It's Monday - SFUSD starts in one week

August 12, 2013, 6:37 pm

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Has anyone had an movement?  I understand there was a round 4.  Did anyone get a new assignment?  Has anyone decided to give up a spot at their public, private or parochial school last minute?

If you don't have a public school assignment and you are still holding out, what school are you waiting for and what is your back-up plan?

Wishing you the best!

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From a Reader: Synergy or Creative Arts Charter?

August 13, 2013, 12:57 pm

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Help!!!! My child was accepted to both Synergy and Creative Arts Charter school. On paper they look almost identical. The only real difference is the ratio. Synergy having a little better 13:1 in Kindergarten and a foreign language is taught at Synergy. Please any thoughts?? I need help I just cant make the decision on my own I keep thinking I am going to make the wrong one even though it's a win win either way. Thank you!! 

When commenting - please verify your email address [inbound email from Disqus] so that your comment is posted real time!

Open Seats At Schools

August 20, 2013, 11:12 am

≫ Next: CTIP1 Zone Changing for 2014-2015

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Dear Readers

In an effort to help the families that are still waiting for an assignment or really hoping for an assignment that is a better fit for their family after the 3 - day count, can you post any openings you have observed at your school?  This is especially relevant for the K and 1st grade classrooms.  I will try to adjust moderation to allow anon comments, since this info is often sensitive.  Good luck and thank you to the community for offering some hope to the waiting families!

CTIP1 Zone Changing for 2014-2015

September 11, 2013, 9:58 am

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We understand from Rachel Norton's 8/15 post that the CTIP1 zone is changing for the 2014-2015 enrollment cycle.  Based on the post, it sounds like the CTIP1 zones in the Western Addition and Bayview will get smaller, while CTIP1 in the Tenderloin will expand.  If you have reviewed the changes in detail, please comment.  Does this impact your family?  Has your location changed from a CTIP1 zone to a non-CTIP1 zone?  

From Rachel Norton's website:

"So — it’s very hard to summarize the  Student Assignment Committee report this evening. The easy parts: There will be some minor changes to the CTIP 1 areas for the 2014-15 enrollment season. Our demographers have incorporated changes to census tracts from the 2010 census, and based on that have been able to refine some of the CTIP 1 census tract areas. Several tracts in the Western Addition and one in the Bayview will be reclassified as non-CTIP1; another tract in the Tenderloin will become a CTIP 1 tract. (Download the presentation — there are detailed block-by-block maps)."

http://rachelnorton.com/2013/08/15/a-recap-some-data-and-more-data/

Recruiting New Bloggers

September 12, 2013, 2:17 pm

≫ Next: Gateway High School has *new* October 4th application deadline

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Recruiting New Bloggers As the 2013-14 touring season swiftly approaches, we are eager to reach out to parents who might want to blog about their school search. A couple of parents have already reached out to us, which is fantastic! Anyone else out there want to jump in? Or know someone who might have an interesting perspective on this process?  We found that blogging forced us to be thoughtful about our priorities and our children’s needs, motivated us to keep good notes and reflect on the tours we attended (so they didn't all just blur together), and even allowed us to solicit advice from parents reading the blog. We are especially hoping for bloggers from all parts of the city and we are interested in hosting bloggers whose voices we may not have heard from as much in the past, including but not limited to: fathers, parents (or students!) looking at middle schools or high schools, parents looking at special education options, Spanish-speaking parents, parents considering homeschooling, parents of child celebrities, whatever. If you’ve blogged for the site before and want to check back and share more about your child’s experience, thank you and please get in touch as well.

Please email us at kfilesblog@gmail.com if you are interested. Thank you!

Gateway High School has *new* October 4th application deadline

September 12, 2013, 8:37 pm

≫ Next: Rich School, Poor School: A Comprehensive List of How Much Money PTAs Raise

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This week SFGate reported that Gateway High School  moved its application deadline for next year’s ninth graders to October 4th.  This change was not announced publicly and will catch many high school applicants by surprise.  Any eight graders interested in that school should check the Gateway HS website for application materials ASAP.

Here is the article: http://blog.sfgate.com/cityinsider/2013/09/11/sfs-gateway-highs-early-application-deadline-raises-red-flag/

Rachel Norton also has a two-part story on her blog beginning here.

Are you a Gateway family? Do you want to be a Gateway family? How do you feel about this?

Rich School, Poor School: A Comprehensive List of How Much Money PTAs Raise

September 21, 2013, 7:57 am

≫ Next: SFUSD Tour Information

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This is a followup to a January 4, 2013 "Rich School, Poor School" post on fundraising and spending of PTAs at 14 popular elementary schools.  The last section of that post contains information on how to find financial information about school PTA/PTOs.

How much money can PTAs raise?

As the charts below show, the amount PTAs raise is not just a matter of parent involvement. It's also determined by the number of families who have money to give.

The association between the percentage of white students and amount raised is not surprising. As the table below shows, white families in San Francisco are much more affluent than other racial and ethnic groups.

Median annual income of families with children under 18 in San Francisco

Race	Median annual income
White	119k
Asian	77k
Latino	48k
African American	28k

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2006-2010 American Community Survey (Table B19125)

How much SFUSD Elementary School PTA/PTOs raised in 2011-12

The list below is ordered by the amount raised per student in 2011-12.

School and Tax ID		Amt raised per student	Total amt raised	Net assets (reserve funds)	Number of students	% Free and reduced lunch
1.	Peabody PTA* 71-1004773	$813	206k	141k	254	29%
2.	Grattan PTA* 94-2967138	$791	306k	336k	387	19%
3.	CIS at DeAvila PTA 94-3216902	$770	178k	133k	231	16%
4.	Miraloma PTA 94-6184034	$757	272k	374k	359	15%
5.	Alvarado PTA 94-6171208	$754	388k	432k	515	41%
6.	Clarendon JBBP** (2010-11) 94-2783933 2nd Community 94-3205047	$736	193k 226k	579k 424k	2010 565 2011 572	15%  16%
7.	Sherman PTA 94-3351039	$697	288k	147k	413	42%
8.	New Traditions PTA 94-3220822	$649	156k	91k	240	36%
9.	McKinley PTA 13-4317995	$627	215k	278k	343	29%
10.	Webster PTA 94-6174741	$538	131k	128k	244	60%
11.	Argonne PTO* aka Council of Empowerment 94-3344282	$523	222k	137k	425	38%
12.	Commodore Sloat Parents Club Organization/School Fund* 94-1677648	$512	194k*	171k	379	48%
13.	Parks Parent Teacher and Community Council (PTTC) of the JBBP 03-0436102 Parks PTA, schoolwide 90-0350703	$470 JBBP students ? Gen Ed	88k <50k	215k	187 JBBP 391 school	60%
14.	Starr King PTA 13-4317993	$450	161k	42k	359	45%
15.	Alice Fong Yu Parents Association 77-0439991	$447	249k	397k	558	32%
16.	Rooftop PTA 23-7349936	$404	238k	280k	591	38%
17.	Lilienthal Lilienthal PTA** (2010-11) schoolwide 94-2954256 SFKIEA 46-0698926 - filed with IRS but not active in 2011-12	$388	261k <$50k	146k	672	22%
18.	Yick Wo PTO 94-3204138	$376	102k	90k	271	57%
19.	West Portal Parents Club 94-3069763	$364	211k	366k	578	40%
20.	Feinstein PTA* 71-1015710	$342	166k	151k	485	29%
21.	Ortega PTA 94-3190930	$301	91k	69k	302	57%
22.	Jefferson PTA 94-6172271	$299	150k	204k	501	40%
23.	Sunnyside PTA 94-6174545	$280	102k	51k	365	49%
24.	Sunset PTA* 91-1812161	$274	109k	119k	398	28%
25.	Alamo Alamo PTA 94-2605294 Friends of Alamo (2010-11)** 94-3255075	$266	49k 68k	58k 102k	511 514	42% 46%
26.	Lafayette PTA 94-6172049	$259	138k	70k	533	30%
27.	Lakeshore PTA 94-3042896	$250	134k	72k	534	53%
28.	SF Community Project Olé 94-3379867	$248	70k	129k	284	69%
29.	Marshall PTA 54-2173518	$245	60k	20k	244	87%
30.	Flynn PTA 56-2587473	$237	113k	66k	478	71%
31.	Fairmount PTA 23-7038038	$210	81k	157k	386	63%
32.	Milk Friends of Harvey Milk* 20-5481914 Parent Faculty Club 94-0461700 - no tax info in IRS database or guidestar yet	$185	$47k	120k	253	45%
33.	Stevenson PTA 94-6174525	$170	80k	113k	468	54%
34.	Ulloa PTA 94-3281678	$167	85k	138k	508	60%
35.	Lawton PTA 13-4265192	$163	99k	110k	610	54%
36.	Buena Vista PTA 94-3033872	$163	99k	234k	610	68%
37.	McCoppin PTO*** 90-0896394 - no tax info in IRS database or guidestar yet PTA terminated 2012 94-6184085	$137	37k	19k	266	65%
38.	Key PTA* 94-2569531	$133	71k	74k	534	48%
39.	Hillcrest PTA 37-1540114	$124	57k	32k	455	90%
40.	Monroe PTA 26-0084079	$121	62k	60k	512	76%
41.	Longfellow PTA 94-6172144	$102	62k	51k	612	80%

*     Excludes fees for before/afterschool programs.
**   2010-11 tax info, student enrollment and %free/reduced lunch used.
*** 2009-10 tax info, student enrollment and % free lunch info used.

SCHOOLS THAT RAISED LESS THAN $50K IN 2011-12

Nonprofit organizations that raise under $50,000 a year may file a Form 990-N, or e-postcard 990, stating this. No additional financial information is given. The following schools filed Form 990-Ns.

