Burke's Values in Action
As part of the ongoing work of the newly formed Mission and School Life trustee committee, the Board of Trustees is identifying initiatives of various themes to integrate across school life. These initiatives will reflect the values of the school and will contribute to a rich environment and healthy community.
In the continued spirit of new beginnings this fall at Burke's, we are taking the opportunity to make a more formalized commitment to the "greening" of our campus - including everyday changes like reducing waste and minimizing our carbon footprint as well as continuing to implement environmental education and stewardship practices at our school.
Sustainability will be the first of these initiatives, prompted by the recommendations in the Strategic Plan published last year. Trustee Jennifer Caldwell will be leading this sub-committee - the Green School Committee - and we will be shaping the scope of this work during this school year. A starting point will include reviewing the NAIS standards for sustainability and defining and customizing these specifically for our school. This first year of the committee's work will include developing a policy statement, creating a framework for project implementation, documenting the current sustainability curriculum, projects and processes already underway at our school, and establishing metrics and benchmarks.
It is important to this effort that various perspectives and voices across our school community are heard and included in the planning; it is equally vital that the process be inclusive and visible to the school community. We are very appreciative of the parents, faculty, administration and students who are already active in their advocacy for green issues, and we know that it is near and dear to many of our hearts. We encourage you to continue doing this important work and to bring your ideas regarding Sustainability Initiatives forward.
Environmental education and sustainability practices are already underway at Burke's. Indeed, from the construction of the new arts and science building to the faculty's commitment to environmental curriculum, from our student recyclers to the parent-led publishing of the Freecyclopedia and execution of the Centennial celebration and the 2008 Fall Festival (to name just a few), there has already been much work toward making Burke's a "green" school. The formation of the Green School Committee allows for thoughtful management, documentation and implementation of this school-wide effort.
It is our intention to engage the entire school community in Burke's sustainability initiative. We ask for your patience during this initial planning stage of structuring the initiative and welcome your questions and thoughts at any time.
Please address your questions to Amy Schoew (amyschoew@comcast.net) or Louisa Consagra (louisa@consagra.com), Mission and School Life Committee Co-Chairs, or to Jennifer Caldwell (jcaldwell@hopetoaction.org), head of the Green School Committee. Also, in the near future you will be able to access a special section of the Burke's website for updates on our progress.
Thank you for your support for our initiative and ongoing efforts in environmental education and stewardship.
Jennifer Gridley, President
Burke's Board of Trustees
Learning for the 21st Century
No matter our personal politics, I imagine none of us would argue with the fact that this has been a tumultuous and historic election cycle. Beliefs and values were challenged, and our nation struggled to find a path to civil discourse.
As I reflect on what we as parents and educators can learn from this experience, I am struck by a common theme sounded in the election night speeches of Senators McCain and Obama. The quotes below are attributed to their individual authors, but could have been part of the same speech.
"I call on all Americans...not [to] despair of our present difficulties, but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here." (Senator John McCain)
"The true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope...For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. " (Senator Barack Obama)
The theme I draw from these remarks is that America is never finished. And I think that's a gift that can we give our children - the ever-present belief that as a people we will keep working to live up to the fundamental ideals that underpin our democracy.
In school, that means that we are constantly teaching our girls about citizenship and civil discourse; about what it means to be different AND what it means to be united; about how we speak to each other - and learn from each other -- even (and especially) when we disagree.
This path to citizenship is imbedded in our curriculum in myriad ways: training in conflict-resolution; learning about what it really means to be a family; exploring the experiences of Americans, Californians, and San Franciscans who have made a difference; participating in affinity groups and sharing our differences and commonalities; learning about historical struggles for civil rights; writing and delivering speeches on issues of importance in our city and nation.
All of these learning experiences are designed to give our girls the tools they need to live in a world that will be more global, more interconnected, and more diverse than the one in which we grew up.
Patrick Bassett, president of the National Association of Independent Schools, has called on our schools to be mindful of the skills and values our children will need for leadership and success in the 21st century: (1) character (self-discipline, empathy, integrity, resilience, and courage); (2) creativity and entrepreneurial spirit; (3) real-world problem-solving (analysis and synthesis); (4) public speaking/communications; (5) teaming; and (6) leadership.
I would add to this list the ability to disagree and the courage to learn from our differences.
