PHS Friday Letter

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March 14, 2008

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Upcoming Events 3-14-2008

ALL SCHOOL EVENTS:

•    March 14–MS Faculty In-service - No MS Classes
•    March 24–Parent education meeting with Rush Sabiston and Janice Tobin from The Nueva School, 6:30-8:00 PM
•    March 29–Art for Kids' Sake
•    March 31–Cesar Chavez Day (Day of Service) 

Click here for a downloadable calendar of events for March 2008
Click here for a downloadable calendar of events for April 2008
Click here for a downloadable 2007-2008 School Year Calendar

Please click below for a copy of the DRAFT 2008-2009 School Year Calendar.  Please note, the later start date is due to construction on the second floor (installing new flooring) which predicates a three-day later start to the school year.  

Click here for a downloadable DRAFT 2008-2009 School Year Calendar

Announcements 3-14-2008

Staffing update: 

We are fortunate to have had the opportunity to interview a number of terrific and highly qualified candidates over the last two months for our staff openings, and we're expecting the hiring process to continue until all positions for next year are filled.

With that said, we have more exciting news to report.  Yabome Kabia has accepted our offer to be the 7th and 8th Grade Math teacher for 2008 - 2009 school year.  Currently, Yabome is the middle school math teacher at KIPP Bay Academy in San Francisco and has worked at the MS/HS 225 (Theater Arts Production Company) in the Bronx, New York.  She has worked as a math teacher for the last five years and has a strong interest and emphasis in
collaborative student work as well as social justice projects.

Please join me in welcoming Yabome to the Presidio Hill School community.

High School Placement 3-14-2008

Ann Meissner              Jennifer Franklin (Seventh Grade Humanities Teacher)

We want to offer congratulations to students and families for a job well done.  We’re impressed not only with the caliber and variety of area high school into which students have been accepted, but also with the maturity of our 8th graders through this stressful week.

While a good number of you have already made decisions or narrowed down your options, specific strategies can be helpful during this time.  Parents, this is an opportunity to model decision-making strategies for your 8th grader.  You may want to:

o    Develop pro and con lists individually and/or as a family.
o    Revisit the list of priorities you developed earlier this year.
o    Revisit web sites.
o    Consider arranging for another visit to a particular school.
o    Talk with students or families who attend or who have attended a particular school.  We’re happy to put you in touch with a PHS alumni family if that would be helpful. 

Some other ideas: 
Consider having your child send a thank you note to a school where he or she has been accepted and has decided not to attend. This is a polite gesture for the admissions committees that have worked hard through out this process at each school. 

We hope that families and students will continue to support one another in their process and final high school decisions.  Our students attend a wide range of schools and this positively reflects the individuality of our students – something we value as a school community. 

We encourage you to call or email if you have questions or simply want to talk through your thinking.

AFKS - TOP TEN!

 
For those of you who have been in the school the past four years have seen PHS transformed.  It’s that time of year once again: Time for Art For Kids’ Sake.  Although the auction catalogue is not out yet, do preview the items on the website to get an idea of what’s being offered:

http://www.presidiohill.org/news/archives/art_for_kids_sake/auction_items/

Like last year, I put together a list of a few things that you can be thinking about before you arrive at the auction to get into the mood of the proceedings.  Of course, it’s always good to think ahead, so here are a few “thinks” to think about, or “Brian’s Top Ten Reasons Why Art For Kids’ Sake “ARTRageous” will be the best event, ever:

10.  Who you gonna call? Well, there’s Grandma, Uncle Ned, or the High School kid down the street who used to eat paste in third grade (He’s cool now): It’s time to get a sitter.

9.  ‘Cause it’s good for you.  Hanging out and schmoozing with different parents, alums, and friends of the school may not make you healthy, wealthy, and strong like Wonder Bread used to claim, but it may show you that we are in one of the greatest school communities around.  That’s a good thing, right?

8.  Come nattily dressed.  After all it is theme is ArtRageous.  Think Gatsby, the Cotton Club, and anything that’s out of the box.  

