visitacion valley middle school principal

The UK has already started experimenting with meditation: 400 secondary schools offer programmes like the Dot B mindfulness meditation programme, which tends to take place once a week in personal, social, health education (PSHE) class. Students at Visitacion Valley School in South San Francisco observe 15 minutes of quiet time every morning. This change comes at the cost of detaching ourselves from ourselves, which also is dehumanizing. It can result in white rage, broken relationships, grievances, and further harm to oppressed students. Before becoming the Assistant Principal at VVMS, I served as an Assistant Principal at two different elementary schools in Richmond, CA. After graduating from Seneca Valley in 1996, I e arned my bachelor's degree from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. Surrounded by drugs and gang violence, the kids were stressed out and agitated. In the first year of Quiet Time suspensions at Visitacion Valley which has 500 students aged 11-13 were reduced by 45% (pdf). I am deeply honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve as Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School. Zestimate Home Value: $930,000. This has included making decisions about curriculum, school partnership, and hiring, without authentically involving teachers or students in the process. Nov 2020 - Present2 years 4 months. The 1,233 sq. Once white fragility is defined and debriefed amongst a team, we can begin to talk about racism, anti-racism, and White Supremacy Culture. When you have it up, it keeps the rain off, and you can focus on trying to build a culture with kids. For a more complete list, see the 15 WSC characteristics from Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones in the 2001 Dismantling Racism Workbook. Now, 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 . Public, 6-8 Serves this home. Modern Band (music) with contemporary instruments, Visuals Arts, Ethnic Studies, Computer Science, Dramatic Arts, and Spanish! A restless din filled the large room. A Clipper Card is not required for buses and trains, however it is needed to receive a free fare on cable cars. White Supremacy Culture. (DiAngelo, 2018). This includes emotions of fear, anger, and guilt, as well as actions of argumentation, silence, and withdrawal. 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. White Supremacy Culture is the silent killer flowing throughout classrooms and school hallways, like carbon monoxide gas. In order to build this ideal structure, we must start at the base and engineer for equity. This page was last updated on June 8, 2021. The social-emotional learning of students in grades 4-12 is also assessed. WSC shuts down learning. 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. Homeowners' Insurance. foot 2 bed, 2 bath townhouse for sale. Select Week, Month, or Agenda to see different views of the calendar. This took the form of discussions, watching short video clips, annotating readings, and doing some deep personal introspection. 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. 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 Our courageous educators got personal, thinking about how White Supremacy Culture shows up in their personal lives and between colleagues. For instance, we might see folks making eye contact, leaning into conversations about racial identity, and asking probing questions. Visitacion Valley still struggles with significant challenges. If I can be vulnerable and honest, white educators can and must do the same. 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.. They couldnt concentrate on school.. Join us at this years SFUSD Virtual Enrollment Fair for Middle and High Schools, October 24-27, 2022! "Although authorities captured the person, parents could have demanded changes at the school," a statement from the principals' association said. We might also see students connecting their identities to their learning and applying it back to their communities to manifest social justice. WSC dehumanizes people of color. This pushed some folks to identify who they could be safe with, be it for comfort or growth. School attendance zone boundaries are provided by a third party and are subject to change. This work has gotten co-opted and watered down, leading to many people talking the talk, without much walk. But adopting the programme isnt without its challenges. Meditation strengthens the areas of the brain that control our fear center, he said. Quiet Time is just like an umbrella. It would be nave to think that meditation alone could erase the effects of the many factors, like poverty, that are barriers to educational achievement. I saw this personally at VVMS, as situations got awkward, uncomfortable, and uncertain. 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. I thought it was just another fad. Further, we must look at how it has affected us and how we have perpetuated White Supremacy Culture. Principal and Interest. 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. As a result, staff were curious to take action to be anti-racist and promote a learning community that did the same. During the 2017-18 school year, I s erved as an assistant principal in Ryan Gloyer Middle School (Seneca Valley Middle School at the time) before being named principal of the building for the 2018-19 school year. 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 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. 