Tag Archives: enrollment

Countdown to Back To School! Checklist Included

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Back2SchlWe’re in the final decent to the start of the 2015-16 school year in Los Angeles…let the scramble begin!

For LAUSD students, school starts this Tuesday, August 18th. For Santa Monica-Malibu it’s Thursday, Aug 20th, and for Culver City you get ’til Monday, Aug 24th. And for some lucky indie charter students, you still have a week or two to go, but for others school started a few days ago on the 11th! Wah.

In any case, there are Back to School sales going on everywhere, even at your local drugstores, so now is the time to make sure you have everything you need to start the year off right. Here’s a quick basic checklist but check your actual school for particulars:

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backpack
lunchbox
food storage containers/ziplocks
water bottle
thermos
new sneakers and socks
other closed toe shoes
PE uniform (middle/high schoolers)
notebooks and binders
folders
filler paper
pencils and pens
erasers
school planner
sunscreen stick
lip balm
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And of course your stylish new school wardrobe…unless by that we mean the regulation khakis or navies and school logo’d polo shirts you’re required to wear.
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It’s also time to consider a haircut and perhaps a deep conditioner from so many sun-stripped summer days at the beach.
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Locker1Some lucky secondary (middle/high) schoolers will actually get the opportunity to deck out a locker, which opens up a plethora of over-priced fashion accessories like plastic chandeliers, stylish wallpapers, shelves, rugs, magnetic organizers, mirrors and cup holders. You can Google “Locker Makeover” for some fun ideas both retail and DIY.
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Depending on the school, your student might need to cram in any required summer reading if they didn’t get to it already – check your school’s website or enrollment/welcome packet. This is typically for secondary students, but you’d be surprised how many kids forget this one. Let’s just say there may be a last-minute trip to your local library or bookstore (or Amazon Prime!) in your future and some late-night reading in order to get your student up to speed for the first day of school.
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Also, make sure your child’s shots are up-to-date. There’s a host of required immunizations and corresponding paperwork needed in order to enter Kinder, and incoming 7th graders must also have proof of their Tdap shot or they will not be allowed into classes. (I’ve literally seen schools keep un-reported or un-immunized students in the auditorium until their immunization paperwork arrives.) Can’t get in to see your doctor? No worries. Shots can be had without an appointment at many local pharmacies, like CVS or Rite Aid. Note: With the recent passing of SB277, this is the last year for Personal Belief Exemptions until January 2016, when the new law goes into effect.
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Heads up, I’m still getting emails daily announcing school openings (I’m posting them on my FB wall as they come in*), so be prepared for the unexpected offer off a waitlist to literally fall out of the sky in the next few days or even weeks. Remember, Magnet programs have until Sept 14th to fill any vacant seats, many under-enrolled schools or expanding new charters are calling for students, which combined creates a corresponding ripple effect down all the related waitlists. It really does happen to many families this late in the game, so don’t be surprised if it happens to you.
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If your student has been having lazy summer sleep schedules, staying up late and sleeping until noon, you might want to roll back that schedule now, start setting their alarm for their typical school-day schedule, and practice getting up early in order to acclimate back, otherwise it will be a rude awakening the first day that alarm goes off at the crack of 6a!
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BeachFinally, do your best to RELAX and enjoy the final days of summer and get those end-of-summer pool parties, beach outings and BBQs booked. School will be here soon enough, and then we’re all off to the races once again.
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Cheers to my families for being ready for back to school!
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*If you hear of any school openings, please let me know and I’ll post them on my GMG FB wall.

Parent Courtesy Reminder – Don’t Be a Two-Timer!

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colored arrowsHey Guys,
Even though it’s June and most schools are out for summer, school offices are still open and working on their fall enrollment. I’ve been getting several calls and emails from you folks who have unexpectedly gotten acceptances at 2 or even 3 different schools for fall. Lucky you!!

Just a reminder that many other families are still anxiously holding out hope, waiting to hear if a spot opens up at their coveted school.

