Sierra School of Solano County
Students come to Sierra School of Solano County to foster their academic, social, and emotional learning while having fun. We focus on self and social-awareness, self-management, building relationships, and making responsible decisions. Our school motto has always been our guiding force: “We work together, we win together.” This simple principle has helped our students make their environment more enriching, while providing support and encouragement to their peers. Sierra Solano’s goal is to create and nurture lifelong learners who can succeed in both school and society.
Contact Us
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- (P) 707.453.6227
- (F) 707.453.6957
- PO Box 590
5416 Holdener Road
Elmira, CA 95625
Meet The Team
Jenelle Droke, Director
Jenelle Droke is the Director at Sierra School of Solano County. She started at Sierra in 2007 as part of the therapeutic team, later becoming the Lead Therapist. She had the pleasure of serving as the Clinical Director beginning in 2012, supporting the Day Rehab program. In August 2019, she stepped into the Program Director role. Ms. Droke holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling and School Counseling, both from California State University Sacramento. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and has a PPS Credential.
Ms. Droke has been working in Special Education since 2000. She is passionate about our students at Sierra School and enjoys seeing the progress made as they learn new skills and strategies. She is exceptionally proud of the Sierra School staff and their tireless efforts to provide a safe, fun learning environment for their students. Teamwork is essential to our success and she values the close collaboration Sierra School shares with school districts, families and other service providers.
Frank Nalawagan, Associate Director
Frank Nalawagan is the Associate Director at Sierra School of Solano County. He began as a Teacher’s Assistant in 2008 and became the Associate Director in 2017. He has a Masters of Psychology from the University of Purdue. He enjoys working with students to achieve their academic and social skills goals. Over the years, he has watched many students graduate or transition back into public school – a fantastic experience that he will never get tired of experiencing.
Ellia Delgado, Transition Coordinator
Ellia Delgado has been working with Sierra School of Solano for the past 14 years. She has been the transition coordinator for the past 6 years. Assisting the students in their goals, dreams, and aspirations after high school is something in which she takes pride. There is nothing better than a student’s success story after they graduate high school and can be a successful independent adult.
Ms. Melissa, Mental Health Therapist
Ms. Melissa is our mental health therapist, and has been working with youth in the mental health field for more than 10 years. In 2007, she graduated from CSU Stanislaus in Turlock, Ca and received a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. In 2012, she received her master’s degree in Clinical Counseling and Marriage Family Child Therapy from University of Phoenix. She enjoys her work and is grateful to see the students grow, challenge themselves, and become success individuals. Ms. Melissa believes it is important to establish and maintain positive relationships, and to use humor as a method when working with the students. She looks forward to working with all students, parents and support persons this school year.
Ms. Traci, Lead Teacher
Ms. Traci has worked in the special education field for more than 10 years. She first worked as a classroom aide in the classroom, and is now a lead teacher. She enjoys working with children and has experience working with a wide range of grade levels. She is excited to support students and work alongside her colleagues, offering any help she can for them to feel comfortable, and have a positive attitude. Ms. Traci has high hopes for this school year and knows that it will be a positive environment.
Transportation Team
Under the leadership of our Transportation Coordinator, Mr. Jeff , the Transportation Team is responsible for getting our students to and from school each day. They have such an important job here at the school, as attendance is key for a successful school year.
Rebecca Man, School Therapist
Rebecca Mann joined our staff as a Mental Health Therapist at Sierra Solano in 2018. Rebecca has been working in the mental health field for 6 years, she obtained her BS in Human Services in 2014, her MS in Marriage, Family, Child Therapy in 2018 from University of Phoenix, and is currently working on becoming an LMFT. Rebecca has worked in with a wide range of populations some of these include the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation conducting therapeutic groups covering Substance Abuse Disorder, Victim Impact, Anger Management and Denial Management. She has also worked with families in the judicial system, was an advocate for victims of domestic violence, and was part of SART (sexual assault response team). Rebecca enjoys coming to work and working with the students to watch them grow and achieve their social, emotional goals as well as processing life’s challenges with them.
