visitacion valley middle school principal

This work has gotten co-opted and watered down, leading to many people talking the talk, without much walk. 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. He partnered with the Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education to develop a Quiet Time Program for his school. My Only Regret Is That I Didnt Find This Practice Twenty Years Ago , Why I Learned Transcendental Meditation Three Years Ago And Why I Still Practice It , 6 Benefits Of Transcendental Meditation (And How You Can Get Started Today) , James Dierke, Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School, urban students, drugs, gangs and violence, Newly published research on the effect of the Quiet Time/Transcendental Meditation program, MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year. Visitacion Valley Middle School 2 4 reviews Grades 6-8 Students 375 Type Public School District San Francisco Unified School District 450 Raymond Avenue San Francisco, CA 94134 (415) 469-4590 https://visitacion-sfusd-ca.Schoolloop.com/ Nearby Schools Elementary Middle High Alvarado Elementary School K-5 Public 515 Students 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. 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. Middle Schools Elementary Schools Fares The Free Muni for Youth Program provides San Francisco youth ages 5-18 with free Muni service, regardless of household income level. 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. Dr. Bettina Love writes in her book, We Want to Do More Than Survive, To even begin to attack our destructive and punitive educational system, pedagogies that promote social justice must help educators understand and recognize America and its schools as spaces of Whiteness, White rage, and White Supremacy, all of which function to terrorize students of color. (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. The programme, introduced to all ages, sees students sit for 15 minutes of meditation twice a day. Even I, a black educator who has studied ethnic studies and critical race theory, still perpetuate tenets of White Supremacy Culture. Perhaps even more remarkable, last years California Healthy Kids Survey from the states education department found that students at Visitacion Valley middle school were the happiest in the whole of San Francisco. His school, along with other urban middle schools in low income neighborhoods, is in the midst of a battlea battle against the predictive power of demographics. This presentation was made as part of a National Education Summit on Quiet Time in the Classroom Linda Esposito - What One Urban School District Can Teach the Country About Stress Relief Huffington Post, 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. This is such a pattern in urban schools that researchers consider it a predictable outcome. It is the water we are swimming in. Its origins are in the 1990s when two Silicon Valley investors Jeff Rice and Laurent Valosek developed a programme to teach meditation in public schools, inspired by the tragic Columbine high school massacre. Closing the so-called achievement gap between poor inner-city children and their more affluent suburban counterparts is among the biggest challenges for education reformers. 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. The success of some schools efforts For example, pushing students to work independently or write before processing verbally can lead to stress and isolation. Quiet Time is just like an umbrella. 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. But he admits that it takes a big time commitment in resources and attention commitment to do this. She is a frequent guest on KQED's "Newroom" television show and "Forum" radio show. provides quality after-school programming to children in the area. This is true for our staff as well, contributing to racial fatigue and staff sustainability for IBPOC. 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. It is imperative that we examine our actions to see if they are further harming students of color, disempowering them, and creating a psychologically hostile learning environment. Entire contents copyright 2023 Maharishi Foundation USA, a non-profit educational organization. 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. For the majority of urban students, drugs, gangs and violence are part of everyday life. *The name of one student has been changed. Once white fragility is defined and debriefed amongst a team, we can begin to talk about racism, anti-racism, and White Supremacy Culture. White Supremacy Culture is the silent killer flowing throughout classrooms and school hallways, like carbon monoxide gas. Therefore, it was necessary to create shared understandings and subsequent commitments, which was facilitated by exploring a framework of White Supremacy Culture. 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. I look forward to our partnership this upcoming school year and collaborating with all of you to support our brilliant students. I am privileged to be able to continue to work with our dedicated staff, AMAZING students, and supportive parents. Parks near 83 Ervine St include Visitacion Valley Greenway, Bayview Park, and Louis Sutter . 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. 2,414 Sq. Report an absence. The first pitfall is failing to scaffold for white privilege and white fragility. It can result in white rage, broken relationships, grievances, and further harm to oppressed students. Then, Dierke struck a bell and said, Okay, its quiet time.. With the help of the David Lynch Foundation and the San Francisco-based Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education (CWAE), Visitacion Valley trained teachers on how to conduct Quiet Time sessions in their class. Students. In addition, we might see curricula that affirms and engages students of color. I can be really hyperactive, he said. Students straightened their backs and closed their eyes. Grades: 6-8. Visitacion Valley Middle School 1971 Visitacion Ave. San Francisco, CA 94134 ( School attendance zone shown in map) Tel: (415) 469-4590 www.sfusd.edu SAVE SCHOOL Visitacion Valley Middle School serves 358 students in grades 6-8. View SFUSD's most recent athletics participation dataor past years' reports. They are not guaranteed to be accurate, up to date . In my dream, I imagine that educators can become comfortable talking about race and how it informs the work of educating children. Ft. 45 Arleta Ave, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. David Lynch Foundation, involved introducing two 15-minute periods of quiet into the school day. Please refer to legal details concerning copyright and trademark protection. Mr. Dierke wondered whether meditation might reduce students stress levels and help them learn. "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. (DiAngelo, 2018). Quiet Time isnt just a slogan but a daily regimen at Visitacion Valley. That funds four and a half (full-time equivalent) Quiet Time staff on site to teach the classes and support students. View more recently sold homes. Classes take place at students desks after the qualified TM teacher rings a bell. Its also important to start small. We focus on equitable teaching practices and encourage student participation. 