Aveson Charter Meet & Greet for Altadena / Lincoln Building

The Aveson Charter School is interested in the property at the corner of Lincoln and Altadena. This is an exciting prospect for all of us. Plenty information here about the potential and an invitation for a meet and greet scheduled for next Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 7 pm. Festivities will be held at the Loma Alta Park on Lincoln Avenue, north of Altadena Drive.

Here's the full message:

Subject: Join Us at the Aveson Neighborhood Meet & Greet!

Hello from Aveson Charter Schools! Some of you we have already had the pleasure of getting to know and some we are still looking forward to meeting! For those who may be wondering who we are, Aveson is a small, student-centered K-12 charter school in the Pasadena Unified School District, located at 1919 Pinecrest Drive.

In case you missed the announcement made in earlier letters that we broadcast through the neighborhood 'listserve', our academy is anticipating moving it's upper grades to 575 W. Altadena Drive. It’s a new commercial building currently under construction at the northeast corner of Altadena Drive and Lincoln Drive, located diagonally across from George's Liquor Store. We are working in concert with the Pasadena Unified School District, Rita Hadjimanoukian, field representative for Supervisor Michael Antonovich, the owners of the property and the neighbors to ensure that this location is good for the school and good for the community.

We are a unique public school with a unique vision. Aveson Global Leadership Academy graduates are uniquely prepared for life’s road ahead. With an API score of 761, we are thrilled to send our seniors off, armed with 21st century learning skills and the college-readiness they need to be successful and productive adults. The building at Lincoln and Altadena would provide the perfect space to support our project-based learning curriculum. Students will have learning space in classrooms as well as the individual work and project spaces to explore and develop their own interests. Our students are truly social entrepreneurs! In fact, Aveson is considering one or two campus-based, teacher-managed businesses that will be open to the public as a part of our students’ daily learning experience! This offers the students a uniquely relevant opportunity to develop the skills and acquire the experience they need to learn about business, first-hand. It is also designed to bring value to the neighborhood by providing products and services that mean the most to the community. Some ideas are:

· Coffee Shop (coffee, pastries, sandwiches, salads etc)
· Yogurt and Smoothie Stand
· Dinners to Go (healthy meals which can be finished at home)

We are also being pro-active with respect to the environmental impact -- both pro and con. By neighboring Odyssey Charter School, Aveson and Odyssey will be able to share resources and solutions. The existence of these two academic organizations in close proximity may also serve to gentrify this area; bringing a positive influence and productive energy. We are taking steps to understand and mitigate the concerns that may arise such as traffic, parking, and the ramifications of our school's proximity to the nearby liquor store.


We welcome your questions and input and would like to invite you all to join us at our Neighborhood Meet and Greet event, scheduled for next Thursday May 20, 2010 at 7 pm. Festivities will be held at the Loma Alta Park on Lincoln Avenue, north of Altadena Drive.

For more information about our school please visit www.aveson.org, email us at aveson@aveson.org or call us at 626-797-1440.

Yours truly,
Lisa Gerr
Director, Community Outreach Team
Aveson Charter School