14 Schools Will Offer Classes on Saturdays

Treading on territory traditionally reserved for backyard barbecues and soccer games, a group of San Fernando Valley public schools will soon begin offering Saturday classes for children and adults.

Registration for the Saturday School program is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. today at Mulholland Junior High School in Van Nuys, with classes from preschool through adult levels set to begin Feb. 15.

“You might ask, who would want to go to school on Saturday?” said Connie Gibson, principal of Lemay Street Elementary School in Van Nuys, one of 14 participating schools. “But kids get bored on weekends. They don’t have anything to do. And parents want to get involved in their children’s education.

“There are children who need extra learning time, which is what we’re trying to provide.”

For now, the classes will focus on basic subjects such as English as a second language, reading and math. But Gibson hopes the program will expand, especially since Pierce College already has committed some of its teaching resources.

“We hope to do some interesting things on an adult level once we get going,” Gibson said.

The model for the Saturday School was an evening program operating in Sacramento. Like its inspiration to the north, the Valley program aims to better serve students and parents whose lives no longer fit the predictable schedules of decades past.

“The demand is there,” Gibson said. “I just hope it’s not a party that no one goes to.”

Parents and children in Van Nuys and Encino are eligible for Saturday School.

For more information, call Chris Miers at (818) 345-5446.