April 25, 2008
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
April 11, 2008
From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 4-11-2008
Congratulations to the class of 2008!
Click here to go to the password-protected Community Section of the website to see the high schools our eighth graders will be attending next year.
Ann Meissner
March 28, 2008
From the Lower School Dean and Librarian 3-28-2008
And the winner is…
by Lisa Jeli
This year was the first time that PHS participated in the statewide program, California Young Readers Medal, which is sponsored by the California Association of Teachers of English, the California Library Association, the California Reading Association and the California School Library Association. The purpose of this program is to promote recreational reading and to honor students’ favorite authors and illustrators. Students from 1st grade through 8th grade participated by either listening to or reading for themselves several stories, and then voting for their favorites. A few diligent fifth graders read and voted in all 5 categories! Thanks to Sara Anderson and Max Fletcher, we even had a real voting booth and a swank ballot box. Students really enjoyed having the chance to enter the private booth and cast their ballots.
For the Kindergarten students, who were intrigued by the large booth but were not participating in the program this year, we provided the opportunity for them to vote either YES or NO to the question of whether or not they “liked the library.” I am happy to report that there were only two "no’s" amongst the dozens who voted in this category (several older kids also asked if they could vote on this) and a couple of ballots had little hearts and the word LOVE written in!
Please visit the PHS library blog at www.presidiohill.org/books to enjoy the pictures of students lining up for the voting booth and enjoying their post-voting popcorn and lemonade treat. Max and I think that maybe snacks should be provided to adults who vote; it might increase turnout!
March 14, 2008
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.
February 29, 2008
From the Lower School Dean and Librarian 2-29-2008
The library blog has been updated!
Click here to check out the updated blog with pictures and an article about the Kindergarten class and their adventures in alphabet books!
Check back often (you can click on the library tab on any screen or go to http://www.presidiohill.org/books/) to find updates on what is going on in the library as well as to access wonderful research tools and other great links.
Thanks,
Lisa Jeli
Lower School Dean and Librarian
February 08, 2008
From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 2-8-2008
From Ann Meissner
Next week in the middle school and fifth grade is sex and puberty education week with Ivy Chen. Tuesday night while many people were glued to the television watching election returns, a few parents and staff gathered together to learn from sex and puberty educator, Ivy Chin, about talking with kids about these important and sensitive topics. Ivy has been teaching a week-long workshop to our fifth through eighth grades for many years. It is an annual event the students look forward to in part for the content, and in part due to Ivy’s open, humorous, and knowledgeable approach to this subject that sends many adults running for cover. Below are the written materials Ivy shared with us.
Click here to download a summary of the Sex Education Workshops.
Click here to download a set of communication guidelines.
Click here to download Ivy Chen's biography.
January 25, 2008
From the Lower School Dean and Librarian 1-25-2008
From Lisa Jeli, Lower School Dean
It’s Bedtime!
I read this article about children and sleep a couple of months back and have wanted to share it with other parents. I am including a link to the article, which was written by Po Bronson in New York Magazine last October. I found it very compelling regarding the need for adequate sleep and how our children are generally not getting enough snooze time these days. If you find that your children’s bedtimes have been slipping to be a little later than they used to be, this may inspire you to get back on track. I encourage you to read the entire article, but here’s a snippet to pique your interest: "A slightly sleepy sixth-grader will perform in class like a mere fourth-grader. A loss of one hour of sleep is equivalent to [the loss of] two years of cognitive maturation and development.”
Go to http://nymag.com/news/features/38951/
January 18, 2008
From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 1-18-2008
January 18, 2008
Ann Meissner
Associate Director and Middle School Dean
This time of year in schools is always one of change as faculty members announce plans to move on. This year is no exception for the middle school as we look to fill openings in humanities and math. I will miss Trevor, Mike and Dennis and at the same time I’m excited for them as they each chart the course of their lives. And of course, I will miss Jennifer’s presence on campus in the last month of this year and the first couple of months of next year as she is on maternity leave.
I do understand that this sort of change can bring up an uneasiness or sense of concern. At the same time, it can also be viewed as a time of opportunity. I have already received a number of very good resumes and more pour in daily. Interviews and demonstration lessons are being scheduled and we are moving forward in finding high quality experienced teachers who are good matches for PHS. We are early on in the hiring cycle as most hiring in the independent school world takes place later in the spring so this gives us an advantage. From a curriculum perspective, the middle school is in a good position to be able to continue to provide a solid curriculum even with faculty turn over. All of the faculty members who are leaving PHS will also be leaving behind a carefully designed and thoroughly tested curriculum that the new teachers will be able to implement. The faculty and staff who will continue on into next year are ready to welcome and mentor the new faculty as they transition to a new school.
We will keep you posted as decisions are made about new faculty. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions, ideas or concerns.
December 07, 2007
From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 12-7-2007
Friday Letter
Ann Meissner,
Associate Director and Middle School Dean
Now is the time of year when some of us look around and think, “Follies – oh my, what have we gotten ourselves into!”
It is also the time when we can begin to observe the magic of such a huge undertaking coming together. The theater, library and any available classroom transform into rehearsal halls as singing, dancing, and acting abound.
There is something palpable in the halls when all the students and adults in the building are engaged in creating this one night of magical performance. Enjoy the photos of the show in rehearsal and make sure you have Wednesday evening December 19th on your calendar!
November 30, 2007
From the Lower School Dean and Librarian 11-30-2007
Thanks to all of you who attended our annual PHS Book Fair earlier this month. A special big thanks to all of the shoppers, volunteers (and head volunteer coordinator, Leslie Roberts,) Books Inc. employees, authors, cooks, teachers, parents, friends, staff, and kids who made the evening work so well and run so smoothly.
Not only was the event quite a nice way to spend the evening, but the sales were terrific and we raised over $1700. In addition to the funds raised, 101 new and highly-desired books were donated directly to the PHS library. I am still working to process all of them and get them into kids and teachers’ hands as soon as possible. Some are being read at this very moment, but many more are on their way to the shelves very soon.
There was also an incredibly generous response to the supplemental book fair catalog this year. Six different sets of reference books have been marked for purchase by some of our library-loving families. I plan to place the remaining book orders next week, so terrific new book sets such as Technology of the Ancient World and Great Ideas of Science, among others, will be awaiting our young researchers in the new year.
All in all, this year’s Book Fair was a terrific show of support for the library and all of the readers at PHS. Your enthusiasm and dedication to the library at PHS is inspiring. Thank you! The latest books added to our collection will be on display in the library from now through the first week or so of January, so please stop by if you have a moment and feel free to borrow or just browse. It’s your library, too.
October 26, 2007
From the Lower School Dean and Librarian 10-26-2007
Nature-Deficit Disorder 
Some of you probably saw the article in the Chronicle the other day about how kids are being seriously deprived of outdoor time, and how it’s often because they are choosing to do indoor things, like computer games. Think about how much time your child spends indoors, either at the computer, or watching videos or television shows. Hopefully, it’s not too much, but for most kids the hours spent in front of a screen of some sort are seriously competing with the hours spent taking a hike, playing in a park or even in their own backyard, climbing a tree, or digging in the sand at the beach. More and more families infrequently or never attempt camping or backpacking or fishing.
The article by Peter Fimrite is titled Nature Deficit Disorder, which is borrowed from a wonderful new book I’m currently reading called Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv.
The book begins with the author’s reminiscing about his own experiences as a child, making forts in the woods, having time to wander and wonder and explore. His reminiscing made me remember the fields that were on my block when I was growing up: tall, tall grass, large bushes to build play-houses in, hills we attempted to dig through and rode our bikes over. We also went fishing and hiking on a regular basis. Not a single summer went by without at least two family camping trips, and sixth grade included a week-long outdoor school. I feel really grateful that I had that time to just be outdoors in the natural world. It’s one thing to learn about the environment through reading and watching beautifully-made documentaries, which is how more and more of today’s students learn about the world, and it’s another experience entirely to spend unhurried time in nature. As Rachel Carson wrote and Louv includes in his book: It is not half so important to know as to feel when introducing a young child to the natural world.
Think about your own time spent outdoors as a child -- trees and creeks and parks you may have come to know, animals and flowers you discovered, games you played with sticks and dirt, leaves and rocks, shells and acorns. What are your child’s experiences with the outdoors?
