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November 09, 2007
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PHS Photos: Pumpkin Patch
Upcoming Events 11-09-2007
ALL SCHOOL EVENTS:
• November 15–Book Fair at Books, Inc. 6:00-9:00 PM
• November 16–Grandparents and Special Friends Day
• November 19–MS Parent Conferences, 12:15 PM MS dismissal,
LS Parent Conferences - No LS Classes, childcare by reservation
• November 20–MS Parent Conferences, LS Parent Conferences - No classes, childcare by reservation
• November 21–23–Thanksgiving Break, School Closed, No childcare
Click here for a downloadable calendar of events for November
Click here for a downloadable 2007-2008 School Year Calendar
Announcements 11-09-2007
PHS Book Fair – Save the Date – Thursday evening, November 15th.
The annual PHS Book Fair to support the Presidio Hill School Library will be held at Books, Inc. in Laurel Village from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Free child care is available if you contact Raymi at ext. 130. Come shop for the holidays, and don’t forget to pick up a few books for yourself! You can also purchase pre-selected books to donate directly to the library. Free wine and yummy treats will be served. See you there! Please contact Lisa J. for more information. PHS Cookbooks: What San Francisco Families Eat will also be sold!! Now's the time to get your holiday copies!!!
PHS Book Fair - READ ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY?
Hello, Fellow PHS Parents. Would you like to share the titles of any great books you’ve read recently? The Book Fair is coming next week and I would like to compile a list of books that have been read and enjoyed by PHS parents in the last year. Any category. Any subject. If you have a book to recommend, please send the name of the book, and the name of the author, to wbonham@aol.com. If you have time to add a sentence or two of praise for your recommendations, that would be welcome as well. I’ll be compiling your suggestions into a list and distribute it to everyone at the Book Fair.
Thanks,
Bill Bonham (Christopher, 8th grade.)
PHS Book Fair - Here are two ways to bring more books into our children's lives:
1) There are shelves at Books, Inc, filled with books selected by Lisa J, our librarian, for the SCHOOL LIBRARY.
Each book you buy from these shelves goes directly to our children. Here's an idea: Friends and even whole classes form "buying blocks" and purchase books for the school.
2) Shop at Books Inc during these hours and the library receives 20 percent of all your purchases. Do your holiday gift buying on the 15th and help support our library.
We look forward to seeing you there on the 15th, 6 - 9 p.m. We'll have wine and food as well.
Remember: There is FREE childcare during this event at PHS -- ring Raymi at ext. 130 to reserve.
ALL BEST: THE BOOK FAIR TEAM
Grandparents and Special Friends Day
Please be sure to invite Grandparents and Special Friends to this fun day (Friday, November 16). Grandparents and Special Friends Day is a time for grandparents and/or special friends of the student to come and share the day at PHS. There are student performances and plenty of time to spend in the student's classroom. Schedule to be posted soon! Please see the invitation in the Friday Letter with more details. RSVP to Tania Hurter at tania_hurter@presidiohill.org or x107 by Monday, November 12.
Picture Days
The pictures are READY to be viewed and purchased!!!!! Go to:
http://photographicproof.com/projects/presidio-hill-school
The password will be the same as for the community section of our website.
From the 5th grade class:
San Francisco is home to more than 776,000 residents. Of those, ONE IN FOUR CHILDREN and ONE IN FIVE ADULTS live with the daily threat of hunger. Please help the San Francisco Food Bank (www.sffoodbank.org) provide food for hungry seniors, children, families in crisis, and homeless individuals. The PHS Food Drive is happening NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 7. If you can, please drop off non-perishable items in a barrel located in the PHS lobby. Our school goal is 500 lbs. of food. Help feed the hungry! Thank you so much.
Conference Days Childcare
For Lower School
CHILDCARE is AVAILABLE by RESERVATION ONLY on Monday, Nov. 19 and Tuesday, Nov. 20 from 8-3pm for a fee of $55 when reserved by Thursday, Nov. 15 and $75 for late reservations.
Regular ASR rates will apply from 3-6pm.
*FOR K-2 ONLY: Reservations will also be accepted and are required if childcare is needed during conference times only at no charge.*
For Middle School
CHILDCARE is AVAILABLE by RESERVATION ONLY on Monday, Nov. 19 from 12:15-6pm. Regular ASR rates will apply. Childcare is also available on Tuesday, Nov. 20 from 8-3pm for a fee of $55 when reserved by Thursday, Nov. 15 and $75 for late reservations.
Regular ASR rates will apply from 3-6pm.