1. (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 Catering to our kids grades 6-8. Now we can get to the work of promoting anti-racism, liberation, and achievement at our school, by looking through the lens of White Supremacy Culture. Visitacion Valley Middle SchoolHIGHLIGHTS 415-469-4590 Vis Valley MS 26.8 0.4 9.3 16.2 16.2 1.6 29.5 AA AI C F J K L ONW OW DS Percent of Enrollment Mr. James S. Dierke, Principal VVMS's Parent Representative/Liaison maintains an office within the main office. Given that the students in the study were performing below par at baseline, these results Visitacion Valley Middle School provides quality education that prepares students for a fulfilling life in a global society. Real Options for City Kids (R.O.C.K.) Can You Safely Lose Weight While Breast-Feeding? The announcement was made today during a surprise ceremony at Visitacion Valley. Coming soon. San Francisco Unified School District - Wikipedia Nearby schools include Cleveland Elementary School, Visitacion Valley Middle School and Jordan (June) School For Equity. Dear Visitacion Valley Middle School Community. Less than a year after starting Quiet Time, which is in part funded by . But this messy middle is precisely when we need to stay curious, be vulnerable, and innovative. We must name, define, and plan for white fragility, the defensive response by whites when discussing racism. 3 Baths. campaign: %%CAMP%% -- %%CAMP_UID%%, creative: %%ADID%% -- %%AD_UID%%, page: %%PAGE%%, targetedPage: %%TARGETEDPAGE%%, position: %%POS%%, evaluated in public middle school students performing below proficiency level, Under Stress, Students in New York Schools Find Calm in Meditation. This organizational structure reflects a "school-within-a-school" concept and is designed to help students make a successful transition from the self-contained elementary classroom to the fully departmentalized, comprehensive high school setting. Published annually by SFUSD to provide access to key data points and three-year trends related to student achievement and school culture-climate. Consequently, this allows for us to align our purpose with our pedagogy, curricula, policies, decision making processes, and adult structures. 325 Harkness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134 - Redfin 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. I had never done meditation before, but now I do Quiet Time. Yes, it is exhibited by leaders at all levels, including me. In 2007 a meditation programme called Quiet Time was brought in to meet some of these challenges. At that point the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) stepped in, calling Visitacion Valley "a neglected urban backwater of 18,000 with rampant crime, awful schools, and a deplorable housing project called Geneva Towers." (Gee, thanks, for the recognition, HUD.) 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. - Managed relationships and contracts with principals and key staff at our 3 middle schools. Students at Visitacion Valley School in South San Francisco observe 15 minutes of quiet time every morning. One seventh grader at Visitacion Valley said, I used to be really fidgety, couldnt stay in my seat for very long. Before the students learn to meditate, the Quiet Time programme requires all staff to be trained in TM. An assistant principal suggested the idea for quiet time after she saw Hollywood director David Lynch speak about the program and the accompanying benefits of transcendental meditation. They are more motivated, more confident, more focused, more successful and more joyful. Others rested them on the backs of their chairs. The second controlled study, authored by WestEd, an independent evaluator, found that after seven months of the Quiet Time Program, ninth grade Students. In addition, we might see curricula that affirms and engages students of color. Lynch runs a non-profit foundation that promotes meditation in schools and also sponsorsmeditation retreats for under-served students. levels of self-confidence and happiness. were the happiest in the whole of San Francisco, to more schools in the city introducing the programme, Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education, recommended the Department for Education designate three schools to pioneer mindfulness teaching, international lessons in education series. In their schools, the Quiet Time/Transcendental Meditation program is playing a key role in that breakthrough. They thought their classmates would be making fun of them, staring at them, maybe possibly even hitting them, he says. But this messy middle is precisely when we need to stay curious, be vulnerable, and innovative. The success of some schools efforts Finally, this work is some of the most challenging, but rewarding work there is. 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. Academic Support and Learning Enrichment - R.O.C.K. Prompts for reading a White Supremacy Culture article (Courtesy of Joe Truss). 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. Parks near 132 Britton St include Crocker Amazon Playground, Visitacion Valley Greenway, and Bayview Park. expanded to serve middle school children and grow with the kids it was already serving. Visitacion Valley also got attention from actor Russell Brand, who visited the school just before Christmas on a trip sponsored by the David Lynch Foundation. He attributes that to higher levels of job satisfaction. Our attendance is trending up significantly We used to have one of the highest suspension rates, now we have one of the lowest among all middle schools. The work of exploring White Supremacy Culture gave our staff a new framework to define our North Star, being an anti-racist school. The first day of school will be Wednesday, August 17, 2022. 