Eagle Rock
(Note: Due to wiggly boundary lines, we suggest reading Eagle Rock, Echo Park/Silverlake and Highland Park together.)
Yes, at this point in time (fall 2008), people are moving to Eagle Rock for the schools. While the conventional wisdom of olde has dictated tucking one’s family away into lovely Mount Washington (“Ivanhoe East”–”the school with the 10″), there’s a lot of buzz about Eagle Rock Elementary (the gifted program). (Even Solano Avenue Elementary looks pretty amazing on paper, and is probably worthy of its own Harvard think tank study.)
And a particularly good example of a neighborhood-supported school is:
Delevan Drive Elementary
Great teachers have been joined with art grants, garden beautification, and a new orchestra and marching band. Your friendly super-mom/parental contact is Dani Stockdale (whom we can’t resist noting is married to longtime Magnet Yenta musician friend and theatrical composer-about-town Gary Stockdale)
danellestockdale@stockdalesound.com
On the preschool front, we hear raves in Eagle Rock about:
Westminster Child Center
http://westminsterchildcenter.com
(323) 256-8086
Our mom friend Cindy Gravanese loves it and would be happy to answer questions. Contact her at:
I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and am looking for good kindergarten options for Fall of 2011. I’d love to hear feedback (both positive and negative) on Eagle Rock Montessori and any other kindergarten in the area. (Our local public elementary school is San Raphael, which we’re not too keen about, but I’d love input on that as well.)
It’s been a while since you posted, but hopefully you’ll get this. I had heard mixed things about ER Montessori, but sometimes life throws a curve and we found ourselves in an unusual situation last October where we needed to make a change very quickly. We can see ER Montessori from the window of our home, but hadn’t put our first son there because of the mixed things we’d heard. However, when my husband & I visited we really liked the director and the facility. We put our almost 4 y.o. son there and watched closely for signs of potential problems. There have been none. We love the place, we love his teacher, and in hindsight, I wish our first son had gone there too. They are nurturing but also make clear what is expected from each child, which is mainly to be self sufficient and a good citizen. The parents and children who go there have formed a nice little community and often get together outside of school. Since it’s more of a neighborhood school, most of the families live close by which makes it very nice also. Good Luck!
Thanks, Gwen. I’m still on the hunt so I really appreciate the input!
Hi Susan — This is very late, I am sure, but I wanted to suggest you tour Aldama Elementary’s Dual Language Program… Anyone in Highland Park, Mount Washington, Glassell Park, and Eagle Rock can attend… We are completing our first (the “inaugural”) year there and my boy LOVES it. He is learning in both Spanish and English (no Spanish going in…) and is loving the challenge. The teachers are phenomenal and the community is great. Despite all the budget cuts, our program is going strong and the teachers incorporate a lot of art in the day. And though the school itself is large, our program is small (2 classes per grade) and so you get to know all the parents and friends that your child will be with through 5th grade. Let me know if you have any questions about it! Good luck in your search…
Thanks, Courtney. Unfortunately, we are technically in Pasadena (one street over the border) so I bet we wouldn’t qualify. Do you know if Pasadena would be included as well?
I am not sure — but you can always call the Principal at Aldama (Joy Naval) and ask her… I know that Pasadena just started a Dual Language Spanish Program (I believe it is at San Raphael) and they filled that up fast… Might be worth a look. I think they are also putting together a Dual Language Mandarin elementary program as well (though at another school site). Hope that helps!
Does anyone have an opinion of Dahlia elementary? Thank you.
We have a son who started kindergarten at Dahlia Hts last year and will be in 1st grade this year. Our other son is at ER Montessori and will go to Dahlia next year. We are very happy with the school and love that we can walk both boys to school. The principal at Dahlia was new last year and I think there was some resistance to her, but in my opinion we need to give her a chance to succeed. She is a caring, hardworking, and concerned principal who has the childrens’ best interests at heart. There are lots of involved parents at Dahlia and we are committed to making it a better and better school. My husband and I are both very pleased with Dahlia and love the fact that all of our son’s friends are in the neighborhood. There is a strong sense of community at the school. If you’d like further info or have specific questions, please feel free to ask!
I;d like to hear more about Westminster Child Center ( their website isn’t working), Eagle Rock Montessori and the Garden Co op…on the hunt also for a good preschool:)
Hi Claire,
My Daughter has been at the school now Since September and she absolutely loves it. It’s a very down to earth school with great teachers and a wonderful outdoor play area.
I highly recommend it and am happy to answer any questions.
By the way I think the website is working again, although the director has changed, her name is Rhonda.
Hi MagnetYenta! I hope you can help! My son has attended Mt. Washington Elementary since 3rd grade and is now a 6th grader. We live in Highland Park and have no plans on moving, but need to get our son into the magnet program for Eagle Rock Middle School. Since we only moved to the area three years ago, we have no where near the “points” required to get our son into the magnet school of our choice except through lottery chances. We also applied to the wonderful charter – RenArts, landing on the wait list as number 36 in the lottery- no luck getting in as number 36. Any suggestions?
Also, if we were able to get him into the “regular” side of Eagle Rock Middle school, is it reputable? He is currently a GATE student- I’m not sure what kind of programs the “regular” school of ERMS has. Any and all suggestions/comments welcomed.
With thanks,
I wanted to encourage parents in the area to give Toland Way a 2nd look. They had a well-organized Kindergarten fair last night for potential enrollees, and I walked out with a different impression than I held walking in. There was a good group of parents checking out:
* A new PTA that’s only a couple years old and is looking for parents who’d like to get involved,
* A new principal who seems engaged and very supportive,
* A Transitional Kindergarten class for kids born in Sep-Dec, or who just need a little time to adjust to a school environment.
* A free afterschool program available for all-comers through LA’s Best, there will be no waiting list next year, they’re trying to increase enrollment.
* The afterschool program for Kindergarten involves organized reading time, snacks, arts, crafts, sports, dance. For upper grades, if I recall correctly, there is a computer lab, organized sports, and a drill team for the upper grades.
* Yes, they do have a GATE program.
We were going to try for Mt. Washington, but I think I’ve changed my mind… I spoke with a former Mt Washington parent whose kids were happier at Toland Way, and so was she. The conventional choice isn’t always the best choice for everyone. I saw a lot of potential here, the teachers impressed me, they seem to enjoy the latitude they’re given to work with kids of different abilities. I also met with the Kindergarten teacher who is likely to be cut if they don’t get enough enrollees, and she seems amazing, it would be sad to lose her.
Anyway, that’s my pitch.
Check it out, give it a try, it seems to be in the cusp of a turn-around and now would be the time to get involved, for those inclined. If they’d like more info, I’m at: tae[underscore]macias[at]yahoo[dot]com