The SF K Files

Important Update regarding Transitional Kindergarten (TK) in SFUSD

2012-01-25T20:55:00.000-08:00

Effective immediately, SFUSD will not be offering Transitional Kindergarten (TK) for the 2012-2013 school year. Only students turning 5 years old on or before Nov. 1 will be eligible for Kindergarten entry for the 2012-2013 school year.

In the Governor’s proposed budget for the 2012-2013 school year, school districts would not receive any funding for Transitional Kindergarten, and the state would not mandate districts to offer it. Given that SFUSD cannot afford to offer Transitional Kindergarten if it is not funded by the state, SFUSD will not plan to offer Transitional Kindergarten for the upcoming school year.
While the California Department of Education continues to provide updates and the situation may change over the course of the next several months, SFUSD is moving forward on the assumption that there will be insufficient funding to offer Transitional Kindergarten in the 2012-2013 budget.

SFUSD is providing this notification so that families who were interested in TK can take action to make alternative arrangements for their children for the 2012-2013 school year.

New 4th grade class opening at Clarendon next year

2012-01-25T20:52:00.000-08:00

Dear PPS,

Due to an imbalance in grade levels, Clarendon Elementary is opening up a new 4th grade class next year. Can you post the attached information on your website so families with current 3rd grade students can enroll in Clarendon for 2012-2013 during the EPC enrollment windows? Feel free to call me if you have questions.

Peter Van Court
Principal
Clarendon Elementary
415-759-2796

Share your public school lists!

2012-01-24T17:19:00.001-08:00

Public school applications are due Friday, January 27. Feel free to share your school lists in the comments. Which schools are your top picks? Which schools are your back-ups?

Don't miss this dance party to benefit PPS-SF!

2012-01-24T17:04:00.000-08:00

Parents for Public Schools is having its first fund-raising event. It’s also the last day to turn in enrollment applications so we’ll be ready for some cheer and celebration. Hope you can join us and help support Parents for Public School in a fun way!

You are invited to a DANCE PARTY!

What: Come join friends for dancing and delicious food. There will be a buffet, door prizes, Salsa dancing, lots of good cheer and fun.
Where: Rosy’s Restaurant: 2341 Folsom St. (between 19th and 20th St.)
When: Friday January 27th - 3:00pm to 10:00pm
Cost: Admission $20 (A Benefit for Parents for Public Schools)

International SF Camp Fair

2012-01-19T16:04:00.001-08:00

International SF Camp Fair: Over 50 camps represented.

Date: Saturday, February 4th
Time: 9:30am to 12:30pm
Location: French American International School Gym, 150 Oak St at Franklin, San Francisco

2012 San Francisco Summer Resource Fair: Over 200 camps represented.

Date: Saturday, March 3rd
Time: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: Concourse Exhibition Center, 635 8th Street, San Francisco

More info

Bayview Enrollment Fair This Sat Jan 21st from 1-4PM at True Hope Church

2012-01-19T09:36:00.000-08:00

A small group of parents have organized an Enrollment Fair this Sat, Jan 21st from 1-4 PM at True Hope Church (950 Gilman) in the Bayview.

Historically, the Bayview community under participates in the enrollment process. The goal of the enrollment fair is to achieve higher participation by providing Bayview families with information regarding their school assignment options. Furthermore, we have arranged with EPC to have staff available to accept Assignment Applications.

We have invited all Bayview elementary schools as well as approximately 20 additional elementary schools to participate in the fair. We are providing information about each school including distance from the Bayview as well as how long it would take to commute to each school via Muni.

PPS and edMatch are sponsoring the fair. Circle Bank has made a monetary contribution to offset expenses. And Patxi's Pizza has generously donated lunch for all fair participants.

Everyone is welcome! If you still have some questions or have not turned in your enrollment form yet, please join us!

Tech Search Party 3.0!

2012-01-18T11:47:00.001-08:00

With just a few weeks to go, its time to sign up for Tech
Search Party at www.techsearchparty.com

TSP 3.0 will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2012 - 5:30 to
8:00 pm.

As a reminder, Tech Search Party is the annual scavenger
hunt fundraiser that takes place in Noe Valley. All money raised goes to
Alvarado Elementary, James
Lick Middle School, and Marshall Elementary

The affair kicks off at James Lick Middle School and
concludes two hours later at The Valley Tavern.

All teams need is at least one smart phone, plus comfortable shoes.

There are prizes for the top three teams, the best team
name, and a new prize this year called the Condescending Ribbon for the
last-place team.

Teams of up to 4 can register for $50 and teams of up to 6
for $75.

Details, registration and more at www.techsearchparty.com

TechSearchParty.jpg
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Application deadline looming

2012-01-13T20:33:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone

Thanks to Kate for turning on comments again.

Its been a busy 2 months for us. I toured a school not on my original list and turned in our application last week. I haven't had a chance to add my school tour notes but here is a summary with my list.

A quick summary shows that our top choices are small schools, Middle School Feeders also affected our choice. Afterschool care cost also a factor, any afterschool care run by the CDCs at the school would be in the $460 range for us, and that would be difficult for us at this time.

Sanchez: Our top choice. It is easy to get to on Muni for us (we are close to Market Street and the F runs frequently enough). My husband and I toured separately and both were very impressed with the principal Dr. Isola. The FLES (Foreign Language in Elementary School) program is a big draw for us. We didn't think full immersion is right for our son but 3 hours a week we think will be great. The api scores do not bother us, our visits to the school show a dedicated staff and happy students who are learning and respectful. They have dance, gardening/science, computer, library time for all grades. I also think that this is a school we can get into in the first round which is a big deal for us. The afterschool care is open to all students and at this time is free to all students, which is huge for us. I feel I need to write up a longer review of this school which is one I hear referred to frequently as a terrible school, and I saw nothing on my tour that makes it terrible (except api). The one con is the start time 7:50, but with it being so easy to get to and not out of the way for my husband or I to get to work and drop our younger son at daycare it is doable. Everett is the feeder Middle School, I do like to think of my children in schools next to each other when the older one moves into Middle School. 2 GE K classes, 1 Spanish Bilingual K, 1 special Ed class (K, 1, 2). There is a PTA and all goals are posted in the school corridors, along with art, poetry and essays by the children.

Harvey Milk: I love the small size and huge parent/community involvement. Work on a water garden was in progress when we visited. We visited many classrooms and had Q&A with the 5th Graders. It is a little more difficult for us to get to on public transportation, but still doable with a later start time of 9:20 (or is it 9:30?). Afterschool care asks for an $80 donation a month. The principal is new to the school in 2011 and met with the touring parents. Everett is the Middle School from the Feeder plan. 2 GE K classes.

McKinley: This seems like a fantastic school as well with a huge parent/community involvement. Early start time 7:50am. Quite a few afterschool options, including language and reasonable cost around $230, but if you mix the programs it will cost a little more. E.g. Language is Monday to Thursday, if you need additional care on Friday you can pay extra. The principal met with the touring parents at the beginning of the tour. Putting this school down was a long shot as it is oversubscribed AND we didn't put it first. It is also not that easy to get to on public transportation, parking is pretty difficult (I got a ticket on the tour), I'm not sure if there is a rolling drop off like some other schools had. Everett is also the Middle School on this and from what I overheard on tour parents are not happy about this. 3 K GE classes.

Daniel Webster: Our Assignment area school. Again small school, but only 1 K class out of 3 is GE. ISA is the feeder Middle school, but it is also a High School. I'm not happy with that. This is also not as easy to to get to for us, however the start time is great 8:40.

Schools we did not list and why

Bessie Carmichael: 4 K classes, the school just seemed too big. It also seems disorganized. My first tour which I scheduled early in the search process was not successful as either the office had not notified the principal or they did not notify me that he was not available. So it was a bit of a panic when I showed up. The parent liason stepped up to show me the school but was unable to answer most of my questions regarding education/discipline. On my second tour which was led by the Vice Principal we only saw the K classes, I thought this was odd as on every other tour I have been welcome in all classrooms. But I do know that other schools do not do this either. I just didn't get a sense that this would be a good place for my son. I wanted to love this school, however the size and the afterschool fees (CDC) are just not a fit for us.

Tenderloin Community: I posted a review for this school and I did really like it. But 4 K classes seems too big, the Feeder school is Francisco which is also a negative for us due to location.

I'm really happy with our choices, I'm was also pleasantly surprise after all the negative things I've heard about the SFUSD schools to have seen such great schools, everyone that we visited had teachers who had the children engaged in learning. All of the children seemed to be learning the same things when we visited. This was not as daunting as I first thought.

Good luck everyone, and if you have feedback on my selections please share.

thanks

Comments are back on for now

2012-01-10T07:48:00.001-08:00

Comments are back on yet registration is required. Please stay tuned while we try to figure out how to manage the troll situation.

Why the blog is dead, I think

2011-12-24T17:36:00.000-08:00

Right now, the blog is set so only reviewers can post. I used to review under this name, so I can still post under it. But I can't post under my usual Gmail name.

Kate, are you out there? Can you set it so that people can comment, if not anonymously, with a "handle?" Otherwise, there's no real way to use the blog.

No Grattan Tour This Friday 12/16

2011-12-14T12:13:00.000-08:00

I was just asked by a Grattan parent to let the K Files community know that Grattan Elementary will not hold its regularly scheduled tour this Friday 12/16.

Tours will resume after winter break. Check Grattan's website for more details. http://grattanes-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/

M.I.A

2011-12-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't been posting. With work, family, and the holidays, it's been crazy. I've actually had to cancel a couple of tours due to last minute work stuff. Ok, enough about my excuses. I still have a few more schools to tours before applications are due next month.

As I mentioned before I've visited all our our parochial schools, and we have decided to apply to St. Finn Barr. It was our favorite parochial. The principal is energetic and the school has a lot to offer like spanish daily, small community feel, and science lab with dedicated science teacher.

For public I visited Rooftop, Alvarado and Glen Park. I'll start with Rooftop and Alvarado, and there isn't much more for me to add that hasn't already been said. Both of these schools have a huge dedicated PTAs that raise a lot of money, and therefor are able to fund enrichment programs like art, gardening, sensory classes, and the list goes on. You could tell through the tours that parents are involved. I was also impressed by both principals- they were professional, smart, and really were dedicated to the school. Now, our chances of getting into either of these schools are slim to none.

Glen park is our neighborhood school. I went to see Rooftop first and then Glen Park. So at first it was a different experience. Rooftop probably had more like 100 people, and Glen Park had 10. Glen Park tour wasn't as organized, so I was a bit disappointed at first, but got past that. The principal is "old school" as other have mentioned, but she is dedicated to her school. There is a small PTO, that has been focused on community building. This year their goal is raise $35K to support Playworks. No, they don't have all the enrichment programs that other schools offer. But, I think (or hope) they eventually will with a growing PTO that can help support these programs. They did get a grant to "green" the school, but I didn't get more information on the plans or when the greening will begin. Other pluses- recent remodel, trips to the canyon, and no junk food policy.

I will write up a more details over the next few days on Glen Park, and post under the school files. But, I liked Glen Park, and would think our son would be happy and safe there. In some ways I want to be part of building our neighborhood school.

If you have any specif questions, please let me know.

Happy Holidays.

Have you applied?

2011-11-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

It's been a bit of radio silence on the blog lately so I wanted to check in. I'm done with all my tours and plan to work on my application soon. Have you applied? Has touring changed your mind about certain schools? Let us know where you are in the process and even share your schools if you don't mind.

PS- as stated earlier, please keep this civil and informative.

Lola

Trolls on the SF K Files

2011-11-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

The SF K Files has long had a problem with trolls but the issue has become increasingly worse and gotten out of hand. We've temporarily removed the Community so we can spend some time deleting certain inappropriate threads. Also, if you have any thoughts on how we can deal with trolls and bring this site back to the thoughtful, supportive community it once was please share your thoughts. Any comments in this thread that don't focus on how to deal with trolls and on the future of this site will be deleted. Thank you.

Jose Ortega Harvest Festival, Sat. Nov. 19

2011-11-13T09:18:00.001-08:00

Is SFUSD Ready for Online Enrollment?

2011-11-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

The SFUSD enrollment paperwork can be maddening. I envy my friends in Phoenix who have online enrollment (click here for website). Checking school enrollment resources on the Internet, I found many school districts nationwide offer online enrollment. But not SFUSD...

Why is SFUSD, with its proximity to Silicon Valley, still in the dark ages of school enrollment processes? Shuffling papers, losing papers, manually entering data (once!), and blaming the computer for "glitches."

Can you imagine what it would be like if the staff at 555 Franklin did not accidently lose your second page of school choices? Did not accidently separate your twins' application forms? Did not accidently miscode your language immersion? Did not accidently repeat Flynnarado (a third time)?!

Can you imagine what it would be like changing or amending your school choices right up until the last day without looking for parking or waiting in line? Or getting updated waitlist numbers instantly so that you could make more informed choices, without yet another phone call or trip to EPC?

Can you imagine a world where SFUSD got it right the first time without human error?

- Donna

Parents Want Honors Classes: Let The Data Speak!

2011-11-08T06:14:00.000-08:00

There is an interesting topic in the Community Forum, "Any Parents of Gifted Kids Out There?", where parents are expressing their frustration with SFUSD policies and practices regarding educational opportunities for gifted students. This is a particularly sensitive topic for middle school parents, and one that threatens to undermine the middle school feeder plan.

I compiled the following information from the middle school inventory on electives and honors classes and the historical demand for 2011-2012, which are available on the SFUSD website. SFUSD has a column in their inventory spreadsheet to note if a school employs tracking or not (see column 5, "Are Students Tracked?").

Here are the middle schools that offer Honors classes and track students, followed by the number of first choice requests:
AP Giannini: 554
Aptos: 499
Francisco: 99
Hoover: 287
Marina: 125
Presidio: 540
Roosevelt: 274

Here are the middle schools that DO NOT offer Honors classes or track students, followed by the number of first choice requests:
Denman: 97
Everett: 44
ISA: 21
King: 101
Lick ("algebra is slightly tracked"): 198
Vis Valley (applies to 7th and 8th grade): 31

According to the data, PARENTS WANT HONORS CLASSES AND CHALLENGING EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS FOR THEIR CHILDREN.

Of course, if you don't want honors classes for your child, then the spreadsheets on the SFUSD website are helpful for finding a school that matches your educational preferences.

- Donna

Daniel Webster Tour Notes

2011-11-07T21:56:00.000-08:00

Hi All
I've added my tour notes for Daniel Webster our attendance area school here
http://community.thesfkfiles.com/forum/discuss/review/12030

My Impressions
I loved my visit to Daniel Webster. The parents here are hugely committed to the school, as is the local community. The PTA is pretty new (maybe 2 years?) but are already getting some great funding and resources into the school, there is a school site council which votes on how the funds are allocated.
The children all appeared to me to be kind and respectful to one another and adults

I've been impressed with all of the public schools I've visited so far regardless of their API scores, which in fact I'm pretty much disregarding at this point.

