visitacion valley middle school principal

"Although authorities captured the person, parents could have demanded changes at the school," a statement from the principals' association said. Report an absence. Mortgage insurance $0. But to start, we must go inward. Now, I have other principals asking me about Quiet Time. In 2007, James Dierke, then the principal of the Visitacion Valley Middle School in a troubled neighborhood in San Francisco, was determined to improve both the quality of education and. 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). Callers can still leave a voicemail or send an email or request form at all hours. They are more motivated, more confident, more focused, more successful and more joyful. Also, we might hear phrases like, "That comment triggered me, it was a microaggression," "I think we can do better for our Latinx students," or "This is not consistent with our commitment to anti-racism." We are continually navigating the phases of a 'call out to call in culture' with each other.". White Supremacy Culture. I had never done meditation before, but now I do Quiet Time. In 2008 Mr. Dierke was named MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year. I was very reluctant when it first started, he said. Real Options for City Kids (R.O.C.K.) James Dierke, principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, California, has been named the 2008 MetLife / National Association of Secondary School Principals National Middle Level Principal of the Year. This change comes at the cost of detaching ourselves from ourselves, which also is dehumanizing. NOTE: Due to late submission for 2021-22 school year data collection, schools in Texas and Washington were not included in this locator tool.To search for public . Further, we must look at how it has affected us and how we have perpetuated White Supremacy Culture. Dear Visitacion Valley Middle School Community. Racial-equity work is like trying to defuse a bomb and cutting the wrong wire. Yordy teaches world history, civics, and freshman seminar and volunteers as a program mentor. that teachers and students enjoy and which preliminary data suggest is effective. A $60K Starting Salary for Teachers? We are the operators of some piece of the education machine, and therefore, if we change our actions, we can change the larger system. As a result, staff were curious to take action to be anti-racist and promote a learning community that did the same. This includes emotions of fear, anger, and guilt, as well as actions of argumentation, silence, and withdrawal. Historically, those predictions have been accurate. There he is leading with a vision of Love, Literacy, and Liberation. Students at Visitacion Valley School in San Francisco meditate, as part of a program in which students meditate for fifteen minutes twice a day. 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. and our Visitacion Valley Middle School Spark Program site. Even in failure, there is growth, if you are using a critical lens to understand and improve. visitacion valley middle School students 14The QuieT Time Program DaviD Lynch FounDaTion 1 5 7. Photos, courtesy of Joe Truss, from the top: The opinions expressed in Next Gen Learning in Action are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications. So the privately funded non-profit Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education (CWAE) was set up. This has included making decisions about curriculum, school partnership, and hiring, without authentically involving teachers or students in the process. ODriscoll was sceptical at first about mediating himself, but since giving it a try he can concentrate better and feels less stressed. Homeowners' Insurance. Here are two pitfalls to avoid. Some conversations fell flat, and others were superficial. Perhaps even more remarkable, last years California Healthy Kids Survey from the states education department found that students at Visitacion Valley middle school were the happiest in the whole of San Francisco. And our teacher turnover and absenteeism is almost zero.. Zestimate Home Value: $930,000. Public, 6-8 Serves this home. We should be planning for the righteous rage of IBPOC (Indigenous Black People of Color), but 82 percent of our teaching force is white, so we will also plan for white fragility. Coming soon. Nov 2020 - Present2 years 4 months. There was a time when Visitacion Valley middle school in San Francisco could have featured in a gritty US crime drama. Students. The Standing Up for Racial Justice coalition defines White Supremacy Culture as "the idea (ideology) that white people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions of white people are superior to those of People of Color." Once white fragility is defined and debriefed amongst a team, we can begin to talk about racism, anti-racism, and White Supremacy Culture. View more property details, sales history and Zestimate data on Zillow. If I can be vulnerable and honest, white educators can and must do the same. Sign up for a school tour at sfusd.edu/tours. Jill Tucker has covered education in California for 22 years, writing stories that range from issues facing Bay Area school districts to broader national policy debates. Dierke, who