Blog Posts

Friendly reminders: VIP Day : Thursday Nov/21/2024 9:00 -10:30am Fall Break: Nov./25- 29 2024 School will be closed, no childcare. Agradecimientos:...

Updates/Reminders Please bring in your child's rain suit (labeled with their name) to keep at school as the Autumn rains will (hopefully) visit again soon Thursday, November 21- VIP Day Monday. November 25-29- Fall Break: No School or Childcare...

Hello Blackberry Parenting Adults,   This is just a post to share some random pictures from the week, from Step Up Day, and also a few from Halloween that Kendall so kindly shared with me. Enjoy!...

Hi Blackberry Parenting Adults, Lately we've been talking about speed. There seems to be an obsession with finishing first, being the first to turn something in, being first in line, and blurting out the answer before everyone gets a chance to think. We talked about how speed doesn't really mean anything in Blackberry Creek. We embrace the struggle and lean into things being tricky, but we try our best to forget about being the fastest and just do our very best....

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Students: Projects, Culture, and Learning Together Celebrando el Mes de la Herencia Hispana con Estudiantes: Proyectos, Cultura y Aprendizaje en Comunidad Each year, from September 15 to October 15, Hispanic Heritage Month offers an opportunity for students across the U.S. to celebrate the rich culture, traditions, and contributions of Hispanic communities. Through engaging projects and research, students learn about Hispanic cultures while practicing Spanish, connecting with their heritage, and honoring the diverse histories of Spanish-speaking countries. Cada año, del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre, el Mes de la Herencia Hispana ofrece una oportunidad para que los estudiantes en Estados Unidos celebren la rica cultura, tradiciones y contribuciones de las comunidades hispanas. A través de proyectos y actividades, los estudiantes aprenden sobre las culturas hispanas mientras practican español, conectan con sus raíces y honran las historias de los países de habla hispana....

Welcome and welcome back to school, Cerrito Creek! This year we've hit the ground running with community building, investigations, and collaborative work all around. Browse through the photos to get a peek into Cerrito Creek in action, with some Strawberry Creek 5th graders sprinkled in for good measure! MATH 5th grade mathers began the year diving into volume, constructing 3D boxes with Omnifix cubes. The challenge: how many different boxes can be made with a volume of 24 cubes? Once they were satisfied they'd found all the different boxes, partnerships made posters to present their findings and demonstrate their learnings. ...

Friendly Reminders Día de Muertos ceremony: moved to Thursday, November 14. Parent Square post with details is coming. ECC Fall Garden Work Day, Saturday, November 2nd- 10a-12p - Calling all garden helpers!...

Hello Magnolia Families, Thank you for a wonderful Halloween parade and for participating in all the fun leading up to the big day! Here are some photos from our work and play, and scenes from the festive parade. We hope you enjoyed a wonderful night of trick or treating!...

Our theme in the past two weeks has been more Halloween-related activities. We made shaving cream prints to have fun and have a messy feeling. We painted Jack-o-Lanterns with different facial expressions. Inspired by Eric Carle's-The Very Hungry Spider we made spider webs with glue, salt and liquid watercolors- exploring capillary action. And what is Halloween with out your friendly squeegied ghosts.... ...

Updates/Reminders Please bring in your child's rain suit to keep at school as (hopefully) the Autumn rains will visit soon Saturday, November 2 from 10a-12p- Fall Garden Work Party Thursday, November 21- VIP Day...

Hello Middle School Parenting Adults,  It has been a whirlwind start to the school year, and now we have begun to settle into routines and increasingly interesting math concepts. Math is a topic we know we must approach with a particular focus on mindset. Students tend to enter middle school math with an idea of who they are as mathematicians. We aim to nourish their curiosity, encourage them to make mistakes, and have fun in the process. We know that building relationships and helping students to enjoy math instruction is key to them being successful in math here, high school, and beyond. ...

Hello Temescalian families, We've made it through the first nine weeks of school! Wow, time flies! It's been so joyful to spend our days together, from endless laughter to new challenges, and supporting one another along the way. Each day these kiddos are becoming more curious and confident learners. Let's keep the momentum going and continue to make this school year amazing! On the first day, we felt both nervous and excited while we also shared out our hopes and dreams for the year!...

