11/17/08 Hello
Families! Many
of you came to the pancake breakfast on Saturday to volunteer or eat pancakes
(or both!) Thank you to all of the
volunteers and eaters for helping to raise money for our school. You may have heard from our governor that the
state is looking to cut $2billion from the education budgets, so even the small
amounts of money that we raise from pancake breakfasts will help our school survive
these very difficult times in school funding.
The
School Site Council meets this Wednesday night from 6:00-7:30. The topic for
the meeting is how our community can pull together to narrow and close our
achievement gaps, so that every student learns to be a powerful thinker and a
productive, intelligent student regardless of her or his home language, race,
socio-economic status, or any other difference.
Please come! Finally, we are working hard to make our pick-up and
drop-off safer. PLEASE don’t double park and get out of your car to come inside
to pick up your child at 3:30. Your
child’s teacher will walk your child outside to the car—just let the teacher
know!
This
week, we are supporting our students to be strong individuals through the
following activities: K-1: Students are hard at work on
their interviews and maps. 2-3: Deni is coming back this week from her
medical leave. Welcome back Deni! Denise
K. will still be in the classroom with Deni and the students through winter
break to make the transition very smooth. 4-5:
Fourth and fifth grade students must read 45 minutes each night and
practice their multiplication and division facts. Please make sure your child
is doing this! 6-8: All middle school students are
starting to work on their “Mountain Projects” this week. They will each select
a mountain or volcano, conduct scientific research about their landform, and
build a model to present at winter celebration
Strong Community Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday November 26-28 No School—Thanksgiving
Break Thursday, Dec. 18: Project Open House
STRONG MINDS AND HEARTS
We honor the following students
for practicing our virtues and powerful ways of thinking: Julio C. for
BALANCE; Delany G. for BALANCE; Jose M.L. for FOCUS; Santana for REFLECTING;
Jane for PERSEVERANCE; Tony A.L., Sean K., Vanessa P., Anthony G., and Junior
G. for CREATING; Veronica H. for FOCUS; Julio C. for PERSEVERANCE; Jane A. for
FOCUS; Connie Y. for SYNTHESIZING; Keyona B. for PROPRIETY; Jah’Queen S. for
PERSEVERANCE; Julian L. for JUSTICE; Sean K. for JUSTICE; Ozzie P. for
COMMUNITY; the Girls’ Basketball Team for BALANCE; Steven N. for COMMUNITY
November 10
Last week was a very exciting week in our country. Regardless of party affiliation, it is historic that our country elected the first African American president. I have listened to Obama’s acceptance speech many times since Tuesday night and one idea has been ringing in my head as I came to school each day last week. Obama said several times during his campaign that anything is possible with a dream and determination. For so many years, people of color have been denied access to fulfilling dreams because of institutionalized and personal racism. While that still exists, this election shows us that achieving one’s dreams in our country doesn’t necessarily depend on the color of one’s skin. Please talk with your children about what their dreams are for themselves. We want our students to dream big and practice the kind of determination and hard work that Barack Obama has modeled for us.
While we rejoice this historic event in the presidential race, we know that the passage or defeat of local and state propositions affect many of our families. As I said in last week’s newsletter, we stand together as a community where we accept and celebrate each other for our differences and discuss, dialogue, and work together toward justice and equity.
This week, we are supporting our students to be strong individuals through the following activities:
K-1: Students have been making many maps. Ask them to sing for you the map song that they learned last week! They also held a mock election last week.
2-3: Students are playing many games each week. They read instructions before playing each game and reflect in writing after playing the game.
4-5: Fourth and fifth graders continue their project about how communities respond to crises. They had a speaker who responded to the crisis of Hurricane Katrina last week.
6-8: All middle school students will be presenting persuasive speeches in the board room at the San Francisco Unified School District headquarters on November 24.
Strong Community
Saturday, Nov. 15
Pancake Breakfast
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
November 26-28
No School—Thanksgiving Break
Thursday, Dec. 18: Project Open House
STRONG MINDS AND HEARTS
We honor the following students for practicing our virtues and powerful ways of thinking:
Izzy C. for BALANCE; Lily L. for COMMUNICATING; Kenyana J. Jr. for COMMUNITY; Jessica G. for PROPRIETY; Imani D. for FOCUS; Izzy C. for PERSEVERANCE; Omar V. for FOCUS; Carlos L. for QUESTIONING; Marcus M. for COMMUNICATING; The Basketball Teams for HARMONY; Sarai V. for USING EVIDENCE; Luis M. for PERSEVERANCE; Jessica G., Imani D., Harlo P., Shirley W., Joey L., Maria L., James F., and Omar V. for FOCUS
Week of October 26
Hello Families!
It’s Project Time! Projects have begun throughout the K-5 and will begin soon in the middle school. Project Time means that students are engaged in challenges and the learning in the classrooms is directly related to completing their challenges. The K/1 classes are making maps and guidebooks of our school. They are learning how to interview people, write up the results of their interviews, make maps, and represent common things with symbols. The 2/3 classes are doing the Community Games Project in which they are studying many different kinds of games, fairness, competition, and cooperation. The 4/5 classes are taking on the challenge of responding to the immigration raids on the Balazo taquerias last spring. They are studying how communities in history have responded to crises in their communities. The humanities classes in middle school will be taking on the challenge of identifying the causes of poverty and oppression within globalization. The science classes in middle school will take the challenge of becoming experts on one landform on this planet and doing the necessary scientific research to become such an expert. You will get to see all of these fabulous projects at Project Open House on Thursday, December 18.
This week, we are supporting our students to be strong individuals through the following activities:
Here are the Halloween plans for Friday, October 31, 2008
K-1: Students may wear their costumes to school.
2-3: Students may put on their costumes after lunch only, but may not wear costumes to school. All three classrooms will have Halloween parties in their classrooms after lunch. Family members are welcome and encouraged to come help kids put on their costumes after lunch.
4-5: Students may wear costumes to school. There will be celebrations in the three classrooms in the afternoon.
6-8: Students may wear Halloween costumes to school. There will be a Halloween party in the gym during lunch.
We honor the following students for practicing our virtues and powerful ways of thinking:
Eve M. and Halima M. for COMMUNITY when they organized a fabulous auction to raise money for our school! Shirley W. for FOCUSING; Kevin S. for PERSEVERANCE; Kevin L. for PROPRIETY; Ivan C. for FOCUSING; Miranda C. for BALANCE; Grace Z. for PERSEVERANCE; Jose G. for PLANNING; Erik S. for COMMUNICATING; Tony A.-L. for HARMONY; Luis M. for PROPRIETY; Marcus M. for REFLECTION; Quincy M.-N. for SYNTHESIZING; Brian C. for PROPRIETY; Tony, Ben. S., Carlos R., Connie, Grace, Ivan, Kevin L., and Zack C. for PROPRIETY; Mateo for EMPATHIZING; Daisy for COMMUNITY; Alan W. for COMMUNICATING; Jessie B. for REFLECTING; Delany G. for FOCUSING; Jah’Queen for FOCUSING; Carlos L. for FOCUSING; Joey L. for PLANNING; Shirley W. for REFLECTING; Kevin L. for REFLECTING
Strong Community
Tuesday, Nov. 4
Jean’s Pantry (food bank) will be open.
