Thirty Years and Still Growing

OPENING DOORS
TO C A M P U S & C O M M U N I T Y
Fall 2013
Thirty Years and Still Growing
Molly Huffman, Head of School
OUR 30 TH YEAR OPENED with
the faculty and staff singing a joyful
greeting song taught by CDS music
teacher Brittany Iverson, followed
by a lovely ceremonial ringing
in of the new school year by the
youngest and oldest CDS students:
Christina Martinez in preschool and
James Crutcher in eighth grade.
It was a beautiful sunny day on
the yard and all 389 students, along with several hundred
parents, sang the traditional Welcome Song and honored
those who had summer birthdays. Friday assembly is one of
the great traditions at CDS that is loved by everyone. It builds
community and helps our students learn to be confident public speakers. And prospective families often cite our diverse
and welcoming community as a very important component in
their school choice.
The founding values of CDS are what
make the school strong.
As we reflect on 30 years of changing lives for children and
families, I thought it would be useful to revisit to our roots.
The founding values of CDS are what make the school strong:
our commitment to diversity, to constructivist teaching and to
the larger community. CDS teachers still use a child-centered,
activity-based curricula and instructional practices in which
academic concerns are balanced with a focus on the social
and moral development of children. A significant element
of that moral vision was a desire that the school emphasize
diversity, social justice and engagement in the community
surrounding the school. Skills now identified with 21st century
learning, such as creative thinking, problem solving, collaboration and communication, were all present at CDS in the
early years and are in the DNA of Children’s Day School.
One of the benefits of being head of school at CDS is that
my office sits directly above the music room. I hear sweet
student voices raised in song every day. Our middle school
students are so excited to work with Brittany for chorus that
they are willing to get up early and arrive at school at 7:30 a.m.
for practice two days each week. The music room is a tight fit
for 20 middle school students. They are thrilled by the possibili-
From the archives: CDS students in the garden watering the seeds
they have sown.
ties of our new performing space at 601 Dolores, as is Brittany.
The middle school chorus, know as Clef Hanger, wilI perform at
601 Dolores on Sunday October 20 as part of a special event.
I hope that you will join us that day for an ice cream social and
to learn more about the new middle school space and the
program we envision for that space. CDS children quite possibly spend more waking hours on campus than anywhere else
in their early years. It is our job as the grown ups in their lives
to make sure that our campus is beautiful and full of engaging
learning spaces. Thanks to many families and our hardworking
volunteers, our capital campaign has raised $3.1 million. We are
now reaching out to every family, to grandparents and
to friends of CDS to help us meet our fundraising goal of
$5 million, which the school must raise to begin the renovation.
I am looking forward to seeing you on October 20.
A Conversation with the Porro Family
The Porro family has been part of the CDS community since
the 2010-2011 school year. The Porros have one daughter,
Naomi, who is a member of the First Grade Hawks.
Q. What does Naomi tell you when you talk with her
about school and life at CDS?
A.
Well, she is six years old, so she doesn’t share much.
But when she does, it’s obvious that she loves to be at CDS.
She has made great friends, she seems to love each set
of teachers more than the last, she loves art, music, farm &
garden, she talks about PE and the PE teachers, her buddies.
She loves CDS! Q. As parents, what are some of your favorite things
about the school?
A. The list is long! Friday assembly is huge for us. We try to
never miss it and love the traditions and the opportunity to
socialize with parents, teachers, and the administration. The
campus is amazing and in the heart of the city we love. The
community is awesome, and we’ve met so many amazing,
talented, caring people. We could go on.
Q. What do you think about the education your
daughter is getting at CDS?
CDS parents Chris and Cheryl Porro
impact but in a very different way. It’s going to be an amazing
place for Naomi and her classmates to go to middle school.
Q: With so many worthy organizations in the Bay
Area, what compelled you to make a gift to the CDS
capital campaign?
A.
A.