has been principal at the school for 13 years, said things reached a turning point about five years ago. We needed to go deeper than our previous conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Start with one class or year and let it grow from there.. What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack? An all-party parliamentary group has also recommended the Department for Education designate three schools to pioneer mindfulness teaching, and set up a 1m fund to allow more schools to benefit from support in the practice. Visitacion Valley still struggles with significant challenges. Located in a quite cul-de-sac setting with easy access to freeway, banking and various amenities. This has included making decisions about curriculum, school partnership, and hiring, without authentically involving teachers or students in the process. To do this, we use diverse staff resources and improve student access to high quality programs during the school day and in after-school programs. Thus, we are building a collective purpose and a commitment to learning. The Standing Up for Racial Justice coalition defines White Supremacy Culture as the idea (ideology) that white people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions of white people are superior to those of People of Color. Dont be confused. You can see past weeks' newsletters as well. Nearby schools include Cleveland Elementary School, Visitacion Valley Middle School and Jordan (June) School For Equity. Meditation, which is taught as part of the program, or engage in other quiet activities like silent reading. Visitacion Valley Middle School is a public school in San Francisco, California that is part of San Francisco Unified School District. Later that year, a gunman brazenly stormed into the school, threatened to kill a teacher and robbed two employees. These beliefs lead to actions that are dehumanizing to all races of people; however, they have a more drastic effect on indigenous, black, and people of color (IBPOC). One other middle school and two high schools in the Bay Area adopted the program. He attributes that to higher levels of job satisfaction. I get to school at 7 a.m. for softball practice. The work to address racism in schools has been called cultural competency, diversity training, and equity. This can create power struggles, a learning opportunity gap, and as the scholar Monique Morris writes, students being pushed out of schools. Monday - Thursday 3:15 p.m.; Program offered free of charge from end of school day until 6 p.m.; Saturday Field Trips and Summer Programs, Rosetta Stone (foreign language instruction), STEAM (science; technology; engineering; arts; mathematics). Meditation strengthens the areas of the brain that control our fear center, he said. suggests that meditation might significantly improve childrens school performance and help close that gap. But now I meditate twice a day, and I do it at home. In the first year of Quiet Time meditation, suspensions at Visitacion Valley were reduced by 45%. Further, staff moved to thinking about how our school practices perpetuate WSC and send negative messages to our students. levels of self-confidence and happiness. ODriscoll also says that leadership buy-in is essential for the programme to work as there needs to be support in terms of time and resourcing. Classes take place at students desks after the qualified TM teacher rings a bell. She used to have trouble at home and get into fights with her family, says ODriscoll. and San Pablo, CA. But adopting the programme isnt without its challenges. This home last sold for $840,000 on Feb 2, 2021. Now that the shock of reading these words has worn off, lets explore what it is and why we need to dedicate more time to exploring its dehumanizing effect in our schools. We have seen attempts at creating buy-in fail for initiatives like ethnic studies, mastery-based grading, or project-based learning. For a more complete list, see the 15 WSC characteristics from Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones in the 2001 Dismantling Racism Workbook. The California School Directory and related public school and district data files (collectively referred to as the "Directory"), contain information about California schools, districts, and school/district administrators that is voluntarily self-reported by local education agencies (LEAs) to the California Department of Education (CDE) as a 2,414 Sq. $5,220. In my dream, I imagine that educators can become comfortable talking about race and how it informs the work of educating children. Students at Visitacion Valley School in South San Francisco observe 15 minutes of quiet time every morning. Students. Informacin detallada del sitio web y la empresa: cd77petanque.com Comit de seine et marne de ptanque Teacher Phil Yordy, left, works with freshman Derek Shallow, 15, right, during an after school mentoring program at Oregon High School in Oregon, Ill., in February. As a leader, I hold three core values close to me: connection, growth, and appreciation. years of my tenure, the school was dominated by stress and fighting. But in the last few years, he said, we have had very few fights.. Ft. 45 Arleta Ave, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. 