Greetings Mariposa Families ! It's finally feeling a little more like fall and we have been hard at work continuing to learn about pumpkins and their lifecycles, and creating fall art that range from haunted houses with Julianne, to collaborative class room canvases and ghosts . Letter F : ...

Friendly reminders: Fall Festival: Sunday October 27th. 11:00am to 2:00pm. (University campus)....

We are having a great time in Blackberry, continuing community and making great academic strides! In our first literacy group, students have learned to read and spell words with: digraphs, blends and the glued sounds: all, am, an, ang, ing, ong, ung, ank, ink, onk, unk. This month the concept of a base word and a suffix was introduced! R controlled vowels (also known as "Bossy R") were also introduced.  Students have learned the "bonus letter" rule for spelling words such as: wall, off, and toss.  In second literacy, we're doing ild, ind, and ire, closed syllable exceptions.  We've also done -ost and -old.  All students have begun readers' theatre, which helps withfluency and expression.  Our first performance is about the 3 Billy Goats Gruff.  Our goals are to build confidence in reading out loud and using your talking voice when reading out loud (projection and articulation).  Blackberrians have responded positively to readers' theatre; they say it's their favorite and they want the challenge of a longer production.  We have been reading a variety of decodable fiction and nonfiction texts as a group. Continue having your child read aloud to you daily for at least ten minutes....

Without further ado Thank you for your patience as I got this up and going. It's easy with the kindergartners. I can help them to get through blocks when they get stuck.  For myself? Rebecca Solnit said, “So many of us believe in perfection, which ruins everything else, because the perfect is not only the enemy of the good, it's also the enemy of the realistic, the possible, and the fun”. ...

Take a look into our Literary Arcade! To start off the year, seventh grade read Italo Calvino’s book of linked short stories entitled Cosmicomics. Calvino’s stories fit into the postmodern style with their use of magical realism and mythological parody. Each story is narrated by Qwfwq, an omniscient entity who is embodied throughout each story in a different form, whether it’s a dinosaur, an arthropod, or a single atom. The stories explore very human concepts such as the illusive nature of unrequited love, creation and clinging to familiarity when accepting change is more logical. ...

Updates/Reminders Wednesday, Oct. 23 Picture Day...

Hello Magnolia Families,  Here in mid October, we're really in the swing of things and the children have truly adapted to the routines and flow of our day! From language to art, family visits to music, we've been busy busy in Magnolia. Enjoy the glimpse into our work and play! ...

Our focus for the first two weeks has been the start of Fall and studying apples. We explored seven varieties: Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Sugar Bee, and Sweetie. Using our senses, we observed their color, size, and smell differences. We noticed almost all red apples blended with some yellow color, except Red Delicious. Among those apples, Fuji seems to have the most fragrant aroma. We also tasted each kind and discovered that Sugar Bee and Sweetie were just as sweet as their names suggest. Fuji was crunchy and tasted sweet as usual. Unsurprisingly, Granny Smith is the only one tasted tart and we had one child claimed it yummy! We used oil pastels to outline the shape of apples and then gave them dimension with watercolors. We also learned about the apple's life cycle and its different parts (Stem, leaf, skin, flesh, cord, and seed). ...

Reminders: Indigenous People’s day, Monday October 14th TBS will be closed, no childcare. Fall Conferences: Friday, October 25th and Friday, Nov 1st...

Dragons and Dinosaurs When studying the sound and letter "D" we dove into the exciting world of dragons and dinosaurs. After reading the story Raising Dragons by Jerdine Nolen, the children were asked a series of questions about their own imaginative dragon. This activity was a creative writing process for preschoolers. We collaborated with our teaching artist, Julianne, who brought in play dough for the children to create a three dimensional dragon based on their sketches....

Study Skills is off to a great start! We’re pleased to be offering this weekly executive functioning class for all middle school students for the second year in a row. Executive functioning refers to the mental processes and skills that help people complete tasks and achieve goals. Study Skills class provides students with explicit instruction in these executive functioning skills that are often invisible, but are critically important for success in school – including organizing, remembering, self-checking, prioritizing, and thinking flexibly....