Tuesday, Nov. 11
Veterans’ Day—No School
Saturday, Nov. 15
Pancake Breakfast
STRONG MINDS AND HEARTS
Kevin N. for QUESTIONING; Kevin S. for PROPRIETY; Carlos L. for JUSTIC
October 14, 2008
Hello Families!
There are big things happening this week! We have our fist School Site Council Meeting on Wednesday night.
We are having our first Garden Project Meeting on October 17th, 4:30 to 6pm. Project OLE (SF Community's Garden Program) invites all parents, students and community members to join in an open discussion and planning meeting about the successes, dilemmas and future goals of the garden program. Do you wonder what your child learns in garden class? Come ask the garden teacher! Project OLE has partnered with Urban Sprouts and is creating a new Master Plan. We have money and resources, now we just need your input to make the garden/greening program a reflection of the values of SFC Community. See you Friday, October 17th! Light refreshments served.
We also have the annual SF Community School auction on Saturday night. This is both a fundraiser and a community event. All are welcome!
Next week, we have student/family/teacher conferences. We dismiss each day at 2:30 (except Tuesday—we still dismiss at 2:15). Be sure to schedule a conference with your child’s teacher! After School Program will close each day at 4:45.
This week, we are supporting our students to be strong individuals through the following activities:
6-8: Middle school students are all reading novels as part of book groups. Each week, they discuss themes, identify new vocabulary, and take a quiz on the section of the book that they read.
Fall Projects: Fall projects will begin during the next two weeks. Ask your child about the project that her or his class will be doing!
Lost and Found: You may have noticed that we have an unruly lost and found pile on the first floor hallway. At the PAC meeting last week, several parents volunteered to wash and donate these unclaimed articles of clothing. This Friday, Oct. 17, is the last day to claim anything from lost and found.
Strong Community
Wednesday, October 15, School Site Council Meeting, 6:00-7:30
Dinner, childcare, translation provided
Friday, October 17, Project OLE Meeting, 4:30-6:00, light refreshments
Saturday, October 18, SF Community School Auction, D4 Salon
We honor the following students for practicing our virtues and powerful ways of thinking:
Anthony G. for PROPRIETY; Kevin L. for FOCUS; Yaneri N. for PROPRIETY; Maria L. for PROPRIETY; Hadiyah B. for PROPRIETY; Julian L. for SYNTHESIZE; Keyona B. for FOCUS; Connie Y. for HARMONY; Grace Z. for COMMUNITY; Victoria H. for COMMUNICATING; Kevin C. for PROPRIETY; Domenique D. for PROPRIETY; Jerica M. for COMMUNITY; Kenyana J. Jr. for PERSEVERANCE; Jack Y. for PLANNING; Zach S. for FOCUSING
STRONG MINDS AND HEARTS
Kevin N. for QUESTIONING; Kevin S. for PROPRIETY; Carlos L. for JUSTIC
Wednesday, October 15
Hello Families!
It was great to see you all last Friday at the Whole School Picnic. So many of you volunteered to help students cross intersections safely, to run games, to cook dinner, to serve dinner, and to clean up when it was all over. The picnic can’t happen without many family volunteers, so thank you for your participation and efforts!
We also want to thank the families who made home-cooked lunch two weeks ago! There was a delicious meal of hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, beans, salad, and baked goods for dessert. There were so many parents in the kitchen cooking, serving, and cleaning together. We appreciate the great smells of good cooking in the hallways, the delicious food, and most importantly, the sense of community. Anyone is welcome to cook at this month’s home cooked lunch on Friday, October 31!
We have events like the picnic and home cooked lunch to build community—to give parents and kids and educators opportunities to get to know each other so that everyone feels that they belong in our community. We believe that feeling a strong sense of community sets students up to learn as much and as well as they can.
School Site Council Meeting
6:00-7:30
Dinner, childcare, translation provided
Saturday, October 18
SF Community School Auction
D4 Salon
This week, we are supporting our students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities:
K-1st Grades: Students at this grade level are playing math games. Students
2nd-3rd Grades: Students in 3rd grade math are learning 3-digit addition this week.
4th-5th Grades: Students at this grade level will be revising their personal narratives this week as they prepare for publication.
6-8: Middle school students have been studying the movement of heat in science class. This week and last week, they have been doing experiments and lessons about convection and conduction.
We honor the following students for practicing our virtues and powerful ways of thinking:
Jah’Queen for PERSEVERANCE; Ben S. for COMMUNITY; Jomar V. for FOCUS; Izak L.-B. for PROPRIETY; Steven N. for RESPECT; Keyona B. for PERSEVERANCE; Victoria H. for COMMUNITY; Carlos L. for PROPRIETY; Marybell L. for COMMUNITY; Tracy S. for FOCUS; Jerica M. for QUESTIONING; Jabari M. for EMPATHIZING; Jose M.-L. for COMMUNITY; Claudio M. COMMUNITY; James F. COMMUNITY; Nestor D. COMMUNITY; Ben S. COMMUNITY;n Nora’s First Period Math Class for FOCUS; Nora’s Advisory for COMMUNITY; Kevin C. for COMMUNITY
Week of September 29, 2008
Hello Families!
There is a lot going on this week! This Friday is our Whole School Picnic. All classes will walk to the park on Friday afternoon between 1:30 and 2:30. We will be at Crocker Amazon Park all afternoon. There will be no After School Program on Friday, as we will all be at the park. We invite you to join us at Crocker Amazon Park at 5:00 for a BBQ dinner.
I’d like to introduce two new employees here at SF Community. Terra Gauthier is our new Learning Support Professional. If you need support or counseling for your child or resources in the community, contact her on Mondays or Tuesdays. We also welcome Lily Williams, our new Outreach Consultant while Howard Swansey is out on family leave. Lily will schedule and facilitate SST meetings for students in K/1, 4/5, or 6-8.
You will see in this Tuesday Envelope the School Site Council ballot. We are electing all of the people on the ballot—we appreciate them for volunteering to serve our school by participating in monthly discussions to improve our school. If you have ideas for improving our school, please tell one of the Site Council members or come to any of the meetings yourself. They are always open.
