Elementary school, grades 1 to 5, in Pasadena, California
A slower pace, and time to say it again
Marginalia is a small elementary school with extra reading and writing time every day. Teachers repeat a lesson as often as a child needs, and a quiet room is open all day.
How we support
Reading together, one child at a time
Every morning begins with reading and writing at a table with an adult. A child reads aloud and hears the same idea again in a new way. A lesson that was not clear on Monday is taught again on Tuesday, and the teacher writes down what helped.
When a room is too loud, a child can take work to the quiet room and come back when ready.
Reading and writing at a table with an adult
Extra time on every task
A quiet room, open all day
A short checklist at each desk
Classes
Classes by grade, with the size of each
Hours and days are the same for every grade unless a note says otherwise.
| Ages | Class size | Monday to Thursday8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.4 days | Friday8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.1 day | Reading club3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.Tuesday and Thursday | Extended care3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.5 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 1 and 2Ages 6 to 8Mornings begin with reading at the tables. | 8 | Offered | OfferedEnds after lunch | Offered | Offered |
| Grade 3Age 8 | 8 | Offered | OfferedEnds after lunch | Offered | Offered |
| Grades 4 and 5Ages 9 to 11Friday morning is a writing workshop. | 10 | Offered | OfferedWriting workshop | Waitlist | Offered |
Fees and what each is for
- Application
- Covers reading the application and meeting the child. Due when a family applies.
- Enrollment
- Holds a place after an offer is accepted.
- Books and supplies
- The books and materials for the year, ordered by the school.
- Reading club
- Two afternoons a week, billed by the term for the weeks a child attends.
- Extended care
- Billed by the month for the days a family uses.
- Field trips
- Two or three outings in the year, billed when a family signs the permission slip.
Sample programs.
The quiet places
Where the quiet work happens
Sample photos.
Dates for the year
Visit first, then apply
Families apply a year ahead or as places open. A visit is a morning in a class, and nothing has to be decided that day.
October and February
Open houses
Walk the rooms, sit in the quiet room and talk with the head of school and the teachers.
By appointment, September to May
TourVisit mornings
Your child joins a class for a morning while you talk with the head of school.
Book a visitOctober
Applications open
For the fall a year away. Families may also ask about a place this year.
Early March
DeadlineApplication deadline
Applications in by then are read together. Later ones are read as places open.
Late March
Decisions
By phone first, then in a letter.
Late August
First day
Each family comes in the week before to meet the teacher.
Sample dates.
How tuition and aid work
The school gives its figures at every visit, so a family never reads an old number.
Tuition is set by the year and by the grade a child joins. Reading club and extended care are billed apart, for the days a family uses. The school gives its figures at every visit, so a family never reads an old number.
By the school year
Reading club and extended care billed apart
Figures given at the visit
Registration
A family pays an application fee when it applies. It covers reading the application and meeting the child. After an offer there is an enrollment fee that holds the place. Each fee is listed by name and purpose with the classes.
Application: when a family applies
Enrollment: when an offer is accepted
Financial aid is available. Here is how to apply: after you submit an application, the office sends an aid form. A small committee reads each form and answers with the admissions decision. Ask the office about California programs that may apply to your family.
An aid form follows the application
An answer comes with the admissions decision
Ask us about state programs
Siblings
A brother or sister is handled differently, and the office explains how when you apply. Siblings are read in the same admissions season, so a family hears about everyone at once.
Questions
What families ask us first
Who is Marginalia for?
Children in grades 1 to 5 who learn in different ways and need more time with reading and writing, more repeating and a calm room. Tell us about your child at the visit. The form on this site never asks.
What does support look like in a day?
Reading and writing at a table with an adult each morning, extra time on every task, a quiet room that is open all day, and a short checklist at each desk. Teachers write down what helped so the next teacher can use it.
Do we need to bring records to apply?
No. Tell us at the visit what you would like us to know. If a place is offered, we ask privately about anything else that would help us teach your child well.
Can we visit before we apply?
Yes, and we ask families to. A visit is a morning in a class. Your child joins the day, and you talk with the head of school. Nothing is tested, and nothing has to be decided that day.
Which languages are spoken at the school?
Classes are taught in English. Jina Choe, the head of school, also speaks Korean and is glad to talk with families in Korean at a visit or by phone.
Is there care before and after school?
Yes. Extended care runs until 5:30 p.m. on school days, and a reading club meets on two afternoons. Both are billed apart from tuition.
Come and sit in a class
Book a visit morning, or come to an open house in October or February.