Brian Quaife, Mental Health Therapist
Mr. Brian is a Mental Health Therapist at Sierra Solano Day Rehab. He has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from National University; and a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Brandman University.
Since 2016, Brian has been providing therapeutic services in various educational settings, He was a Behavior Technician at FSUSD in a program for students with Emotional Disturbance,
where he enjoyed learning about and applying principles of Applied Behavior Analysis
He also worked in the prison system, and addiction counseling as a CBT Group Facilitator at California Medical Facility, He worked with the inmates participating in Long Term Offender Program (LTOP) facilitating Victim Impact and Denial Management groups, helping those he works with to gain new perspectives and insights.
Brian has a passion for working with students to help educate them and provide them with the tools and information necessary to make positive changes in their lives.
“Working with the students is challenging but rewarding”- Brian.
From the moment the Sierra School opened, we have collaborated with local districts to provide individual and effective educational strategies to help our students meet and exceed their personal and academic goals. Our goal is to create and nurture lifelong learners who can succeed in both school and society. Our first student graduated high school with a full diploma in December 2007. Since then, many of our students have either graduated from high school or transitioned back to their home schools. Typically, at least 10% of our student body is in active transition back to their comprehensive school sites.
Our students are creative and active in our school activities and environment. Students come here to learn, work hard, and have fun. At the Sierra School of Solano County, our school motto has always been our guiding force: “We work together, we win together.” This simple principle has helped our students make their environment more enriching and challenging while providing support and encouragement for their fellow students.
Our Students
Students are referred by their school district to attend Sierra School and are generally in grades K–12 (aged 5–22). They face disabilities in a variety of areas including Autism, Emotional Disability, Intellectual Disability- Mild to Moderate, Other Health Impairment, and Specific Learning Disability
Our Staff
We are proud to employ certified special education teachers, a mental health specialist, a mental health therapist, we provide speech therapy, and all staff are Pro-Act certified (our crisis intervention model)
Utilizing four specific instructional rotations, students are assessed academically, gain self-regulation skills, learn with district-aligned academic curriculums, and utilize integrated technology.
Traveling Sports: The Sierra Panthers
Coach Frank heads our Sierra Panthers sports teams. The focus here is on simple athletic basics and teamwork. Students learn how to get along and work together to compete against various others schools in the city league. This program allows student to compete off-campus in individual games and tournaments. The Sierra Panthers sports teams include: softball, basketball, and flag football.
Zoo Keepers
This program focuses on teaching students the skills necessary to maintain and raise aquatic animals. Students learn to feed, maintain, and care for a variety of aquatic species. Through hands-on activities lef by Sierra School staff, students learn how and why specific animals need specific care and how to set up and clean aquariums, among other tasks.
Performing Arts Club
New for the 2018–19 school year, Sierra School is excited to offer students the opportunity to learn more about the arts. Students will have a chance to be involved with theatre, dance, music, and photography during school hours.
Our Work Experience Program encompasses many areas: classroom instruction, community-based instruction, links to support services. Specific examples include but are not limited to fieldtrips, guest speakers, independent living skills instruction, cooking, budgeting, organizing/cleaning, college tours, industry tours and much more! After being in our Work Experience Program, our graduating seniors leave with a transition portfolio, encompassing all their successes in this program.
Our Work Experience Program provides practical experiences and skills through on-campus jobs, in preparation for off-campus employment. Having firsthand work experience under their belts is a critical component of teaching students what is required to be a good and productive employee. For the 15th year in a row, Sierra was awarded a WorkAbility 1 grant to support our transition efforts.