7. You Can Dance. You Can Dance. You Can Dance.  For Inspiration.  Because once again, we’ll have one of the hottest bands on the planet (thanks to Rebeca Mauleon). 
6.  Everybody is welcome (and a good time will be had by all).  The PHS auction is a one-of-a-kind inclusive event, where all are invited and no one will be turned away.

5.  The early bird gets the trip to Tahoe.  Remember to RSVP ahead of time with your credit card information to facilitate a seamless effortless entrance and exit.  

4.  Take a look at me now. Take a look at the Art For Kids’ Sake website to see what you want to score: http://www.presidiohill.org/afks.  

3.  Remember the Sears Wishbook?  If not, the Art For Kids’ Sake catalogue will come close.  Preview the items that you want to bid on and get ready to buy to support the school.  

2.   Something to Chew On. Think about a teacher you love and supporting him or her; think about all of the cool field trips that you drive kids on and how getting into our big classroom, San Francisco, is a large part of what we do at PHS; and also think about those families who are at the school who wouldn’t be here if we didn’t give the level of financial assistance that we give.

1. The number one thing that you can do to make this Art For Kids’ Sake Auction the best ever is:  Have more fun than you can possibly stand!  After all, it’s all about having a great time with other adults and supporting the school.
We’ll see you at the Presidio Hill School Auction, Art For Kids’ Sake on Saturday, March 29th  from 6:30 until 10:30 PM!!
Namasté,
 Brian

Art for Kids' Sake Auction

Art for Kids' Sake Auction
Prohibition Wine Cellar

We will be selling 60 keys at $100 each on auction night. One special key will open the door to your own  Prohibition Wine Cellar.

Here is a sneak peek of what your key may unleash.

1) chablis Premier Cru 2002 " vaillons"   $50
2) Vieilles Vignes Cote- Rotie 1999         $55
3) Marziano Abbona Pressenda 1999 Barolo  $100
4) The yellow Tail Reserve 2005 Merlot   $15
5)Clos Du Bois 2006 Pinot Noir North Coast  $20
6) Amarone della valpolicella classico 2004  $20
7)kendall jackson syrah 2003 vinters reserve  $20
8) Davis Bynum 2002 Sonoma County  $20
9) Saint Aubin 2004 1st Cru "EN REMILLY"  $50  Chateau De Puligny- Montrachet
10) Vietti 2003 Borolo Castiglione   $50

11) Silver Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands 2005  $40
12) saint emilion Grand Cru Classe 2004 Chateau Fonplegade  $60
13) Eponymous 2004 sonoma valley  $50
14)  2 bottles of Badacelli 2003  $50@2= $100
15) Newton 2005 chardonnay napa county  $20
16) Gary Farrell Pinot Noir 2005 Russian River county   $50
17) Indian Springs Vineyards Souvignor Blanc 2006  $20
18) Poggio Vignoso 2003 Chianti  $20
19) Terra Andina Reserva 2006 Pinot Noir  $15
20) Kendric Vineyards 2005 Syrah Shenandoah Valley California   $20
21) Villa Alessi Pedevenda Pinot Bianco 2003   $25
22) Huntington Petite Sirah 2005 California  $20
23) Hess Cabernet Sauvignon 2005   $20
24) Napa Valley 2002 Shifflett estate  $50
25) Trefethen 2005 Chardonay Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley  $25
26) Regusci Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2000    $50
27) Opus one 2002 $200
28) Gloria Ferrer Champagne  $50
29) David Coffaro 2004 Petite Sirah Dry Creek valley
30) David Coffato 2003 Petite Sirah Dry Creek Valley
31) Petite Sirah 2003 Salman vineyard clarksbury   jeff runquistwines.com
32) 2003 Zinfandel Massoni Ranch Amador County     jeff runquist-vinters
33) 2004 Barbera Cooper vineyard amador county  jeff runquist-vinters
34) Dashe2003 Cab
35) Organic Vinters 2006 Mendocino Merlot       $15
36) Organic Vintners Mendocino Pinot Noir        $15
37)  2 bottles of 2004 Sirius Petite Sirah Eaglepoint RanchMendocino County $50 (2 *$50=$100)
38) Foley 2005 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir Rancho Santa Rosa $50
39) Gavi 2005 Michele Chiarlo    $50

From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 3-14-2008

March 14, 2008
Ann Meissner 

As I write this Friday Letter entry my phone continues to ring, bringing all kinds of wonderful news about high school acceptances. As you probably know, the process of applying to high schools requires a lot of time and energy in the fall and early winter of the eighth grade year. Families attend open houses and tours, eighth graders spend a day shadowing a student at high schools of interest, teachers write letters of recommendation, students study for and take SSAT and other standardized tests, and both parents and children complete written applications. Through this intensive process students and families come to know more about a range of schools, including boarding high schools as well as refine how they define a good match for themselves.

