San Francisco

SFUSD's top 20 hidden gems

When I was searching for a kindergarten last year, I focused on the most popular public elementary schools, where the test scores were high and the PTAs were raising lots of money. I wanted a school with a sound-proofed gym, a garden overgrown with vegetables, and an art room stocked with supplies. I dreamed of getting my child into Alice Fong Yu, West Portal, Rooftop — the schools where the tours packed 40, 60, even 100 other involved parents. My SFUSD enrollment form was filled with these schools in Round I and, of course, we didn't receive an assignment at any of them. My husband calculated that we had something like a 1 percent chance of getting our first choice (Alice Fong Yu).

By Round II, I was looking at some less-popular schools — the hidden gems — and I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't find the same fancy facilities, but I did meet principals and teachers who were clearly as exceptional as those at the rock-star schools. I discovered small groups of parents with the passion of a grassroots movement planning fund-raisers, planting gardens, and hiring reduction teachers. The schools tend to be smaller and the communities more close knit, so the children thrive in these nurturing environments. I realize now how lucky we were to end up at one of these hidden gems. Now that I'm at Jose Ortega, you couldn't pay me to go to anywhere else.

As you finish up your school tours and finalize your list of seven, I'm hoping you will consider some of the hidden gems in the diverse list below. Nearly all of these schools had fewer than 20 families list them as their first choice in Round I. Last year, 238 families put Rooftop at the top of their list, 268 listed Alice Fong Yu, and 284 wanted Clarendon. 

1. Bryant GE
2. Cesar Chavez GE
3. Cleveland GE
4. Cobb GE
5. Daniel Webster GE and SI
6. Garfield GE
7. Glen Park GE
8. Harvey Milk GE
9. Hillcrest GE
10. John Yehall Chin GE
11. Jose Ortega MI and GE
12. Junipero Serra GE
13. Leonard Flynn GE
14. New Traditions GE
15. Paul Revere GE and SI
16. Rosa Parks GE and JB
17. Sheridan GE
18. Sunnyside GE
19. Sutro GE
20. Visitacion Valley GE

This is not a final list. Rather, I consider it the beginning of a conversation. I hope that you'll tell us about your own hidden gems in the comments. And please, if you're a parent at any of these schools, feel free to share your experiences.

What is it like to be in Mandarin immersion?

My daughter attends a Mandarin immersion kindergarten. That means 80 percent of her six-hour day is in Chinese. Math, social studies, science, and arts are all taught exclusively in Mandarin by one teacher. When the teacher wants the kids to sit on the rug, she says it in Mandarin. When it's time for lunch, she tells them in Mandarin. The kids aren't even aware that their teacher speaks English.

Did most of the students in the class have some exposure to Mandarin before kindergarten? Practically none of them. The program is designed for non-Mandarin speaking families and for students who are bilingual or native speakers of Mandarin but nearly all--except maybe one student--speak English as their first language. Many of the kids walked into the class knowing only how to say "Ni Hao," which means hello.

So how do the kids know what the teacher is saying? She uses pictures, drawings, and lots of props to communicate. She's also highly animated and humorous and acts out what she's saying in front of the kids. She might meow and crawl around on the ground to teach the children the word cat. She has to teach twice as hard as a typical teacher since she can't depend only on words.

The children were clueless the first few days and my daughter told me that she had no idea what was going on in class. But after a week, she got the hang of it and now after two months she's counting to 30, rattling off the names of shapes and colors, singing songs. She knows how to say, "Wake up sleepy head," and "Stop that right now!" She gets mad at her brother in Chinese and she tells our cat, "I love you." I'm told that she'll be fluent by third grade.

The kids also go to an hour of English language arts every day taught by a different teacher. In this hour, reading and writing are emphasized. Of course, my daughter loves this time of the day because the teacher speaks English. But only an hour? Is this enough time for the kids to learn English? In kindergarten the kids get only one hour but the amount of instruction in English increases every year until half the day is in English by the 4th grade. In the earlier years, the students proficiency is typically a little lower than that of those in general education. But after three or four years, the immersion students typically do as well or better than their peers in general education. In fact, research actually shows that the immersion experience advances English language development.

Stay tuned for more stories about my daughter's experience in a Mandarin immersion program...

 

Obamas nearing decision on schools

Forget the question of Secretary of State. The question everyone in Washington wants answered is where will the Obama girls go to school?

An earlier blog post speculated on where the Obamas might send their daughters Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, to school. Maret, Georgetown Day, National Cathedral, maybe even public — the options were numerous.