1971 Visitacion Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94134. The work to address racism in schools has been called cultural competency, diversity training, and equity. Property has a great layout with large kitchen, formal dining room, living room and decent size bedrooms. We saw kids with real post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. White Supremacy Culture. By Kyle Palmer On a recent morning at Visitacion Valley Middle School in South San Francisco, Principal James Dierke looked out over the school's auditorium at more than 100 eighth graders. 7 /10. Racial-equity work is like trying to defuse a bomb and cutting the wrong wire. Our GPA has trended up significantly since the start of Quiet Time., All of this indicates that we are winning the battle against the predictor power of demographics. The school has something to offer everyone, from new programs of study and a variety of clubs to join. In the first year of Quiet Time suspensions at Visitacion Valley which has 500 students aged 11-13 were reduced by 45% (pdf). (Love, 2019) It is imperative that we examine these deeply held beliefsboth conscious and unconsciousto build on top of a new set of habits, behaviors, and systems. Visitacion Valley Middle School provides quality education that prepares students for a fulfilling life in a global society. He says the lives of students were infected by violence in the community, and several fights would break out every day. $1,041. Consequently, "all other cognitive functions such as learning, problem solving, or creative thinking stop," (Hammond, 2015) activating our fight, flight, or freeze response. . I like to think of myself as a recovering perpetrator of WSC. Angelica Mahinay, Visitacion Valleys 8thgrade student body president, said Quiet Time gives her more energy. Yet that's where real leadership comes in, the organization noted. 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. It is time that we detox and make the invisible visible. Nearby Public Schools The nearest high school to Visitacion Valley Middle School is Burton (Phillip And Sala) Academic High School(0.6 miles away) The nearest middle school is Bayshore(0.6 miles away) The second pitfall I will offer is avoiding the tendency to externalize the work of dismantling White Supremacy Culture. A Clipper Card is not required for buses and trains, however it is needed to receive a free fare on cable cars. Tuesdays at 9:00a.m. About This Home Great Visitacion home with 2 bed/ 1bath upstairs and bonus room/bath downstairs. Based on Rocket Mortgage data in comparison to public data records. Now, In fact, based on certain urban zip codes, education researchers can predict students attendance rate, behavior, test scores, and overall academic achievement. WSC shuts down learning. 375. A major factor preventing underserved children from learning is the stress they encounter on a daily basis from factors like poverty, deprivation, lack of steady parental input, physical danger and constant Therefore, it was necessary to create shared understandings and subsequent commitments, which was facilitated by exploring a framework of White Supremacy Culture. Most of the students seemed disinterested in Dierkes announcements about the springs impending graduation, upcoming field trips, and recent birthdays. View more recently sold homes. The Transcendental Meditation technique is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment. 2023 San Francisco Unified School District, I look forward to our partnership this upcoming school year and collaborating with all of you to support our brilliant students. Home has a beautiful view with a nice size backyard for entertainment. She is a frequent guest on KQED's "Newroom" television show and "Forum" radio show. Student-centered learning advances equity when it values social and emotional growth alongside academic achievement, takes a cultural lens on strengths and competencies, and equips students with the power and skills to address injustice in their schools and communities. $1,862. Specifically, this pushed on us to think about and change how we work together: We worked to create norms that encourage people of color and women to contribute, we shifted the relationship between teachers and administration so that teachers had more input in budget and hiring decisions, and finally, we adjusted the pace of our professional-development plans to emphasize quality over quantity. And a 2015 review of the program, issued by the Center for Wellness and Achievement in At VVMS, we were able to get past defensiveness and excuses and get to the heart of the matter. 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. We are committed to Love, Literacy, and Liberation. $93. Phones will be closed on school holidays, including the fall, winter and spring breaks. stress and its manifestations for example, anxiety, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Week 25 newsletter in different languages. for the lowest performing demographic was double that for the overall student group. Theres an App for That. Therefore, unexamined behaviors of White Supremacy Culture are preventing students from being comfortable or supported enough to learn and flourish. 