Listed below are current/past on campus job opportunities:
- Sierra Café/Culinary Program
- Candle Shop
- Sierra Clothing Line
- Student Store
- Gardening
- Van Crew
- Janitorial Services
- Special Events Organizing & Planning
WorkAbility 1 Program
WorkAbility 1 (“WorkAbility”) is a state program that was established in 1981 as a result of a successful two-year pilot study to help special education students gain work experience and skills. Its mission is “to promote the involvement of key stakeholders including students, educators, employers, and other agencies in planning and implementing an array of services that will culminate in successful student transition to employment, lifelong learning, and quality of life.” Sierra Schools began to participate in WorkAbility program in 1997 because of our similar philosophy – taking a holistic approach to educating students, and assessing each one as a whole, helping student reach their goals both on and off the school campus. As part of the WorkAbility Program, each student has a transition binder that is kept in the on-campus transition department. The binder holds a collection of transition-related documents and work that each student can use as a tool and take with them after they leave Sierra and enter the workforce.
What exactly is the WorkAbility all about?
WorkAbility promotes independent living and provides comprehensive pre-employment, employment, worksite training, and follow-up services for special education students who are making the transition from school to work, postsecondary education, or training. Specifically, WorkAbility provides special education students (aged 16–22) with the opportunity to complete their secondary education while also obtaining marketable job skills.
How is WorkAbility funded?
WorkAbility is funded by a federal grant administered by the California State Department of Education.
How does Sierra School personnel offer assistance to the students in the WorkAbility Program?
The school provides the following staffing in the form of a Vocational Education Team (VET) to implement the program: Transition Coordinators, Special Education Teachers and Job Coaches.
What does WorkAbility offer prospective employers?
- Students who have been screened and prepared for employment
- Ongoing monitoring provided by Sierra personnel
- 30–90 hours of training that can be subsidized by Sierra
- Future trained employees who have proven themselves
What are the advantages to our students?
- Job development/placement services
- Support and encouragement from staff
- Pay for job training
- Opportunity to gain work experience
- Assessments of vocational interests and skills
What are the possible outcomes/goals of participating in WorkAbility?
- Students will obtain competitive employment
- Students will become successful, productive, and contributing members of the community
- Students build self-esteem through reinforced positive behavior
Sierra School of Solano: Day Rehab is a one-of-a-kind intensive mental health program integrated with the academic component offered on the Sierra School of Solano County campus. Through a collaborative effort, students are referred to us by local schools districts and Solano County Mental Health, then they must meet specific criteria and progress through the IEP process before placement in one of our Day Rehab classrooms. Our students have intensive mental health needs that are impeding their academic success, so the goal in placing them in our program is to help them achieve academic and mental health success.
Mornings begin with a community meeting, during which goals are set for the day, current events are discussed, and any other topical and relevant information is related. Journaling is another daily activity, in which our staff provides a journal topic and the students then spend time writing about that topic. Not only does this serve as a forum for our students to express themselves, but it also provides a means by which the mental health team can learn about, assess, and follow up on any issues students may feel uncomfortable sharing verbally. At midday, we hold a process group, during which a variety of topics are addressed and focused on, such as problem solving, coping skills, anger management, social skills training, relaxation techniques, and stress reduction.
Each student receives an individualized treatment plan based on diagnosis and mental health team recommendations. Plans are reviewed annually with the student’s family to monitor progress and set additional goals. Our students benefit from having continual and consistent support from on-campus mental health and educational staff. Both teams seamlessly integrate their efforts and are fully dedicated to the best interests of our student body. As a united group, we assist students in reaching their ultimate goal of returning to the public school setting. Most often, we transition them in small steps from the Day Rehab program, like moving them from one of our classrooms to one without direct mental health support. This allows both the student and his/her support team to see how well they do without additional support at school and whether or not they will continue to receive supplementary treatment from the county mental health department or another authorized provider identified through the school districts or SELPA. Once each transition step is successfully taken, further transitional measures are undertaken en route to full reintegration to public school.
Each Day Rehab classroom is staffed by a mental health specialist who remains in the classroom the entire school day to provide mental health support and to perform additional specific functions. A registered or licensed therapist is also assigned to each classroom, to provide support and individual therapy on either a weekly or as-needed basis.