I have personally noticed a quick change in mood whenever my own son gets outside for more than ten minutes at a stretch. A grumpy or “bored” boy is magically transformed into a very relaxed and engaged and happy child when digging in the sand, discovering rocks on a hillside, or wandering the trails in the botanical garden. I’m sure you have experienced the same thing both for yourself, and with your child or children.Nature is soothing and offers an opportunity for daydreaming and creativity and exploration in a relaxed way. Here at school, the kids enjoy the outdoors, too, and they really treasure their time at JK park, in the Presidio, at a pumpkin patch… and in the sandbox!
It’s a necessary part of their school experience, and just as important as anything they might do in the classroom. I know I need to remind myself of that every time a shoe-ful of sand ends up on the kitchen floor.
As I’m writing this, the fourth and fifth grades are about to arrive at a lovely outdoor destination, Hidden Villa (www.hiddenvilla.org). The Hidden Villa overnight trip for 4th and 5th graders is a long-standing PHS tradition which happens every other year, usually in the fall. The weather is perfect, and I’m so glad these kids and teachers (and parents) will get to experience this terrific place. The adventure includes working in an organic garden, assisting with farm chores like shoveling manure and feeding horses and pigs, hiking on the trails in the beautiful wilderness area that surrounds the hostel accommodations, and the night hike, during which each student will likely be asked to walk a small portion of the hike alone, in the dark, surrounded by the woods and guided by the bright fall moon. The first time I did this part of the trip, back when I first came to PHS and was teaching 3rd/4th grade, I have to admit I was a little scared; I had never walked alone at night in the woods before! It’s really a magical experience, both for overcoming the fear, and for the sounds and sights and smells awaiting these young campers.
The weather is lovely here in the fall, so maybe you can think of a new or old place to take your family outdoors this weekend. I encourage you to read the article at www.sfgate.com. You may also borrow the book from our library, just stop by the PHS Library and check it out.
October 12, 2007
From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 10-12-2007
Friday Letter
October 12, 2007
Last Friday PHS was not in session to allow teachers to attend the 2007 Progressive Education Network Conference. This national organization has recently resurfaced in the face of No Child Left Behind legislation that has made progressive practices difficult or impossible in some settings. After my 30+ years attending educational conferences it is sometimes hard for me to feel enthusiastic at the thought of attending yet another conference. It is easier than I would like to admit to adopt a very adolescent “been there, done that” attitude. What a wonderful surprise Friday turned out to be! I found myself inspired, challenged, entertained and filled with pride to be working in a school with a longstanding progressive philosophy.
Progressive education can be difficult to describe in a succinct manner and different people and schools tend to emphasize different aspects of the whole approach. The conference offered sessions on topics ranging from faculty mentoring to decision making to scheduling to poetry to diversifying middle schools and on through an amazing array of school issues.
Personally I was most challenged by the notion of democracy in education. How does one set up a classroom in which students are truly active participants, not just recipients of a teacher’s well-designed lesson? How do we encourage home-school partnerships that value all voices and perspectives? How do I structure faculty meetings that foster the deep participation of the teachers and are also necessarily efficient? How do we empower students to take action, to understand that their voices matter, while also providing the structure, clear expectations, and consequences which adolescent students so desperately need?
I’m not sure I have concrete answers to any of these questions. But I am inspired to keep in mind the principles of inclusion, creativity, participation and community that underlie the questions. And what more could I ask out of a day spent in an educational conference!
Ann Meissner
September 28, 2007
From the Lower School Dean and Librarian
From the Lower School Dean & Librarian
Have you visited the library’s blog yet? I hope you’ll make it a weekly habit – along with reading this Friday letter each week. I update it regularly with literature-related news from the Bay Area, descriptions of what’s going on in the library program here at school, cute photos – is your child there? -- book reviews, and more. Go to www.presidiohill.org/books/ or www.presidiohill.org and click on Library. Not only will you find recent entries I’ve added, but you will also have access to a variety of research tools and other great links.
The first couple of useful tools are links to the library catalogs that will be most helpful for your children: our own PHS Library Catalog and the SFPL catalog. Click on either of those to find out which libraries have what you are looking for.
There are also links to several subscription databases available to anyone in our PHS community – and you can easily access these from your home computer with internet access. Looking for a magazine or newspaper article about a particular topic? Click on either eLibrary or SIRS Discover and gain instant and free access to thousands of newspaper and magazine articles (full text), relevant photos, maps, and even video and audio clips. Please take some time to familiarize yourself with these resources, especially if you have children in the upper grades. They can be very helpful when a child has research-dependent homework to complete. Also, check out Culturegrams if you’re looking for accurate, up-to-date, and child-friendly information on any particular country or state. Recipes included! Here’s my new mantra - Step one: PHS library website. Step two: Google if needed.
All of the above are available here at school and from home. If you access any of these from home, you will be prompted to enter a username and a password. For ALL databases provided on the PHS library’s website, the username and password are the same: USERNAME is presidiohill and PASSWORD is research.
Also available on the library’s blog – free access to vast amounts of information on fiction for children. Try out NoveList K-8 to find picture books and chapter books on various subjects, or books by certain authors. We also have a brand new source of information for children’s literature: TeachingBooks.net, most useful for teachers, perhaps, but many book-loving parents might also enjoy perusing this extensive resource. Feel free. Dive in and explore! Both of these databases also use the same username and password.
Lastly, try out one of my favorite links: the International Children’s Digital Library. Need a new book to read at bedtime? Grab your laptop and connect to this site. You’ll be amazed at what you have access to. Give it a try.
September 14, 2007
From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 09-07-2007
September 14, 2007
Middle School has gotten off to a terrific start this year. The orientation activities of last week have set the stage for a productive and positive year. One aspect of progressive education is the deep commitment to the social and emotional well being of the students. For PHS educators, learning takes place most effectively when a student feels valued within their group. Last week’s activities were designed to help foster a healthy and safe environment for all of us. Teachers routinely come back to this as a basis for selecting class activities, composing groups for projects or discussions, choosing how to complement and how to redirect student behavior. Advisory groups are an important aspect to developing this safe community because this small group of students works closely together with their adult advisor. An advisor is the main point person for communication between a family and a student about individual issues.
You should contact your child’s advisor when:
o S/he will be absent. You must also contact Martin (751-9318x100 or martin_gross@presidiohill.org).
o You have a question or concern about social interactions.
o You have a question or concern about your child’s overall academic standing. If you have a question or concern about a particular class or assignment you should also feel free to contact the appropriate teacher.
o You have a question about anything and you aren’t sure who to ask.
I hope your year has started well also and I look forward to getting to know all of you better.
Ann
Note: Faculty and staff contact information is on our website and also in the parent handbook.
September 07, 2007
From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 09-07-2007
Welcome to school year 2007-2008. These first few days of school are focused on student orientation and the schedule has been enhanced to include a service learning component. Working together for a common goal, in addition to teaching students the value of giving back to the community, helps build a cohesive team environment. It is critical to the successful and smooth functioning of the middle school that each grade level can work together as a team. Trust, shared vision, clear leadership, empathy and a sense of humor are all useful attributes to foster in this team atmosphere. 
Thursday each grade level left the school building to work together off campus. Sixth graders worked with the Presidio in trail maintenance activites. Seventh graders learned about homelessness and helped to package food at the food bank. Eighth graders were challenged to work together as a team and to take risks during a ropes course exploration. Wednesday students spent time in many of their regular classes in a shortened schedule and also met with their advisor to review the student handbook and talk about the culture and values of PHS. Friday students shared with one another their learnings from Thursday and set personal goals for the year. We’re off to a great start!
Please join me in welcoming our new middle school faculty: Dennis Kim for 7th and 8th grade math, Todd Ditto for 6th grade math and 8th grade science, Cecilia Foote for middle school Spanish, Rebecca Mcgill for 7th and 8th grade art, and Kiah Jeffries for middle school PE.
The other change you will notice this year is in the weekly schedule. The Self and Community classes have been replaced by additional art in the middle school. High School counseling will take place during study halls, rather than in Self and Community.
I look forward to meeting with new families on September 11 and seeing everyone at the Fall Gathering on September 8 and Back to School Night/Corporation Meeting September 20.
Best wishes for a grand school year,
Ann
From the Lower School Dean and Librarian 09-07-2007
The night before school began, I wandered through the building, peeking in on all of the classrooms that the lower school kids would soon inhabit. It is always amazing to witness the transformation of the building through summer and into the first days of school. Teachers overcome numerous building obstacles, both expected and unexpected, when creating the unique learning spaces in their rooms. Our classrooms at PHS are small and cozy, but teachers really strive, successfully, to make the most of them. It isn’t written in anyone’s job description that you must be an interior designer and astute shopper and spatial puzzle-solver in order to teach kids, but all teachers take on those many tasks along with everything else they do.
