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April 25, 2008
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PHS Photos: Family Night
Upcoming events 4-25-2008
ALL SCHOOL EVENTS:
• May 1–Dialogue Circle
• May 2–May Fest Rehearsal Day
• May 4–May Fest, 10:30 AM-2:00 PM
• May 5–Day of Rest, No classes; Childcare by reservation only (8-6)
• May 8–Parents Association Meeting, 8:00–9:00 AM
• May 14–Board of Trustees meeting 5:45-8:00 PM
• May 16–LS Faculty Work Time - 12:00 PM LS Dismissal, childcare available
• May 22–Corporation Night, 6:30 PM, childcare by reservation only
• May 26–Memorial Day (School Closed), no childcare
Please check the announcements below for more information about many of these events.
Click here for a downloadable calendar of events for May 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
May Festival
Announcements 4-25-2008
Childcare announcements for the month of May 2008
May 1~Dialogue Circle
Childcare is available* by reservation only and at no cost on Thursday, May 1, 2008 during the Dialogue Circle from 6:00-8:00pm. A light snack will be provided. Reservations must be made by Monday, April 28. Drop-ins will not be allowed. Contact Raymi at raymi_orozco@presidiohill.org or at 751-9318 x.130.
*Childcare will be offered contingent upon a minimum enrollment of 5 students.
May 5~Day of Rest
Childcare is available by reservation only on Monday, May 5, 2008 from 8-3pm for a fee of $65 when reserved by Wednesday, April 30 and $85 for late reservations. Regular after-school rates will apply from 3-6pm. Please RSVP by Wednesday, April 30 to avoid an additional charge. Drop-ins will not be allowed. Contact Raymi at raymi_orozco@presidiohill.org or at 751-9318 x.130.
Also, please remember to provide lunch for your child(ren).
May 16~LS Early Dismissal
Childcare is available by reservation only for the lower school on Friday, May 16, 2008 beginning at 12:00pm. Regular after-school rates will apply. Reservations must be made by Monday, May 12. Drop-ins will not be allowed. Contact Raymi at raymi_orozco@presidiohill.org or at 751-9318 x.130.
Also, please remember to provide lunch for your child(ren).
May 22~Corporation Night Meeting
Childcare is available by reservation only and at no cost on Thursday, May 22, 2008 during the Corporation Night Meeting from 6:30-8:30pm. A light meal will be provided. Reservations must be made by Monday, May 19. Drop-ins will not be allowed. Contact Raymi at raymi_orozco@presidiohill.org or at 751-9318 x.130.
Dialogue Circle Save the Date:
At our next Dialogue Circle on Thursday, May 1st at 6 PM, “Built to Last: PHS, Progressive Education, and What’s Next,” we will discuss the practical nature of how we can continue to push the edges of the envelope of progressive education for the next 90 years. Click here for a flyer about this event. Alfie Kohn's article, Progressive Education: Why It's Hard to Beat, but Also Hard to Find which appeared in the NAIS publication Independent School will be a jumping off point for our discussion. This article can be accessed by clicking here.
Parent Input Needed:
The staff and board of trustees are reviewing Presidio Hill's mission statement and would like to invite parents to provide input. Please come to one of the following meetings to share what it is that you most treasure about PHS.
May 1, Thursday, 8:45-9:45 am
May 6, Tuesday, 4:30-5:30 pm
If you have questions or comments please contact Ann Meissner (associate director and middle school dean, ann_meissner@presidiohill.org) or Helle Rytkonen (board member and mother of Teresa and Mika Begtsson,
helle@stanford.edu).
BOOK AN INTERNATIONAL FAMILY VACATION IN 2008 AND HELP PHS FUNDRAISINGPresidio Hill parents Hank Bannister and Kyoto Watanabe will donate $150 to PHS for every PHS family (or referred friends for that matter) who book an "overseas" family vacation to a destination served by their business - Boutique Travel/Value Vacation in the 2008 calendar year. Click here to view a flyer with more information.
From the Lower School Dean and Librarian 4-25-2008
Hot New Restaurant in Laurel Heights
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Kinderant, located at 3839 Washington Street, is the new place to be seen and to enjoy a delicious late lunch, whether you select the delectable macaroni and cheese or the wonderful homemade vegetarian chili, you won’t be disappointed (although you may get the chili when you order the mac & cheese.) And be sure to try the delicious cookies for dessert.
