Tag Archive for: Echo Park schools

Eat In-N-Out = Support Elysian Heights Elementary kids!

Time is running out to purchase your tickets to the Elysian Heights Elementary School Family Fun night!

In N Out burger will be serving up your pre-purchased meals at the school on Monday, April 23 at 6:00 pm as part of a fund raiser benefiting the 6th grade field trip to Catalina Island Marine Institute – a trip that costs about $7,500.

But it’s worth every penny – once in middle school myself, my 8th grade class took a similar trip and it was one of my best experiences growing up. A lot of kids never leave their neighborhood, and the trip is an educational program providing them with hands-on marine biology and island ecology lessons. They’ll get to hike around the island, snorkel, experience marine fish and wildlife, pet a shark, and even do a plankton tow along with dolphin excursions.

The cost of the trip includes the student’s camp fee, all activities, all meals, Catalina Express transportation, lodging, teacher chaperones, and supplies. 75% funds realized from this event will directly support the field trip. The remaining 25% of the funds go to the IN-N-OUT Child Abuse Foundation.

Tickets for the Family Night are $6 and gets you burger, chips, and a soft drink. There will be a demonstration by the students at 6:15 pm in the auditorium. Dinner will be at the school from 5-6:00 pm.

Get your tickets today! Tickets are only available until noon tomorrow, and can be picked up no later than noon on April 18 in the school office.

If you are unable to attend, but would you or your company would like to make a tax-deductible donation, please contact the school office at 323.665.6315

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Elysian Heights Elementary celebrating Dr. Suess’ birthday

Elysian Heights Elementary School is celebrating the birthday of Dr. Suess tomorrow with a special guest – DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba!

The Read Across America event will involve parents and volunteers reading Dr. Suess books throughout the day (volunteers can still sign up in the main office).

Dr. Seuss Birthday Celebration with DJ Lance Rock
Friday, March 2 from 1:00-4:00 pm
Elysian Heights Elementary is located at 1562 Baxter Avenue
Call 323-665-6315 with questions or for more info

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Honoring teachers and principals in Echo Park tonight

Tonight, the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council (GEPENC), along with the Positive Energy Group, are hosting the 2nd Annual Echo Park Elementary Principal/Teacher Appreciation Reception. Though events have already started (at 3:00 pm), the reception/program will start at 5:30 pm.

The event was originally scheduled for October 7, 2010, but was rescheduled due to weather concerns.

Honorees include:

Mr. Lynn Andrews, Allesandro Elementary
Ms. Julie Gonzalez, Betty Plasencia Elementary
Ms. Armineh Alexan Papazian, Clifford Street Elementary
Ms. Veronica Herrera, Elysian Hts. Elementary
Mr. Luis Ochoa, Logan Street Elementary
Ms. Rosa Eshaq, Mayberry Elementary
Mr. Evaristo Barrett, Rosemont Elementary

This is a great opportunity to thank all the hard-working principals and teachers in Echo Park! Congrats to everyone involved!

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Last night’s fire at Logan Street Elementary

There were few last night who didn’t hear the incredibly loud fire alarm going off at Logan Street Elementary in Echo Park. A lot of people came out to see what all the commotion was – some neighbors telling me they often hear the alarm going off when kids try to break in to the building. But this time it was different.

A little after 10:0 pm, a fire broke out near an electrical panel in the building. One firefighter told me it started in the basement, but other reports say it started on the second floor. Damage was minimal, and noone was injured.

We ran into The Eastsider LA’s Jesus Sanchez on the scene as well, and since we sabotaged WordPress last night we weren’t able to post anything until now. He had the story up right away, you can read that here.

It took 42 firefighters and 43 minutes to put out the fire.

Logan is still open for classes, but some classes will also be held at Gabriella Charter School.

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Will the LAUSD actually listen?

Last night’s Echo Park Improvement Association Neighborhood Issues Committee meeting brought out well over 30 people to Williams Hall at Barlow Hospital to discuss community concerns about CRES#14, an LAUSD school being built near the busy intersection of Alvarado and Sunset Blvd.

Chieko Rupp, now retired from the LAUSD, spoke at the meeting as the “point person” of the design team that is writing the proposal for CRES#14. Although not an official rep from the LAUSD, she and the team will be submitting the final project proposal to the LAUSD for review.

Here’s a run-down of what is being discussed for the future of CRES#14:

  • It will be Pre-kindergarten through eighth grade
  • Because the school was initially built to alleviate over-crowded elementary schools (and continued to be the focus even after elementary schools became under-enrolled), the school will include elementary age students. One of the reasons include construction – some classrooms were built specifically for smaller children.
  • It will be a “span” school
  • Initial plans are that it will pull predominantly from areas to the south and west of the school, areas that do not include Echo Park. This, however, is not set in stone, but it’s the “boundary office” that determines which areas the school will pull from. Schools include Virgil and King, which are heavily overcrowded
  • Curriculum focus will be music, arts, language and technology
  • Capacity of the school is approximately 800, but they expect around 500 with about 35 classrooms (three may be used for a senior citizen’s organization)
  • Will be a single zone of choice, meaning kids won’t be forced to go in there but will instead have the opportunity to apply

It is difficult to completely understand some of the complicated terminology revolving “choice” schools, “span” schools, etc., but what we do understand are the concerns of the community when it comes to the LAUSD opening up a Pre-K through 8 school (and run by a charter school) in Echo Park. Many of the residents at the meeting focused on getting the point across that:

  • Echo Park should benefit from the school: 50 homes were destroyed, hundreds of people were displaced. This community needs a middle school, why not use the new school to provide this much-needed service? Why destroy a part of our community only to keep us from primarily benefiting?
  • We don’t need another elementary school: Existing elementary schools are losing teachers, and enrollment is going down. Opening up another elementary school could negatively impact our beloved elementary schools which, if they were to close, would severely impact the community.
  • Make CRES#14 a middle school, or at least make it the primary focus: Assuming we can’t do anything about there being elementary-age classes offered, if  the focus remain on middle school students it might help alleviate community concerns about our schools. However, there’s no guarantee that this will actually be followed through by the LAUSD and the chosen charter school until the decisions are made.

The question is: Will the LAUSD actually listen to the concerns of the community, and cooperate?

The good news? We were promised that nothing, absolutely nothing was set in stone and that we are still in proposal phase. There will be additional meetings prior to the proposal submital for community members to provide input. Deadline for the proposal is December 1, 2010, and the Board is schedule to make the final decision on February 22, 2011. Keep your eye out for these meetings here on Echo Park Now, and follow the EPIA website for announcements regarding those meetings.

Also make sure to follow The Eastsider LA for more detailed analysis of CRES#14 and the issues surrounding it.

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