A couple of teachers set up entirely new classrooms this summer and others had major overhauls. All of this was done while putting important final touches on curriculum plans and thinking about school-year calendars and class procedures, procuring all of the variety of materials a classroom needs, and attending numerous meetings with fellow faculty members and parents. The end of summer can be a very busy time for an elementary school teacher!
Each teacher’s room reflects a good deal about how they hope to reach their students and help them feel excited and comfortable. Some teachers find more colors and books and little chairs to be just the ticket, while others might choose more neutral spaces, and the energy of plants or small pets is often added to the mix. In some you’ll find carefully designed reading corners and stacks of pillows, or computers and projectors and maps of the world, or puppets and dolls and blocks.
Although each of the classrooms for Kindergarten through fifth grade is unique and appropriate for the particular students who will make it their PHS home base this year, they all have the common attribute of a teacher or two who created the space with love and care and creativity and plenty of hard work. It is in these carefully designed classrooms that your children will learn, question, create, and wonder.
Lisa Jeli
Lower School Dean and Librarian
June 01, 2007
From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 06-01-2007
I can’t resist the cliché – how can it be the end of the year already? I can see the growth, both literally and figuratively, in the students and yet I can’t quite accept that school is over next week. Our eighth graders returned from their 4 Corners trip with a whole new set of understandings and perspectives and are preparing themselves to say goodbye to PHS. Our seventh graders are beginning to see themselves as high school applicants. Our sixth graders are looking forward to no longer being the youngest in the middle school. And I’m relishing the opportunity the summer provides to think about, plan for, and organize for another year in the middle school. I have enjoyed being immersed in the goofiness and intensity that is middle school. It is a challenging, delightful, stimulating, changing time of life. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of these kids’ lives during this critical time. See you in September!
Ann Meissner
Associate Director and Middle School Dean
From the Lower School Dean and Librarian 06-01-2007
From the Librarian and Lower School Dean
End of year festivities are getting into full swing. As I write this on Thursday evening around 6:00 p.m., Nicole’s first grade group is in the early stages of their at-school sleepover. I passed by the art room at around 5:00, where they were eagerly awaiting the arrival of their pizzas, and I heard a round of “Hi Lisa J!” I poked my head in and I asked if they were excited. Danielle said, “Yes, I’m excited even though I’ve never done a sleep-over before.” Charlotte invited me to join them for pizza! I asked Natalie if they were going to “treat the library right” (among the books is where they will sleep) and she smiled and said yes. This seemingly small occurrence, a sleepover at school, is actually quite a big step for some of our students (and parents!). It is, in my opinion, a near-perfect way to “practice” being away from home for an overnight.
I had to decline the offer to join them for pizza since I had a quiet library all to myself for a couple of hours and much work to do, and I have to share that as I was checking my voice mail I was very happy to find a message from the camping crew at Valley of the Moon, notifying me that all was well up in Sonoma. I was pleased (and relieved) both as a second grade parent and as lower school dean; there were a few tears upon the loading up and driving away of the big yellow school bus this morning. Some kid tears, some parent tears. Valley of the Moon Camp is a wonderful tradition at PHS; the whole school used to go several years ago. Now the tradition continues with the second and third graders joining together for this traditional kind of camp experience: campfire at night, a mess hall, s’mores, swimming, cabins & bunks, hiking, lounging and playing and soaking up a bit of sun. Seems like a great step up, from one night at here at school in first grade, to a night away in an unfamiliar location with a larger group the following year. Tomorrow it will be wonderful to see the tired and excited (and proud) faces of our first through third graders!
Next week brings more end-of-year off-campus fun for some of our classes: trips to Crissy Field to fly kites, gliding on the ice at Yerba Buena, bowling, and more. We will continue to “step up” with our traditional step up day, which will include about an hour in the morning in which students get to spend time with their new teacher for a preview of the fall. In the afternoon (this part is new!) we will all join together for an assembly to wish our graduates the best of luck and to honor each and very class and student for their many efforts and successes this year. To wrap it up, it’s time for popsicles or ice cream on the roof and yearbook signing. Thursday is the last school day for lower school students this year, and teachers have wonderful last day plans. Lower school families are invited to come to the 8th grade graduation on Friday if they would like, but students should not be dropped off at school as there will be no lower school supervision that day. Enjoy these remaining days of the school year and have a wonderful summer.
May 11, 2007
From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 05-11-2007
May Festival
May Festival is such a wonderful tradition. It has certainly taken different forms during its history of more than three quarters of a century. Old photographs show our youngest, rather than our oldest, students performing the May Pole Dance.
We used to incorporate a Sun Salutation and pigeon release into the ceremony. Our school site once held all of us and the dragon actually emerged from the inside of the people into the open air.
However, with all of the changes the traditions of coming together as a community and enjoying the music and poetry of our students continues.
This year was particularly wonderful in that a larger than usual number of alumni returned to share in our celebration. We had many recent grads as well as a sizable group of students from the ‘80s who organized themselves for a reunion. People traveled from North Carolina and Texas as well as from closer locales.
For those of us who have been around PHS for awhile it was particularly amazing to see these adults, who we remember as being six and eleven and fourteen years old, with children of their own!
I look forward to more such reunions as we approach our 90th anniversary in 2008-2009.
From the Lower School Dean and Librarian 05-11-2007
California History Comes Alive: Fourth and Fifth Graders Sacramento Overnight Trip
By 10:00 a.m. this past Tuesday morning (thank goodness there was a day of rest on Monday after May Fest!) there were thirty-two fourth and fifth grade students (and several grown-ups sipping their Peet’s coffee) waiting excitedly in Emeryville for the Amtrak train which would take us to Sacramento. (Did you know that the Sacramento station was originally the terminal for the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Central Pacific Railroad started in Sacramento and built east to Promontory Point, Utah, where it met with the Union Pacific Railroad to complete the building of the Trans-continental railroad. Fourth and fifth graders know this because it’s just a small part of all the California history they study.)
The train arrives right on time, and we board with our daypacks and head both upstairs and downstairs, many students riding a “real” train for the very first time. We wave goodbye to our parent chaperones and they get back in their cars (with the rest of our gear) and head out on I-80 east to meet us in Sacramento.
On the train kids choose where they want to sit and spend a good deal of time changing seats, playing MASH, (if you don’t know, ask a fourth grader) playing cards, and eating their lunches. Amazingly, no one suffers from boredom even though cell phones and i-pods have been banned from this trip! We arrive at the Sacramento train station at 12:15 and head straight into the intense Sacramento heat and then into the terrific (and terrifically air-conditioned) California State Railroad Museum, where we view exhibits on the building of the railroad and the accomplishments of the “Big Four” (again, ask a fourth grader!) and also of the many Chinese immigrants who made is possible to get the tracks through the immense granite of the Sierras. Students enjoyed checking out the beautifully restored dining and sleeping cars, although the wax-museum style costumed figures placed in some beds and the galley gave a few kids the creeps.
Then it was on to the Vagabond Inn to check into our rooms, get situated, and meet down at the pool. Given the heat, the pool was a big hit and a perfect way to relax and cool down before heading out to dinner. There was much jumping into the pool in various poses, cheering and screaming, applying of greasy sunscreen, and lounging and laughing in the not-very-hot Jacuzzi. “Five minutes and then everyone out!” Not much of an argument since everyone had worked up quite an appetite. Kids and adults head up to rooms to quickly change and get ready for dinner. (Still no need for a sweater or jacket, although a little bug repellent and a Costco–size bottle of antihistamines might have been good ideas.)
We load into cars and head across town, noticing the abundance of the large, cooling
trees that are prevalent throughout the neighborhoods of Sacramento. After our pizza and salad dinner, we ‘re off to the Sacramento Historic Cemetery to stroll among the beautiful flowering gardens and the gravestones to hear stories about some of the interesting characters buried in that cemetery. As night began to fall, we headed back to the motel and enjoyed some poolside ice cream and conversation and then called it a night. “Lights out at 9:30!”
In the morning, our itinerary was quite full so we had a quick breakfast (Anne Regenstein makes a mean waffle -- dozens of waffles!) and traveled to the California State Capitol. We didn’t see the governor, nor were we allowed into his office, although we were each given one of his business cards. We had a wonderful tour of both the Senate and Assembly galleries, and our tour guide was tremendously knowledgeable and did a great job hammering home the idea that the people have a voice in our government, giving many examples to the students of how to get their voices heard - - at any age. We were also able to visit Assemblyman Mark Leno’s office and learn about he CA Industrial Hemp Farming Act. (Did you know that some Mercedes car parts are made from industrial hemp? Did you know hemp oil contains the good fats, Omega 3 and Omega 6?)
