Looking for a Waldorf School in Los Angeles area

[shel12]

Hi. (This is my first time on a chat site) I have two daughters, 5 & 6, that attend a Waldorf school in NY. My husbands job is relocating us to LA. I would love any input on the Waldorf schools there.

Thanks!
shel

[efwalsh]

Hyland Hall Waldorf in Northridge\

We lived in LA briefly, in the Valley, and my son & I attended a parent-tot class at Hyland Hall (spelling?) Waldorf School in Northridge, in the Valley. I really, really liked it -- that was the best part of my LA experience -- an oasis of warmth, sanity and calmness in a crazy time. The school itself is beautiful but very pricey once you're looking at a full-time program.

There's also a Waldorf school in Santa Monica (sorry, can't remember the name). Again, expensive but they also have a parent-child program.

[umefey]

There is the Pasadena waldorf school in AltaDena. I've visited there once briefly and it had a really good feeling, it is kind of in the foothills so it's almost like you are escaping "LA".
They have a big Elf or Gnome festival or something every year that looked like so much fun.

[Deborah]

This web-site http://www.bobnancy.com/
has a searchable database of waldorf schools. I grabbed the addresses and contact info for the schools mentioned above. There is also one in Orange County and one in San Diego, if you end up living further south.

Good luck,
Nana

Pasadena Waldorf School
AWSNA Member School
Grades: (Pre-K/K - 8)
Founded: 1979
AWSNA Affiliated

PO Box 548
209 East Mariposa Street
Altadena, California 91003-0548
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]
URL: http://www.pasadenawaldorf.org

Pasadena Waldorf is K-8, no Pre-K.

Costa Mesa, California

Waldorf School of Orange County
AWSNA Member School
Grades: (Pre-K/K - 8)
Founded: 1988
AWSNA Affiliated

2350 Canyon Drive
Costa Mesa, California 92627-3948
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]
URL: http://www.waldorfschool.com

Northridge, California

Highland Hall Waldorf School
AWSNA Member School
Grades: (Pre-K/K - 12)
Founded: 1955
AWSNA Affiliated

17100 Superior Street
Northridge, California 91325-1911
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]
URL: http://www.highlandhall.org

See Highland Hall Waldorf School - High School

AWSNA Accredited 2004




Northridge, California

Highland Hall Waldorf School - High School
Grades: (9 - 12)
Founded: 1968
AWSNA Affiliated

17100 Superior Street
Northridge, California 91325-1911
Phone: [phone] ext. 201
Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]

Also see Highland Hall Waldorf School. First graduating class 1971.


Santa Monica, California

Westside Waldorf School
AWSNA Developing School
Grades: (Pre-K/K - 6)
Founded: 1988
AWSNA Affiliated

1229 Fourth Street
Santa Monica, California 90401
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]
URL: http://www.wswaldorf.org

[ratlover]

Is the Orange county school the free charter school? I'd heard that there's one in the L.A. area somewhere, but the school website doesn't mention anything about it being free.
Janine

[Deborah]

Originally Posted by ratlover

Is the Orange county school the free charter school? I'd heard that there's one in the L.A. area somewhere, but the school website doesn't mention anything about it being free.
Janine

The list I was using doesn't include charter schools, so I think not.

Do a google search for waldorf charter directory and see if you turn up something useful.

Nana

[Pete]

Originally Posted by shel12

Hi. (This is my first time on a chat site) I have two daughters, 5 & 6, that attend a Waldorf school in NY. My husbands job is relocating us to LA. I would love any input on the Waldorf schools there.

Thanks!
shel

Shel, I'd be happy to provide you with some input or put you in touch with some people. There are Waldorf schools in this area that are not listed here. What area are you moving to (LA's a big place) and are you looking for a larger or smaller school? I'm also familiar with other neighboring schools and may be able to help you with those.