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. This requires dismantling White Supremacy Culture and building a new foundation for an anti-racist and empowering education. The Zestimate for this house is $1,039,700, which has increased by $3,460 in the last 30 days. Anther example might be superficially speeding through content or discouraging interruptions for questions. This 3-bedroom 3 bath Tri level home has a lot of character and with the right owner can be brought up to date. One teacher, Mary Chirichella added, "Some teachers had the courage to approach others to have tough conversations about microaggressions. Consequently, this allows for us to align our purpose with our pedagogy, curricula, policies, decisionmaking processes, and adult structures. Ultimately, we are here to help students empower themselves through education. 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). 375. Quiet Time isnt just a slogan but a daily regimen at Visitacion Valley. Nearly 90 percent of Visitacion Valleys students are classified by the district as socioeconomically disadvantaged and more than 40 percent are English Language Learners. A Bay Area native, Jill earned a master's degree in journalism at the University of Colorado, Boulder and a bachelor's degree from the UC Santa Barbara. This requires dismantling White Supremacy Culture and building a new foundation for an anti-racist and empowering education. It is invisible and it is toxic. In 2006 there were 38 killings in our neighbourhood, says Barry ODriscoll, the schools head of physical education (PE). We are committed to Love, Literacy, and Liberation. Phones will be closed on school holidays, including the fall, winter and spring breaks. We are the operators of some piece of the education machine, and therefore, if we change our actions, we can change the larger system. They are owned by a bank or a lender who took ownership through foreclosure proceedings. James Dierke, Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, like so many thousands of principals and teachers who are working in inner-city schools throughout the US, knows how frustrating it can be trying to provide an education in America's low income, high stress localities. 336 Wilde Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134 | MLS #423724059 | Zillow Some conversations fell flat, and others were superficial. Awesome school! One of San Francisco's toughest schools transformed by the power of meditation 609-611 Naples Street is a 2-bed, 2-bath, 1,850 sqft multi-family home built in 1947. Just as long as they are quiet. I noticed a lot of them missing school, fighting, and getting angry a lot. At times, it appeared that we weren't clearly aligned philosophically and did not have a focused call to action. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school starting Wednesday, August 17, 2022. In the first year of Quiet Time meditation, suspensions at Visitacion Valley were reduced by 45%. Imagine that. 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. 7 /10. Visitacion Valley Middle School basks in principal-of-year award, campusviolence03_005_cs.jpg This leads to resistance or failure to follow through, maintaining a status quo of disproportionate outcomes for students based on race. Historically, those predictions have been accurate. Nearby homes similar to 183 Tucker Ave have recently sold between $1,150K to $1,150K at an average of $475 per square foot. And just like that, a hush fell over the auditorium. And although this program has focused on schools in low-income areas, adolescents from middle-class and affluent families could benefit from stress reduction as well. Lastly, this work connected well with our concurrent work of racial affinity groups, social-justice teaching, and revising our school mission statement. Once Quiet Time started, she mellowed out and started getting along with people. Stacys academic performance has also improved shes in the top 5% of the class. This work has gotten co-opted and watered down, leading to many people talking the talk, without much walk. 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. [3] Using Meditation to Help Close the Achievement Gap Consequently, "all other cognitive functions such as learning, problem solving, or creative thinking stop," (Hammond, 2015) activating our fight, flight, or freeze response. The school has something to offer everyone, from new programs of study and a variety of clubs to join. visitacion valley middle School students 14The QuieT Time Program DaviD Lynch FounDaTion 1 5 7. We must name, define, and plan for white fragility, the defensive response by whites when discussing racism. Having served the past two years as Assistant Principal, VVMS is a community that I love and care for. Young people are incredibly stressed, says Michael Matania who teaches mindfulness meditation to young people in London through a programme called Mindkit. 