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Many common elements in the Elementary Program provide consistency for the students as they move from grade to grade. While each level has its own goals and challenges, the students can also look forward to familiar routines that build self-esteem and independence throughout the elementary years. Morning Meeting and Person of the Week Each class begins the day with a morning meeting.  The meeting is run by
the "person of the week," who has been chosen at random the week before.
This student leads the children through an agenda, which is slightly
different in each class. The person of the week displays personal
photographs during the week and on Friday the class interviews him
or her.
Journals The children receive handsome bound journals that follow them from year to year. Each year special events such as field trips and concerts are recorded by the children along with a self-portrait drawing, hand- and footprints. The children love to leaf back through the years and visit their former written memories and drawings. Classroom Responsibilities The students rotate classroom jobs to learn responsibility and care of their environment. They feed the pets, prepare morning snack, serve the hot lunch that is provided by the kitchen, and clean up afterwards. In addition, children are expected to take care of their personal belongings, which are kept in "cubbies" in the classrooms. Rights, Respect and Responsibility Children discuss and agree to classroom rules at the beginning of the year. They are straightforward and to the point: respect for each other, the teacher, and the learning process are at the core. Similarly, commonly understood yard rules, based on safety, are explained at the beginning of the year. Conflict mediation training occurs in P.E. in every class for the entire year. Fifth graders learn to become rotating Peacekeepers in the yard during lunch recess. They receive intensive training in the Peace Process, a method of using negotiation skills to reach agreements and find solutions. In a supportive role, adult supervisors oversee the yard, encouraging all students to practice applying these skills to challenges that arise. Adventuring into the Larger Community The school's experiential approach to learning is evidenced in field trips and overnights intended to enrich a particular area of study. At fourth and fifth grade, children sleep in tents, rotate cooking groups, continue their nature studies and enjoy storytelling and singing around the evening campfire. Homework and Take-Home Folders Homework is an essential extension of the classroom curriculum, reinforcing concepts taught and encouraging the growth of responsibility at each grade level. Parents and children learn the homework expectations for each grade level at the beginning of the year. Students are asked to read at home each day and complete a variety of assignments each week. Celebrations and Special Events The elementary classes gather together to celebrate holidays and special events such as Halloween, Chinese New Year and Martin Luther King Day. Such gatherings promote community and allow for cross-age sharing of curriculum. Drama The holiday show that is presented in December allows each child to integrate music, movement and language in an original school production. Multicultural Education One of the main goals of our school is to promote multicultural awareness. From preschool through eighth grade, the children are exposed to world cultures through music, art, literature, specific culture studies, field trips, language, and physical education. Teachers draw on guest speakers, performers and parents to ensure varied cultural experiences and celebrations. From the halls to the holidays the school reflects a deep commitment to cultural literacy. Environmental Studies From the pre-schooler watching ice melt to the eighth grader cleaning up a littered beach, children at the school are taught how to observe and protect the environment. In addition to science studies at each level, children are active participants in recycling projects, letter-writing campaigns and other projects designed to foster the caretaking of our globe. The students have raised money to preserve rain forest land in Central America, they've mucked about in the wetlands and learned what's being done to protect them, and have studied the politics of food distribution around the world. School Families The first through eighth graders and all their teachers are organized into cross-age groups with one or two students from each grade level and a teacher comprising a "School Family." Families meet about once every six weeks to do a mixed-age activity. Generally, the eighth grade Family member leads the activity. School Family activities vary each year and have included a safety tour of the campus, biographies of important Americans, singing, and the sharing of individual family stories. School Families strengthen the sense of caring and community throughout The San Francisco School. |
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