Even my original three criteria might need to be more flexible
* A great GE program with additional art, music, sport
All of the GE K classes (and higher grades) that I have been in seem to be working in the same way. They all have lots of art on the walls. Most tours are in the morning which is more advantageous to learning so children have always been doing numbers or letters at that time. But I don't doubt that they are getting art in their day. Sport is pretty much PE and is the same everywhere. Some schools have Playworks for recess which is a more co-ordinated play time.
* a guaranteed spot in an after school program which isn't outrageously expensive
There is a CDC onsite and they charge $460 per month for fee paying. There are also Parks & Rec which walk the children to Jackson park, Recess which is offsite and Active Kids which is offsite. There is an Excel program starting in January 2012
* thirdly we would like the school to be easily accessible by public transportation or walking so that either of us can do pick ups.
Location: 10 minutes to drive - but I would feel pretty guilty adding to the pollution and traffic for a one mile school trip. The school is not walkable in a reasonable time. Bus and walking would be around 35-40 minutes door to door.

Something I did not add to my criteria but I'm finding it impacting my choice is the Middle School Feeder program. e.g. I'm not touring Starr King because it feeds into Aptos which is a geographically difficult commute from SOMA.
Daniel Webster feeds into ISA a 6-12 school. On paper (API) it looks better (marginally) than Everett but I can't get past the 6-12 part. I went to their table at the SFUSD school fair this weekend and asked for information on their Middle School program. They had a little stack of High school info and handed me a pamphlet and told me that they are a a High School though they are the only 6-12 in San Francisco. Well I know they are, but if they don't seem to care about the Middle School why should we send our children there? I do know that the parents at Daniel Webster are meeting with SFUSD tonight to discuss the Feeder Program and I am on tenterhooks waiting to find out how it went. Please let us know DW parents.

So yet another public school that I would be happy to send my child to, the middle school feeder school not so much.

MJ

Carlos Garcia and SFUSD Afraid to Ask the Obvious Questions

2011-11-07T14:54:00.000-08:00

The new 2012-2013 SFUSD application form is now available (download here). I was befuddled by Item 9 Parent Survey, which asks parents to rate 15 items on a scale of 1 to 5 in terms of importance (5 being “Very Important”). The 15 items include the following: attend school with sibling, attend after school program at school, language pathway, special education services, school bus transportation, near home, near childcare, near work, school hours, diversity of students, neighborhood safety, school’s academic reputation, teachers and principal, parent community, and recommendation by family/friends. SFUSD claims that they are soliciting this feedback to get “a better understanding of what is important to families.”

Now, anyone who was involved with the Middle School Feeder community forums and the Quality Middle School initiative last year knows that “Honors/AP classes,” “Uniform elective offerings (band, orchestra, art, drama, etc),” and “GATE programs and activities” were among the top rated items that were identified as “very important” to prospective middle school families.

Carlos Garcia and SFUSD don’t REALLY care about what is important to us. If they did, they would have included these obvious items in their survey. I hope that SFUSD will add these items to the 2012-2013 application form to demonstrate that they really care about our opinions.

- Donna

Carlos Garcia and SFUSD Insensitive to LGBT Families

2011-11-07T14:52:00.000-08:00

The new 2012-2013 SFUSD application form is now available (download here). I was surprised by Item 8 Parent Educational Level, which has two rows: one labeled “Mother” and one labeled “Father.” It was my understanding that “Mother” and “Father” were to be replaced by gender-neutral terms for parents and partners, such as “Parent 1” and Parent 2,” on all public education documents to acknowledge the rich family diversity in our culturally tolerant City, where two-mom and two-dad households are common (even 2 moms plus 2 dads!).

I hope that SFUSD will remove these archaic family descriptors from the 2012-2013 application form as the first step of demonstrating a welcoming environment for LGBT families.

- Donna

St. Finn Barr and St. Paul's Tour Notes

2011-11-04T08:06:00.001-07:00

Hello there,

I've now toured all the parochial schools on my list. I have one more private school to tour, and then all my public schools on my list.

Here are my recent tour notes:

St. Finn Barr
http://community.thesfkfiles.com/page/25750/St_Finn_Barr_School

St. Paul's
http://community.thesfkfiles.com/page/25575/St_Pauls

If you missed it, notes on St. Philips
http://community.thesfkfiles.com/page/25574/St_Philip_School

Overall I was impressed with St. Paul's and St. Finn Barr. Both had very diverse student bodies, and catholic/non-catholic families attending. Another interesting note is both of these schools have new principals.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any additional questions or comments. Also, if you are parent of any of these schools, please feel free to elaborate or provide your input on your experience.

Have nice weekend.

Mission Dolores Academy Tour Notes

2011-11-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Parents
I've added my tour notes for Mission Dolores here
http://community.thesfkfiles.com/forum/discuss/review/12021

This was my very first school tour and I was very impressed, as it was the first I wrote lots of notes on my first impressions. After seeing public schools I am quite happy with either option. The curriculum seems to be similar. The resources are of course not the same. Anyway here are my thoughts from early October.

Tour Impressions:
My first impression was wow this looks just like my old school. Statues of Saints, teachers who are on you if you stare at the ceiling, "the answer is not up there", uniforms, nuns (we met one who does the Religion class).

But in touring each classroom it was not at all like my old school. Students were engaged rather than being forced to repeat formulas or poems. This of course is just an hour to view and early in the day when the children are at their best. The classrooms had computers and every grade had 50% of the class on computers with one teacher, the second teacher in front of the class teaching. In the mornings there may only be one teacher for the first two hours as they come in at different hours so that they can oversee after school care.

In the K class where they were doing Math (sorting the order of numbers) we noticed a Red, Orange, Green chart. Green is good behavior, orange is warning. I know some people have issues with this form of discipline but I don't. My son's daycare also uses it in the preschool class.
For discipline issues they talk to the students parents to work out a plan of action to improve the behavior and figure out what is causing it. (BTW in later tours I saw exactly the same math and discipline in public schools)
They also have a random acts of kindness program where staff (all staff) usually have stars in their pockets to hand out to kids when they see them being kind and thoughtful. Positive reinforcement is encouraged (saw this in 2 public schools)

Each grade has a student of the month and they get to go for lunch with the Principal at the end of the month. (saw this in 1 public schools I toured)

The school works with SFUSD for issues regarding learning difficulties such as dyslexia.
The 8th Grade are currently working on their applications for High School and most go on to Catholic High Schools. They have to apply to at least 3 High schools with one being a public, usually Lowell or SOTA. Teachers work with groups of 6 students on essays.

All in all I really liked Mission Dolores Academy and would not think of it as a back up at all. We intend to apply, depending on the other schools we tour it may end up being very high on our list. The tuition is comparable to what we would pay with afterschool care in almost all of the other schools on our list. It won't be a cake walk but if this is the best fit for our son, then we will figure out a way to make it work.
MJ

SF Examiner: San Francisco wants cut of PTA's school parking fundraisers

2011-11-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

This from the SF Examiner:

Schools across San Francisco are strapped for cash, so for those around Golden Gate Park, this month’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival was a big opportunity. Over the festival weekend, Parent Teacher Associations manned the schools’ parking lots, charging concertgoers up to $25 to park.

But some PTA volunteers were surprised when inspectors from the Treasurer and Tax Collector’s Office showed up during the weekend and demanded that they collect a 25 percent tax on parking.

“We had no idea,” said San Francisco Parent Teacher Association President Michelle Parker. “They haven’t been collecting it until now anyway.”

Parker said PTAs have been running these fundraisers during major events such as Outside Lands and Fleet Week for many years. The events can raise as much as $5,000 a day, she said.

“What’s really great about parking fundraisers is you’re not pulling from the school community,” said Parker, whose organization assists school-based groups.

The tax has been on the books for many years and applies to every parking operation, from downtown garages to dirt lots near the ballpark, said treasurer’s office spokesman Greg Kato. The tax, most of which is earmarked for the Municipal Transportation Agency, is levied against the customers rather than the operator, but the operator must pass the revenue to The City.

“We do have a team of investigators because we want to make sure we collect the same tax for everyone’s sake,” he said.

Read the full story

SF Public School Enrollment Fair

2011-11-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

WHAT: The annual Enrollment Fair, featuring every San Francisco public school.

WHEN: Saturday, November 5 / 10 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Concourse Exhibition Center

620 – 7th Street (near Brannan)

WHY: Families who want to enroll their child in a public school for next fall

have a chance to speak with school principals, teachers, and parents from all S.F. public schools.

Last year, approximately 10,000 people attended.

This is the first year that incoming sixth graders may receive a tie-breaker if they choose their middle school feeder and parents of children turning five years old between November 1 and December 2, 2012 can enroll in a transitional kindergarten program.

District officials will be hosting workshops to explain the middle school feeders, transitional kindergarten as well as the assignment system overall.

Proposition H: How will you vote?

2011-11-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

Please use this space to discuss Prop H. Please stay on this topic in this thread. And please help create a safe space to discuss this topic by being respectful. Thank you.

Lola's Junipero Serra Tour notes

2011-11-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

More tour notes! This time from Junipero Serra. This is my neighborhood school.

http://community.thesfkfiles.com/page/1514/Junipero_Serra

Overall, this school lands in the middle for me. Not one of the best out there, but it has potential. It's a get your hands dirty type of school. The parents and the principal are dedicated to making this the next up and comer. I truly hope it does get there. It's definitely a see for yourself type of school. If you're willing to put in the time to help it along, it's a good fit.

Check out more detailed notes at the above link.

Lola's McKinley Tour Notes are up

2011-10-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

I just posted my review of McKinley:

http://community.thesfkfiles.com/forum/discuss/review/11902

The tour was led by two parents.

Overall, I really liked McKinley. The parents seem very involved and everyone seems very committed. The building was charming and inviting. The kids were happy and engaged. There was a good balance in diversity. The few teachers we saw were dynamic. Lots of extras and enrichment activities. The only negative I came across was that the rooms looked a bit cluttered. There was a lot of “stuff” up against the walls. Not sure what all the stuff was or why it’s stored in the classrooms. I’m assuming there’s no closet space or storage elsewhere on site. But that is a small negative, if any. I will add this school to my application.

Check out my complete review at the link above.

As always, add your thoughts in the comments.

Tenderloin Community School Tour Notes

2011-10-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

Hello
I just posted my tour notes for Tenderloin Community School

http://community.thesfkfiles.com/forum/discuss/review/11898

I've toured 6 schools so far (notes are coming) and two are most likely not going to go on my list. THIS IS NOT one of those schools.

I had a wonderful tour of this school, my tour notes should cover the building itself, which is new, big and bright.
But it meet my original criteria?
* A great GE program with additional art, music, sport
After a few tours I now realise that Art is part of K and most grades I see also do art. There does not seem to be any organised sport of K and especially in Public schools (or maybe only the ones I've seen). They do all have PE and most have Playworks. So I think I'm being realistic saying I want a great GE program now.
K classes goal of reading at Grade level this year
There are music classes for grades 3-5
There was lots of art on all the walls
There was plenty of play space
The children I saw in different grades were engaged and the teachers were in control (to my eyes anyway)

* a guaranteed spot in an after school program which isn't outrageously expensive
There is a CDC onsite and they charge $460 per month for fee paying. This seems to be the standard rate. It seems likely that we could get an after care, even after low SES families have their spots. It is not outrageously expensive but not cheap.
* thirdly we would like the school to be easily accessible by public transportation or walking so that either of us can do pick ups.
Location: less than a 20 minute walk from SOMA, which is pretty good for us, close to bus lines and BART

Why the school may not be a fit for us
* It is big, I know schools are bigger these days but it felt quite overwhelming to me (389). The K and 1st grades are on their own floor and have their own play area which is completely separate so this may not be as much of an issue as I think it is. The special Ed Class K,1,2 also uses this floor and play area.
* The feeder school is Francisco which is not convenient for us - yes 6 years away but we may not always work in our current locations, or even live where we live now. Also our younger son will start K in 2015 and drop offs and pick ups in those two locations would be logistically difficult.

Please feel free to add any questions. I've taken lots of notes and may not be covering everything that people would like to know.
Thanks
MJ

Ask NOT what your middle school can do for you. Ask what YOU can do for your middle school!

2011-10-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been several years since the District began touting "Quality Middle Schools for All." For the past year, it was the slogan for the middle school feeder proposal.

Now, all is quiet on the Western front. Who’s minding the store? Is anything happening to improve middle schools?

Do you have a story (or two) to share with SF K Files readers that shows how the District has been working towards improving your child's middle school over the past year?

- Donna

edMatch Benefit Concert--SF Kids Music Festival This Sun, Oct 23

2011-10-19T04:51:00.000-07:00

We are getting very excited -- the SF Kids Music Festival is THIS Sunday, October 23rd from 11:30am-5:00pm at theLittle Marina Green! We look forward to seeing you there! Help spread the word - feel free to forward this email newsletter to your friends, families and school communitiesabout this all-day, fun, family-friendly event that raises money for San Francisco's public schools.

Family Fun Abounds at the Festival!
In addition to the ten (10!) kids bands from local schools and the amazing culinary offerings from Off the Grid food trucks, there will also be great activities to keep your family entertained throughout the day...

Tree Frog Treks is bringing snakes and lizards and other cool science stuff;
The de Young Museum is bringing artists to do crafts with kids;
An airbrush artist is decorating hats and other things (for a small fee);
Book Pig is setting up a "lounge" for kids to peruse books and read;
The San Francisco Fire Department is bringing a fire truck; and
Happily Ever Laughter is sending face painters, among other things!

Buy Tickets online, at any SF Sports Basement, or at the Festival!
The SF Kids Music Festival is an affordable day of fun for the family. Tickets are $10 or $5 for kids under 5. Babes in arms are free. Free T-shirts for all kids while supplies last! A Family four-pack of tickets costs just $30.

Tickets are available on-line or at both San Francisco Sports Basement Stores (tickets available at registers, all process fees waived). Sports Basement will also be providing discount coupons for SF Kids Music Festival attendees. And of course, tickets are available the day of the Festival!

Thank You!
Again, we'd like to thank our sponsors and partners -- Sports Basement, San Francisco Parks and Recreation, Patxi's, the de Young Museum, Circle Bank and Comcast. And, we thank you, families, friends, and all supporters of San Francisco's public schools. We are truly grateful for your support.

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday, October 23rd!Don't forget to help us spread the word by forwarding this email newsletter to three people you know in San Francisco!

Have a great week!
The edMatch Team

St. Philip's Tour Notes

2011-10-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

St. Philips was the first school my husband and I toured. It was a little hard to digest the tour since I couldn't really compare it to another school.As I mentioned in my original post we plan to visit our neighborhood school, Glen Park, and a couple of trophy, parochial and private schools over the next few months.