We fell in love with the school early on and to us it seems
miles ahead of the schools we went to as kids. Probably the
best testament to CDS is the fact that Naomi never wants to
leave. You would think she’d prefer to go home and see her
daddy but most of the time she looks disappointed when
I show up to collect her. “What? I have to go with you now?”
Q. What excites you about the 601 Dolores project?
A. The 333 campus is so distinctive and made a huge
There are many great non-profit organizations to give
to. We like to give to those we know personally or that we
really believe in. A lot of non-profits have layers of abstraction
around them—you don’t experience their work first hand or
you don’t get to see their impact on a daily basis. We get to
experience CDS on a daily basis and are happy to support
the school’s emphasis on sliding scale and community. 601
will provide more opportunity for kids in the city to have
access to an excellent middle school.
impression from our first visit. We see 601 as having similar
Family Giving at CDS
Multi-generational family gifts can make a big impact! Consider
including family members to pool charitable donations for CDS’s
Opening Doors: To Campus and Community campaign. Several
grandparents and family members of CDS students have
participated in giving to 601 Dolores by making a gift on behalf
of their grandchildren, nephew, and niece. It can be a rewarding
process to involve several family members to make a meaningful
gift that will change the lives of generations to come.
Join us for Grandparent & Special Friends Day
Tuesday, November 26
With a special program and tours of 601 Dolores
A Message From the Campaign Co-Chairs
This fall, Children’s Day School celebrated its first day of
school for the 30th year in a row! As parents, we joined with
all of you as we walked through those gates this September,
bringing our kids back to the routines and excitement of the
new school year.
As we celebrate our milestone birthday, we are delighted
that the hard work and dedication of our teachers, administrators and our Board of Trustees has created a leading academic institution where building community and celebrating
diversity stand as our core values. As you well know, we are many years into our plan for
growth at CDS. Demand for our quality education has never
been higher and we look forward to reaching our full potential
as we grow into our new middle school at 601 Dolores. Our
deepest gratitude goes to our many leadership donors—CDS
trustees, parents, extended family members, alumni and
staff—who helped us raise $3 million of the $5 million needed
to begin construction at 601.
This fall we turn to our entire school
community to support our school’s mission
of delivering an education that honors
our quest for excellence and values
each child’s unique gifts.
For 30 years CDS families have shared in a legacy of
philanthropy, growing our school from a small preschool to
a world class PreK through eighth grade school serving families from all walks of life. This fall we turn to our entire school
community to support our school’s mission of delivering an
education that honors our quest for excellence and values
each child’s unique gifts. Your family’s contribution will have a
L to R: Angie Jolie, Patricia Buse, and Rachel Swain Yeaman
direct impact on your children’s CDS experience and will
benefit countless more families in the years ahead. You will
be hearing from one of us, or from one of our 601 Dolores
Campaign Cabinet, in the coming weeks to discuss how you
can support this effort. Always feel free to reach out to any of
us or our great Advancement team to learn more.
Finally, please mark your calendars and join us on Sunday,
October 20th for our kick-off celebration for Opening Doors
to Campus & Community, the campaign to build our new
middle school. We look forward to celebrating that day
with you and your family as we share our excitement for the
future of CDS!
Sincerely,
Patricia Buse, Parent of Colin ’12 and Anya ’14
Angie Jolie, Parent of Sofia ’19 and Joaquin ’22
Rachel Swain Yeaman, Parent of Callum ’18 and Oliver ’20
Meet the Advancement Team
If you have any questions about the 601 Dolores Campaign, Annual
Giving, or Fiesta, please reach out the Advancement Department who
can help answer your questions about all the ways to give at CDS.
They are located on the second floor of the 16th Street administrative
building or can be reached at [email protected].
L to R: Campaign Manager Etai Freedman,
Director of Advancement Jeanna Yoo and
Director of Annual Fund and Special Events
Julia Hansen.
