REAL Journey Academies

Derrick Bass Jr. - Principal - New Vision Middle School Derrick has over 10 years of educational leadership and school development experience. He believes that academic achievement is possible when a safe learning environment is paired with high quality instruction and strong relationships. Derrick was born in Chicago, IL and raised in the south suburbs of the city. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Chicago State University and went on to receive ...his Masters Degree from National Louis University, American College of Education and Roosevelt University. He was a collegiate athlete in baseball and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Inc. fraternity. He worked as a Dean of Students, Assistant Principal and an Instructional Support Specialist while in Chicago, learning how to develop systems and interventions that impact student achievement. When Derrick moved to Houston, he continued his pursuit of educational excellence for underserved children. He facilitated numerous professional development trainings on building relationships, restorative practices and how to ensure a safe and secure learning environment for students experiencing trauma. He was also a member of numerous organizations that promote excellence in the urban community, like the 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston, New Leaders Council, Houston Black Leadership Institute Class VII, and most recently American Leadership Forum. Derrick continues to add to his leadership toolkit through attending professional development throughout the country. He attended the Ron Clark Experience, is a graduate of the University of Houston’s S.U.R.E. program, and most recently attended the Harvard National Institute for Urban School Leaders.

A quick look at the great things going on at REAL Journey Academies

Susann Hazen - Assistant Principal - New Vision Middle School Susann Hazen joined REAL Journey Academies (RJA) in April of 2018 as part of the founding team of Entrepreneur High School. She recently held the position of Director of Student Success. Prior to joining RJA, Susann served for a number of years as a Youth Specialist for San Bernardino City Unified School District, leading an attendance program with over 60 schools. Because of her leadership and experience, Susann... has received state and local recognition due to her hard work, commitment and contribution to the community. She brings 23 years of experience in education and is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of New Vision scholars, as well as the community at large. Susann will be a familiar face to returning New Vision Middle School scholars, as she was on campus this past year promoting a positive culture. She believes wholeheartedly that every student deserves a quality education and looks forward to a successful 2020-2021 school year. See more

Dear RJA Friends and Families, On behalf of REAL Journey Academies (RJA), we want to express our sincere heartbreak over several recent disturbing and serious events. As parents first and foremost, we, like many of you, have struggled with a range of reactions over the last several days from sadness, to anger, to the need to support our children in processing the unexplainable. Our thoughts are with all those impacted by this tragedy. As parents and staff members who pour...Continue reading

Good afternoon REAL Journey Families, We are all concerned with the spread of Coronavirus (COVID19). As members of the community, we recognize we must take appropriate measures to do our part in controlling and containing the virus. I know this means most people will experience some inconvenience and a change in routine in the coming weeks and months. This is true for all of us who are part of the REAL Journey Academies (RJA) family. We are taking prudent and appropriate meas...ures immediately to do our part. We want to thank you in advance, knowing all of our lives will be disrupted to some extent. Working together, we will do everything we can to protect our children, our employees and our community at large. We would like to remind you our school community has NO COVID-19 cases at this time. REAL Journey Academies will immediately implement the following guidelines for events and/or activities until further notice. Based on California Governor Newsom’s Executive Order, we consider size of event, indeterminate participation, and essentiality of the event. Based on this criteria, we have made the decision to cancel the following events/activities: All large-scale events in excess of 250+ people (does not include regular school classes) All rallies All field trips to other institutions (universities, museums, etc) with an established risk All conferences in locations with established risk All award ceremonies All open houses All outside Use of Facilities All sports competitions Other activities are being closely monitored and may be canceled due to the severity of risk in the area at the time of the event. We will continue to evaluate upcoming events daily to determine if the event will proceed as planned or if it will be canceled. School site administration will be messaging families regarding specific events that may not be listed above. We recognize the difficult circumstances these decisions place on our students, staff, and families. It is necessary for REAL Journey Academies to be responsible global citizens and do our part to prevent the spread of this contagious disease and to protect all members of the REAL Journey Academies community. This matter remains extremely fluid, and information can change at any time. Thank you for your flexibility and your commitment to supporting us during this time. You will be receiving additional communications from us as new information becomes available. In the meantime, please keep an eye on our Covid-19 website at www.realjourney.org/covid. In addition, feel free to send us an email at [email protected] (subject line: covid19). Sincerely, REAL Journey Academies

Looking for founding families for this innovative new high school. Please visit www.realjourney.org and "futureschools" for more information.

Do you have any questions about REAL Journey Academies, or any of our 4 schools? Would you like to enroll your child in one of our schools? Our grand opening is Saturday, March 23, 10 am -1 pm, and then we are open Monday - Friday from 9 am - 3 pm. ... Stop by for information and refreshments! visit realjourney.org for more information.

Looking for founding families for this innovative new high school. Please visit www.realjourney.org/futureschools for more information.

Thank you to all our supporters! A long journey has brought us to last night as Riverside Board of Education approved The Journey School Charter! #supportourjourney #TJS #Realjourneyacademies

Join the team! We are looking for innovative teachers, check out our LinkedIn page and apply today. https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/search/

Opening August 2018! Thank you to everyone that came out to support us for our Groundbreaking Ceremony. Special thanks to SBCUSD, Red Hook Capital, City of Highland and the retailers in the shopping center. We are excited to provide this unique education program to our community.

Come out and visit the Real Journey Academies booth today at the historic Route 66 Festival in downtown San Bernardino, California. http://rendezvoustoroute66.com/ Rendezvous Back To Route 66 #route66festival #sanbernardino #realjourneyacademies

Dear REAL Journey Academies Families, We are excited to let you know that REAL Journey Academies is growing to better serve your needs! This new petition will allow REAL Journey Academies to better serve its families by leveraging certain benefits that come with a countywide charter. We can receive increased funds to continue to improve our educational programs, serve our students more efficiently and participate in countywide programs that will help our students succeed at s...chool and in their careers. We are excited to share this news and ask you now to help our efforts to secure the countywide charter. One requirement we need to satisfy is an intent to enroll form that all of our families complete on behalf of their students. This form is necessary to let the Riverside County Office of Education know that our families are behind us and ready to take our educational programs to the next level. The form is located at the following web address. Please click on the link to complete. https://app.hellosign.com/s/75784a52 We look forward to continued success for your student, and we thank you for your continued support.