Great turnout at last Thursday’s LAUSD District #4 School Board Candidate Forum in Venice hosted by The United Way, featuring candidates Steve Zimmer and Kate Anderson. Missed it? No worries. Watch the video here.
Monthly Archives: January 2013
Playa Vista EL Opens Non-Resident Waitlist THIS Friday
I get asked about the new STEM focused Playa Vista Elementary School often in my talks and consultations. If you are interested in applying to the school, please find enrollment info below. As it is a neighborhood school, priority is given to those residing within the school’s attendance area. For non-residents, Wait List begins THIS FRI, Feb 1st, 2013 at PVES Main Office (open 7am-4pm)…first come, first served.
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2013-2014 Enrollment Information
Transitional Kindergarten (TK)
T-K Eligibiity: Children must turn 5 on or between Oct 2-Dec 2; Kindergarten eligible children may enroll in T-K if space is available. For more info on T-K visit: http://www.tkcalifornia.org/
Kindergarten
K Eligibility: Children must turn 5 on or before Oct 1.
Playa Vista Residents, One Westbluff Residents and LMU Employees
Registration Day – Sat, Feb 9th, 2013
9am-1pm at Playa Vista Elementary Library
Please pick-up an enrollment form at the PVES office as soon as possible and return forms on registration day. If you do not have your child’s physician card completed, you may turn in enrollment forms and bring your child’s immunization record (original and copy) and submit the physician card at a later date.
Enrollment Forms are NOW AVAILABLE for pick-up at the PVES main office (open M-F, 7am-4pm)
Please bring the following documentation with you to pick up a form.
Residents:
I. Photo ID (drivers license, passport)
II. Proof of residence (one of the following):
– Utility Bill (Gas, Electric, Water) *no phone bills*
– Rental or Lease Agreement
– Property Tax Papers
– Copy of Escrow Papers (if purchasing)
LMU employees:
I. Photo ID (drivers license, passport)
II. Recent LMU pay stub
Permits for Non-residents/Non-LMU employees
Wait List begins THIS FRI, Feb 1st, 2013 at PVES Main Office (open 7am-4pm)
Permits will be released based on available space and in order of the wait list. To be placed on the wait list, please visit the office on or after February 1st (M-F, 7am-4pm). First come, first served.
Permit applications will be available starting April 15th. Questions? Contact the school office at 424-228-1800.
PS Smart Tip: Get Informed and Participate
Don’t be one of those 90-some % of the population who don’t take the time to find out who their school board leaders are, then complain when they vote to cut your school’s budget, beloved teachers, or music and art programs. Or co-locate your school. Or relocate your school. Or close you down. Or convert your school to another kind of school altogether, without your input.
We sometimes tend to think THEY did this to US, not realizing that WE-the-people put THEM in the seat of power to begin with. And there are WAY more parents of school-aged children than unions or special interests in this town. It’s just that the majority of school parents have typically been mute when it comes to local voter turnout.
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These are OUR schools, and our local school board reps are OUR elected officials. Don’t let someone else decide it. Know who you’re putting in the driver’s seat of your child’s school experience. Ask questions. Participate. Learn. Vote.
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Did you know that school board reps have discretionary funds for school improvements, upgrades or pet projects? Did you also know that as an ally, your school board rep can look out for your school in a myriad of ways? Take the time to get to know the candidates and make the smart choice for your child’s education. Regardless who you vote for, the main thing is to actually vote.
Meet Your School Board Candidates!
Before you vote on March 5th, come meet your Board District 4 LAUSD school board candidates, Kate Anderson and Steve Zimmer tomorrow night, Thursday, January 24th 5:30p at The Boys and Girls Club in Venice. Here’s your chance to hear from and ask them questions.
Wondering just exactly what area LAUSD School Board District 4 covers and if it pertains to you? Starting in the West Valley, Board District #4 covers everything south of the #101 and over to the #405, all of the Westside from Pacific Palisades all the way down to and including Westchester, from the Pacific Ocean cutting a swath eastward through West Hollywood and into parts of Hollywood. Here’s a map of the territory. So, basically, there’s a good chance this district covers many of you fine folks. Here’s the details…
The United Way of LA cordially invites you to
LAUSD School Board District 4
Candidate Forum
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Venice Boys and Girls Club
2232 Lincoln Blvd (just north of Venice Blvd)
Venice, CA 90291
5:30 – 7:30p
(Food, childcare and translation provided.)