School and Tax ID		Number of students 2011-12	% Free & reduced lunch 2011-12
1.	Carmichael PTA 94-3322533. Last filed 2009-10, at risk of having their nonprofit status revoked.   Tax ID listed on their webpage is incorrect; it is the tax ID for Harvey Milk.	672	80%
2.	Carver PTA** 90-0850574.	249	88%
3.	Cleveland PTA* 94-2668584	338	91%
4.	Garfield PTO 27-2142608. Last filed 2009-10, at risk of having their nonprofit status revoked	249	72%
5.	Guadalupe PTA*  94-6172237.	482	78%
6.	Gordon J Lau Parents Club** 94-3196467. No PTA/fundraising webpage	666	91%
7.	Malcolm X PTA*  90-0904044.	104	93%
8.	Muir 68-0634751, last filed 2010-11.	236	89%
9.	Revere PTA 94-3127176	421	75%
10.	Serra PTA 94-3115659	282	89%
11.	Spring Valley PTA 90-0630140	343	83%
12.	Sutro PTA 94-3078190	240	67%
13.	Taylor PTA** 94-6174619. No PTA webpage.	665	81%

 * No school website
** No PTA/fundraising webpage

SCHOOLS WITH NO PARENT-TEACHER ORGANIZATION OR NO TAX ID FOUND FOR THEIR PTO.

 

School		Number of students 2011-12	% Free & reduced lunch 2011-12
1.	Bryant PTO no tax ID found	238	88%
2.	Chavez PTO** no tax ID found.	480	90%
3.	Chin no PTA/PTO found.	251	85%
4.	Dr. William Cobb Parent Teacher Club* 94-2939994 - nonprofit status revoked 1/2013 by IRS.	196	79%
5.	Drew** no PTA/PTO found.	274	85%
6.	El Dorado* no PTA/PTO found.	304	77%
7.	Glen Park PTO 26-4665571 - nonprofit status revoked 12/2012 by IRS	345	78%
8.	Harte PTA* 56-2587475 - terminated 2012.	215	95%
9.	Moscone Parent Club** no tax ID found.	335	91%
10.	Parker PTO no tax ID found.	292	86%
11.	Redding Parent Teacher Club* no tax ID found.	315	91%
12.	Sanchez College Prep PTA* 90-0578778 - terminated 2012.	280	84%
13.	Sheridan Parent Teacher Club no tax ID found	210	87%
14.	Tenderloin* no PTA/PTO found.	389	93%
15.	Visitacion Valley* 94-3134102 - nonprofit status revoked 11/2011 by IRS.	457	88%

*No school website
**No PTA/PTO or fundraising webpage.

Sources:
IRS Form 990s: guidestar.orgCreate a free account to view the Form 990s.
IRS Form 990-Ns:  http://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Search-for-Forms-990-N-Filed-by-Small-Tax-Exempt-Organizations
PTAs in SF (PTOs not included): http://www.sfpta.org/Default.aspx?pageId=1521756
Free/reduced lunch enrollment: http://sfusdfood.org/freereduced.html

SFUSD Tour Information

October 2, 2013, 9:17 pm

≫ Next: West Side Mom & the Transitional Kindergarten Search

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Sounds like the SFUSD elementary schools are starting tours. Here's what we've heard so far, and links to the school websites we found. If you want to add a school or correct any information you see below, please please do! Just email us at Kfilesblog@gmail.com with the correct info.

List of schools

http://www.sfusd.edu/en/schools/all-schools.html

Applications for Round 1 are due on Tuesday, January 21, 2014.

SCHOOLS: 

Alamo
http://www.friendsofalamo.org/
School Tours will be offered on Fridays from 9 to 10 am starting October 11th. Please call the school office at 415-750-8456 to reserve a space.

Alvarado

http://alvaradoschool.net/
Tours start at 8:30 a.m. in the cafeteria.
October 1, 2013
October 8, 2013
October 15, 2013
October 22, 2013
October 29, 2013
November 5, 2013
November 12, 2013
November 19, 2013
(The Nov. 19 tour will have an additional tour leader who can
talk about the school’s Special Education and Inclusion program.)

December 3, 2013
December 10, 2013
(The Dec. 10 tour will have an additional tour leader who can
talk about the school’s Special Education and Inclusion program.)
*December 12, 2013, 6 to 7:30 p.m. evening tour*
December 17, 2013

Argonne
http://argonnesf.org/
Tours at Argonne are led by our parent volunteers and will begin in mid-October 2013. They are scheduled on following days from 8:45 am to 10:30 am.
Tour Dates Fall 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Monday, November 4, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Monday, December 9, 2013
Monday, January 13, 2014
Please contact Grace in our Argonne office to reserve a spot: 415-750-8460

Buena Vista

http://www.escuelabv.org/

Fridays at 8:30 am
First tour is October 25, 2013
Call the office at (415) 695-5885 to RSVP! Space limited to 25 people.

Chinese Immersion School at DeAvila
https://wdaes-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com
Sign up now by clicking here
The school tours have been scheduled for the following dates at 9:00 am in room 301. (10/3, 10/9, 10/17, 10/24, 11/7, 11/13, 11/21, 12/4, 12/12, 1/8 and 1/16) Tours will be given by Principal Tong and parents.

Claire Lilienthal
http://www.clairelilienthal.org/Most tours are at the Madison Campus Site (K-2). There is only 1 tour for the Scott Campus (3-8). Tours are ONLY on Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. at the Madison Campus and the designated Wednesday at the Scott Campus. Tours are approximately 45 minutes to one hour. If your schedule does not permit you to attend one of our tours, you may choose to come to either site (depending on the grade level you are applying for) at 2:15 p.m., Monday thru Thursdays to do a "self-guided tour of the facility only. We do ask that you respect our rule of not entering classrooms or questioning teachers as they are prepping for their next day's lessons. For after-school self-guided tours, please sign-in at the office and get a visitor's badge.

Tour dates--Madison Campus Site:
Nov. 7
Nov 14
Nov. 21
Dec. 5
Dec 12
Dec 19
Jan. 9
Jan 16

Tour date--Scott Campus

Oct. 23

Clarendon

http://www.clarendonjbbp.org/

http://secondcommunity.org/
All tours start promptly at 9:45am and last approximately one hour. Tour dates include:
Wednesday, October 9
Thursday, October 24
Thursday, November 7
Wednesday, November 13
Wednesday, November 20
Thursday, December 5
Wednesday, December 11
Thursday, January 16

Commodore Sloat
http://www.sloatparents.org/
Tours will begin in October. Please call the school office at 415-759-2807 to reserve a spot.
Tours will be every Tuesday (when school is in session) until the enrollment deadline of January 21, 2014. Tours begin promptly at 9:00am and end at 10:00am.
Please check the school calendar for exact dates.

Please be sure to find a legal parking spot and check the signs for street cleaning. Check-in is in the lobby.

Daniel Webster
http://www.danielwebster-sf.com/Tours begin at 9:00am on Wednesdays at the school office on the following dates: Oct 16, Oct 23, Nov 13, Nov 27, Dec 11, Jan 15, Jan 22, Jan 29.


Dianne Feinstein
https://dfes-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
2550 25th Ave.
Tel: 615-8460 
School Hours: 7:50am-1:50pm 
Visitation Days: School tours will be given on Wednesday mornings from 10:00-10:45am, beginning November 6, 2013 and ending January 15, 2014. Sign up for a tour.

Fairmount

http://www.wearefairmount.com/
School tours for the 2014-2015 will be on Mondays from 8:30-9:30AM this year, beginning October 21. Tours will begin with an observation of our morning assembly, guests are to convene at the top of the stairs near the flagpole.
NOTE: Tours will be conducted in either ENGLISH or SPANISH. Translation will not be provided. Tour sizes are limited, you must call 415/695-5669 to reserve a tour spot. Sorry, no children are allowed on tours.
October 21st – English
October 28th – Spanish
November 4th – English
November 18th – Spanish
November 25th – English
December 2nd – Spanish
December 9th – English
December 16th – English
In addition, there will be a bilingual evening Open House in November, date TBD, no reservation necessary.

Francis Scott Key
http://www.francisscottkeyschool.org/
Group tours are offered from September 25, 2013 until school applications are due in January. The tours are every Wednesday at 8:30 am. Personal tours with the principal are available by appointment if Wednesdays are not possible. In either case, please call 759-2811 to RSVP for a tour.

Frank McCoppin
https://fmes-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
Please contact Frank McCoppin Elementary at (415) 750-8475 to make an appointment for a school tour.
Tours: Thursday 9:00 AM, occasionally Friday

George Peabody

https://george-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
Tours during the 2013/2014 school year will be begin on October 15th. They are conducted every Tuesday between October 15 and January 14 and begin at 9:00. Tours will also be offered on Friday November 1, December 6, and January 10th. There will be a short window of tours in April once school assignment letters are mailed by the SFUSD. Please check back here in late March for those exact dates.

Tours last approximately 60 minutes. All visitors are required to sign in outside the main office. The principal will lead the tour and conduct a question-and-answer session after the tour. Reservations are not needed. Parking is difficult in this neighborhood, so please allow time to find a parking space.

There will be school tours that focus on our special education programs (self contained classrooms and inclusion). These tours will include a general school tour and a chance to visit the classroom while the students are at recess. These tours will begin at 9:15 am and will be conducted on Nov 7, Dec 13 and January 8th.

Gordon J. Lau
https://gjles-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/

By appointment only, every Tuesday, 9:30 AM
(415) 291-7921

Grattan 

http://grattanes-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
Sounds like tours are on Fridays. Here's what the Grattan website says:
Tours begin 10/25 at 8:30. Please arrive early to allow time for parking and sign in. No Appointment Necessary, so no need to call the front desk. The first Friday of the month is street cleaning, therefore we suggest public transportation because parking is difficult on those days. Tours meet in the Grattan Courtyard in front of the office.

Glen Park

http://www.glenparkschool.org/
Glen Park School will be offering tours to prospective families on Tuesdays, beginning on 10/1. (Please note: There will no tours held on 11/26, 12/24, or 12/31.) Glen Park School is located at 151 Lippard St., between Bosworth and Joost. Tours begin at 9am in front of the main office and last approximately one hour, concluding with a principal chat in the school library. Parents who arrive by 8:40am are welcome to join the school community for morning clap-in behind the school in the Brompton Ave. yard. No advance registration is required for tours. Please call 415-469-4713 with any questions. We look forward to meeting you!

Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy
https://hmes-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
School Tours for 2014-15 School Year Begin Thursday 10/10 at 10amSchool Tours for incoming families for the 2014-15 school year are scheduled every other Thursday beginning Oct 10, 2013.
Dates: Oct 10, Oct 24, Nov 7, Nov 21, Dec 5 and Dec 19 in 2013
Tours are Drop-In. No reservation required.
Start promptly at 10 am and last around 30 minutes.
Plan to arrive 9:50 am in front of the school office, so we can start promptly at 10 am.
To get to the office, walk up Collingwood Street and enter through the schoolyard gates.
Before the stairways near the water fountain, you'll find the entrance to the building.
Office is down the hallway on the right-hand side.
Join a tour and learn about our school! We're located at 4235 19th Street, SF, CA 94114

Jefferson
https://jefferson-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
Join us for a parent led tour of Jefferson, offered selected Wednesdays and Thursdays, October through January. Tours begin promptly at 9:00AM and will end by 10:30AM.
Our principal will also be available to chat with prospective parents during most tour dates. Mandarin and Cantonese translation will be available on November 13 and January 8.
Register for a slot online by clicking here. Please come to the cafeteria to sign in on your selected date. Parking can be tricky around Jefferson, so you may want to take public transit or park along MLK drive in Golden Gate Park (at the east side of 19th Ave) then walk the 1.5 blocks to Jefferson. There are also metered spots along Irving St.

Jose Ortega
http://joseortegaschool.org/
School Tours this year will occur on Tuesdays at 8AM and will run approximately 1 – 1.25 hours. There will be 8 in total on the following dates:
- October 15
- October 22
- October 29
- November 5
- November 12
- November 19
- December 3
- December 10
Please call the school at 415-469-4726 to register in advance to attend a tour. We do not offer tours to individuals or on dates outside the schedule above.

Lafayette
http://lafayettedolphins.net/
School tours are on Wednesday mornings starting at 8:30 a.m. Call the Lafayette School secretary at 415-750-8484 to schedule a tour. Tours are led by our Principal, Mrs. Ruby Brown, who does a personal 1 1/2 hour tour of the school. 1-3 PTA parents will be on hand at the beginning and end of each tour to help answer questions and to give a parents perspective.

Lakeshore
To schedule a tour, please call (415) 753-8312 and let us know if you’re interested in getting more detailed information about our SDC program.

Tour dates:

Wednesday, October 9: 10am – 11:30
Thursday, October 17: 10am – 11:30
Tuesday, October 22: 10am – 11:30
Wednesday, November 6: 10am – 11:30
Thursday, November 14: 10am – 11:30
Tuesday, November 19: 10am – 11:30
Wednesday, December 4: 10am – 11:30
Thursday, December 12: 10am – 11:30
Tuesday, December 17: 10am – 11:30
Wednesday, January 8: 10am – 11:30
Thursday, January 16: 10am – 11:30

Lawton Alternative School

http://lawton-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/

School Tours begin Oct 1, 2013 and are Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning at 9am.  Please call (415) 759-2832 to make an appointment for a tour. On the day of the tour, visitors should sign in the Main Office.  The meeting begins in the library and then the group goes out to the school yard for the morning lines.  A Lawton staff member and a parent will lead a tour around the school grounds. 

Leonard Flynn
Flynn is a community-based K-5 elementary school nestled at the bottom of Bernal Hill, bordering the Mission District. We offer two language strands, English Language and Spanish Immersion. Tours are offered on select Thursdays until January. They start at 9am and run for about an hour. Meet in front of the office - no reservation is necessary. For any questions, you can send email to tours@flynnelementary.org 
Schedule:
October 10th and 24th
November 14th and 21st
December 12th and 19th
January 9th
All tours are offered in English and Spanish.

Marshall

http://marshall-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
Tours of Marshall take place on Fridays at 8:40 A.M, starting November 8, 2013. The last tour will be the last Friday, January 17, 2014.  Marshall school tours are held on Friday mornings, allowing prospective parents to experience our Friday assembly and sing-a-long. The Friday assembly is for both the students and the parents. It includes school announcements, class performances or presentations, and ends with the Friday Morning School Sing-Along. Touring parents will then have an opportunity to meet with the principal and/or current parents and tour the school grounds. Metered parking is available on 15th Street. Please do NOT park in the Walgreens parking lot. Call 415-241-6280 to RSVP. Tours last approximately one hour.


Miraloma
http://www.miralomasf.com/
All school tours at Miraloma are self-guided. Please SIGN UP HERE.
Friday Oct 4
Saturday Oct 26
Friday Nov 8
Friday Dec 6
Friday Dec 20-Inclusion Tour
Friday Jan 10- Inclusion Tour
Saturday Jan 11

You will be provided with a tour book which may also be downloaded. For a different experience download the podcasts and bring your mp3 player with you.
Parent representatives will be available throughout the school to answer your questions during the tour. All tours are followed by Q&A with our principal, Mr. Machado.

Tour Times
Friday tours: 8:30-9:15am and 8:45-9:30am
Saturday tours: 10:00-10:45am

Focus on Inclusion on the following days:
While anyone is welcome to the tour, it will be geared mainly for parents and/or family members of students who currently have or expect to receive Special Educational Services through an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP). This is a great opportunity to learn about our Inclusion program and our philosophy behind inclusive education.
Friday, December 20
Friday, January 10
Questions? Contact us at tours@miralomasf.com

McKinley

http://mckinleyschool.org/
Tours of McKinley for the 2013-2014 school year will be held from October 24th through December 19th. Tours will be on Wed. and Fri. mornings from 8:15-9:15, and will meet in the school lobby. Principal Sousa will be leading the tours, with assistance from McKinley parents. Reservations are required, please email tours@mckinleyschool.org.
No tours will be held on Halloween (10/31) and the week of Thanksgiving.

Monroe

http://monroeelementaryschool.org/

Monroe Elementary School will be holding tours the following days:

October 17

October 31

November 14

December 5

December 19

January 16

Please RSVP to the secretary in the main office: (415) 469-4736 and check in at the office for the tour. 

Tours start at 8:45 am in the cafeteria. The address is: 260 Madrid St, San Francisco, CA 94112.

New Traditions

http://newtraditionssf.com/
2049 Grove Street

For more information on any of the below, please email: tours@newtraditionssf.com 
To schedule a tour please go to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Y36VwiC9Un-T7eCeIh37VOMZb7Aaz_l6MOmsfQd89C4/viewform 
1st tour of New Traditions: Wednesday November 6, 2013, 9:45am-11am
2nd tour of New Traditions: Wednesday November 13, 2013, 9:45am-11am
3rd tour of New Traditions: Wednesday November 20, 2013, 9:45am-11am
(No tour, all SFUSD schools closed for Thanksgiving Break, Wednesday November 27-Friday November 29) 
4th tour of New Traditions: Wednesday December 4, 2013, 9:45am-11am, 
5th tour of New Traditions: Wednesday December 11, 2013, 9:45am-11am 
6th tour of New Traditions: Wednesday December 18, 2013, 9:45am-11am 
(No tours, all SFUSD schools closed for Winter Break, Monday December 23, 2013-Friday January 3, 2014. The Educational Placement Center (EPC) at 555 Franklin is open during most of WInter Break.) 
7th tour of New Traditions: Wednesday January 8, 2013, 9:45am-11am

8th Tour of New Traditions : Wednesday January 15, 2013, 9:45am-11am

Rosa Parks
https://rosaparks-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
http://www.jbbpsf.org/
School tours cover both programs at Rosa Parks Elementary: the General Education program (GE) and the Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program (JBBP). Tours start at 7:50 am in the main school yard on the following dates and can be scheduled by calling the school office at 415-749-3519.
Thursday Oct 24, 2013
Saturday Nov 2, 2013 SFUSD School Fair, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Wednesday Nov 6, 2013
Thursday Nov 14, 2013
Wednesday Nov 20, 2013 - led in Japanese
Thursday Dec 5, 2013
Wednesday Jan 15, 2014
Thursday Mar 27, 2014

Sanchez School
http://www.sfusd.edu/en/schools/school-information/sanchez.html
325 Sanchez Street, San Francisco, CA, 94114
Neighborhood: Castro/Upper Market
Phone: (415) 241-6380
Fridays, call to schedule appointment.

SF Public Montessori
http://www.sfpublicmontessori.org/
School Tours will resume in October, 2013! We will be leading tours each Thursday at 9:15 am, barring holidays that fall on that day.
Preschool Tours: 1st and 3rd Thursdays
Elementary School Tours: 2nd and 4th Thursdays
Please reserve your space by calling the school office at (415) 749-3544. Capacity is limited to 30.

Prior to scheduling a tour, please take the time to watch a short video of the inside a Montessori classroom and read a detailed description of the inside of a Montessori classroom to see what Montessori looks and feels like.
Video: A Peek Inside a Montessori Classroom (from a film project called "Building the Pink Tower") (Preview)
A Detailed Description of an Observation Inside a Montessori Classroom

Sheridan
http://www.sfusd.edu/en/schools/school-information/sheridan.html
Mondays at 9:00 am

Sherman
http://shermanschool.org/drupal/school_tours
During the SF Unified School District's enrollment period (approximately September through February), tours of Sherman Elementary are held on Friday mornings at 9:00am. Prospective parents are introduced to Principal Shenkan-Rich and are led through our school by Sherman parents. You can sign-up for a tour of Sherman here (link opens in a new tab). Alternatively, you can call the school office at (415) 749-3530. Sherman office staff can provide information on special needs class tours as well.

Spring Valley Science School
https://springvalley-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
Beginning in the month of October, weekly tours are scheduled every Thursday at 9:30 a.m. Call 749-3535 to sign up.

