"It's kind of like a surprise, what happens each day."

Rose looks forward to coming to Presidio Hill School each day. Her second grade teacher, Patty, "makes the days exciting," says Rose. Whether she and her classmates are deconstructing fairy tales they've read, designing and building castles they've imagined, or studying butterflies they've raised, the classroom is an active, lively place.

Rose joined Presidio Hill in first grade. She says she felt like a member of the community right from the start "What I liked when I came here, they welcomed me and they didn't act as if I was a new person," Rose says. "Presidio Hill School has a lot of nice kids…. The teachers are nice and the kids don't exclude you."

She also appreciates that her teachers make the time and effort to get to know the students well. "They listen to you," Rose says. Careful listening and the ensuing dialogue that takes place are a regular feature of the classroom experience.

For Rose and her classmates, such dialogue may take the form of Kiva. "Kiva is this time in second grade where we talk about the problems we're having," says Rose. Students and teacher work together to identify possible solutions and plot a course of action. This is just one way in which students learn to advocate for themselves and others, and in doing so, build caring connections throughout the community.