Blog Posts

"Today a reader, tomorrow a leader." – Margaret Fuller A time-honored tradition, Readathon, was enjoyed all across TBS this week, and especially in Cerrito Creek. We enjoyed visits from guest authors, made tiny and tinier books on Make-A-Book Monday, started some book cover artwork with the help of our 7th grade buddies in the Art Studio, and nestled up and read, read, read on Friday. Thanks to all who brought in books for the book swap. There were so many to go around, and everyone got some great new reads, and I even snagged some to add to our classroom library on the strong recommendation of Cerrito readers. As an extra-special optional activity, a group of Cerritans spent their lunch recesses this week in the classroom bedazzling the cover of a book they’d chosen from home. That’s right, the bedazzling craze has come back around, but on book covers this time, not denim jackets! Take a look below at how the awesomeness of Readathon unfolded, and keep reading, Cerrito Creek!...

Hello Blackberry Parenting Adults, Readathon (click for pictures!!!) has been a very exciting week. We had two visiting authors named Marie Chan and Mượn Thị Văn. Marie was such an amazing presenter who taught us so much about local history and even showed us where Mamie Tape lived in Berkeley. At the end of her presentation we were all given the opportunity to practice calligraphy and work on different Mandarin characters. Mượn shared with us the many books she wrote throughout her career and the many languages they have been printed in. She read her story to us and brought her caterpillars to share....

The children seem thrilled to be back from Spring Break! We've been busy exploring the planting that happens in spring, how farms and farm workers grow our food, and birds. Updates/Reminders Sunshine is here! A reminder to sunscreen your children in the morning and pack a hat if so inclined. We will sunscreen children in the afternoon who stay for ExDay....

Hi families, It’s hard to believe how much we’ve packed into just one week! Between celebrating Earth Week and Read-a-Thon Week, our classroom has been buzzing with energy and activities. From thoughtful conversations about our planet to readers theatre, author visits, and a field trip, it’s been a full week! Throughout the week, we’ve been talking about what it means to take care of our planet—how our everyday choices can help protect the Earth. One of the highlights was our field trip to Coyote Hills Regional Park, where we learned how the Ohlone people lived in balance with nature by using every resource to the fullest. Nothing was wasted, and everything had a purpose. We also learned how Native people, past and present, have a deep understanding of their environment and use plants in many ways. We got to see and touch traditional baskets that were used for catching fish, making acorn soup, and gathering food. It reminded us how much we can learn from Indigenous knowledge and ways of living with the land....

A STEM-full Send off into Spring Break & Returning to New Units Before the break was a week full of STEM goodness. That’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, for those new to the jargon! ...

What a week! Since returning from spring break, we’ve truly hit the ground running! This week has been packed with learning, creativity, and community engagement/service—and we couldn’t be prouder of all the hard work and joy your students brought to each moment. One of our biggest themes this year is tree equity. As part of our persuasive writing unit, students have been diving deep into their research, synthesizing facts we've gathered throughout the year, and crafting persuasive essays to convince cities to plant more trees. It's been incredible to see the way they’ve organized their thinking and worked on powerful arguments to support environmental and community change....

Hello Blackberry Parenting Adults,   There are so many pictures from this week that I made a Google photos album here! Please let me know if you have any issues accessing it....

Hi Mariposa ! These last few weeks were filled with fun and exciting projects. From having a visiting artist visit our school and play music with us  Mr. Salani from Zimbabwe , to families coming into the class to share about  cultural celebrations to our junior teacher Ruth coming in for a day, it has been a busy but exciting time....

  Friendly Reminders: Spring break: 04/07/2025 -04/11/2025 Readathon week: 04/21/2025 to 04/24/2025 Parent teacher conferences: 04/25/2025 and 05/02/2025...

We had such a wonderful time celebrating spring this week with Spring Sing and Kindness Week/Festival. We had lots of yummy treats- thank you to those who brought in special snack 🙂 We hope you have a beautiful Spring Break! Updates/Reminders Sunshine is here! A reminder to sunscreen your children in the morning and pack a hat if so inclined. We will sunscreen children in the afternoon who stay for ExDay. Spring Break- April 7-11: No School, Camp available with sign-up for ExDay eligible children Spring Conferences Friday, May 2. Friday April 25 is a regular day of school for Caterpillars...

Hello Magnolia Families,  We sure have had a busy few weeks in Magnolia! Birthdays, Family visits, a dance class with a wonderful visiting teacher, a field trip to the Lawrence Hall of Science, our Spring Sing, and Kindness Festival! Whew! This week's blog will be full of photos and videos from our busy end of March and first few days of April. We hope you enjoy and have a wonderful Spring Break. We look forward to welcoming you back again the week after!...