We ran into San Francisco Assemblywoman Fiona Ma as we headed into the observation area for the Appropriations Committee meeting. She greeted us warmly, posed for a few photos, and said she’d stop by and say “Hi” when she visits PHS this Friday to spend time with the 8th graders. We also gathered in the offices of the California Labor Federation with ACLU lobbyist Vik Malholtra to discuss the ACLU’s role in the legislative process.
The most challenging part of the capitol tour was getting the kids to walk in “single file, on the right” as we ascended and descended the carpeted stairways in the beautiful capitol building. (You’re probably not surprised if you’ve ever tried to come up from the PHS lobby when kids are coming down!))
We ended this traditional PHS 4/5th grade trip with two Sacramento “must-dos”: first, a stroll around Old Town Sacramento, with time for lunch and exploring the candy stores and souvenir shops in the lovely historical buildings fronted by large covered boardwalks. (I refrained from purchasing a souvenir snow globe, inscribed with the word CALEEFORNYA, which contained a miniature capitol building and a figurine of our Governor, in his bodybuilding pose and attire, of course.) Bellies full of ice cream and way too many flavors of salt-water taffy, we moved to our final stop and our last blast of the valley heat: a tour of Sutter’s Fort, where we saw the blacksmith’s shop, the cooper’s work area, the outdoor adobe oven, and more. By 2:45 that afternoon, we were hot, we were tired, and we were dealing with a bit too much sugar in our systems, so we packed into cars for a two-hour car ride on I-80 back to San Francisco!
April 27, 2007
From the Lower School Dean and Librarian
Thanks for supporting your school library!
Last week was National Library Week, and we finished up the week with our annual Book Fair at Books, Inc. in Laurel Village. Many parents and students and other friends of the school came by to shop and socialize, and all purchases benefited our young readers. In addition, many of you also purchased books to donate directly to our collection, and WOW! we added many, many wonderful new titles. Here’s just a sampling: Fairy Tale Feasts – A Literary Cookbooks for Young Readers & Eaters, Counting Coup – Becoming a Crow Chief on the Reservation and Beyond, The Higher Power of Lucky (recent Newbery Medal winner), Be Water, My Friend – The Early Years of Bruce Lee.
Please stop by soon and check out some of our wonderful new titles; remember, parents are welcome and encouraged to check books out, too.
Thanks to all of you who shopped at the book fair and/or donated sets of books or made contributions. A very special thanks to Roberta Wahl for making sure we had plenty of goodies and beverages to give us enough energy to shop.
Important upcoming library and literary dates:
May 10th (Thursday evening) Former PHS teacher and very popular author, Rick Riordan, will be at Books Inc. in Laurel Village for a book release party. Yes, it’s finally here, The Titlan’s Curse, the third book in his series that blends Greek mythology with intense action and plenty of humor, along with a considerable knowledge of middle school kids and ADHD. He’ll be reading and signing and giving away prizes beginning at 6:30. You may want to call Books Inc at 221-3666 ahead of time to pre-order your copy of The Titan’s Curse. Also check out Rick’s website at www.rickriordan.com.
June 1st: All PHS Library Books Due – if you’ve lost titles, please replace them. You will receive updated information about your child’s library account in the next couple of weeks.
Lisa Jeli
Lower School Dean and Librarian
April 06, 2007
From the Associate Director and Middle School Dean 04-06-2007
Middle School News
Community service and service learning projects happen periodically through out the middle school years. Friday’s beach clean up was one such example. Seventh graders are currently developing and organizing their own projects designed to benefit PHS. The assignment was to think of a way to provide service to the school. One group is selling candy during designated lunch periods to provide additional funding for a hardbound year book. Another group is baking and selling home made treats to raise additional funds for financial assistance. A third group is helping build community between teachers and students by hosting athletic competitions during lunch. While these projects in an of themselves may not seem that significant, developing a value in working for the common good and learning the organizational skills needed to make these activities actually work are important components. As a culminating project, eighth graders will be designing their own service learning project in Humanities.
On a different note, last week’s speaker Marsha Rosenbaum from The Drug Policy Alliance, led a small group of middle school parents in discussion about how to best help children around the topics of drugs and alcohol. Dr. Rosenbaum has worked in the field of drug education for many years and has also raised two children in San Francisco. As a parent, she has a pragmatic approach and a good understanding of what may be helpful. Her premise is that students need information about drugs and alcohol so they can learn to make informed decisions. Just Say No campaigns have not been effective and in fact drug and alcohol use has risen during the time period in which this approach has been used. She also highlighted the value in students understanding the physical, social and legal consequences of using and abusing alcohol and drugs. You may learn more by going to www.safety1st.org. Pamphlets containing more information are also available in my office.
March 23, 2007
Letter about Graduation - Note change in last day for LS students
Dear PHS Families,
Traditions are an important element of school culture, providing a sense of continuity and community. They help us all connect to the values of our school. And as the school naturally grows and changes to best meet the needs of our students, our traditions also need to grow and change. I have heard for the past several years that our current graduation ceremony is no longer meeting the needs of the lower school students and does not honor the close relationships that develop between many eighth graders and younger children. After gathering input from faculty, students and current eighth grade parents we have designed slightly altered graduation activities. Below is a description of the graduation activities for this June 2007.
Wednesday, June 6th we will have a student assembly during the afternoon to honor the graduates as a student body and celebrate the relationships between the graduates and the lower school students. The details of this assembly are still being designed but I can guarantee some sweet moments as our younger students help send our graduates on to high school. Earlier in the day we will spend time signing year books across the grade levels, not just in individual classrooms as in past years, so that older and younger students have time to connect with one another individually. We will end the day with our traditional ice cream.
Thursday, June 7th will be the final day of school for students in grades kindergarten through five. This is a change from the current calendar so please update your records. K-5 classes will spend time together in celebratory activities as they enjoy their last day together as a group. Middle school students will prepare the building for the graduation ceremony on Friday.
Friday, June 8th will be the formal graduation ceremony. The day will begin as usual with a breakfast hosted by the seventh grade families for the eighth graders and their families. The graduation ceremony will take place outdoors on the roof with all middle school students and all faculty present. Kindergarten through fifth grade families are cordially invited to attend also. This ceremony will include the individual graduate speeches, faculty tributes and the conferring of diplomas as in past years. The breakfast will begin at 9:00am and the ceremony will begin at 10:00am.
Thank you to everyone for your input and thoughtfulness as we have worked to creatively address the needs of our students and faculty. I am enthusiastic about what has been designed and look forward to a truly special graduation season.
Yours truly,
Ann Meissner
Associate Director
Middle School Dean
March 16, 2007
From the Lower School Dean and Librarian
Coming this April: More fun time with your family!
One of our first grade teachers, Kelly McDonough, recently reminded the staff of the upcoming TV-Turn Off Week happening this year from April 23rd - 29th. Since it is now about one month away, it could be a good time to prep your family and make some specific plans. Start the discussion now: Are we going to participate as a family? What would be the benefits? What can we do instead? (That’s the fun part.)
What is TV-Turnoff Week? It’s an exciting opportunity to for children and adults to experience life without television. Here are some facts that may inspire you to consider participating:
On average, children in the US will spend more time in front of the television (1,023 hours) than in school this year (900 hours).
Forty percent of Americans frequently or always watch television during dinner.
24 million children and adults have participated in TV-Turnoff Week since 1995.
90% of those who participate say they now watch less television or watch more selectively as a result of participating.
So start making plans, and here is some info that may help:
During TV-Turn Off Week and the week before, PHS parents are welcome to come in and check out as many books as they would like from our PHS library – no limit! (Students will still need to follow the limit based on their grade level, so this is a chance for parents to get to know the library, too. I hope many of you do come by.
And… the PHS Book Fair will be held on Thursday night, April 19th at Books Inc. in Laurel Village, so plan to stock up and really be prepared for the week.
Several SF Public Library branches (almost all of them) have evening hours at least once during the week. The Presidio Branch (down the street from us) is open until 9 p.m on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and the Main Library is open late on Tuesday and Thursday (until 8 p.m.) Don’t tell me you’ve never been there!!! And the Asian Art Museum (http://www.asianart.org) right next door to the Main Library is open late on Thursday nights, too. Sounds like a plan.