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. I imagine we might even see white folks redirecting their white colleagues and carrying their weight of racial conversations. Now, I have other principals asking me about Quiet Time. Use the arrows to change between different dates on the calendar. For students of color, characteristics of White Supremacy Culture similar to microaggressions hijack the amygdala. TM in San Francisco Schools Improves Learning and Behavior So the privately funded non-profit Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education (CWAE) was set up. Beginning with the 1983-84 school year, Valley Middle School organized into interdisciplinary teams referred to as the Village System. Visitacion Valley Middle in California - U.S. News Education Racial-equity work is like trying to defuse a bomb and cutting the wrong wire. California Principal Named 2008 MetLife/NASSP National Middle - PRWeb But Quiet Time took years to develop. As a result, staff were curious to take action to be anti-racist and promote a learning community that did the same. $1,862. Find COVID-19 testing, vaccine, and daily health screening information. San Francisco Unified School District ( SFUSD ), established in 1851, is the only public school district within the City and County of San Francisco, and the first in the state of California. In my dream, I imagine that Culturally Responsive Teaching, restorative practices, and deeper learning are all alive in classrooms across the United States. Yes, this is built into our systems of power, structures, policies, and rules. We can have equity missions plastered on walls and front that we are about closing the opportunity gap, but we don't go deeper than diversity trainings. Executive Director Gerald Tirozzi of the association noted that Dierke has given the community around the school a sense of hope. Visitors are always amazed, Dierke said afterwards, but it works. This took the form of discussions, watching short video clips, annotating readings, and doing some deep personal introspection. The first pitfall is failing to scaffold for white privilege and white fragility. Visitacion Valley Middle School - San Francisco | DonorsChoose This article was amended on Wednesday 25 November to clarify that Visitacion Valley middle school funds Quiet Time mostly through private donations to CWAE. David Lynch Foundation, involved introducing two 15-minute periods of quiet into the school day. Thats amazing for an urban middle school, he said. Letter from the Principal | SFUSD Balboa High School. 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. White Supremacy Culture. Its also important to start small. Principals Page / Principal Bio - Seneca Valley School District 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. It is invisible and it is toxic. 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. Known nationally for its innovative programs, teachers and students use technology, cross-curricular writing programs, and project- and standards-based instruction throughout the year. "He has put his heart and soul into making sure his students feel safe and secure in their school building and has developed a school climate that nurtures academic excellence," Tirozzi said. 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. Like most groups of educators, we had spent a few years dancing around topics of racism and struggled to make lasting change. This is because we are starting with the branches of the tree instead of the roots. One other middle school and two high schools in the Bay Area adopted the program. 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. Parks near 83 Ervine St include Visitacion Valley Greenway, Bayview Park, and Louis Sutter . Price: $759,000. Every day before class, Visitacion Valley Middle School students pass an informal memorial known as the "R.I.P. Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco Unified school district (Courtesy of Joe Truss). 3. Just meditate!. Those selecting Dierke for the honor noted how a gunman entered the school, threatening teachers and students in 2004. 1. 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. Principal and Interest. The Visitacion Valley Middle school vision is that our students will strength their passion for learning, develop the skills to become empowered community members, and gain the knowledge to be ready for high school with a clear path to college, career, and future success. Yes, it is exhibited by leaders at all levels, including me. You can see past weeks' newsletters as well. Besides dealing with problems outside school, Visitacion Valley faces challenges in school, too. 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. Parent Advocates - ParentAdvocates.org 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. Here are two pitfalls to avoid. We were looking for a way to get kids to relax, he said. Phones will be closed on school holidays, including the fall, winter and spring breaks. 336 Wilde Ave , San Francisco, CA 94134-2252 is a single-family home listed for-sale at $988,888. Visitacion Valley Middle School is part of San Francisco Unified School District. Otherwise, white fragility will shut the anti-racist party down; it's an equity consciousness buzz kill, for real. The second pitfall I will offer is avoiding the tendency to externalize the work of dismantling White Supremacy Culture. MLS # 423724059 On a personal note, I was born and raised in the midwest, but I have called San Francisco home for the last 13 years. This week's important updates are available! Visitacion Valley Elementary School parents call for removal of 3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic Government Administration SAN FRANCISCO, California It is the water we are swimming in. 1971 Visitacion Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94134. This can create power struggles, a learning opportunity gap, and as the scholar Monique Morris writes, students being pushed out of schools. For instance, we might see folks making eye contact, leaning into conversations about racial identity, and asking probing questions.

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