Welcome to the Green Dot Blog!

Green Dot Public Schools California Celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week

May 8, 2023

During the week of May 8 to May 12, 2023, join us in celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week. This school-wide celebration is a special time to reflect on the impact our teachers have on the Green Dot Public Schools California community, students, and families. Our teachers go above and beyond, and we are grateful for their genuine and unwavering dedication.

Read More >>

Community Schools Explore the Connection between Sports and STEM at Dodger Stadium

May 1, 2023

You can’t have a Dodgers’ game without science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). On April 19, 2023, students from Ánimo Compton Charter School, Ánimo James B. Taylor Charter Middle School, and Ánimo Ellen Ochoa Charter Middle School—three Green Dot Public Schools California Community Schools—enjoyed a Dodgers STEM Day event and a game of baseball at Dodger Stadium.

Read More >>

Ánimo City of Champions Juniors Learn Real Estate at School

Apr 28, 2023

This past semester, Ánimo City of Champions Charter High School offered its first Real Estate course to juniors. Through this course, students get their first glimpse of college courses, not only having a chance to receive certification but to create a seamless pathway to college.

Read More >>
Picture of the winner Isabel Lopez

Writing: ‘I Am This, Yet So Much More’ by Isabel Lopez

Apr 26, 2023

Read the piece that won first place from all of our California Middle schools by Isabel Lopez, a student at Ánimo Jefferson Charter Middle School.

Read More >>

Ánimo Florence-Firestone Recognized in 2023 California Schools to Watch

Apr 21, 2023

The Department of Education in partnership with the California League of Educators recognized Ánimo Florence-Firestone Charter Middle School as a California School to Watch, an award exclusive for California middle schools.

Read More >>

More Than a Project: How this English Teacher Uses Social Media for Action-Based Learning

Apr 14, 2023

From sharing our thoughts, influencing our shopping, or how we organize our social lives, social media can shift the way we connect with each other. For Ánimo Venice Charter High School teacher Mary Tang, it has catapulted her annual student’s English composition project to an online format, where students build community and develop their voice.

Read More >>

From Class to Courtside—How This Teacher Pushes Student Athletes To Uncover Their Full Potential

Mar 27, 2023

When Karishma Hossain isn’t teaching Math Foundations or Project Lead The Way, she’s outside coaching the Titans, the boy’s basketball team of Ánimo James B. Taylor Charter Middle School. Hossain began this program last spring after having coached the sport for several years. We had the chance to learn what coaching means to Hossain, and what playing a sport means to her student athletes.

Read More >>

Malala Inspires AJR Students to Choose Empathy And Believe in Themselves

Mar 15, 2023

The school rumbled excitedly as teachers and students filled Ánimo Jackie Robinson Charter High School’s auditorium. A seemingly ordinary Tuesday turned into a buzz-filled day. Malala was greeted with a rousing welcome as she hosted a screening and discussion of the Oscar-nominated documentary Stranger at the Gate (2022).

Read More >>

Not Your Average Class Period – Grey’s Anatomy Actors Share the Stage with Ánimo Jackie Robinson Drama Students

Mar 6, 2023

In the city of Los Angeles, actors can be found near and far, but it’s not everyday two of them step into a high school classroom and change students’ lives. That’s exactly what two stars of Grey’s Anatomy, Caterina Scorsone and E.R. Fightmaster, did for the young actors of Ánimo Jackie Robinson Charter High School.

Read More >>

Community Schools Grant Provides Green Dot California Schools Tools for Student Achievement

Feb 27, 2023

Three Green Dot California Schools recently became the recipients of Community Schools Partnership Program Grants funded by the California Department of Education. Over the course of five years, Ánimo Ellen Ochoa Charter Middle School, Ánimo Compton Charter School, and Ánimo James B. Taylor Charter Middle School will be awarded over one million dollars each to expand their access to community resources to further the mission of transforming public education and creating equitable outcomes for all students.

Read More >>

Green Dot CA Awarded $12.5 Million Mental Health Grant for Supportive Services

Feb 22, 2023

The U.S. Department of Education awarded Green Dot Public Schools California a $12.5 million grant to support the recruitment and retention of school-based mental health service providers. This five-year grant will further Green Dot California’s mission to eliminate barriers to success by expanding its mental health network.

Read More >>

How We Use SEL Screeners to Uplift Student Voices

Feb 16, 2023

At Green Dot Public Schools California, our schools are responsible for not only the academic success of our students but for their greater well-being to prepare all students for success in college, leadership, and life. How do we create a space where students can succeed? Through social-emotional learning screenings, we improve our schools through the voices of our most significant stakeholders—our students.

Read More >>

Thank You School Counselors for Supporting Students at Every Level

Feb 6, 2023

The week of February 6th Green Dot Public Schools California is taking part in celebrating National School Counseling Week. The American School Counselor Association has themed the 2023 week as “School Counselors: Helping Students Dream Big.” Across our 18 middle and high school sites, we’re showing appreciation and highlighting the work of our dedicated counselors who help prepare our students for success in college, leadership, and life.

Read More >>

Green Dot Celebrates Black History Month and Black Excellence

Feb 3, 2023

Every February, our nation has a moment to reflect, acknowledge, and observe the countless contributions African Americans have made throughout the world during Black History Month.

Read More >>

How This Alumni Teacher Makes Ánimo Leadership a Home

Feb 2, 2023

Sandra Estrada, an alumni teacher from Ánimo Leadership Charter High School, is committed to giving back to the Lennox community that set her up for success by creating positive classroom experiences for the next generation of leaders.

Read More >>

UPAS seeks support from the community for Healthy Checkout Ordinance

Feb 2, 2023

United Parents and Students will open their advocacy year at Ánimo Jackie Robinson on February 4 when they will present the Green Dot Public School California parents with a healthy initiative that they hope will make it all the way into an ordinance in Los Angeles County. Healthy Checkout and Keep the Soda in the…

Read More >>

Citizens Business Bank commits volunteers and funding to the Mentorship Program

Jan 31, 2023

Citizens Business Bank reaffirmed its commitment to the Green Dot Public Schools Mentorship Program with a $15,000 donation to sustain and expand the program, in its second year. The financial institution also has four employees as mentors to 11th and 10th graders in Ánimo City of Champions High School in Los Angeles, including Jess Tirado,…

Read More >>

Mentorship was a lifesaver for this Hillcrest student and Fairley HS alum

Jan 27, 2023

When Tamaria Bridgeforth, a Senior Project Manager at FedEx, first heard about the work the Green Dot Mentorship Program was doing at Hillcrest High School in Memphis, TN, immediately knew she wanted to be a mentor. After all, Bridgeforth knows firsthand the difference a mentor can make in the life of a young person. A…

Read More >>

Locke High School Students Advocate for Safer Streets along the Figueroa Corridor

Jan 23, 2023

Students at Alain LeRoy Locke College Preparatory Academy founded activism group Justice for Peace in response to street violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and suicide occurring along the Figueroa Corridor.

Read More >>

Concrete, Boards, and Life Long Lessons: How This Middle School Club Empowers Girls

Jan 18, 2023

At the heart of Concrete Queenz, an all-girl skateboarding club, is a community with life-long lessons on friendship, determination, and empowerment.

Read More >>

Subscribe to receive the latest updates!

Follow us:

Green Dot Public Schools

1149 S. Hill St., Ste 600
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Phone: (323) 565-1600

[email protected]