Feeling like the old matriarch of the ins and outs of the LAUSD magnet program, I attended Sandra Tsing Loh's Martinis and Magnets seminar in Hancock Park Sunday night and deemed it a hit. I'd say sellout, but this woman, and her colleague Christie Mellor gave this information willingly and freely. Parents lined the floor, the backwall and the few chairs crowding the gallery that donated the space to hold this event.
The self-proclaimed Magnet Yentas seem to be a little newer to the magnet system than my family's experiences (since we've survived this system from kindergarten to Michael's being in 11th grade this year), but they were dead on on the majority of their information. Sandra posts at http://www.sandratsingloh.com/index.php?pr=Scandalously_Informal
Big thanks to the LA Times' Bob Sipchen and his column at www.latimes.com/schoolme for publicizing this event. Several attendees were shocked by the turnout, but not me. I gave up what is normally a non-negotiable family commitment to make the event. I took another mom from San Fernando who has survived the magnet/charter/homeschool and the neighborhood school. With junior high looming for her little one, her family has a couple of month to make their decisions. And while Zoe is very happy at her current kindergarten, we'd be crazy to not start accruing magnet points for her eventual need for a junior high.
I am recommitting myself to finding a way to get this information into the hands of more families, especially in the Northeast Valley. My son has received an incredible education thanks to the magnet program and I don't want him to be the only one. What's more, is for every child, there's a different experience available.
Gotta split,
Ang
Posted by Angel Zobel-Rodriguez at October 8, 2006 11:32 PM