Christina Simon: Los Angeles, California, United States
I'm the mom of two kids who attended The Willows School in Culver City and Viewpoint School in Calabasas. My daughter is a graduate of Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism ('23) and my son is a sophomore at UPenn/Wharton ('26). I live in Coldwater Canyon with my husband, Barry, and our dogs. Contact me at csimon2007@gmail.com
JoinMomangelesfor an informative and fun evening atRomp, a fabulous kids play space in Hollywood asChristina Simon and Porcha Dodson co-authors of Beyond the Brochure,and Sandy Eiges of LA School Scoutshare their expertise about the private elementary school application process and answer your questions. Read Beyond The Brochure’s Q&A interview with Sandy Eiges here.
Monday, June 4, 2012. Discussion starts at 7:00 pm.
Topics will include:
– Selecting Which Schools To Visit
– The Parent Interview
– Your Child’s Visiting/Testing Day
– Letters of Recommendation
– When To Use The Phrase, “if accepted, we will enroll”
– What To Do If Your Child Is Wait-Listed
– Financial Aid
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit:
Parlez-Vous Francais? Oui! At Lycee International de Los Angeles
Lycée International de Los Angeles, Los Feliz
“Bringing Up Bebe”, the bestselling book by Pamela Druckerman was the topic of a fabulous luncheon I attended recently, hosted by Lycée International de Los Angeles (LILA) andArborBridge (formerly Launch Education Group)at The Little Door. Before the event, I toured LILA, a wonderful, developmental Pre-K-12 in Los Feliz.
Elizabeth Chaponot, LILA head of school and Christina Simon (photo: www.miajphoto.com)
As we ate the Little Door’s superb food, Elizabeth Chaponot, the French/American head of school at LILA, spoke about the differences between French and American education and how LILA achieves the delicate balance of blending the two educational influences and cultures.
Elizabeth is an experienced educator and a mom, with impressive credentials and a passion for education. Her family founded LILA, she’s a graduate of the school and now she’s continuing the tradition. Elizabeth pointed out that at the school, she approaches French parents differently than she does their American counterparts. With American parents, she told us, she often begins with talking about the child’s unique qualities like their sense of humor or other characteristics. French parents, she said, want to know how their child is doing in school, but don’t expect continual feedback on their child’s attributes. American parents also place a premium on extracurricular actives like sports to a greater extent than many French parents. So, part of her job at LILA is to unify the distinct parenting and educational values of these two very different cultures.
Author Sarah Maizes at The Little Door (photo: Mia J. Photography)
Giving a quintessentially American perspective on the bestselling book, “Bringing Up Bebe,” Sarah Maizes, author ofGot Milf? The Modern Mom’s Guide To Feeling Fabulous, Looking Great and Rocking a Minivan, is a triple threat: mom of three, author and comedian.Sarah talked about writing the review of the book for the Today Show Moms and what she learned by reading it. She also talked about her own kids and the unique parenting challenges that come with twins and a daughter with Asperberger’s, who became the inspiration for her new children’s book, On My Way To The Bathdue out in June.
Juliette Lange, LILA admissions coordinator, Matt Steiner, Launch Education Group and Christina Simon at The Little Door (photo: Mia J. Photography)
Although my two years of college French are long forgotten, touring LILA with Juliette Lange, the charming and friendly admissions coordinator, I was pleasantly surprised that I recognized a few familiar phrases from days gone by, as ridiculously cute children darted by speaking the most adorable French.
Mia Johnstone (LA Private School Guide/photographer) and Christina Simon at The Little Door
LILA is a great option for families who are looking for a developmental dual immersion school. Students are taught to read, write and speak both French and English by the end of elementary school. However, the goal is to offer more than “mere knowledge of two languages. The ultimate goal is to form bi-literate students capable of functioning in two linguistic worlds, according to LILA. Families at LILA truly embrace French language, culture and diverse cultures at the school. A quarter of the school is comprised of French nationals and there are students from 48 nationalities.
Founded by Progressive educators in 1979, the school has grown to four campuses (Los Feliz, Pasadena, Orange County and West Valley). The school is accredited by the French Ministry of Education, The Western Association of Schools and Colleges and The International Bacculaurate.
In a Kindergarten classroom
LILA is a Pre-K-12, private school nestled on six acres in Los Feliz. The campus is instantly welcoming and low-key. It buzzes with with student excitement. The one-story buildings contain large, bright classrooms containing with smart boards. Teacher’s assignments and the student’s work decorate the walls. When I arrived, the school day was in full swing.