This week, we are supporting our students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities:
K-3rd Grades: Students in all of these grade levels have begun reading in small groups with their teachers.
4th-5th Grades: Students in these grade levels are learning all about American history this year.
6-8: All middle school students will be studying globalization this fall in the humanities project.
K-5 Library: We have just hired a new librarian to replace Tawnya Dudash, who is on leave. Our new librarian is Ralph Pettiford. Feel free to stop by and introduce yourself to him!
Strong Community
Wednesday, October 1, 6:00-7:30
PAC Meeting
Dinner, childcare, translation provided!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Whole School Picnic and BBQ
Crocker Amazon Park
We honor the following students for practicing our virtues and powerful ways of thinking:
Shaneen A. for EMPATHIZING; Harlo P., Wei L., Steve G., and Izzy C. for SYNTHESIZING; Jessie B. for PERSEVERANCE; Jabari M. for PERSEVERANCE; Tina T. for COMMUNITY; Christina L. for FOCUSING; Tanya G. for COMMUNICATING; Julianna N. for COMMUNICATING; Ben S. for COMMUNICATING; Kenyana J. Jr. for FOCUSING; Julian R. for FOCUSING; David E. for CREATING; Marcus M. for COMMUNITY; Kevin L. for QUESTIONING; Eraldy M. for PERSEVERANCE; Jose M. for FOCUSING; Jerica M. for FOCUSING; Ozzie P. for PROPRIETY; Nestor for COMMUNITY; Jessica N. for COMMUNITY; Ben S. for COMMUNITY; Lucas C. for COMMUNITY; Keyona B. for PERSEVERANCE; Jessica N. for FOCUSING; Steve G. for PROPRIETY; Malik L. for FOCUSING
*****HUGE THANKS to families for Home-Cooked Lunch last Friday! It was delicious!
STRONG MINDS AND HEARTS
Kevin N. for QUESTIONING; Kevin S. for PROPRIETY; Carlos L. for JUSTIC
September 15, 2008
Hello Families!
I know that many of you are wondering about the new traffic and safety program (especially those of you who have interacted with the DPT folks who are giving out parking tickets). Marion Brown, one of our yard supervisors and grandmother of DaJuan in 4th grade, is coordinating this program. She plans to begin the program on Monday, Sept. 22—you will drive up through some cones on Paris St. to drop off your child and you will drive through the same cones to pick your child up at the end of the day. We are trying to eliminate drop-off and pick-up on Excelsior, which is a narrower street that also must accommodate the MUNI #52. The DPT folks shouldn’t be giving out any tickets until we start the program officially on Monday, Sept. 22. After that, please don’t drop-off, pick-up, or double park on Excelsior. (The no double-parking rule goes for all streets!)
Wednesday, October 1, 6:00-7:30 PAC Meeting Dinner, childcare, translation provided! Friday, October 3, 2008 Whole School Picnic and BBQ Crocker Amazon
Park
This week, we are supporting our students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities:
K/1: Students at this grade level will be going on a field trip to the park at the end of this month in preparation for the whole school picnic.
2/3: Students at this level (and K/1 and 4/5) started going to garden classes last week. Every other week, half of the class goes to the garden with Brooke, our new garden educator.
Family Liaisons: There is a Friday Morning Coffee every Friday at 9am in the cafeteria—please come!
We honor the following students
for practicing our virtues and powerful ways of thinking:
September 2, 2008
Hello Families!
We have our first Parent Action Committee meeting this Wednesday. The Parent Action Committee coordinates community-building events and fundraisers for our school. We are called SF Community School, so we believe in building relationships within our community. When you come to the PAC meetings or any other community building events, you will meet and get to know other families from your child’s class and from other grade levels. It is also important to raise money to support our school, so we have several events planned to reach our goal of $15,000. This year, we have parents signed up to “chair” each event. At the PAC meetings, we will support the event “chairs” in organizing their events. Please come! This is a great way to meet other families and experience the “community” and “family” feelings of our school.
Wednesday, September 3, 6-7:30 First Parent Action Committee Meeting Dinner, Childcare, Translation
Provided Thursday, September 11, 6:00-7:30 BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT Please bring a dish to share!
This week, we are supporting our students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities:
K/1: Students at this grade level will be practicing sight words each week at home.
2/3:
4/5: Students at this grade level are just beginning their study of the American Revolution.
6-8: All middle school students will be studying earth science this year.
We honor the following students
for practicing our virtues and powerful ways of thinking: Kevin N.
for QUESTIONING; Kevin S. for QUESTIONING; Carlos L. for JUSTICE; Kevin’s
Advisory for COMMUNITY; Mateo V. for COMMUNITY; Alan W. for COMMUNITY; Willy Z.
for FOCUSING; Gloria A. for HARMONY; Kenyana J., Jr. for FOCUSING; Marlon M.,
Marybell L., and Julio C. for QUESTIONING; Brian C. for PROPRIETY; Jose G. for
FOCUSING; Devyn S., Daisy C., Sarai V., Rafael S., and Joanne Q. for COMMUNITY;
Vanessa P. for PERSEVERANCE; Kenyana J. Jr. for SYNTHESIZING
Week of June 2, 2008 Hello Families!
©Project Open House is on Thursday night! We are looking forward to seeing you. Students are very excited to share what they have learned about taking care of plants and animals, creating habitats for earth and aquatic creatures, bird-watching, zoos, rockets, and oral histories. After you witness all of the learning, we hope you will join us for a root beer float on the front yard!
© Here is a big thank you to the families who made or contributed to Home Cooked Lunch last Thursday! We ate delicious hamburgers, hot dogs, salad, and cookies. It’s always a great treat.
©5th grade graduation will be on Thursday, June 12 at 10am in the gym. 8th grade graduation will be on Wednesday evening, June 11 at 6pm at the June Jordan School for Equity auditorium.
Strong MindsWe recognize: Shayna P. for COMMUNICATING Julian R. for FOCUSING and REFLECTING Frank H., Shayna P., Sze-Shun L., Victoria H., Ben S., Ivan C., Steven N., Oscar R., and Nestor D. for FOCUSING Jeremy V. for FOCUSING
| Strong HeartsShayna P. and Camilo G.V. for practicing COMMUNITY Jackie L. for practicing RESPECT Jose M. for practicing TRUTH Jovanni L. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Natalie M. for practicing PERSEVERANCE All of Mr. Staples’ Music Students for practicing PERSEVERANCE Jose G. for practicing COMMUNITY |
Strong IndividualsWe are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities: K-1st: The K/1 teachers would like to encourage families to exchange contact information with other families so that your children can play together over the summer. They suggest that families make play dates for kids to go to the library and read together! 6th-8th Grades: Middle school students were launching rockets on the big yard last week. Ask them how they measured how high their rockets flew! ASP: Middle school students in the after school program are raising money for victims of the earthquake and cyclone in China and Myanmar. See Howard for details. | Strong Community
Upcoming DatesThursday, June 5 Project Open House Incredible Project learning and Root Beer Floats for All! 6:00-7:30 Tuesday, June 2-Friday, June 5 8th Grade Camping Trip Lair of the Bear, Stanislaus, CA Wednesday, June 11 8th Grade Graduation, 6pm-9pm Thursday, June 12 5th Grade Graduation 10:00am-12:00pm
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Week of May 27, 2008 Hello Families!