379 Winding, San Francisco, CA 94112 is a 4 bed, 3 bath, 1,597 sqft house now for sale at $1,280,000. Visitacion Valley Middle School Catering to our kids grades 6-8. At times, it appeared that we weren't clearly aligned philosophically and did not have a focused call to action. Apply for Educational Benefits for the 2022-23 school year This requires dismantling White Supremacy Culture and building a new foundation for an anti-racist and empowering education. Were not perfect, Dierke said. Its much cheaper to focus on prevention and building resilience, and mindfulness is the single best tool that you could possibly give them., As for Visitacion Valley middle school, the area around it is still violent, but now the children are not as affected by it. Our courageous educators got personal, thinking about how White Supremacy Culture shows up in their personal lives and between colleagues. In addition, we might see curricula that affirms and engages students of color and assessment practices that dismantle racial bias in standardized testing. Like most groups of educators, we had spent a few years dancing around topics of racism and struggled to make lasting change. Anecdotally, favorable feedback poured in from both students and staff members. These beliefs lead to actions that are dehumanizing to all races of people; however, they have a more drastic effect on indigenous, black, and people of color (IBPOC). This pushed some folks to identify who they could be safe with, be it for comfort or growth. 336 Wilde Ave , San Francisco, CA 94134-2252 is a single-family home listed for-sale at $988,888. Please read our Welcome Back letter. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider regarding any medical condition. - Managed relationships and contracts with principals and key staff at our 3 middle schools. 3 Baths. Based on Rocket Homes closed client surveys received from 2011-2021. This presentation was made as part of a National Education Summit on Quiet Time in the Classroom Linda Esposito - What One Urban School District Can Teach the Country About Stress Relief Huffington Post, White Supremacy Culture. Consequently, all other cognitive functions such as learning, problem solving, or creative thinking stop, (Hammond, 2015) activating our fight, flight, or freeze response. This listing's school district is San Francisco Unified School District. I began my career in education in Richmond, CA. These kids hear gunshots on their way to and from school. I am deeply honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve as Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School. But to start, we must go inward. 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). 1. Research shows that chronic stress can impair healthy brain development and the ability to learn, and that Transcendental Meditation, a stress-reducing technique that involves thinking of a mantra, can reduce We focus on equitable teaching practices and encourage student participation. Closing the so-called achievement gap between poor inner-city children and their more affluent suburban counterparts is among the biggest challenges for education reformers. Reportar una ausencia. I look forward to our partnership this upcoming school year and collaborating with all of you to support our brilliant students. Before the students learn to meditate, the Quiet Time programme requires all staff to be trained in TM. You can listen to Mr. Dierke speak at a conference in Los Angeles in December 2011 about his school districts research on the effect the Quiet Time/TM program has had on his students and teachers since it became part of their school five years ago. WSC dehumanizes people of color. As a leader, it is easy to hoard power, claim objectivity in decisionmaking, or believe that there is only one way to fix education. Principal Broker: William J Oliver. For example, pushing students to work independently or write before processing verbally can lead to stress and isolation. In addition, meditating students reported sleeping better as well as higher Even I, a black educator who has studied ethnic studies and critical race theory, still perpetuate tenets of White Supremacy Culture. This change comes at the cost of detaching ourselves from ourselves, which also is dehumanizing. 3. Specifically, we must look at how it shows up in our own lives, in our personal relationships, in between school staff, and in our histories. This work has gotten co-opted and watered down, leading to many people talking the talk, without much walk. That was crazy, Angelica, the student body president, said. In order to build this ideal structure, we must start at the base and engineer for equity. provides quality after-school programming to children in the area. This school used to be known as the fight school, he said. This is because we are starting with the branches of the tree instead of the roots. It is the water we are swimming in. Some bowed their heads. Ale House Alley, Mission Blue, and Lucky's Bakery & Cafe. 