A Day in the Life in the CDS Middle School
By taking advantage of a broad program that combines rigorous academics with elective choices in the arts, sciences, humanities,
and more, CDS middle school students are making us proud. Below is a snapshot of what a typical day might look like in our middle
school. And when the doors of 601 Dolores open, a great middle school program will become even better.
7:30 AM
For some CDS middle schoolers, the day
begins early. The new middle school choir,
Clef Hanger, started in January of last year and
met just once a week after school. This year,
the group meets twice a week for forty minutes.
Their repertoire includes songs from Africa and
Bulgaria, pop songs and a piece from the Broadway hit, Rent. “This group loves to sing!” says
music teacher Brittany Iverson. “Currently, I have
twenty students who come at 7:30 a.m. — that’s
commitment!” Brittany hopes to grow the choral
program and believes that “the new space will
open up many new doors for us as a performing
arts department.”
8:25 AM
In Physical Education, students partici
in individual, partner and group move
activities and games. Recently, P.E. te
Celia Richard has been using an iPad
video tape students and their techniq
they play volleyball. The purpose is no
much for them to become the best vo
ball player, but more about being able
to constructively critique themselves.
process allows for personal improvem
12:35 PM
11:20 AM
During lunch, students can choose to participate
in one of two clubs. The Student Leadership Team
(SLT) or the Middle School Tech Squad. The SLT is
the student voice of the middle school. Meeting on
a regular basis with two faculty advisors, the SLT
plans assemblies, or they may bring new ideas to
the faculty or the administration. “SLT has proved to
be so popular,” Middle School Head Josée Mayette
says, “that we have divided it into two semesters.
They serve for five months at a time, with 45
students each semester. Many schools might do
student elections for a program like this, but we
want to provide the experience to any middle
school student who wants to do it.”
At left, students use Chromebooks in
Spanish class. Spanish is required for all
CDS middle schoolers. Every student is in
a 45-minute class four times each week.
Wanting an outside measurement of how the
school is doing, CDS has signed up
to be part of the National Spanish Examination. “We have many kids who are
proficient in the language, and doing very
well on this test,” says Spanish teacher
Mickael Drouet. In the 2012-2013 school
year, nineteen CDS 6th and 7th graders
were nationally recognized for their
achievement on this exam, with nine bronze
awards, nine silver awards, and one gold
award. “These results prove that our
Spanish program is moving in the right
direction.”
2:00 PM
In 7th and 8th grade science, students have
created two online scholarly magazines:
SciFrancisco (7th) and NewtNews (8th). Every
two weeks, students must write an article that
reports on a current trend or issue in science
and technology. Recent topics include: “how the
new iPhone operating system can cause motion
sickness,” “a moon-orbiting satellite has detected
traces of water on the moon” and “can hand
sanitizers and soap be killing too many germs?”
“In addition,” reports math and science teacher
Chris Perdue, “both grades have been studying
computer programming, learning the
fundamentals of code, using a pared-down
version of javascript to create digital drawings
and animation, complete with mouse and
keyboard interaction.
2:20 PM
In the Mission Murals
students set out on f
mural history that is r
backyard. As art teac
“Our cultural art walk
disciplinary activity, a
students about histo
These murals were in
Students then take w
back to the studio to
paintings of their ow
the color, inspiration
es,
ddle
9:15 AM
The 8th grade humanities course,
“Government, Civics, Media and Service,”
focuses on U.S. government, citizenship,
democracy and journalism. As humanities
teacher Terry Ashkinos describes, “We study
the formation of The Constitution and the
details of how legislation is created in the
U.S. We examine the history of U.S. foreign
policy as well as current events and trends in
the news. Also under Terry’s guidance is the
student newspaper. This year’s 8th graders
named the paper Black and White and
Read All Over.
ents participate
roup movement
ntly, P.E. teacher
ng an iPad to
heir technique as
urpose is not so
he best volleybeing able
emselves. The
l improvement.