St. Philips Tour Notes Here:
http://community.thesfkfiles.com/page/25574/St_Philip_School

The school seemed academic, traditional and had a strong parent community. There was structure. I felt a little underwhelmed after the tour. I think I expected a little more "spunk" or "creativity". I might be naive since I haven't visited other schools or in a 60 minute tour it's kind of hard to really know a school. In each classroom we observed all the kids were working individually or listening to the teacher.

I'm not sure if the environment would be right for our child. We are looking for a school that incorporates a hybrid of hand-on projects/real-life examples vs. all worksheets. Does this exist?

I would love to get feedback from parents that have a child at this school. Please comment.

Glen Park Elementary Tour Notes

2011-10-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow parents,

I just posted a few notes from my tour of Glen Park Elementary.

Please go to this link:
http://community.thesfkfiles.com/forum/discuss/review/11840

This was one of my first schools to tour, so I'm still forming my "reviews" and my thoughts on what to look for in a school. My goal is to tour two mid performing schools, two higher performing schools, a charter and a parochial. I'm trying to get a good balance under my belt to know what's really out there.

My overall thought was this is a very charming school with potential. The principal led the tour. She's pretty old school as far as principals go. This is good for some, but may not be for everyone. The school seems to be in a transition of sorts. A new PTO has formed which, I believe will help bring the school up a bit. The API scores seemed to have dropped in the past couple years. If anyone has insight on that, please comment below.

If you'd like to gain any additional knowledge from my tours, let me know.

Mayoral Candidate Forum about Public Education, Thurs Oct 20th 7-9PM

2011-10-18T05:56:00.000-07:00

Curious about how the mayoral candidates believe they can improve public education? Wondering where they stand on Prop A? Prop H? Do you want to know if they believe the City should be investing more into SFUSD? Then we have a mayoral forum for you.

Please join United Educators of San Francisco, United Way, San Francisco School Alliance, United Administrators of San Francisco, The San Francisco Foundation, Parents for Public Schools, The California Masonic Foundation, and The San Francisco Parent Political Action Committee for:

What: A mayoral forum focused on Public Education.

When: Thurs, Oct 20th from 7-9PM

Where: Tenderloin Community School. (627 Turk Street)

Parking and childcare available.

Parking is available under the school, enter off Elm St.

RSVP for childcare to Kathy Mooney at kmooney@UWBA.org

Cecelia Dodge, Assistant Superintendent for Special Education Resigns

2011-10-12T21:31:00.000-07:00

Effective December 2011.

I was saddened by the news. I had great hopes for Special Education in SF under her leadership. She will be missed.

- Donna

To help shed stigma, SF district putting kids with learning issues in mainstream classes

2011-10-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

(From The SF Examiner)

By: Amy Crawford | 10/02/11 4:00 AMExaminer Staff Writer

Molly Jo Alaimo stood at the front of the classroom, reviewing a math lesson with her fifth-graders.

“Make sure you line up your place values,” she said, as the children copied an addition problem. “Thumbs up if you have the sum.”

One by one, most of the children raised their thumbs. As they did, Marisa Maskin, a special-education teacher, looked around for anyone who was struggling with the three-digit addition problem. When she saw a child who didn’t get it, she crouched beside his desk, whispering tips to help him understand.

Two of the 26 students in the fifth-grade class at New Traditions Elementary in the North of Panhandle area have learning disabilities.

Instead of spending their days sequestered in special classes, this year they are part of an effort by the San Francisco Unified School District to keep them with their peers.

“They are part of the classroom,” said New Traditions Principal Maria Luz Agudelo.

In the past, Agudelo said, special-education students would spend most of their time in a separate room with Maskin. That isolation carried a stigma, Agudelo said, and the students missed out on socialization.

This year, teachers report that they are sitting with their peers at lunch and playing with them at recess.

District officials said mainstreaming as many special-education students as possible has long been a goal, but the new approach also is a response to a 2010 audit commissioned by the Board of Education.

The report called the old system “outdated” and found it inconsistent with the 1990 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a federal law that requires special-needs students to be educated in the “least restrictive environment” their disabilities allow.

This year, seats in regular kindergarten, sixth-grade and ninth-grade classrooms were set aside districtwide for special-education students.

New Traditions, which has a higher proportion of special-education students than other schools — about 14 percent — expanded the plan to all grades.

“It’s the right thing to do,” said Cecelia Dodge, SFUSD’s assistant superintendent for special education. “Most parents of children with disabilities want their children educated in the regular classroom, in the same rigorous, engaging curriculum as nondisabled peers, with accommodations or modifications when needed.”

Though district officials reported inclusion is popular with most parents, some have resisted. Parents have sued the district to keep their disabled children in special classes, and this month a judge decided in favor of a group of parents who wanted the district to continue a contract with a privately run special school.

“Parents of children with disabilities are equal partners in determining the education setting,” Dodge said. “Many students with disabilities still require that some or all of their education happens in a special-education setting.”

Schools around the state

Special-education students are a significant percentage of the state’s children.

6,383: Special-education students in San Francisco Unified School District
11.4: Percentage of special-education students in San Francisco
10,186: Special-education students in San Mateo County
11.1: Percentage of special-education students in San Mateo County
678,929: Special-education students in California
10.9: Percentage of special-education students statewide

Source: California Department of Education

acrawford@sfexaminer.com

Mayor Forum on Family Issues: Will you be there? Tues, Oct. 11 at 6:30

2011-10-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends -

The Candidates will be there! Will you? Don't miss this chance to hear about how they are addressing your issues.

We have great moderators and have put together excellent questions designed to dig below the surface of campaign slogans and empty sentiments.

PLEASE RSVP AND PLEASE SEND THIS ABOUT MADLY!

MAYORAL FORUM (sponsored by SF Parent PAC, SF Family Support Network, Teach for America, Parents for Public Schools & Congregation Sherith Israel)

Tuesday, October 11

6:30pm-8:30pm

Congregation Sherith Israel
2266 California Street (at Webster)

Refreshments

RSVP: Oct11CandidatesForum@gmail.com

The following questions were sent to the candidates ahead of time. Answers will be posted at www.sfparentpac.org. Moderators at the forum will base their follow up questions on candidates' answers.

These questions do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Parent PAC. Rather, these are questions about issues affecting families and children on which we think voters should know the candidates’ views.

Questions for the candidates:

1. As mayor, will you commit to appoint parents raising kids in San Francisco to City commissions and committees to ensure that the concerns of families, children and students are adequately voiced and addressed? Please answer Yes or No.

2. Parent PAC is an organization formed to be the voice of parents in San Francisco politics – a voice that is often sorely underrepresented or missing entirely from conversations about public policies that directly affect children and families. In addition to the above priority (appointing parents to commissions and committees), please tell us specifically how you plan to bring parents’ concerns into the mix of considerations when setting your policy agenda. Please limit your answer to 200 words.

3. Will you advocate for the renewal of Prop H (the Public Education Enrichment Fund) and use your position as mayor to renew and expand the Prop H funds? Please answer Yes or No.

4. What role do you think the mayor can and should play in the school district, if any? Please limit your answer to 200 words.

5. Do you support the recommendations for Rec & Park funding outlined by the SPUR September 2011 (pgs. 9-10) report:

• Doubling the Open Space Fund from 2.5 cents to 5 cents per $100 of valuation, which would generate $37.5M. Please answer Yes or No.

• Forming a citywide assessment district (or multiple small districts) to fund ongoing operations and enhance services, which would generate $15M. Please answer Yes or No.

• Taxing unhealthy behaviors (such as a soda tax) to benefit recreation activities, which would generate approximately $16.8M. Please answer Yes or No.

6. Will you lead and support a campaign for a new graduated parcel tax of at least $100M dedicated to schools, parks and libraries that provides support beyond Prop H for schools and also provides for funding to staff and programs for Rec & Park and Libraries? Please answer Yes or No.

7. What do you believe to the be cause(s) of the lack of housing stock appropriate for families and what specifically do you propose to do about it? Please limit your answer to 200 words.

8. Do you support free MUNI for all youth (under 18)? Please answer Yes or No.

PPSSF Enrollment Fair review

2011-10-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

I attended the PPSSF Enrollment workshop last night in Bernal Heights. I received a lot of good information about the admission process, school make-up and a bit of down to earth thoughts on how this craziness works. There were five parent representatives in attendance. The main speaker was a parent from Miraloma and the rest were from Alice Fong Yu, Rosa Parks, J Serra and Paul Revere. It was great hearing their perspectives.

Some takeaways:

1. Don’t weigh everything on the base test scores. Visit the schools to get a real feel for what is happening. The parent (Carol Lei) from Miraloma enrolled her child when the API score was 651 and the school was begging for enrollments. It’s now 865 and one of the trophies in the SE. A lot can change over the years. Parents, grant money, it all can make a difference.

2. 81% of last year’s applicants received one of their choices of schools. 75% of those were their 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd choice.

3. Get your application in on time!

4. List your schools in order of preference on your application. This is very important. Once the computer starts assigning schools, “it” assigns based on your order of preference after it goes through all the tiebreakers.

5. Everything will be ok. One of the parents from Rosa Parks even had a sign that said so! The sign was sort of a humorous take on her process and how much she poured over the data, had spreadsheets and went to the edge of nutty during her “time” in the trenches. Everything will work out.

6. Meet the parents of the schools you are interested in. Attend their Fall fairs, PTA meetings and so forth. These are the people you will be spending a lot of time with over the next 6 years. Make sure the families are a fit, not just the school.

I do feel the session was worth it and recommend attending one if you have time. If not you can still glean a lot of this info from the website and of course on this blog. I suppose hearing from the parents was the best part. I left feeling a lot less stressed about the process.

And off we go...

2011-10-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

I've been a woman on a mission today scheduling school tours. It's good I'm working from home today as my colleagues are pretty much sick of hearing me discuss my kindergarten search.

I have all my tours scheduled now, and look forward to sharing my notes with the rest of the community. I may be too optimistic, but I didn't want to tour a ton of schools. I've spoken to friends and neighbors that attend these schools, so feel comfortable with my list.

As with MJ's post, I've added tour schedules (Hope people find that helpful).

Glen Park
School tours are every Tuesday and start at 9am. The woman on the phone told me they are only scheduling tours through Nov 1 for now

Alvarado
Website has available days of open tours. Appreciated the online scheduling.

Miraloma
Website has available days of open tours. As with Alvarado I appreciated the online scheduling. The tours are self-guided.

St. Philips
You have to call the school to schedule a tour. They are every Tuesday/Thursday.

St. Pauls
Tours are on Wednesday. Call or email the principal to schedule.

Alta Vista
Next tour is November 30, but if this date doesn't work the principal is open to scheduling a tour

Synergy
Their website has available dates. You fill out a form, and someone emails you to confirm the date. I received confirmation within 24 hours.

If there is a school you feel that I should tour that isn't on my list, please leave a comment.

Benefit Concert for edMatch, Sunday, October 23rd--Support SF's Public Schools!

2011-10-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO KIDS MUSIC FESTIVAL LETS KIDS ROCK OUT ON THE MARINA GREEN!

WHO: A fundraiser for edMatch, a San Francisco non-profit raising money for San Francisco Public Schools

WHAT: SF Kids Music Festival, an all-day music festival for kids, by kids

WHEN: Sunday, October 23^rd, 2011 from 11:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Little Marina Green, 800 Marina Boulevard, in San Francisco--across from the Exploratorium

WHY: Proceeds will support edMatch a new, independent non-profit that challenges corporations and private philanthropists to "match" funds raised in San Francisco's public schools, then distributes the matching funds to all of the city's 113 schools on a per-student basis.

CONTACTS: Christopher White, SF Kids Music Festival Director: 415-710-9385 or cc_white@sbcglobal.net; and Liz Isaacs, edMatch Co-Founder: 415-235-5779 or liz@edmatchsf.org

SUMMARY:

The SF Kids Music Festival is an all-day music festival for kids, by kids. 10 kids bands from local schools will be playing live, inside a festival atmosphere designed for families. Joining in the fun are local food trucks from Off the Grid, the wild scientists from Tree Frog Treks, artists from the de Young Museum, the San Francisco Fire Department and more. Organizers are expecting 2,000 kids and family members to attend this unique San Francisco event.

"San Francisco is a fun city. And in that tradition, we wanted to put on a world-class music festival for all Bay Area kids," said Christopher White, the event's director.

Performers at the event include MYSTURBIA, Sputnik, the Hip Kids Chorus, Flaming Horizons, Black Bones, the SF Rock Project House Band, The Mif’s & Rainbow Beast and the Rock Band Land Rockers. Represented schools include: Francisco Middle, Gateway Middle, Aptos Middle, Dianne Feinstein Elementary, Rooftop Elementary, Herbert Hoover Middle, Lafayette Elementary, AP Gianini, St Gabriel's School, King Middle School (Berkeley), Head Royce (Oakland) & Tehiyah Day (El Cerrito).

Tickets are $10 or $5 for kids under 5. Babes in arms are free. Free T-shirts for all kids while supplies last! A Family four-pack of tickets costs just $30. Tickets are available on-line (http://tktwb.tw/sfkids) or at both San Francisco Sports Basement Stores, starting October 5^th (tickets available at registers, all process fees waived). Tickets are also available on the day of the festival.

All proceeds from the SF Kids Music Festival will go to support the mission of edMatch a new, independent non-profit that challenges corporations and private philanthropists to "match" funds raised in San Francisco's public schools, then distributes the matching funds to all of the city's 113 schools on a per-student basis.

More information about edMatch and the event can be found here: http://edmatchsf.org/

###

Parents for Public Schools: Library enrollment workshops

2011-10-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

Let Parents for Public Schools help you find a public school for your child.

Enrollment workshops throughout San Francisco

Learn about the public school enrollment process
Meet parents from various public schools
Get tips and advice from parents who have gone through the process

Schedule of Library Events
Wed, Oct. 5 6:30-8:00pm Bernal Heights Branch, 500 Cortland Ave.
Wed, Oct. 12 6:00-7:30pm Mission Bay Branch, 960 4th St.
Wed, Oct. 19 5:00-6:30pm Parkside Branch, 1200 Taraval St.
Thurs, Oct. 20 5:30-7:00pm Ocean View Branch, 345 Randolph St.
Thurs, Nov. 3 10:30am-12:00pm Noe Valley Branch, 451 Jersey St.
Thurs, Nov. 3 6:00-7:30pm Ortega Branch, 3223 Ortega St.
Thurs, Nov. 10 6:00-7:30pm Richmond Branch, 351 9th Ave.
Thurs, Nov. 17 6:30-8:00pm Marina Branch, 1890 Chestnut St.
Sat, Nov. 19 3:00-5:30pm Western Addition Branch, 1550 Scott St.
Mon, Nov. 28 7:00-8:30pm Sunset Branch, 1305 18th Ave.
Sat, Dec. 10 10:00-11:30am Visitacion Valley Branch, 201 Leland Ave.