Kim Wargo, Head of School
See Patrick Bassett, "An Open Letter to the Next President," in The Politics of Learning, Independent School Magazine (Fall, 2008) at http://www.nais.org
ASEP Update
Fall Schedule 2008 Last class dates
Make-up classes and performances have been added at the end of the each class, so please look at the class end dates closely.
Monday:
Jewelry Making - November 17th
Inter. Golf - November 17th
Painting - November 17th
K Karate - December 8th (updated)
Karate grade 1-4 - December 8th (updated)
Chess - December 8th
Tuesday:
Piano - December 2nd
Beg. Golf -November 18th
Latin - November 18th
Wednesday:
Knitting - November 19th
Drama - November 19th performance, 4:10 - L.S. Music Room
Ceramics - November 19th
Guitar - November 19th
Thursday:
Hula - December 4th - performance, 4:15 p.m. -U.S. Music Room
Digital Photo - December 4th - performance, 3:45 p.m. - library
Moviemaking K-1 - December 11th - film screening, 3:45 p.m. - library
Moviemaking 2-4 - December 11th - film screening, 3:45 p.m. - library
Piano - December 11th
The new winter course offerings will be on-line by December 2nd!
Announcements
Families Event Reminder!
On Wednesday, November 19th we will have our first families event for all students, faculty, and staff. All girls should bring a packed lunch on Wednesday- the cafeteria will not be serving lunch.
Thank you.
Save the dates!
2A Associate Teacher, Katie Innes, is a member of an all-women's vocal ensemble Musae. You are invited to hear the ensemble at the Musae's holiday concert. The group's 5th Anniversary Season's opening concert, Waitin' for the Light to Shine, continues Musae's journey of heartfelt, adventurous music making. This program showcases Musae in collaboration with Menlo Brass Quintet, and offers music spanning six centuries and four continents.
The concerts are:
Sunday, December 14, 4:00 p.m.
St. Luke's Episcopal Church, San Francisco
Friday, December 19, 8:00 p.m.
Old St. Hilary's Landmark, Tiburon
Saturday, December 20, 8:00 p.m.
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Berkeley
For more information, check Musae's website, <www.musae.org>
Calendar Item
5th Grade to Rosicrucian Museum
Friday, November 21, 2008
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Roster Changes
Elise & Kylie Boutet (Gr. 6&K): Bret & Jennifer Bouet
New Address
New Home Phone
New Email Address (Jennifer)
Maya & Netzira Cowan (Gr. 4&5): David Cowan
New Email Address
Mia & Anabel Glenn-Schuster (Gr. 5&8): Daniel Schuster & Amy Glenn
New Address
New Home phone
Maia Hackett (Gr. 5): Matthew & Michelle Hackett
New Home Phone
Jaelah Hutchison (Gr. 6): Daniel & Dawn Hutchison
Corrected Email Address
Megan Leung (Gr. 8): Kingman Leung & Nancy Tam
New Email Address (Nancy)
Olivia Matthes (Gr.3): Bill & Leigh Matthes
New Address
Julia Ram (Gr. 4): Michael Ram & Katharine Phipps
Delete Cell Phone (Katharine)
Emma Rigatti (Gr. 1): Thomas & Cathleen Rigatti
New Work Phone (Cathleen)
Morgan Welsh (Gr. 6): Stacey Welsh
New Address
New Home Phone
New Work Phone
New Email Address
Alyson Won (K): Richard & Theresa Won
Corrected Cell Phone (Theresa)
Paid Advertisements
San Francisco Fencers' Club
Come join us for an exciting month with the modern Olympic Sport of fencing. SFFC fencers are US National team members and grads have successfully placed in top universities such as Stanford, Princeton, Cornell, Barnard, Vasser and UC Berkeley. For more information please contact us at: (415) 640-5671(San Francisco Richmond district at 4000 Balboa Street). Or visit us at: <www.sffencers.com>
UHURU HOLIDAY PIES: 9" Freshly baked for Thanksgiving!
Free delivery in San Francisco on Wednesday, November 26th or pick-up at our home. No-trans fats in recipe. Organic Apple -$20, Sweet Potatoe -$15, Pecan -$20, Traditional Pumpkin -$12 And New this Year! Are Vegan Blackberry -$20 and Vegan Pumpkin -$15
To Order call: Dave Reardon (Anarose '06), 415-621-7507 or <redbeardx@comcast.net>
Non-profit fundraiser for the Uhuru House and APEDF
