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Throughout our schools this month, you may hear the beat of an African drumming circle or the cymbals of a lion dance. In addition to reading about and discussing the many cultures that make up our community, Black History Month and Lunar New Year are a chance to celebrate the rich heritage shared by our students and families. I encourage you to find out what your child’s school is doing to honor these important occasions.
—Dr. Vincent Matthews, Superintendent
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All K-12 students in SFUSD who want to showcase their interest and achievements in learning the Chinese language and culture are invited to participate in the 15th Chinese Language Bridge Cup Contest. Register by Feb. 24.
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Come see students' oration, music and poetry skills at the Oratorical/Musical and Stomp Competition or learn about what other Black History Month cultural events are happening throughout the city.
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Start planning for summer now by checking out over 150 camps, classes and more at DCYF's free Summer Resource Fair on Saturday, Feb. 9. There will be a Kids Zone, giveaways, and more! Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish interpreters will be available.
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Use this tool to find out what programs funded by San Francisco's Dept. of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF) are at or nearby your school.
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SFUSD graduating seniors: the Superintendent’s 21st Century Award is now accepting applications. Six seniors excelling in at least one of the categories of the Graduate Profile will receive a $2,000 cash prize. This is available to all students regardless of citizenship status. Apply online by March 8.
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Find out more about how increased efforts by teachers, staff, families and community groups to create conditions for African American students to be prepared for life, work and study beyond their secondary years are paying off in the African American Achievement and Leadership Initiative's (AAALI) annual report.
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In order to expand access to arts, computer science, health and world languages for all middle grade students, SFUSD is engaged in a multi-year process to reimagine how the middle grades are taught. On Tuesday, SFUSD leaders provided an update to the Board of Education on the Middle Grades Redesign Initiative.
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| Welcome to Commissioner Jenny Lam
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Commissioner Lam was appointed to the Board of Education and sworn in by Mayor London Breed on Jan. 22. Lam fills the seat vacated by Supervisor Matt Haney.
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Did you know that February is American Heart Month? Help your family understand the importance of a healthy heart by choosing the right foods and staying active! Check out these heart-healthy Valentine’s Day tips and recipes.
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Get a head start on taxes and see if your household is eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit. If so, make sure to file a tax return to claim the credit even if you do not owe tax or are not required to file.
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Want to see what your San Francisco neighborhood looked like in the 1930s? Take your family to visit a rediscovered scale model of San Francisco from 1938, coming to a public library branch near you. Through March 25, there are more than 100 related programs and activities for all ages at library locations across the city.
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Schools closed Feb. 5 and Feb. 18
All SFUSD schools will be closed on Feb. 5 in observance of Lunar New Year and on Feb. 18 in observance of Presidents Day. SFUSD offices will remain open on Feb. 5 but will close on Feb. 18.
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SFUSD in the News
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San Francisco public school advocates rally for $60M from tax windfall
Hundreds of San Francisco students and teachers, as well as their supporters, held a lively rally Tuesday afternoon outside of City Hall, as they sought to secure $60 million for their public schools. The education activists are seeking roughly one third of the city’s $181 million Educational Revenue Augmentation Fund in order to raise teacher wages, making sure that the city’s stock of teachers don’t move to other school districts, attracted by higher wages.
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Special education teacher a prime example of where SF should invest windfall
Torres Esquer is a special education teacher for teenagers with moderate to severe disabilities at Lowell High School, surely one of the toughest jobs in San Francisco. Though City Hall officials have probably never heard of him, teachers like Torres Esquer are at the center of a political squabble over how to spend the city’s surprise $185 million windfall.
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The state of the K–12 CTO: A roundtable
Should technology be able to prove its value in education? That's a question Melissa Dodd doesn't see much meaning in. After all, she noted, tech has become the new textbook. "And I don't think we used to ask about the value of a textbook for learning." During her tenure as the Chief Technology Officer at California's San Francisco Unified School District, Dodd has become convinced that tech shows impact daily in meeting the needs of her school system's 57,000 students.
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Breed appoints education advisor to fill seat on school board
Mayor London Breed on Tuesday appointed Jenny Lam, a social justice advocate who for the past three months has served as Breed’s education advisor, to the San Francisco school board. Lam will fill a seat left vacant by Matt Haney, who was sworn in as a member of the Board of Supervisors earlier this month. She is joining three newly elected commissioners on the board, Alison Collins, Faauga Moliga and Gabriela Lopez, and will have to run for election in 2019 to maintain the seat.
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One African American family, half a century of experience in SF public schools
Today, we meet the Stewarts. Elsie Stewart retired a decade ago as a supervisor at the Four Seasons Clift Hotel in Union Square, where she worked for more than 40 years. Her son, Emmanuel, is an elementary school principal. And grandson Shaquill? He works in a San Francisco public school now too, while studying radio on the side. All attended traditional public schools here, and all still live in the City.
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San Francisco Examiner Offensive Player of the Year: Lincoln quarterback Jovon Baker
As the clock wound down on the eleventh Academic Athletic Association title game win for Lincoln High School this November at Kezar Stadium, one voice could be heard above the rest on the sideline. Jovon Baker—long since pulled from a 53-0 win over Mission—was crowing, hopping up and down with anticipation. His teammates joked that he’d had too much candy before the game, but the pure joy was evident. After breaking his thumb in just his second start the season before, he was headed to a state title game.