Schedule of School Events & Webinar
Fri, Oct. 14 9:00-11:00am Sanchez Elementary, 325 Sanchez St.
Tues, Oct. 18 9:00-11:00am Malcolm X Academy, 350 Harbor Rd.
Mon, Oct. 24 11:00am-12:00pm Webinar, Register at www.ppssf.org
Wed, Oct. 26 8:15-10:00am Junipero Serra, 625 Holly Park Circle

Parents for Public Schools – San Francisco is a network of parents working together to build and ensure quality public schools for all children in San Francisco. Contact us at www.ppssf.org (415) 861-7077

Let the Tours Begin

2011-10-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

School tours begin this week and I'm excited to begin the search and share what I find.

From my original list I've scheduled one to two tours a week in October. From suggestions on comments on my first post I intend to add some additional schools in November. I don't think I will attend the November SFUSD fair as last year I was completely overwhelmed by it, however I will be calling PPS to get parent contacts for each Public Elementary to chat with.

I'm adding the tour schedules of my October list for anyone else who may be interested. Something I would really like to see soon is the SFUSD assignment information for the 2011 year, the initial March placement information only really shows how the top 14 were oversubscribed. I would like to see raw numbers rather than percentages for the other schools. Does anyone know when this information will be made public?

Thanks for your feedback.
MJ

Bessie Carmichael
Tuesdays at 9am
Call (415) 355-6916 to schedule

Daniel Webster
Fridays at 8:40am beginning on Oct 7th.
Call (415) 695-5787 to schedule

Harvey Milk
Tuesday & Wednesdays beginning Oct 11th. 10-11am Drop in only. Room #103

Sanchez
Beginning Oct 14 every Friday at 8:30 until Enrollment, Drop In

Tenderloin Community
Every Thursday 9-11 Drop in (beginning this week)

Mission Dolores Academy
Here are some dates and times available for a prospective Fall 2012 Kindergarten tour of Mission Dolores Academy:
Wednesday, October 5th from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, October 12th from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, November 2nd from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

School tours are conducted in small groups of 10 or less prospective parents. We tour the school, visit Kindergarten class then, meet briefly for Q&A. At the end of the tour each visitor receives an enrollment packet.
(415)346-0143 Nicole McAuliffe

St. Paul's Open House

2011-10-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

St. Paul's in Noe Valley has an open house scheduled on October 27 at 6:30pm. No RSVP required.

As I hear of other open houses I will post. Please feel free to comment on any other open houses you are aware of.

Screening of new documentary "American Teacher"

2011-09-28T22:55:00.000-07:00

On behalf of Sherman Elementary, I want to invite everyone to a special sneak-preview screening of the new documentary "American Teacher" at the Roxie Theater on October 12th at 6:30. After the film, there will be a Q&A with producer Ninive Calegari and cast members from the movie. Tickets are $20. Funds will be used to pay for teachers to attend the screening and to support other community events.

Narrated by Matt Damon, produced by Ninive Calegari and Dave Eggers and directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Vanessa Roth, "American Teacher" chronicles the lives of four educators across the country as they reach different milestones in their careers. Told with humor and wit, the film delves into the realities and frustrations of the teaching profession and examines possibilities for reform and what we can do to invest in it for tomorrow.

You can order tickets through a link on our school website: www.shermanschool.org.

Thanks so much for your time. I hope to see you there!

San Francisco Parent PAC and It's Mayoral Forum Oct 11

2011-09-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

Dear SF Parents,

Across the City street intersections and bus stops parents are attempting to get their kids to school and themselves to work on time. I find significant comfort scanning the streets seeing everyone doing what I am doing and doing it as gracefully as possible!

Whether public, independent or parochial, we all balance similar responsibilities and duties in navigating schools and other facets of our lives in the city.

All school years are critical - this year though is significant not just due to school related issues but also because of the upcoming Mayoral election.

Leadership in city government significantly makes our lives easier or harder. The mayor's decisions determine park and library hours, attention on quality of life factors (street cleaning, trees, etc), maintenance of funding for Preschool for All (program that provides reduced tuition for all 4 and 5 year olds in qualified public or private preschools), continuation of support arts and athletics....you get the drift.

This is why parents throughout the City formed an organization this last election cycle -- SF Parents PAC. SF Parents PAC was created to finally bring our voices to the forefront; ensuring that as decisions are being made, our perspectives are part of the consideration and in many cases should drive them.

In the last election cycle, we successfully endorsed two school board candidates. This year, we are focusing on another strategy.

We want every candidate for mayor to hear our voices and understand what it will take to make SF the best place to raise kids and have families.

With that in mind, we are hosting the first Mayoral Candidate Forum focused on our issues.

Please come to hear how each candidate understands your needs and his/her ideas regarding this City and family issues.

Tuesday October 11th from 6:30 to 8:30
Sherith Israel at 2266 California Street
Moderated by Steve Symanovich from the SF Business Times

Sponsored by The SF Parent Political Action Committee, Parents For Public
Schools, SF Family Support Network, Teach for America and Congregation
Sherith Israel.

Refreshments, Childcare, and Interpretation Services will be provided.

Read more on Facebook http://www.facebook .com/event. php?eid=21363434 2032302

After the Summit, irrespective of who wins, we will continue to hold the new mayor accountable to the concepts raised in the Summit. More importantly, we will make our voices heard as issues arise.

Become a member of the PAC today:

http://sfparentpac.com/membership/

See you on Oct. 11th! Please rsvp to Oct11candidatesforum@gmail.com

SFGate: S.F. schools to test new U.S. math standards

2011-09-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

This from SFGate:

Four out of every 10 or so people say they hated math in school.

They didn't like fractions, they've told pollsters - or formulas, polynomials or even pi.

Solving for x was as bad if not worse than a pimple on prom night.

Yet with the 21st century job market increasingly requiring proficiency in math - and the critical thinking skills that come with it - the country can't afford that many math haters.

With that in mind, San Francisco has signed up to be among the first districts in the United States to put new national math standards in its classrooms. Adopted by 45 states, the standards' purpose is to make math more relevant and interesting, less about getting the right answer and more about why one might need to get that answer in the first place.

The school district has received a $3 million, three-year S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation grant to carry it out.

"We're getting killed across the world in terms of mathematics," said Terry Bergeson, executive director of the San Francisco School Alliance, a district partner in the implementation of the grant. "Around the rest of the world, the kids are ... applying mathematics to real-world problems. We teach formulas. We teach algorithms. We teach math facts."

And we bore students to tears.
Sleep inducing math

"I just think it's boring slash hard," said Jason Byers, 14, a freshman at San Francisco Mission High School. "I fell asleep last year."

The new "Common Core" math standards are sleeker and more in-depth than the old ones. They build on key mathematical concepts like measurement, size and volume. Kindergartners might be asked to identify the smallest of three apples, for example, while high school students would be required to calculate the growth of a bacterial colony.

It will be important that the students get the right answer, but the how and the why will be just as essential, said Common Core advocates.

"Kids will still have to add fractions. That's not going to change," said Phil Daro, an author of the new national math standards. But if it's successful, math "will look different."

That will especially be true in the early grades, with kindergarten students learning an elementary form of algebra even as they're being taught to add single digits.

They might count 10 bunnies and then move on to this question:

"A bunnies sat on the grass. B more bunnies hopped there. How many bunnies are on the grass now?"

The idea is to get them to come up with: "A + B = _."
Homework reformed

Homework is expected to look different too. The old "Do problems 1-30, even" will be tossed out the door in favor of a few problems at most, with an emphasis on applying math ideas.

Instead of teaching students to add fractions (cross multiply the numerators and denominators) and then solve 15 problems to get the right answer, they'll be asked to apply the concept to a real-life situation. Students would be encouraged to bounce ideas off each other about how to solve the problem.

Bergeson dream is to see 10-year-olds working out how to build a bridge in place of the current method of having a class of kids sitting in rows doing two-digit multiplication problems until their hand hurts.

"I think it's going to be a revolution in mathematics across the country," she said. "They can be a little engineer in the third grade."

Read the full story

Noe Valley School Fair thoughts

2011-09-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

We manged to get to the Noe Valley Rec Center fair yesterday morning despite the rain (and our car battery dying). The school fair was a great introduction to many schools in the SE area of the city. It was packed with prospective families and school representatives. We didn't get a chance to attend the PPSF session in the morning. If you did, let us know your thoughts in the comments. We spoke with several schools, Leonard Flynn, Junipero Serra, St Philip, Glen Park, Fairmount, Starr King, Finn Barr, Mission Dolores Academy, Edison Charter...It did get a little blurry at the end. Walking away I was most impressed with Glen Park, Edison Charter, Starr King and Mission Dolores Academy. I was also delighted to hear such great things about Leonard Flynn. These schools will be on my list for touring for sure. We also got a few moments with a mom from Miraloma. I know this school is one of the hotter schools right now. I look forward to visiting the school to learn more. We didn't get a chance to talk to McKinley or Monroe. We also didn't talk to any of the privates since we most likely won't go that route.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts if you attended and which schools stood out. I felt after hearing about a few of the schools, they started to blend together and we wont' be able to really get a feel until we tour. I'll post more robust thoughts and facts after I start touring.

SFGate: Obama: Education reform aimed at raising standards

2011-09-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

This from SFGate:

Decrying the state of American education, President Barack Obama on Friday said states will get unprecedented freedom to waive basic elements of the sweeping Bush-era No Child Left Behind law, calling it an admirable but flawed effort that has hurt students instead of helping them.

Obama's announcement could fundamentally affect the education of tens of millions of children. It will allow states to scrap the requirement that all children must show they are proficient in reading and math by 2014 — a cornerstone of the law — if states meet conditions designed to better prepare and test students.

And the president took a shot at Congress, saying his executive action was needed only because lawmakers have not stepped in to improve the law for years.

"Congress hasn't been able to do it. So I will," Obama said. "Our kids only get one shot at a decent education."

Read the full story

Workshop on BULLYING (Sept 23)

2011-09-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

(From SFUSD Community Advisory Committee for Special Education Website)

Friday, September 23, 2011

Support For Families

Parent/Professional Workshop: BULLYING

Presented by the Office for Civil Rights

Time: 10:00 AM to Noon

Location: Support for Families of Children with Disabilities, 1663 Mission Street, 7th Floor.

To attend the workshop, call: (415) 920-5040

BOE to Evaluate Carlos Garcia (Sept 18)

2011-09-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

Oh, to be a fly on the wall! ...

(From SFUSD Website, Upcoming Board Meetings)

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT IN CLOSED SESSION

The Special Meeting of the Board of Education, San Francisco Unified School District, in Closed Session, will be held on Sunday, September 18, 2011, immediately following the Special Meeting of the Board in Retreat, and will take place at 236 Monterey Boulevard, San Francisco, California, for the following:

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

(Government Code § 54957) Title: Superintendent of Schools

PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT

(Government Code § 54957) Superintendent of Schools

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS AND SECRETARY, BOARD OF EDUCATION

Public Comment is welcome prior to the Closed Session

The K Search from SOMA

2011-09-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,
I'm afraid this is a rather long first post. I've been thinking so much about the search and writing about it that I've been trying to collect too much data, when I need to be collecting feedback from parents with more knowledge about the schools.

To start with a little about us.
My Blogging name is MJ. Myself, my husband and two children (4.5 and 2) live in SOMA.
We are not in CTIP1. We do own our little apartment and are not in any position to move any time soon, and we do not want to move out of the city.
We are lucky to be able to walk to our childrens daycare/preschool and then bus (my husband Downtown) and walk or bus (me to the Mission) to work. We do have a car which we street park, this is relevant to the school search as if we do drop offs by car to school, we will either have to pay for parking near one of our work places or come home look for parking on the street which is difficult at that time of the morning, before we rush off to work.

SOMA as you SFKfiles readers know is a pretty large area with only one elementary school (Bessie Carmichael - citywide) and our AA school for the whole area Daniel Webster in Potrero Hill.

What we are looking for in a school for our son is a great GE program with additional art, music, sport, secondly a guaranteed spot in an after school program which isn't outrageously expensive and thirdly we would like the school to be easily accessible by public transportation or walking so that either of us can do pick ups.

I took some pointers from the responses to Lola's first post which referenced after school care. I will be calling all of the schools on my initial list to see what their aftercare options are before we tour. I will also be attending the Noe Valley School Fair on the 25th, which I am very grateful exists as we hope to have toured our schools of interest before the SFUSD school fair in November. I also added parochial as based on not too much research the cost is comparative with after school care that we would have to pay in some publics. I don't know if parochials offer after school but I'm guessing they do based on other threads on sfkfiles. I've heard that their class sizes are bigger and don't know if this is true. I went to Catholic school in another country and find the Church here quite open to everyone compared to my upbringing so the Catholic values issues that others raise here are not an issue for us. Private is not an option for us.

Our initial list, is ordered in distance from our home and is comprised of schools which are easy to access from our home, on our way to work by walking or public transportation, along with our AA school which is not as close geographically as a number of other schools and is a bit of a trek from downtown if my husband had to pick up or drop off using Muni. So here goes with my list. I'm looking forward to your feedback and any other schools that I may be missing that may suit us. So no "trophies" in our list that I know of and that is fine with me. It means we can concentrate on the 3 items which are important to us without worrying that we will get into the school (hopefully).

Public
Bessie Charmichael - less than half a mile from us. Easy to get to for either parents work. Close to younger childs daycare. Afterschool care is quite high in the $400 range (is that high? I dont' know). There are limited places and priority is given to low income parents, but I think they would like to have a mixed group of kids. I have not toured it and don't know how it stacks up in regards to actual GE. API scores I think are OK. But I don't know how much we should be focusing on those unless they are below 700. Also as a K-8 we don't have to worry at about the Feeder plan.

Tenderloin Community - walkable and closer than our AA school. I think their after school care is open to all students, but I need to research that. I spoke with their principal last year at the SFUSD fair (I went as I thought it would help me this year) and I really liked her. They seem to have wonderful programs outside of pure academics for the children and we will definitely tour it.

Sanchez - yes closer than our AA school! I toured Sanchez last year and I really liked it. The children were all well behaved and happy. I toured on a Friday which is parent involvement day and lots of parents were in the classrooms with the kids. The library was in the process of having a makeover and the children (maybe 4th grade) were learning how to catalogue the books on their individual laptops. They have a part time dance teacher, a gardening teacher, the SF Opera has a program there (I think that is right). They had a plan on the wall for greening their playground and I'm really looking forward to touring this year to see how it turned out. They also have a program where each grade reads the same book and all of the children do a project on it which is displayed in the halls. Maybe this is usual in schools in San Francisco but I am not from the US and thought this was really cool. Sanchez also has after school care available to all children. My only negative on the school was the start time 8am but I did like it very much as my only school tour last year.