Please contact Raymi at raymi_orozco@presidiohill.org or at 751-9318 x.130 to make a reservation and for more information. RSVP by Thursday, November 15, 2007
Parents Education Network Events
There are two upcoming PEN events. On Nov. 9th, see Diane Provo, Educational Consultant speak about The LD Mind: A Different Way of Being. On Dec. 6, see Dr. Mike Riera speak about LD Fron a Father's Perspective. Click here to download a flyer about the Nov. 9th event. Click here to download a flyer about the Dec. 6 event. Click here to visit the PEN website.
Soup
Winter is coming and it is a great time to eat soup. If you are interested in making warm, delicious, and nutritious soup to help keep our PHS staff and teachers going through the cold winter days, please contact Leslie Jones at:
Leslie Jones at leslie_jones@mckinsey.com
Thanks in advance for your support.
PHS will host an exciting new mentor project for children with learning differences. Project Eye-to-Eye pairs high school student with lower school students. Every week the pairs will work on art projects and discuss strategies for approaching organization and learning. The mentor dates have been scheduled for 5:00pm to 6:00pm on the following Thursdays: January 10, 17, 24, 31, February 7, 14, 28, March 13, 20, 27, April 3 and 10. There will be an informational meeting Dec 6th from 5:30-6:15 pm. For more information email PHS alumna Natalie Tamburello natalietamburello@drewschool.org. To sign up email ann_meissner@presidiohill.org
Grandparents and Special Friends Day
High School Placement 11-09-2007
Ann Meissner Jennifer Franklin (Seventh Grade Humanities Teacher)
Friday Letter
High School Column
November 9, 2007
Many students are registered to take the SSAT test tomorrow. Solid rest, a nutritious breakfast, comfortable clothes and a positive attitude are all helpful. Also, please remember that the scores for these tests are only one part of the application. Good luck!
SSAT Flex Test – The SSAT offers additional “flex testing” for any student wishing to take or retake the test for better scores on a date other than the scheduled national test dates. The testing date may be scheduled on an individual basis for an additional fee of $125.00. Contact Kathy Van Huffel for further information. 415-307-5307 or kvanhuffel@thelaurelschool.com
Students and families have been asking when the student essays should be written. The answer to this question is very individual. It will depend on how your family plans to spend the winter break. For some families, this is a time full of outside commitments and therefore the essays should be completed before the vacation. For other families, the school break provides more time to focus on the high school applications. In either case, it is a good idea to develop a schedule that will allow you and your child plenty of time to devote to completing the essays and application. Jennifer and I are both available to read student or parent essays and offer our feedback. Students are also welcome to ask their other teachers for feedback.
Now is the time to stabilize the list of schools to which you will be applying. Submit this list, in writing and preferably by email, by Monday, November 12 to Ann Meissner (ann_meissner@presidiohill.org). The list should include all schools – public, charter, parochial, independent. Please rank the schools in order of preference, recognizing that this order may shift as you continue the school visits, tours and other research.
Signed teacher recommendation and transcript release forms are also due on November 12. I do not need individual envelopes for each school as the form indicates. I will send all of the information to each school in one large envelope rather than in separate mailings as this is easier for the admissions offices.
Take care,
Ann and Jennifer
P.S. A high school you may not be familiar with is Mid-Peninsula in Menlo Park. It is a small school that seems to recognize unique styles of learning and is able to create flexible academic programs designed to meet individual needs. They have an Open House coming up on Tuesday, December 4 at 7pm.
PHS Alums
This is a follow-up from Brian Thomas's Friday Letter last week which spoke about PHS alum Bill Stewart. Below is an email from Bill.
From: Bill Stewart
To: Brian Thomas and Susan Andrews
Brian and Susan,
What a pleasure in talking to you. I am not sure that you didn't hear much more than you wanted. For me it brought back memories that I hadn't visited in 70 years and I couldn't believe that I would have that kind of recall when I walked though the door.
Now having dredged my mind of Presidio Open Air School circa 1936-41 and analyzed that educational experience, I realize that caring people helped me greatly through my disability (if that is the correct word) fortified my strength in introducing me to a world of infinite avenues to discover. No doubt that my family also contributed in my development, however, the basis of mathematics, science and engineering, in which I excelled in higher education; achieving a Masters in Engineering at Stanford, was due to my foundation at PHS and the privilege of going to Lowell. In my personal life my interest in the arts, music and theater were nurtured and from which I have received a great deal of pleasure through out life. I can remember, still today, that booming operatic voice of Paul Robeson standing by the fireplace in the teather shaking the walls and windows singing Old Man River.
Until I was discussing with you being in the U.S. Maritime Service and Merchant Marine, it never entered my mind before, how I became an Officer as a Junior Engineer at the age of 20. Looking back it seems incredible, however, I now realize that my effort to seize on the educational opportunities by volunteering for additional training placed me in a different position from most others. This interest was encouraged and instilled in me through the progressive education philosophy, the hands on opportunity with Dr. Nicholsbeg and all of the field trips to see new and exciting things at PHS.