10:10 AM
In Kirk Bell’s 6th grade math class, students
recently completed a study of proportions and
ratios titled “Deconstructing Barbie.” In this unit,
students learn to identify ratios and proportions
of standard Barbie (and Ken) dolls vis-à-vis the
human body. In addition to math concepts, this
work also brings up discussions about selfperceptions, what is “the perfect body” and
societal expectations about bodies.
n
r all
t is in
eek.
how the
am-
very
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hool
ers
bronze
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ht
1:30 PM
“Before we start talking about world history, we first
look at personal history,” says 5th grade teacher
Paul Richardson. “In Humanities, the students
create personal timelines, writing about their key life
moments, from birth through their first year in middle
school.” The students also write their own short
stories, and share them with the class, which informs
their discussions. “Often, the students will engage
in a conversation that will move through the entire
week,” Paul says. “There are many days during
which the entire dialogue and discussion is led by
the students.”
PM
sion Murals selectives art class,
set out on foot to explore the rich
ory that is right in their own
As art teacher Molly Leith says,
ural art walks provide a truly interry activity, as they also teach the
about history and social issues.
rals were inspired by real events.”
then take what they’ve learned
e studio to create large-scale
of their own in acrylic, capturing
inspiration and voice of the city.
1:45 PM
In Humanities, students are studying themselves.
Their unit on identity focuses on both social and
personal identity. As 5th/6th grade teacher Melanie
Liu says, “They are starting to think about who they
are and how they are shaped by the people and the
world around them.” Another big thing in 5th and
6th grade is helping them to develop the skills to be
creators. Yes, technology can be a great tool, but
they still need to be able to present their ideas, be
effective storytellers, and be comfortable getting up
in front of people.”
2:45 PM
Drama is one of several selective courses
for middle schoolers, with every student
participating in drama in each of their four
middle school years. One of the many
academic traditions at CDS is the annual
7th grade trip to the Ashland Shakespeare
Festival in Oregon. The students see
a production of the play that they will
perform the following year in 8th grade.
As drama teacher Phil Lowery explains,
“The kids are immersed in theatre for a full
week, including workshops with actors and
backstage tours.” This coming spring,
the 8th grade will present As You Like It.
“I find something for every 8th grader to do on the
stage,” says Phil. “Everyone has a speaking part.”
SAVE
the
DATE
Children's Day School invites you
to the kickoff celebration for
Opening Doors to Campus & Community
the campaign to build CDS’s new middle school
601 DOLORES
Sun, October 20
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Join CDS families, friends, faculty and staff for
an ice cream social featuring light refreshments,
musical performances and special exhibits
highlighting the exciting middle school program.
Leadership Donors to the 601 Dolores Campaign
Thank you to many of our early supporters of 601!
Phase I
(Purchase of 601 Dolores)
Edward Aitken
Susan Alexander
Ambos Mundos
Rebecca Arons and Eric Fastiff
Simone and Jed Bargen
Brooke and Robert Bianco
Tracey and Dante Briones
David Bui and Kevin McCarthy
Patricia Buse
Jocelyn and James Colopy
Danielle Conrad and Hemant Shah
Sarah Cooper and Michael McNabb
