Category Archives: LAUSD News

Upcoming Magnet Fairs

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LAUSD will be hosting the following Magnet Fairs for parents to meet representatives from area Magnet schools and learn more about the Magnet process. FLYER

West EL:
Wednesday, October 7, 2015 5:30–7:15 pm @Baldwin Hills Elementary School

West MS:
Thurs, November 5, 2015 5-8p @LACES

West HS:
Thursday, October 8, 2015 6:00–8:00 pm @Crenshaw High School

Palm’s “*High School Night”:
Thurs, Oct 29, 2015 6:00-8:30p @Palms Middle School

North EL:
Wednesday, October 7, 2015 6:00–8:00 pm @Haskell Elementary School

North MS:
Weds, Sept 30, 2015 6:00-8:00 pm @Sepulveda Middle School

North HS: “*Meet The High Schools Night”:
Weds, Oct 7, 2015 5-8 pm @Walter Reed Middle School
FLYER

North HS: Millikan’s “*High School Night”:
Thurs, Nov 12, 2015 6 pm – 8:30pm @Millikan Middle School
FLYER

* Meet and hear about area public, private, magnet, charter, gifted and other specialized programs – all under one roof. Recommended.

More LAUSD Proposed Calendar Concepts: The 5/7 Tango

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Another twist in the LAUSD Calendar Conundrum. Enter the 5/7 Tango.

Say what?

5:7 Proposal

According to a recent article in LA School Report, “An advisory committee studying options for LA Unified’s academic calendar are considering six different plans, and one them is a radically different approach that would shorten the summer break to five weeks and increase the winter break to seven weeks.”

The idea being that they could create a 20-day intersession (think ‘summer school’ but during both the winter and summer breaks) for students who fall below basic and need extra remediation or credit recovery.

If passed, this would mean that students would break for 7 weeks during the winter holiday, and only 5 weeks in the summer.

Whaaaat?! 

What do working parents do? I guess their kids can just hang out while parents go back to work, which is most public school parents these days. What about the kids who don’t qualify/don’t need the intersession, where does their retention go after a 7-week winter break as they head back to the second semester?

Um, down the (You)Tubes.

For those of you who followed my GoMamaGuide Facebook page, you saw as I covered the robocalls this past weekend that went out to current LAUSD parents, announcing with a 1-day notice there would be an upcoming telephone survey that would poll parents on 5 calendar-related questions. The calls came in over the weekend right when most of us had our hands full of kids and dinner, or for those with a life, date night and/or other weekend evening activities. There were 3 attempts to reach us and if we didn’t pick up the phone and take the phone survey right then and there during one of those 3 calls, that would be it.

Then I started seeing reports from many folks who did answer and attempt to take the phone survey, only to have the calls glitch and unceremoniously disconnect them after the first question. So much for parent participation.

In another robocall Monday evening, LAUSD Supt. Cortines acknowledged that there were indeed glitches in the telephone survey and offered an apology to parents, explaining they would reach out to those who experienced problems.

Ok, but how? When? Who would be reached? And how would they know who did and who didn’t complete the survey? They offered no number, no email or website to contact them back if you received one of the glitched calls.

Supt. Cortines also mentioned on the call that there were 58,000 “successful” responses. Um. Cool.

Looking at the “fingertip facts” on LAUSD’s own website, this figure represents just over 10% of the 542,433 students currently enrolled in LAUSD. (Remember, independent charters get to set their own calendars so they are immune from this decision.)

So, a success? Or is it a fail.

We’ll see what happens next. They’ll be making a decision this spring that will impact the next three years. Regardless of what happens, you can bet I’ll be staying on top of this topic on behalf of all of us!

If you feel motivated, share your opinion by emailing Supt. Cortines and your board members directly:

superintentdent@lausd.net
george.mckenna@lausd.net
monica.garcia@lausd.net
scott.schmerelson@lausd.net
steve.zimmer@lausd.net
ref.rodriguez@lausd.net
monica.ratliff@lausd.net
richard.vladovic@lausd.net

For a deeper dive into the number crunching and test results the joint advisory committee considered collected from the offices of School Operations, Curriculum, Instruction and School Support, Data and Accountability, and Budget Services, click HERE.

Caution: Enter data dive at your own risk. Quick perusal doesn’t show enough significant test gains to substantiate maintaining Early Start in my opinion, but I know that many High 
Schoolers love it.

LAUSD Parents Surveyed On School Calendar Changes

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LAUSD logoLucky us! LAUSD Supt. Ray Cortines robo-called LAUSD parents today announcing we will be receiving a “telephonic survey” consisting of 5 questions, as the District begins planning the instructional calendars for the next 3 years. (Um, is telephonic a word? nvm.)

Hello folks!

This is our chance to return the start of the school year back to September and out of the heat!

Just say NO to Early Start!

I also propose we lose the whole week at Thanksgiving and make the holiday breaks more evenly distributed, but priorities! Return the after-Labor Day school start date. So parents, answer those survey calls and make your voice loud and clear!