This week, it seems the family actually stepped inside a few schools. The Associated Press reported that motorcades visited two of D.C.'s elite private schools: Georgetown Day on Monday and Sidwell Friends on Tuesday.

The AP story also reported that the Obamas are discussing public school options according to Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee.

"Our goal is to have D.C. public schools be as serious an option as any charter or private schools, not just for the Obamas but for any family making the decision," Fenty told the Huffington Post.

But an article on the Washingtonian.com reports:

While there's been some speculation that after singling out Michelle Rhee's reform efforts in one presidential debate this fall, President-Elect Obama might decide to send his two daughters to a public school — as Jimmy Carter did — a public school presents a host of problems for a First Family, not the least of which is a set of security concerns. After 9/11, security officials believe a public school is out of the question.

Washingtonian.com makes the assumption that the private school Maret is the Obama's first choice although at this point there's no evidence that the family has visited this school:

The argument for Maret, with 600 students and an annual tuition of about $26,000, may prove strongest of all.

At least four key Obama advisors have ties to Maret: foreign policy adviser Susan Rice, tech adviser Julius Genachowski, transition leader John Podesta and adviser/superlawyer Greg Craig are either current or former Maret parents. All four are key figures in helping the Obamas set up their new life in Washington.

The Maret campus is also considered ideal since it's compact and, after unrelated recent renovations, the entire eight-acre campus is fenced and more secure. It also has a strong reputation for diversity and has a partnership with a D.C. public school, "Horizons," which runs summer enrichment programs for kids from H.D. Cooke Elementary School and Bancroft Elementary School.

"The school is a warm, diverse, caring environment where everyone is treated the same," says one Maret parent who begged anonymity. "The kids are fiercely loyal to the school and each other. Students are valued for themselves and not for their parents occupations or bank accounts."

Where will the Obama girls go to schools? Stay tuned...

Where will the Obama girls go to school?

Chelsea Clinton went to Sidwell Friends, a private Quaker school. So did Archibald Roosevelt and Tricia and Julie Nixon. And Joe Biden's granddaughters are at the school right now. Will Michelle and Barack send their daughters Malia and Sasha there as well once they get settled in the White House?

In Barack's press conference last week he said that Michelle is starting to research schools and will make a decision soon. According to a recent article in the Washington Post, many Washingtonians expect them to seriously consider Sidwell as well as other fancy privates such as Georgetown Day School, Maret, and National Cathedral School (Al Gore's girls went here). After all, Sasha and Malia are currently attending the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. All of these schools get rave reviews on GreatSchools.net: Sidwell and Georgetown won top honors from parent reviewers with five-star ratings, while Maret and Cathedral still shined with four stars.

But what about public school?

Barack certainly talked about improving public education in his campaign speeches. According to the District of Columbia Public Schools boundary map, a family living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue would be assigned to the Francis-Stevens Educational Center, a K-8 in Foggy Bottom. That's only a mile from the White House front steps. And there's precedent: Jimmy Carter's daughter, Amy, went to Stevens Elementary School before it merged with Francis Middle School to become a K-8.

But D.C. has an out-of-boundary lottery system that allows parents to consider schools not in their neighborhood. Ladeidre Bridgewater, who works in the school district's communications department, says the Obamas might consider Oyster-Adams Bilingual School or Murch, which are two well-regarded public schools. "It would be up to the mother to pick the school that she thought her children would most benefit from," Bridgewater says. "I hope that the chancellor wouldn't make them go through the lottery system to get into the school of their choice."

Do you think the Obamas should send Sasha and Malia to a public school? Or should they go to the school that's the best fit for their girls?