It is still too early in this process to publish the final list of high school acceptances but it is obvious by the information we have at this point that our students are being accepted into a wide range of schools, with many receiving multiple acceptances at their top choices. We have more students accepted at schools that are considered most difficult to get into than ever before, such as Lick Wilmerding, Lowell, Saint Ignatius, University, and Urban. I am unabashedly bragging about what I see as our strong academic program in the middle school!

I mention this because in this day of high-stakes testing, back to basics oriented standards and increasing concern about preparedness, it can be tempting to give into worries that a progressive style education doesn’t work. Families often select a progressive school for a younger child because the philosophy feels comfortable and reflects family values. And as the kids get older the perceived pressures of the “real world” often awaken a period of reevaluation. Parents ask themselves, “Did we pick the right school?” “Is this school still right for my child as s/he gets older?” Underlying these questions is often a concern about academic preparedness. Progressive education, while looking different than traditional approaches, actually prepares students in important ways that a more traditional approach cannot. As an article in the Spring 2008 issue of Independent School Magazine by Alfie Kohn states,

    Fortunately, what may have begun with values…has turned out to be supported by solid data. A truly impressive     collection of research has demonstrated that when students are able to spend more time thinking about ideas     than memorizing acts and practicing skills – and when they are invited to help direct their own learning – they     are not only more likely to enjoy what they’re doing but to do it better. Progressive education isn’t just more         appealing; it’s also more productive.

Kohn has spent many years researching and writing about progressive models and his review of research allows him to write,

    Across domains, the results overwhelmingly favor progressive education. Regardless of one’s values, in other         words, this approach can by recommended purely on the basis of its effectiveness. And if your criteria are more     ambitious – long-term retention of what’s been taught, the capacity to understand ideas and apply them to new     kinds of problems, a desire to continue learning – the relative benefits of progressive education are even             greater.

Teachers and staff of Presidio Hill get to see these higher order thinking skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation in action every day both in and out of the classroom. In the end, it is these critical thinking skills, students’ understanding of their own learning and a solid self confidence that impacts high school admissions.

If you would like to learn more about Alfie Kohn’s work please note that PHS parents have been invited to a parent education event at the Katherine Delmar Burke School. Unconditional Parenting: Beyond Bribes and Threats with Alfie Kohn will take place on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. in Burke’s Gymnasium.  You can download a flyer about this event by clicking here.

Curriculum Spotlight: Physical Education 3-14-2008

March 14, 2008 

by Sara Anderson and Kiah Jeffries 

Unlike the four-year wait for the rest of the world, Presidio Hill School holds the Olympics every year. This is the only time that an official score is kept in the physical education class and the students love it!

Here are a few quick facts to let you know what happens in the PHS Olympics:

•    Every year three countries are chosen for the class teams to represent. This year please cheer for Andorra, Bhutan, and Togo.
•    Each class-grades 2-8, are divided into three teams
•    Within each grade, the 3 teams compete
•    Past events include, but not limited to: hockey, court soccer, bobsled in the woods, Ultimate Frisbee, pig ball, and. The big events being played this year are bleach ball, kickball and crazy relay race
•    The results are posted on the Olympic chart located in the school for all to peruse.
•    For each event, 1st place receives the Gold-or 4 points, 2nd place grabs the silver-or 3 points, and 3rd place proudly receives the Bronze medal worth 1 point. A tie results in each team receiving 2 points. The medals are determined by the best time or number of goals each team scores out of three to four attempts
•    Event scores of all grades for each country are added together to determine the overall medal earned
•    The overall gold medal team receives some homemade treats

The games provide great competition, teamwork, and builds social ties with the younger and older children. This unit is also a fantastic way to integrate social sciences, mathematics and art (come see our Olympic flags hanging with pride in our school).