So if you do happen to get into 2 or more schools, especially if you have already filled out paperwork, as soon as you make your decision, please, PLEASE make sure you get back to the other school, thank them, and let them know you will not be attending. Keep it brief, keep it polite, you can email or phone them, but either way let them know so they can move down the list and offer the space to another lucky student.
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Here’s a simple email example. Feel free to use it:

“Thanks so much for offering our child (child’s name) a spot in (grade level) this fall. We have decided to go in another direction so we will be declining, but wish you the best in the upcoming school year.”

Sincerely,
(your name).
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See? That wasn’t so hard, was it. And notice you didn’t have to give any explanation. Or even talk to anyone. Just simple, clean, polite. But more importantly, it lets them know. So they can move on. Breakups are hard. Give them closure.

So don’t be a two-timer. Don’t “squat” on multiple offers. Do other families a favor and let the other school know as soon as you finalize your decision. You’ve moved on, so let them move on too. It’s just good manners. And the right thing to do!

Also, the closer we get to the start of the school year, the less time schools will give you to make your decision, usually about 24 hours before they go on to the next person on the list. (It’s true. Prepare yourselves.) 
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And just in case you think you are being crafty, magnet schools take the attitude that no response means a “no,” so don’t NOT answer your phone or NOT answer that email hoping to avoid them and hold on to those waitlist points. For magnets, no response is considered a no. And turning down a magnet option (whether directly or indirectly) results in losing ALL your accumulated waitlist points.
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Ok, that’s it for my courtesy reminder. Remember to play nice in the sandbox.
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Got multiple offers and can’t decide? Need help weighing the pros and cons? That’s what I’m here for. In-person or Phone.

Changes in Open Enrollment: Now Thru May 22

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OE 2015LAUSD’s Open Enrollment applications are now being accepted for the 2015-16 school year and there are a number of big changes this year!

•They’ve gone online!

•They’ve centralized the lottery!

•Siblings get priority!

•Apply any time between May 4-22. Deadline May 22, 2015!

•You will hear initial application results by June 9th.

Every year LAUSD faces handfuls of seats at under-enrolled schools that are available for those who want them and apply for them. Easier than a work or childcare permit, Open Enrollment seats are up for grabs and once admitted into a school through this type of transfer, your child can stay until they complete the final year it offers. No annual renewal, no proof of residency/employment/licensed childcare paperwork to agonize over, and no lengthy application or approval process.

From the site:
“The District’s state-mandated open enrollment policy enables students anywhere in LAUSD to apply to any regular, grade-appropriate Los Angeles public school with designated open enrollment seats. While the number of total seats for next year is still being determined, it is anticipated that approximately 6,200 seats will be available at about 200 schools, based on the staff’s knowledge of new housing and other demographic trends in the local attendance area.”

Quick links:
online application: apply.lausd.net
more info: home.lausd.net/apps/news/article/462889
the list of OE schools: 2015 OE List (alphabetical)

To get started, you’ll have to log in or create a new parent registration with LAUSD. (Hint: it’s the same portal where your eChoices/Magnet application history is, if you did that this fall.) Once you set that up you’ll be able to register your children and check their status for eChoices/Magnets, Open Enrollment, Schools for Advanced Study/SAS, Zones of Choice, and other permit requests, as well as be able to accept or decline potential offers online.

If you’ve never done this before, let me walk you through it.

1. Create an LAUSD account at apply.lausd.net. Click on the link to “Create a New Parent Account.” You’ll enter your email which will also become your username.

2. Check your email for the confirmation email from ApplyforSchools@lausd.net. You’ll have to click on the link they send you to agree to terms and activate your new account.

3. Create a password and fill out your Parent Profile.

4. Then add each of your children with the info they request.

5. Once all that’s set up, you can apply for Open Enrollment for each child right there from the drop down menu – which also includes late Magnet-Space Available and Incoming Inter-District Permits (from another District into LAUSD) application links. Each sibling needs a separate application. The site will automatically filter for grade-appropriate options.

6. The online Open Enrollment application lets you select up to 5 school choices, however keep proximity in mind when selecting schools as no transportation is provided. Deadline to apply is Friday, May 22, 2015.

