes, parents and guardians can sit in on program sessions at the Education Program (MWEP) or visit their child’s classroom at Making Waves Academy. Arrangements must be made prior to visits.
Making Waves offers simultaneous translation via transistor radios for all group meetings and provides a translator for any one-on-one meetings. Several members of the school staff are bilingual.
The program and school facilities are part of a closed campus with a full-time security guard on duty. All visitors must sign in, receive an ID badge, and be accompanied by a school employee when touring the school.
Each classroom is spacious, with high ceilings; desks are arranged to best suit the students’ needs. Many of the classroom walls are decorated with examples of students’ best work. The school’s code of behavior and expectations is visible in every classroom.
Making Waves Academy has a media center, three science labs, a computer lab, an art studio, a music studio, a multi-purpose room with a stage, and a vegetable garden. Click here to learn more about our facilities.
The Education Program (MWEP) provides a hot meal for students for after-school sessions. The Academy provides a nutritious breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack.
The school menu purposefully models a healthy diet for students. Students learn in classes how proteins and carbohydrates affect the body and their learning. Students also keep a food journal to consciously monitor their diet. Parents are encouraged to support and reinforce healthy habits at home.
All students have access to counseling. In some cases students experience trauma or must deal with life-changing circumstances. Sometimes students need counseling to address the challenges that come with adolescence.
Our philosophy is that at some point in life everyone, whether an underserved student or not, may seek and benefit greatly from counseling services. Good mental health allows students to be focused, clear-headed, and emotionally calm when they enter the classroom to learn.
Yes, we provide bus transportation to and from Making Waves Academy on weekdays during the regular school year. Saturday school and summer school transportation must be provided by parents or guardians.
All teachers must hold California Teaching Credentials to teach at Making Waves Academy. Tutors at Making Waves Education Program (MWEP) are carefully selected for their subject matter knowledge and their ability to mentor young people and serve as role models. All clinical professionals must be licensed.
Currently there are no teams, but there are plans to add sports such as soccer and basketball.
We currently have a school Garden Club. Students plant and maintain the outdoor vegetable garden.
Spanish is offered starting at grade seven. There are plans to add Chinese and Latin for upper grades.
Making Waves students are selected from a pool of children who have been entered into the lottery by their families. Currently, our enrollment is 72 percent Latino; 23 percent African American; 3 percent Asian; 1 percent Pacific Islander; and less than 1 percent Caucasian. By gender, students at our school are 50 percent male and 50 percent female.
Our staff population (African American, Asian, Latino, and Caucasian) is extremely diverse to model racial and ethnic harmony and allow students to encounter staff members of similar backgrounds.