Lyda Cort and Andrew Stadler
Lisa Cottle and Matthew Biggar
Krisanthy Desby and M.R. Rangaswami
Joanna Earl
Nicholas Earl
Georgiana and John Flaherty
Kate Fritz and Bill Littmann
Zahra Ghayour-Kelly and William Kelly
The Gilpin-Moreno Family
Michele Godwin and Scott Croyle
Ida and Etienne Goldstein
Rebecca Grey and Chris Luomanen
John Hendrickson
Kristin and Andrew Henry
Stephanie and Ron Holland
Amy Huang and Stephen Goldmann
Diana and Sam Hunt
Angie Jolie and Daniel Morillo
Tracy Kirkham and Josef Cooper
Sally and James Klingbeil
Diane Larrabee
Joy MacIntyre and Andrew Leibnitz
Michele Morgano and Leon Kuan
Lida and David Morgenstein
Liz O’Neill and Arnie Levinson
Sara O’Malley and Richard Hylton
Andrea and Milton Ow
Angela Padilla and Amy Silverstein
Jane Pak and Lucian Beebe
Kristen and Luis Pena
Melanie Piech and James Finberg
Cheryl and Chris Porro
Emily and Aaron Quinn
Andrea and James Reynolds
Amanda Richard
Eileen Ridley and Lisa Wally
Jessica Ross and Paul McIntire
Stephanie and Stuart Ross
Alpa Sheth and Rohan Palekar
Michael Silver
Anne Stuhldreher and Tim Wirth
Kristen Tate
Carlos Vasquez
Suzy Vogler
Jeanette and Jeremy Wilmerding
Rachel Swain Yeaman and Kevin Yeaman
Phase II (Opening Doors to Campus & Community)
Ambos Mundos
Michelle Anderson and Sade Borghei
Rebecca Arons and Eric Fastiff
Simone and Jed Bargen
Brooke and Robert Bianco
Maria and Paul Bracamonte
Rema and Joseph Breall
Patricia Buse
Caroline Cho and Kent Jenkins
Kristin and Dickson Chu
Jocelyn and James Colopy
Danielle Conrad and Hemant Shah
Lyda Cort and Andrew Stadler
Lisa Cottle and Matthew Biggar
Deanna and Tony Dobson
Anne Ellis and John Kalucki
Patricia A. Fletcher
Richard and Traci Goldman
Stephen F. Goldmann
Jen Hamilton and Seth Boro
Kristin and Andrew Henry
Edward E. Hills Fund
Stephanie and Ron Holland
Amy Huang and Stephen Goldmann
Molly Huffman
Julie and Tom Hurvis
William G. Irwin Charity Foundation
Angie Jolie and Daniel Morillo
Emily Keyishian and Edward McNulty
Tracy Kirkham and Josef Cooper
Joy MacIntyre and Andrew Leibnitz
Michael McAlister and Bryan Rogers
Kelly McGinnis and Donald Santel
Michele Morgano and Leon Kuan
Lida and David Morgenstein
Wendi Norris and Alex Tourk
Heather and Clement O’Donnell
Liz O’Neill and Arnie Levinson
Sara O’Malley and Richard Hylton
Angela Padilla and Amy Silverstein
Natalie Pierce and Decker Flynn
Cheryl and Chris Porro
Karen Reutlinger and Steven Sharon
Andrea and James Reynolds
Eileen Ridley and Lisa Wally
Alpa Sheth and Rohan Palekar
Frank Solomon Jr.
Leah and Ben Spero
Anne Stuhldreher and Tim Wirth
Sutton Hollick Charitable Fund
Eddie, Alex and Matthew Taylor
Louise Vickroy and Frank Solomon
Suzy Vogler
Carrie and Timothy Walsh
Willow Springs Charitable Trust
Jeanette and Jeremy Wilmerding
Rachel Swain Yeaman and Kevin Yeaman
Opening Doors to Campus and Community
601 Capital Campaign: An Update
CDS has raised $3.1 million to date of its fundraising goal of
$5 million to fund the first phase of construction for 601
Dolores. This phase of construction will encompass seismic
strengthening, accessibility and life safety upgrades as well
as the build-out of the ground floor of the building into
three classrooms and two science labs, and access to the
performance space in the Great Hall.
Goal: $5 Million
$3.1 Million
(as of 10.1.13)
CDS is now reaching out to the
entire community this fall to raise
the rest of the $1.9 million needed
to begin construction. Once the
$5 million fundraising goal has
been reached and financing is
in place, we anticipate breaking
ground on the 601 Dolores campus
in the 2013-2014 school year and
opening the new middle school
in twelve months.