Starr King
http://www.starrkingschool.net/
Tours are held on Tuesdays, from 9:30am to 11am, during the touring season. 

To reserve a spot, please register online at http://starrkingtours.eventbrite.com/or call the school office at 415.695.5797
We are located at 1215 Carolina St. on the south side of Potrero Hill. Street parking is generally available after the rush of morning dropoff. Park on Wisconsin St. and enter the school yard by walking up the ramp on the left side of the school. Tours will begin inside the cafeteria. Parents may bring small children, but please be quiet and respectful of the learning that is taking place. It can be cold in the morning, so be dressed for outdoors! 

Sunnyside 

http://www.sunnysidek5.org/
Please come tour our school on the following Tuesdays at 9 am:
- October 1
- October 8
- October 15
- October 22
- November 12
- December 3
- December 10
- January 7
- January 14
We will have one Saturday tour on January 11 at 9 am.

Sunset
http://sunset-pta.org/
To reserve a place on a school tour, please call the office at 415-759-2760.
All tours start at 9 AM. Tour dates for 2013-2014:
October 10
October 24
November 7
November 14
November 21
December 5
December 12
January 9
January 16

Sutro
https://sutro-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
235 12th Avenue
Starting October 1st, school tours will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:15am.
Please call the school secretary at (415) 750-8525 to reserve a space.

Ulloa
https://ulloa-sfusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
School Tours:
Wednesdays at 9:45am.
Please call to confirm tour.
Tel: 415-759-2841

West Portal
http://www.westportalparentsclub.org/
Tours take place every school day that falls on Thursday, from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM, starting October 24, 2013 through January 16, 2014. The School Tour Packethas a lot of useful information you will need about West Portal Elementary. Please print a copy and bring with you on the day of the tour.
Please reserve a spot on the web site or by visiting the EventBrite page directly: School tour registration.

Yick Wo
https://sites.google.com/a/yickwo.org/yick-wo-external-website/
940 Filbert Street
Phone: (415) 749-3540
Call to schedule a tour.

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West Side Mom & the Transitional Kindergarten Search

October 7, 2013, 11:39 am

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Greetings denizens of SF K files,

I feel like I know many of you as I've been reading blog posts and comments here for the last year in anticipation of applying to the public school system in San Francisco and wanting to understand how the system works prior to our application year. 

A brief introduction: We are a family of three living on the West Side in the Richmond District. One dad, one mom, one daughter & one cat. Wait, that's four! We love living in the Richmond despite the fog. Our daily commutes involves hikes through the woods, biking up steep hills covered with wildflowers and perhaps a stop off at the beach on the way home. All while living in one of the most fantastical *cities* - can you believe that?!  There are also amazing parks, museums, and playgrounds as well as tons of family friendly restaurants - I feel truly blessed that we live here.

Due to the recent rule changes our daughter is no longer eligible for kindergarten next year but is eligible for Transitional Kindergarten (TK). We currently attend a SF public preschool- that we love. I want to tour the schools that will have a TK next year but I also think we can stay at our beloved preschool another year if we need to - most of the TK programs this year are far from our house and we don't yet know where next year's TK programs will be. There is also a chance that our preschool will have TK next year which would be perfect for us.  I believe that SF Unified will announce the TKs at the enrollment fair in November.

The TK process seems to mirror the K process - at least the dates are the same, so TK applications are due the same day as all the other applications and we will utilize the same application form.

I  work full time out of the home and I know how much time the search can take so any additional schools I can tour this year I will in order to reduce the days I will need to take off of work next year for tours.

The schools that had TK last year (from the SF Unified website):

Transitional Kindergarten Sites for the 2013-14 School Year:

Argonne EES - Inner Richmond
Havard, Leola EES - Bayview
McLaren, John EES - Visitacion Valley
Noriega EES- Outer Sunset
Rodriguez, Zaida T. EES - Mission
Serra, Junipero Annex EES - Bernal Heights
Stockton, Commodore EES - Chinatown
Tule Elk Park EES - Marina

I have some questions about the 'two year kindergarten' that SF Unified talks about :

http://www.sfusd.edu/en/enroll-in-sfusd-schools/how-to-apply-for-school/apply-for-transitional-kindergarten.html

I will let you know what I learn!

Last year I attending the Parents for Public Schools ( http://www.ppssf.org/ )  informational session, which I found very very helpful in understanding the public lottery system in SF - I highly recommend you attend a (free!) session. List of upcoming sessions here:

http://www.ppssf.org/Events_calendar.html

but do note that many preschools ask the PPS folks in to offer this same info on site so check with your preschool director as well!

I also have a vague 'list' for next year's K application based on recon I did on some schools and on proximity to our house. I recommend going to school events if you can as the school events are a great way to do recon on a school and you are helping their fundraising, so it seems a win win. I attended Alamo's Halloween fair last year as well as ran in Lillenthal's Howlin' Moon race and purchased a tree at SF Montessori's tree sale (and attended their open house on the same day). These events gave me insight into the schools in a very informal way. I'll post notes on these schools based on these events soon!

Events I attended last year:

Alamo's Hallowween Parade and Festical
Claire Lillenthal's Howlin' Wolf 5K and 1K
SF Montessori Tree Sale 

Please let me know if you also go to school events as a way to speak to parents and kids at the school about their school experience in a more informal process. And if you have favorite events please post them in the comments!

Please be kind to us, myself and the other new bloggers, as we post out thoughts here in this public forum during this very personal process!

Signed,
WestSide Mom

DadintheFog: Let the Games Begin!

October 10, 2013, 7:16 pm

≫ Next: SF Unified and Public Preschool / TK Tie Breaker Information

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I’m a planner by nature and by profession.  I spend my days reviewing data and determining the best course of action.  When my hubby and I first decided to adopt, I immediately began trying to determine the best course of action for planning for our son’s education.  Since around 2008, I’ve been a follower of SF K Files – reading the school profiles, following other parent’s journeys to find the right school, dodging bullets over proposition discussions, and trying to determine a strategy to win the lottery.

In prep for this year, I’ve pulled analytical info on every school, creating a master worksheet with every stat I’ve been able to find.  I’ve sorted, filtered, and pivoted on every variable.  I’ve shared it with friends only to hear that I’m insane.  And I think they were right.  The analytics only provided a foundation for our search rather than calling forth the clear winner for our son.

In fact, the more I’ve read and reviewed, the more schools that have been added to my watch list.  Overall, our schools are very strong and good at what they do.

So with that being said, I’ve called out our key areas of review:

Fit with our Kid:
Since our son was able to communicate, all he has wanted was to go to clown school.   Unfortunately, SFUSD does not offer this option (listen up Rachel Norton!).  He's curious, active, smart but easily bored and will start joking around if he doesn't feel engaged.  We need a school that will engage him and help him focus without crushing his innate humor and spirit.  He's very athletic and tactile with a vibrant imagination.  I fear a school with too much structure, but also know that he need enough to keep him in line.  Preschool has definitely been a balancing act between freedom and structure.

Preference for a Public School:
I’m a huge believer in public education.  I grew up poor by just about every economic standard and was enrolled in one of the early Head Start programs (yes, I’m that old!).  While my schools were always rated on the lower side of the scale, I managed to find inspiring teachers that knew how to instill the love of education in me.  For me, I’m not driven to find the perfect school for the kidlet, but rather a school that will make him love education, teach him how to learn, and will give him the opportunities he needs to thrive.  I’m confident that SFUSD will be able to meet this goal.  But I will build in mitigating options just in case: we will be looking at a few private options as well.  (My gut tells me however that I may be more willing to leave the city to find a public school that fits than pay for a private education.  But I’ll cross that bridge in March.)

Truth be told, we’ve also spent a fortune on preschool already.  Currently, our son attends an expensive preschool downtown near our offices.  We love the school, the teachers, and the convenience that it has provided our family, but are not necessarily convinced that the educational component was worth the extra cost.  There are many smaller, less expensive options that could have been as good if not better.  Money does not always buy a better education.

Diverse Student Body:
We live in San Francisco specifically for the diversity it offers.  As a gay couple we know how important diversity is to one’s quality of life.  For us, diversity means having enough of a mix that there is a chance that others may be like you or at least accepting of you. While I’m white, my hubby is Middle Eastern from a Latin American country.  (Spanish and Arabic are his first languages.  More on the importance of languages later!)  Ideally, we would like a mix of ethnicities, cultures, class and language. 

Spanish Immersion
Spanish was our son’s first language.  Unfortunately, when he went to preschool, we stopped speaking with him in Spanish to help him communicate better in his English-only class.  My in-laws are almost exclusively Spanish/Arabic speakersand we obviously see the value in learning a second language early.  However I do get concerned on how our son would do in an immersion school.  While he shows interest in speaking Spanish, and understands quite a bit, he also can be very resistant to learning another language. The school fit is more important to us than the immersion, but finding the two together would be the Holy Grail.

Location:
We live in the Sunset.  We’re open to schools that are not near us and/or on our current commute. For the right school, we are willing to accept some inconvenience.

Test Score:
I was amazed to see how well SF schools score overall.  There were very few schools we cut based on scores alone.  We looked at overall API score as well as the individual racial breakouts for each school.  With an average API score of 828 and a median API of 844 across the district, we’re pretty sure he’ll do well wherever he lands.

Our Short List:
We have 28 schools our on current “short list”, with 14 being our true top contenders.  Happily, our neighborhood school, Dianne Feinstein, is currently near the top of our list.  Other schools in our top include:  Alvarado (general ed and immersion), Buena Vista/Horace Mann (immersion), Clarendon (general ed), Grattan, Jefferson, Miraloma, Rooftop, Stevenson, Sunset, and West Portal. Two charters are also on our review list – Creative Arts Charter and Thomas Edison Charter Academy. 

There are also two private schools under consideration Marin Preparatory and Live Oak.  Alt School also sounds interesting, but the newness is a little concerning.

The hubby and I are dividing and conquering the tours, with a plan to visit around 10 schools.  We’ll also be relying heavily on the San Francisco School Fair for our info.