Pete

[UUMom]

I think that's your typical private school soap opera. (In fact,that's your typical Unitarian Church soap opera, too. heh). Having been involved in independant schools for years and years, both in childhood and adulthood, that's pretty much the way it goes at times. Some people want to change things, other's don't. Ime, the stress caused by the adults fighting more often affects the kids more negatively than the *thing* they are fighting about.

UU jokes aside, that must be difficult for your kids, since I know you said your ex works at this same school. I hope it works out for all of you.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by UUMom

I think that's your typical private school soap opera. (In fact,that's your typical Unitarian Church soap opera, too. heh). Having been involved in independant schools for years and years, both in childhood and adulthood, that's pretty much the way it goes at times. Some people want to change things, other's don't.

Yes, of course.

Ime, the stress caused by the adults fighting more often affects the kids more negatively than the *thing* they are fighting about.

Parents involved in this sort of thing should be especially careful to keep the kids out of it.

UU jokes aside,

I don't know what that is - Unitarian church?

that must be difficult for your kids, since I know you said your ex works at this same school. I hope it works out for all of you.

I think it has (of course I won't go into the details of my divorce here). And it isn't as if I run around the school with a chip on my shoulder. I volunteer, do all the normal Waldorf stuff parents are supposed to do - set up chairs, bar-b-que for the faires, take kids on camping trips and field trips, etc. Some people hate that I can be critical of Waldorf and still be so involved, so they try to push me out of these types of activities, but most of the people at the school are normal people who appreciate who I am. Like I said - a regular All My Children...

Pete

[Winters_Diana]

Pete wrote:

>I volunteer, do all the normal Waldorf stuff parents are supposed to do - set >up chairs, bar-b-que for the faires,

See, Pete is an ideal Waldorf dad! He even holds barbecues for the fairies . . .

Diana

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Winters_Diana

Pete wrote:

>I volunteer, do all the normal Waldorf stuff parents are supposed to do - set >up chairs, bar-b-que for the faires,

See, Pete is an ideal Waldorf dad! He even holds barbecues for the fairies . . .

Diana

[umefey]

: Oops!

[ratlover]

Was she intending to be rude? I thought she was trying to be silly. When I read Pete's sentence quickly I thought "faires" was "fairies", too. And it's just such a funny visual image to think of someone BBQing for fairies.
Janine

[Pete]

Originally Posted by ratlover

Was she intending to be rude? I thought she was trying to be silly. When I read Pete's sentence quickly I thought "faires" was "fairies", too. And it's just such a funny visual image to think of someone BBQing for fairies.
Janine

Diana and I are old friends - both generally pretty good spellers BTW. I was giving her an affectionate glare. She did NOT intend the comment as rude AT ALL - just taking an affectionate jab at me (what IS the plural of faire anyway? )

Pete

[ratlover]

That makes more sense! Maybe we need more emoticons to get the nuances right, heh heh.
Janine

[Vicky Morales]

Source of information on LA schools

Try to check this link LA schools to help you find the school you are looking for... It also has a map locator for the exact location of the the school. Hope this help.

[momsgotmilk4two]

Originally Posted by ratlover

Is the Orange county school the free charter school? I'd heard that there's one in the L.A. area somewhere, but the school website doesn't mention anything about it being free.
Janine

You're thinking of Journey School, the one I'm looking into It is in Aliso Viejo, in Orange County.

The only thing I've heard about the Pasadena Waldorf is that the kids coming out of it have a tough time competing for slots in the private school high schools in the area. Pasadena has deplorable public schools for the most part, so parents with money send their kids to private high school. The private hs's are $$$$$$. I think many of them recently upped thier tuition to $19,000 a year and most of the parents do pay the full price. According to my sil who works in the admissions office at a fancy private hs, the grades and test scores of the kids coming out of the Waldorf School aren't as high as those coming from other private elementary/jr. high's and they almost never accept them. I dont' know if this would concern you, but it's something to think about. Maybe the problem is that they do not have a Waldorf High School. Also, we're talking about very chi chi hoity toity private high schools. I'm sure the kids coming out of Waldorf would be above the level of most of the kids coming out of the public schools in the area.