  Hello Magnolia Families,  We'd love to share all of the things we've been learning and doing these last few weeks with you. This will be a pretty robust blog, (three weeks worth of fun!) but we wanted to recap Back to School night and give you more information about our literacy program: "itl"...

Updates/Reminders Please remember to send your child to school in a Dyper diaper. We only have one diaper pail and it is specifically lined with a compostable bag for DyperSF pick-up. Our noses thank you! Thank you for those who made it to Back to School Night. An outline of the night and everyone's "Ask me about..." answers can be found here. Monday, October 14 Indigenous Peoples’ Day- no school or childcare Wednesday, Oct 23 Picture Day  Thursday, October 31 ECC Halloween Parade from 9:30a-10a- parenting adults are welcome to dress up too! Friday, November 1 Fall Conferences- Sign-up coming soon...

In middle school we started our year off on a high note with the Middle School Olympics. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to connect with their peers across grade levels and teachers and staff. Each student was assigned a team, and there were a total of six teams made up of students from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. There were no academic classes on this day to give students the chance to build relationships with each other through engaging in a fun assortment of activities. They ranged from more sporty activities where students had to throw bean bags to knock items off a table to more cerebral puzzle challenges. This day gave teachers and staff a chance to get to know students away from any stress a student may have around a given subject matter. Teachers get to see how students interact with each other socially as well. This is such an exciting day that culminated in a tiebreaker for the championship. Congrats to the Yellow Lions for pulling off the win this year in the TBS Middle School Olympics!...

To help the children develop a sense of identity, we took individual photos and interviewed each child to learn more about them. Together, we observed the photos, noticing both the similarities and differences in our appearances, while also recognizing the shared emotions we all experience. We explored each child's likes and dislikes, emphasizing how unique preferences shape who they are. Additionally, we discussed other aspects of identity, such as cultural backgrounds, languages, and family structures, highlighting the richness of diversity within the group....

Hello Mariposa Families, We would like to thank all of you for joining us for Back To School Night. If there is anything you'd like to follow up, on please let us know. These past few weeks we have been continuing getting to know each other and working collaboratively on various projects and activities. We created self portraits and family portraits, collaborative canvas art pieces, baked cookies and enjoyed various science experiments.  The children were very  proud to share about their family photos during morning meeting, and talk to each other about where their pictures were taken.  All of the children are getting more comfortable each day with presenting. We will be continuing to support their growth in this area. You may start to hear them refer to their "strong presenter voice! "...

  The foto above is watercolors by Rishi Friendly reminders:...

Hello Blackberry Parenting Adults, We have had some time to settle into our routines and build a strong community. We work on talking about our feelings, about conflict resolution, working through tricky moments, and doing work we deem "too hard." I've watched many Blackberrians in the last few weeks earn their first 10/10 on their spelling tests. I've watched some crumble and be way to hard on themselves. I want them to understand that the goal is never perfection it's always gaining skills to be a better writer and reader. We work hard to normalize mistakes, and it being a very natural part of our learning journey....

In middle school we started our year off on a high note with the Middle School Olympics. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to connect with their peers across grade levels and teachers and staff. Each student was assigned a team, and there were a total of six teams made up of students from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. There were no academic classes on this day to give students the chance to build relationships with each other through engaging in a fun assortment of activities. They ranged from more sporty activities where students had to throw bean bags to knock items off a table to more cerebral puzzle challenges. ...

The photo above is apples by Luke. Friendly reminders: Thursday, September 26, 6:00pm-7:30pm Back to School Night Please send a family picture (6in x 4in) of your child and their family to display on our Live Oak Families board :)...

Updates/Reminders Please remember to check the diaper bins in the bathroom and bring in more if you see it empty. Thank you! Thursday, 9/26 6p-7:30p is Back to School Night; Grown-ups only Friday, 9/27 is early dismissal from 11:50a-12p Thank you all for bringing back Caterpillar clothes your children have borrowed. You can put them in the white bin on top of the changing table. The wet bags that wet/soiled clothes were sent home in can be laundered with the plastic tag on as you would other clothes. In addition to posting the Toileting/Nap clipboard by the door at the end of the day, we will send a photo of the clipboard via ProCare daily just in case you weren't the one to pick-up/forgot to take a look. We do not check messages on ProCare. Please email us at CaterpillarTeachers@theberkeleyschool.org....

