Orinda Intermediate School - Orinda, CA

Orinda Intermediate School (OIS) is a community of lifelong learners committed to inspiring, engaging, and supporting the next generation of lifelong learners. With a growth mindset and through regular collaboration, inquiry, and unfettered determination, OIS educators ensure high levels of active learning by keeping students at the center of every curricular and extracurricular decision.

Teachers share best practices and strive to meet the needs of all students as they work with collective responsibility in professional learning communities. During weekly common planning meetings, teachers create common assessments, review data, and design lessons that encourage students to explore, take risks, and reflect as 21st century learners.

The continued partnership of the parent community in Orinda provides support that facilitates the implementation of essential programs and initiatives. Meaningful professional development opportunities allow educators to expand their thinking, grow their practices, and develop innovative and stimulating lessons so that OIS students continue to thrive as they make their way through the challenges of adolescence.

The focus on student success applies to social emotional and physical well-being just as it does to academic achievement. Thus, a robust elective program with performing and visual arts, computers, and world languages is of paramount importance. Students' mental health factors into all planning and programming. Specially-designed lessons delivered through advisory sessions address critical issues. Similarly, OIS encourages lifelong physical fitness through inspiring physical education classes, intramural lunchtime sports, and afterschool athletics.

OIS functions with a singular focus, returning always to a driving question: Is it best for students?