“For 30 years, Children’s Day
School has held a special place
among San Francisco’s best
schools,” says Eric Fastiff, Board
Chair. “With the 601 Dolores campaign, we build on a tradition
of generosity and success—to be able to offer a permanent
home for our middle school and ensure the best possible
environment for the ongoing growth and development of our
students.”
We invite you to learn more about how you can help us build
a world-class middle school. Campaign Cabinet volunteers will
be reaching out you in the coming week to see how you can
get personally involved.
Ways to Give
Whether you’d like to make an outright gift, stock transfer, or
a legacy gift, there are many options to explore. For example,
giving appreciated securities—stocks, bonds and mutual
funds—enable you to make a charitable deduction for the full
fair market value of the securities regardless of your profit.
In many cases, you won’t owe any capital gains tax on the
transfer, as long as you have held the appreciated securities
for at least a year.
For more information, please contact Jeanna Yoo, Director of
Advancement at [email protected] or 415-861-5432 x323,
or visit www.cds-sf.org/giving/campaign.
2013-2014 Board of Trustees
Capital Campaign Cabinet
Eric Fastiff, Chair
Patricia Buse, Vice Chair
Andrew Henry, Vice Chair
Susan Munn, Secretary
Jim Reynolds, Treasurer
Rebecca Arons & Eric Fastiff, Parents of Eli ’18 and Tessa ’20
Simone & Jed Bargen, Parents of Alec ’18 and Macy ’20
Brooke & Robert Bianco, Parents of Leo ’18, Luke ’20 and Lincoln (PS)
Tracey & Dante Briones, Parents of Zoey ’21 and Nina ’21
Patricia Buse, Parent of Colin ’12 and Anya ’14
Caroline Cho & Kent Jenkins, Parents of Carter ’19
Stephanie & Ron Holland, Parents of Lily ’19 and Cole ’21
Angie Jolie & Daniel Morillo, Parents of Sofia ’19 and Joaquin ’22
Tracy Kirkham & Josef Cooper, Parents of Gillian ’07, Greer ’12 and Sydney ’12
Jill Linwood & Susan Ehrlich, Parents of Eli ’19 and Sadie ’22
Wendi Norris & Alex Tourk, Parents of Kate ’18, Joey ’18 and Lucas ’21
Heather & Clement O’Donnell, Parents of Evelyn ’18, Jack ’20 and Thomas (PS)
Liz O’Neill and Arnie Levinson, Parents of Harry ’17 and Eli ’19
Jane Pak & Lucian Beebe, Parents of Justin ’19 and Kian ’22
Cheryl & Chris Porro, Parents of Naomi ’21
Emily & Aaron Quinn, Parents of Zaia ’19 and Naomi (PS)
Karen Reutlinger & Steven Sharon, Parents of Kiefer ’20
Andrea & Jim Reynolds, Parents of Taylor ’15 and Ava ’18
Eileen Ridley & Lisa Wally, Parents of Meghan ’16
Melissa & Bill Saphir, Parents of Idale ’19 and Otto ’21
Alpa Sheth & Rohan Palekar, Parents of Jasmine ’20
Louise Vickroy & Frank Solomon, Parents of Nina ’20 and Lucas ’20
Carrie & Timothy Walsh, Parents of Mason (PS)
Jeanette & Jeremy Wilmerding, Parents of Oscar ’17 and Clark ’20
Rachel Swain Yeaman & Kevin Yeaman, Parents of Callum ’18 and Oliver ’20
Ted Arleo
Caroline Cho, PTTA President
Robert Curley, Emeritus
Laura DelaFuente
Lucy Farey-Jones
Molly Huffman, Head of School
Richard Hylton
Angie Jolie
Tracy Kirkham, Chair Emeritus
Leon Kuan
Jill Linwood
Kirk Lorie
Jack Munson
Heather O’Donnell
Rohan Palekar
Laura Pliska
Cheryl Porro
Daama Sheepo
Suzy Vogler
Lisa Wally
Rachel Swain Yeaman