Friends 8-9 Bridge Program
A bold start to high school
The Bridge is a high school transition and support program
designed to help students begin high school feeling confident, capable, and connected.
What is The Bridge?
The BRIDGE is a high school transition and support program designed to help students begin high school feeling confident, capable, and connected.
It provides intentional academic, organizational, and social support during one of the most formative transitions in a student’s educational journey, helping students build momentum from the very start.
The Bridge is staffed by exceptional teachers who specialize in working with students at this developmental stage. Our team includes experts in mathematics, literacy, research, and high-level academic and critical thinking, alongside educators who specialize in student organization, planning, and academic habits.
The Bridge Supports Students at Varying Levels:
For Students Who Want To Excel
- The Bridge is designed not only for students who need support, but for students capable of advanced, Honors, IB, or AP coursework who may experience anxiety, overwhelm, or organizational strain.
- Students learn how to manage complex workloads, prepare for large assessments, balance competing demands, and sustain high achievement without burnout.
For Students With High Aspirations
Support for students with IEPs and 504 plans is often framed in terms of minimum access or grade-level remediation. At The Bridge, we recognize that many neurodiverse students are highly capable learners with ambitious academic goals.
Our approach supports students who want to thrive in rigorous coursework by:
- Aligning accommodations with advanced coursework and strengthening self-advocacy.
- Reducing anxiety and cognitive overload without lowering expectations
- The goal is not to reduce challenge but to make excellence more accessible and sustainable.
Program Details:
Purpose
To prevent summer slide and intentionally scaffold the academic, social, and organizational transition into high school.
Structure
- Dates: July 27 – August 6, 2026
- Schedule: Monday–Thursday, 8:30am–12:30pm
Core Offerings
- High school math reinforcement and confidence-building
- Language Arts preparation and sustained novel study
- Study skills and time management
- Goal-setting
- Reflection on learning identity and school experience
- Preparation for extracurricular engagement and leadership
Choose the semester you would like to sign up for
- Fall 8/17/26-12/14/26
- Spring 1/5/27- 5/18/27
Purpose
To provide ongoing academic, social, and emotional support during 9th grade in a structure that feels meaningful, voluntary, and identity-affirming.
Structure
- Offered 4 days per week
- Students attend 1–2 days weekly, with flexibility for higher need periods
- Runs from school dismissal (3:30pm-5:30pm)
Club Ethos
Inspired by research on social capital and civic engagement, emphasizing belonging, shared responsibility, generalized reciprocity, and purposeful engagement.
Supports Include
- Targeted academic tutoring and assessment prep
- Executive functioning and schedule planning
- Social-emotional processing and reflection
- Extracurricular navigation and facilitation
- Peer accountability and cooperative learning
- Seasonal intensives (start-of-year adjustment, finals prep, course selection)
Purpose
To support families in navigating complex educational systems and ensuring students receive legally entitled services.
Focus Areas
- IEP advocacy under IDEA
- 504 accommodation planning
- Colorado’s “I Matter” program
Model
Expert educators collaborate directly with families and schools to reduce overwhelm, strengthen self-advocacy, and align supports with high academic aspirations.
Shared Investment
One program, shared commitment: The Bridge operates on a Community Contribution model. While all students receive the same program experience, contributions at the Sustaining rate and Community Builder rate allow us to invest further in innovative program growth and higher teacher salaries.
* Full transition year includes summer ramp-up, fall and spring support, priority access during high-stress periods, and 4 hours of included IEP or 504 consultation.
Additional 504 & IEP Advocacy: $175 per hour as needed.
Questions? Call 303-499-1999.