Notable Changes:
Instead of lotteries being held on hundreds of separate campuses, the District will now centralize the Open Enrollment application process into one online lottery. Results are random, non-biased, and will go out via email (and be posted on your online portal) by June 9th. If there are more applications than seats available at a particular school, remaining students will be sequenced into a waitlist in the order they are drawn. If more seats are available than applications, any remaining seats will stay open and available until the process closes on September 3, 2015.

***Note: If your child receives more than one offer of enrollment, please notify the schools you are declining so they can offer the spot to the next student on the waitlist.

If one sibling is drawn, all other siblings who applied to the same school will automatically be granted a transfer.

After initial offers are made on June 9th, any additional offers on remaining seats will be made in order of the waitlist until all seats are filled or the program closes on September 3rd, 2015.

Open Enrollment transfers are good with no annual renewal needed and no fear of being booted off the island until the completion of the last grade offered, typically 5th, 8th or 12th grade. However, you will need to reapply for the next tier (from elementary to middle, or middle to high school) as there are no feeder pattern guarantees with Open Enrollment.

Open Enrollment options are for LAUSD neighborhood schools with available seats. You will never find magnets or charters on that list.

Here’s that link again: apply.lausd.net

Hope you found this helpful. As always, should you need additional personalized assistance, please consider a phone or in-person consultation with me. Best of luck and happy school hunting!

Enrolling My Child In School – What I Need To Know

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EnrollmentJust relocated across town in order to get into a fancy new school footprint?

Enrolling your first child into Kindergarten and wondering what paperwork you’ll need?

Here’s how it will go down and what you need to gather before they just hand over your enrollment packet.

Note: This information applies to enrolling in your neighborhood public school. It will be a slightly different process to enroll in a charter, magnet, or specialized school such as a language immersion, although aside from the first step, much of the paperwork requirements will be similar. 

Also note that the more desirable (full) the school is, the more stringent you can expect the paperwork requirements to be. On the contrary, an under-enrolled school might be a little more lax about paperwork requirements for incoming students. Ok, let’s get started.

The first and biggest step is Proof of Residency 

You will need to bring a recent utility bill such as your DWP, Edison or Gas Co bill, (NOT a phone bill), showing your address lies within the attendance area of the school. Some schools, in addition to the utility bill, will also need to see a rental/lease agreement, escrow papers or homeowners property tax bill, or some other official US Government mail (IRS, Social Security, CA State tax) with the same residential address. Most schools need one or both of the above AND you will also need to show your CA Driver’s License that matches the address. Copies will be made and kept on file.

Having just renewed my drivers license and asked them this very question recently, by law you are required to update any change of residential address within 10 days of moving. Your drivers license should reflect your current residential address, not a mailing address. (I know many people don’t follow that rule, but that is the law.)

If you have just moved over the summer, get your driver’s license taken care of ASAP so you have no problem enrolling. For what it’s worth, my drivers license renewal came within about a week to 10 days of turning in the paperwork at the DMV.

You will also need to show Proof of Child’s Birthdate

In order to prove your child has met the state’s Kindergarten Age Requirement, you will need to present your child’s birth certificate, passport, or baptism certificate showing proof of age. CA state law requires your child must turn 5 by September 1 in order to enroll in Kindergarten that fall.

Once you pass those two hurdles, (Proof of Residence and Proof of Child’s Birthdate), you will be handed your enrollment packet. Thud.

paperwork I will not lie to you, for Kindergarten it is usually about a stack of forms 1″ thick, somewhat intimidating, with many different pages of requests for info and documents to sign. You will have until just before the start of school to get that baby turned in. (For LAUSD that is mid-August!) The earlier you do this, the better. Don’t wait until the day before school starts.

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What’s inside?

In the enrollment packet you will be asked for general family contact information, immunization records including dates administered, healthcare provider and insurance carrier info, other health history questions including developmental milestones (just do the best you can to fill in all the Qs), last dental visit info, home language survey, an emergency contact card – where you list relatives and who to call if they can’t reach you in an emergency situation, previous school enrollment info, release of records and transcripts if you are transferring into a grade higher than Kinder, a meal application to see if you qualify for free/reduced lunch, a blanket release authorization should your child be photographed and the district wants to use it, and likely the school’s bell schedule and events calendar will also be included.

