Dear Prospective Families, 

I heard from a middle school teacher the other day. Apparently, the teachers all play a game where they guess which of their middle school students attended Westland. The teacher told me the telltale signs for a Westland alum is that they are always full of curiosity, they have a habit of asking thoughtful questions, and they have a strong desire to build community.

This isn’t accidental. This is very much a result of our process. And it’s almost certainly why nearly every Westland graduate goes on to their first choice of middle school. 

Everything about Westland’s progressive education is intentionally curated to cultivate not just learning, but the fundamental engine that drives it for a lifetime: a love of learning. Think about that. Maybe even say it to yourself aloud! A love of learning. We don’t have grades, awards, judgment, or competition. Our educators focus on process rather than just focusing on results. At Westland, you’ll hear teachers saying things like, “I see you made a connection” rather than “Good job,” –and risk-taking thrives. Our social studies integrated curriculum means that reading, writing, math, science, music, movement, and art all become exciting, necessary approaches to make meaning that are used together in a common quest rather than subjects rehearsed in their own lonely silos. Six-year-olds get to study how food gets to their tables by creating an actual restaurant that serves actual food to actual people. Ten-year-olds studying sustainability visit neighborhood schools to share about Westland’s composting program to encourage the children to start one at their schools. 

In a world where families fight the dysregulating and disruptive nature of digital culture and feel societal pressure to treat childhood like a resume-building exercise, Westland is an antidote. Westland slows children and childhood down, underlining their mind-body link, immersing them in nature, encouraging their play, and asking them to notice what they notice, feel, and think.

Our North Star of interconnectedness also shines in Westland’s centering of community. Each child is invited to always think about the group. The group is invited to think about the school. And the school is invited to think about our Los Angeles community. This community spirit is also modeled by deep, joyful parent work and our weekly Friday morning community gatherings, called Sings. In fact, this intergenerational connection feels cellular to Westland because many parts of our campus were hand-built by parents, guardians, educators, and children themselves. A homemade, nourishing, labor of love.

When you step onto our campus, it’s likely you’ll recognize that children belong here. And their families do, too. You will also notice the joy of children - in the doing, being, and connection.  

I hesitate to winnow the essence of a Westland education down to a pitch, I can promise this: Westland School helps children become Explorers. I’ve pulled from the work of Rebecca Winthrop here. Westland children aren’t “Passengers,” who, because they are under- or over-challenged, disengage and watch their school years pass by through a window. Not “Achievers” who are singly motivated by praise, grades, prizes, or accolades – truly a race to nowhere. Not disgruntled “Disrupters” who, again, because they are under or over-challenged, rail against their education because they know, on some level, that education is being done to them. But Explorers, who are intrinsically motivated by their own curiosity, wonder, discovery, process, doing, learning, and deep-down desire to solve problems that they’ve encountered in their studies. 

A middle school Head of School told me, “Westland kids are ‘gluey’”– a delightfully odd word, but it feels right. Westland children glue it all together, synthesizing and making connections everywhere, from ideas in their studies, to bridges in their relationships, to building with blocks on the play yard. 

But please, don’t feel the need to take my word for all this! Come see it for yourself. I invite you to fill out an inquiry form to take a tour. And I sincerely look forward to beginning this admission “journey” with you. I don’t think you’ll feel like a passenger either, but an active participant, a traveler–reflecting on the past and looking out into the distance and future of your child’s precious and wonder-filled school years to come.  

I mean, who wouldn’t want a ‘gluey’ child?

Warmly,

Melinda

Melinda A. Tsapatsaris

Head of School