So, make sure to find those board games and decks of cards, gather some books into stacks, check the local museum schedules, get out your art supplies, and keep your fingers crossed for a couple of those rare balmy SF spring nights.
March 02, 2007
From the Associate Director/Middle School Dean
Friday Letter
March 2, 2007
Just before the February break I had the privilege of attending the Brain and Learning Conference which is typically located in Boston and, due to high interest, a San Francisco site was included in this year’s schedule. The conference focused on ways to enhance cognition in students and the role that emotions play in learning. Presenter after presenter reinforced the idea that our brains are most receptive to learning when our emotions are engaged. This means that some of the core tenets of progressive education - active engagement on the part of the students, emphasis on the social and emotional aspects of school, learning based in a real-life context - are valuable approaches in helping students learn in a lasting manner. While we intuitively tend to accept these ideas to be true, it is terrific to hear that the increasingly sophisticated research into how the brain functions continues to support these ideas.
Here are a few ideas that stuck with me:
Drink lots of water. A pint and a half of oxygenated blood flows through the brain every minute. Even low levels of dehydration have an impact on the brain’s ability to function at optimal levels. The brain is constantly sending and receiving messages from all of the body’s parts. Water assists in the conduction of this electrical activity. Keep sending in those water bottles.
Students and adults need “downtime”. We all need opportunities to think about our thinking and process what we are learning. Too many novel events can interfere with remember what one has just learned. One suggestion included allowing for three minute thinking and process breaks every twenty minutes of instruction. Without allowing time to reflect and make connections between the new learning and previously learn material, the neural connections will be minimal and the value of the instruction will be minimized. Journal writing can be a powerful tool in this processing.
Assessment of student learning should be on-going and regular and it needs to include formal and informal modes of demonstrating learning. Immediate feedback is critical. Assessment should include both an internal and external component. Asking students to set goals and then reflect on progress toward those goals is a useful tool to enhance learning and memory.
Ann Meissner
Associate Director/Middle School Dean
February 09, 2007
From the lower school dean and librarian 02-09-2007
FROM THE LIBRARY - Book Fair Date! and Book Awards Announced:
The PHS Library will hold its annual Book Fair at Books, Inc. in Laurel Village on Thursday evening, April 19th, during National Library Week. Please add it to your calendar and stay tuned for more information as we head into spring. It’s a lovely night of shopping, munching, and sipping, designed for adults - with free childcare provided.
In January, numerous prestigious awards are announced in the field of children’s and young adult literature. Given that over 10,000 children’s books are published annually, these kinds of awards are very helpful in determining new acquisitions for our library. Here are some of the books recently celebrated. (We have just six of these titles. Look for the (*) which indicates that we currently have this book in our library. All other titles are highly desired, so please contact Lisa J. if you would like to donate one of these award-winning titles!)
NEWBERY – Awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association. Awarded to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Newbery Medal:The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
Newbery Honor: Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm; Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson; Rules by Cynthia Lord
CALDECOTT – Awarded annually by the ALSC for the best-illustrated book for children that year.
Caldecott Medal: Flotsam by David Wiesner
Caldecott Honor: Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet by David McLimans; *Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Carole Boston
BATCHELDER – Awarded for best children’s books translated into English.
Batchelder Award: The Pull of the Ocean, by Jean-Claude Mourlevat, translated from the French by Y. Maudet
Batchelder Honor: *The Killer’s Tears by Anne-Laure Bondoux, translated from the French by Y. Maudet; The Last Dragon by Silvana De Mari, translated from the Italian by Shaun Whiteside
GEISEL – Awarded by ALSC for outstanding books for beginning readers (think Frog and Toad level, approximately. This is a fairly new, and I think important, award.)
Geisel Medal: *Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways by Laura McGee Kvasnosky
Geisel Honor: *Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride by Kate DiCamillo; Move Over, Rover! By Karen Beaumont; Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
SIEBERT – Awarded for outstanding non-fiction books for young people.
Sibert Medal: *Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh
Sibert Honor: Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement by Ann Bausum; Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea by Sy Montgomery; *To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel written by Sienna Cherson Siegel, illustrated by Mark Siegel
This is only a small sampling of all of the different awards given annually. I also pay close attention to several other awards organizations help me to select books for our library which support the mission of the PHS. If you would like to donate some specific titles, or books which address a particular topic or theme, please feel free to get in touch. The upcoming Book Fair will also provide an excellent opportunity to not only shop for books for you and the readers in your family, but to help our collection grow with wonderful new, high-quality titles, as well.
Thanks for your support; all of our young readers will benefit.
Lisa Jeli
Lower School Dean and Librarian
January 26, 2007
From the middle school dean and associate director 01-26-2007
Sunday’s Carey Davis Concert was a lovely event that honored Carey and her contributions to Presidio Hill, poetry and music and also raised funds to support professional development for PHS staff. Professional development is a crucial aspect of a good school. As Lynn Friedman states in Independent School Magazine, “Effective professional development programs engender an atmosphere of excitement, intellectual stimulation, and collegiality.” Our staff and faculty are routinely involved in professional development activities including reading professional literature, attending workshops and conferences, meeting with teachers from other schools, participating in list servs and last but not least, talking with one another about their practice.
Of particular note this month are activities in which Adra and Mike will each be involved during the coming year. Adra has been accepted into the Klingenstein Leadership Academy, connected with Columbia University. She will be working towards a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. Mike has been granted a Fellowship for Aspiring Heads through the National Association of Independent Schools. This is a one-year professional development program for individuals at NAIS member schools who wish to become heads of independent schools. Both programs allow their participants to delve deeply into an area of study at their own schools. Congratulations to both Adra and Mike!
Ann Meissner
Associate Director and Middle School Dean
January 12, 2007
From the lower school dean and librarian 01-12-07
From the Librarian & Lower School Dean LIbros en Español:
I sat in on my first Dialogue Circle this year on Tuesday evening. The topic was language, and in particular we discussed the Spanish program here at PHS. I know only a little bit of Spanish myself, and hope to continue learning more; it’s a language I love, and I am grateful for even the little bit I do know. I realized at Tuesday’s meeting that PHS parents may not be aware of some of the Spanish language and bilingual resources we have in our PHS library, available for any community member to borrow and explore at school and at home. If you are interested in checking-out some of our many wonderful books with Spanish, please let me know or stop by the library sometime soon.
Or, try this right now from home: If you go to http://www.presidiohill.org and click on the button which links to the LIBRARY page, you can search our PHS LIBRARY CATALOG (among other things). If you search by KEYWORD, and enter Spanish Language as your search term, you will pull up a list of all materials that contain Spanish. These include books written entirely in Spanish, books that are bilingual English/Spanish, and many books with a smattering of Spanish vocabulary contained within a primarily English text.
I have also created a detailed list of these books, and I’d be happy to email a copy to you or provide you with a paper copy, if you’d like. This is a collection that I am constantly striving to update and improve, so stay tuned. Also, if you’re interested in this collection and would like to help with adding to and improving it, please contact me.
Related to that, while you’re on the library’s page, try out the link to the International Children’s Digital Library. It’s amazing. You can access books in many different languages, and read them (for free!) The quality is very good, the choices are interesting and not easy to find elsewhere, and I think it might be a fun way to jazz up your bedtime read-aloud routine. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
There are over 35 languages represented, including Arabic, Croatian, Danish, Tagalog, Italian, Japanese, Persian/Farsi, Vietnamese, Greek, and Maori. There are also plenty of books in English. Many of the books are beautiful picture books, and plenty of them can be enjoyed even if the language understanding is minimal. Try it out! The mission of the International Children’s Digital Library Foundation is to excite and inspire the world's children to become members of the global community – children who understand the value of tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, languages and ideas -- by making the best in children's literature available online.
Lastly, if you’re the parent of one of the many students involved in research projects right now, also try out our subscription database links (under Books and Research Tools) for current articles on the topic of your choice. SIRS Discoverer, eLibrary, and CultureGrams are all available to our PHS students. You will likely be prompted for a username and password when accessing these outside of the school. For all three, the username is presidiohill and the password is research.
January 05, 2007
Chicken Pox Notice
There is a confirmed case of chicken pox in the middle school. The student received the vaccination and still contracted chicken pox. The incubation period was likely during winter break. Please be alert to this as a contagious disease if your child becomes ill.
