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May 16, 2008
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Upcoming Events 5-16-2008
UPCOMING SCHOOL EVENTS:
• May 19–23–ERB Testing, Grades 3–5, and 8th Grade
• May 22–Corporation Night, 6:30 PM, childcare by reservation only
• May 24–31–8th Grade Trip to 4 Corners
• May 26–Memorial Day (School Closed), no childcare
• May 27–30–ERB Testing, Grades 6–7
• June 3–2nd to 3rd Step Up Day
• June 11–Step Up Day
• June 12–Last Day of School for LS Students
• June 13–Graduation! Grades 6–8 required to attend.
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 calendar of events for June 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 5-16-2008
May 22~Spring Corporation Meeting
6:30 – 8:30 P.M.
Presidio Hill School bylaws require that members of the Corporation meet twice a year to review the school’s business. You are part of the Corporation, so please plan to attend. Among other things, we will be hearing from the Director, the Board and the Parents Association, presenting the slate of board trustees and giving out the Dan Duven Volunteer of the Year Award.
The second half of the evening is spent with your child’s teachers for next year, learning about important activities for 2008–2009.
PLEASE CAST YOUR BALLOT FOR THE BOARD SLATE
Click here to download information about voting for next year’s board slate. You can cast your vote by placing your ballot in the box in the PHS lobby or by voting online anytime before May 22. You can go online to vote at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=lnFsesfjVYda6RP9w3VR5g_3d_3d
Evening Schedule
6:30 BUSINESS MEETING/FULL GROUP MEETING
• Director’s report
• Report from Anne Regenstein, Board President
• Report from Parents Association
• Elect board members (if necessary, see enclosed information and bios)/ Election Results
• Dan Duven Volunteer of the Year Award
• Closing
7:30 CLASS MEETINGS – Visit your classroom for next year
8:30 ADJOURNMENT
Childcare available:
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.
The 38th Annual LGBT Pride Parade is Coming Sunday, June 29th.
Presidio Hill School is proud to be a participant in this yearly event.
This year's theme is: United by Pride, Bound by Equality
Please come out and show your school and community pride by walking, riding , or skating in the parade. Bring your friends and family. The parade route runs along Market, and we will be meeting at 9:30 to start the celebration. Bagels, fruit, coffee and juice will be provided. Please RSVP to Jaime Thomas @ momjbt@aol.com We also need 2 volunteers prior to the parade to take a 1-time contingent monitor training. Please let me know if you are available
Thanks,
Jaime Thomas
Library Announcements:
The library blog has been updated! Check it out: http://www.presidiohill.org/books/
~LAST DAY TO CHECK BOOKS OUT FROM THE PHS LIBRARY IS MONDAY MAY 19TH.
~8TH GRADERS AND STUDENTS NOT RETURNING IN FALL MUST RETURN OR REPLACE ALL BOOKS BY FRIDAY, MAY 23RD.
~ALL OTHER STUDENTS AND PARENTS MUST RETURN ALL BOOKS BY FRIDAY, MAY 30TH.
The PHS student body declares war on poverty and suffering by pledging support to Kiva a nonprofit organization that supports entrepreneurs in developing countries by lending them money to start up sustainable businesses in their communities.
Students raise money to give by starting a "Penny War" here at school where lower school classes and middle school advisories battle it out, each trying to earn the most points. The class or advisory earning the most points wins the "Penny War!" Points are earned by collecting pennies with each penny collected by a class/advisory being a point*earned for that class/advisory.
Pennies should be deposited in the class/advisory collection bottles each day. Running point totals will be reported regularly over the course of the next two weeks.
All the money collected by 05/23/08 is then donated to Kiva who directs all funds to an aspiring businessperson in a developing country. The winning group gets treated to pizza from Arizmendi Coop Bakery a locally operated sustainable business!
Visit www.kiva.org for more information or to give on your own! Contact Todd's advisory with any questions or concerns through todd_ditto@presidiohill.org.
* The point calculation is somewhat different in the middle school to foster more engagement and lively competition. Pennies still earn one point however any non-penny denomination donated to an advisory has
the negative penny value for example one-dollar bill donated has the effect of taking away 100 previously earned points.
Click here to download the minutes from the May 8th Parents Association Meeting.
As Trevor mentioned in last week's Friday letter, the class of 2008 is addressing various social justice problems and have planned various actions. Here are two ways to support this work:
1. Come to the bake sale: There will be a bake sale on Monday, May 19 supporting Glide Foundation. Come and enjoy some treats for a great cause.
