5520 Owensmouth Ave #308
Woodland Hills, CA 91367

My son is in the 8th grade at WHA. This is his second year there and he really enjoys it. He likes the block schedule as it gives him more time to focus on one class. His teachers typically give time in class to complete homework which I love because I feel that after school time/extra curricular activities are vitally important to a child’s development. The fact that he doesn’t have to stress over homework at the end of the day has been amazing. I like that they wear uniforms. Not everyone can afford the nicest clothes and this helps everyone feel like they fit in. His teachers have been amazing, offering extra support when he needs it. Principal Salazar is such a kind woman. You can tell that she really cares about the students. Mrs Harris and Randall help keep the school safe and help the students with their emotions. The school has a wonderful special education program as well. I have been very happy with WHA.

There is something special in this school makes you feel like home. All the kids know each other. Older kids always help the youngest ones. The teachers are well trained and prepared to be able to integrate art, science and math in everything they teach. They do a lot of experiments. They teach them to stand for themselves and be leaders. The school also has a kindness club, where they meet once a week and try to solve their problems, and they teach them to become kind and helpful for the society.

This school seems more concerned with promoting the kids who are doing well than with stopping the rampant bullying present. Children with learning differences are approached in a textbook / checklist manner and are not regarded as individuals.

Advantages: Calvert is a small school compared to many other charters in the area. The campus has trees and grass, and the garden area is amazing. Calvert has three special ed teachers (K-5), so the mainstream teachers have a lot of experience with neurodiverse students. The principal is fairly new, but he’s good with the kids and he’s finding his bearings. The office staff are great, and they know kids by name (and many parents). Homework is reasonable and teachers try to involve parents.Disadvantages: Unfortunately we don’t feel apart of the school community. Some of this may be because of post-covid restrictions. I think parents have only been allowed on campus three times the entire school year! Calvert has no PTA, which is one way parents typically connect with each other, volunteer, fundraise, etc. The school doesn’t communicate clearly at times, which doesn’t help. They might say in an email “parents can volunteer” but then there’s no explaining what they need volunteers for or how to sign up. There’s committees parents can join, but there’s not an explanation about what the committees do, the time commitment, and who to ask questions. I hope their parent engagement can improve because I think it would make a major difference in retaining students and bringing in new families.