Hello Blackberry Parenting Adults,   When we get back we will hit the ground running. Thank you for all the plastic bottles you've been sending in. We only need 2 more to begin our water filter experiment on Monday 4/14. On Tuesday 4/15 we will be joining Temescal and 8th grade to plant trees at Strawberry Creek Park. We are so grateful to Aly for putting this together and inviting us to join her! On Friday 4/18 we will have an assembly at 8:45 where Temescal will be performing with Aaron. You are invited to join us!...

Our focus has been on zoology, including Amphibians and Reptiles, and Persian New Year, Nowruz these past two weeks. Amphibians We explored the fascinating world of amphibians, learning about their unique characteristics and the different animals in this group: Caecilians, Newts, Salamanders, Frogs, and Toads. The children were especially intrigued to discover that Caecilians are legless amphibians with sharp teeth!...

Thank you for the time spent together in conferences over these past 2 weeks. Thank you for the asides, the support, the pushback, the questions, the answers, the laughs, the offers to 'pick up something from the coffee shop', the concerns, the compliments (and the kitchen overflowing with sweet and savory treats). We really do have a good thing going over her, and talking about and delighting in this set of 5 and 6 year olds is a treat. They are such an interesting crew, so fun to teach, and I am grateful for and looking forward to all of the big stu...ff th

Math in the Real World 5th grade math students were treated to a guest educator today, Travis Brooks, dad to Cerritan Cedar. Travis, a product manager at Netflix and professional math enthusiast, led students through an engaging look behind the scenes at how data informs decision-making at Netflix, how data is collected, and through the scientific method with first-hand data collection to determine to answer the question, “How much data is enough?” with a penny flipping experiment. Students took full advantage of what is typically an MIT graduate student-facing lecture and rose to the occasion with curious questions, astute observations, and thoughtful conclusions. Through the whole thing, students were able to learn that larger sample sizes = more precise and accurate data and see that in many cases, data-informed decision-making be the difference of millions of dollars, as was the case for the Obama campaign of ‘08. ...

Hi Temescalian Families, Today you'll be seeing  A LOT of classwork coming back home in students' Friday Folders! Students were excited to empty out their "Finished Work" files and see the loads of work they’ve completed this year. We pulled two pages out to reflect on—please take a moment to read their reflection and respond below to them. The "Leave At Home" side of their folder contains completed work, and as a family, you can decide what to do with those pages. The "Return to School" side remains in their folder....

Hello Blackberry Parenting Adults,   This week we began prefixes. We talked about the re- and un-. We practiced defining the words and writing them in complete sentences. We also practiced the monster rule. Please ask your Blackberrian about it! Ask them how to to use the rules on these words....

We Got Brains on the Brain! Happy Spring! ...

Hello Magnolia Families! Can you believe we're almost to April? This month has flown by! We'd like to highlight our very special celebration of Nowruz in this month's bi-weekly blog. Each year, Mitra shares her culture's customs and traditions with us and there's always something new to learn. In fact, did you know that the Wednesday before Nowruz is called "Charshanbe Suri"? On this day, people participate in jumping over small bonfires to symbolize the act of letting go. While we won't be jumping over any *real* bonfires in Magnolia, we will certainly practice with some cardboard logs and orange scarves next week....

Spring has brought with it many musical visitors! Check out photos from the performances below. Updates/Reminders The weather is warming up! A reminder to sunscreen your children in the morning and pack a hat if so inclined. We will sunscreen children in the afternoon who stay for ExDay. Spontaneous walking trips are may be on the horizon on days group size is smaller. Check out the Parent Square message from this week for more info. Email us or comment on the post if you would like to opt your child out of spontaneous walking trips. Save the Date: Thursday, April 3rd 9:30a-10a- Spring Sing, more info to come in the ECC Bulletin  Spring Break- April 7-11: No School, Camp available with sign-up for ExDay eligible children...

Friendly reminders:  Spring Sing, Thursday: April 3rd, 9:30am-10:00am. Families are welcome. Kindness potluck: April 4th. Only for children. More details coming soon....

These past two weeks, our focus has been on exploring the continent of Europe. Thanks to parents for supporting our study of the continent of Europe. We reinforced the fact that there are many countries on a continent with different people speaking different languages and having unique cultural traditions that are often influenced by their environments. That said, we appreciate and respect the differences and uniqueness they bring to the world....