I look forward to sharing our journey as best I can.  And I look forward to hearing your comments and ideas.  Overall, we get too much information about the school and too few chances for actual interactions with the teachers, staff and other parents.  For us, we really want to find a school that fits our son (and will continue to fit for the 6+ years we are there). 

It’s crazy to think how little input we get into this decision via the lottery system, but at the same time, sometimes we all need to take a leap of faith.

Cheers!

DadintheFog

SF Unified and Public Preschool / TK Tie Breaker Information

October 11, 2013, 4:33 pm

≫ Next: Data: SFUSD Elementary Schools by Race and Ethnicity

≪ Previous: DadintheFog: Let the Games Begin!

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I called San Francisco Unified today. After reading some comments here I decided I wanted an answer about what sort of preference or tie breaker attending my local Pre K or TK might afford us in the Kindergarten year. As I mentioned before we can choose to stay at our public preschool or we can go to a public TK next year - so this is a very real question with potential ramifications for our Kindergarten search.
The Early Education Group, as expected, couldn't answer a question about preference at the Elementary level as it is outside of their area, so I called the Elementary group. I left a message and a very helpful person called me back. Unfortunately she seemed to think that going to a public pre K gave me a high tie breaker preference at any city wide program, but not at my local attendance area school.  This is fantastic news - Lillenthal or CIS De Avila here we come!!

However, I'm not sure it's actually true.  When I asked her for more specifics she forwarded me to someone else and I left them a message. If I learn anything I'll post it here!

SFUSD- please post the answer to our questions!

Data: SFUSD Elementary Schools by Race and Ethnicity

October 12, 2013, 12:01 am

≫ Next: Looking for a few more Daring & Devilish Bloggers...

≪ Previous: SF Unified and Public Preschool / TK Tie Breaker Information

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This post is one of 3 last data dumps before I get out of the way for this year's bloggers. Welcome, DadintheFog and Westside Mom!

Introduction
The diversity of San Francisco is one of the things I love about our city. It was important that my child's education in San Francisco include that diversity too.

Last fall, I was surprised to find that how few elementary schools reflect SFUSD's remarkable racial and ethnic diversity. 40% of SFUSD elementary schools are racially homogeneous, with over 60% of their enrollment from a single racial or ethnic group.  Most elementary school enrollments reflect some degree of de facto segregation. The reasons for this are complex. They include language immersion and bilingual/biliterate pathways, as well as segregation of the San Francisco's neighborhoods, illustrated by the map below.

Source: The Racial Dot Map, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, University of Virginia

Since others have asked, here is a breakdown of the racial and ethnic enrollment of SFUSD elementary schools.

SFUSD Elementary Schools by Race and Ethnicity, 2011-12

I hope this information will be used to help families find schools where their child won't be the only one of their race and to find schools that are racially diverse, not to avoid schools with "too many" students of another race.

For the purposes of this post, I grouped the schools based on how many of SF's major racial/ethnic groups are represented at each school, using a threshold of 5% for African American and 10% for all other groups.  The threshold of 10% was chosen because it averaged out to 2 children per classroom. I used a lower threshold for African Americans because SFUSD enrollment is only 9%.

There's many ways to slice and dice the data.  For example, for parents of African American children,  5% African American enrollment may not be enough, since that means your child would probably be the only African American student in the classroom.

Guide to symbols by the school name in the tables below

*	Racially homogeneous - over 60% of a single ethnic or racial group
A	Under 10% Asian, including Filipino
B	Under 5% Black or African American.
L	Under 10% Latino, of any race. Because of SF's large Asian and Latino populations,  SFUSD has Asian students from Latin America, including Asian students who are monolingual Spanish-speakers.
W	Under 10% White

A. All 4 Major Racial/Ethnic Groups Represented in 2011-12 K-2 Enrollment

School	Hispanic or Latino of Any Race	Not Hispanic or Latino						Decline to State
		African American	Asian	Filipino	Pacific Islander	White	Two or More Races
SFUSD	27%	9%	33%	4%	1%	17%	6%	3%
Glen Park	51%	15%	10%	4%	0%	12%	6%	2%
King	16%	21%	23%	1%	7%	22%	8%	3%
Lakeshore	18%	12%	41%	4%	0%	16%	5%	2%
McKinley	12%	11%	8%	3%	1%	53%	7%	3%
Milk	13%	17%	8%	5%	0%	39%	14%	4%
Ortega	17%	11%	38%	6%	2%	12%	11%	3%
Parks	15%	26%	27%	3%	0%	15%	10%	3%
Redding	33%	6%	27%	6%	1%	22%	4%	1%
Rooftop	23%	14%	15%	4%	1%	31%	7%	4%
SF Community	41%	13%	15%	8%	1%	18%	2%	1%
SF Montessori	11%	15%	15%	2%	0%	41%	15%	0%
Sherman	12%	7%	30%	1%	0%	40%	7%	3%
Sloat	10%	6%	41%	4%	1%	33%	5%	1%
Sunnyside	17%	6%	17%	6%	0%	41%	7%	4%
Tenderloin	38%	11%	23%	5%	0%	13%	6%	2%

B. Schools with 3 Racial/Ethnic Groups Represented in 2011-12 K-2 enrollment, with no group >60% of enrollment

School	Hispanic or Latino of Any Race	Not Hispanic or Latino						Decline to State
		African American	Asian	Filipino	Pacific Islander	White	Two or More Races
SFUSD	27%	9%	33%	4%	1%	17%	6%	3%
AlvaradoA	43%	5%	4%	3%	0%	34%	8%	3%
CarmichaelW	34%	10%	10%	33%	0%	4%	4%	4%
ClarendonB	12%	3%	33%	3%	1%	31%	9%	7%
CobbA	19%	49%	5%	4%	0%	14%	9%	0%
El DoradoW	31%	33%	10%	8%	9%	5%	3%	1%
FeinsteinB	10%	3%	41%	2%	0%	33%	7%	4%
GrattanB	11%	4%	15%	1%	1%	57%	8%	1%
HillcrestW	41%	8%	38%	5%	0%	1%	4%	2%
LafayetteB	10%	3%	37%	3%	0%	33%	10%	3%
LilienthalL	9%	9%	30%	2%	0%	32%	11%	5%
McCoppinB	15%	3%	57%	0%	0%	11%	9%	5%
MiralomaL	6%	8%	16%	2%	0%	55%	7%	6%
New TraditionsA	17%	14%	6%	3%	0%	47%	9%	2%
PeabodyB	12%	3%	19%	3%	1%	46%	10%	6%
SheridanW	35%	19%	20%	7%	4%	6%	4%	3%
WebsterA	49%	12%	2%	0%	2%	26%	7%	1%

C. Schools with Two Racial/Ethnic Groups Represented in 2011-12 K-2 enrollment, with no group > 60% of enrollment

School	Hispanic or Latino of Any Race	Not Hispanic or Latino						Decline to State
		African American	Asian	Filipino	Pacific Islander	White	Two or More Races
SFUSD	27%	9%	33%	4%	1%	17%	6%	3%
ArgonneBL	9%	4%	48%	0%	0%	31%	5%	2%
Creative Arts CharterAL	9%	10%	3%	5%	0%	55%	6%	10%
GuadalupeBW	49%	4%	21%	12%	2%	3%	5%	2%
HarteAW	43%	38%	2%	2%	8%	2%	4%	2%
JeffersonBL	3%	1%	55%	3%	0%	25%	9%	3%
LongfellowBW	39%	2%	25%	24%	2%	1%	3%	4%
MonroeBW	53%	3%	30%	2%	0%	8%	2%	1%
MuirAW	46%	39%	2%	2%	0%	2%	5%	5%
Spring ValleyBW	39%	3%	47%	1%	0%	4%	3%	2%
SunsetBL	7%	2%	47%	1%	0%	27%	10%	4%
Yick WoBL	7%	4%	46%	0%	1%	29%	9%	4%

D.  Schools with over 60% of K-2 Enrollment From a Single Racial/Ethnic Group in 2011-12

School	Hispanic or Latino of Any Race	Not Hispanic or Latino						Decline to State
		African American	Asian	Filipino	Pacific Islander	White	Two or More Races
SFUSD	27%	9%	33%	4%	1%	17%	6%	3%
AlamoBL	8%	1%	62%	2%	2%	17%	5%	4%
BryantABW	91%	3%	0%	2%	2%	1%	1%	1%
Buena Vista/MannAB	72%	3%	0%	0%	0%	17%	4%	2%
CarverALW	9%	65%	1%	1%	14%	2%	5%	1%
ChavezABW	82%	4%	5%	3%	1%	2%	1%	2%
ChinBLW	1%	0%	92%	0%	0%	2%	3%	2%
CIS at DeAvilaBL	1%	2%	61%	1%	0%	20%	11%	3%
ClevelandABW	84%	2%	4%	5%	1%	1%	2%	1%
DrewAW	12%	73%	1%	0%	4%	0%	5%	5%
Edison CharterAW	80%	11%	2%	1%	0%	4%	1%	0%
FairmountA	69%	5%	1%	0%	0%	16%	4%	4%
FlynnA	61%	9%	2%	2%	1%	18%	4%	2%
GarfieldL	8%	9%	61%	2%	3%	10%	7%	1%
KeyBL	5%	1%	64%	3%	1%	19%	7%	1%
LauBW	10%	0%	86%	1%	0%	1%	1%	1%
LawtonBLW	5%	4%	80%	2%	0%	4%	3%	2%
Malcolm XALW	5%	76%	2%	5%	5%	0%	5%	2%
MarshallABW	83%	3%	0%	2%	0%	8%	2%	2%
Mission Prep*AW	76%	5%	5%	2%	0%	7%	5%	0%
Moscone*BW	66%	1%	24%	1%	0%	3%	3%	1%
Parker*BLW	4%	2%	86%	0%	0%	4%	3%	0%
Revere*AW	60%	15%	1%	4%	1%	8%	8%	4%
Sanchez*AW	80%	6%	3%	1%	0%	3%	2%	3%
Serra*AW	71%	6%	7%	3%	1%	5%	4%	2%
Stevenson*BLW	2%	1%	86%	3%	0%	3%	3%	2%
Sutro*BL	4%	1%	75%	3%	0%	10%	5%	1%
Taylor*BW	26%	3%	60%	5%	1%	2%	2%	1%
Ulloa*BLW	3%	1%	80%	3%	0%	5%	5%	2%
Vis Valley*W	17%	12%	56%	5%	3%	0%	5%	1%
West Portal*BL	5%	3%	67%	4%	0%	12%	6%	2%
Yu*BLW	4%	3%	75%	2%	0%	5%	7%	5%

Source: 2011-12 data file of enrollment by school downloaded from the California Department of Education at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/sd/fsenr.asp.
Schools can also be looked up individually at http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/

NB:  Do not use SFUSD 2012-13 enrollment data by race/ethnicity from the California Dept of Education website. It is wildly inaccurate for both the district and individual schools.  According to the reported data,  SFUSD had just 208 Asian kindergarten students in 2012-13.  Pacific Islander kindergarten enrollment reportedly increased 7-fold,  and "Not reported/Decline to state" went from 52 in 2011-12 to 2769 kindergarteners in 2012-13.