Daniel Webster -- our AA school and I know a school with a growing reputation (good). They also I believe have afterschool for all kids at cost but no space limits, once again I need to confirm this. Then the Middle School Feeder Plan was thrown into the mix and ISA was the feeder for Daniel Webster. I am talking myself down and going with the thinking that by the time we get to Middle school this will not be the same ISA test wise and with a 6-12 grade set of kids. I do think the PTA and community are awesome with Daniel Webster and talking to a resident in Potrero Hill with children in High School she said that most of her neighbours agree that if the school as it is now existed when their kids were young they would all have sent them there. I'm really looking forward to touring. It is still not an ideal location for us.

Harvey Milk - The furthest away in our line up but easily accessible from home, downtown and the Mission. After school for all and I believe it is very reasonable if not free? confirmation neeeded. I know there are some issues with the Principal being let go and parents not being informed. Perhaps you readers can give me a better understanding of the school.

Parochial
Mission Delores - I know nothing about this school except its location and tuition. Who can fill me in?

St. Charles - So close to my work but never listed as desired school. Why? Be kind but honest.

Thats it. Thanks for reading all of the way through this. I'm really looking forward to getting your insights to the schools I have listed and any that I may be missing. I'm excited to share our K journey with you all and hope that we find the best place for our son.

Hello from Jo

2011-09-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Well hello. It's nice to meet you. Under the advice of Kate I will not use my real name. My blogger name is Jo March, after my favorite character in Little Woman. I have two kids, and my eldest will be starting school in Fall 2012. My husband and I both work outside of the city, so finding a school that is near our house/freeway is very important. We live in District 8- which I believe is categorized as Central/South East Part of San Francisco. Our neighborhood school is Glen Park.

What I'm looking for in a school: Hmmmm, I've thought about this a lot. Besides being a safe and nurturing environment we'll be looking for a progressive school, strong parent community, and a school that offers a variety of activities including art, science, sports and music. Not very creative, I know! My kids already speak another language, so immersion is a plus, but not a priority.

I know there is no perfect school. Again, these are just some of our criteria that we will be looking at while we are touring schools. We'll be looking at public, private and parochial. At the end of the day, the most important things are: Is this an environment where he will love learning? Can I see him growing here?

Thanks for reading my first post. As I go through this journey, please be kind and supportive, and no grumpy emails. Promise. Ok, just a few are fine- I can take it.

School Tours

2011-09-14T19:50:00.001-07:00

Many schools are starting school tours. Please share dates and times of tours in the comments. Also, be sure to update your tour information in the SF K Files Schools database here.

Commodore Sloat Tours

2011-09-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

Information on School Tours at Commodore Sloat for the 2012-2013 school yearThanks for your interest in Commodore Sloat School!Commodore Sloat School will begin accepting RSVPs for tour dates beginning September 12th, 2011. This year's tours will begin in October 2011 for the 2012-2013 academic school year.Kindergarten tours will be conducted Tuesday mornings between 9:00 - 10:15 AM. Prospective parents are asked to please call the school office at 415-759-2807 to schedule a tour slot. Upon arrival, parents are asked to enter the school via the front door at 50 Darien Way and register in the lobby. Again, please contact the school office to confirm tour date and space availability: October 4th, 2011 October 18th, 2011 November 1st, 2011 November 15th, 2011 December 6th, 2011 January 3rd, 2012 January 17th, 2012 Visit our school website for more information (www.sloatparents.org)

Noe Valley School Fair

2011-09-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

The Friends of Noe Valley Recreation Center are sponsoring a free elementary school fair Sunday, September 25, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, featuring public, private, and parochial schools convenient to families in central and southern neighborhoods.

Parents and administrators from schools in Glen Park, Bernal Heights, Noe Valley, the Mission, Eureka Valley, the Castro, Miraloma Heights, the Market Street Corridor and the 280 Corridor will be on hand to answer questions.

Please see noeschools.com for more info.

Special Education Verification Review Invitation (Sept 22 Meeting)

2011-09-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

(From SFUSD Website)

EVENT: The San Francisco Unified School District invites you to a meeting for parents and guardians of special education students. This will be a chance for you to tell us about the special education services your child has had. We are also interested in learning about your child’s experiences in the programs the school district provides for infants, toddlers, children, and youth. We would like to hear about what you think works and what areas could be made better.

The parent or guardian meeting is an important part of the California Department of Education’s Special Education Verification Review process for school districts. It is one way that school districts can examine their compliance with the law as stated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This meeting is designed to gain as much information as possible from parents and guardians about key areas in the district’s implementation of IDEA.

WHERE: The Parent or Guardian Input Meeting will take place at Mission High School, 3750 18^th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114

WHEN: Thursday, September 22, 2011

TIME: 6:00 - 8:00 PM Refreshments will be provided.

SPECIAL REQUESTS

The meeting site is physically accessible to individuals with disabilities. If you are in need of further accommodations in order to participate (for example: assistive listening devices, materials in an alternate format, or translation if English is not your primary language) please contact Kristen Devine at (415) 379-7677 by September 19th. We will make every attempt to provide accommodations, but cannot guarantee that we will be successful. Childcare will be provided. To secure your child’s care, please call Kristen Devine at the number above.

CONFIRMATION

Please confirm your interest in coming by calling: (415) 379-7677 or email: devinek@sfusd.edu by September 19, 2011

PARENT SURVEY/WRITTEN COMMENTS

If you are unable to attend, we would like to have you fill out a survey within the next two weeks.

Contact Donna DeMartini, Education Programs Consultant

Special Education Division, California Department of Education

1430 N Street, Suite #2401

Sacramento, CA 95814-5901

Phone Number: 916-319-0298

e-mail ddemartini@cde.ca.gov.

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions please contact Donna DeMartini

We genuinely look forward to meeting with you and listening to your comments about the special education programs and services provided by your school district.

Here we go

2011-09-06T09:35:00.001-07:00

Hello, my name is Lola. My family is entering the K search this year. We’re a family of four, with two boys aged 4.5 years old and 1 year old. I feel like I’ve been following the San Francisco education process for a while now. Wait. I have. Ever since my 4.5 year old was in my belly. It started when we were looking for daycare. Applying, touring, anxiety, sweats and finally joy, because it all worked out. After nanny-shares, family day care, and two preschools, we are in a lovely Pre-K program in the Southeast part of the city. It’s near our places of work and a relatively easy commute. We adore the school but now it’s time to do it again. Applying, touring, anxiety, sweats and I know we will eventually, hopefully, find the joy.

I grew up in the suburbs of the Midwest. We walked 2 blocks to Kindergarten, 10 blocks to middle school and a quick car ride from mom got me to High School. We went to the schools that were in our neighborhoods. It was a given. No ifs, ands, or buts. That’s just what happened. When I moved to San Francisco and started a family I was a bit thrown back to learn that this is not the case in this lovely city of ours. The process is daunting, terrifying, and I just can’t believe, stressful. Part of me feels that maybe if I just sit back, apply at the schools near our home and the ones that we really want to get into, we’ll be ok. Then the other part of me (I’m a Gemini) has been scouring the blogs, the websites, and the yahoo groups for over a year and knows that this isn’t always the case. Which brings me to blog on SF K Files. What a perfect place to let it all out and maybe get, as well as give, some helpful insight.

We plan to go the public school route. At first it was a money issue. Isn’t it always? With two kids, we just can’t afford privates. So, I’m prepared to give it my all at the public schools and come to terms that this is what will be best for us. I believe that education doesn’t stop at the school doors. We as parents are just as much educators as the teachers and we owe it to our children to provide that environment. We’ll be focusing on the Southeast part of the city since this is where we live and work, but of course are open to other areas depending on what we find during the tours.

I hope this time next year will find us all happy, excited and ready for our first day of Kindergarten. Let’s do this.

Messages from SFUSD EPC

2011-08-28T21:30:00.000-07:00

IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO FAMILIES WHO HAVE SUBMITTED CHOICES FOR THE AUGUST PLACEMENT PERIOD

If you have submitted a request for an assignment for the August Placement Period and have not yet received a telephone call or an assignment letter in the mail, your requests will stay active until September 9.

If your child is able to receive an assignment into one of your requested schools at any time between now and September, your child will lose his or her present assignment of a school and must switch schools immediately. There will be no opportunity to return to his or her present school assignment.

If you are satisfied with your present school, and do not want to make a change, or do not want to participate in the August Placement Period, please contact the Educational Placement Center to cancel your request by e-mail by sending a message to EnrollinSchool@ sfusd.edu to cancel your request. You may also FAX in a written cancellation to 415-241-6087. Do not cancel by telephone. Please include your child's name, birthdate, grade and present school in all requests.

Guest post: The importance of differentiated learning

2011-08-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Let's say you're a parent with reasonably intelligent kids who you expect will do well to very well in school. Let's say you've read to them and discussed with them and explained things to them and exposed them to myriad educational opportunities as toddlers.

Let's also say that they speak English fairly well, whether or not that's the language you speak at home.

Let's not think about what color you are, what color they are, or how much money you make or don't make.

Say this child of yours is now four-years-old and will be old enough to enter Kindergarten next year. Which means you, dear San Francisco parent, are beginning the Great Kindergarten Hunt.

You will have heard harrowing stories about this Hunt, stories that make you quail in fear, along with some great stories of how Everything Worked Out Just Fine.

All those stories are true.

Here, then, is one suggestion for a way to look at possible schools in San Francisco. It should fit for both public and private though I'm writing it with public schools in mind.

The issue for you, a parent with a child who you have good reason to expect will perform well in school, is to find a school that will meet your child's educational needs. It doesn't have to be a school where all or even some of the children look like your child, or live near your child, or have or don't have the things your child has. For this thought experiment, you're just looking for a school that's going to meet your child's educational needs.

I'm going to make the case that the most important thing you need to look at in the schools you consider is not test scores, nor socio-economics nor race nor location (beyond what you can reasonably get your child to morning after morning after morning.)

The most important thing to consider in your child's school is how well the teachers differentiate learning and how much the school's administration supports them in doing so.

Why? Because in every class there exists a range of student abilities. Your child will fall somewhere within that range. The key for you it to find a school where the teachers know how to and do address the learning needs of all the children, rather than using a one-size-fits-all curriculum that may or may not fit your child's needs.

The one caveat to this is if you find a school that runs with a one-size-fits-all curriculum but it happens to be exactly where your child is. If you do, well done and sign up immediately.

If you don't, your job is to find a school where whatever the classroom make up of students, your child will get teaching that is at their level and allows them to stay engaged and learning.

Here's why this is a useful question to ask: The San Francisco Unified School District is committed to two things (well, it's committed to lots of things, but these are two biggies):

- Bringing up the achievement of the lowest performing students
- Integrating schools socioeconomically, academically and racially

The issue for parents with kids coming in at an already fairly high level of achievement (for whatever reason) is that they'll get assigned to a school where none of the other kids are at their child's level, and the entire focus of the school is on bringing the struggling kids up, thus putting their child in a situation where what's being taught is stuff they already know.

As one mom put it, "What do I do about a school assignment where Kindergarten is all about Alpha Buddies (learning the alphabet) and my son can already read?"

But rather than getting caught up in the perennial San Francisco arguments about whether it's racist or classist or evil or just fine to want your kid to be in a school where a goodly proportion of the kids in their class will come from that same background, you can change the equation.

You do that by ignoring test scores at that school for anyone but kids who have had the same kinds of opportunities your child has had. You do that by ignoring people who tell you your kid can't learn in a class with whiat kids or poor kids or Spanish speaking kids or Black kids or Chinese kids.

You embrace diversity and you're thrilled your child will get to have friends of every sort.
What you care about, and what you focus should be on in the school tours you'll soon be embarking on, is asking about how the school administration and the teachers makes sure to meet the needs of all children, not just the struggling ones (whether they're white, black, Chinese, Latino or some happy blend.)

What won't work for you is hearing "Oh, your child will do fine anywhere," or "We support all our students." You want actual evidence of how they do it, and a strong, expressed, commitment to the concept.

The good news is that there are a lot of San Francisco schools, both public and private, that do this and do it pretty well. Which opens up your list of schools wider than it might not have been.

The bad news is that there are also some schools that don't do this well. Some are so busy working to bring up struggling kids (an important and laudable goal) that they simply haven't had time to think about other kids and don't really pay much attention to them when they arrive. At some other the administration or some of the teachers are ideologically opposed to the notion that kids who are working at a higher academic level also deserve to have a strong and challenging educational experience.

Your job as a parent looking for a Kindergarten, is to find out which schools are which. When you do, you'll hopefully have a larger list of possible schools to apply to than you might have previously.

Or at least you'll have a strong sense of what you need to lobby the Board of Education about next time they're up for reelection.

So parents with kids in school already, what schools out there do both of these things well:

- Support struggling students
- Differentiate so that students working at or above grade level also have a strong educational program?

Are you still waiting for a school?

2011-08-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

Most parents have landed their children in a school by now and that's wonderful news. But there are still many who are hoping to get a call from SFUSD this week or who are on private and parochial school wait list. This forum is a place for those parents and for those parents with a past history of navigating this difficult situation. Let's please stay on focus in this post and not veer into other topics. Some readers have requested that I turn off registration so parents waiting for an assignment can freely talk.

Wanted: Bloggers for this year's school search

2011-08-15T22:15:00.000-07:00

The SF K Files is a place for parents to trade information about all schools in San Francisco, yet the heart of the site has always been the stories shared by local parents in the midst of the kindergarten search. This is how the site first got started when I shared my experiences with touring both private and public schools in 2007 and 2008 (read the full series here).

Last year several bloggers shared their notes from school tours and the tough decisions they had to make when creating their lists of favorite schools. I'm hoping we can find a few new contributors who are starting the school search this fall. It would also be great to get help with moderating comments. As always, the SF K Files goes to great lengths to keep bloggers fully anonymous.

If you're interested, please email thesfkfiles@gmail.com.

Congratulations to all the kids who started school today!

2011-08-15T22:09:00.001-07:00

The first day of public school in San Francisco is always a little bittersweet. The parents of those kids who have a spot are always elated but it's always frustrating for those who are still trying to get into their favorite school. Our heart goes out to those of you who are still grappling with the system and all we can say is that it usually works out in the end and hang in there. And to those who started school today (or who returned), congratulations! Here's to another year!

Save our Schools

2011-07-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

I just ran across the "Save Our Schools March & National Call to Action" happening this weekend across the states and it piqued my interest as it reflects one of my previous posts about the tipping point for education reform. Plus, the whole 'grass-roots' part of this call to action excites me because I do believe that real change comes from the bottom up.