The past month, we have noticed the children showing an interest in "true stories" especially biographies. A rich learning environment has emerged between children bringing in books about famous people on sharing day, a sprinkling of biographies in our library, and Julianne focusing activities inspired by African American artists. Last week, the children colored geometrical shapes mimicking Rosie Lee Tompkins quilts. In honor of her life and passing, we read about Roberta Flack and played on a small keyboard that Safia brought in. The children were introduced to musicians like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Nina Simone, and Ray Charles. We are compiling a playlist that will be shared with the Mariposa families toward the end of the of the year which includes these artists along with others requested by the children....

It has been a frenzied couple of weeks leading up to student-led conferences happening this week, and Mason and I have made the most of this time in math and advisory.  8th grade students had the opportunity to partner with one or two 6th grade students in preparing for conferences. Preparing for this event can be somewhat stressful for 6th graders who are doing this for the first time so the 8th graders were happy to support them. They collaborated to give feedback, help with editing, and practice. ...

  Friendly Reminders:  Movement class is offered every Friday. It’s optional. (Comfortable attire is required) Please kindly ensure that your child has a water bottle with them each day....

Hello Magnolia Families! February flew by and here we are in March! We've been enjoying the sunshine and Spring-ish days lately. As Rebecca shared in our ECC bulletin- the construction next door will complete it's main framing phase in April! It will be a lot less noisy from there and we are excited for that. Here are a few reminders- we hope you enjoy the blog!...

  Spring weather seems to have arrived early! Along with the springy weather, Roan joined Caterpillar class this week. Please say "Hi" to her and her parenting adults, Reed and Reanna. You may recognize them as Caterpillar alum and Live Oak student, Rami's family. Welcome!! 🙂 Updates/Reminders We are expecting rain next week! Please send your child with or in rain boots on days following rainy days, even if it's not raining. Puddles are fun! Save the Date: Thursday, April 3rd 9:30a-10a- Spring Sing, more info to come in the ECC Bulletin  Spring Break- April 7-11: No School, Camp available with sign-up for ExDay eligible children...

Hi Temescalian families, This week TBS celebrated our beautiful diverse brains! We kicked off each morning with brain themed discussions including talking about our dreams, the surprising things our brains do, and we also put our minds to the test with some brain teasers!...

Hi Blackberry Parenting Adults, This week we talked briefly about the brain. We were able to talk about autism, ADHD, and how the brain works.  It was so great to see some members talk about what it feels like to have either or both. They shared their experience, they learned about what its like to have a brain that functions differently, and other community members were able to grow their understanding....

February is one of my favorite months in kindergarten - spring is just around the corner and everyone is bubbling over with excitement about new skills, growth spurts and loose teeth; Black History Month brings a celebration of Black joy and excellence; Stone Soup is made and enjoyed, then delivered and shared with The Women's Daytime Drop in Center for their clients to enjoy; sweetness bubbles over on Valentine's Day with all the fuss and fun that it brings; the 100th Day and all the creative math activities and projects (a 'snowball' fight with 100 snowballs that we then turned into a snowperson) make oneof our favorite subject even better; we relish the excitement of the wildly windy and rainy days; and look forward to February Break (I love teaching kindergarten and I love the respite of a break!). We've finished the month strong  - we welcomed in a new teammate (we're a team of 12 now!); took a trip to The Women's Daytime Drop-in Center;  we loved working with and learning from visiting artist, Yasushi Matsui; learned a little a bit about Ramadan, tried a second go at growing crystal snowflakes (we think we figured out the problem - we'll give it one more try next week), took a trip down memory lane on the 100th day as we thought back over the last (6?!?!)  months together, we noted the official end of Black History Month and  watched some clips from the a few of the latest changemakers that we'd read about. We cheered as Wilma Rudolph beat the odds to win 3 gold medals at the Rome Olympics, and we counted up in delight as we watched Serena Williams' 23 Grand Slams.  'All that and reading, writing, science, math, and lots of kindergarten good times, too. ...

The Gadgets Have Lift-Off! This week, reinvigorated with energy from the mid-winter break and sunshine of this “Fool’s Spring” weather, Cerrito scientists set to work on the final project for our unit on electricity and magnetism-building gadgets! In teams of two and three, students brainstormed the types of gadgets they’d like to attempt by first agreeing on what evidence of energy they wanted to demonstrate (light, sound, motion - no heat for this project, please), what they’d like their gadget to do, and what creative elements they’d like to incorporate. Once the initial brainstorming was done, it was time to draw models, the most important of which was the model of the circuits they’d need to make their gadget functional. Once approved, students shopped for parts to build their first iterations of their circuits as a proof of concept. The next few weeks will have students shopping for other materials from our TBS Maker Space, building and testing iterations, and preparing their documentation and presentations. Check out the shots below to see the gadget building in action!...

