About Us

Mission & Vision

The goal of Goethe International Charter School of Los Angeles is to prepare children for the global society of today and tomorrow. The school will encourage its students to become knowledgeable, self-motivated and critically-thinking people with respect and understanding for all cultures.

Goethe International will promote this development by following a curriculum that is international in scope as well as personal in focus, by providing instruction in English and German, in the immersion model, and by offering an educational environment that is small, academically rigorous and accountable.

Board of Trustees

We received our official approval by LAUSD board on July 8th and are therefore now an official school. See the Congratulations Letter.

Six members currently represent the Board of Trustees. The names of the board members are

Elke Miller, President

Frank Beuthin, Treasurer and Vice President

Kirsten Paul, Secretary and Vice President

Kami Cotler, Education

Luci Fowers, Education

Jose Gonzalez, Community Outreach

Board Meetings

The Board of Trustees will meet at least once a month and as needed in order to ensure the seamless operation of the school. In addition, the board will meet annually for the summary purposes of organizational review, appointment of officers and the transaction of all business, which may be properly submitted. The annual meeting will be held at a specified time, date and place established through a board resolution.

Board meetings are public and will be held in places accessible to the public, such as the school building or available public facilities in the target area. In accordance with the Brown Act a notice and an agenda will be posted at least 72 hours before a regular meeting, in a public space at the school (e.g. exterior door of school office), on the website and via listserv. We encourage everybody to attend these meetings.

Minutes for regular and special meetings will record all actions taken by the Board of Trustees. All recorded minutes as well as public documents will be archived and available to the parents and the community in general.**

FAQ

What makes us unique?

Goethe International Charter School is attempting to become the first school in Los Angeles to provide:

• a dual language immersion program following the internationally recognized International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum.  The IB combines the best of different educational systems worldwide into a full and rich international curriculum.  Only six schools in all of California currently follow the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. None is in the Los Angeles Unified School District. 
  See our “Curriculum” section for more information on the International Baccalaureate.
  
• an English-German immersion program. Knowing German offers students of all language backgrounds the opportunity to strengthen their English skills, since English is based on a combination of Germanic and Romance language roots.
  For more details, see our “Why Bilingual?” section.

What grades will the school serve?

Initially, Goethe International will most likely open with grades K-3.  Grade levels will be added as these students advance.  Multiple grades may be added as demand indicates.  We hope to ultimately offer middle and high school grades so our students will receive full benefit of the IB and language programs.

When will the school open?

We aim to start with grade levels K-3 starting September 3rd, 2008.

Where will the school be located?

The school will be located in the West Los Angeles area.  We are focusing on the Mar Vista neighborhood.

What is a charter school?

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that operate within the district under contract with the school district. Charter schools offer alternative teaching methods or curricula and more independence than regular public schools. 

Is prior knowledge of German required to enter the school?

No. It is expected that the majority of students will come from English-only speaking households. The immersion program is designed to teach children who don’t have any prior German language knowledge. After-school tutoring and assistance with homework will be offered if a student needs some extra help.  An intensive summer school program is in the works.

Is Goethe International the right school for you?

The educational experience at Goethe International will require a high degree of commitment from both students and their parents.  Success by any measure will be difficult to achieve without: consistent attendance, dedication to the immersion language model and to the International Baccalaureate curriculum, abiding by behavioral expectations, parental involvement, effective communication between students, parents and staff and parental support of the school in the form of financial or in-kind donations and/or volunteering.

How do I enroll my child?

Enrollment will most likely begin in Spring, 2008. But it is important that you take our short online survey so that we can know how many parents are “meaningfully interested” in enrolling their children the school. Please note that being meaningfully interested in your child enrolling does NOT mean that your required to sign your child up for the school. 

Who was Goethe?

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (pronounced, GUR-tuh) was a German poet, painter, dramatist, novelist, government official and scientist. He is widely considered to be one of the most important thinkers in Western culture, and is generally acknowledged as the most important writer in the German language. He is often cited as having as much influence as Shakespeare and Dante. Goethe is also the originator of the concept of Weltliteratur ("world literature"), having taken great interest in the literatures of England, France, Italy, classical Greece, and Persia, among others. He was born in Frankfurt in 1749 and died in 1832 in Weimar, having been ennobled for his contribution across many fields.

What does the Goethe International logo symbolize?

Our symbol is based upon one of Goethe’s significant contributions to human understanding - the color circle. The six segments of different and opposing colors are in harmony and order, arranged in a perfect circle. In the context of our bilingual, international and multi-cultural school, these colors are symbols for different roots and influences. The color circle shows us that differences are not borders. Rather, differences complement each other and create a dynamic whole.