Thank you for coming out on a rainy Saturday for our third public meeting!

Thank you very much to our guest Lisa Duarte of Ninth Street Elementary School in Boyle Heights for sharing her experiences and, at times, her personal struggle with applying Waldorf methods to her Kindergarten class in a public school that is demographically similar to our own. You rule Lisa! Thanks so much for your input.

Last Saturday’s public meeting was a little different than the meetings that we’ve held in the past. We decided to do a workshop this time. Joan led a “Conversation Cafe” and we broke into groups of 5 and discussed our topic for the day, “Meaningful Diversity.” We got a lot out of this meeting; ways to move forward in the planning of the school that will allow us to reflect and respond to the needs of our culturally and socio-economically diverse neighborhoods in North East LA. Thank you very much to you all for sharing your experiences, advice and insight into a subject that, I think, can be a bit challenging to talk about sometimes.

Here’s the meeting report in numbers: 35 adults, 2 teens, and 14 darling kids with excellent whispering voices. We sold 10 handmade birds and received $259.00 in donations! Fan-freakin’-tastic!

A big Thank You to The Audubon Center for continuing to host us in such a lovely space.

A big Thank You to Blue Hen Vietnamese Kitchen for donating a platter of delicious spring rolls for us to snack upon.

A big Thank You to Ruth Ortiz and Mary Crist for offering their spanish translation services.

And a last quick note; we found a red children’s art case and a blue water bottle/jug with a sport top after the meeting. Please email us if they belong to you.

Our next Public Meeting will be on Saturday, June 5th, same time, same place – meeting topic to be announced so stay tuned, or email us and let us know what you’d like to talk about next time!

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We are starting el Rio Charter School to cultivate academic excellence in our children through the proven “Waldorf” approach to education – a method that encourages the excitement of hands-on learning and creativity over mere memorization.

The mission of el Rio Charter School is:

To bring an outstanding Kindergarten through 8th grade education to the diverse community of Northeast Los Angeles by encouraging each child’s natural love of learning in a safe, healthy, and attractive campus environment.

To empower the continuous professional growth of enthusiastic teachers to help students achieve academic success.

To contribute to the pioneering change in public education with a holistic approach in which students are immersed in an arts-infused curriculum, a collaborative work ethic, intellectual exploration, and independent thinking.

We need parents, teachers and advisors willing to give their time and passion to make el Rio Charter School a reality for the children of Cypress Park, Highland Park, Glassell Park, Mt. Washington and Eagle Rock.

A century of Waldorf success shows there is more to teaching than standardized testing. The Waldorf approach to teaching, homework and academic discipline develops a child’s lifelong love of learning through immersion in the subject, critical thinking and imaginative solutions. The result is high academic achievement.

Together we can make a difference in our children’s education. Join us. Help make it happen.

If you believe in a vision of an outstanding public school education for our children, are ready to devote some of your time and skills to make a Waldorf-style education a reality then let’s start the conversation.