Looking for a few more Daring & Devilish Bloggers...

October 13, 2013, 11:26 am

≫ Next: DadintheFog: Sunset Elementary

≪ Previous: Data: SFUSD Elementary Schools by Race and Ethnicity

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Have you been reading this site over the past few years and finding that, although the bloggers are fascinating, they don't completely represent your POV on touring and selecting schools for your child?  Are you consumed by the search, but finding that your personal peer group is tired of hearing every school detail?  Now is YOUR TIME.  Reach out and become one of our 2013-2014 Bloggers...

Personally, I think the 20212-2013 crew was a pretty diverse and unique group.  We are looking for a few more bloggers.  I always love to see a blogger from Bernal, someone lucky enough to be in CTIP1 and others that represent diverse backgrounds and perspectives.  Oh - and humor helps!

Email:  kfilesblog@gmail.com

Image courtesy of Voice from Russia

DadintheFog: Sunset Elementary

October 14, 2013, 8:38 pm

≫ Next: TECA enrollment October 22 and SFUSD Enrollment Fair November 2

≪ Previous: Looking for a few more Daring & Devilish Bloggers...

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I have survived the first tour.

Sunset Elementary has always been one of my top schools to review.  We live fairly close by (15 min walk) and have spent a lot of time at the Ortega Public Library and playground.  Back when I was home with the kidlet before he started preschool full-time, we used to visit the area at least once a week.  I also really like the demographics of the school as it has a good mix of ethnicities (for the West side), high test scores, high parental education and very strong PTA.  I will not go over every point of Sunset Elementary and highly suggest you read Sunrise Sunset’s excellent tour review from last year.

Getting in:

In all the excitement of my first tour, I somehow managed to arrive at the school over 30 minutes early.  This gave me an opportunity to watch the highly organized drop-off process.  I was immediately surprised by how engaged the parents were.  While some obviously were dropping off and heading off to work, a large percentage were parking and walking into the school with their children.  I was very fascinated at how orderly the students were in lining up for the general assembly at 8:40am.  When I checked for the tour, I was greeted by two parents immediately and made to feel very welcomed.  One parent brought me out the school yard to watch the general assembly.  On Thursdays, one student from each class is given a Shining Star award –and allowed to have lunch with the principal later that day  – for demonstrating a positive trait (Caring, helping friends, walking safely, etc.)  The students really seemed to appreciate the recognition.

After the assembly, there was a meet and greet with school parents.  They were very engaged, spoke highly of the school as a whole. The principal mentioned on many occasions how she partners with the PTA to provide resources/classes for the students.  Also, the PTA has a very well-defined fundraising structure, with focused Annual Giving Campaign at the beginning of the year rather than many smaller activities.  Overall they seemed like a very effective team and the bedrock of the school.

The Tour:

The tour was led by Principal Lee.  She’s been at Sunset Elementary for over 12 years and should be commended for creating such a great environment.  While I was thoroughly impressed with her administrative accomplishments, I was not overly inspired by her. While she definitely provided a strong overview of the school, she seemed to rely more on the brochure to direct the tour than her own passion.  Likewise, for many of the questions related to extracurricular activities, the default answer was that it was ran by the PTA rather than under her purview.  My (possibly incorrect) expectation was that a principal would still be able to easily discuss everything happening on the campus.  For example, several times it was mentioned that language classes were offered, only later to have a PTA member clarify that there were currently no language classes taking place due to lack of enrollment. 

During our tour, we visited two kindergarten classes, one 1^st Grade and a 5^th Grade class.  In each class, students were focused on their activities, organized and attentive.  (This may be due to the large tour of parents invading their classroom, but I was still impressed.)  The lower level grades had colorful student assignments on the walls, abundance of play/exploratory and overall a good creative vibe.  The higher grades had interactive white boards for presentations as well access to netbooks.  It felt like a good balance between a traditional classroom and a technology.

My Take Away:

I would be thrilled if were able to get into Sunset and would considering it “winning the lottery”.  I have questions on the aftercare and how we personally would managed the Excel program, PTA sponsored activities and our own outside enrichment (music/gymnastics).  But I truly could not find anything that would turn me away from this great school.

DadintheFog Stats (Here are a few I found important):

3 Kindergarten Classes (66 spots, around spaces 20 taken by siblings)

Times:  8:40am to 2:40pm

Aftercare:  EXCEL program (free), PTA managed Enrichment programs

Pre-Care:  YMCA (fee)

Total Requests (Fall 2013 Start, Round 1):  760  (117 in 1^st Choice)

API Score (Base 2012):  917

Ethnic Breakdown (from API):             

                African American             2%

                American Indian/Alaskan Native:              1%

                Asian:    52%

                Filipino:  2%

                Hispanic/Latino:                6%

                Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander:  0%

                White:  25%

                2 or More Races:              5%

English Learners:  20%

Free/Reduced Lunch Eligible:  29%

Parents Completing College/Grad School: 44% / 28%

PTA Raised (per Charitycheck):  $129,092 / $322 per student

PTA Website:  http://sunset-pta.org/

TECA enrollment October 22 and SFUSD Enrollment Fair November 2

October 16, 2013, 10:12 pm

≫ Next: DadintheFog: Thomas Edison Charter Academy (TECA)

≪ Previous: DadintheFog: Sunset Elementary

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As we hit the middle of October, we are hearing from parents who are quickly getting into the swing of the kindergarten search (or searching for a school for children in older grades). We wish luck to everyone out there and hope you are able to find the tours and information-gathering a useful and not too stressful process. 

SFUSD Enrollment Fair November 2
If you are searching for a school for your child, you may already have November 2nd on your radar screen--that's the date of the SFUSD Enrollment Fair. The fair will be held from 9:30am to 2:30pm at the Concourse Exhibition Center, 620 7th Street. SFUSD's website says you will be able to not only check out booths for each of the public schools, but also attend workshops on the enrollment process, Transitional Kindergarten, Special Education, Language pathways, middle school feeders, afterschool programs and the Lowell application process.

More info here:
http://www.sfusd.edu/en/enroll-in-sfusd-schools/enrollment-fair.html

Parents who went through this in past years, please feel free to discuss in the comments what you thought was useful (or not) about the Enrollment Fair and any tips you might have for navigating the busy hall. 

Thomas Edison Charter Academy (TECA)
We also wanted to let folks know about another date that some families might not know about: October 22nd. That's the date of the first enrollment session for Thomas Edison Charter Academy (TECA). 

Located at 22nd and Dolores, TECA is a K-8 charter school with two tracks (one a Spanish immersion thread and the other an English thread). Instead of using a lottery for student enrollment as other charters do, TECA offers spots on a first-come, first-serve basis to parents who make it to one of the school's enrollment sessions (you do have to bring with you your child's birth certificate and other documentation, see the school's website for details). If you're really interested in a spot, we understand you'll want to make it to the school's first or second enrollment session (though in past years, it sounds like many parents were offered spots off the waitlist as well). 

For more info about TECA and their enrollment sessions (after Oct 22, the dates are November 7, November 18, December 3, January 7 and January 24--check website for times):
http://www.teca-sf.org/enrollment/registration/

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DadintheFog: Thomas Edison Charter Academy (TECA)

October 20, 2013, 8:07 pm

≫ Next: RedSF: New Blogger

≪ Previous: TECA enrollment October 22 and SFUSD Enrollment Fair November 2

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Another day, another elementary school tour.  

A few weeks back, I was able to attend a Parents for Public Schools session which included a parent panel representing five different schools.  The parents represented a wonderful cross section of schools – Sherman,  Sutro, DeAvila, SF Community, New Traditions and  Thomas Edison Charter Academy (TECA).  But the parent which really connected to me, much to my surprise, was the one from TECA.  All the parents obviously loved their school, but this parent brought the school to life in a way that felt very truthful – she wasn’t afraid to mention work that still needs to happen, difficulties of the school, etc. while describing all the areas in which TECA excels.

TECA has a long convoluted history from a public school, to a private charter and public charter.  SFweekly recounts the history in a great article here.  Now, I personally would never consider a corporate charter school from a philosophical standpoint (and I’ll save those reason for another day as they really don’t pertain to this review).  This school however is a non-profit organization under the SFUSD.  My understanding is that the main difference is the school does not technically fall under the SFUSD's administration, but rather under its own.  In this way, the principal acts as both the school principal and district superintendant.

I will also point out that LazyTigerMom also reviewed the school last year.  I highly recommend reading her review as well (which includes some nice photos of the building).

