Weekend Links: Articles, Events and More!

Cheers to my son's team, Pacific Elite, champs at the SGV Aloha hoops tournament in Anaheim last weekend. What a pass!
Cheers to my son’s team, Pacific Elite, champs at the SGV Aloha hoops tournament in Anaheim last weekend. What a pass! This is my favorite shot from the tournament.

Contrary to popular opinion, private school teachers earn less than public school teachers.  The Secret Lives Of Private School Teachers in Take Part

 

Harvard-Westlake’s high school is planning to expand and some neighbors are upset, reports the Daily News. I live in Coldwater Canyon so I’ll be curious to see how this issue evolves. Check out the architectural rendering for the proposed sky-bridge over Coldwater.

 

One of the coolest open house invitations I’ve ever seen. Check out the Sequoyah School in Pasadena invitation to see its newly completed campus expansion. Sat. Nov. 9th. On You Tube. In case you missed it, here’s our profile of Sequoyah. 

 

My favorite parenting guru, Betsy Brown Braun, will be speaking Tuesday evening (Oct. 22). www.betsybrownbraun.com

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A new documentary, American Promise, has just been released. It chronicles the life of an African American Dalton student and the film was made by his own parents. Over-invested parents or filmmakers reflecting on their kid’s education at an elite NYC private school?  I’m curious to see it. Here’s the New York Times review.

 

That’s all for now. We have soccer games, guitar and tennis lessons, kid’s birthday parties to attend and dinner with friends this weekend. And, we’re reviewing the final edits for the 2nd edition of our book. Have a great weekend! –Christina

Weekend Links: L.A. Private School Libraries Embrace Digital Age, Definitive Guide To Elementary School Moms…

Kids Smiling

I think dropping your kid off for the first day of school is really, really hard. Even the second day. And the second week, too! 10 Ways To Ease Your Child’s Preschool Separation Anxiety (NYT)

 

Such a good post about preparing your child for the non-academic demands of kindergarten. I found that to be a bigger challenge than the academic since my daughter started kindergarten reading. For my son, it was a longer day to sit still and learn to read. (The Mom Beat on Orgeon Live)

 

Hilarious! Snarky In The Suburbs gives us her definitive guide to the “elementary school mother.” Recognize her? (Snarky In The Suburbs)

 

If you don’t follow us on Facebook, here’s what you missed! From our Facebook Page:

 

The venerable Pacific Oaks Preschool in Pasadena had to shut down their full-time program, leaving 44 families without a preschool (and no advance notice) and 4 teachers without jobs.  Part-time program remains open.  Parents are outraged. (LA Times). And, I was sent this website that has been set up anonymously by parents (most likely) to update families on the situation at Pacific Oaks. www.valuethechild.org

 

Excellent piece about the role of private school libraries in the digital age. Includes  “What’s hot and what’s not in libraries now.” Co-authored by librarians at Viewpoint, Buckley and Brentwood schools. (NAIS)

 

Weekend Links: Yearbook Pics By Celeb Photographer, Matt Damon’s Kids Attend Progressive LA Private School

The Second Edition: Coming Sept./Oct. 2013!
The Second Edition: Coming Sept./Oct. 2013!

Much controversy has ensued over the idea of offering subsidized loans for preschool for middle-income families in NYC (middle income can mean $200K/year in NYC) (Slate) and a super-snarky take on the issue in Jezebel

 

Not surprising. LA Private Schools Using Celebrity Photographers For Yearbooks (CBSlocal.com)

 

Why Private Schools Are Dying Out. This story sites charter schools as competition for private schools. Really interesting read. (The Atlantic)

 

Helpful if you’re undecided about public or private school. What To Consider When Thinking About Public or Private School (Great Schools)

 

We The People documentary chronicles controversial new charter school law in Los Angeles public school, called the Parent Trigger Law. (The Daily Beast)

 

An amazing, touching article on Friday by my friend and former neighbor at Cal Berkeley, Kurt Streeter. Kurt chronicles the first year of a Cal Freshman from South L.A. Spoiler alert: This may make you cry. (LA Times)

 

In case you missed it, from our Facebook page this week:

Matt Damon decides to send his kids to LA private schools, despite his advocacy for public schools. Lots of discussion, comments on our FB page. (Daily Mail)

 

Experiential Learning at Seven Arrows School, Palisades. A wonderful progressive school. (Launch Education Group)

 

This is devastating to this school…Nine filthy rich board members resign from Horace Mann prep school in NYC, over handling of a sex scandal. (NY Post)

 

Like Beyond The Brochure on Facebook and don’t miss a thing!

Weekend Links: “Playing Hooky From The PTA” and More!

An abundant library at Clairbourn School, Pasadena. Photo: ThePrivateSchoolLady.com

 

Checklist Mommy plays hooky from major PTA volunteer jobs at Temple Israel of Hollywood. (Checklist Mommy)

 

To Redshirt Or Not For Kindergarten? (Abcnews.com)

 

What if your kid doesn’t like soccer or baseball? Here’s a wonderful piece by Betsy Brown Braun about really getting to know your kid. In her piece, a 5th grader defied the sports trend and plays the bagpipes! (Betsy Brown Braun)

 

Here’s a really good overview of popular social media sites for kids. I’m a big user of social media…Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, You Tube, Vine…but, I don’t think anything good can come from kids asking anonymous questions on some of these sites. (What Is Privacy)

 

I adore this kid’s book by Garcelle Beauvais. Here’s my review of I Am Mixed (Momangeles)

 

Private kindergartens are cropping up in China–and, the competition for students is turning deadly. (L.A. Times)

 

Check out this amazing piece on bizarre buildings your kids will love to see, like The Dog House, The Happy House and one with gigantic bright green octopus tentacles coming out of it. (Timbuktu)

 

(Top photo credit: www.theprivateschoollady.com)

 

Have a great weekend! -Christina

Gala-ing at Viewpoint School and Weekend Links!

 

 

Town and Country: What Makes The Rich Beg? Private Elementary School Admissions! The writer lives in L.A. and this article is written with humor about her experience applying to kindergarten for her twins, tuition costs, big donations to private schools and the fact that these schools can find out who you are with a quick Google or Facebook search.

 

NY Times Magazine: Is This The Best Education Money Can Buy? A fascinating article about a brand new private school in NYC with tuition of $43K per year, snacks which include zucchini bread made with quinoa flour and parents in charge. This might be your dream school or your worst nightmare!

 

NYT MotherlodeThe Playdate Gun Debate. I’ll never forget the time we attended a playdate with one of my kid’s classmates and the dad told the moms there (including me) that he had a gun locked upstairs in the safe. This wasn’t a family I ever expected to own a gun. After an awkward silence, somebody changed the subject.

 

USA Today Ranks Best Public High Schools in California. For those of you thinking about public high school, you might recognize a few of these local schools.

 

Tiger Baby Strikes Back on Yahoo Shine is a new book by a Kim Wong Keltner, a mom herself, who rejects the way she was raised with a mother who practiced the “Tiger Mom” approach to parenting, where getting a ‘B’ means a kid is a loser and brings shame.

Happy Mother’s Day!- Christina

 

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