You might also find additional requests for info from the PTA/PTO or Booster Club including parent liaison/room parent contacts, opportunities to join committees and such, opportunities for summer family meet ups, and a school roster info request. If the school is uber-organized, they may even start hitting you up for money for their annual giving campaign or invite you to upcoming fundraiser events.

Let me tell you, this pack of paperwork is not something you can just stand at the counter and fill out. You will definitely need to take all this home, gather the necessary information and fill it all out, then bring it back to the school office before the start of the school year.

Just a heads up, most school offices tend to open up about 2-3 weeks before the start of school, and will be shut down for most of July.

And, remember, you are not officially enrolled until you have submitted all your paperwork to the office and they have added you to their system.

If you’re looking ahead to next year, most neighborhood schools hold a “Kindergarten Roundup” sometime in early spring (late February to mid-March) where local residents meet the principal, hear a pitch about the school, some of the kids may perform or special projects are displayed prominently, and the parent organization extends the welcome wagon out to incoming neighborhood families. With proof of residency, you can pick up your enrollment packet right then and there and get started filling that out.

If you just moved into the neighborhood this summer, get on that enrollment packet asap.

Hope you found this helpful. Good luck!

LAUSD Open Enrollment for 2014 Now Thru May 23!

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OEThe LAUSD Open Enrollment application period for Fall 2014 has officially opened. Deadline to apply is Friday, May 23, 2014.

Open Enrollment info

If you’re hanging on wait lists and still looking for school options for the fall, this is a good list to peruse.

Every year LAUSD offers up a list of schools to anyone who would like to apply for them through a process called Open Enrollment (OE). These are neighborhood schools with available seats that anyone can apply for. Once enrolled in a school via Open Enrollment, your child may attend that school until the last grade offered without having to re-apply every year. It’s an easy type of school transfer without going through a complicated permitting process.

You may apply to multiple Open Enrollment schools. If there are more seats than applicants, everyone who applied gets in. If there are more applicants than seats, a lottery will be held at the school site in the last week in May to determine offers of enrollment and the wait list sequence.

For a list of schools with Open Enrollment seats available, sorted by Educational Service Center/ESC area (East, West, North, South), see:

OE List 2014

The OE application

Good luck!

SAS Applications Now Thru April 30th

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GATEIf your child qualifies, NOW is the time (April 1-30th) to get those Schools For Advanced Studies, (SAS) applications in. The deadline to apply for the 2014-15 school year is April 30, 2014.

Acceptance notifications come out in early May. In order to apply to an SAS school, students must meet specific eligibility requirements, either by being identified as Gifted and Talented (GATE), verified by their teacher and principal, or by meeting specific testing thresholds.

What is an SAS school? It is a specialized program for qualified students that (hopefully and depending on the strength of the program and staff) delves deeper into course material at an accelerated pace. From the LAUSD website: “Gifted/Talented Programs creates high end learning opportunities which allow students to flourish in stimulating academic and social environments. In designing challenging educational opportunities, we strive to raise the floor, remove the walls and eliminate the ceiling on learning.”

If your gifted child is wait listed at their magnet choice and you haven’t yet heard if they got into that charter school, the possibility of an SAS program can be another school option to consider. You can apply to more than one SAS program, you apply directly at your desired SAS school site, and the school will determine which applicants get accepted or not by the end of the application period. Some schools handle applications on a first-come first-served basis, other schools base student acceptance on a more selective criteria which might include a student interview plus review of work samples, cumulative grades, teacher recommendations and test results.

*Note: For middle and high school, chances are excellent they will look at your child’s grades going back 2-3 years, making your child’s 3rd, 4th and 1st semester 5th grade grades particularly important when applying for middle school, and 6-8th grade grades critical for high school applications.

For more on SAS (Schools for Advanced Studies) programs, see: New LAUSD GATE website!
achieve.lausd.net/gate

SAS application and criteria: achieve.lausd.net/Page/2033

List of SAS programs by area/grade:
List

You can pick up applications at each SAS school office during the application period, or download it here:
achieve.lausd.net/Page/2033

As always, if you want to discuss anything further, I’m here to help!

phone consultation

in-home consultation

 

2014 Dual Language Program Deadlines

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Hey Westsiders –
Here’s a quick list of many of the area Dual Language Immersion elementary school programs and their upcoming application deadlines for the 2014-15 school year. Each school organizes its own tours, application, screening and lottery process, and you apply directly at the school site.