Key Differentiators:

One of the key programs at TECA is it’s bilingual education program.  Spanish is everywhere in this school – from notices in both English and Spanish, to classwork on the walls, to parents and teacher conversations.  Of the 4 kindergarten classes, two are bilingual.  For TECA, bilingual education is a 50/50 approach with each student spending half the day in a Spanish language class and the other in an English language class.  Currently the program goes from K-3^rd grade and is expecting to increase to K-4^th next year.  The program is in its fourth year and is still adding Spanish to its mix.  Plans for the grades 5-8 are not set but may not be full immersion environments due to the demands of middle school curriculum.  

TECA offers music, visual arts, drama and PE year round in 10 week sessions.  Additionally, all students get a 20 min PE session with Playworks daily and a 20 minute unstructured recess.  Science and Math in grades 6-8 are taught by subject credentialed teachers.

Many of the students also seem to do very well academically.  I believe 7 students continued on to Lowell this year (13% of the 8th grade class).

The school requires uniforms consisting of a white or navy top and khaki or navy pants/skirt.  On the day of the tour, the kids had achieved a Free Dress Friday and were not required to be in uniform.

My Arrival:

Once again, I managed to mess up arriving on time.  This time however it saved me as I went to the wrong  address.  (I am rarely off on an address – all these school tours and reviews are obviously messing with my mind.  I did however get a good look at Adda Clevenger!)  I still managed to arrive 15 min early.  No pre-registration was required for this tour; sign-up  was just a quick signature and name badge.  I was able to watch kids playing in the courtyard for a few minutes before starting conversation with the other parents lining up.   I immediately noticed the office was not very well organized nor clean.  I understand how difficult it can be to work in a small space; but I also believe that cleanliness and organization set the tone for an environment.  The floors in the hallway also obviously had not been cleaned the night before.

The Tour:

The tour was not well organized and the parents leading the tour may have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of parents showing up.  I didn't get a good count, but it was probably over 50 people.  Initially the crowd was lined up along the entry corridor.  The tour guides quickly moved us to a foyer outside a nice auditorium, filled with kids preparing for the day.  Unfortunately the space was a little chaotic which made focusing on the tour  a little difficult.

After a class cut through the group, the tour leaders moved us outside to the courtyard for an overview and Q&A session.  A lot of parents asked questions on diversity and the parents made clear that this is a school in transition.  (The touring parents were a very diverse group.  If the school were able to enroll these families, the school would really start to change.)  My view was that while I did see a few obviously white kids and African-American kids, the vast majority appeared Latino.  Obviously, appearances are often wrong; but the school's ethnic breakdown seems to bear out my observations (API data below).

The play yard is large, but a little barren.  There is a wonderful separate space for the kindergarten kids, filled with planters containing educational plants (plants to touch, smell, eat).  A parent wrote a grant to Lowe's and won the planters and plants!

After the playground, we stopped by the cafeteria.  One parent noticed that kindergarten lunch was very early (around 11AM, I believe) -- but was reassured that kids also have a snack time in the afternoon.  Food is not provided by Revolution but by TheLunchMaster.

After leaving the cafeteria, we walked through a breeze-way heading to the stairs to the 2nd floor.  While I don't know if this is a space that children are allowed to enter, I was surprised to see a pile of old desk and chairs stacked haphazardly.  I'm not an overly protective parent, but this pile really bugged me and felt like a safety hazard.  Once again, it was another strike against organization and cleanliness.

Classrooms:
Not knowing much about charter schools, I had always assumed they were very regimented and controlled environments.  The first kindergarten class was a general education class.  The teacher was conducting a lesson based on an overhead and the students provided answers on a handout.  While the teacher was reading from the teacher's manual, the kids would respond on their paper.  Many of the kids were answering correctly, but several were randomly circling answers.  While they all were following along, the students didn't seem engaged in the exercise or with the teacher.  Two boys were almost laying across the table rather than sitting upright.  They may have been completing the exercise, but their hearts were not in it.

I'll be the first to admit that this was a 5 minute preview of the class, and TECA parents please chime in to give your perspective.  I'm sure having a wall of touring parents starring at you, would have a strange impact in the class, but this was the first class tour where the kids just didn't seem to care about what was happening.

The second classroom was a dual immersion kindergarten. The classroom felt much more lively and engaging overall.  I was only able to get a few minutes watching the class as there were too many parents pushing their way into the space.  In all honesty, I was also already starting to check out mentally.  I knew this was not a school for which I would be willing to cross the City.

The tour started to fall apart around this time.  The guides finally corralled the parents to the end of a hallway and brought the principal over to speak.  It was hard to hear over the kids in the hall (and the other parents talking amongst themselves).

The New Principal:
TECA has a new principal this year.  The PTA parent were very excited by her and her academic credentials.  In speaking to the tour, however, I was not impressed by her passion or vision for the school.  I can write much of this off as her newness to the school, but I would expect a new leader to have a vision of what she wants to bring to the school.  In this way, she came across to me as an administrator rather than a visionary. 

The tour wrapped up quickly and I headed off.  If I lived closer and had to have a Spanish immersion school, I may be willing to apply as a contingency plan.   However for me, I just could not see my child being engaged in this school.

I truly wish the school well.  Alternative education programs have a clear role in the SFUSD system.  Not every school works for every family.  I would love to see more diversity -- and if the touring parents apply, this will help greatly. 

DadintheFog Stats (Here are a few I found important):

4 Kindergarten Classes (80 spots, 40 bilingual and 40 general)

Around 600 student currently in K-8

Admission:  1st come, first in - Applications accepted starting Oct 22.

Times:  8:20am to 3pm (M, T, TH, F) and 8:20am to 1pm (Wed)

Aftercare:  Onsite care until 6PM ($325 or free if qualified)

Pre-Care:  Free starting at 7:30AM

Total Requests (Fall 2013 Start, Round 1):              Not Reported

API Score (Base 2012):  795

Ethnic Breakdown (from API):             

                African American                                             15%

                American Indian/Alaskan Native:              0%

                Asian:                                                                   2%

                Filipino:                                                                2%

                Hispanic/Latino:                                                76%

                Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander:            1%

                White:                                                                  3%

                2 or More Races:                                              1%

English Learners:                                              55%

Free/Reduced Lunch Eligible:                     82%

Parents Completing College/Grad School:            18% / 2%

Website:  http://www.teca-sf.org/

RedSF: New Blogger

October 22, 2013, 12:14 pm

≫ Next: DadintheFog: AltSchool

≪ Previous: DadintheFog: Thomas Edison Charter Academy (TECA)

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Like many things that come as a surprise when you have a children, I did not know that I would be taking (what feels like) a second full-time job touring SFUSD schools. For better or worse, I have.

Thus far, I've visited six schools and I have a few more to go. Since I'm out there gathering all this knowledge I figured I'd do my best to share it with others and hopefully save you the trekking.

 My daughter will start Kindergarten next year and we are only looking at public schools. The discussion(s) my husband & I had that lead to this can be saved for another blog post!
 We live in the northern part of the city but are renters and we are willing to move. We'd also like Spanish Immersion but are checking out non-spanish immersion so we have a comparison point.

Thus far, I've toured:

• Sherman 
• Paul Revere 
• Peabody 
• Monroe 
• Buena Vista / Horace Mann 
• Fairmount 
• Alvarado 

 I'm hoping to find a school with improving test scores, a ton of parental involvement, school spirit, an arts program, an after-care program and racial diversity, ie not one dominant ethnicity (65-70% or more).

DadintheFog: AltSchool

October 22, 2013, 8:40 pm

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San Francisco is blessed to be a strong incubator of new ideas and new technology.  This crossing of education and technology is now moving away from just instruction design and education aids into the actual schools.  In 2010, Twitter’s Chief Scientist and Founder helped launch Alta Vista School.  This year, former Google engineers are bring their entrepreneurial spirit to the arena via AltSchool.  (You may have seen AltSchool pop up in your Facebook feed or on Google searches.)

Their vision stems from imagining what education needs to be for the 2030s (when the current class are graduating high school and entering college/the work force) and looking for ways to make children confident “problem seekers”.  Their method of getting there is through customization.

AltSchool is a definite departure from the standard school model.  Their key idea is to build small “micro schools” designed to facilitate learning specifically for their current students.  Think of the model as "schools through the lens of localization and customization".  Instead buying a building and taking in the right number of kids to fill the space, AltSchool wants to bring in as much space as is needed, in small increments designed for the students that attend.  For example, they propose being able to localize the facilities close to where the parents are or where educational opportunities are abound.  Each class can then be curated to the needs and interest of the kids.  If one school wants to focus on arts, open a location near museums.  If another on biotech, open near UCSF.  In this way, the educational experience can improve with scale – more micro schools equal more customization and individualization with the flexibility for students to move about as needed to maximize their learning potential.

The curriculum is a real-world project-based learning structure.  Students take on roles within each exercise to facilitate learning individually and collaboratively across the team.  AltSchool also develops personalized learning plans for each student with both reflection and iterative adjustments in the design.

The classes are blended rather than grade specific.  There is a clear philosophical decision to teach each child at his/her own level rather than an age based grade criteria.  Since every child comes to each subject at a different skill level, AltSchool plans to individualize the lesson plans.  For example, recently the 12 current students visited Smitten Ice Cream for a field trip.  Kids were able learn about the entrepreneurial nature of starting the business, the science behind making ice cream with liquid nitrogen, math games related to selling ice cream (teaching supply and demand) and delve into each area at their own level.

AltSchool also embraces the ability to “clean slate” a child and move them into different micro schools are appropriate.  As a child grows and changes, they believe the needs and resources available to the child should change and grow.  This may mean moving into a new micro school with a fresh set of students.  As AltSchool’s founder and CEO Max Ventilla said no one would want to stay in the same job for 9 years, why would we want to force a child into the same school for that long.

For next year, AltSchool will be expanding for their single DogPatch location today to three locations.  The two new locations will be near the Presidio and one in central San Francisco (maybe the Mission).  One location may end up being specific to middle school aged kids.  The current location consists of a single room divided up onto library, kitchen, classroom tables, whiteboard space, and a play area.  The space was nicely furnished, but sparse, and felt comfortable, but definitely not traditional.  There was some inspired student artwork on the walls.  I couldn’t help think that this was a mix of a retail space and a one room school house.

