Friends of Ivanhoe School:
If you live in Silver Lake or thinking about buying a house in Silver Lake California, you’re most likely crossing your fingers your children will attend Ivanhoe School – and we don’t blame you. This tight knit Silver Lake community covets their elementary school.
Friends of Ivanhoe School
Who’s got the napkins?
Scary times at Ivanhoe School
Who you calling a Turkey?
Next level arts & crafts
Smells like teen Ivanhoe School spirit!
Ivanhoe has, since its inception in 1889, (year I wrote wasn’t a typo) has consistently provided outstanding public education to the children of this unique and special community, making it one of the city’s oldest and best public schools.
Ivanhoe has built a reputation as a school that soars because of parent interest. Academically, it is among the highest-rated elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. With just 450 students and 18 teachers, It’s a small, tight-knit community school that reflects the diversity of the surrounding neighborhood.
Jennifer Giancola & Nicole Federici
Silverlakeblog caught up with Friends of Ivanhoe School co-presidents Jennifer and Nicole. These two are presumably a terrific team, and arguably the coolest PTA mom’s on the Eastside of Los Angeles. Who’s interested in Dragon Dollars?
How long have you both lived in LA?
Jennifer – I have lived here since 1995 so 21 years. I didn’t realize I have been living here that long.
Nicole- I have lived here for 2 1/2 years. I moved here from Brooklyn, like everyone else other than Jennifer. But she really has East Coast swagger, so our partnership works.
What are your thoughts on how the Eastside is changing?
J – It’s interesting, exciting and a little chaotic feeling. The last 2 years feel like a giant burst of traffic & building which makes it feel a little crowded. Exciting because there are tons of new restaurants, stores and fun places to hang, like the meadow.
N– I feel grateful for the changes because it feels like that’s what made space for people like me. I heard about Silverlake 20 years ago through a beautiful and very sad documentary called A Silver Lake Life. I’ve be active in progressive causes and I have always thought of the East side as a safe place for all different kinds of people to live in small, intimate, kind of old-fashioned neighborhoods. I think places like Hillhurst in Los Feliz, and the path around the reservoir, and even the playground in Highland Park are examples of how people still crave neighborliness, and local businesses. It feels different from other parts of the city. The East side (or Northeaster side?) still feels like a hodgepodge of architectural styles and wild, overgrown places. For every branch of Intelegencia, there’s still also a pupuseria and a Los Gloria’s and a Schaff’s. I’m grateful for that mix.
Where do you live?
J– I live in Silver Lake right now but used to live in Atwater. I still own a house there that I rent out.
N– I rent an overpriced, but very charming little old house near the reservoir.
When you’re not fundraising for Ivanhoe Elementary School. What are your favorite local spots for dining and relaxing?
J– We like to go to lots of 70’s themed costume parties. I love Home State which is next door to my office. I eat there way too much. The meadow is one of my favorite Silver Lake hangs. I enjoy watching the kids make up fun imaginative games since there is no play structure.
N – I still love Trails on quiet mornings. I like the food at Dune and Pine and Crane. I really enjoy hanging out with the kids at the meadow also, and the Rec Center. Echo Park Lake is a fun place to play and Marsh Park and the weird places around the LA River are fun too.
Besides leading the parent teacher organization do you also have other careers?
J– I am a marriage and family Therapist and have an office on Hollywood Blvd. (Next door to Home State).
N– Ivanhoe is my life! I had a career in nonprofit development and did public policy advocacy around foster care in New York City, but I have been home with my children since moving here. I’ve recently gone back to school to become a nursery school teacher.
When did you discover your passions for making a difference at Ivanhoe School?
J– We started at Ivanhoe the same year. My daughter was starting 3rd grade. I have always been active in my children’s schools, pre-school – present. Ivanhoe has such an active parent body that it is fun to be involved in projects because you get to spend time with people you enjoy. When we were approached about doing this job I knew there was only one person I could co-president with and it was Nicole. I knew we could strike the right balance of workload and friendship without really needing to talk about every little thing that came up. It is a pleasure to be partnered with her because of her positive attitude, willingness to put in the time and heavy lifting and she’s a great writer, so she does that part.
N- What she said! We both enjoy creating community and doing the work that needs to be done. We both enjoy being useful and we both are really interested in curriculum and creating a robust academic environment that is developmentally appropriate and helps nurture well-rounded kids. Jennifer is very detail-oriented and is wonderful at anticipating needs and tending to what comes next. I enjoy being her wing-woman and she makes the whole job a pleasure.
Tell me about the creative process for fundraising? I imagine there are a lot of moving parts.
J– Actually for the most part the fundraisers pre-exist and we support the people running them. Last year Nicole had a great vision for an event called Touch-A-Truck so we put that together. It was a fun combination of math and science and it’s application to the children’s everyday world. It didn’t raise a ton of money but was a really nice community builder. The annual give campaign in the fall was just a push to keep the energy up and appreciate the level of giving that exists in each family and be really positive about all donations. Now, coming closer to the end of the year it feels more of a pressure to get everyone to participate so we have the money to fund our budget. We are still doing our best.
N– I agree with what Jennifer said. I think we try to make clear that the fundraising is about shared responsibility for the school and mindfully building and maintaining a community of teachers, administrators, staff, parents, and students. We have tried to create campaign language and appeals that focus on gratitude and making sure the notion of giving is tied to that. We are very fortunate to have a wonderful school and we want to be good stewards.
Tell us about the process of starting Friends of Ivanhoe School? What was the first step and how long did you conceptualize before it became a reality?