LAUSD:
Broadway Mandarin Academy – apps are first-come-first-served (not a lottery) so the earlier you turn in your app, the better your chances! Apps avail in main office, can be picked up between 8:30a-3:30p.
Tours: Feb 20 9a, Mar 6 9a, Apr 22 9a and May 20 9a.
App priorities/dates:
1- Siblings of current Mandarin Immersion Program students 02/24/2014 – 3/21/2014
2- Within LAUSD’s Education Service Center West (ESC West) 03/03/2014 – 3/21/2014
3- Within other ESCs in LAUSD (ESC East, North and South) 3/10/2014 – 3/21/2014
4- School district is other than LAUSD 03/17/2014 – 3/21/2014

Apps received after 3/21/14 will be date and time-stamped and placed on a waitlist regardless of enrollment priority or area of residence.
www.broadwayelementary.org/bmiadmissions
www.broadwayelementary.org/enrollment

Broadway Spanish Immersion — call for more info 310.392.4944
Tours: Jan 22 9a, Feb 26 9a, Mar 26 9a, April 23 9a, May 21 9a
www.broadwayelementary.org/si

Grandview Spanish Immersion — call for more info 310.390.3618
Tours: Feb 5 8:30a, Mar 5 8:30a, Mar 20 8:30a, April 2 8:30a, May 7 8:30a
grandview-lausd-ca.schoolloop.com/duallanguage
Download the FLYER

LAUSD Full List of Dual Immersion Programs:
LINK

Indie Charters:
City Charter Elementary Spanish Dual Language (K-2) — apps avail online now, Deadline Feb 28, Lottery Mar 13
Tours: Feb 20 9:30a, Mar 14 9:30a, Apr 4 9:30a
citycharterschools.org/westadams

Goethe International Charter School (German) – apps avail online now, Deadline Feb 28, Lottery Mar 18 6p
Tours: Feb 4 9a, Feb 13 9a, Feb 18 9a, Feb 27 9a rsvp 310.306.3484
www.goethecharterschool.org

SMMUSD:
Edison Language Academy (Spanish) – application given at tour
Tours: scheduled Nov thru early Mar, call to schedule 310.828.0335 x61149 or x 61148
App priorities:
1- Students living within the Edison attendance area
2- Siblings of Edison students
3- Students from within SMMUSD, and employees of SMMUSD, City of SM and City of Malibu
4- When available, Edison accepts students from out of District contingent upon an inter-district permit
www.edison.smmusd.org

CCUSD:
Residents register at home school first between Feb 11 – Mar 14, then inform them of interest in El Marino and/or La Ballona, receive a Dual Lang App request to take to El Marino and/or La Ballona office(s) to be entered in lottery. Enrollment for out of district permit begins Apr 9 by apt only @ CCUSD offices.

El Marino Language School (Japanese/Spanish) – Kinder info night Feb 6 6p
App priorities:
1- CC residents who are siblings of current students
2- CC residents who speak target language (Spanish/Japanese)
3- CC residents who speak English
4- Non-resident Spanish/Japanese speakers w approved inter-district permit
5- Non-resident English speakers w approved inter-district permit
elmarino.ccusd.org/about/faq.jsp

La Balllona Spanish Dual Language Program – Kinder info night Jan 23 6p Registration by appt
Tours: Jan 24 10a, Jan 30 9a, Feb 4 9a, Feb 21 10a, Mar 3 9a
laballona.ccusd.org

To locate any of the above programs, please view my Westside Elementary School Finder Map at GoMamaGuide.com/schoolfinder

More about the Dual Language Immersion options HERE.
Is Dual Language Immersion Right For You? HERE.
2013-14 LAUSD Dual Language Directory HERE.

Hot Off The Presses! New School Guidebooks for 2014!

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P1110150

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Westside Guide to Public Elementary School

and

Westside Guide to Middle School

newly revised and updated for the 2014-15 school year!

$20 each. Click HERE to purchase.