You will likely be greeted at the door by the polite and business-like coat checker, who will gladly take your coat (and he’ll give it back after you dine, if you don’t lose your ticket!) Then prepare to be ushered in to a cheerful little bistro, with flowers on the tables, brightly 
colored table cloths, and gentle but lively music playing in the background.
Kinderant attracts a young crowd, but occasionally some older patrons, usually local teachers, can be seen enjoying their meals and chatting about the challenges of recess duties, surprise fire drills, and waiting for the adult bathroom to free up.
The wait staff is also a bit on the young side, as are the chefs, hosts, servers, bussers and dishwashers, but they do their jobs efficiently and with charming smiles. They don’t spill much and plates are only dropped on rare occasions. The help is clearly quite concerned with your impressions and may stand very close and watch you as you take your bites and chew.
Kinderant, the latest dining venture by Shericka Hodges and Steve Manseau certainly brings a new energy and spark to the world of kindergarten restaurants (and progressive education!) One word of warning: the parking can be a challenge.
~Lisa Jeli
Curriculum Spotlight: Spanish 4-25-2008
Dear PHS Community,
What is going on in our Spanish Classes? Something exciting..? Is something cooking? The answer is, yes!
First, as some of you know, the 8th graders made a cooking project. To do this, they needed to put their Spanish, computer, and cooking knowledge and skills all together, and the results were fantastic! The kids learned new lines, new vocabulary, more speaking skills and overall, they had a lot of fun.
In the intermediate MS Spanish groups, the students are writing a book in Spanish. It is a free subject project. Therefore, they can be very creative, funny, and original. They are searching for novel ideas, perfect sentences, and more sophisticated vocabulary. They are looking for pictures, drawings, and many other ways to make the books attractive, original, and interesting to their audience. This project is giving students the ability to engage and build a higher level of interest in learning more Spanish.
Recently the 6th graders, the advanced and the intermediate groups, mingled together for a nice, healthy lunch in a nearby Mexican restaurant. It happened on one of the nicest days in the city. The kids really made the effort to speak and order their food in Spanish. It was great to see and hear how brave they were when they ordered their food. Some of them were asking at the last minute, “How do you say? I want the same”. While we were waiting in line, they mastered this “script” in Spanish. It was a real setting and they did a fabulous job!
The 5th graders are learning more about the house, the school, the city, the food, the animals, people, more vocabulary, and the conjugation of the AR verbs. The students have many opportunities to do hands-on projects, and by doing this type of project, kids get more involved in the real world, facing real situations, and most importantly solving daily life issues.
The Middle School continued to build more complex concepts of Spanish grammar, such as, the verbs Ser and Estar. They have also learned the future tense, irregular verbs, new verbs and new vocabulary was integrated while participating in the different projects, hands-on experiences, verbal exercises, and class and homework assignments.
They also are improving their listening and speaking skills while watching documentaries, asking questions, playing games, and participating in role playing. Videos and movies are part of the curriculum that improves their listening and comprehension skills. Dialogues are very important in our classes to speed up speaking skills, feel more confident, understand the language, and comprehend the context of the conversations.
All in all, a lot is happening in our Spanish classes!
Sincerely,
Teresa Morales
From Todd's Advisory 4-25-2008
KIVA
Kiva is an organization that allows people who are trying to start their own business receive money to start it. The businesses that they start are some that will replenish themselves over and over again. Eventually, the money is paid back to you. You can either put the money back in the system and give it to someone else, or you can take the money out of the system.
PENNY WARS
You try to collect as many pennies as you can. One penny is one point. In 5th through 8th grade, putting money in other people’s jars, except for pennies, will subtract however many pennies the coin is worth. In kindergarten through 4th grade the pennies are counted up as their points. The class/advising with the most points wins.
WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO
Each class/advising will receive a clear jar that allows them to see how many points they have. Each class/advising has been assigned a representative from Todd’s advising. That representative will speak to the class and tell them about Kiva. They will then explain how that class will play the penny wars. Midway through the time period, we will have an assembly to try and rile people up and make them want to donate more. Once the penny wars are over, we will count the points and have a tally. The class/advising with the most points will receive a prize.