© Here is a big thank you from the 2nd and 3rd grade teachers to all the 2nd-3rd grade families who helped out with the camping trip. Families donated time and supplies, drove equipment, helped set up tents, prepared all the food, supervised kids, and lots of other things that helped make our trip a success. Thanks also to Mary and Martha who helped out at school with students who didn’t go camping.
©5th grade graduation will be on Thursday, June 12 at 10am in the gym. 8th grade graduation will be on Wednesday evening, June 11 at 6pm at the June Jordan School for Equity auditorium.
© We had our final PAC meeting last Thursday. We are still looking for volunteers to be the chair people of some important things next year: home-cooked lunch, 8th grade graduation, and 5th grade graduation. Being the chair-person of one of these events means organizing and coordinating family members to help out with the event. If you are willing, please let Kristin know!
©Order Your SFC 2007-08 Yearbook this week! The yearbook is dedicated to Jean Bell. It's 33 pages long, and contains photos of the staff, class pictures for every grade, candid photos, baby pictures of
graduating 8th graders, and more! All this for $15. Prepay by this Friday; an order form is attached.
Strong Minds
We recognize:
Rafael S. for COMMUNICATING
Alice G. for COMMUNICATING
Zach S. for COMMUNICATING
Santana C. for FOCUSING
Strong Hearts
Steven N. for practicing PROPRIETY
Ivan C. for practicing PROPRIETY
Anthony A.L. for practicing COMMUNITY
Cece L. for practicing PERSEVERANCE
Calixto R. for practicing PERSEVERANCE
Brittany S. for practicing PERSEVERANCE
Adrian N. for practicing PERSEVERANCE
Alice G. for practicing PERSEVERANCE
Strong Individuals
We are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities:
K/1st Grades: Students in these classrooms have written poetry about the plants and animals that they have learned to care for. They will be presenting their poetry this week. They are also anxiously awaiting the hatching of their chicks!
5th and 8th Grades: Students continue their portfolio presentations this week. Anyone is welcome to attend a portfolio presentation—see Tanya Friedman in Rm. 206 to sign up.
MS Yearbook Team: Eighth graders have been meeting all year on Mondays to put together a yearbook. Yearbooks are on sale for everyone! See note above. Strong Community
Upcoming Dates
Thursday, June 4
Project Open House
Incredible Project learning and Root Beer Floats for All!
6:00-7:30
Tuesday, June 2-Friday, June 5
8th Grade Camping Trip
Lair of the Bear, Stanislaus, CA
Wednesday, June 11
8th Grade Graduation, 6pm-9pm
Thursday, June 12
5th Grade Graduation
10:00am-12:00pm
Week of May 19, 2008 Hello Families!
©Yesterday was our Carnival. It was a great community event! HUGE thanks to all families and students who ran games, made food, and volunteered to make the carnival a great success!
©5th grade graduation will be on Thursday, June 12 at 10am in the gym. 8th grade graduation will be on Wednesday evening, June 11 at 6pm at the June Jordan School for Equity auditorium.
©We held our final School Site Council meeting last Wednesday. There will be changes implemented for 2008-09 in our After School Program and in our work to address bullying, based on the work of this year’s School Site Council. We will elect a brand new site council next fall, so if you didn’t participate this year, we will be recruiting you for next year!
©Here is a reminder that students are NOT allowed to skate board on school grounds. While they may ride their skateboards to and from school, once they are at school, they must store their skateboard with a teacher or in the main office.
©Please don’t send balls with your children to school. We have balls here at school for students to play with. When kids bring balls from home, we get unwanted conflicts around who can play with individually-owned balls, conflicts about when they can be used, etc. Please keep your balls at home!
Strong MindsWe recognize: Asia W. for PLANNING Calixto R. for QUESTIONING Pui Shan L. for QUESTIONING Jorge R. for COMMUNICATING Rafael S. for COMMUNICATING A.J. W. for CREATING Malik L. for QUESTIONING
| Strong HeartsIvan R. for practicing COMMUNITY Sherine A. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Marybell L. for practicing COMMUNITY Daisy C. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Oscar R. for practicing COMMUNITY Vanessa P. for practicing COMMUNITY Kenyana J. for practicing TRUTH Daniel F. for practicing COMMUNITY Shaneen A. and Ricky R. for practicing COMMUNITY Kenyana J. for practicing JUSTICE Victoria H. for practicing COMMUNITY Kevin C. for practicing COMMUNITY |
Strong IndividualsWe are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities: 5th and 8th Grades: Students begin their portfolio presentations this week. Anyone is welcome to attend a portfolio presentation—see Tanya Friedman in Rm. 206 to sign up. 6th-8th Grades: Middle school students are finishing their interviews with people who experienced the civil rights movement or other movements to address justice in other countries. They will write their interviews into narratives to be published. ASP: Several middle school students will be traveling to Sacramento this week to participate in a conference about youth making change. | Strong Community
Upcoming DatesThursday, May 22 Last PAC Meeting, 6:00-7:30 Dinner, childcare, translation provided Thursday, June 4 Project Open House Incredible Project learning and Root Beer Floats for All! 6:00-7:30 Wednesday, June 11 8th Grade Graduation, 6pm-9pm Thursday, June 12 5th Grade Graduation 10:00am-12:00pm
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Week of May 12, 2008 Hello Families!
©Testing is nearly over. We are just finishing up the make-up tests this week.
©This is the week that K/1 and 2/3 students go camping! K/1 students will be going to Golden Gate Park on Thursday, May 15, then to Excelsior Park in the afternoon. They will spend the night camping at school. The next day, they will go on a field trip to the zoo. Second and third grade students will be taking a bus over to Tilden Park on Thursday, camping overnight, and returning to school on Friday.
©5th grade graduation will be on Thursday, June 12 at 10am in the gym. 8th grade graduation will be on Wednesday evening, June 11 at 6pm at the June Jordan School for Equity auditorium.
©Please come to our last School Site Council meeting this year on Wednesday, May 14. This is a great place to learn about what changes have been made this year and what changes you can expect for next year.