Updated Flier: Westside Middle School Forum Thurs, Oct 24

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Middle-School-Forum-Final

Shopping Middle Schools on the Westside? Then you’ll want to check this out.

Thurs, October 24th starting at 6p, a dozen area middle schools will be under one roof at Mark Twain Middle School presenting their pitches, power points and pamphlets. Come, listen, learn. Afterward there’ll be a chance to walk up to each school table and ask questions.

And of course, I’ll be there to help focus you on your options.

WESTSIDE MIDDLE SCHOOL FORUM!
Thurs, October 24, 2013 6-8:30p
at Mark Twain Middle School
2224 Walgrove Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90066
It’s FREE!

2014 Magnet/eChoices Site is LIVE!

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It’s Magnet Time Again!
by Tanya Anton | GoMamaGuide.com

Choices2014It’s time.

The site is LIVE. The 2014-15 Magnet/eChoices brochure is now available and the application window has officially opened. Apply online now!

Beginning today, Tuesday, October 1, 2013 through the deadline Friday, November 15, 2013 at 5p, LAUSD residents may apply to the Magnet Program or Permits With Transportation (PWT) program for next year.

Visit echoices.lausd.net. It’s ONLINE. 24/7. It’s easy. It’s fast. It’s paperless.

Highlights for 2014:

– No longer accepting late applications. But you can make changes to your online app up until the final Nov 15 deadline. You’ve got 6 weeks to do this folks. Don’t be late. Do this now, get those apps in on time!

– NO NCLB PSC Program! No Option B Magnet/PSC Program Combo!
Due to LAUSD’s NCLB waiver being approved by the US Dept of Ed in August 2013, the NCLB PSC option for students enrolled in PI (Program Improvement) schools is no longer available and will be phased out for current PSC students. (Don’t know what I’m talking about? Don’t worry. It’s not available anymore.)

– Notification letters will go out by the end of March and will be sent via email if applied online.

– Students MAY be contacted with an opening up until the 4th week of school. (This DOES happen. The late notification. It happened to us this year.) Waitlist points will finalize after then. *Students may also be called during the first 2 weeks of the spring semester. (I don’t personally know anyone who got this call, but beware, it’s in the fine print.)

eChoices screenshot

The Basic Highlights: (Covered in much more detail in my Guidebooks)

– Must be an LAUSD resident to be eligible. Falsified applications will be disqualified and removed from the program.

– Can select UP TO 3 MAGNET Choices. Points will only attach to your 1st choice. 2nd and 3rd choices will be entered with 0 points. If you aren’t selected in any of your choices during the initial automated lottery, you are placed back on the waitlist of your 1st choice.

– You are not required to select 3 choices. If accepted to ANY magnet program at any point and turn it down, you will lose ALL accumulated waitlist points.

– Only submit ONE application per child. (Check with other parent to make sure you didn’t both apply.) Must be applying for the correct grade for 2014. State Law governs age eligibility:  5 by Sept 1st for K, 6 by Sept 1st for 1st.

– Student info (address, telephone, grade) MUST MATCH info at child’s current LAUSD school. (Think robo-call info.) It is the parent’s responsibility to complete the application correctly or it will be rejected.

– Twins are treated as individuals with separate apps. There is a space to enter sibling info on each app. If only one gets in, sibling points will apply the following year.

– If currently attending a Magnet and wish to stay there…DO NOTHING! If you apply elsewhere and are selected into another magnet, you will be dropped from your current magnet program. (This has happened to people I know trying to collect points while attending a magnet program. No, No, NO! That’s what Matriculation points are for.)

– If NOT currently in a Magnet and would like to be for next year, apply now. Apply every year until you get in. Waitlist points only go back 3 consecutive years.

– Gifted/High Ability and Highly Gifted applicants must provide verification AHEAD of the Nov 15 deadline. See: echoices.lausd.net/Magnet/GiftedCriteria

– To find more detailed info about each Magnet program, click on the 7 digit school code. To find out which Magnet programs are near you, use my School Finder maps.

If this seems overwhelming or you want to discuss strategy, please contact me for a consultation. I’m happy to help. Magnets are just one of many public school options.
– Tanya Anton | gomama@mac.com