Community Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Presidio Knolls School

Elementary Curriculum Night

Teachers provided an overview of what the students will experience over the course of the year, including the developmental milestones and expectations for each grade. They outlined the Units of Exploration, and how math, STEM, and field trips are woven into the curriculum.

Community

PKS Opens New Lower Elementary Building

On the first day of school this year, PKS officially opened the doors to our newest building on campus. The Rectory, named after its original use as a rectory by the campus's previous owners, will now house kindergarten through second grades.

Community

Welcome Back!

Wow! What fun it has been for me to greet you and your children these past days! Thank you, xiè xiè, for your warm words of welcome.

Community

Message from Incoming Head Chris Livaccari

I am absolutely thrilled at the prospect of becoming your next Head of School in July 2018. I would like to thank all of the students, teachers, staff, parents and board members that took the time to meet with me during my visit to school and with whom I have interacted over the last few weeks. I especially appreciated the time I spent in Chinese answering the most challenging questions of all – from the PKS third graders!

Community

Exciting Head of School News

Chris Livaccari, a distinguished language immersion educator, Mandarin scholar, Mandarin speaker, and author, has been named our next Head of School by unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees. Among the highly talented candidates who visited the school in recent months, Chris stood out for his commitment to educational excellence and his deep knowledge of and involvement in Mandarin language learning on an international scale. Chris’s bright vision for PKS’s future and his inquisitive, warm, down-to-earth style made him the ideal match for our school.

Community

Introducing the Orsini Library

After only a year, the Orsini Library has doubled its previous collection and now holds almost 3000 Chinese and English titles! This was made possible by the powerhouse team of volunteers at Presidio Knolls, led by parents Vivian Looi and James Huff. Their efforts have made it possible for all children level P2 to Grade 4 to regularly borrow books and integrate library time into their weekly curricula.

Community

Family Profile (The Speta Family)

For Kyle, a clear highlight has been the Wonder Works project in 3rd grade. She found a topic (how to stop child mining) that she was really passionate about and pursued it independently. The support from the school and the community in this has also been terrific and has empowered her tremendously as she pursued this project.

Community

A Year of Service Learning

Teachers weave in opportunities to integrate service learning into the units of exploration that they develop with their students. For example, as a part of the first grade’s work learning about habitats, they partnered with the San Francisco Parks and Rec department to work on a habitat restoration project in Golden Gate Park. Learning matters more when we get to apply and extend our knowledge and have a positive impact on our community.

Community

Family Profile (The Murphy Family)

I can't imagine education any other way. We loved the Reggio style in the PKS preschool. This transitioned nicely into the elementary school's philosophy as a progressive school. Our kids are certainly more motivated when following their own interests. They take ownership of their work. Having seen his brother do the traditional PKS self-guided Wonder Works project twice now, our younger son is excited about his Wonder Works project next year. His idea for a topic changes weekly.