The garden at LILA serves as a place of learning and inspiration
Sitting a the edge of the campus is a huge, vibrant school garden that’s part of a bigger community garden. This glorious greenery lends the school nature’s greenery. Students help grow a wide assortment of fruit, vegetables and flowers. It’s a magical place where seedlings and plump, ready-to-pick fruit are examples of the kids’ efforts.
Earthly Delight!
Here are a few things to know about LILA:
Learning is project based at LILA
There are 2 grades per class, 450 students
A new secondary campus is in the works in Burbank, to move the secondary campus to a new location
The point of entry is Pre-K or K unless fluent in French
Tuition is approximately $14K per year for Kindergarten. Financial aid is available for up to 50% of tuition
LILA is more than a language immersion program, it’s a cultural immersion program
Graduates from the school attend top U.S. and international colleges and universities, including Columbia, Stanford, NYU, Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Brown, McGill University, Oxford University, Sorbonne, Universite Paris and more
LILA emphasizes community and the sharing of cultures
Oh, so pretty!
If you are considering a dual-immersion French-English school, visit LILA and see for yourself this unique, sprawling school on a gently sloping hill in Los Feliz. LILA puts a worldly spin on education! C’est magnifique!
The Waverly School, a progressive school in Pasadena, spanning young kindergarten through 12th grade, is utilizing a unique method originated in France, a “fruit wall” to plant 27 apple trees at its farm. While a yearlong working farm, this is the largest single planting effort for The Waverly Organic Farm in its 15 years of existence.
Waverly Students Planting Apple Trees: Kids From Young K to High School Celebrate Spring
“The farm exemplifies our interdisciplinary and experiential approach to learning. Our students engage in scientific observation and experimentation, create works of art, write poems, and plant the foods of other cultures at the farm,” said Waverly Head of School, Heidi Johnson. “In addition, they have opportunities to taste freshly picked produce and play in nature.”
This project will be integrated into the curriculum for students and the planting effort is being overseen by the Waverly parent and Organic Farm coordinator Barbara Ayers. At a recent fundraiser sponsored by Whole Foods Market’s Arroyo location, monies were raised for a cider press which will be used for apple harvesting. The apples are coming from a grower in Riverside County, Kevin Hauser of Kuffel Creek Nursery.
The Waverly Organic Farm apple hedge is going to be made up of about half Fujis, and then a mix of more unusual varieties: “Sierra Beauty,” “Stump,” and “Molly’s Delicious” in addition to a selection of crab apples (“Etter Crab,” “Wickson Crab,” and more) to add tang to the school’s apple cider.
The Apple Trees Are Growing!An apple orchard coming soon!Waverly School Farm
The Waverly Farm is an outdoor classroom for teachers to take their classes for writing, observations of wildlife and to conduct science experiments. The Farm allows for curriculum related projects, such as:
Math: calculate crop yields, make planting charts and graphs;
Science: garden ecology and plant biology; the effect of climate on crop cultivation and human survival;
Language Arts: write comparative essays on colonial life and students’ own lives in regard to food production and consumption; creative writing related to observations in nature;
Nutrition and Health: compare a colonial diet with today’s diet;
Creative Arts: create artwork based on natural observations, design and build farm implements, create harvest songs and recreate harvest festivals; and
Physical Education: engage in activities like capture the flag, run around the track and swinging from the tire swing.
Waverly School Garden
In the existing brown space children and their adult companions can run, climb, dig, poke, closely observe and actively explore a variety of existing environments. They can dream up different imaginative games in this space. The essence of the space is that it is complex, protected, unformed and natural which is valuable in and of itself, and raises multiple possibilities, each worthy of pursuit. – Source: The Waverly School News Release
A huge congratulations to our wonderful, talented guest blogger, Jenny Heitz and her husband, John. They got married! And, Jenny discovered a very cool wedding gift too.
Jenny Heitz has worked as a staff writer for Coast Weekly in Carmel, freelanced in the South Bay, and then switched to advertising copywriting. Jenny is a graduate of Crossroads. Her daughter started 4th grade at Mirman School last year. She previously attended 3rd St. Elementary School. Jenny has been published recently in the Daily News and on Mamapedia, The Well Mom, Sane Moms, Hybrid Mom, The Culture Mom and A Child Grows In Brooklyn. She now writes about gift ideas and products on her blog, Find A Toad.
