Teachers Archives - Page 5 of 5 - Presidio Knolls School

Social-Emotional Learning at PKS

We all know that “education” is more than the gathering of facts and knowledge (and in the case of PKS, two languages). Social and emotional development are equally fundamental, and multiple studies demonstrate that integration of social and emotional learning (SEL) programs in school pave the way for better academic learning: they teach children skills that are intimately linked with cognitive development, helping them be focused, attentive, motivated, engaged, and confident in their learning.

No image

Elementary

Independence

October’s Habit of Character focus was Independence (独立自主). In order to develop children’s independence, we must trust them. Sometimes they will make mistakes and experience challenges both socially and academically.

Elementary

Fourth Grade Migration Presentation

There's presentation fever at Presidio Knolls School as the different classes wrap up their units of exploration.

Elementary

Building Our Classroom

Fourth grade students found a surprise on the first day of school this year: the walls of their classroom were bare, and furniture stood in the middle of the space along with some classroom technology equipment. An accidental oversight? Not at Presidio Knolls. As one student put it, “The teachers are trusting us to figure out how to design the classroom – this is awesome!”

Elementary

Habits of Character

To promote strong social-emotional connections and mindfulness at PKS, we look for ways to intentionally build “habits of character” in our students. Our Habits of Character were developed through ongoing collaboration among students, teachers, and staff at PKS; they are traits we hope our children will grow to value and incorporate into their lives. Each month we focus on building a particular habit across the entire school. In September, for example, we focused on being responsible (有责任感). In October, we are focusing on being independent (独立自主).

Community

Parents Night Out

On Saturday night, PKS families gathered under the big tent for Parents Night Out (PNO), our annual excuse to spend some time at school without the kids. Normally, the tent is a boisterous place, with simultaneous basketball and soccer games alongside tag, jump rope, and other fast-paced activities. For PNO, it’s transformed by creative parents into a elegant nightspot, complete with Chinese lanterns, holiday lights, decorative saplings, quality wines, a whole pig, and made-to-order waffles.

Elementary

Mandarin Immersion at PKS

In the progressive environment, teachers describe what they see in the classroom instead of praising. This has at least two powerful effects: primarily, it allows students to make self-evaluations. For example, teachers might say, "I notice that you used green to draw the leaves and pink to draw the flowers," instead of "that's beautiful, good job." Students are free to evaluate their own work because we have not evaluated it for them, and we provide further encouragement to do so. Adding to the above example, a teacher might then ask, "what colors do you think you will use to show difference between the ripe fruits and the fruits that are not yet ripe?" This kind of question encourages a student to take stock of where they are in their process.

Events

Preschool Curriculum Night

Preschool parents gathered at Presidio Knolls on Thursday for our annual curriculum night. As usual, passive listening was not on the agenda! Instead, parents were up to their elbows in blocks, sticks, clay, yarn, and paint, creating personalized “objets” for their children to appreciate throughout the school year.

Elementary

Elementary Curriculum Night

The 2016-2017 school year is officially underway! On Thursday night, elementary parents at Presidio Knolls revisited their early years by squeezing into child-sized chairs to hear updates on Mandarin immersion, STEM, units of exploration, and social and emotional learning, as well as to swap stories from summer vacation. For any parent whose child is an “unreliable narrator,” it was also a great opportunity to hear about the exciting learning going on during the first month of school.