Getting kids to eat lunchbox food

On Fridays, I volunteer to help with lunch at my daughter's school. At 11 a.m. the kids storm into the cafeteria, throw open their lunch boxes, take a bite or two out of their sandwiches, nibble on a carrot, possibly pop a strawberry into their mouths, maybe think to open their water bottle — and then rush off to recess. I stand over the compost bin and the garbage can and help kids sort their waste — lunches beautifully prepared by their parents. It's shocking. Once a little girl opened a Ziploc bag, ready to toss five perfectly plump strawberries into the compost. "Aren't you going to eat those?" "Nah." I insisted that she eat at least one and she bit the tip off the end of a berry. Some kids put their uneaten food back in their boxes but many toss their tuna sandwiches, sushi rolls, bags of chips, bananas, crackers, cheese sticks, apples. My own daughter typically leaves her peanut butter sandwich untouched. I tell her to put it back in the box, even though I knew it will be rock-hard by day's end. Many of the kids purchase school lunches and those also remain uneaten — except for the cartons of milk and the sliced oranges. Kids suck up their milk and stick orange slices in their mouths over their teeth and make funny faces at one another. Teachers and parents walk around encouraging kids to eat their food and help them open their Gogurts and Lunchables. The principal slices kids' oranges. If it weren't for them practically nothing would be eaten. I once commented on the waste to the lady who oversees lunch duty and she agreed that it's terribly upsetting. "I've thought about getting a pig for the school," she said. "That way we could feed all of this waste to him." And of course, I now have a vision of converting a section of the playground into a farm... What's the solution? How do we get our kids to eat their lunches? Are we putting too much food into their lunch boxes?

Pushing for a public school in San Francisco

The public school enrollment process in San Francisco has been described as many things, most of them unsuitable for GreatSchools.net, and discouraging for parents looking for a kindergarten as many are doing in the city right now.

I like to present parents with a more "encouraging" image and tell them that going through San Francisco Unified School District's enrollment process is like having a baby. Yes, this metaphor is far-fetched but I think you'll agree that there are some uncanny similarities. After all, conception is based on a lottery system, right? You can't pick your child — just as in San Francisco you can't "choose" your school.

Before even considering the enrollment process, you mull over two options: Should I stay in my one-bedroom condo in the city where I don't know if I can send my child to the school around the corner? Or should I move to a four-bedroom house in the burbs where I can most definitely send my kid to the public school down the street? It's yet another life-changing decision similar to the one you faced when you questioned whether or not to stop taking birth control.

If you're lucky, you and your partner are on the same page: You quickly realize that you could never move away from the amazing Korean barbecue restaurant down the street or maybe you immediately know that you're ready for a front lawn and a minivan. But first you might need to do some research and tour a Mill Valley school to see how you feel in an environment that's, well, not diverse —- just like before you got pregnant you spent time with friends with kids to determine if you can tolerate ear-piercing screams and poopy diapers. Maybe you argue with your partner over the decision (How's this going to work if we don't want the same things?), but eventually you come to a consensus.

If you decide to stay, you tour schools (unfortunately picking up your SFUSD enrollment guide isn't as pleasurable as conceiving). This prolonged, anxiety-ridden period might remind you of pregnancy, when you last faced a lot of unknown. What will I get? When will it happen? If only SFUSD had an ultrasound machine.

You might become obsessive. Just as some women read every book on pregnancy, some parents become experts on schools, touring daily, memorizing API scores, talking to other parents. You read ridiculous blogs on which people are just as heated about private versus public schools as they are about Ferber versus Sears. You might thrive on the experience, showing up at the tours perky and organized with notebook in hand. You have that "school tour glow." Or you're one of those who becomes overly stressed and emotional. You never sleep and you drag yourself to tours in sweats. Or maybe you cope by complaining — about everything. Regardless, everyone cries, gains some weight, and eventually gets overwhelmed and tired and simply can't wait for the end.

And then the moment (your due date) finally arrives, the day when the EPC delivers Round I letters (sorry, no premature births in this metaphor). Many people receive a special delivery on that day and get into a school. You might be one of those lucky parents — whose child must have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

But you could just as easily strike out in Round I and suffer through a prolonged period in which you spend every waking hour — at least 20 a day — waiting with anxious anticipation to meet your child's school. During this time, your doctor might be a counselor at the EPC (if only their bedside manner were as good as CPMC's) and the epidural, a few bottles of wine, or, even better, a prescription for Prozac.

Labor finally kicks in, and you get an option. You cry tears of joy and call your family and friends. You're happy, even though you didn't end up with a Spanish immersion program — just like those mothers who love their boys even though they secretly hoped for a girl. You love your school unconditionally — and adore it more than you ever imagined (unless it's colicky and then that's another story).

This metaphor may be a stretch but then again so is pregnancy. Please feel free to add to it and compare other aspects of the enrollment system to having a baby.

Big difference in candidates' education plans

"Here's the biggest difference between the education plans of presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama: $18 billion," writes Nanette Asimov in a recent San Francisco Chronicle article. That's how much more Democrat Obama says he'd spend than Republican McCain to transform schools, from quadrupling the number of kids eligible for public preschool programs to strengthening long-neglected science education. Obama claims he can implement his long list of reforms without raising the federal deficit."