From the middle school dean and associate director, 01-05-2007
January 5, 2007
Ann Meissner, MS Dean
The only good thing about airplane travel, besides transporting me to my destination, is the opportunity it provides for reading. Over break, on my trip to Chicago to visit my mother and brother, I read The Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries About the Teenage Brain Tell Us About Our Kids by Barbara Strauch. Having recently landed in the world of middle school I thought this book might help orient me to the wonderfully goofy behavior of young adolescents.
An average teenager gains fifty pounds and grows twelve inches over the course of four to five years. With this rapid physical development also come radical developments in the brain. As the book states, “You don’t suddenly get perfect synapses. It takes a while to get the right connections working smoothly. This may be the speed bump of adolescence.” This ‘speed bump’ can be thought of as the unexplained shifts in mood, the risk taking behaviors, the loyalty to a peer group and other adolescent activities that seem at times perplexing, aggravating or scary. “The changes occurring in the teenage brain are so profound and wide ranging that they poke into nearly every area of behavior, adding a new and abundantly welcome perspective to the enduring puzzle of adolescence.” Knowing that there is a natural upheaval taking place in the brain of your adolescent may help you navigate your relationship with your child.
One concrete suggestion is to re-think the way in which you give directions and expect your child to accomplish tasks. The blank stare you receive when you ask your child to pick up their dirty clothes, empty the dishwasher and brush their teeth may not be insolence or laziness but rather the response of an unevenly developed brain. It is also thought that young teenagers often get confused when trying to decipher the emotions of others. Because the frontal lobe is not yet fully developed teenagers may, more frequently than adults, react with parts of their brains primed for fear and alarm. This explains how a student can say and truly believe that a teacher is mad at them or a parent is yelling at them when in reality the child has only been asked to comply with a simple directive. It might be worthwhile to try giving directions one at a time - calmly, slowly and with a readiness to repeat them as needed. This is not unlike what you might do with a kindergarten student!
The book offers many other specific ideas as well as ample research into the adolescent brain. I’m happy to loan my copy if you are looking for a deeper understanding of why your child does the most unexplainable things!
December 01, 2006
From the middle school dean and associate director, 12-01-2006
From Middle School Dean
December 1, 2006
Yes, Follies is in the air! We are knee deep into singing, dancing, set construction, prop collection and overall busy-ness. This is such an important rite of passage for our eighth graders and for the middle school as a whole. It takes enormous amounts of creativity, persistence, flexibility and general good spirits to create a theatrical-musical production of this scope. Congratulations to students and staff alike!
The last few weeks have also provided us time with alumni students and parents in three different forums. Students were invited to participate in a panel discussion for our current families. Another student panel focused on how students with learning differences are doing in high school. And finally, alumni parents were invited to a Board of Trustees meeting to talk about their family’s experience at PHS.
I walked away from all three of these gatherings with a wonderful sense of what students are taking with them from their time here at PHS. Using the students’ language here are answers to the question, “what did you learn from PHS?”
PHS taught me to:
Ask questions
Not be afraid of adults
Think outside the box
Work well in groups
Speak up for myself
How to write an essay
Take initiative in my learning
Have a sense of inquiry, a thirst for knowledge
Love learning, not for the grades but for the sake of learning
Make friends
Know myself and therefore know how to take advantage of opportunities that arise
Know how to steer clear of the ‘”bad element” in high school
Be able to easily talk with my teachers.
When asked what else PHS could do to help prepare students the panel focused on test taking skills, commenting that they needed to adjust to the amount of test taking required in high school. At the same time, this group of twelve sophomore, junior and senior high students were adamant that we not add more testing to our curriculum. The overall consensus seemed to be that this was a natural step-up from PHS and one they adjusted to relatively easily.
As our students are singing, dancing and acting in deep collaboration with one another as they prepare for Follies, we can know that part of the unwritten curriculum is the deepening self-knowledge and self-advocacy skills the kids are learning. I’m proud of them and can’t wait to see them on stage!
Ann Meissner
Middle School Dean and Associate Director
November 10, 2006
From the lower school dean and librarian 11-10-06
From the Lower School Dean & Librarian
Conferences and Evaluations:
In about one week, parents and teachers, and in many cases, students, will sit down together for a focused conversation about school and homework and friends. These are the main topics of most parent-teacher conferences. At PHS, these meetings are evolving, and, for the first time ever in our school’s history, students will attend at least a portion of the conferences in grades three and up. I am excited to hear back from the families and teachers in these grades about how it goes this first time around.
All parents in the lower school will receive a newer, simplified fall progress report in the mail prior to the conference. This report can sometimes help to frame the conversation and provides a nice written record of how a student is doing at that time, but it is the face-to-face conversation between parent(s) and teacher (and maybe student) that is the most important piece of this process.
On the surface, it seems that a conference between a teacher and a parent should be pretty simple, straightforward and focused on the student; however, I’ve been reading a wonderful book about the complex nature of these meetings. It’s called The Essential Conversation: What Parents and Teachers Can Learn from Each Other, and it’s written by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot (Professor of Education at Harvard), the same author who wrote the PHS summer reading choice for adults, Respect.
One of the main premises of this intriguing book is that it’s not just the teacher and the parent who sit down together to discuss the student’s achievements, strengths and challenges, but that present in the classroom with them are also many “ghosts”: the parents and teachers from the childhoods of all the adults in the room, to name a powerful few. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot points out,“Every time parents and teachers encounter one another in the classroom, their conversations are shaped by their own autobiographical stories and by the broader cultural and historical narratives that inform their identities, their values, and their sense of place in the world. These autobiographical stories – often unconscious replays of childhood experiences in families and schools – are powerful forces in defining the quality and trajectory of parent-teacher dialogues.”
The conversations can also have a heightened energy and feel to them due to the focus of the discussion: the well-being of a child. The stakes feel high, no one at the table wants to be seen as doing anything wrong, and there is often a fear that some errors made along with way will be “found out”. Of course, teachers and parents make mistakes all the time, and the great thing about having parents and teachers sit down together is that each of these major players in the child’s life holds different and valuable pieces of information, different experiences (both with and without the child), and different contexts in which they work with the child. Conferences can be an opportunity to put together some pieces of the puzzle. This is why it is important that neither party is looked at as “THE” expert on the child; both the parents and the teachers bring unique and valuable insights into how to best support and educate the student. Having taught 4th and 5th grade here at PHS for thirteen years, I can clearly recall a fundamental shift in my understanding of the goal and value of parent-teacher conferences once I realized how much I had to learn when parents shared about their child when we met. I hope it is in the spirit of listening and sharing and problem-solving together that you and your child’s teachers meet together on November 20-21.
If you’re interested in borrowing the book I mentioned, please let me know. I’d be happy to share it with you.
Lisa Jeli
October 27, 2006
From the Middle School Dean, 10-27-2006
As you may know, I will be assuming the role of Middle School Dean beginning Monday, October 30. Several parents, on learning of this change, have begun a conversation with me something like, “Oh, poor Ann, stepping in again.” I want to reassure you that I am most enthusiastic about this opportunity and you need not feel sorry for me! Obviously I am saddened for Sidra and will miss the opportunity of collaborating with her as an administrator at PHS. At the same time, I feel invigorated by the idea of teaming with our terrific middle school staff as we work together in providing a top-notch middle school experience for the students.
This fall I have been working closely with the eighth grade students and their families as they prepare to move to high school. This work is very rewarding as the students reflect on their time at PHS and think ahead to high school. Their sense of self, compassion, confidence, curiosity, and generosity deepen my conviction in the kind of education we are providing.
From a pragmatic perspective, my job responsibilities are being moved around and supported in such a way as to make it possible for me to thoroughly attend to the needs of the middle school. We have hired a learning specialist, Eso Romero, to assume my teaching responsibilities with the third, fourth and fifth grades. We have contracted with Anna Lewis to provide clerical, editing, and general support focused on the California Association of Independent Schools accreditation visit this winter and on the high school application process.
I look forward to continuing the work that both Sidra and Brian Thomas have begun in articulating, deepening and communicating the middle school program. For me, this means spending lots of time in classes with teachers and students. I anticipate forming a partnership with each middle school teacher so that I can help provide feedback and resources as they fine-tune their art of teaching.
Please know I am available to talk through any aspect of the middle school experience. I look forward to our conversations.
