We Support Open School

This dedication of the community to the children, staff, curricular model and motto of Community of Respect are incredible. I feel so fortunate my children lucked out and got in and wish more schools of this caliber and curriculum existed in LAUSD at all levels k-12. Our families represent the diversity of our city and my children have friends in so many neighborhoods we feel woven more tightly into the fabric of our city. The governing board, staff and Principal Cass are individuals. The purpose of their commitment is to improve the school's programs for our children. I cannot fathom what they have been accused of in an anonymous letter. It seems to be not the Open School way. If the letter writer cared about Open, they would have openly brought up their concerns so legitimate complaints and problems can be worked on within the community. I hope that if there is training to be provided to our community, it should be done, and that if the letter turns out to be a red herring for someone's personal disappointments or anger that we might be allowed to move on and get back to what Open does so well, educate our children. Just this week, my children are putting final touches on a futuristic city with low energy use and built from recycled materials, participating in a marketplace to learn the value of money, watching silkworm metamorphosis, learning concepts of probability, practicing letter writing. These hands on projects not only keep alive and develop the flame of creativity, but also mean each child is a "doer" who will assess, design, and create something of they researched and designed alone or as a team. Personally, I welcome any chance to improve our school, but am tremendously grateful for the dedicatin of Ms. Cass and the teaching staff in particular, who also work as a team and constantly strive to tweak and improve the curriculum, constantly bringing in new ideas alongside those tried and true programs which have become Open School traditions.