Welcome Butterflies! Note about Blogs: A blog with be posted about every two weeks and will spotlight something special happening in the classroom. This first blog will highlight our daily schedule. Going forward, spotlights might include topics like: science in preschool, Montessori math, or sound studies. I hope you enjoy this first spotlight!...

The first two weeks are dedicated to creating a sense of security and comfort for the new children. During this time, we help them adjust to the environment, become familiar with daily routines, and build connections with their teachers and peers. For our returning students, we encourage them to reacclimate to the familiar setting, take initiative in their growth, and model positive behaviors for others. Our goal is to establish a strong foundation for a positive and supportive learning experience for everyone....

Hello Magnolia Families, It's been a joy to get to know your children these last few weeks! This week we welcomed our new friend Lara and her grownups Edna and Nate to our classroom community. Be sure to introduce yourself when you get the chance!...

Hello Blackberry Parenting Adults, We are heading into our 3rd week as a community. We are learning about each other and what it means to share a space. We've talked about expected/unexpected behaviors in our class, we made a lunch contract, and have played so many games.  We are beginning to understand that mistakes happen, conflict is a part of being a person in the world, and repair is vital! Your children are kind, smart, and incredibly flexible....

Congratulations Caterpillar Families! First day in Caterpillar in the books! Here are a few snapshots from the day: See you all tomorrow! Gentle reminder to bring a lunch and diapers, if you have not already.  ...

Hello Families, Before I dive into a recap of our last few weeks of May and June together, I wanted to highlight the summer work that was sent home in the bags of your Temescalian's things. For kids who are returning, there should be a math workbook that has pages marked out that should be completed by the beginning of school in August. There is also yellow sheet with the summer assignments tucked in that math workbook. This sheet has the reading, math, and writing assignments for the summer. Please take time to locate that workbook and yellow assignment sheet and plan out when you might want to get started on that work. We also passed out a stapled copy of summer reading recommendations that have color copies of the cover of the books that are recommended....

Dear Caterpillar Families, This year our motto, inspired by Landgon, became "We're doing it!" And now we are SO proud to say that, "WE DID IT!" Our little caterpillars have grown and learned so much. Deep gratitude for trusting us with your little ones, especially knowing that you were dropping them off in a brand new program. We have learned so much from you as families and from your little ones. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. Cheers to a happy summer and we'll see you all next year! 🌱🐛🦋 Little Caterpillars turned Little Butterflies...

Hi Blackerry Parenting Adults, Woah did I not know how hard it would be to be running a classroom alone and writing a blog. So apologies for the lack of posts since Mark's departure.I wanted to do one last post to say how proud I am of your children and how much they have been a joy to be with. Blackberry has always been full of love and laughter and it was nothing short of an adventurous year. Thank you for your patience and your support. Know that your children are a beautiful reflection of the people who have raised them. As some Blackberrians are moving on I want to take a moment to say it has been an honor to have had them in our community and just name how lucky we are that our paths have crossed. Wishing you a joyful summer!...

Hello Magnolia Families, welcome to our last blog of the year! It's hard for us to believe that we've made it all the way to June already. It's been a great year getting to know all of you, and learning and playing alongside the children. Here in this last blog we will highlight some special moments from our last few weeks in Magnolia. ...

We have really enjoyed our time with our Live Oak students and their families this year! We had a lot of fun getting to know each child and their unique personality. Thank you for trusting us with your children, we know how precious they are to you! Also a special thank you to our room parents, Lucca's mom, Erika, and Arlo's mom, Jill. Thanks so much for all your help through this year! Art unit...

Hello Cedar families, This will be our last blog of the school year. Time flies! We have already reached the end of the school year. We've thoroughly enjoyed interacting with your child and guiding their learning journey during this crucial early childhood stage. We have also learned a lot ourselves through this process....

Greetings, Mariposa families! I'm writing to you from the Fairy House Workshop, where your children are in the midst of building charming homes for their magical friends. First they drew architectural plans for their buildings. This week they're using moss, clay, shells, twigs, pebbles, and other natural materials to bring their drawings to life, and their creativity is running wild. I'm seeing tables, diving boards, ovens, a driving bathtub, a seesaw... These fairies will have every amenity they could dream of!...