Now our previous work on Culturally Responsive Teaching, use of rubrics, and adding student voice had a theoretical underpinning. Two other schools in SFUSD have begun their own Quiet Time programs and a district spokesperson said other schools have begun asking questions about Visitacion Valleys success. Programs School Data Contact Info Visitacion Valley Middle School Grades 6-8 Yes, this is built into our systems of power, structures, policies, and rules. In addition, we might see curricula that affirms and engages students of color and assessment practices that dismantle racial bias in standardized testing. At VVMS, we were able to get past defensiveness and excuses and get to the heart of the matter. Some of the work I am most proud of as a teacher and leader is building relationships with all community members to create a supportive and positive environment, as well as creating systems and using data to make informed decisions regarding instructional practices that lead to increased achievement for students. the Visitacion Valley principal who brought the program to life in 2007. They couldnt concentrate on school.. Mad Sal's Dockside Inn in Ale House Alley, and Mission Blue. $93. Visitacion Valley Middle School 2 4 reviews Grades 6-8 Students 375 Type Public School District San Francisco Unified School District 450 Raymond Avenue San Francisco, CA 94134 (415) 469-4590 https://visitacion-sfusd-ca.Schoolloop.com/ Nearby Schools Elementary Middle High Alvarado Elementary School K-5 Public 515 Students We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school starting Wednesday, August 17, 2022. We work hard to create a positive school climate where students are recognized for their growth. View property details, photos, and neighborhood info. 5/28/2021. One other middle school and two high schools in the Bay Area adopted the program. Its origins are in the 1990s when two Silicon Valley investors Jeff Rice and Laurent Valosek developed a programme to teach meditation in public schools, inspired by the tragic Columbine high school massacre. Students. Our courageous educators got personal, thinking about how White Supremacy Culture shows up in their personal lives and between colleagues. Some 20 parents gathered outside of Visitacion Valley Elementary School on Thursday morning to protest what they said was a failure by the school principal to take action on pervasive bullying. In order to build this ideal structure, we must start at the base and engineer for equity. Callers can still leave a voicemail or send an email or request form at all hours. Nearby schools include Cleveland Elementary School, Visitacion Valley Middle School and Jordan (June) School For Equity. It contains 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. For example, pushing students to work independently or write before processing verbally can lead to stress and isolation. I also enjoy cooking (and eating) good food with family and friends. Were not perfect, Dierke said. This year, the school has had to integrate more than 100 new students onto campus after another nearby middle school was closed by the district. Principal and Interest. wall," a reminder of trouble that awaits them when the afternoon bell rings.. The social-emotional learning of students in grades 4-12 is also assessed. Some conversations fell flat, and others were superficial. Students, families, and school staff can email requests to sflink@sfusd.edu,call 415-340-1716(M-F, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m., closed from 12 to 1 p.m. every day), or complete an online request form. WSC shuts down learning. Rice says they use TM because it takes those who do it to a deep level of relaxation, and its easy for children to learn. CWAE specialists counseled students on meditation techniques and five full-time staffers remain on campus to help maintain the program. 3. Racial-equity work is like trying to defuse a bomb and cutting the wrong wire. The art of relaxation: ideas to get students to unwind and recharge, How two minutes of mindfulness can calm a class and boost attainment, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Reportar una ausencia. We focus on equitable teaching practices and encourage student participation. Here are two pitfalls to avoid. Then, Dierke struck a bell and said, Okay, its quiet time.. As a result, staff were curious to take action to be anti-racist and promote a learning community that did the same. Principal & interest $1,163. Dr. Bettina Love writes in her book, We Want to Do More Than Survive, "To even begin to attack our destructive and punitive educational system, pedagogies that promote social justice must help educators understand and recognize America and its schools as spaces of Whiteness, White rage, and White Supremacy, all of which function to terrorize students of color." One seventh grader at Visitacion Valley said, I used to be really fidgety, couldnt stay in my seat for very long. When the staff at Visitacion Valley Middle School explored White Supremacy Culture, it gave them a new framework to define their North Star: being an anti-racist school. What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack? 2,414 Sq. Select Week, Month, or Agenda to see different views of the calendar. The Visitacion Valley Middle School mission is to create, through transformative relationships, an