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. Since beginning Quiet Time, Dierke said things have improved: Daily attendance last year was more than 98 percent, and there have been fewer suspensions and higher test scores. (DiAngelo, 2018). In addition, we might see curricula that affirms and engages students of color. It is invisible and it is toxic. Even I, a black educator who has studied ethnic studies and critical race theory, still perpetuate tenets of White Supremacy Culture. Principal and Interest. Ultimately, we are here to help students empower themselves through education. Joe Truss Only two teachers have left in the past five years, outside of retirements and district layoffs. Yes, this is built into our systems of power, structures, policies, and rules. For the majority of urban students, drugs, gangs and violence are part of everyday life. Its very peaceful here now.. Places. . Now that the shock of reading these words has worn off, let's explore what it is and why we need to dedicate more time to exploring its dehumanizing effect in our schools. $1,150,000 Last Sold Price. In between, she spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in Cape Verde, West Africa. fear. Published annually by SFUSD to provide access to key data points and three-year trends related to student achievement and school culture-climate. Why shouldnt all our students have access Parks near 132 Britton St include Crocker Amazon Playground, Visitacion Valley Greenway, and Bayview Park. In my dream, I imagine that educators can become comfortable talking about race and how it informs the work of educating children. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school starting Wednesday, August 17, 2022. 9 . That funds four and a half (full-time equivalent) Quiet Time staff on site to teach the classes and support students. But this messy middle is precisely when we need to stay curious, be vulnerable, and innovative. Its provided a lot of stability to our school, helping staff and kids get through the stress they have in their lives., The impressive results have led to more schools in the city introducing the programme. 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. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for anything (harrisc@sfusd.edu). They thought their classmates would be making fun of them, staring at them, maybe possibly even hitting them, he says. The middle school years are critical times of development for students and families, and I look forward to working with all of you to ensure our school helps students feel a sense of belonging and joy, as well as prepares them for high school, college, and beyond. Those selecting Dierke for the honor noted how a gunman entered the school, threatening teachers and students in 2004. 2. We might get verbal disagreements, but the kids are able to talk through it and move on instead of punching each other, says ODriscoll, adding that the last fist fight at the school was three years ago. "I am feeling elated," he said after the announcement and celebration in the school's auditorium. Having served the past two years as Assistant Principal, VVMS is a community that I love and care for. Racial-equity leaders must be both intentional and responsive when doing this anti-racist work. This might include wanting to win an argument, not making space for others to talk, and rushing through meetings. Out of view, city dignitaries and his students waited inside Visitacion Valley Middle School to surprise him with the news: He was the National Middle School Principal of the Year.. Lastly, this work connected well with our concurrent work of racial affinity groups, social-justice teaching, and revising our school mission statement. Specifically, we must look at how it shows up in our own lives, in our personal relationships, in between school staff, and in our histories. (Dan Schreiber/The Examiner) In 2004, two students discovered the partially decomposed body of a 19-year-old stabbing victim. This is a 4-bed, 3-bath, 1,597 sqft property. His school, along with other urban middle schools in low income neighborhoods, is in the midst of a battlea battle against the predictive power of demographics. and students grade point averages rose each year. 375. To our teachers and staff, joyful learning means that each student is able to maximize his/her abilities and be successful in learning through different learning methods. View SFUSD's most recent athletics participation dataor past years' reports. This includes emotions of fear, anger, and guilt, as well as actions of argumentation, silence, and withdrawal. One does not have to be a white supremacist to hold these beliefs, because we have all been conditioned through exposure to media, parenting, schooling, and our interactions with power structures. This can create power struggles, a learning opportunity gap, and as the scholar Monique Morris writes, students being pushed out of schools. expanded to serve middle school children and grow with the kids it was already serving. I noticed a lot of them missing school, fighting, and getting angry a lot. Please refer to legal details concerning copyright and trademark protection. This article was amended on Wednesday 25 November to clarify that Visitacion Valley middle school funds Quiet Time mostly through private donations to CWAE. Ive found that it makes peoplestudents and teachersmore joyful, Dierke said, To have that time to reflect and be still is important..