It's Late and I Wanna Go to Bed...

My husband (tech support for the school) gave me a gift at about 9:30pm tonight, just as I was slipping off to bed.  He set up my website and wanted me to create at least three pages of content to publish before the night was over.  So I did it.

It's not much to look at yet, but as I have the time to update and upgrade, the Aberdovey Charter School website will be a wealth of information.  As it stands, it has three pages...

Check it out at www.aberdoveyschool.org

PS.  I guess we need to get used to the name 'cos it's not gonna change any time soon. ;-)

Door Hangers and EL Schools

I'm working on creating some door hangers to announce the Community Forum in November.  I have mixed emotions about using door hangers as I hate to find them on my door, but they do get to everyone.  I don't know where the money will come from to print them, but I'm sure we'll figure it out.  I'll enlist friends to help put them on doors when it's about two weeks out from the meeting date.

I got an email today from the California Regional Director for EL Schools.  It sounds like they are gearing up for some growth in the Los Angeles area.  He will be traveling here to meet with a few people in the coming weeks to discuss their plans.  I hope to find a time to meet with him as well. It would be great to have such wonderful professional development and school design support in place so early in the process.

A Buzz in the Air

I am hoping that the discussion that Menifee 24/7 can carry into the community enough to get people interested in coming to the informational meeting in November.  I am a little concerned that it's too far off in the future and that people will have forgotten about it by the time it happens.

It's exciting to hear that there are parents interested in the option.  I hope to be able to explain well enough that ELOB is a strong academic program and not a "squishy" charter school that doesn't meet standards.  I know that this is a stereotype that I will have to overcome.  I think it is possible simply because of the background and supporting studies of ELOB schools and their academic achievements across the country.

It's neat to listen to people debating the qualities of the school.  It gives me pause to think and decide each time for myself if my school vision is solid.  So far, it passes the test for me.

What's in a name?

It's interesting to me that the first few comments placed on the Menifee 24/7 site are regarding the name that I chose for the school.  Don't get me wrong...I'm excited that people are talking about the school at all, so if they want to discuss the name, that's fine with me.  It's just interesting that they would focus on the name instead of the type of school or the type of framework.

As for why I chose Aberdovey Charter School...in my research about ELOB, I read a lot about Kurt Hahn (the founder of Outward Bound).  The first school that he started was in Aberdovey, North Wales (as "anonymous" pointed out on Menifee 24/7).  I thought that the place had a cool name and used it as a nod to the origins of ELOB.  Doesn't seem like a rip-off to me as the school had a different name.  I want this school to have a unique identity that is tied to its foundation in Expeditionary Learning.  It is not just Menifee Charter School...it is an ELOB charter school and as such, I want to make note of it in the name.  Since Menifee Expeditionary Learning Charter School is pretty long, I was looking for a name that "symbolized" ELOB.  Maybe "Hahn Charter School" would work just as well.  I happened to like the sound of Aberdovey.

Point is, I am the ONLY PERSON working on this charter school at the moment, and while there aren't many advantages to being the sole crew member on a voyage, one of them is that I get to name the ship!  If you'd like to join my crew, we can certainly explore other names.

I want more crew members.  But this crew is not focused on the beauty of a name.  It is focused on the important task of creating a school that will give children in this area a chance for a great education.

First Public News!!

I had to link here as it is the first official publicity for Aberdovey School.  Boy does it feel cool to get the news out there.  This came from Menifee 24/7...obviously a website that is current with local news!

www.menifee247.com

Getting the Word Out

Here's what I posted on a community Menifee forum:

I am working to create a new charter school for the Menifee Union School District.  It will be based on Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound design principles (a proven framework in over 150 schools).  I am looking for other people interested in creating more choice for free education in our area.

Please attend my Informational Community Forum at Grace Church on Goetz Road on Tuesday, November 18th from 6:30 to 8:30pm.  I will talk about what a charter is, what ELOB is, and what we need to do to get this school going.

I'm hoping that as I start to get the word out on the internet, that the number of people who attend will grow.  I also posted a similar thing on the Menifee 24/7 website and I am going to post in on Craigslist in the Community section.

Found a Meeting Place!

Well, I guess persistence is a virtue.  I kept calling around and finally got one of the local churches to let me rent their sanctuary for my community forum.  Thing is, they charge $50, which isn't a lot of money for a rental, but it's a lot of money for us right now.  We'll set up the date for a few weeks from now and I'll start collecting quarters!

So, the meeting will be held at Grace Church on Goetz Road.  It's a small church but it's in a very easy location to find.  I want to make this meeting big enough to be worth my while so I am going to make door hangers for the neighborhood and try to get as many people as possible to the event.

I may even try to get a note in the local paper...maybe they'll do it for free in the events section.

Keep on moving forward!