I am one for throwing out all the standardized tests and monetary incentives for schools upon raising scores. I realize that there are parents out there who think I am ridiculous and send their children to learning/ tutoring sessions and give them extra worksheets to do on weekends. I wonder if anyone can change my thinking on the counter productive & counter intuitive effects of standardized testing. And at the same time I wonder how I might be able to convince a parent who love drills and tests to think differently. I can offer a glass of Kool-Aid but I know I can't make you drink it.

Which camp are you in? If we were on the debate team, what would be your key points? How would you convince your opponent that your Kool-Aid flavor is best for our nation's children? And those harmonizers out there: Where is the common ground?

New elementary school: San Francisco Schoolhouse

2011-07-10T15:57:00.001-07:00

The San Francisco Schoolhouse is a new option for families seeking a progressive education for their K - 3rd grade children. The Schoolhouse is one room, two experienced teachers, and a small group of children coming together with their families to learn, to mentor, and to create a community.

We are building a customized, cooperative, affordable program and we are looking for a few more like-minded families to participate.

For more information: www.sfschoolhouse.org

SFGate: S.F. board considers building housing for teachers

2011-07-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

This from SFGate:

The San Francisco school board is looking to get into the affordable housing business to help teachers and other district employees who might not otherwise be able to afford to live in the city.
For years, the district has sat on a largely vacant lot at 1950 Mission St., a piece of blighted property in the Mission District.
The land is valued at upward of $9 million, and leasing the property to a market-rate
housing developer could yield $300,000 to $500,000 in annual revenue for city schools, district officials said.
But in the late spring at a committee meeting, a majority on the school board balked at a proposal by Superintendent Carlos Garcia to lease the land and use the cash to build a housing fund that would support mortgage down payments or rent payments for teachers and district employees.

Read the full story

John Muir Elementary School

2011-07-10T15:50:00.000-07:00

Hi SF K Files folks!

I'm the pre-k special education teacher at John Muir Elementary School; I teach SFUSD's only autism-specific pre-k classroom. As most of you know, John Muir ES serves a high-needs population. Our special education and general education classrooms do not have a play space; the students run outside and play on a patch of bare asphalt every day. This is extremely inequitable-almost every single SFUSD CDC or special education classroom has a place to play!

Our proposal was just accepted for the "Pepsi Refresh" project, and now I need you to vote for us! You can vote once a day, every day between July 1-31, and "boost" your voting by entering codes off the caps of pepsi products marked "Pepsi Refresh." If we're one of the top 15 vote recipients, we'll receive $25,000 to build a playground.

You can vote at http://www.refresheverything.com/muirautismplayproject by signing up with pepsi or using facebook. You can also vote via text by sending the code 107391 to Pepsi (73774) every day (hint: enter in 73774 as a contact to make it easier).

You can also help me by sharing this with anyone who might be interested in helping, forwarding this, and helping me publicize! Here are the ways you can follow my project:
* www.muirautismplayproject.com
* "friend" the project on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Muir-ES-Autism-Play-Project/149173818485899
* twitter @ muirplay

Please help! This is a great way to create equity among SFUSD schools, and help a struggling school in San Francisco.

June 28 BOE Meeting: Approval of the Proposed Flexible Use of State Tier III Categorical Funding

2011-06-27T21:47:00.000-07:00

SFUSD Special Order of Business, Regular Board Meeting of June 28, 2011 at 6:00 PM, 555 Franklin St.

SUBJECT: Approval of the Proposed Flexible Use of State Tier III Categorical Program Funding for Educational Purposes (click agenda for details of proposed spending)

WHEREAS: The Enacted 2009-10 California State Budget, SBX3 4, Chapter 12, Statutes of2009 and subsequently enacted trailer bill, ABX4 2 (Chapter 2/2009) authorizes school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education to use funding received from the State for any of the Tier III Categorical Programs enumerated under Education Code Section 42605 (a) for any educational purpose, to the extent permitted under federal law; and

WHEREAS: The flexibility to use funding received from said State Tier III Categorical Programs for any educational purposes is authorized for five years from Fiscal Year 2008-09 to Fiscal Year 2012-13, inclusive; and

WHEREAS: As a condition for the receipt of said State Tier III Categorical Programs funding that may be used for any educational purposes, and as a condition for transferring these funds to the General Fund, the governing board of the school district, charter school, or county office of education as appropriate, at a regularly scheduled open public hearing shall take testimony from the public, discuss, approve or disapprove, the proposed use of funding, and make explicit for each of the budget items the purposes for which the funds will be used; and

WHEREAS: The governing board of the San Francisco Unified School District and the San Francisco County Office of Education did, at a regularly scheduled open public hearing on June 14, 2011, take testimony from the public and discussed the proposed use of funding (**Well Don, at least they acknowledge that you were there. Of course, there is nothing implied or suggested that they "listened"!**); and

WHEREAS: The attached schedules of State Tier III Categorical Programs reflect the proposed use of Tier III Program funding and make explicit the purposes for which the funds will be used.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the Board of Education does approve the use of the flexibility provisions of the State Tier III Categorical Programs for Fiscal Year 2011-12 as permitted by the Education Code Section 42605; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Board of Education does approve the proposed use of funding described in the attached Tier III Categorical Programs schedules, and has made explicit the purposes for which the funds will be used.

SFUSD Budget for 2011-2012 [First Reading]

2011-06-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

For those who like numbers, tables, and pie charts, this 460-page document won’t disappoint. Unfortunately, that’s where the fun ends and reality begins--the numbers are abysmal. I haven’t had time to read all the details, but noteworthy numbers include the preliminary site-base budget allocation by school (pages 58-60) and Superintendent Garcia’s salary (page 71), which is $290,145 plus benefits if I read the table correctly.

Timelines: The Board of Education is expected to vote on the budget on June 21 with adoption of the budget [second reading] on June 28.

Comments: registration is back on

2011-06-03T16:28:00.001-07:00

The comments have gotten out of hand on The SF K Files yet again. It's disappointing that our community is unable to engage in respectful, thoughtful debate. We have entirely removed one thread filled with inappropriate comments. We appreciate readers emailing the SF K Files about inappropriate comments. In the future when you feel that a comment is abusive and should be deleted please include a link to the thread and the time of the comment. You can send emails to thesfkfiles@gmail.com.

Hot topic: Why doesn't the city require developers to invest in San Francisco schools?

2011-06-03T16:18:00.001-07:00

This from a reader:

Many new developments are required to set aside units for affordable housing, and to sometimes to contribute to transportation system improvements. It seems that providing more funds for public schools is at least as important an objective. In fact, better public schools, help to make living in San Francisco more affordable. Two problems are solved together.

Where are the voices demanding that the Mayor and Board of Supervisors focus on school funding, and not only "affordable housing" and transit?

SFGate: SF kids' art mentor charged with having child porn

2011-06-03T15:27:00.000-07:00

This from SFGate:

The head of a San Francisco nonprofit group that teaches art to children has been charged with possessing child pornography, authorities said Thursday.
FBI agents traced Anthony Josef Norris' log-on name of "Spanky" to his home computer and discovered 600 pornographic images of children, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in federal court in San Francisco.

Norris, 46, who lives in San Francisco, surrendered Thursday to FBI agents.

Norris founded the nonprofit group Kid Serve Youth Murals about 12 years ago and is its director. He said in a 2009 interview with The Chronicle that his goal was to help youths from preschool to high school develop their design talent and create mosaic murals.

His arrest came one month after agents searched his home and allegedly found the photos on his computer.

Norris admitted that he had been downloading such images for about a decade, according to the complaint filed against him.

He appeared in federal court Thursday and was released after posting $200,000 bond. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.

It's a done deal!

2011-06-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

Last night, BOE members appeared to unanimously support the District's phased-in K-8 feeder proposal, as presented on May 24. Commissioner Jill Wynn asked for more CTIP1 enrollment data to determine if the CTIP1 tiebreaker should move up to No. 2 position (before middle school feeder), but overall it appears that the BOE supports the plan with feeder pattern unchanged from Feb. 1 version of the map. There was no dissension, and BOE will likely vote approval at an upcoming BOE meeting. PAC and PPS deserve praise for their efforts. Don deserves credit for being correct. Maybe more San Francisco families have moving vans in their future!

Moving van

2011-05-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

At around 4:00am one morning last week, our youngest trotted into our room and bounded next to my side of the bed. “Do you need water?” I asked sleepily. Potty emergency? Is someone sick?

“I weady!” he answered happily in a three-year-old’s idea of a whisper. He was clutching his little travel backpack, stuffed with a couple of plush animals and two unmatched socks. “I weady to move to a new house!”

He isn’t alone. Since acceptance letters landed in March, my crew has all been getting ready. We’ve decided to move out of the city and head south down to the Peninsula or Silicon Valley.

For some background on our particular situation, here’s a quick recap:

We both work in Silicon Valley, and are each spending 10-15 hours a week commuting. We are very attached to the city, but as for the drive, well, the word “bummer” doesn’t do it justice. We've been doing it for a few years and are burnt out.

We toured 15+ public schools in San Francisco. In Round 1, we went 0/10. Here is the list of schools we’d requested.

In mid-March, we received happier news on the private school side, and were accepted to two SF independent schools that we very much admire. But the price tag for two kids, plus the continued commuting, made us think twice.

Given that we are CTIP2 and didn’t feel that our assignment boundary school (Sutro) was a good fit, I’d seen the “0/X” bus headed our way last fall, and started looking outside the city in October. As part of that process, we applied to several public magnet school programs in San Mateo, where you don’t have to be a resident to apply. Our five-year-old was accepted to one of the San Mateo-Foster City Montessori magnet school programs in late March.

In March, as the deadline for accepting private school spots approached, we asked ourselves a lot of hard questions and weighed what felt like an endless number of factors. We thought about trying to make private school work financially, especially when our younger one is ready for kindergarten in two years. On the public side, we thought about trying for Round II, Round III, or whatever comes in September. But three things argued against that – the fact that we are “CTIP2/Don’t want our school,” which puts us at the bottom of the lottery barrel and keeps us there; the district’s decision to remove the “0/X” tie-breaker from later rounds of the lottery this year; and the lack of transparency over what the process will be like this August and September.

We also considered the input we’ve gotten from others on this blog, in all its forms. Many of you have provided invaluable advice along the way, and one comment in particular stuck in my head:

I'm one of the bigger boosters of SF publics out there, especially in encouraging people to look beyond trophy schools since we are happily in a non-trophy public. However, if we lived in the Richmond and we had to commute to the Peninsula for work for both of us, there is no way in hell that I would stick around the City. Life is too short to spend 500 plus hours a year in a car (that's twelve weeks of vacation time!).

- March 21, 2011 8:39 PM

And so, we’ve decided, we are headed out. With a good bit of sadness, we declined our private school spots. I’m weeks behind in posting this update because we’ve been concentrating on housing issues -- looking for a new place to rent and arranging for someone to rent out our SF home. We may wind up in San Mateo, but are also taking one last look at two school districts closer to our jobs (Menlo Park and Mountain View) to see if anything there makes sense. In San Mateo, we love the magnet school programs, but it’s further from work. In Menlo Park, the schools are excellent, but it’s less diverse and the real estate situation is tougher than most, which is saying something. In Mountain View, the schools vary in quality, and so we’d need to pick neighborhoods carefully.

In posting this update, I’m in no way advocating a mass exodus from the city. If even one of us worked here, we’d stay. But we have many factors (work, family, and friends) that are pulling us south, and for us, it has wound up making sense. If you are thinking of moving, know that wherever you land, you’ll likely find other SF school transplants. We’ve attended meetings and seminars in several other school districts by now, and at every one, we’ve met former SF families who’ve recently moved. One silver lining of the grueling SF process is that it preps you to be an active, involved school parent, no matter where you land. As one school staffer in San Mateo put it to me, “We love our San Francisco families! They always show up well-informed and ready to pitch in.”

We very much appreciate all of you who’ve taken the time to share comments and advice along the way. I’ve also been lucky to be in great blogging company as well. Donna and Helga, all the best at Aptos and Lawton! Emily, two friends of ours send their kids to Zion and love it, and I hope your son will be very happy there. Aissa, all the best in the move back East! Joseph, huge congratulations on Gateway Charter – I was pulling for you and Ben more than anyone. Becca and Marcia Brady, all the best, wherever you land!

I also hope the very best for all of you fellow “0/X”ers out there who are still in limbo. If nothing else, I very much want to see SFUSD publish a clear explanation of how this year’s process will work in August and September. How many rounds of the “August placement” lottery will there be? Waitlists or no waitlists? Why say the process will end in early September when there will still likely be churn on the private school side and spots opening up for another couple of weeks past that?

Even though we didn’t apply for Round II, we still received a Round II letter of sorts. It informed us that since we hadn’t registered at our school of assignment from Round I, and hadn’t applied in Round II, we now had no school in the SFUSD system. We were encouraged to apply for Round III. But unless the district heard from us, the letter said, our file is now closed.

To that I say: Yes, it is.

With love and respect to my home town, which will always be my home town, no matter where I’m living,

- Seattle and my crew, Portland, Tacoma (5), and Williamette (3)

May 31 BOE MEETING ON STUDENT ASSIGNMENT

2011-05-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

NOTICE AND AGENDA

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION

AD HOC COMMITTEE ON STUDENT ASSIGNMENT

SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

________________________________________

There will be a meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Student Assignment (Augmented), on Tuesday, May 31, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Irving G. Breyer Board Meeting Room, 555 Franklin Street, First Floor, San Francisco, California.

1. Board Discussion with the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) and Parents for Public Schools (PPS)

2. ACTION ITEM: Staff Recommendations for Revisions to Board Policy P5101: Student Assignment

(Superintendent’s Proposal 115-24Sp1 – Revisions to Board Policy P5101: Student Assignment)

a. Elementary-to-Middle School Feeder Patterns

b. Density Tiebreaker

c. NCLB/Open Enrollment

d. Designation Guidelines

3. Public Comment: Members of the public may address the Ad Hoc Committee on Student Assignment on items within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Committee but which do not appear on the Agenda. Speakers shall address their remarks to the Committee as a whole and not to individual Board Members or District staff. There shall be no discussion of public comment with the exception of clarifying questions and/or referral of the issue to staff.

4. Board Discussion

Middle School Student Assignment Update

2011-05-23T16:37:00.000-07:00

SFUSD will present proposed changes to the Student Assignment policy at the May 24 BOE meeting. The revised policy document is attached to the BOE meeting agenda (click here for PDF). The Student Assignment policy starts on page 77 of the PDF (stamped page 52 in the lower right corner) and ends on page 97 of the PDF (stamped page 77 in the lower right corner).