Ann Meissner
Middle School Dean
Associate Director
October 13, 2006
From the lower school dean and librarian 10-13-06
From Lower School Dean and Librarian:
As we get closer to Halloween, teachers know that means we’re also getting closer to our first “formal” parent-teacher conferences. Lower school teachers will be posting their sign-up sheets for these conferences next Friday, October 20th, so check your calendars and get ready to choose your time. It is important that you make every effort to sign up for one of the many slots on the Monday and Tuesday immediately prior to the Thanksgiving break, November 20th and 21st. Although it may be tempting to extend the break, please respect the teachers’ schedules and our PHS calendar by selecting a time within those two days. If you are traveling out of town, sign up first thing Friday to nab a Monday slot.
After much discussion, the lower school teaching team has decided upon the following changes to our fall evaluation process this year:
• If your child is in grades 3, 4, or 5, you will get to experience our first parent/student/teacher conferences! Students in these grades will attend the first portion of the conferences right alongside their parents, having the opportunity to share their work and discuss their goals. You will get more information on this from your child’s teacher. I think it’s an exciting change, and I invite you to share your feedback with me afterwards.
• If your child is in grades K-2, you will have a parent & teacher conference this fall and have the opportunity for one on one time with your child’s classroom teacher; your child will not attend the conference.
Now for a little library news: Help! As you will read in the Community Announcements, I am seriously in need of library volunteers. I wish I could say that it’s something scintillating and exciting, but it’s shelving books, straightening up, checking books back in, and the like. Please contact me via e-mail if you can commit to a weekly chunk of time, say thirty minutes or so. For those of you who have contacted me about the annual book fair, stay tuned for more information about a spring book fair this year.
Tonight, there is a special event celebrating the release of local talent Yuyi Morales's new Halloween-themed picture book, Los Gatos Black on Halloween. The proceeds benefit a literacy program for young children and it should be a fun event for families. Yuyi visited us at PHS for an assembly last year, and she is wonderful. For more info, please check out my library blog at www.presidiohill.org/books.
While you’re there, see what else you can discover. If you want to explore our NoveList database link to find fiction books for your children on particular topics or by certain authors, dive in and try it out. The username is presidio and the password is books. Also, take a moment to explore the link to the International Children’s Digital Library. Here you can access a fabulous variety of books from all over the world, in English and in many other languages. The full text and illustrations are available to read straight from your computer monitor. I encourage you to try it out; it’s easy to use and you and your child might like discovering some new books this way. Both of these terrific links are on the blog, listed under EXTERNALS. Enjoy, and drop me an email if you have any questions.
Lisa Jeli
Lower School Dean and Librarian
October 06, 2006
From the middle school dean 10-06-06
If you have had the chance to visit the third floor of our building, you have seen the quotations I have posted. There are a few outside of my office door and there are others scattered about the middle school space, including the second floor hallways and the bathrooms. I actually borrowed the idea of collecting quotations from a former student, a young woman named Crystal. She carried with her a little notebook in which she jotted down
various passages and sentences, some “deep,” others light, all beautiful. For a while, I tried to follow Crystal’s model by copying down quotations in a little notebook. Now I keep a list of quotations and passages on my laptop. The ones I have posted are not necessarily my favorites; they are sayings that I thought would be appropriate for a middle school. Most of all, the short and easily read phrases illustrate qualities that we encourage PHS students (and teachers) to possess, such as perseverance, curiosity, patience, cooperation. For example, you’ll find the following words on the walls: “Every artist was at first an amateur.” “The best way to know life is to love many things.” “You can't direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails.” “Never look down on anyone unless you are helping him up.”
As a former English teacher, I love the written word. I am no great writer, but I can certainly appreciate great writing. And when I find examples of great writing, I want to share them with others. Perhaps even more than fine writing, I like writing that makes me think. And not surprisingly, I like sharing such prose with people as well. About a week ago, Mike shared with me a passage that struck him from the Shadow Spinner, a novel that the sixth graders are currently studying. It reads, "we all have our demons to deal with, Little Pigeon. It's when we cherish them--cradle them to our breasts and feed them day after day--that's when they curdle our souls.” On Wednesday during Mike’s humanities class, students had an opportunity to participate in one of my favorite literary activities -- passage analysis. First, they had to interpret the passage, figuring out what it meant and how it got its message across, and then they had to explain how those few sentences related to the novel as a whole. Once they wrapped their minds around the idea of a “curdled soul,” they had lots to say. Many characters in the book hold grudges and regrets which result in loneliness and unhappiness. By stopping to think about these two sentences, students reflected on much of the novel, particularly character development. Too often, students (and adults as well) read simply for plot, eager to find out what happens next in the story. Reading is not solely a way to get information. Reading provides us all with the chance to think, to imagine, to visit other times and places.
As the eighth graders prepare to read Shakespeare’s Othello, I think back to my own experiences s tudying Shakespeare. When studying Macbeth for the first time in ninth grade, I already knew the storyline. All of my classmates did. Our teacher had us read a brief summary of the play before we started the real thing. While reading the play itself, she wanted us to focus on the literary elements without being overly concerned about the plot. To know the plot is a tiny part of exploring Shakespeare. To read Shakespeare, to read any literature is to explore the world through the eyes of the author just as to read the Friday letter is to gain a glimpse into the minds of the teachers and administrators at PHS. We learn about Elizabethan England through Shakespeare and we learn about twenty-first century PHS through Friday letters.
Until next month, when you’ll learn more about what’s in and on my mind,
Sidra
September 22, 2006
From the associate director 09-22-06
Friday Letter
September 22, 2006
This summer I was honored to be the recipient of the Carey Davis Fellowship that provided funds to attend the Stanley King Counseling Institute. Yesterday was Carey’s birthday, and it seems fitting that I write about this wonderful experience in her honor. The Institute has been around for more than thirty years and is a week long intensive training program for teachers, deans, advisors working with middle and high school students. The program is directed by Ellen Porter Honnet, a long time friend of Carey’s from their freshmen year as roommates at Yale. Carey and Ellen were in the first co-ed group of students at Yale and they formed a strong bond as a result of this experience.
The Stanley H. King Counseling Institute offers a model of teaching counseling to teachers, advisors, administrators, and other school personnel. The goal of the institute is not to train professional counselors, but to help teachers strengthen and deepen their relationships with students. Participants learn to help students with a range of developmental issues, as well as to recognize serious psychological difficulty and seek appropriate help. Much of this counseling work happens on the run between classes, during a study hall, or a brief after-school meeting. None of us are formally trained as counselors and yet most of us working in a school setting play the role of counselor to students and often to parents as well. Much of the teaching and learning took place in role play activities. I have never been a fan of role playing, finding it artificial and kind of silly. However, since attending The Stanly H. King Institute I feel very differently! Yes it is rather artificial but certainly not silly. We worked in twos, threes, small groups and large groups to take on the identity of both student and counselor in real life situations. I was amazed at the power of these role play activities – actually feeling the pain, sadness, anger, loneliness, confusion of the students in trouble.
An added aspect to the week for me was connecting with people who knew and loved Carey Davis. Ellen reminded me of Carey in many ways and there were people from all over the country who had known Carey in one way or another. Carey had hope that PHS staff could have the experience of attending this professional development activity, and I am so very grateful that I was able to do just that. I look forward to sharing my newly developed skills through out the year and hope another PHS staff member will attend the institute this coming summer. Thank you to everyone whose contribution to the Carey Davis Fund for Professional Development helped make this experience possible.
Ann Meissner
Associate Director
September 15, 2006
From the lower school dean 09-15-06
From the Librarian and Lower School Dean:
I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to introduce students, new and returning, to the library over these past couple of weeks. It is such a pleasure to have the little ones join me in front of the fireplace for story time, and to hear the impromptu reviews and requests from the older readers. I’ve also really enjoyed getting to know the new students; they’ve been very enthusiastic about using the library already.
Third through eighth graders have been streaming in these last several days, showing me “proof” of their acquisition of a San Francisco Public Library card. Students need to become comfortable using our wonderful public library system, both in the main and branch buildings, and on-line. Getting a current library card is the first step.
With the primary grades, we started the year enjoying a terrific new picture book set in a city library. It’s called Library Lion and tells the story of a lion that pads into an unsuspecting public library one day and decides it’s quite a wonderful place to spend some time. It is written by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes.
The way the author frames the story of the curious lion’s library orientation allowed me to point out similarities and differences between the library depicted in the illustrations and our own PHS library. New vocabulary was introduced through the text: Yes, we do have a circulation desk, it’s right over there, and that’s where we check out books. It’s called circulation because the books circulate in and out of the library. No, we don’t have a card catalog; we keep the information about our books in the computer. Here is our new books area, etc.
