WESLEY SCHOOL
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Mission Statement
The Wesley School is a co-educational, Kindergarten through 8th grade school located in North Hollywood, California. In 2014-2015, there are 268 students: 165 in Lower School and 103 in Middle School, and we project an enrollment of over 280 next year due to our increased applicant pool and extraordinary high retention rate of 97%. Wesley employs 55 faculty, administration and staff members (45 full-time and 10 part-time) Professional development, student socio-economic diversity and inclusivity and multiculturalism are among Wesley’s chief priorities. Approximately 25% of Wesley students receive financial aid support, that makes up approximately 14% of our operating budget. 32% of the student body are students of diversity.
About This Cause
Mission Statement “Academic Excellence and Character Development within the Circle of Family.” The Wesley School builds confidence and encourages independence through a challenging academic program that stretches each student to reach the highest level of individual achievement within a supportive, nurturing environment. Wesley cultivates in students strong creative, physical, and spiritual foundations to prepare them to be productive and respectful contributors to a global society. Historical Overview The Wesley School is a young school with a powerful history and deep ties to the community. Founded in September of 1999, Wesley was created in a seamless transition from the closing of St. Michael and All Angels Parish Day School the previous spring after nearly 40 years of service. A dedicated and impassioned group of teachers, parents and administrators found a welcoming new home at First United Methodist Church of North Hollywood. Wesley received its CAIS and WASC accreditations without delay due to its long-established roots, experienced leadership and strong academic traditions. In the 16 years since its founding, the school’s leadership, families and community have built on this legacy and emerged as one of the pre-eminent K-8 schools in Los Angeles. Our enrollment has more than doubled since we opened in 1999. Current Programming The Wesley School is built on four cornerstones: academic excellence, character development, service learning, and spiritual development. Efforts to maintain a balance among these key elements are ongoing and intentional. Lower School (Kindergarten-5th grade) The view of students learning within the “circle of family” conveys an important understanding about how people learn that guides Lower School instruction at Wesley. Current brain research reveals that student learning is most effective when students are challenged within highly supportive environments. Each school day begins with a community event, such as chapel (morning assembly) or flag salute, symbolizing the connectedness within the community. Active learning, the idea that children learn with their whole bodies in interaction with their world, is another belief that guides our work. Field trips, interactive learning through workshop approaches, and project-based learning through “signature projects” give students the environment that applies learning in a holistic way. Specialists teach enrichment classes in computer, music, art, PE, and Spanish. Elementary teachers work in partnership, either with team teachers or a highly skilled instructional assistant, with the welfare of children at the center of instructional agendas. A balance of structure and flexibility are exhibited in our classrooms. Work is both individual and collaborative. Reading and Writing Workshop approaches, Everyday Math, and discipline-integrated signature projects in science and social studies and service learning reflect beliefs about student learning. Constructivist approaches engage students in meta-cognitive activities that support critical thinking, vocabulary enrichment, math skills, and meet children at their level of most effective learning goals through games and real-world connections in math. Upper elementary students engage in inquiry based science instruction, building on science experiments and observations in the primary grades. Middle School (6th – 8th grade) The Wesley Middle School program is departmentalized. Core classes include English, mathematics (Everyday Math, pre-algebra, algebra, mathematical concepts, and geometry), integrated science, history, and Spanish. Classes are limited to eighteen students, and there are two sections in each grade level. Regularly scheduled music, art, technology, and physical education classes enrich the core curriculum. Emphasis is placed on those skills that help children make the transition into adolescence and high school. Students are challenged to solve problems with their peers as part of the advisory program. In addition to separate computer courses, the Middle School includes a technology component within the individual subjects areas. For example, 7th grade science classes prepare PowerPoint presentations for the science fair, and electives such as Design Studio, rely on technology components as a part of their core objectives. Each year, 8th graders participate in activities hosted by the Global Nomads Group, a non-profit that creates media and education programs about global issues for youth. Through live videoconferencing technology, 8th grade history classes are able to meet face-to-face with other students around the world to discuss major issues affecting youth. Financial Aid and Student Diversity When The Wesley School was founded in 1999, it opened with 128 students, an operating budget of just over $1,000,000. Its financial aid budget was nearly $50,000, less than 5% of our tuition income in our first year. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the first few admission cycles at Wesley proved difficult to attract students of color as the response from the parents who visited the school was, “We love the school, but we don’t want our child to be the only one.” With very direct efforts, Wesley made progress. After four years in operation, enrollment had grown to more than 200 students with a financial aid budget of 7% and students of color represented 18% of our student body. From 2003 to 2015, Wesley continued to set annual targets to build a community that provides access to more students with the goal of a student body that is more reflective of the greater Los Angeles area. As a result, Wesley attracted more families of color who do not need assistance because they view the school as one that embraces and seeks diversity. For the 2012-2013 school year, with a student population of over 240 students and tuition income of just over $5,000,000, the financial aid budget allowed 25% of Wesley students financial aid support. 32% of the student body were students of color.