This kind of natural evolution is a planned accident. “We don’t have a curriculum for the whole school year planned out,” says Daisy. “We have basic skills and goals that we want to develop, and we follow the children’s interests.”
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.
Teacher Profile (Carol Kao)
First Annual Blood Drive
On Saturday, March 4, we came together as a community to express our values of caring and resilience at our first-ever PKS Red Cross Blood Drive. In honor of our former Head of School Lee Drolet’s daughter, children talked about the importance of giving blood, encouraged adults to donate, and even signed up to volunteer at the blood drive themselves!
English Class at PKS
While the students spend the majority of their day learning in Mandarin, English at PKS is truly a special time of day! Currently, our students receive 45 minutes of daily dedicated English instruction, often in collaboration with their Units of Exploration. Reading and Writing Workshop is also part of our daily practice. Stop by any time of day and you will see our teachers modeling reading and writing for students and students engaged in independent reading and writing. You will also see students actively sharing reading and writing strategies with each other.
Opening Soon: Presidio Knolls Middle School
Presidio Knolls School embraced our first children and families in 2008, launched our elementary school program with visionary Pioneer families in 2012, and will make history again by welcoming our first middle school students in 2018. We believe middle school is a unique and critical time of development for students to explore and develop a strong positive sense of self through meaningful relationships and real-world connections. Our graduates will be lifelong learners with the mindset and skillset to make an impact on the world.
9th Annual PKS Chinese New Year Celebration
It’s 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 4. Dozens of parent volunteers are buzzing around campus, rushing to put up the final decorations for the daylong celebration. Photo booth props are laid out to the sound of the band tuning their instruments, a string of flags is pinned up under the main tent, and Master Leo’s lion costumes sit waiting to be brought to life.
Teacher Profile (Xi Song)
When I was little, I was a very active kid. I always wondered about things and was always asking “what if” and “why.” I remember I would just go out and play in nature since we lived very close to a stream and a big hill, and I was so fascinated by those living plants and creatures. I kept asking questions about them. Later, when I could read more, I found answers to many of my questions. I think that was my first inquiry-based learning, and although it was not a full experience, it still has helped me shape my learning habits.
PKS Campus Master Plan Update
Technology at PKS
Technology is the Bay Area’s signature industry, but at PKS, technology takes its cues from our educational mission, philosophy, and organizational needs. Last year, the school embarked on an initiative to build a 3-year technology roadmap. That roadmap started with the PKS mission: “to inspire and empower creative, confident, and engaged global citizens to lead and contribute in a future filled with challenge and possibility.”
Physical Education at PKS
Trusting Children to Have an Opinion
Teacher Profile (Paloma Cordova)
Families may know me as the jovial, coffee-drinking, salad-eating English teacher (and I am absolutely all of those wonderful things!) but I am also a deeply concerned human being who worries for the future of our students, given the divisions in our society, events around the world, and even challenges here in the Bay Area.
Second Graders and “My City” (我的城市)
The two PKS second grade classes kicked off the year with an exciting dive into their own habitat: San Francisco. The 我的城市 (“My City”) unit of exploration encouraged them to ask and answer big questions: What is a city? What does it take for people to live together and get along? What infrastructure is critical to keeping a community peaceful? What are the biggest problems in San Francisco?
Music at PKS
Orff Schulwerk is an active child-centered approach to music education where you take what the kids are already doing when they're born, playing, singing, dancing, speech, games, drama, and beyond. You use that to teach the concepts and the skills in music, which makes so much more sense than anything. Also, music class is not just about teaching students to be great musicians, we are teaching them to appreciate beauty, work cooperatively, and use creativity, while developing their motor skills and often performing tasks requiring independence and higher order thinking skills.