The story’s “problem” centers around the fact that no one has ever experienced a lion in the library before and there are no rules about it. One of the librarian’s assistants begins to display some jealousy when the lion becomes very popular with the children. (At this point the children and I pretty much agreed that it would be more exciting to have a sturdy lion to climb upon when needing to reach a high shelf instead of just a boring step stool. And again, this part of the story allowed me to point out which stools in our library were safe for standing on, and which chairs and stools are only for sitting.)
When the librarian reaches a “little too high” for a book on a top shelf, tumbles to the ground and injures her arm, the lion tries to come to her aid by running (for help) and then roaring (two things definitely not usually allowed in any library!). Because he has broken the library rules, the lion feels he is no longer welcome and walks sadly out into the rain.
The conclusion, with the lion happily back in place in the reading corner during story hour, illustrates that rules, even library rules, might sometimes need to be broken, especially if it is to help someone who has been hurt. This is one of those gems of a picture book, working well with kindergartners and third graders alike, and the students were still, wide-eyed, curious, and quiet …except when I asked to hear their loudest roar. (Just this once it was OK to break the no roaring in the library rule.)
Some of you have asked about the Book Fair. The Book Fair has not yet been scheduled at Books Inc. this year, but will likely happen sometime in late spring. I will keep you posted. In the meantime, I have plenty of library tasks that could use some volunteer energy: shelving books, data entry, checking books back in, etc. If you can commit to a small chunk of time each week, say thirty minutes or so, please contact me at lj@presidiohill and let’s see if we can work out a schedule.
September 08, 2006
From the middle school dean 09-08-06
On Tuesday, Trevor invited me to accompany him and the eighth-graders to the Masonic Auditorium on a field trip. As the new middle school dean, I thought that chaperoning an off-campus excursion would be a good way to develop relationships with students. Besides, I had never witnessed the swearing-in ceremony for new U. S. citizens. Not surprisingly, this ceremony, along with the personal narratives, Power Point slides, and video presentations that preceded it, made me think about my own status as an American, something that I rarely do. While growing up, my family didn’t share stories about the old country, we didn’t speak a language other than English in the home, and we didn’t visit relatives in other countries. But there are people in our community who did and continue to do all of these things. At PHS, we have staff and students who were born in other countries; a few of us hold dual citizenships; and some of us speak two or three languages fluently. Ours is a diverse and multicultural school community as is the San Francisco Bay area which all of us call home.
At the swearing-in ceremony, there were more than 90 countries represented by the 1100 newest U. S. citizens. I wonder how many countries are represented within the Presidio Hill School community. So far, I’ve counted fourteen countries of origin (including people’s ancestors), but my independent polling project has only recently begun. On Sunday at the Fall Gathering, if I ask you where your family comes from, please don’t think I’m nosey; I’m conducting research. Actually, I think I’ll encourage some middle school students to help me find out where in the world and in the United States the current PHS families have come from. We’ll post our findings on the middle school bulletin board on the third floor.
In less than two weeks, the sixth and seventh graders will head off to Point Reyes and Yosemite respectively. Just as an off-campus experience led me to investigate the national representation of our collective ancestors, I hope that these two experiences will inspire middle-school students to pursue their own questions and conduct their own research projects.
I do not mean to imply that inquiry and investigation only occur when students are off campus. Drawing on nearly 80 years of PHS-style of progressive education, our teachers encourage students, as our mission statement articulates, “to question, evaluate, and think creatively and independently” -- whether in the humanities rooms, the art room, the library or JK Park. The fact that older, middle school students with learning differences provide a support group for younger students with similar academic challenges demonstrates an impressive level of creative thinking and unparalleled compassion.
Until next time,
Sidra
The Middle School Dean
September 01, 2006
From the associate director 09-01-06
Welcome to school year 2006-2007! This year heralds an especially exciting beginning as Brian Thomas begins his first school year with PHS. Brian and the administrative team have been hard at work through out the summer in preparation for the school year as much groundwork takes place during the relatively quieter summer months.
My summer included a month of much needed rest and relaxation in Chicago, Hawaii and the Sierras. I spent time hiking, kayaking, snorkeling and gardening. It felt wonderful to be physically active. And now I eagerly anticipate the adventure of our new school year. My job description provides much more time with students than was possible in the past couple of years through high school counseling and learning specialist work with the third, fourth and fifth grades.
I will also be overseeing the accreditation process with the California Association of Independent Schools. Every six years, fully accredited independent schools are required to conduct a self-study which results in a document describing all aspects of the school. A team comprised of lead administrators from other CAIS schools will use this document as the framework for their three day visit in January during which time they will observe classes, meet with board members and parents, interview administrators and faculty. The conclusion of their visit is a recommendation to CAIS for the terms of our accreditation accompanied by commendations and recommendations that will help direct our goal setting over the next several years. It’s a big and very exciting project! You’ll hear more about this as the year progresses.
I will also be providing support to Brian and the school through special projects while overseeing our mentoring program, supporting the Parent Group for Learning Differences, representing PHS in neighborhood relations, managing our standardized testing program, continuing implementation of the strategic plan and supporting the admissions activities. I’m looking forward to a busy, challenging and rewarding year. I’m back in my old office over looking the sand yard on the first floor. Please stop by and say hello!
Ann Meissner
Associate Director
From the middle school dean 09-01-06
My duties as middle school dean started officially on Wednesday, July 5, but the fun part of my job began when students filled the building on Wednesday, August 30. Not all of them will admit it, but many of the students were happy to start school this August as well. After more than two months of summer vacation, most students were tremendously excited to return to school and their school-year routines. Many of them were looking forward to embarking upon new, educational explorations, and all of them were enthusiastic about connecting with friends and classmates – old and new.
Like the new students, I am learning my way around the building; like them, I am working hard to memorize the schedule and remember other people’s names. I must say, however, that even though it is hard to be new, it feels good to be new at PHS. Countless people – from students to parents to staff – have reached out to me, helping with my transition to San Francisco and welcoming me to PHS. A network of supportive and kind individuals, PHS embraces its new community members – teachers, parents, and students alike. In fact, one of the highlights of my week was watching a returning student sit down next to a new student who was preparing to eat lunch alone.
Undoubtedly, this year will include many more highlights, some of which I will share with you in my Friday Letter. I expect to write about both academic and co-curricular happenings. The middle school teachers have designed a range of engaging educational activities from mock trials to building model bridges, from writing stories to conducting experiments on a research vessel in San Francisco Bay. Surely, I’ll have plenty to write about after visiting middle school classes. And based on the list of annual events and traditions that the middle school students created, I will have plenty of non-academic material to write about as well. I’ve already participated in my first Park Lunch, and I’m excited about spending a night with the sixth-graders at Pt. Reyes in a few weeks. Even though it’s only September 1st, I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Halloween costumes as they parade through the neighborhood. This year promises to be a great one, and it’s only just begun.
Please enjoy a safe Labor Day weekend, and we’ll see your children on Tuesday morning.
Sidra Smith Walhaltere
Middle School Dean
From the lower school dean 09-01-06
Welcome back. The sun came out to greet us all on our first day of school this year, and let’s hope we see a lot of it this month. Kids will be eager to play with new and old friends on the yard during their breaks and after school, and the sunny, dewy mornings only help to emphasize the enthusiasm, energy, and hopefulness of starting a new school year. September is such a fabulous time in our school and in our city, and I’m thrilled to see all of the friendly and eager faces, most familiar and some brand new.
As I’m writing this on our very first day, Steve, our veteran Kindergarten teacher, is taking some of the newest PHS students around the building, showing them where everything is. Although our school is small, it must be overwhelming for the new kindergartners coming in on day one. Having worked with Steve for sixteen years, I know he keeps this in mind and works to make this daunting transition into “real” school as comfortable and as safe as possible. I’ve seen it year after year, after about ten days or so, it starts to feel as if these kindergarteners have been here for months; they begin to exude confidence and come quickly to know that this is their school.
These last couple of weeks have been incredible. Seeing teachers and other staff transform the building into a school once again is an amazing experience. During the summer months, although camps were on site, the energy was very different. Preparing for the arrival of nearly 200 kids, and their eager (and sometimes anxious) parents, is quite a feat.
And so we’re off, our first short week is under our belts, and we now get to enjoy a three-day-weekend and rest up for the upcoming month. If I haven’t met you yet, please feel free to stop by the library, which also serves as my office. I’d love to hear about your first few days.
Lisa Jeli
Lower School Dean & Librarian