©We are trying a new approach in the After School Program. If students forget their homework in their classrooms, they will not be able to go back into classrooms to retrieve lost homework. The ASP staff will give them an academic activity to do while other kids do their HW. We are trying this new approach because we’ve had some trouble with ASP having to find keys to the classrooms and leave their other students in order to open a classroom for a student with lost homework. Please talk to your children about making sure they have their homework with them when they leave their classrooms!
Strong Minds
We recognize:
Ivan R. for SYNTHESIZING Strong Hearts
Zach and Josh S. for PERSEVERANCE
Strong Individuals
We are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities:
Whole School: We are checking the heads of all of our students so that we can rid our school of the lice epidemic! Please take a look at your child’s hair at home. If you think that your child has lice, go to Walgreens to buy the lice shampoo and use a fine-tooth comb to pull out the nits and lice.
2nd-3rd Grades: Tim’s class got geckos this week! Stop by and take a look.
6th-8th Grades: Joe’s students are setting off their film canister rockets this week. They will begin designing their bottle rockets next week.
ASP: Some students from our Cesar Chavez Club were honored last weekend at the Excelebrations at Kezar Stadium. The ASP would like to celebrate two parents, Emma Amaya and Heidi Alletzhauser who also came to the celebration at Kezar. Strong Community
Upcoming Dates
Wednesday, May 14, 6:00-7:30
Last School Site Council Meeting
Dinner, childcare, translation provided
May 15-16
2nd/3rd Grade Camping Trip
and K/1st Grade Camping Trip
Sunday, May 18, 11:00-4:00
Carnival in the Xcelsior!!
A day of fun at SFC
Thursday, May 22
Last PAC Meeting
6:00-7:30
Dinner, childcare, translation provided
Thursday, June 4
Project Open House
Incredible Project learning and Root Beer Floats for All!
6:00-7:30
Week of May 5, 2008 Hello Families!
©Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo. We often confuse this holiday with the celebration of Mexican independence from Spain, which is actually on September 16. Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of the Mexican army’s defeat of French invaders in 1862 at the Battle of Puebla. While this holiday is mostly celebrated in Puebla, people in the United States have been celebrating this holiday since the 1860s as a celebration of Mexico’s resistance against the French.
©We are still doing STAR testing this week. Please continue to send your children to school on time with a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast! If students are absent on testing days, they will make-up the tests next week, the week of May 12.
©5th grade graduation will be on Thursday, June 12 at 10am in the gym. 8th grade graduation will be on Wednesday evening, June 11 at 6pm at the June Jordan School for Equity auditorium.
©Please come to our last School Site Council meeting this year on Wednesday, May 14. This is a great place to learn about what changes have been made this year and what changes you can expect for next year.
Strong Minds
We recognize:
Camilo G.V. for FOCUSING
Gordon D. for PLANNING
Erik S. for SYNTHESIZING
Mateo V.H. for FOCUSING
Ivan R. for QUESTIONING
Tonnette E. for QUESTIONING
Strong Hearts
Jackie L. for practicing PERSEVERANCE
The Whole 8th Grade for practicing BALANCE
Mateo V.H. for practicing COMMUNITY
Ricky R. for practicing TRUTH
Ricky R. for practicing PERSEVERANCE
Ricky R. for practicing BALANCE
Strong Individuals
We are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities:
K-1st Grades: These classrooms are getting ready to hatch eggs! They will be having a guest speaker to talk about raising chickens. In other news, many students at this grade level have had lice. Please check your children at home for lice. If you see eggs or nits, you must wash your child’s hair with a special shampoo that is available at Walgreens and comb through the hair with a fine-tooth comb.
2nd-3rd Grades: When second and third graders are not testing this week during the mornings, they have been and will continue learning about bullying—how to identify it, how to stop it, how to educate others about it.
6th-8th Grades: Students in middle school continue this week to learn about health and sexuality instead of having study hall. They are divided into grade level groups to learn about a variety of health/ sexuality topics.
ASP: Some of our middle school students will be going to Sacramento for a day of youth initiating political action. Strong Community
Upcoming Dates
Saturday, May 10
School Fundraiser at El Rio
Salsa Dance Lesson and Party
Wednesday, May 14, 6:00-7:30
Last School Site Council Meeting
Dinner, childcare, translation provided
May 15-16
2nd/3rd Grade Camping Trip
and K/1st Grade Camping Trip
Thursday, May 22
Last PAC Meeting
6:00-7:30
Dinner, childcare, translation provided
Week of April 28, 2008 Hello Families!
©We will be doing STAR testing during the next two weeks. Please send your children to school on time with a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast!
©5th grade graduation will be on Thursday, June 12 at 10am in the gym. 8th grade graduation will be on Wednesday evening, June 11 at 6pm at the June Jordan School for Equity auditorium.
©Some of you have probably heard that we are implementing a new program during K-5 lunch. On Mondays through Thursdays, yard supervisors are running structured games for students in K-5 for the first 20 minutes of the lunch recess. Students can choose from relay races, jump rope, archeology, four-square, kickball/soccer/football, or arts and crafts. Everyone must participate in a structured game for the first 20 minutes. After structured play, students still have 20 minutes of free time. Please let us know if you hear feedback from your children about this new program.
©The middle school humanities students are beginning a project about oral history. They are looking for people who were alive during the civil rights movement (late 1950’s through early 1970’s) who are willing to be interviewed by the students. Please call Denise or Rachel at school if you are willing or you know someone who is willing.
Strong MindsWe recognize: Victoria H. for PLANNING and CREATING Julianna N. for PLANNING and CREATING Kevin C. for FOCUSING Malik L. for COMMUNICATING
| Strong HeartsJackie L. for practicing COMMUNITY Damar H. for practicing COMMUNITY Otto P. for practicing COMMUNITY Taqwa, Steven, Shayna, PuiShan, Dennis, Connie, and Ben S. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Asia W. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Cameko F. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Ben S., Steven N., and Ivan C. for practicing COMMUNITY Izzie C. for practicing COMMUNITY |
Strong IndividualsWe are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities: K-1st Grades: Students have been writing poetry about their plants and animals. The poetry is hanging on the walls in their classrooms, so feel free to check out the poems. 2nd/3rd Grades: Students in Deni’s class go on a field trip each Thursday to practice bird-watching. Last week, they saw great blue herons in their nests and goslings (baby geese). 4th-5th Grades: Fifth grade students are beginning to polish their portfolios in preparation for their portfolio presentations at the end of May. All are welcome to attend portfolio presentations. See Tanya F. to sign up. 6th-8th Grades: Students in middle school will be learning about health and sexuality during the two weeks of testing instead of having study hall. They will be divided into grade level groups to learn about a variety of health/ sexuality topics. ASP: Some of our middle school students staffed a booth at the Cesar Chavez festival last weekend and had the opportunity to meet Dolores Huerta! | Strong Community
Upcoming DatesMonday, April 28- Friday, May 9 STAR Testing Thursday, May 1st Staff Appreciation Dinner Student/Staff Kickball Game Friday, May 2, 8:15-9:15 Monday, May 5 Room Parent Meeting 6:00-7:30, Snacks, translation, and childcare May 15-16 2nd/3rd Grade Camping Trip and K/1st Grade Camping Trip
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Week of April 21, 2008 Hello Families!