#AugustIsForSummerVacation #FixTheAC #NoMoreEarlyStart!

UPDATE: They’re calling from 213.241.4544 – so look out for that number and answer it when they call you. It only took me 2 mins. 5 questions.

Courtesy of Angel Zobel-Rodriguez, MagnetAngel, here is the list of LAUSD survey questions:

First Question: School should start in Early August, Mid August, Late August, Early September.

Next questions use a five-point scale, Strongly agree, somewhat agree, neither agree or disagree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree.

Second Question: Winter Break should be 2 weeks,

Third Question: Elementary and Middle/High school students should be on the same calendar, (isn’t this a no-brainer?)

Fourth Question: Create a longer winter break with an “intersession*” (apparently a 5 day/wk – 5 wk intervention for those students needing remediation) and another one during the 7-wk summer. *think mandatory summer school during both the winter and summer breaks for kids below basic. And everyone else can just hang out for another few weeks while their parents go to work. Oh that’s gonna be popular! Not.

Last Question: First semester should end before Winter Break. (clue: that’s why we have the August start date to begin with.)

Be prepared. They will only make 3 attempts to call you, and once answered they will not call back. Good luck!  (Thanks for sharing the questions Angel.)

And, If you want to add more weight to your voice, sign the Change.org petition here:
LA Kids Deserve Summertime – Start School After Labor Day

Also, email Supt. Cortines and your board members directly here:
superintentdent@lausd.net
george.mckenna@lausd.net
monica.garcia@lausd.net
scott.schmerelson@lausd.net
steve.zimmer@lausd.net
ref.rodriguez@lausd.net
monica.ratliff@lausd.net
richard.vladovic@lausd.net

LAUSD Rolls Out Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Expansion for 2015

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(article updated on Oct 1, 2015 with K-TK-ETK breakdown and additional links added at the bottom.)
TK- ETKLAUSD will be expanding its Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Program to assist children impacted by the shuttering of its current SRLDP preschool program, by creating an Extended Transitional Kindergarten program, now acronymed as ETK. 117 school sites will offer the program beginning in August 2015, with the remaining 173 sites opening in the 2016-17 school year.

There will now be 3 distinctions of the entry-level programs. Kindergarteners who meet the 5 by Sept 1st age cut-off will enter Kindergarten (K). Students whose birthday falls between Sept 2 and Dec 2 have the opportunity to enroll in the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program, and those children whose birthday is after Dec 2 and who quality will be placed in the Extended Transitional Kindergarten (ETK) program.  All of these programs are a tuition-free, full 6-hour day following the same schedule as other elementary school classrooms, with Breakfast In the Classroom (BIC) provided. Class size will be limited to 24 students per class.

“The LAUSD Transitional Kindergarten Expansion Plan is intended to provide an alternate program in schools with closed School Readiness Language Development Program (SRLDP) classrooms.” —LAUSD website

Priority enrollment for ETK will be offered to low income high needs children who have missed the 5 by Sept 1st Kindergarten age cut-off and have also missed TK’s current 5 by Sept 2-Dec 2 cut-off. This is a preschool program that focuses on school readiness and language acquisition with the intention of preparing children for Kindergarten.

Only those students who legitimately qualify for the Free/Reduced Lunch Meal Plan (FRLP) will be eligible for ETK and then those applicants will be taken in order of birthdate beginning in Dec and continuing through March 31 and possibly into April, May or June if space is available. Families residing in the school attendance area will also be a priority. Schools may offer a 1-year non-renewable TK/ETK transfer to non-residents after satisfying all other priorities first.

See enrollment priority list below:

TK Priorities

List of Expansion Sites for 2015: HERE
Comparison chart of TK and ETK curriculum, framework, assessment, funding: HERE
More Detailed Info – including overview, goals, curriculum, enrollment requirements: HERE
LAUSD TK/ETK splash page to more links: HERE

LAUSD Approves 2015-16 Calendar

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CalendarThe LAUSD School Board voted yesterday to approve the 2015-16 School Calendar.

First Day of School will be Tuesday, August 18, 2015. Last Day of School will be Friday, June 10, 2016.

Key recesses are:
Thanksgiving Break: Nov 23 – 29, 2015
Winter Break: Dec 19 – Jan 10, 2016
Spring Break: Mar 21- 27, 2016

Negotiations will continue however, and changes are likely for the 2016-17 calendar. Talks include the possibility of pushing the start date back after Labor Day and reorganizing the breaks so the first and second semester have a more evenly distributed number of instructional days. Perhaps the end of Early Start after all? Wouldn’t that be grand!

Calendar Link
News Release

Early Start Calendar…It’s EARLY!!

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Aug 2013Hard to believe that for hundreds of thousands of LAUSD students and families, not to mention our teachers, school starts back in just a week. Yes, a week! Where DID the time go? Did we even have a summer?

With the adoption of the Early Start Calendar, and I’ve heard a lot of grumblings* from parents on this topic, the first day of school this “fall” (and I use that term lightly), is Tuesday, August 13th, 2013. Next Tuesday.