379 Winding Way, San Francisco, CA 94112 is a single family home listed for sale at $1,280,000. Dismantling WSC unites staff to work toward being anti-racist. The work of exploring White Supremacy Culture gave our staff a new framework to define our North Star, being an anti-racist school. For years, educators' requests for more. What Happened When My School Started to Dismantle White Supremacy Culture, The Standing Up for Racial Justice coalition, http://culturallyresponsiveleadership.com/. In 2008 Mr. Dierke was named MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year. Public, 6-8 Serves this home. 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. Consequently, "all other cognitive functions such as learning, problem solving, or creative thinking stop," (Hammond, 2015) activating our fight, flight, or freeze response. As a leader, I hold three core values close to me: connection, growth, and appreciation. A pioneering programme has reduced stress and improved grades at Visitacion Valley middle school with lessons other schools can learn from. Theres an App for That. Our teachers use Community Building and Restorative Practices. White Supremacy Culture. The work of exploring White Supremacy Culture gave our staff a new framework to define our North Star, being an anti-racist school. Like most groups of educators, we had spent a few years dancing around topics of racism and struggled to make lasting change. The highlights are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Filipino, and Vietnamese. The California School Directory and related public school and district data files (collectively referred to as the "Directory"), contain information about California schools, districts, and school/district administrators that is voluntarily self-reported by local education agencies (LEAs) to the California Department of Education (CDE) as a This coming year, we are looking at how to build more community in the classroom, how to unify our students across cultural differences, and how to reduce bias in our discipline systems. Saratoga, California, United States. School communities gather twice a year to review data and previous actions in order to intentionally plan for the coming months. All school events, including athletic events, will be posted in this calendar. A lot has changed over this period, including three principals coming and going, but ODriscoll puts the turnaround down to the one constant: the calming influence of the meditation programme. Homeowners' Insurance. Having served the past two years as Assistant Principal, VVMS is a community that I love and care for. Maybe having half an hour just to focus on themselves so they get awareness and grounding, might have some impact., And it could help reduce costs later. Even I, a black educator who has studied ethnic studies and critical race theory, still perpetuate tenets of White Supremacy Culture. At times, it appeared that we werent clearly aligned philosophically and did not have a focused call to action. Bursts of laughter and errant shouts punctuated the buzz. One seventh grader at Visitacion Valley said, I used to be really fidgety, couldnt stay in my seat for very long. $1,150,000 Last Sold Price. Due to stereotype threat, this is especially problematic when students of color are a numerical minority in a classroom or school. School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) are required by state law and are intended to provide families with important information. A $60K Starting Salary for Teachers? Joe Truss is a native of San Francisco, previous High School Spanish Teacher, and now a 5th year Principal at Visitacion Valley Middle School (@vvmsfalcons). Staff watch a clip about white fragility during a staff meeting (Courtesy of Joe Truss). The announcement was made today during a surprise ceremony at Visitacion Valley. Property Taxes. 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. They simultaneously tell us that we are not good enough and keep us to the bottom rungs of racial hierarchy if we do not assimilate. [2] Under the management of the San Francisco Board of Education, the district serves more than 55,500 students in more than 160 institutions. Consequently, this allows for us to align our purpose with our pedagogy, curricula, policies, decisionmaking processes, and adult structures. One teacher, Mary Chirichella added, "Some teachers had the courage to approach others to have tough conversations about microaggressions. NBC News Cynthia McFadden, Tim Sandler and. 1. Zestimate Home Value: $930,000. It contains 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. We might also see students connecting their identities to their learning and applying it back to their communities to manifest social justice. The letter is also available inChinese/andEspaol. Visitacion Valley Middle School basks in principal-of-year award, campusviolence03_005_cs.jpg Now our previous work on Culturally Responsive Teaching, use of rubrics, and adding student voice had a theoretical underpinning. The school faces declining enrollment, test scores that don't meet federal standards, teacher turnover, truancy and a high neighborhood crime rate. 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. ODriscoll was sceptical at first about mediating himself, but since giving it a try he can concentrate better and feels less stressed. Angelica Mahinay, Visitacion Valleys 8thgrade student body president, said Quiet Time gives her more energy. This work has gotten co-opted and watered down, leading to many people talking the talk, without much walk. 2. 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. For example, pushing students to work independently or write before processing verbally can lead to stress and isolation.

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