Updates from Elysian Heights Elementary School

Submitted by Becky Mazel, Parent, School Site Council Secretary, FoEHES Treasurer

Staff, students and parents have a lot to be proud of at Elysian Heights Elementary School, an LAUSD public school serving pre-K (four year olds) through sixth grade students in Echo Park, as well as many students from beyond the Echo Park district of Los Angeles. With an API score of 825, they must be doing something great because enrollment is increasing in spite of several new charter schools opening in the area in recent years.

Elysian Heights benefits from a number of critical elements of a good school. Its Principal, Veronica Herrera Lynch is a child-centered, involved administrator who is encouraging of parent-involvement in all levels of the school’s operations including classroom support, traditional school events and extra-curricular activities. Ms. Herrera personally runs two afterschool enrichment clubs including the Running Club, and the Book Club. Seasoned, dedicated teachers are also a hallmark of the Elysian Heights staff, each of who provides the school with value-added including class and school-wide art projects and free after school classes in Gardening, Ballet, and Japanese.

The school is steeped in traditions with an annual Halloween Festival and Multicultural Dance Festival. A hub of parent involvement, there are a variety of ways that parents can contribute to the students’ learning environment. A dedicated “parent center” plays host to office, classroom and school event support activities, and fundraising operations as well as providing parents a place to socialize and build community. The school’s PTO Friends of Elysian Heights provides another avenue for parents who are interested in fundraising for unmet needs.

To find out more about Elysian Heights Elementary School, please contact the school at (323) 665-6315, check out the school’s webpage elysian-lausd-ca.schoolloop.com, or on the website at friendsofelysianheights.wordpress.com