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:
10 Responses to "Eagle Rock"
June 3, 2009 at 10:20 pm
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…
June 4, 2009 at 5:09 pm
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?
June 4, 2009 at 8:14 pm
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!
July 1, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Does anyone have an opinion of Dahlia elementary? Thank you.
September 8, 2009 at 8:42 pm
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!
September 5, 2009 at 8:04 pm
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:)
November 7, 2009 at 1:24 am
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.
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March 6, 2009 at 8:53 pm
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.)
May 8, 2009 at 8:55 pm
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!
May 8, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Thanks, Gwen. I’m still on the hunt so I really appreciate the input!