Alternative school to hold open house
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

Plans for an alternative elementary school program recently approved by the Las Virgenes Unified School District are moving ahead fast.

District officials and Brenda and Itamar Harari, the husbandand-wife team who provided the impetus for the opening of the new program, have announced several upcoming parent and teacher meetings and an open house which will illuminate the school's educational philosophy.

The program, called the Las Virgenes Community Learning Center, is expected to open in September. It was initially proposed as a charter school, but district officials preferred to fold the Hararis' model into another alternative education option offered through the district.

The next parent information meeting is slated from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wed., March 21 at the Las Virgenes district office, 4111 N. Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas.

According to Joe Nardo, assistant superintendent of education, enrollment information will be available at the meeting, which parents must attend as a condition of enrolling their children in the school.

Teacher orientation meetings have also been scheduled. The next is planned at 3:30 p.m. Tues., March 20 at the district office.

The open house is scheduled for March 25 at Sumac Elementary School, 6050 N. Canfield Ave., Agoura Hills. Parents, teachers and others interested in finding out more about the new school are invited to the open house, which will be held from noon to 5 p.m. in the school's multipurpose room.

The Las Virgenes Board of Education voted unanimously Feb. 27 to open the alternative kindergarten-through-fifth-grade elementary program. According to Brenda Harari, the multiage classroom program will expand upon the current alternative education options.

"The most recent proposal presented to the district has helped our board of education move quickly in implementing an expanded vision of alternative education for students," said Superintendent Sandra Smyser.

Enrollment will be capped at 125 students in the new classroom component of alternative education.

Although the new program will offer subjects meeting state standards, it will veer away from the typical in how subjects are taught and children learn.

Multiage classrooms will be the norm, and themes will be carried out throughout each school day. Harari said the program will be "center-based," meaning children will independently move from center to center, mastering skills at their own pace. One student may linger at a math center until he masters a concept, but move more quickly through reading projects and end up reading at a higher grade level.

Global and environmental education and a focus on interpersonal relationships and communication will be central themes, Harari said.

The next level

A middle school alternative classroom is being considered for the near future.

Nardo said the district will also accept applications from families whose children attend schools in neighboring districts. Depending upon enrollment numbers, a lottery to place students may be necessary, Nardo said.

The Hararis will serve as consultants to the district by designing and developing the educational component, assisting with teacher hiring, providing instructor and staff training, and developing community outreach programs.

"We are extremely encouraged by the board's decision, which reflects courage, foresight and a strong vision for alternative education that positions LVUSD to lead this period of significant educational reform," Harari said.

For further information, visit www.heartineducation.com/ahflc.