©Applications for the Aim High Summer Program at SF Community for rising 6th-9th graders are due this Friday, April 25! This is a wonderful academic and enrichment summer program for middle school students.
©Our After School Program will be closed on Tuesday, April 29 for a full staff meeting—please make arrangements.
©We will do STAR testing this year during the two weeks between April 28 and May 9.
©5th grade graduation will be on Thursday, June 12 at 10am in the gym. 8th grade graduation will be on Wednesday evening, June 11 at 6pm at the June Jordan School for Equity auditorium.
Strong MindsWe recognize: Brendan C. for FOCUSING Fanny Z. for FOCUSING Otto P. for FOCUSING Tanya G. for FOCUSING Veronica H. for COMMUNICATING Connie Y. for SYNTHESIZING Jorge R. for FOCUSING
| Strong HeartsBen S. for practicing COMMUNITY Justice M. for practicing COMMUNITY Victoria H. for practicing COMMUNITY Connie L. for practicing COMMUNITY Devyn S. for practicing COMMUNITY Zach S. for practicing COMMUNITY Malik L. for practicing PROPRIETY Cameko F. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Lucas C. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Gordon D. for practicing BALANCE Ivan C. for practicing COMMUNITY Vanessa P. for practicing COMMUNITY Steven N. for practicing COMMUNITY Xiomara B. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Carla G. for practicing PERSEVERANCE |
Strong IndividualsWe are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities: K-1st Grades: All three classes are preparing for their eggs! They will incubate eggs in their classrooms and hatch chicks. They will also be camping on May 15 and 16 here at school! 2nd-3rd Grades: All three classes will be going on a camping trip to Tilden Park in Berkeley on May 15 and 16. 4th-5th Grades: Students are working really hard on their research reports about their selected animals. They are taking notes from books and websites and citing the sources of their information in bibliographies. Once they have found information and written it on their organization charts, they must organize their information into paragraphs. 6th-8th Grades: Students will finish To Kill A Mockingbird this week. 7th and 8th grade students in Rachel’s humanities classes wrote poems last week about civil rights. They are posted on the third floor hallway—stop by and read some on your way to the office! | Strong Community
Upcoming DatesMonday, April 28- Friday, May 9 STAR Testing Tuesday, April 29 No AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM Thursday, May 1st Staff Appreciation Dinner (See attached flyer) Monday, May 5 Room Parent Meeting 6:00-7:30, Snacks, translation, and childcare May 15-16 2nd/3rd Grade Camping Trip and K/1st Grade Camping Trip
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Week of April 14, 2008 Hello Families!
©We have a Parent Action Committee meeting this week on Thursday night. Diane, our parent liaison in charge of PAC meetings, has arranged for two guest speakers. The first speaker is a therapist who will talk about addressing emotional issues with children. We will also work on some of the upcoming fundraising events. Dinner, childcare, and translation provided.
©Thank you to our fabulous chefs for making Home Cooked Lunch last Friday—the chicken adobo was delicious!
©Our After School Program will be closed on Tuesday, April 29 for a full staff meeting—please make arrangements.
©We will do STAR testing this year during the two weeks between April 28 and May 9.
©The Latino Honor Roll Parade will take place on Saturday, April 19 as part of the Cesar Chavez celebration. We invite our Latino students who are on the Honor Roll to participate in this event. Please see the flyer in today’s Tuesday Envelope.
©5th grade graduation will be on Thursday, June 12 at 10am in the gym. 8th grade graduation will be on Wednesday evening, June 11 at 6pm at the June Jordan School for Equity auditorium.
Strong Minds
We recognize:
Cameko F. for COMMUNICATING
Alan W. for COMMUNICATING and FOCUSING
Rafael S. for COMMUNICATING
Darius for PLANNING and CREATING
Strong Hearts
Taqwa for practicing PERSEVERANCE
Darius for practicing HARMONY
Ozzie for practicing HARMONY
Jack for practicing PROPRIETY
Ivan for practicing COMMUNITY
Asia for practicing PERSEVERANCE
Strong Individuals
We are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities:
K-1st Grades: These classrooms are raising plants and animals during this project about environments. Laura’s class is raising and caring for snails, Brendan’s class is raising and caring for fish, and Nobie’s class is raising and crickets.
2nd-3rd Grades: All three classes will be going on a camping trip to Tilden Park in Berkeley on May 15 and 16.
6th-8th Grades: Middle school math students are all working on linear equations, graphing, and identifying the slope of a line. Students in middle school P.E. have been taking the Physical Fitness Test for the past couple of weeks. They will be finished this week.
Strong Community
Upcoming Dates
Monday, April 14
Portfolio Panel Training
6:00pm-8:00pm
Thursday, April 17
PAC Meeting
6:00-7:30pm
Childcare, dinner, translation
Tuesday, April 29
No AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
May 15-16
2nd/3rd Grade Camping Trip
Week of April 7, 2008 Hello Families!
©We have a School Site Council meeting tomorrow night, Wednesday, April 9 from 6:00-7:30. We will be talking about the school budgets for next year and bullying. We provide translation, dinner, and childcare—please come!
©Our fabulous chefs are making Home Cooked Lunch this Friday—chicken adobo! Feel free to come help cook starting at 9:30 on Friday morning.
©Many people are asking questions about summer school. Summer school through the school district is only for students who received applications at parent/teacher conferences. However, our school will host an academic summer program this summer for students who are going into 6th-9th grades. See any middle school or 4th/5th grade teacher for applications. The summer program, called Aim High, will go from June 30-August 1. It is an excellent all-day program.
©5th grade graduation will be Thursday, June 12 at 10am and 8th grade graduation will be Wednesday evening, June 11 at 6:00pm. More information to come!