Reserve a space or to submit questions call 213-808-6407
or e-mail or rsmith@unitedwayla.org
For a quick backstory, read LA School Report’s overview of the candidates HERE.
More backstory HERE.
More on the LAUSD School Board HERE.
Board Districts 2 (Garcia), 4 (Zimmer), and 6 (Martinez) term out on 6/30/13. The election is March 5th.
Couldn’t make it? View the recording of this Candidate Forum HERE.
Upcoming Charter Application Deadlines (Elementary)
Speaking of charters, we are now fully ensconced in what I refer to as “Charter Season.” The time to tour and get your charter school applications in before their deadlines and lotteries.
While not exhaustive, here’s a select list of some of the upcoming elementary school charter application deadlines and lottery dates around town. Most applications can be downloaded online on the school’s website and either mailed in or physically handed in to their office.
Feel free to peruse my color-coded school finder MAPS for individual school contact info and a direct hyperlink onto their websites. All charters are marked in green on my maps.
Remember, independent charters open their lotteries to anyone from any district. Affiliated conversion charters, an LAUSD hybrid type charter, gives first priority to those residing within the school’s attendance area with any remaining seats going up for lottery to non-residents.
All charters give preference to siblings of existing students, and some charters offer other priorities in their lottery structure, such as to founding families, students residing within LAUSD, or students qualifying for Free/Reduced Meal Plan (ie. low socio-economic status.)
Each lottery is independently operated and instituted by each individual charter school. Applications are handled directly with each school site. There are no points involved, thankfully. If you applied and were waitlisted last year, you need to reapply this year.
Ok, here’s that list.
SELECT UPCOMING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHARTER DEADLINES:
(certainly not an exhaustive list and in no particular order)
Pacific Palisades Charter Complex* Schools — apps avail now in each office, deadline March 11th 12p, lottery March 22nd 8:30a *(schools include Canyon, Kenter Canyon, Palisades, Marquez and Topanga Charters)
WISH — apps avail online now, deadline March 6th 6p, lottery March 15th
Goethe — apps avail online now, deadline Feb 28th, lottery in March tbd
Ocean Charter School — apps avail online now, deadline Jan 25th, lottery Feb 27th 10a
Larchmont Hwd — apps avail now online, deadline Feb 20th 4p, lottery Feb 23rd 9a
Larchmont WeHo — apps avail now online, deadline Feb 8th 4p, lottery Feb 23rd 9a
Citizens of the World/Hwd — apps avail online now, deadline March 1st 4p, lottery March 21st 6p
Citizens of the World/Silver Lake — apps avail online now, deadline tbd, lottery April 4th
Citizens of the World/Mar Vista — – info Mtg 1/31 in MV, apps avail online now, deadline March 1st, lottery April 11th
Los Feliz Schl of the Arts — apps avail online, deadline Feb 28 (by mail) or March 5th 12p (in person), lottery March 5th
Valley Charter — apps avail online, deadline Feb 8th 4p, lottery Feb 22nd 5p
Chime — apps avail online now, deadline March 8th 3p, lottery March 15th
Ararat — call 818.994.2904
Our Community Charter — 818.920.5285
Again, please view my school finder maps for more info and links.
Continued Rapid Growth Of Charter Schools in California
California continues to be at the forefront of the Charter Movement since 1992 when it became the 2nd state after Minnesota to legally allow charter schools. This year there were 81 new charters that opened in the state of California, and 33 of those were in Los Angeles County alone.
This is the largest one-year increase since its inception twenty years ago.
It is estimated that about one in SIX students attend charter schools within the LAUSD!
To read more about the proliferation of charter schools, including an attempt by LAUSD School Board member Steve Zimmer to block the surge of new charters, read HERE.
View a list of upcoming elementary school charter application deadlines HERE.
Is Dual Language Immersion Right For You?
Considering a Dual Language Immersion program for your child? They’re quietly gaining much popularity as an alternative learning approach.
Check out this in-depth report 
and see what these participants have to say about their experience, good and bad. View a map of all bilingual language schools in CA HERE.
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Or read my previous post about language immersion programs HERE.
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