On the first page of the Introduction, under the header of “Complex Challenges," the policy states, “To reverse the trend of racial isolation and the concentration of underserved students in the same school through student assignment alone, the BOE would need to assign students to schools they have not historically requested and to schools far from where they live. For example, some students living on the west side of the city and in the north of the city would need to be assigned to schools on the east side of the city and the southeast side of the city, and vice versa.”

Here are a few of the highlights in the revised middle school assignment policy.

Beginning in the 2012-2013 school year, elementary–to-middle school feeder patterns will operate as a tiebreaking factor in the choice process. The tie breakers are as follows:

Younger sibling;
Middle school feeder (unchanged from Feb. 1, 2011);
CTIP1;
All other students.

Beginning in the 2017-2018 school year, fifth graders will receive an initial assignment to their feeder middle school and will have subsequent opportunities to participate in the choice process. The tie breakers after the feeder assignment are as follows:

Initial assignment to attend feeder school but prefer another program at that same school (for example, assigned to GE strand, but qualify for Immersion strand)
Younger sibling;
CTIP1;
All other students.

The following tiebreaker (known as the "density tiebreaker") was DELETED from all K-5, city-wide, and middle school assignment algorithms: “Students who live in attendance areas that do not have sufficient capacity to accommodate all the students.”

In terms of the timeframe for implementation, the revised policy states, “Any revisions to this student assignment policy requiring Board approval will be approved at least three months before SFUSD begins accepting applications for any given year. For example, if SFUSD begins accepting applications in November, any revisions to this student assignment policy would have to be approved by August.”

The meeting begins at 6:00 PM at 555 Franklin.

And After All the Drama, the Call Finally Comes!

2011-05-20T09:22:00.001-07:00

Last I posted I told you all that we had gotten Giannini in Round I for middle school for our special ed son, Ben. It was our last choice for us, and, not as one poster here suggested, because we were concerned its test scores were low (they aren't), but because the school has way too heavy an academic emphasis. Before his present elementary, he'd been at a heavily academic elementary that basically ignored the special ed kids. We were intent on not going back to that kind of environment. We were also waitlisted at Gateway Charter Middle, a new charter that is really our first choice because of its smaller grade size and focus on special ed. So we went into Round II and also filed a medical appeal. I didn't come up with the medical appeal idea -- the placement office encouraged me to file the medical appeal, since Ben's learning problems are medical problems. Silly me, I poured my heart into the medical appeal, getting two letters from Ben's doctors, a report from a psychologist, and letters from both Ben's teachers and his Inclusion teacher. This past weekend we got our response: nothing in Round II and a letter from SFUSD about the medical appeal imperiously telling us our appeal was not only denied, but it was permanently denied. Like forever and forever. Anyway, we were completely crushed. Then we got a call from Gateway Charter Middle School - there was an opening for Ben! Oh my goodness, it was exactly what we wanted. After much excitment and dancing around, we have now enrolled Ben at Gateway Charter Middle School. We are impressed with Gateway's new principal, Aaron Watson, and its new staff of teaching professionals. Starting up a new school (this will be Gateway's "founding" class) is going to be a new experience for us, but we feel assured that, with the proven track record Gateway High has established, the middle school will also be a great success. So thanks to all you parents out there for tolerating my saga of finding a middle school for our special ed child. We made some mistakes along the way, but feel we have finally gotten what Ben really needs in a middle school.

Round Two, Part Two

2011-05-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

I'll share whatever I learn from Rachel Norton about Round Two (thanks again Rachel for checking for us!) here when I receive a response.

In the meantime, if you know of a spot that should have been given up after round one and wasn't, please share it here. It might give some folks an idea of what could be available in open enrollment. If anyone has info from the EPC, please also share that here.

(Let's try and keep the comments for this thread on this topic so it's easier for those who are just trying to determine their chances for a spot).

****EDITED TO ADD RESPONSE FROM RACHEL NORTON BELOW****

"Hi Emily -

So, here's what I have been told by EPC staff. Bottom line: there were some adjustments to the number of seats available for the 2nd round so that the district could avoid revoking offers to families; to my mind they were quite limited.

Specifically:
A new kinder class was opened at CIS DeAvila;
No general education seats were opened at Alvarado even though presumably some were available going into the placement run;
Capacity was reduced by 1 seat at each of the following schools: Grattan, Sherman, Lawton;
Capacity was reduced by 3 seats at Rooftop.

Here's a quote from the response I received:
"In the May run we did everything we could to avoid revoking offers from families while also honoring parent choice. We knew it would be very disruptive to tell parents who received an assignment in March that we needed to take back that offer. We also knew that it would impact families if we held all openings at all high demand schools as part of a strategy to shift the balances of target language speakers and non-target language speakers in the immersion pathway. We very intentionally spent a lot of time identifying solutions that would be the least harmful for incoming kindergarten students.

. . . The individual counseling process has begun; EPC is working personally with non-target speaking families at [several schools] to shift the balances while also honoring parent choice to the maximum extent possible."

I hope this helps!"

Round Two

2011-05-13T15:25:00.001-07:00

Round two letters should have been sent out today. Was anyone able to confirm with the EPC that the letters did indeed go out?

Any related thoughts, news, feelings?

And of course, share your news tomorrow when those letters come!

Reflections on May 9 BOE Meeting to Discuss the Middle School Plan

2011-05-10T06:25:00.000-07:00

Rachel Norton is certainly admired (and thanked!) for going home last night and preparing a synopsis of the BOE reaction to the middle school plan. Readers are referred to Rachel's blog for her preliminary reaction to the meeting, as well as two key documents: a 24-page summary of the recent Community Forums, public engagement, and outreach activities, which was prepared by PAC and PPS, and the District's key reference, "Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades," which was published by EdSource last year.

You can watch a webcast of last night's BOE meeting once it is posted on the SFUSD website in the Board Meeting Webcast Archive.

Readers who attended the BOE meeting or who watched the Live Board Meeting Webcast are encouraged to share their perspective on the meeting.

- Donna

New State Rankings Released for California Schools

2011-05-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

The following information is from MercuryNews.com. Click here for complete story. Use the pull down menus on the web page to get API scores, State Rank, and Similar Schools Rank for California schools.

Interpretation of rankings: California public school rankings, which are released each spring, range from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. The rankings are evenly distributed by school level; in other words, 10 percent of elementary schools in California earn a 1, and 10 percent earn a 10. Statewide rankings are based purely on test scores (the Academic Performance Index, or API). "Similar schools" rankings compare the scores of each school to those of 99 others with similar demographic profiles.

In some districts -- including Albany, Castro Valley, Dublin, Pleasanton and Piedmont in Alameda County and Acalanes Union, Lafayette, Moraga and San Ramon in Contra Costa County -- every school was ranked in the top half of the statewide heap, with a 6 or higher.

Similar school (SS) rankings for SFUSD middle schools are very interesting:

SS Ranking 10: Roosevelt (API 864)

SS Ranking 9: none

SS Ranking 8: none

SS Ranking 7: none

SS Ranking 6: Aptos (API 829), Marina (API 806)

SS Ranking 5: none

SS Ranking 4: Giannini (API 874), Vis Valley (API 691)

SS Ranking 3: Presidio (API 871), MLK (API 710), ISA (API 620)

SS Ranking 2: Mann (API 653)

SS Ranking 1: Hoover (API 821), Lick (API 726), Denman (API 722), Francisco (API 707), Everett (API 607)

With the majority of our middle schools in the bottom of the similar schools ranking, it looks like SFUSD has a long way to go to provide Quality Middle Schools for All. It will be interesting to hear their take on "Quality" and how they intend to achieve it (without relying solely on demographic musical chairs) when they present to the BOE later this month.

- Donna

School Meals SURVEY online! Input needed - please circulate!

2011-05-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

The following message was forwarded to me by Teri Olle, the Project Manager for School Meals at the San Francisco Food Bank schoolmeals@sffb.org
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
School Meals Improvement Project Survey
Please make your voice heard on school food by completing this survey!
The San Francisco Unified School District, the San Francisco Food Bank and the Department of Public Health (EHS) are taking a close look at the school meals program and identifying opportunities for the school district to feed more kids better food.
Background: The school meals program is the largest meal provider in the city, serving 28,000 meals each school day. For many low-income children, it is a critical source of nutrition— yet many students do not participate, impacting their health and readiness to learn. SFUSD has made major improvements to school meals since 2004. The district has eliminated trans fats, now offers salad bars and other fresh fruits and vegetables daily, and uses whole grain pastas and breads. Adding a “Point of Sale” system has sped up the line while improving fiscal tracking and reducing social stigma. They have also provided more meal choices to students at middle and high schools. These enhancements have made school meals more accessible, fresher, and appealing to students— but significant opportunities remain.
How can school meals be improved? With full support of SFUSD, the SF Food Bank hired a consulting firm to study and make recommendations for improving the program (no district funds were spent on consultants). The firm has worked with many districts on food service programs. They’ve already completed a preliminary visit and developed an assessment plan based on data provided by SFUSD. This month, they will spend a week interviewing district, school and cafeteria staff, parent representatives and community leaders, in addition to observing school lunch periods. Final recommendations are expected in fall 2011 and will be shared with the Board of Education and the public.
How You Can Help: Complete the survey and encourage others to do the same— the more people participate, the more the study will reflect the interests of the community. Particularly critical are the opinions of parents, whether or not their children currently eat school meals.
The Parent Survey is available in English, Spanish and Chinese. If you would like to distribute the Parent Survey in paper format to a parent group, please contact Teri Olle at schoolmeals@sffb.org .

Click on this link to complete your survey: http://www.prismaticservices.com/sanfrancisco.html.
Thank you for your participation!

The Case for Skipping Class

2011-05-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Schools need to ease up on family travel restrictions.

By Christopher Elliott

(From the May/June 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler)

What do America’s schools have against travel?

In Darien, Connecticut, the public high schools’ attendance policy warns: “Inexpensive airfares are not an excuse for extended student vacations.” Fairfax County, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C., also discourages absences for family trips, and at least one of the county’s high schools, Annandale, seems to have an outright travel ban. “Family trips and vacations will not be excused,” states the posted attendance regulations. Notably, school-sponsored sporting events are generally exempt.

Alright, I get it. Mom and Dad sipping piña coladas while Junior lands cannonballs in the resort pool on a school day—it’s just wrong. I don’t care how cheap the Priceline tickets to Cancún were. And this kind of truancy certainly won’t help American students, already lagging behind their Chinese counterparts in math and science.

But some trips are worth skipping school for. What about the cruise to the Galápagos to witness evolutionary theory in action? Or a tour of Europe’s castles to immerse the family in medieval history? That’s not the same thing as hanging out at the beach, is it?

“Time in the field adds context, meaning, and challenge to the one-dimensional classroom feed,” says Scott Pankratz of Ecology Project International, cultural exchange program. “Traveling is learning in 3-D; it’s an opportunity to grow and become what otherwise isn’t possible.”

Tell me about it. While my own spotty school attendance record may have affected my grades, it certainly didn’t interfere with my education. In fact, my youthful travels across Europe and the United States with my parents, when I was supposed to be sitting in a classroom, inspired my career.

Educational travel may have other benefits, too. More than 88 percent of students who traveled before the age of 18 receive a college degree, according to a recent survey endorsed by the Student Youth & Travel Association. Slightly more than 8 in 10 had a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and more than 40 percent had GPAs of greater than 3.6. What’s more, half of the respondents reported a household income of more than $75,000 as adults. These correlations add up to some pretty intriguing math.

And yet many U.S. school systems are taking an increasingly hard line against pulling children out of school for learning trips, even as they forgive absences with questionable educational value, such as sports competitions. Junior can’t be excused for traveling to the Grand Canyon to reinforce earth science lessons, but he can leave early with the rest of the football team for away games with the school’s blessing? Puh-leeze.

There’s a reason schools are reluctant to issue waivers for educational travel. Rigid testing requirements under the ten-year-old No Child Left Behind Act, which is meant to hold school districts accountable to national standards, have made schools mindful of every unexcused absence, according to Ezekiel Dixon-Román, an authority on international supplementary education and out-of-school learning. “What’s being covered in school is specifically targeted at what the school is assessed on in the tests,” he says. In other words, schools teach to the tests, and traveling kids may not be learning what they will be tested on.

I have a horse in this race. Three, actually—two sons and a daughter. Taking them out of school for educational travel involved negotiation and creativity, and we sometimes were made to feel as if we were depriving them of an education. By the time my older son started third grade, it was clear that the school calendar and school leave policy were too restrictive. Last January, we withdrew Aren from public school and enrolled him in an accredited homeschool program. His two younger siblings soon followed.

The solution isn’t to push parents out but to reform schools. Real change must come from the top. “Federal policy around education should be changed,” says Dixon-Román. “There’s too much of a focus on testing and not enough on a rich and meaningful pedagogical experience.”

To get an idea of how the system should work, consider what happened when Sonja Lother asked to take her daughter, Pippa, out of school for 12 days to visit Washington’s Orcas Island last year. Yes, there was some red tape. She applied in writing for permission from the principal at Bluff Park Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama. Then she met with Pippa’s teacher, Mrs. Evans, who asked Pippa to keep a travel journal. Finally the school green-lighted her request, classifying her trip as a pre-excused absence. Pippa’s trip “expanded her thinking” and was worth the bureaucratic obstacles, says Lother. Pippa created a 28-page journal with daily entries and drawings of the islands, complete with postcards and other mementos, which she shared with her classmates, who learned something from the trip as well.

My kids already know that sometimes the best place to learn is outside the classroom. They’ll never forget standing on the edge of Kilauea, on Hawaii’s Big Island, inhaling the sulfuric air, and listening to a park ranger tell them the secrets of a volcano. Or the fascinating story of northwest Florida’s rare sand dune lakes, formed by a combination of tidal flows and weather, presented by a nature guide named Snookie as they walked along a narrow, sandy trail. They know there’s no substitute for being there.

Hey parents, this is an issue worth getting pushy over (unlike the B that should have been an A on Junior’s last history test). You’re most likely to be successful if you can first work with a teacher to ensure your child will keep up with the schoolwork before approaching the school administration.

Skipping class to travel isn’t something all families can afford, unfortunately, but it may be more affordable than you think. Remember, not every trip has to—nor should—include a five-star resort. When I was young, my family crisscrossed two continents on a shoestring budget, often staying with friends or camping. (For truly needy students, groups such as the SYTA Youth Foundation and ACIS offer scholarships for organized travel.)

Travel shouldn’t be an option for only the elite; it should be an opportunity available to any student or family who wishes to expand their horizons. Schools shouldn’t get in the way of a good education.

PAC and PPS Present Middle School Recommendations to BOE on May 9

2011-05-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Parent Advisory Council (PAC) and Parents for Public Schools (PPS) will present their findings and recommendations on Quality Middle Schools & the K-8 Feeder Proposal to the SFUSD Board of Education Ad Hoc Committee on Student Assignment. Public comment welcome! Here are the details.