Keep up your good works.
Sincerely,
Bill Stewart
Curriculum Spotlight: Athletics 11-09-2007
Athletics Friday Letter
Friday, November 9, 2007
The Sports Page is Up!!!! Check out the PHS Sports Page blog for the latest middle school after-school sports information. Click here to go there directly. You can also access this page by entering through the Community Section of the website and clicking on ‘The Sports Page’ in the sidebar. You will need to use the regular username and password for the community page (you can find these in the Friday Letter emails or by emailing Tania Hurter).
Every day life with Kiah and Sara during Physical Education at Presidio Hill School.
Curriculum Spotlight: Middle School Math and Science 11-
Friday Letter, Todd Ditto, Middle School Math and Science
It has been a wonderful adventure being new to the Presidio Hill community! I have been thrilled to be witness to our students eagerly building and strengthening community, developing and honing skills, and solidifying their personal characters.
I had the pleasure of accompanying each grade on unique journeys, each journey resulting in significantly greater trust and connection within the student body. Each journey afforded students opportunities to develop enduring friendships, to meet and learn about new people, and to work on the skills required to work/succeed as a team.
The Class of 2008 ventured to Lands End to take on low ropes and high ropes initiatives and returned to PHS to lead the entire middle school in low ropes initiatives demonstrating real leadership and powerfully sharing their learning and experiences with the entire middle school.
The Class of 2009 journeyed to Yosemite for 3 days packed full of outdoor challenges. All students took on leadership roles as well faced the risk of completely trusting their teammates. Trust was always the key to safely achieving their goals. The Class of 2010 traveled to Pt Reyes to get to know all the new faces, to challenge their creativity, to fully connect to their biology, and to become conscientious stewards of our precious planet.
All the evidence is in! PHS students love learning and take on every activity and concept being presented as if it is their very favorite! My favorite concept to teach is always the one being explored and conquered now!
The scientists of our class of 2008 are exploring the phenomenon of motion and are deep in the process of designing and building motion carts as teams. Their designs must meet three challenges, to be fast, to be strong and durable, and to be beautiful. Students are experiencing success and the overall joy of seeing their motor designs and carts in motion!
The mathematicians of 2010 strive to keep their learning connected to the real world! Recently they skillfully applied their understanding of metric measures, scale and proportions to create models of viruses, bacteria and blood cells!
At the end of each day I come to the same conclusion; PHS is a community of big hearted, happy young people, who care deeply and who love learning!
Curriculum Spotlight: 7th Grade Humanities 11-09-2007
What happens when cultures collide?
What does freedom look like and feel like?
What form of government works best for people?
When, if ever, should religious groups get involved in politics?
Seventh graders have been tackling these big questions in humanities since the beginning of the year throughout our study of Latin America and are coming up with some interesting and insightful answers through a variety of interactive activities.
The cultural and racial profile of many Latin American countries can be traced to conquest and colonization, slavery and struggles for independence. It’s important to understand this complex history, if one wants to understand current events in the region. Once many Latin American countries were free from Spanish rule, they had to decide how they would rule themselves. Often there were disputes as to how these governments would work. Students have explored Latin American leaders from Somoza to Trujillo and Fox to Chavez, and in the process, have examined the struggle between democracy and dictatorship, and how hopes for a bright future can be compromised by government corruption. Through this process, we have identified different forms of government and economic systems and how they compare to our own government and economy.
“The rabbits represent truth!”
“The rabbits represent freedom!”
Both of these students made great arguments to support their conclusions. To decide for yourself, read “The Rebellion of the Magical Rabbits” in which a monkey girl witnesses the toppling of the Wolf regime, when all of the adults around her are blinded by fear of the dictator. This story is found in Where Angels Glide at Dawn along with others that explore complex issues using fairy tales and stories told from the perspective of children from diverse regions of Latin America.
Just last week, we began reading Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez, the story of a girl growing up under the Trujillo regime who learns that her family is working for the resistance. Through these and other narratives we’ll read this year, complex issues become accessible to young people, who are developing an ability to think critically and already have a strongly rooted sense of justice.
This week, through an energetic role-play and slide show, they have investigated liberation theology in El Salvador and discovered the work of Oscar Romero, a Salvadoran bishop who fought against the government in the 70s and taught the people to fight against oppression and injustice.
As a culminating project, students have chosen a Latin country and an issue affecting it, and will present their research in a variety of forms including ad campaigns, magazines and speeches. It’s been a wild ride so far and seventh graders have impressed me with their brilliance and intellectually curiosity. This is just the first of many journeys we’ll be taking in humanities this year. We look forward to sharing our discoveries with all of you!
Jennifer Franklin
7th Grade Humanities Teacher
Save the date: Follies 2007
