Since 1993, we have been a leader in early childhood education: discover the pedagogy of the Seven Arrows Way of Education.
Our Outdoor Learning Venues.
Aldersgate.
We are so lucky to have added Aldersgate to our collection of urban-garden campus’. The most historical of all of our buildings, the original structure was built in 1892 as a private home near downtown Los Angeles on Harvard Boulevard in the Wilshire District. It features a Mission Revival-style exterior and a Crafstman-style interior. It was transported here to the Palisades in 1928, making it one of the oldest, historical homes in town, and a local Los Angeles Monument.
Simon Meadows
Located at the foot of Temescal Canyon Park, we have created a special place within a public park, which we are lucky to rent in order to have it as a setting for our pedagogy. Simon Meadows is a precious area where our children enjoy discovering their natural surroundings, as well as dive into our mindfulness curriculum. Pictured here is our meditation area. An enclosed, private area, the grounds are kept in excellent conditions and provide the perfect landscape for exploration, crafting, and play.
Will Rogers Beach
Field-trip location: There is something quite special about the mountains meeting the sea.
We are so lucky to be able to incorporate a “class at the beach” as one of our field-trip locations for outdoor education; minutes from the sea, our students love to be able to re-set by the water. Our Pacific Ocean and our Santa Monica mountains are a joy to behold and such an incredible backdrops to our curriculum.
Our Head of School & Founder.
Margarita Pagliai
Margarita Pagliai is an accomplished educator with over 32 years experience in education, business, and marketing. Ms. Pagliai is the one of the founders and Executive Director of Little Dolphins By the Sea preschool, the Head of School of Seven Arrows Elementary School, and now the Head of School and Founder of Roots & Wings TK.
Mrs. Pagliai graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA with a bachelor's in Liberal Arts. Prior to that, she studied in Montreux, Switzerland, delving into the history and interrelations of European countries, which she followed by two years of additional economy and literature studies in Colombia, SA, prior to marrying her husband and immigrating to the United States. Mrs. Pagliai speaks four languages: French, Italian, English and Spanish. Her extensive travels throughout world, as well as her ongoing research in education, has greatly influenced her conceptualization of and goals for education and child development at both Little Dolphins By the Sea Preschool and Seven Arrows, under her guidance, they are being implemented with overwhelming success.
Following her first seven years as Executive Director and Curriculum Director of Little Dolphins, she passed on the title to her successor, the preschool Director, who gained complete charge of carrying on the high-level curriculum and daily functioning of this highly innovative educational institution.
From there, she was asked – and backed financially – by parents to create an elementary school that continued her philosophy and vision. Her curriculum, philosophy and vision for both schools have been well received and recognized by educators and visionaries in the field, such as Dr. Howard Gardner, Dr. Ed Hallowell, and neuroscientist Dr. Judy Willis, amongst others.
Mrs. Pagliai is more than thrilled to have Roots & Wings arrive at Aldersgate, a campus she and her board worked arduously to acquire, after a search of over 20 years. This new program circles back to her early days in Temescal Canyon Park which was the birthplace of the original and extraordinary enrichment programs, as well as our tremendous cultural series with wonderful visitors like Jane Goodall, Dr. James Watson, Isabel Allende, Dr. Ed Hallowell, Adam Grant, Carl Lewis, and more. We look forward to bringing our fine-tune pedagogy to our new students as well as our multi-cultural and interdisciplinary programming to Aldersgate to enrich the lives of our new families and the greater community at large.
A LETTER FROM THE HEAD of SCHOOL
Thank you so much for your interest in Roots & Wings TK. Even after 30 years, our community continues to grow and amaze me, further fulling my passion for education. I am grateful to have meaningfully partaken in the lives of so many incredible children and families who have been part of our Seven Arrows Way of Education.
Success by our Roots & Wings and our Seven Arrows Way of Education standards is measured in one simple but fundamental way: Have we as a school inspired our young Dolphins to foster Curiosity, Creativity, and Community? Are our students engaged and motivated to become lifelong learners? Do they embody a growth-mind set coupled with the emotional intelligence needed to embark on their own individualized plan of education?
Every day that I walk on campus, the answer unmistakably presents itself through countless examples of our students as impassioned, ethical, loving, resilient, supportive, and motivated individuals who strive for excellence and make us all so proud. We can rest assured that these are the types of citizens we send into the world — citizens who will stand for what they believe in, who innovate and imagine, who make a difference in local and global communities, and who inspire and touch through their creativity and passion, thereby making our world a better place for all.
This is the power of a single community working together in the lives of our future generation. We are deeply committed to our world through our efforts and commitment to each child, and we invite impassioned parents with the same dedication to join our tight-knit community. Thank you for your interest in our school.
Discover our experiential, play-based outdoor, innovative & cutting edge early-childhood education.
The Seven Arrows Way of Education
a family of schools
