PS Smart Tip: Get Informed and Participate

Posted on by

ItsYourSchlDon’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.
.
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.
.
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!

Posted on by

School Board Flyer District 4Before 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

ZimmervKate
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)

Posted on by

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.

CharterFeel 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

Posted on by

Charter GrowthCalifornia 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?

Posted on by

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 Bi-Lingual Learningand see what these participants have to say about their experience, good and bad. View a map of all bilingual language schools in CA HERE.

.

Or read my previous post about language immersion programs HERE.

 

PS Smart Tip: Be Your Own Best Advocate

Posted on by

This is from a dad I met at a recent talk:

“I went to the prospective parent meeting last month at our elementary school and the misinformation and confusion (about enrollment info) was unsettling to say the least. I’m quickly learning that, as in healthcare, if you are not your own advocate, you (and your kids) are completely screwed.”

I personally refuse to take a fatalistic approach about it all, although yes, I also have plenty of dark thoughts towards the LAUSD machine. However, I personally feel empowered to gather information, speak out, and stay on top of things. We tend to forget that these are OUR schools, OUR kids, OUR tax money. When parents make noise, and are aware of what’s going on, they can’t be so misguided or pushed around. It’s when we stay blind, deaf, immobilized with fear and passivity, that’s when we are controlled and pushed around, thus, as you put it, screwed.

Believe me, with our kids’ education at stake, this IS personal and WE ARE the best advocates they have. Count on it!

Stay strong and carry on! Be vigilant and it will all work out.

I find that a cocktail here or there tends to help.

Upcoming Westside Middle School Tours

Posted on by

Hey Westside Middle School Shoppers. Here is a quick list of upcoming tours:

LACES – Thurs Nov 8, 9a
Palms – Fri Oct 26 & Mon Nov 5 8:30a
Revere – Thurs Oct 25 & Nov 15 9a, also Dec 6 and Jan 24
MarinaDelRey – Fri Oct 31, Weds Nov 7 & 14 8:30a
Twain – Thurs Oct 25 & Nov 1, also Nov 7 & Nov 15 8:30a
Webster – Thurs Nov 8 8:10a
Animo Westside – Thurs Oct 25 10a, Nov 15 10a & 5:30p
City School Charter – rsvp online: Sat Nov 3 & 17 9:30a, Thur Nov 29 7p
Incubator School – Town Hall Thurs Oct 25 6:30p
New West Charter – check back in Dec
.

To navigate school websites by neighborhood, use my color-coded schoolfinder maps: https://gomamaguide.com/schoolfinder/

Incubator School Town Hall This Thurs 6:30p Venice

Posted on by


Have you been hearing about the new Westside middle-high school pilot school, The Incubator School? Want to learn more?

Come to their introductory Town Hall!

Thurs, October 25th, 6:30-8p

826 LA/Sparc Building
685 Venice Blvd,
Venice, CA 90291

.
.
-a new, tuition-free, public LAUSD pilot school supported by Future Is Now Schools led by Rock The Vote pioneer and Green Dot founder Steve Barr

-opening in August 2013 on the Westside with grades 6 & 7, and adding a grade per year until they reach 12th

-real wold project-based learning

-creative, entrepreneurial, design thinking-based instruction

-committed to nurturing children’s social drives and ethical inquisitiveness

-utilizing rich, vibrant technology to facilitate collaborative social learning

-partnerships with Silicon Beach companies

-college- and world-ready curriculum, with an interdisciplinary approach
.

“Just as an incubator nurtures hatchlings, and a business incubator grows ideas into ventures, The Incubator School will provide kids with the skills, mentors, resources, social connectivity, and ethics to help their fledgling ideas fly. The school’s focus will be design thinking, a process-oriented way of looking at problems, generating ideas, and finding solutions.”
.

Come with your questions to the Town Hall this Thursday. Read more about their vision here:  TheIncubatorSchool  Or, Join their FB Page.

Westside Middle School Forum Packs in Parents!

Image

Tanya speaks to a packed house last Thursday at the Westside Middle Forum at Coeur d’Alene Elementary School in Venice, CA.

Thanks to organizers Julia Morgan and Sandi Wise of the Venice Neighborhood Council’s Education Committee for putting on such a great event featuring nine area middle schools, and thanks to the many parents I had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with. Fun!

PS Smart Tip: Transformation Begins With Visualization

Posted on by

Exhale Stress and Worry… Inhale Joy, Inspiration and a Vision of The Highest

Take in a deep cleansing breath and visualize your children among other children, in happy nurturing environments, excited to be amongst good-hearted caring people, with inspired lessons and wonderful opportunities for learning. Hold this vision for your children, your school, your community.

Collectively these are our schools. And we are creating them, shaping them, as we lean into and visualize the need. And as we fill them with our collective love and care and nurturing, they will soar. And despite the economic downturn, despite all you might hear in the press, many already are. And many more are opening, transforming, filling the need for something new. Because of all of us, together, holding the vision, asking for and creating change. For our collective children. For our future. Because we love them. Because we care.

Because we are all inter-related; not one apart from the other.

moneytree
So let’s hold the highest vision of possible school, and in joy, bring it into fulfillment.

And trust with all this school stuff, it’s gonna be alright!

Because it is.