Strong MindsWe recognize: Linus D. for COMMUNICATING Sherine A. for PLANNING Joanne Q. for COMMUNICATING Nestor D. for FOCUSING Luis M. for FOCUSING Camilo G.-V. for COMMUNICATING Shayna P. for FOCUSING
| Strong HeartsJabari M. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Daniel F. for practicing COMMUNITY Calixto R. for practicing BALANCE Justice M. for practicing PERSEVERANCE |
Strong IndividualsWe are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities: K-3rd Grades: Students have begun art classes with the visiting artists. They have been working on free-form wire sculptures. 4th-5th Grades: Students have selected their animals to study during their visits to the zoo and in their classroom and computer lab research. Many students are working in small groups on the same animal. By the end of the project, they will have written research reports and build models of ideal zoo enclosures for their animals. 6th-8th Grades: All math students are working without calculators this month in preparation for the standardized tests. Students need to perform all mathematical operations without calculators on the tests, including long division and multiplication of complicated decimals. | Strong Community
Upcoming Dates
Wednesday, April 9 School Site Council Meeting 6:00-7:30, Dinner, Childcare, Translation Saturday, April 12 Portfolio Panel Training 9:30-11:30, Childcare, Breakfast Monday, April 14 Portfolio Panel Training Thursday, April 17 PAC Meeting
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Week of April 1, 2008 Hello Families!
©I hope you enjoyed a restful and joyful spring break. You may be wondering what’s happening with our leadership position. We have finally come to an agreement with the District that will allow us to continue to operate as a teacher-run school. We will accept a small middle school administrator position at our school, which will be called “School Director” instead of head teacher (to satisfy the demands of the United Administrators of San Francisco). I (Kristin) will continue to serve in this role. How our school operates and how we make decisions will not change. We will sign a Letter of Assurance with the School District and the Board of Education that will clarify how we operate as a teacher-run school. We are still in negotiation with the School District about what this letter will say. The School Board will change our leadership position from a teacher to a small middle school administrator on April 3rd at the closed session of their Board meeting. We believe that the School District and Board of Education members are willing to work with us to ensure that our school continues to operate democratically BECAUSE of the pressure they experienced from families—THANK YOU for supporting us!
Strong MindsWe recognize: Carla G. for FOCUSING Calixto R. for QUESTIONING Julianna N. for COMMUNICATING Justice M. for SYNTHESIZING Daniel F. for COMMUNICATING Jackie L. for COMMUNICATING Dennis G. for EMPATHIZING Jeremy V. for USING EVIDENCE Darius G. for SYNTHESIZING Shayna P. for COMMUNICATING | Strong HeartsOzzie P. for practicing HARMONY Anthony A.L. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Kevin C. for practicing COMMUNITY Rafael S. for practicing COMMUNITY Benny Z. for practicing COMMUNITY Ricky R. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Ben S. for practicing COMMUNITY Lisbeth B. for practicing COMMUNITY |
Strong IndividualsWe are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities: 2-3: Second grade students are working on regrouping in subtraction. Here’s a problem for them to try at home: 432 - 178 4th-5th Grades: All three classes are visiting the zoo on Fridays. They took a field trip on the Friday before Spring Break and will take another one this coming Friday. 6th-8th Grades: March was Detoxification month in the middle school science classes. Students cut down on sugar, fat, and artificial ingredients. The science classes are now studying the solar system, galaxy, and universe as they prepare for their rocketry project. | Strong Community
Upcoming Dates
Monday, April 7 Room Parent Meeting 6:00-7:30
Wednesday, April 9 School Site Council Meeting 6:00-7:30, Dinner, Childcare, Translation Saturday, April 12 Portfolio Panel Training 9:30-11:30, Childcare, Breakfast Monday, April 14 Portfolio Panel Training
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Week of March 10, 2008 Hello Families!
©We have a School Site Council meeting this week to continue our work around bullying related to language and culture, work on the academic site plan, and update our community about the leadership situation. Please come!
© Thanks to all of the families that came to the pancake breakfast and especially to the cooks!
© The After School Program will close at 5:00pm during the week of March 17 during family/student/teacher conferences. Please pick up your kids on time.
Strong MindsWe recognize: Jah’Queen S. for CREATING Benjamin M. for SYNTHESIZING and COMMUNICATING Fanny Z. for COMMUNICATING Grace Z. for CREATING | Strong HeartsFrank H. for practicing COMMUNITY Mateo V. and Carlos R. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Carlos R. for practicing COMMUNITY Darius G. for practicing PROPRIETY Jah’Queen S. for practicing BALANCE |
Strong IndividualsWe are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities: K-1: Students at this grade level have an assembly every Friday morning. Last week, they learned about appropriate ways to touch and not touch each other. There is a new rule for playing tag: a child must “tag” another person ONLY on their arms or shoulders and only with 2 fingers. Also, the K-1 project will begin next week. The K-1 will be learning about taking care of pets and plants. Ask your child about the new classroom pets and plants! 2-3: Projects begin also at this grade level this week. Tim’s and Maya’s classes will be studying aquatic and terrestrial habitats in the classrooms. Deni’s class will be studying birds and bird watching. 4th-5th Grades: These grade levels are doing the zoo project in which students will study zoo animals, zoo issues, and habitats. 6th-8th Grades: When the science fair is over, students in MS science will begin a project on rocketry. | Strong Community
Upcoming Dates
Wednesday, March 12 School Site Council Meeting 6:00-7:30 Dinner, Childcare, and Translation provided
Monday, March 17-Friday, March 21 Family/Student/Teacher Conference Week School Dismissed Early at 2:30 all week
Thursday, March 20 PAC Meeting 6:00-7:30
Monday, March 24-Monday, March 31 Spring Break—School Closed Tuesday, April 1—First Day Back At School
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Week of March 3, 2008 Hello Families!
©A group of parents met last week to prepare to meet with Carlos Garcia, our superintendent, Mark Sanchez, our School Board president, and other school board members. There is a meeting this Wednesday at 6:00pm at school with Eric Mar, a member of the School Board and another meeting scheduled for Thursday at 555 Franklin with Carlos Garcia at 4:00. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss the issue of our leadership model. Anyone is welcome to attend, though you must arrive 30 minutes prior to the meeting to meet with the planning group. Please call Sofia and let her know if you plan to attend.
© We are having a fundraiser this weekend—a pancake breakfast on Sunday morning at 10am. There will be unlimited pancakes, bacon, juice, coffee, tea, and fruit for $5 for adults and $3 for kids. See the attached flyer.