NOTICE AND AGENDA: Monday, May 9, 2011, at 6:00 PM

The meeting will be held in the Irving G. Breyer Board Meeting Room, 555 Franklin Street, First Floor, San Francisco, CA.

Agenda

1. Informational Updates

a. Transportation for 2011-12

b. Attendance Area Boundaries

c. Monitoring Student Assignment

d. Quality Middle Schools -

i. Parent Advisory Council and Parents for Public Schools

ii. Staff Update

2. Board Discussion

3. Public Comment

Members of the public may address the Ad Hoc Committee on Student Assignment on items within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Committee but which do not appear on the Agenda. Speakers shall address their remarks to the Committee as a whole and not to individual Board Members or District staff. There shall be no discussion of public comment with the exception of clarifying questions and/or referral of the issue to staff. Call ahead (241-6427) to reserve a spot and prepare to speak for 1 minute.

New Blog on Inclusive Education in San Francisco

2011-05-06T07:27:00.000-07:00

Those who have been following my middle school journey for my 5th grade child ("No. 1") know that my 4th grade child ("No. 2") has an IEP for Special Ed services. I just learned of a wonderful new blog: Inclusive Schools in SF & Beyond. Some recent topics include How do Inclusion families choose schools? and the 5-3-11 Board of Ed Meeting on Inclusion. Also, the blog provides links to useful local, state, and national organizations and information.

This is what the blog originator, Catherine, writes about her blog: "This blog was born out of my work on San Francisco Inclusive Schools Week and ongoing advocacy work for inclusive education (not to mention the world at large)…inspired by a very charismatic youngster and his peers. Please feel free to be in touch to share resources and connections."

- Donna

Tipping Point

2011-05-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

Recently I watched a TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson on Changing the Education Paradigm and it made me feel even more disheartend with our country's approach to educating children. The talk was recorded almost 5 years ago and nothing has changed towards a more sensible and effective method to public education. I know that many other pundits have declared our education system to be broken decades before Sir Robinson but it seems like true education reform is gaining more momentum because of recent books such as NurtureShock, Feel-Bad Edcuation, Drive, The Flat World and Education, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, and the like.

The official website for the movies Waiting for Superman and Race to Nowhere have sections on taking action. In fact, the Waiting for Superman site is hosting and streaming a live town hall meeting On May 11th with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the future of education in America.

Or perhaps it seems that true education reform is this way only because I've become a parent to school-aged children?

I thought of my 10 year-old nephew who is like the dancer in Sir Robinson's talk. Circles being pounded into square holes. I think of my brilliant 15 year-old honor roll niece who is worried that she doesn't have a 'hook' to get into the ivy league schools. Which makes my mind spin with recent opinions posted on Forbes online regarding the decline of investment in higher education.

With all the multimedia attention I wonder what would be the tipping point for education transformation?

Is it a matter of bringing it to the voting booth again and again and writing to your elected officials? Would it be a critical mass of driven parents demanding change at their school -one school at a time? Or do we need to wait for a trickle down effect from college admissions boards should they change their criteria to have less emphasis on test scores ?

So here I sit pondering how I can be the change I wish to see in the (education) world. In my last post I told you all that I was not going for Round 2 and keeping my spot at Jefferson. I also mentioned at one point that I was exploring the idea of joining a home school coopertive. One parent asked me why I didn't want to go to Jefferson. It's not Jefferson I have an issue with, it's the approach and test-driven philosophy in public education. The reason why I was so attracted to the Presidio Hill School and Synergy was because they have an entirely different approach. And given that Luke was neither accepted nor could we afford either without aid, I looked for a solution between the public and private options.

It came down to creating the educational environment I wanted for Luke - from scratch if needed. The initiative is to

Hire an amazing teacher with over 35 years in primary education who is passionate and progressive in teaching style.
Secure a dedicated classroom space for the children to attend and feel a sense of ownership in their learning environment.
Dedicate the time, effort, and funds that will go directly to my child's learning and that of the families children in the co-op.

This small home school group, called the San Francisco Schoolhouse , is still looking for K-3rd graders to be part of their inaugural year. I find myself very drawn to this option to roll-up my sleeves and create what I want for Luke.

And yet other family considerations are pulling us to our third option: moving back east. West and I will be leaving our hearts in San Francisco and going with our heads and children to the suburbs of Northern Virginia. Our family is sadly joining the statistic of those middle class families exiting San Francisco.

So there you have it. A spot at Jefferson will be available as are spots in the home school co-op (email info@sfschoolhouse.org for more information if you are interested). We will enroll Luke and Lulu into a Virginia public school. I will be a vociferous advocate for my children's right for quality education. I will cast my vote and elbow grease into the ring with other parents seeking education transformation and hope we get closer to the tipping point for nation-wide change.

Our very best wishes to all SF K file readers.

- Aissa, West, Luke, & Lulu

Are Feeders for the Birds?

2011-05-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

SFUSD, PPS, and PAC have been gathering feedback on the K-8 feeder proposal at Community Forums. Now we are down to the wire.

Here is the calendar for the upcoming meetings on middle school assignment as provided on the Parents for Public School website. All meetings are at 555 Franklin Street, 1^st Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102. Please see the SFUSD website for time and agenda. Public comment is welcome at BOE meetings. Call ahead (241-6427) to reserve a spot and prepare to speak for 1-2 minutes.

Monday, May 9, 2011: PAC and PPS present findings and recommendations from the middle school forums at the Ad Hoc Committee on Student Assignment.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011: District staff present their recommendations to the Board of Education (BOE).

Monday, June 13, 2011: Ad Hoc Committee on Student Assignment meets to discuss the middle school proposal.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011: BOE vote on the middle school assignment policy.

What do you see in your crystal ball?

Will SFUSD recommend K-8 feeders as described in the second (Feb. 2011) proposal, revise them a third time, or possibly postpone again?
Will BOE approve the K-8 feeder proposal or is more work/input needed?
Where is the $$$$ for District-wide middle school reform (Quality Middle Schools for All), new immersion pathways (including a 7^th period), and fully inclusive student practices (Special Education Redesign Implementation)?
And last, but not least, can all these things happen simultaneously in 2011/2012 school year or does the District need to prioritize this workload in the face of a dismal budget forecast?

- Donna

Special Education Inclusive Practices and Redesign Implementation

2011-05-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Important Board of Education (BOE) meetings on Special Education.

Monday, May 2, 2011 5:00 PM: AUGMENTED CURRICULUM AND PROGRAM COMMITTEE UPDATE on Special Education Inclusive Practices – Guest presentations from the United Educators of San Francisco (UESF) and the Community Advisory Council for Special Education (CAC)

Tuesday, May 3, 2011, at 5:30 PM: Committee of the Whole update on Special Education Redesign Implementation

Public comment is welcome where indicated. Call ahead (241-6427) to reserve a spot and prepare to speak for 1-2 minutes. All meetings are at 555 Franklin Street, 1^st Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102. Please see the SFUSD website for time and agenda of the BOE meetings.

- Donna

LAUSD students sing: "Save Our School"

2011-04-29T09:24:00.001-07:00

Rachel Norton: What an “all cuts” budget looks like

2011-04-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

An excerpt from Rachel Norton's blog:

Just home from six-plus hours of committee meetings, the first of which was the City-School District Select committee held at City Hall in the gorgeous Board chamber....

Anyway, SFUSD Budget Director Reeta Madhaven led the Supervisors (Avalos, Chu and Cohen) and Commissioners (Fewer, Maufas and Norton) in a presentation of our steadily worsening budget outlook. We’d heard the presentation earlier this month in a Committee of the Whole, but familiarity does not make the numbers more palatable. Due to the failure of the legislature to put a tax extension on the ballot, we are left with two alternatives: the Governor’s original doom and gloom scenario from January (which we were calling “Scenario B” but is now our best-case scenario), requiring cuts of $330 per student, or $25 million, for 2011-12, and deeper cuts for 2012-13; OR an “all cuts” budget that could require cuts of $800 per student or more.

Read the full post

Inside Bay Area: Public schools: Is California's middle class heading for the exits?

2011-04-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

This from Inside Bay Area:

It's the hot topic outside the kindergarten room, at fundraising tables and after morning drop-off. Parents are asking: How much more can California lop off public education before they bolt for private schools?
For public schools, 2011-12 could be a turning point.
In recent years schools have endured incremental cuts and annual angst. But with dramatic reductions to the school year, program and staffing expected, many families are contemplating a deposit on a private school.
Local private schools report this spring that inquiries and enrollment are up, and one school that closed several years ago, Calvary Christian Academy in San Jose, even plans to reopen in August.
Bellarmine College Preparatory received a record 1,000-plus applications, most for its 400-member freshman class. Several other schools estimated that inquiries and applications are up 25 percent. That includes Valley Christian, which hopes to increase enrollment 5 percent annually for the next few years, Admissions Director Scott Wessling said.
At St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Saratoga, inquiries and applications are up 40 percent over last year, Head of School Harry McKay said. Although many private schools have closed admissions for 2011-12, some still have openings.

Read the full story

New school in the Sunset?

2011-04-26T21:24:00.000-07:00

This from a reader:

It looks like SFUSD has some capacity to open a new elementary school in an over subscribed part of the city.

This is from Rachel Norton's blog, reporting on last week's Board of Ed meeting:

"Another contingent of people came to protest the district’s decision to move the Principal’s Center Collaborative school – a county program for juvenile offenders on probation – from dilapidated trailers in the outer Sunset to the newly-retrofitted and currently empty facility on 7th Ave. The Inner Sunset neighbors are upset because they believe the district should use the facility for an elementary school, and because they are worried about the behavior of the students who will attend the facility.

I am skeptical of the claim that the Inner Sunset needs an elementary school — it’s true that Jefferson and Alice Fong Yu are highly-requested schools in the area, but they are requested by people all over the City, not just the Inner Sunset. I plan to ask staff the question for the most recent assignment round — how many K applications did we receive from the assignment areas bordering the 7th Ave. site that listed their local schools? We’ll see. But I do resent the suggestion that the Principal’s Center students will be a disruptive influence in the neighborhood. They are students who have made mistakes and are trying to get their lives back together – they deserve the benefit of the doubt. (In the time I’ve been on the Board I have not heard of or received a complaint from neighbors of the current site -tomorrow I’ll check with staff for a deeper history.) And Principal’s Center is not a “drug treatment program” as one speaker claimed — it is a highly-regarded program for at-risk youth that is administered by the Probation Department in partnership with SFUSD. We have an obligation to provide them with a facility and the one they are currently in is not acceptable for their needs. 7th Avenue is available, and suits their needs. Of course, we also have an obligation to be a good neighbor and I believe our staff is trying to work with the neighbors on legitimate concerns."

What do SF K Files readers think - is there demand for an elementary school at the newly retrofitted 7th and Judah site? People who didn't get into Grattan, Jefferson, New Traditions, even Clarendon, would this location appeal to you?

And a Round Two We Will Go

2011-04-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

Tell about a million people that we got none of our assigned schools in the SFUSD lottery- Check.

Explain what our next step is in the kindergarten search to same million people- Check.

Research more schools online- Check.

Tour our assigned school- Check.

Take more time away from work and my kids to bring form number 2 to the EPC- Check.

That’s been my last month in a nutshell. My second list is officially turned in. I included 17 schools this time (well, 16, as Clarendon has two programs). I’m really just trying to see if I can get some type of award for person who has gone 0 for… the highest number. If this round doesn’t work out I’ll have gone 0/27, which I think is pretty impressive. In case you are interested, here is my list:

Miraloma
Clarendon JBBP
Sunset
Feinstein
West Portal
Sunnyside
McKinley
Grattan
Argonne
Milk
New Traditions
Lakeshore
Clarendon
Alvarado
Jefferson
Rooftop
Sloat

The order is kind of funky, and not necessarily in the order of how much I like the school. To be honest, I left some of the schools I figured I had zero chance at for page two in case the employees at the EPC fail to enter my second page. That’s my strategy. Pathetic, I know. We’re still waiting on our financial aid information from Zion Lutheran, so pending that information, assuming we get any of the above schools (besides maybe the first few), whether or not my son will actually attend that school is still in question. More waiting. Joy.

I did tour Glen Park and stayed on campus for quite some time. There are many great things about that school; I met both of the kinder teachers, who seemed lovely, and the facilities will be wonderful when the construction is finished (which I imagine will be before Fall 2011, seems like it’s well underway). But I ultimately did not register my son there. I don’t know how much to say about that, other than it wasn’t a good fit for us- that decision primarily driven by the school-wide color card discipline system they use. I’m sure for every one of me that thinks this isn’t the type of discipline system they would like used in their child’s classroom, there are two other people who say it’s a great system and it works wonders. And that’s totally fine. That’s the joy of being a parent, right? You get to pick what works for your kid. I could say more here, but I won’t, just know that I think Glen Park has a lot of good things going for it and it is certainly worth checking out.

We have also taken a move out of the city this summer off the table for now. We’ve managed to build a nice little support system here in San Francisco and I’m in no hurry to leave that. So our options for now remain SFUSD round two or Zion with financial aid (or with very, very creative finances).

I am so over this process and very much looking forward to this time next month when we will have a direction and my son can tell the rest of his classmates where HE gets to go to kindergarten next year. But for now, a round two we will go.

Edison Gets One More Chance --Charter Renewal Board Hearing April 26

2011-04-14T09:27:00.001-07:00

I had earlier reported that the SFUSD Board had denied Edison's charter renewal and that the matter was now with state Department of Education authorities. Well, I was wrong. Edison has resubmitted its charter renewal petition giving the Board another chance to vote on it April 26, 2011. In its new proposal, Edison has sought to cure whatever deficiencies were in its earlier application. In my view, this gives the Board a chance to do the right thing and renew Edison's charter. Edison is a K through 8 situated on Dolores Street in Noe Valley. A little more than a year ago, a new group of managers, led by Adrienne Morrell, broke free from the for-profit Edison Charter school system and have been trying to turn Edison into a neighborhood charter school. I toured the school this past Fall looking for a smaller-grade middle school alternative for my special ed son Ben. And I found her and the staff to be welcoming of my son. Indeed, and I hope I'm not disclosing anything too personal, Ms. Morrell herself has had family members who had learning disabilities and thus educating all students -- regardless of learning disability -- is a personal passion for her. And it shows in Edison's test scores -- the school is now achieving a "10" in testing when comparing its demographics to other schools. That's notable. Honestly, we don't have many public schools in the city at that level. It also is a small-grade middle school, and the Gateway situation I described below shows that many public school parents want a small-grade middle school option like Edison. Furthermore, the school has expanded arts offering and is now offering Spanish-language instruction (starting this year at the K level) that will eventually expand throughout the school. Indeed, for K parents upset at their Round I lottery choice, this is an alternative that should not be missed. In short, in my view, this is a school that should be given another chance.