inclusive and collaborative learning community that is relevant to the lives of ourstudents, families, and staff. Once white fragility is defined and debriefed amongst a team, we can begin to talk about racism, anti-racism, and White Supremacy Culture. Imagine that. Property taxes $170 Home insurance $105 . A lot of the kids have deep anger issues or problems focusing, she says. James Dierke, principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco: Principal James Dierke "When I arrived at this school thirteen years ago it had the highest absentee rate, the highest suspension rate, the highest teacher turnover rate, the lowest academic achievement rate. Before the students learn to meditate, the Quiet Time programme requires all staff to be trained in TM. where I had the privilege to serve as a 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts and English Language Development (ELD) teacher at a public middle school. For example, we looked at how our implicit bias when responding to student behavior leads to racially disproportionate discipline incidents and we organically identified restorative practices as a focus for the following year. Personal Commitment graphic organizer used in professional development (Courtesy of Joe Truss). Sign up for a school tour at sfusd.edu/tours. By 2009-10, attendance rates were over 98% (some of the highest in the city), and today 20% of graduates are admitted to the highly academic Lowell high school before it was rare for even one student to be accepted. School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) are required by state law and are intended to provide families with important information. I value growth because I am constantly reviewing data, asking how we can be better for our students. NBC News Cynthia McFadden, Tim Sandler and. Our kids are coming to school. In 2008 Mr. Dierke was named MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year. 375. A pioneering programme has reduced stress and improved grades at Visitacion Valley middle school with lessons other schools can learn from. We can have equity missions plastered on walls and front that we are about closing the opportunity gap, but we dont go deeper than diversity trainings. Meditation, which is taught as part of the program, or engage in other quiet activities like silent reading. At times, it appeared that we werent clearly aligned philosophically and did not have a focused call to action. Please read our welcome letter! We are continually navigating the phases of a call out to call in culture with each other.. Discussing WSC gave us more impetus to make changes, because we now knew what was happening if we refused: microaggressions, dehumanization, widening the opportunity gap, and producing disproportionate outcomes. and our Visitacion Valley Middle School Spark Program site. Many have little or no parental oversight. Visitacion Valley Middle School. Visitacion Valley Middle School - find test scores, ratings, reviews, and 36 nearby homes for sale at realtor.com. Therefore, unexamined behaviors of White Supremacy Culture are preventing students from being comfortable or supported enough to learn and flourish. levels of self-confidence and happiness. Former principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco and a former Principal of the Year. Visitacion Valley Middle School The award, given by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, includes a $5,000 award for the school. White Supremacy Culture. are promising. "He's like our own American Idol," Garcia said. Staff watch a clip about white fragility during a staff meeting (Courtesy of Joe Truss). I imagine we might even see white folks redirecting their white colleagues and carrying their weight of racial conversations. At Visitacion Valley Middle School (VVMS), in the San Francisco Unified school district, our brave staff spent a majority of the 2018-19 school year unpacking White Supremacy Culture (WSC). This prompts staff to reflect and ultimately declare, "I want to be an anti-racist teacher, but I don't exactly know how." We needed to go deeper than our previous conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Racial-equity leaders must be both intentional and responsive when doing this anti-racist work. However, when we name oppression, racism, and more explicitly White Supremacy Culture, folks have to determine where they stand, what they value, and why they work in education. Anther example might be superficially speeding through content or discouraging interruptions for questions. Visitacion Valley Middle School provides quality education that prepares students for a fulfilling life in a global society. In their schools, the Quiet Time/Transcendental Meditation program is playing a key role in that breakthrough. A lot has changed over this period, including three principals coming and going, but ODriscoll puts the turnaround down to the one constant: the calming influence of the meditation programme. He attributes that to higher levels of job satisfaction. Yes, it is exhibited by leaders at all levels, including me. This pushed some folks to identify who they could be safe with, be it for comfort or growth. SFUSD's Student Family School Resource Linksupports students and families innavigating all of the SFUSD resources available to them. I began my career in education in Richmond, CA.