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Sept 29-Oct 6
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News from Around the School
Kindergarten Gets Visitors
During the first weeks of school, the adults have been dropping by during morning meeting to share "Three Important Things" about themselves. Did you know, for example, that Ms. Collentine is still working on being a good swimmer? Or that Andrea Shuel gets nervous when she has to speak in front of a group of people? To coincide with this activity, the kindergartners read The Important Book, by Margaret Wise Brown. Then they illustrated a book called "Three Important Things About Kindergarten." Those things are the Kindergarten Throughlines: Love Yourself, Respect Each Other, and Take Care of Your World.
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First Grade Plants Seeds
Every March the first graders plant seeds in the garden in the recess yard. They water and weed and pick the lettuce, peas and carrots in June. Then Thu waters the garden for us all summer so when the students come back in September as second graders, the plants are huge. They are excited to pick and eat cherry tomatoes, pull the seeds from the sunflowers heads and pick the pumpkins.
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First Grade Shares Hopes and Dreams
The first graders began their year by discussing what they would like to learn. We went around in a circle and everyone listed their personal hope or dream. Some examples are: to learn to read better, to make new friends, to learn more about whales, and to be kind. Each child then wrote a hope and dream on a piece of paper and illustrated it with a self portrait. These "hopes and dreams" are hanging up on the walls in and outside of our classrooms. May all our hopes and dreams come true!
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Second Grade Honors Diversity
In honoring our diversity and differences, the second grade read the book It's Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr. The students then created their own version of the book and wrote about their differences. This is a chance for the second graders to think about what makes them so wonderfully different from one another. Furthermore, through this book we are able to discuss the importance of empathy and acceptance.
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Fifth Grade Spends One Million Dollars
How much is one million? The fifth graders attempted to answer this very big question in math. Students were given a scenerio in which they won the lottery and needed to spend one million dollars. The only restrictions were that they could not buy a house and they could only purchase one car. In teams of two, students searched through classified ads, magazines, and coupons to clip items to "purchase." They then arranged their purchases on a poster, recording the items' prices, and totalling their spendings. To finish the project, students wrote individual reflections about the project. They shared that the project made them realize that one million is much larger than they previously conceptualized.
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Sixth Grade's Impression of Science
Sixth graders were asked to answer the broad statement of "Science is... " to help get them thinking about the many aspects of science as the school year began. They were encouraged think broadly as they considered different fields of study in science, as well as what the process of science means to them. |
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Seventh Grade Visits Food Bank
On September 14, the seventh grade advisories began the first of many visits to the San Francisco Food Bank. In conjunction with their study of the root causes of poverty and hunger, students will visit the Food Bank several times this semester. The goal is not only to broaden the children's awareness of these issues, but also to take direct action in allaying the effects of hunger and poverty in our own community.
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Socrates Informs Eigth Grade English
In 8th grade English classes, students are learning to discuss literature using the Socratic Seminar method. In this type of seminar, students speak in turn without raising their hands, they address each other and not just the teacher, they discuss ideas rather than opinions, and they strive to suspend their beliefs through dialogue rather than defending their beliefs through debate.
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New Upper School Choral Ensemble
The Choral Ensemble, our new offering for 6th-8th grade advanced choral singers, is off to a rousing start! With the size of the Upper School Chorus expanding upwards of 70 members, it was time to find a group that could easily represent the School on and off campus. This group will act as SFDS ambassadors, singing for Open Houses, retirement centers, assemblies, soirees, and choral festivals. Our rehearsals begin at 7:15am and there's no better way to start the day!
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Girls Volleyball Season Begins
The Varsity and Junior Varsity volleyball teams have the energy and spirit to reach competitive greatness. Although they came up short in their opening match against Marin Country Day School, the natural ability and talent of these two teams will gel into an exciting competitive season.
The 6th grade girls volleyball team beat Marin Country Day School. Coach Metzger reflected on the game saying, "The girls played really well together. Their communication and teamwork were fantastic to watch. I hope you all have the chance to come watch a game at some point this season. They're quite a great bunch!"
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Boys Soccer Kicks off the Season
Tuesday, Sept 18th, was our first faculty vs. varsity soccer match. Fans witnessed a very close game, which ended in a 2-2 tie. To determine the winner, we practiced a penalty kick shootout (something that has haunted our teams in the past). The teachers ended up winning 3-2, however, the ending of the game was controversial and may require a rematch after the championship game.
Our boys varsity played their first league game the following day against Stuart Hall. All players made great contributions in the 6-1 win. Stephen Domingo was impressive in goal, Zach Zeff led the defense, and our scoring came from Eli Love, Johnny Knutsen, Jamie Muresanu, Ian Wallace and Gregory Elliott. This was a very impressive opening game for the boys. |
Don't forget to stop by the K-5 classroom webpages. You can find the latest news and announcements from the teachers, see class photos, find class schedules, and, in a few weeks, you can view photos of the first month of school. Navigate your web browser to http://www.sfds.net/Academics/Classes/ to find your classrooms!
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