What about McCain?

"McCain's package would add less than $1 billion to the education budget," Asimov says. "His message is about doing more with the nearly $70 billion in federal education funding already flowing to California and the other states: giving principals more say over funds while redirecting cash to online schools, home schools and tuition vouchers." (To read the full article, which details the two contrasting plans, click here.)

While the presidential candidates rarely talk about education in debates and speeches, they clearly have different ideas. And for anyone with young children this is an important issue. What do you think of the candidates' education plans? Who will you vote for?

Day of the Dead

Last week, Alice's teacher included a note about a Day of the Dead celebration at her school. A parent was creating an altar and families were invited to adorn it with photographs of deceased relatives. So one evening, I pulled out Alice's baby book and we found a picture of her sitting on her great-grandpa Russ's lap. Alice had the opportunity to meet her great-grandfather when she was only three weeks old but unfortunately he passed away a few months later.

I had never even show Alice the photograph and she was completely interested in and taken by this picture of her deceased relative. We ended up talking a lot about grandpa Russ and how he loved to hike and fish. I told her that he was a great artist and that he could play music by ear. I told her that I hiked to the top of Half Dome with him. I realized that I had pushed my own grandfather out of my mind and avoided talking to my daughter about him because I was uncomfortable talking about death. Alice asked a lot about death and she wanted to know what happens when you die. She was completely at east with the topic and spoke freely. And she made one point that has stuck in my head: "Mommy, it's OK if you die because we'll always remember you."

This morning the altar was up in the library and pictures were starting to appear. Alice said, "That's where all the dead people are going so we can remember them." I always knew that my daughter would learn a lot in school but I never even imagined that she'd learn how to have a healthy attitude toward death in kindergarten.

Help! I need fund-raising ideas!

Last year, when I was touring kindergartens around San Francisco, I visited Leonard Flynn Elementary. In the Mission District on Cesar Chavez, this colorful, friendly place with a Spanish immersion program was one of my favorite schools. I vividly remember the tour, which began in front of a sparkling new play structure with bridges, tunnels, twisty slides, and a rock climbing wall. A Flynn parent, Vali Govier, led the group and she began by telling an inspiring story about the jungle gym. "Parents put that up in one day," Govier said proudly. Over 200 people attended the work party, including Gavin Newsom, Tom Ammiano and Cesar Chavez's grandson.

So when I heard the principal at my daughter's school, Jose Ortega, mention her desire for a new play structure, I envisioned a similar community effort. I pictured parents and children gathering for a day to erect a shiny structure in the middle of the school's expansive black-top sea. I sent an email to Govier who connected me with the parent who led the effort at Leonard Flynn. The project leader responded with a lengthy email detailing what was done to put up that play structure. And guess what? It took a lot more than 200 people rallying on a single day. Who knew a play structure costs some $80,000? Yes, there are grants but going after them requires months and months of labor. Phone calls. Applications. Maps. Photographs. Committees. Meetings. More meetings. Reality sunk in.

But I've never been one to accept reality and so I'm attempting to lead an effort for a new play structure. A team of motivated parents is helping me apply for a grant that would cover a huge portion of the expense, but in order to get that grant we need to come up with $10,000. That's a lot for a school whose PTA brought in about $7,000 last year.

How are we raising the money? Well, we're applying for other grants but we also need a clever fund-raiser that will engage and involve the community. We're considering a spare change drive and selling a goofy photograph of the teachers (ideas borrowed from McKinley Elementary) but we need more options. Got any ideas? Please share your school fund-raising successes.

How was back-to-school night?

Last week, my husband and I attended Alice's back-to-school night at Jose Ortega. This was the first time that I had stepped into the classroom since the open house over the summer. It was fun to see the paper lanterns the kids had made for the Chinese Moon Festival and the plants they were growing in cups. I sat at Alice's tiny desk and opened her pencil box. I met the parents of the other kids who sit at her table. It felt good to get a glimpse into her kindergarten life.

Alice's teacher went over the curriculum for the year, which was quite overwhelming. The students will be learning 70 Chinese characters; every Wednesday they receive a homework packet. They're supposed to spend five to 10 minutes on homework a night. This seems like a lot for a kindergartner but if you're going to learn Mandarin you have to start early. Alice's teacher is bright and focused but more importantly she's funny. She says that she tries to make the kids laugh (she certainly had all the adults giggling) so they'll have fun learning.

I know that many parents attended back-to-school night last week. Please share your experiences.