Play hard,
Sara and Kiah

Curriculum Spotlight: Middle School Math and Science 3-14-2008

March 14, 2007
by Todd Ditto, Middle School Math and Science Teacher

Greetings and salutations from the third floor - a space overflowing with energy, enthusiasm and the joy of learning, growth and achievement. An update from the science lab - a place that embodies the spirit of progressive education, a place where the class of 2008 has fully engaged the challenge of exploring, observing, and describing motion and the forces responsible for motion. Over the past months our young scientists have had the privilege of committing 80% of their class time to hands on lab experience! They’ve demonstrated immense amounts of determination, creativity, ingenuity and skill as they have designed motion carts given limited time, resources and building supplies. Over the course of the quarter they took on the challenge of transforming their motion cart designs from fan motor powered, to sail crafts, to balloon thruster powered carts and finally to catapult powered carts. Their creations served as vehicles for their fun filled journey of learning through the world of motion and forces where they applied their mathematical skills collecting, organizing, analyzing, describing and reporting data that tied directly to the properties and principles of motion and forces that greats like Galileo and Newton believed noteworthy.

The mathematicians of the class of 2010 have used the world of money, banking and business as a source of their mathematical discovery, learning and achievement. They have honed and applied a myriad of skills related to fractions, decimals and percent. They’ve created budgets as a way to explore and learn about all the potential costs of being an adult consumer. They have also focused on how a budget can be a planning tool to organize the costs in an adult’s world. They’ve learned how to do payroll using California and Federal 2008 tax tables and codes making sure that all employee deductions and taxes withheld are correct. Students have had fun shopping, looking for good sales (percent off/markdowns) and are never too happy paying all the sales taxes. They’ve compared offers by 3 different credit card companies as a reason to learn about paying interest and APR. They have observed how making minimum payments on credit card purchases overtime can dramatically affect the cost of these purchases. They’ve made offers on new cars and learned how to deal with California DMV demonstrating good problem solving skills by doing research and learning the lingo specific to the problem at hand. Our investors from the class of 2010 have stock portfolios that they track at www.stocksquest.com doing research on companies, buying and selling and keeping track of the percent increases and decreases of their portfolio’s net value. They save money as a way to learn about interest earned. Compounding interest has been an exciting excuse to learn about powers and exponents and to interpret graphs of money in an investment over time. Recently they’ve use cell phone plans as an exciting excuse to get algebraic, creating tables of values, creating equations and graphing on the x-y coordinate plane!

All in all it has been a very action packed quarter of learning and achievement in the PHS Middle School.

Auction Items Preview

PHS Spirit

Liz and Byron’s Night on the Town!

Join Liz Rainier and Byron Kuth as they wine and dine you at some of  San Francisco’s exclusive venues!  Dinner and Dancing like Astaire and Rogers! It’s an evening of laughter and conversation that will get your feet tapping and your heart singing!

Each bid for 1 couple (2 people)
Starting Bid  $250
Top 3 Bidders polish their dancing shoes!
 

Discovery Day with Steve and Sherika!
Steve and Sherika will lead a group of 6 (six) children to romp and revelry at the San Franscisco Discovery Museum.  Scenic location across the Golden Gate Bridge with a Pirate Cove and Treasure ship for kids to explore.  There’s also the Art room with lots of finger painting and mess making that kids will love! Don’t forget the Train Room, Wave (water room), and the twig huts that’s perfect for hike and seek!

Sign your child up for Saturday May 3rd from 10:30am – 1:30pm.
Lunch and snacks and a frolicking good time will be generously provided!
(Steve can take 3 kids in his car but the other lucky 3 kids can be dropped off at the Museum entrance)

Each bid for 1 child
Top 6 bidders
Starting bid: $100

 
PHS Class Projects up for Auction!

Quilt from Patty's Second Grade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quilt from Emily's Second Grade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4th Grade Circles

6th Grade

Watch this space for more previews!