Hello Temescalian families, After a refreshing February break, we were so excited to come back together and celebrate a special milestone—the 100th day of school! We started our morning by creating a list of 100 things we’re thankful for, reflecting on all the big and small joys in our lives. Then, in math, we put our creativity to the test! Students took 100 pattern blocks and tackled a series of challenges—building the number 100, an animal, and a flower out of their shapes. After constructing our designs, we recorded the different shapes we used, adding them up to ensure we had exactly 100. It was a fun way to revisit geometry, think critically, and collaborate together....

Hi Blackberry Parenting Adults, Sign ups for conferences have gone out. We allot one slot per child so plan accordingly. This will be a good time to bring any questions or wonderings you may have about how it is going. We've had a busy week back. We took a spelling inventory, practice our handwriting, and played a phonics game. We began a new informative writing project that is an all about me book about our friend. First we will interview them and then use that information to create a piece of writing, and then an all about book....

Happy Lunar New Year!!! We were so Lucky to have two parents participating during the New Lunar Year week. Kelly, Ruby G’s mom, began the week with a beautiful presentation on this celebration. She read a few books where we learned many different traditions and ways people celebrate the Lunar New Year around the world. Also, she shared a Leggo display that showed how people prepare to receive and celebrate the Lunar New year. She also handed the traditional red envelopes and fresh tangerines. Jill, Arlo's mom, lead the lantern project with our class....

Hello Magnolia Familes! We hope you enjoy our blog 🙂 Next week is February Break and there is no school, but childcare (registration required). We can't wait to welcome you back on the 24th! Happy Friendship Day, Magnolia Friends! No matter what you call it, Friendship Day is one of the happiest days at the ECC. This morning, the children were delighted to see their decorated bags all lined up and ready to receive cards. Big thanks to our parenting volunteers this morning who helped setup delicious snacks and help the children pass out their cards! We had a fun time enjoying treats and reflecting on what it means to be a friend....

20 Years of Radical Black Joy @ the MoAD As important as it is to learn the hard history of American Enslavement and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, we know that it was not the beginning nor it end of the Black experience around the world. It is equally, if not more important to center Black joy, excellence, and perspectives from throughout the African Diaspora. Cerrito and Strawberry classes spent Valentine’s Day celebrating the Museum of the African Diaspora’s 20th Anniversary with a look at several exhibits that made them ask questions like, “What’s the point of holding onto traditions that are racist?” and “Is that real gold on that basketball hoop?” We hope this trip has sparked a bit of curiosity, inspiration, and joy in all our students....

🌧☂️  Over the past couple weeks we have been having so much fun outside in the rain, puddles, and mud and had lots of opportunities to practice consent and turn taking.☂️🌧 Updates/Reminders February 17-21 Mid-Winter Break-No School; Childcare available for ExDay eligible children with sign-up Thank you for laundering and returning extra clothes! If you have older children who have outgrown their 4-5T pants, long sleeved shirts, and sweatshirts, we'd love to have them for the class. Rain boots sized 7-10 would be welcomed as well :)...

Hi Temescalian Families, Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️ This week, love was at the heart of many of our conversations—the kind of love we feel at home, at school, with our pets, for our hobbies, and in our friendships. Together, we brainstormed what love feels like, looks like, and can be and then the students wrote their own "Love is..." piece! We hope you enjoy the writing that your students bring home today! We also explored friendship—what we look for in a friend and what it takes to be a good one. We reflected on kindness, communication, shared interests, and how friendships can form quickly or grow over time. In celebration of Valentine's Day, we decorated and ate cookies and had time to share Valentines!...

Hi Blackberry Parenting Adults, Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy lives to be in community with us. Your children are so inspiring and work so hard every day! I hope you are as proud of them as I am! We will be back in school Monday 2/24. Conferences are March 13-14. As a reminder only one time slot if offered per child please coordinate accordingly!...

Dear TBS Community, The Norman Johnson Fund for the Arts Committee is delighted to announce the 2nd annual Visiting Artist Program at the Berkeley School. Through the generous support of the Norman Johnson Fund for the Arts, this initiative aims to open our doors to local artists, enriching our students' education by welcoming valuable artistic experiences to our community. By offering modest honorariums, mentorship opportunities in the field of art education, and continued collaboration, we express our gratitude to our visiting artists for their contribution to The Berkeley School....

February 7, 2025...