J– Friends of Ivanhoe School was actually started many years before us. There was a PTA organization and Friends of Ivanhoe that co-existed (currently Mt. Washington Elementary school works this way). At some point they decided it would be easier if there was only one parent leadership group so they decided to stay with FOI. FOI is able to keep funding within our school community. A PTA organization also has a fundraising component that sends funds to other charities outside of Ivanhoe through financial contributions. FOI tries to do the same thing but through community service projects. We just had a Valentine’s Week coat drive. Our community donated over 200 coats to a family shelter downtown. We also try to have a lunches for bunches event once a month. Families pack an extra lunch and we deliver them to local food banks.
What concerns did you have when launching Friends of Ivanhoe School?
J– In talking to our principal, Ms. Rescia I discovered that the parent body really embraced the FOI organization from the beginning. It really does take a majority of the parent body buying in to FOI to maintain the program’s every year. There’s no extra and the needs only increase each year, as in any organization.
How did you learn the ins and outs of running an organization like this?
J– We had a wonderful team before us that was willing to show us the ropes. Our principal walked us through the beginning stages of what needed to be done before the start of the first calendar school year. A lot of it is just trying to figure it out as you go. Each year the process of documenting the steps and needs of each event is more thorough, which helps everyone do what needs to be done.
What inspires you?
J– Knowing that things we do will have lasting effects at this school. Knowing my kids and all the kids at Ivanhoe are getting to participate in activities that might otherwise disappear. The fact that LAUSD doesn’t pay for physical education is frustrating because it is such an important part of getting kids prepared to learn.
N– We are inspired by the dedication of our principal Lynda Rescia and the extraordinary teachers at Ivanhoe. We have a great group of people keeping our ship afloat. Every time there is an assembly at the school and all the parents and teachers and students joyfully sing our school song,it’s clear why we need to do our part. And the students never fail to inspire.
What’s the mission behind Friends of Ivanhoe School? Do you think having a mission helps guide the organization?
J– I’m sure there is one we can look up but if I go through the bylaws to find it at this point, it will be another 3 months until we submit this to you.
N– Our mission is to stay focused on what is good for the school community and what is fiscally responsible. It is important to stay focused on that mission. I’m sure there is an actual FOI mission statement in the bylaws but to find it at this point would set back submitting these answers by another few months.
If we had a chance to peek at your schedules, what would an average day look like?
J -6AM I wake up and respond to FOI emails (I go to bed early and Nicole’s up later than I am), walk kids to school, possibly a meeting with the principal or other committee representatives, on a good day maybe we get to run together, clients until pickup then back to work for afternoon and evening clients on a few days a week. Otherwise, I am shuttling kids to various activities in the neighborhood before homework and bedtime routine.
N -I wake up at 6:30 but I don’t check my email right away. I walk or drive the kids to school. Maybe attend a meeting if there is one. 10am We both try to stay physically active so hopefully that happens a few times a week. I read and write for school, try to keep up with Jennifer’s planning and emails. We both try to cook for our families every day, so there’s a fair amount of errands and preparation for that. I have three kids and they each have two activities, so that’s plenty of running around. We pick up kids at 2:30. They play for a bit. homework at 4pm. Dinner prep at 5:30. Meals at 6:30. Bath, books and bed until 8pm. Clean up, homework for me, emails and preparations for the next day until maybe 11:30. But monitoring homework and packing lunches feels like full time jobs!
Have you both always had an entrepreneurial spirit?
J– I have zero entrepreneurial spirit or I have the spirit but no skills. I was an Assistant Director prior to going to graduate school so I think of this job as running a set without the risk of getting yelled at for not having an actor on set.
N– I do not consider myself entrepreneurial at all. I like to work, so maybe I think of myself as industrious and goal-oriented, but not entrepreneurial.
How do you see friends of Ivanhoe School evolving?
J– We’d like to engage more members of our community. It’s easy to rely on the same few people, but it is always our mission to recruit parents from all the grades with different backgrounds and skill sets.
How have you overcome obstacles and stayed driven?
J– I first call Nicole and she talks me down and then we re-group and come back to the idea that we are doing our best and we can only move forward.
N – And I text Jennifer with all kinds of anxiety and she reminds me that we are doing our best and we just keep moving forward.
Many people struggle to turn their passions into reality. What advice would you give the inspiring parent wanting to create a similar organization at their child’s school?
J– Take one day at a time. Keep pushing through when you feel uninspired or defeated. But most important find a partner you really admire, appreciate and know you can rely on and really enjoy the humor in all of it. Also, stay positive. No one wants to be led or help out people who aren’t’ keeping the energy up. We constantly remind each other we are doing our best. After our term is over (1 year, 89 days, 2 hours and 32 seconds) we plan to test out our FOI comedy skit locally before we start our national tour. Were hoping the humor of running Friends of Ivanhoe will translate to leaders of all parent run organizations around the country.
N -I agree with Jennifer. We try to stay focused on relationships and how people are experiencing what is going on at school. We want people to feel seen and heard. In terms of getting things done, we try to turn to the group for expertise and ask for concrete assistance. People like to be asked directly about manageable things like writing one grant, or using their truck to transport something, or to be in charge of making a set of costumes. We try to find out what people enjoy doing and then allow them to do it. And don’t reinvent the wheel! We have asked other schools how they have done an event or how they have applied for a grant or permit. Ask people who are already doing what you want to do how they did it and what the steps are. And always use an agenda and a checkist!
I’m a local Real Estate Agent who cares about our schools
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