2. Donate used books: There will be a book drive from 5/14–5/30, supporting the I Am Foundation. Please help by bringing new or slightly used books to school and putting them in the collection bag in the lobby. Or put money in the collection box to help pay for shipping costs.
WANTED: 4 mini Lego figures that were taken from the third grade room after school on Thursday, May 8th.
The pieces were Harry Potter figures: Ron, Hermione, Harry, and a Death Eater. If you know anything or find these pieces, please contact Tanya, the third grade teacher. tanya_finley@presidiohill.org
From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 5-16-2008
May 16, 2008
Ann Meissner
Summer is fast approaching, and it is important to plan for some academic activities for your children, in addition to the valuable recreational and relaxing pursuits we think of when we think of summer. As all teachers will tell you, students routinely require review during the first weeks/months of a school year because they have not been engaged in regular activities that continue to stimulate reading, writing, math and reasoning skills. To minimize the amount of necessary review and to encourage more long term retention of academic skills learned this year, a little bit of summer academics can go a long way.
There are a seemingly endless amount of summer camps available, and a simple Internet search will reveal many. There is also a binder with brochures from local summer camps at the front desk in the lobby. Listed below are several opportunities for classes and activities that are free and low cost. Additionally, a family can develop a routine that includes daily reading, journal writing, current event discussions, estimations of grocery bills, etc. to foster academic thinking during the summer months. Enjoy the longer days of summer without the pressure of homework, but make sure to keep your child actively engaged in using their brain!
o San Francisco Unified summer enrichment program – www.summergate.org
o Camp Ed Venture More, located at PHS –http://www.edventuremore.com/summer_camp/location-sf.htm
o Lango Kids for Spanish instruction - www.langokids.com
o Online learning/curriculum – www.k12.com
o Online reading community www.rif.org
o Public Libraries offer summer reading programs and contests.
o Ca. Dept of Ed offers reading lists by age and grade level – www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/readinglist.asp
o Volunteer in the areas of animal care, senior citizen companionship, and food service for low-income people – http://www.californiavolunteers.org/
Curriculum Spotlight, 4th Grade 5-16-2008
AN EXERCISE IN CRITICAL THINKING
Like you, I can remember those great teachers who really allowed me to expand my general knowledge of the world, but more importantly challenged me to think not only about what I thought, but also about how I thought. One such teacher was Dr. Farago at the University of Maryland, who was also a journalist and award-winning author. He taught a lively course on the history of World War II and often lectured dressed in the uniform of an American, or German, or Japanese general, and spoke from their various points of view. His lectures were always packed, and I vied with everyone else to get a front row seat.
Then came the day of the final exam. A group of us had studied for days, and then we walked into the classroom to see on the blackboard only these directions:
“Compose and answer, with good support, two questions which demonstrate what you have learned about World War II during this course.”
During the first excruciating, eternal seconds, I was flummoxed with this request. I had an hour and a half to demonstrate that I fully grasped this extensive information in the format of only two questions! I am not going to tell you the outcome of my final exam, but I did survive and succeed. I learned that the core of critical thinking is not answering the complex questions correctly, but being able to formulate questions that explore and probe and therefore advance cognitive skills. This lesson has stayed with me throughout my long teaching career, and I employ it whenever I create assessments for my young fourth grade class. You will see this in the final California History Exam, which I use with the fourth grade and have printed below:
FOURTH GRADE FINAL CALIFORNIA HISTORY EXAM
After reading over all of your Social Studies notes, what do you feel are the most significant events in our state’s early history? Please choose at least ten events.
List these ten events with a short explanation that describes each event and explains its significance.
Example:
The exploration of our continent by human beings from northern Asia 70,000 years ago is significant because complex native cultures were eventually established throughout California. The land and sea trading routes, which these tribes created, are still used today.
On a separate piece of paper, list what you feel are your top five events and place them in a hierarchy of importance from 1-5. You must also explain why you established this order. Don’t worry, there are no wrong answers as long as you support your opinions with logical statements.
Example:
1) The Settlement of the Spanish Missions: Spanish (and then Mexican) cultures established the huge agricultural and ranching economies of our state and Latino people still influence our politics today.
Be prepared to orally present your top five choices of events in a class discussion.
I would love to have a dialogue in our community about the pivotal questions that students are required to create and answer in order to truly advance learning.
Erainya Neirro