This Early Start date applies to all LAUSD Neighborhood schools, Magnet schools, Affiliated Converted Charter Schools, Language Immersions and Pilot Schools. Independent charters, however, have the autonomy to set their own calendars, so many will start in late August or after Labor Day in September.

Not to feel left out, the surrounding school districts are also upping their start times into August this year. So gather up your back-to-school supplies, dust off those backpacks and sharpen your No 2 pencils…it’s going to be another great, albeit early, year! Hey, it just means that next summer vacay will come sooner too!

To view the entire 2013-14 LAUSD calendar, including winter and spring break dates, see:
2013-14 LAUSD Calendar

Santa Monica-Malibu Schools start back on Thursday, August 22nd.
2013-14 SMMUSD Calendar

Culver City schools will start on Monday, August 26th.
2013-14 CCUSD Calendar

Tip: If you are headed to an independent charter, check their website, Facebook feed or newsletter to find out their start date. Each one is unique.

Alright kids, enjoy what’s left of it! Summer, that is.

*Note: to read through previous grumblings on this topic, see the comment thread from when I originally posted the new calendar. Here.

Open Enrollment Applications Accepted Now Through May 24th

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OpenEnrollment Every year LAUSD offers up a list of schools that have seats available to anyone who would like to apply for them through a process called Open Enrollment (OE). This is an easy way to transfer to another school without having to jump through all the hoops one typically does with the permitting process.

Every year the District determines which schools will have open seats and how many for the following fall, then posts the list in May on their website. Schools are listed under their Educational Service Center: North, South, East, or West.

During the application window, which opened this year on Mon, May 6th and closes on Fri, May 24th, you may go to as many of the OE schools listed and apply for a seat. Applications are available at each school site, and are a brief one-page transfer request.

At the end of the application period, if there are more seats than applicants, everyone who applied will be offered enrollment. If there are more applicants than seats, the school site will hold its own lottery to determine who gets offered enrollment and the sequence of their waitlist. You may apply to as many OE schools as you like. Once enrolled on an OE transfer, you do not need to reapply each year.

For more info, see

LAUSD OE info page:
http://tinyurl.com/lyg2aj3

2013-14 Open Enrollment List 
http://tinyurl.com/k6qn8rq

Magnet Acceptance Letters Sent!

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eChoices

If you applied for the magnet or one of the echoices programs, you should have received both an email (if you applied online) and  a hard copy letter in the mail this week announcing your initial results.

If you were waitlisted, do not despair just yet. There is still a long time to go, namely several months and 4 weeks into the school year or mid-September, before things are completely finalized.

If you received an acceptance letter, you have until Friday April 19th, 2013 to either accept or decline the offer. You must respond. If you delay and avoid and do not respond, (eh herm, some people actually think this tactic will work), that will be considered a decline.

After April 19th, remaining seats (by those who declined them in the initial offer) will be offered to the next students on the wait list. This process of working their way down the wait list and offering remaining seats to the next on the list will continue through April, May and June. School offices will close for the month of July but getting all the seats filled will resume again in the beginning of August – through the first day of school, Tuesday August 13th – and continue until all the seats are filled and settled at the end of the 4th week of school, September 13, 2013.

After then, if you still have not received a magnet offer, then your wait list points will become finalized for the 2013-14 school year.

I hope this is clear. Mainly, I hope this gives you some clarity that there’s still plenty of time to get offered a spot. Good luck, all!

Mailer Maelstrom

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P1090944

Parents,

This School Board race is getting out of hand. It’s no secret that our little race, especially BD4 covering the Westside thru parts of the West Valley and into upper Hollywood, is garnering national attention. With NYC Mayor Bloomberg throwing money into the race as well as lots of other outside interests from the reformer PACS to the collective union PACS, it’s becoming a real dogfight. The negative ads are downright distasteful, and not at all representative of either human being running for office.

What I hope people understand is that these ads flooding your mailboxes are filled with misleading rhetoric at best and downright lies at worst, and are usually NOT paid for, approved by, or even representative of the candidates themselves.

This is our “independent expenditures” category gone wild and run rampant throwing unlimited dollars into the fray at the same time we limit individual campaign contributions to $1000 per registered voter. Personally, I think we’ve sunk to a new low as outside groups spend millions of dollars battling for control of our local school board.

Hey Super PACS…here’s a novel thought. Spend your money on our kids! We sure could use a few million and definitely could use it in more productive ways.

In the meantime, please stay focused on the issues that REALLY matter, the ones that will affect OUR children’s future school experience as you select a candidate…such as how will you prioritize the budget, will you support continued charter growth or try to shut it down, what will you do about the growing co-location issue, how can we truly get rid of poor teachers, what about our middle and hight schools that still lag behind???

Please listen to the issues, listen to the candidates themselves, and decide who you think will be the most decisive and effective leader. And parents, please vote next Tuesday! We typically are completely under-represented at the polls. These are our kids. It’s time to activate on their behalf.

Listen to my “Meet the Candidates” PODCAST and decide for yourself!