About Larchmont Charter School
Larchmont Charter School is one of the most diverse, high performing elementary schools in Los Angeles. We are a parent-initiated neighborhood school that is creative, diverse, academically challenging and emotionally nurturing. Ours is a school that embraces and celebrates the diversity of languages and cultures in our urban environment while retaining the close-knit feel of a neighborhood school. We serve children from all walks of life and varied economic backgrounds and believe, as studies show, that all students benefit from economic diversity. Almost 40 percent of our student body is non-white and children at Larchmont Charter speak more than 12 languages at home. Our goal is that 40-50 percent of enrolling students qualify for free or reduced-priced lunch.
Education Philosophy
Larchmont Charter strives to have the essential combination of a research-based, innovative curriculum, parent involvement in school governance and excellent test scores. It emphasizes constructivism in student learning. This form of pedagogy has been supported by research for more than 60 years and has been used in successful schools across the country.
Larchmont Charter's educational philosophy is progressive, hands-on and experience-based. Children, particularly in the lower grades, use concrete manipulatives and experiential learning. Our philosophy draws on the work of John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Reggio Emilia, Jerome Bruner, and Lev Vygotsky. Students receive differentiated instruction in response to their different interests and strengths. Our vision involves a process navigated by aligning students' curiosities and questions with academic standards while children learn through the medium of their own experiences.
Larchmont Charter's educational program is being designed to:
- serve the whole child and foster a lifelong commitment to intellectual exploration, individual growth, and social responsibility;
- embrace, celebrate and benefit from the diversity of our community and promote family, school, and community partnerships;
- respect, support and empower teachers by providing time for reflection, collaboration and action research focused on student learning.
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Larchmont Charter School is to provide a socio-economically, culturally and racially diverse community of students with an exceptional public education. We foster creativity and academic excellence; our students learn with and from each other in an experience-centered, inquiry-based learning environment. With participation from our entire community, we strive to instill in each student a dedication to improving the world we inhabit.
We fulfill our mission by:
- Providing a challenging, constructivist-based learning environment, with the arts, sciences and physical education integrated into the standards-based curriculum, that inspires independent thinking, imagination and a passion for learning.
- Teaching our children that they are citizens of the world; creating policies that embrace equal opportunity and the dignity of others; and encouraging the members of our entire school community to be engaged and active in society.
- Nurturing a unique community that includes families, teachers, staff and other community members who are active participants in the education and social and emotional development of our children.
- Giving teachers time, resources, support, and autonomy to: a) continually develop their pedagogical skills in a collaborative, professional learning community; b) create, evaluate and refine curricula; and c) ensure that all students have every opportunity to achieve.
- Using opportunities in and out of the classroom for peer mentoring, multi-age instruction and socialization. Instilling a community-wide dedication to volunteerism and family participation so we have adequate support, resources and funds to offer a rich and varied educational program.
- Promoting active communication between the school and the students’ homes, and providing meaningful family education programs.
- Creating partnerships within the community, the charter school movement, the school district, and with other educational institutions, including helping other charter schools as they develop.
- Creating a sustainable organization that functions at a consistently high level and attracts highly qualified professionals to ensure the long-term viability of the school.
- Ensuring that our students learn to communicate effectively, seek to understand, share and care, take responsibility and persevere.
HOW WE GOT HERE
Larchmont Charter grew out of the dream of a handful of parents to create an alternative neighborhood school within LAUSD. Initially, the project seemed almost too daunting. This all changed when Lindsay Sturman, one of our core Founding Parents spoke to her longtime friend, teacher and educator Dvora Inwood, who was finishing her graduate education studies at Stanford. Dvora's goal was to move back to Los Angeles and start an innovative charter school.In an effort to test the waters, we sent an email to the Larchmont Village neighborhood roster. The response was incredible, and through word of mouth and outreach, we built a diverse and dynamic group of Founding Parents committed to working 10-30 hours a week to build the school. In all, hundreds of families have donated over 30,000 volunteer hours and raised over $1,000,000. Thank you founding parents!!
MAINTAINING OUR DIVERSE STUDENT BODY.
Larchmont Charter students are over 40% non-white and nearly 30% of our families are eligible to receive free/reduced-price lunch, which is a federal designation for economically disadvantaged families. Twelve different languages are spoken within our community. We believe that all students benefit from this rich academic and cultural experience and are dedicated to maintaining this diversity as we move forward. Each year, we initiate dedicated outreach programs in our local community and in greater Los Angeles to raise awareness and increase enrollment at LCS.
COMMUNITY & FAMILY PARTICIPATION
Volunteerism is a cornerstone of our school culture. Parents are strongly encouraged, per our charter, to volunteer 50 hours per year at LCS. Families with 2 or more children enrolled are encouraged to volunteer 75 hours. All families are also asked to donate and participate in fundraising activities to the extent of their ability. Our parents head up committees and help in classrooms, on the field, at events, in the office and in the libraries. We are very lucky that LCS is on sound financial footing, despite having to make up an annual shortfall of $1800 per student , (which is the difference between our budget and public funding). Last year, through fundraising activities and our annual pledge drive, we raised more than $700,000 from our parent community.
With guidance from our school leadership, we reach into the wider business and political community to aid in our fundraising and connect us more closely to our city.
What is A Charter school?
Charter schools are public schools created by parents, educators and communities to provide innovation in the classroom and an alternative to traditional public schools. A "charter" is essentially a contract: charter schools operate free from bureaucratic red tape and regulation, and in return they are held to higher standards for student achievement. Unlike a traditional public school, if a charter school does not meet these high standards, they are shut down.
Charter schools represent one of the fast-growing movements in education.
The original California charter law proposes to:
- Increase learning opportunities for all pupils, with special emphasis on expanded learning opportunities for pupils who are identified as academically low achieving."
- Encourage the use of innovative teaching methods that address the needs of all learners.
- Create new professional opportunities for teachers, including the opportunity to be responsible for the learning program at the school site.
- Provide parents and pupils with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system.
- Hold the schools accountable for meeting measurable pupil outcomes, and provide those schools with a method to change from rule-based to performance-based accountability systems.
- Provide vigorous competition within the traditional public school system to stimulate continual improvements in all public schools.
Charter schools are public, tuition-free, and non-religious. Admission is determined by lottery. Because no one can be forced to go to a charter school, charter schools must meet and exceed parent expectations in order to keep their students.
Many of the best schools in Los Angeles are Charter Schools, including our model school, Open Magnet Charter School.
For more information on what a charter school is, please visit the California Charter School Association (CCSA).
LCS Parents
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Additional Information
- Staff Information
- 2011 - 2012 Lottery
- Larchmont Enrollment Application
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- LCS High School Info