Traditions
Monday Morning Meetings are a special time for us to gather regularly and set our intentions for our week ahead. Led by Ms. Ilise and our 5th Grade students, the entire elementary student body, staff, administration, and parents gather together to celebrate the week ahead with announcements, adornments, special weekend stories, a moment from the week in history, and announcement of our bell-ringer (special recognition for a student who displays the attributes of being safe, kind, and responsible).
Several times each year, our entire community comes together to perform, share, and reflect on a given topic. From presentations of related class projects to song and dance, our Community Circles are a time to come together and celebrate our diversity, individuality, and everyday accomplishments.
With Los Angeles as our backyard, we are fortunate to be able to use the fabric of our city and surrounding neighborhoods to take our curriculum out to the streets. All field trips are directly related to curriculum, and learning is integrated into the experience of each trip. From the Post Office to Sacramento, and Watts Towers to Astro Camp, Field Trips are an important part of our elementary program, and something students are able to look forward to each and every year.
Once a year, on the last day of school before Thanksgiving Break, we invite our wider community of Grandparents and Special Friends to join us on campus for a Community Circle and classroom visits. This is one of our favorite days of the year, as it is a special time to show some of the most special people in our students’ lives their home away from home.
Hosted by our Parent Association, each year is filled with opportunities to come together as a community of students and parents across divisions. Beginning in October with Harvest Festival, including our Winterfest in December, and many more, these Community Events are beloved Schoolhouse traditions that remind us that Los Angeles isn’t as big as it can sometimes feel.
From original sketches to stand-up routines and singing to tumbling, our Talent Shows showcase the interests and confidence of our ever-changing, constantly-inspired students. Not only does performing for their peers give students an opportunity to thrive outside of the classroom, but also is a valued opportunity to become the poised and creative individuals of whom we are so proud.
Each December, we celebrate the holiday season by coming together as a community to cheer on our students’ growth and creativity in the Winter Shows. Each year brings a new theme, and each student performs proudly (though tears are okay too!) for their parents and peers as we get ready to close our doors for Winter Break.
Twice each year, three students are recognized for their academic excellence, growth, improvement, and character. While we intentionally celebrate the everyday accomplishments that mark each students growth, recognizing our Knight Award recipients each year is an opportunity to inspire all of us to work as hard as some of our most persistent and beloved peers.
Even our youngest students embrace the importance of being socially grounded at the Schoolhouse, and each year we support their earliest efforts to be civically engaged. During Helping Hands Day each year, students in our Early Childhood Division work with enthusiasm, creativity, and love to create arts, crafts, jewelry, and doo-dads that the rest of the community happily buys for quarters, dollars, and high-fives. This day that brings all of our students together also supports the Elizabeth A. MacDonald Foundation and teaches our students the importance of giving back.
Much like everything else we do at the Schoolhouse, the Spring Musical is bigger than just a performance, it is a community event. From our parent volunteers who do costumes and makeup to our 1st through 6th Grade students who come together to perform their latest masterpiece, the Spring Musical is one of the most spectacular occasions of the school year. And in Hollywood, that can include everything from celebrity cameos to green screen recordings.
Each Spring we come together to celebrate our diversity and individuality with cuisine, performance, music, and community. Whether you are conversing with the Irish Dance Troupe over a dish from the Philippines, or listening to Mariachi while trading recipes with fellow parents, the Multicultural Fair is as rich in community as it is in diversity and spirit.
Each school year, parents at every grade level are invited to observe and participate in some sort of cross-curricular presentation that celebrates their child’s work across disciplines. Our Early Childhood students have the Passion Projects, our 2nd Graders the Mock Museum, the 4th Grade Mission Play is a fan-favorite, and the 6th Grade Science Fair is simply remarkable. Each year brings a new opportunity for students to amaze and support one another.