Strong MindsWe recognize: Brendan, Frank, and Andres for FOCUSING Ben and Wei for QUESTIONING | Strong HeartsBrittany S. for practicing COMMUNITY Ivan R. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Natalie M. for practicing BALANCE Shaneen A. for practicing PERSEVERANCE Zachary S. for practicing PERSEVERANCE
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Strong IndividualsWe are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities: K-8 P.E.: Welcome back, Eric! 4th-5th Grades: Students in these grade levels are getting ready to present their newscasts about immigration. 6th-8th Grades: All middle school students will be reading To Kill A Mockingbird starting on Wednesday. 8th Grade Science: All middle school students will be presenting science fair projects at the Science Fair during the week of March 9. After School Program: Bay Area Scores soccer and writing classes began yesterday. Please see Patricia if you want your child to participate in this program. The programs are almost full, so please hurry! Also, Girl Scouts will be selling Girl Scout Cookies on Tuesday, March 11 for $3.50 per box. Get them while you can! Congratulations to Ozzie P., Pui Shan L., and Sarai V. for the excellent presentation that they did on AccesSF (channel 76) last Thursday. MS Math Counts: Congratulations Brendan, Andres, and Frank for competing in the citywide MathCounts competition. | Strong Community
Upcoming DatesTuesday, March 4ELAC Meeting, 9:30 am
Wednesday, March 12 School Site Council Meeting 6:00-7:30
Monday, March 17-Friday, March 21 Family/Student/Teacher Conference Week School Dismissed Early at 2:30 all week
Monday, March 24-Monday, March 31 Spring Break—School Closed
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Week of January 29, 2008 Hello Families!
Middle school students meet weekly in an assembly. During middle school assemblies, educators celebrate students for powerful ways of thinking and virtues, people make announcements, and everyone plays a game together. Once a month, the middle school students and staff read an article or story about a culture. For example, in October, which is Islamic Heritage Month, students read two articles about Arab/Islamic culture and engaged in discussion in their advisories and at the assembly.
Students in kindergarten through fifth grade have a monthly assembly on the last Friday of the month. At these assemblies, we sing songs, one class performs a song or poem, teachers do a skit, and teachers celebrate their classes for powerful ways of thinking or virtues. Families are welcome at both assemblies.
In other news, if you shop at Office Depot, please give them our school ID# when you check out and they will donate some money to our school! Our ID# is 70014033. Thank you!
Strong MindsWe recognize: Gordon D. for FOCUSING Jeremy V. for FOCUSING Pui Shan L. for FOCUSING Andres K. for FOCUSING Lisbeth B. for FOCUSING Mateo V.H., Stanley L., Jessie B., and Izzy C. for EMPATHIZING Carlos R. for CREATING Zack S. for QUESTIONING Grace Z. for USING EVIDENCE Devyn S. for SYNTHESIZING Ivan C. for REFLECTING Miranda C. for COMMUNICATING Eric’s 5th Period P.E. Class for CREATING
| Strong HeartsLucas C. for practicing PROPRIETY Alan W. for practicing PROPRIETY Jorge R. for practicing HARMONY Victoria H. for practicing COMMUNITY
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Strong IndividualsWe are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities: K/1: Students in K/1 meet for weekly assemblies in Nobie’s room on Friday mornings. They sing songs in English and Spanish. Feel free to visit during an assembly! 6-8th Grade Humanities: Students in the humanities classes are working very hard on their essays in preparation for the Constitutional Convention. They are writing proposals for future immigration policies in the United States. The Constitutional Convention is scheduled for February 5 at 555 Franklin. | Strong CommunityUpcoming Dates
Monday, February 4 Room Parent Meeting 6:00-7:00
Thursday, February 7, Chinese New Year--No School
Friday, February 8, Staff Professional Development--NO SCHOOL
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Week of January 22, 2008 Hello Families!
You may have been hearing news about the big education cuts in the state budget. While the details are still in the works, it appears that there will be significant cuts to the education budget in San Francisco, along with everywhere else in California. We don’t yet know what this will mean for our budget for next year, though there will be a lot of information about this at the School Site Council Summit this Saturday. We will also be discussing our budgets at the two Community/School Site Council meetings in February. They are scheduled for Wednesday, February 13 and Wednesday, February 27. If you are concerned about the budgets for next year, if you have ideas to contribute, or if you are curious about how we do site-based budgeting, please come to these meetings. We always provide dinner, childcare and translation for all parent events.
Strong Minds
We recognize:
Brendan C. for COMMUNICATING
Anthony A. L. for COMMUNICATING
Carlos R. for EMPATHIZING
Julio C. for FOCUSING
Trevor G. for COMMUNICATING
Strong Hearts
We recognize:
Sean P.C. for practicing BALANCE
José O., Jessica N., Kenyanna J., Anthony A.L., Lucas C., Nestor D., and Taqwa A. for practicing TRUTH
Damar H. for practicing HARMONY
Andres K. for PERSEVERANCE
Strong Individuals
We are working to nurture students to be strong individuals through the following classroom activities:
4/5: Students at this grade level are doing a lot of writing these days. They are working on response to literature, summary writing, and personal narrative. They will take the California Writing Test on March 4 in one of these writing categories.
6th Grade Math: Students in Gretchen’s sixth grade math class are learning about ratio and proportion this week.
Technology: Our computer lab will be up and running within the next week or so, thanks to technology support provided by our beloved secretary, Ivy. She is also providing support to the teachers in using the new computer in each classroom.
Upcoming Dates
Saturday, January 26
School Site Council Summit
8:30-12:30, Everett Middle School
Monday, January 28
Semester Break—No School
Monday, February 4
Room Parent Meeting
6:00-7:00
Thursday, February 7,
Chinese New Year--No School
Friday, February 8, Staff Professional Development--NO SCHOOL
June 9, 2008
Dear SFC Families,
It’s the end of another school year! This has been a great year for us. Here are some of our highlights:
©Almost all of our 5th and 8th grade students presented portfolios of mastery-level work that show that they have met the standards and are ready to move to the next level of school. We are on our way to ensuring that every child that leaves our school is well-prepared for the next grade level.
©This was our first year of having two family liaisons. Their work and presence have inspired an energized look at how we engage families in the academic progress of their students.
©This was the first year of our weekly food bank, Jean’s Pantry. Our middle school students are now engaged in weekly community service as they provide groceries to our community.
©The middle school completed and presented two projects this spring: oral histories about the civil rights movement and rocketry. The K-5 completed and presented projects, in the fall about health and the human body and in the spring about environments.
©Thanks to widespread and powerful community support, our leadership model remains intact, despite our “head teacher” now being called a “school director”.
Each year, we reflect on what has gone well and what we need to work on in the coming year. We have designed some improvements to our program that you will see in action when you come back to school in August.
Þ Next year, our cafeteria will offer hot breakfast in the mornings and a salad bar with fresh produce at lunchtime (in addition to the regular lunch). We can thank our Middle School Task Force for its leadership and advocacy for better food.
Þ We have received a grant to better integrate our project-based learning into our portfolio assessment system. So, watch for project-related portfolio entries.
Þ We have also received a grant to improve traffic safety. There will be a new drop-off and pick-up system in place—so watch for orange cones and a more predictable, safe procedure for picking up and dropping off your children.
Þ We have a new system for organizing family members around fundraisers and sc