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How can San Francisco support its most vulnerable black residents? Help them succeed at school
Williams and Ragler aren’t teachers. They work for a neighborhood nonprofit called 100% College Prep that partners with HOPE SF to support kids in public housing. The men are grassroots educational advocates. And they’re important, because even a great school can’t give these kids everything they need to succeed. It takes more: more attention, more knowledge of their home circumstances.
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Teacher of the Week: Becky Rogers
KRON4's honoring outstanding teachers in the Bay Area and tonight, it's a kindergarten teacher in San Francisco. Becky Rogers is described as amazing, caring and a leader on the Claire Lilienthal campus. Her colleagues say she's not only devoted to her students—but works with their families too. Her principal says its always a treat to go into Rogers' classroom and see how she engages with her active and energetic students with "joy and ease."
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A legacy of mistreatment for San Francisco’s black special ed students
There has been progress. The district’s entire black student population has dropped a lot since that 2010 audit, but the number of black students in special ed has gone down more than twice as much. Back then, black students were eight-and-a-half times more likely than non-black students to be labeled “emotionally disturbed.” That’s down to just under four-and-a-half times more likely. African American special ed students are much less likely to be segregated in special schools today. And the district is pushing towards what’s known as full inclusion—keeping special ed students in regular classes for most of the day.
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Teachers seeking solutions to San Francisco's affordable housing crisis
The affordability crisis has hit teachers especially hard. You've heard their stories about not being able to stay in San Francisco. The city, the school district and even teachers and their union admit they did not see the housing crisis coming and now everyone is playing catch up.
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San Francisco high school theater program remembers alum Carol Channing
A Broadway legend has died. Carol Channing, who grew up in San Francisco, engaged audiences with her effervescent voice. Channing never forgot the first stage where she made her mark, the theater at Lowell High School in San Francisco. As a tribute to Carol Channing students here will be performing a musical review .
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First graders surprised with a donation of new laptops
Christmas came in January for first grade students at Charles Drew Elementary School, who were surprised Monday morning with laptops and tablets donated through the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Community Benefits Program. The devices will allow students greater access to iRead, a personalized digital reading program designed to help students between kindergarten and second grade close the achievement gap.
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Support grows for giving part of SF’s $181 million windfall to public schools
When San Francisco learned in November it was getting an unexpected $181 million to spread around, the first instinct of the mayor and the Board of Supervisors was to spend it on homeless initiatives, child care and affordable housing. There was no talk of using it for teacher pay raises. But now, a growing number of city leaders, education officials and labor groups are calling on Mayor London Breed and the board to spend some of the windfall on a teacher salary increase the district began paying before its funding source was secured.
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Gabriela López just became the youngest elected official in San Francisco
Public-school teacher Gabriela López, 27, says that some people discouraged her from running for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Education, even though she had 10 years of experience in education. But she says she lacked the connections, the money, and the political experience that, in her view, afforded other candidates a certain amount of respectability. However, with the help of two essential team members—a 23-year old organizer and a fellow public-school teacher—López canvassed her way into the history books. She is now the youngest person ever elected to the San Francisco Board of Education and the youngest elected official in San Francisco.
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SF schools’ move to delay algebra shows positive results, district says
The San Francisco school board’s controversial decision to delay algebra instruction until high school is paying off in more students taking higher-level math classes, district officials said. Across the city’s high schools, 4,660 students are taking precalculus, statistics or calculus courses this year, 456 more than last year—a 10 percent increase, according to district data obtained by The Chronicle. The increase in advanced math enrollment beyond Algebra II was seen across several ethnicities, including African American, Latino, Filipino and white students, as well as among girls, English learners and students with disabilities.
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Campus overhaul coming to A.P. Giannini Middle School
Plans for rebuilding the A.P. Giannini Middle School are getting underway, using bond money and a state grant to modernize and upgrade the two-story, 160,882-square-foot building that sits at the corner of Ortega Street and 37th Avenue. Built in 1954, the school serves a student population of nearly 1,200 in the 6th, 7th and 8th grades.
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SF Glens Soccer Spotlight: Mission boys’ soccer led by humble heroes
The Mission Bears are in the midst of a golden age under athletic director Arnold Zelaya. Last year, Niamey Harris and the boys’ basketball team made history as the first San Francisco public school to win a state championship. Track and football star Jelani Al-Malik has established himself as the fastest prep in the CIF-SF Section. In addition, both the baseball and football teams came within one victory of capturing City titles of their own. That success has spread to the soccer field, where the boys have emerged as a prime contender to win the Academic Athletic Association.
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SF lines up paid internships for high school students
Chances are that in the midst of the winter holidays, few San Francisco high school students are dwelling on summer vacation or the jobs they might take then to earn some money. But 18-year-old Carolina Orozco is already making plans. This month, Orozco and more than a dozen classmates gathered in Hilltop High School’s Room 235 to talk with Mayor London Breed about her initiative to provide paid internships and job-training programs for all San Francisco high school students by summer.
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