I didn’t see or hear of any outdoor play space at the current location, but they mentioned that LionHeart does come to provide some sport/physical education.  (Our kid attends LionHeart classes now through his preschool and we love them.) 

A parent of two of the current students was very positive in her view of the school.  She mentioned how her kids are thriving by being able to work at their own pace.  She also talked of how she feels actively a part of the teaching team.

The funding of the school was never discussed in the presentation.  Their website states, “AltSchool's tuition currently covers approximately half of the cost of providing an AltSchool education. We cover the gap between tuition and costs with private funding. AltSchool does not require parents to participate in fundraising activities.”  I do wonder about the long term funding and would want a commitment on a significant lead time if the school was to consider closing.  I would always fear the school being shuttered if the private funding disappeared.

My Take on AltSchool:
Many years ago, while taking a child development class for by bachelor’s degree, I was able to assist in teaching art in an alternative education school which utilized blended-aged learning.  This school was much larger than AltSchool and that fact definitely changed the overall dynamic – however it left me with a strong negative reaction to blended-age learning.  The younger kids often struggled to keep up, even with the kids a year or two older, and the older kids really didn’t want to be grouped with the younger.  All of this could change if AltSchool really is able to grow and become large enough to support more age specific classes.  I like the promise of customized education, but I have concerns how they are really going to get there.

I was also surprised that the overview never shared any technology for the school.  While they highlighted having 8 Google engineers on board, they didn’t provide any examples of how they added to the educational mix.  There was no discussion of instructional design, curriculum development, etc.  And to add to lack of tech expertise, their presentation crashed repeated forcing the speakers to work from memory.

I will not be pursuing AltSchool for our son.  But I will keep watching what they are doing. It would be fascinating to see if they are able to grow the school to truly fulfill the idea of increased customization and localization.  It’s a great idea, but great ideas don’t always succeed.  During the overview, the AltSchool team mentioned they define success if they are able to create a school that they would want to attend (not just that their children could attend).  I wish them luck – they peaked my attention with their passion, but now want to see if they can deliver.

If you interested, check out their website and sign up for a tour.  The website continues to add new content and provide additional info on their philosophy (and hopefully soon will replace the stock photos with actual students, parents and educators).

DadintheFog Stats (Here are a few stats I found important):

Student to Teacher Ratio:  8 to 1

Currently Enrollment:  12 students (K-5, will be K-8 next year)

Tuition: $19,100 (tuition assistance possible)
Their website states that tuition includes all activities, field trips, technology devices and classroom supplies.
Lunch available for additional fee.
Regular admissions and Fast-track (early admissions) available.
Website:  http://www.altschool.com

West Side Mom: Alamo Halloween Parade and Carnival 2012

October 23, 2013, 10:27 am

≫ Next: School Tours: Paul Revere (Bernal Heights)

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Alamo Halloween Parade and Carnival 2012

Last year I was able to attend the Alamo Elementary Halloween Parade and Carnival and this review is a record of my impressions from that event last year. You should attend this year - it was super fun:

http://www.friendsofalamo.org/events/carnival/

Alamo is our local school and I've heard great things about the school academically. The idea of walking a few blocks to school and maintaining our strong connection to our neighborhood is very attractive. On the down side it is a school with less diversity, per the numbers (See SFGeekMom's post http://www.sfkfiles.com/2013/10/sfusd-elementary-schools-by-race-and_12.html and http://www.sfkfiles.com/2013/01/rich-school-poor-school-how-much-money.html ) and diversity is important to our family. My husband grew up one of very few students of color in a predominately white district in another state and didn't really enjoy that experience.

The first things I notice at the event is parent participation - lots of it! There are loads of booths with games, face painting, parent led activities, and all sorts of wonderful snacks to buy and eat. If you go this year be sure to go into the cafeteria, support your public schools and get a yummy lunch to boot. And the parents & students are much more diverse group that I was expecting. It also feels like all the parents are participating, not just one group of parents, and I like that.

Alamo PTA & Friends of Alamo together raised a good amount (http://www.sfkfiles.com/2013/09/rich-school-poor-school-comprehensive.html) and Alamo has afterschool and before school programs - so far so good.


There are a little less that half of the students on free or reduced lunch. I grew up poor, and ate a free lunch every day here in California public schools. We are pretty solidly middle class anywhere in the US but San Francisco. And we feel lucky to live in such a great place, don't get me wrong. But I don't want my daughter thinking she's poor because we are surrounded by the wealth here in SF - so a school with diversity of income levels is also a good thing in our eyes.


The parade is charming in the way the elementary school parades are and it's really sweet to see so many proud parents and squirmy costumed children on the sunny afternoon. We had a great time at the event and the event left me feeling really good about my neighborhood school and Alamo remains at or near the top of my list.

School Tours: Paul Revere (Bernal Heights)

October 23, 2013, 3:42 pm

≫ Next: Data: Private School Enrollment by Race and by Grade

≪ Previous: West Side Mom: Alamo Halloween Parade and Carnival 2012

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In our quest for our daughter to continue learning spanish, we are exploring all the Spanish Immersion schools.  Here is my review of Paul Revere.

Paul Revere is in Bernal Heights, south of Cortlandt, on Tompkins & Banks.  It is a PreK-8 school divided in to 2 buildings that are catty corner from each other at the intersection.

I was told to head to the office, in the "Annex", upon arrival to pick up my visitors badge.  The women in the office were friendly and tracked down the tour, since I was a few minutes late.  I then headed across the street to the other building and up the stairs in to the library.

I made my way upstairs and as I walked down the hall I peeked in rooms to see students and try to find the library.  In the first class, which I guess to be 5th or 6th grade, I saw groups of students collaborating together.  It looked like it was meant to be a quiet collaboration although I saw one boy standing and talking loudly.  After a closer look I realized one girl was asleep at her desk.  And the teacher was talking to another student - maybe aware of the sleeping girl, maybe not.

Moving on, I found the library, with the Principal and a handful of parents (probably 10 of us total).  Most of them were there to get information on the Spanish Immersion program.  The library is of average size (I can say this now that I've seen quite a few), not the smallest, not the biggest.  However, it also appears to the Computer Lab (iMacs).  So while we sat there talking the computers were making sounds and it was almost as if a computer game was playing in the background.  Not a quiet library space.

I learned this was the building for the upper grades.  We spoke about some school facts and here is what I recorded:

-20 students to 1 teacher
-3 Kindergarten classes
-Kindergarten has field trips about 1x/month

-PreK is not Spanish Immersion, altho the teacher does speak spanish

-They have PE on site, a lot of cooperative games and they have equipment for every kid
-The kids get about 200 minutes of PE for every 10 days

-They have 2 after school programs:
  -SF CESS: a free program for about 160 kids
  -Park & Recs program: paid for about 25 kids
-Both are on-site

-School hours are 7:50-1:50
-They have 2 school busses altho the routes change based on need so the Principal understandably didn't want to give those out
-School busses are free

-School lunch is available for purchase
-Food is provided by Revolution Foods (who serves the district)

-They have a Resident Artist 3 days/week
-They have a Nurse on site
-They also have a Social Worker on site
-They have a FT Literacy Teacher to work with the teachers

-The middle school is small and maintains the small classroom size of 20 students
-Overall it has about 110 students in the middle school
-It is not (yet) Immersion.  They are hoping to get there.
-The Principal said after Paul Revere people usually go to Lowell, Lincoln or Private high schools.

For anyone considering Spanish Immersion the Principal did speak to that process.  They expect parents to be committed for the long-haul with an Immersion program.  It takes until 5th grade to be bilingual & bi-literate.  Most of the homework is in Spanish so parents need to commit to reading and translating in Spanish (using google, etc if necessary).  The Kinder spend 90% of their day in Spanish and only 10% in English.

I felt like I was getting somewhat of a sales pitch from the Principal.  I wasn't confident I was hearing about the schools struggles as much as the schools growth and accomplishments.  When we started the tour she didn't show us any upper grades, saying that we "were only interested in the K classes" so she would take us there.  I was in fact very interested in the 3rd, 4th, 5th and up grades to see what work they're doing, how they behave, what their classrooms look like (esp. since I had seen an unflattering sneak peak).  But she didn't walk us by those.  I wasn't sure if this was intentional or if she really thought we wouldn't be interested.

Before we left the main building the Principal spotted a 5th grader on his cell phone chatting (during class time) in the hall.  She mentioned that she is ok with kids using the phone when they need to.  A lot of parents might respond well to that knowing they can be in touch with their child whenever.  I would prefer he was in class and called home on a break.

We made our way from the library to the Annex; crossing the street and watching a 1st grade class also cross the street. I got a little bit nervous about my Kinder having to cross that street to get to the cafeteria (which is in the Main Building, not the Annex where the K classrooms are).

Paul Revere's Main Building

The Annex is the building where the PreK-3rd graders are.  The playground has a very nice view.  I did see a lot of art and handwriting on the halls.  As well as Spanish cultural items throughout the school (ie, sugar skulls).   The Annex still feels large and the Kindergarteners go to the bathroom by themselves; there is no separate bathroom for the really young ones.  I didn't love the either buildings for their warmth.

They do have a large special needs program and a one-on-one program for the kids that need it.  Those are in the Annex building.

The school is progressively getting more diverse.  The younger grades have more diversity than the older grades.  As a caucasian family we want our child to be in a diverse environment, specifically one that is diverse enough that she is not the only caucasian.  That is a concern at Revere.  There were more white kids in the younger grades - maybe 3-4 in a class of 20?  But the third grade seemed less diverse.  So diversity is improving and based off GreatSchools data so is their test scores.

Overall, for us, I was just impressed enough with the school.  I didn't feel like my daughter would thrive here or that she would meet a lot of similar families/friends.   If I lived nearby I might give it more thought.  But it didn't leave me with that warm-and-fuzzy feeling and we won't be applying here.