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. Ale House Alley, Mission Blue, and Lucky's Bakery & Cafe. Quiet Time Programs in San Francisco Bring Meditation to Urban Schools Students then repeat a personal mantra (a word from Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language) in their heads until they reach a deep feeling of relaxation. Students. School communities gather twice a year to review data and previous actions in order to intentionally plan for the coming months. Some of the work I am most proud of as a teacher and leader is building relationships with all community members to create a supportive and positive environment, as well as creating systems and using data to make informed decisions regarding instructional practices that lead to increased achievement for students. Dierke, who has been principal at the school for 13 years, said things reached a turning point about five years ago. MLS# 423725010. levels of self-confidence and happiness. We get thrown a new thing every couple of years so I didnt put too much faith in it. But in April, just a month after meditation began, teachers noticed changes in behaviour. Awesome school! This article was amended on Wednesday 25 November to clarify that Visitacion Valley middle school funds Quiet Time mostly through private donations to CWAE. This is true for our staff as well, contributing to racial fatigue and staff sustainability for IBPOC. Theres an App for That. 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, Further, we must look at how it has affected us and how we have perpetuated White Supremacy Culture. This prompts staff to reflect and ultimately declare, I want to be an anti-racist teacher, but I dont exactly know how. This has the power to unite folks at the foundational level, setting the stage for deeper commitments to learning new strategies, practices, and routines. This took the form of discussions, watching short video clips, annotating readings, and doing some deep personal introspection. Please use 651-683-6969 Ext. Visitacion Valley Middle is a public school located in San Francisco, CA, which is in a large city setting. And just like that, a hush fell over the auditorium. 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 C. Visitacion Valley Middle School is a public school located in SAN FRANCISCO, CA. 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. 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. But he admits that it takes a big time commitment in resources and attention commitment to do this. When you have it up, it keeps the rain off, and you can focus on trying to build a culture with kids. expanded to serve middle school children and grow with the kids it was already serving. Coming soon. Consequently, this allows for us to align our purpose with our pedagogy, curricula, policies, decisionmaking processes, and adult structures. Now our previous work on Culturally Responsive Teaching, use of rubrics, and adding student voice had a theoretical underpinning. Classes take place at students desks after the qualified TM teacher rings a bell. and students grade point averages rose each year. We were looking for a way to get kids to relax, he said. During those times, students could either practice Transcendental This page was last updated on June 8, 2021. Property Taxes. Further, staff moved to thinking about how our school practices perpetuate WSC and send negative messages to our students. I like to think of myself as a recovering perpetrator of WSC. For a more complete list, see the 15 WSC characteristics from Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones in the 2001 Dismantling Racism Workbook. Personal Commitment graphic organizer used in professional development (Courtesy of Joe Truss). 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. About This Home Great Visitacion home with 2 bed/ 1bath upstairs and bonus room/bath downstairs. Further, we must look at how it has affected us and how we have perpetuated White Supremacy Culture. Therefore, it was necessary to create shared understandings and subsequent commitments, which was facilitated by exploring a framework of White Supremacy Culture. We have seen attempts at creating buy-in fail for initiatives like ethnic studies, mastery-based grading, or project-based learning. and our Visitacion Valley Middle School Spark Program site. Visitacion Valley Middle School is part of San Francisco Unified School District. My partner and I recently moved from San Francisco to the East Bay, and we are preparing to welcome our first child this summer! View more recently sold homes. At Visitacion Valley Middle School (VVMS), in the San Francisco Unified school district, our brave staff spent a majority of the 2018-19 school year unpacking White Supremacy Culture. San Francisco Superintendent Carlos Garcia told Dierke's students Friday that their principal was chosen from among the thousands of middle school principals across the country. 7 /10. The work to address racism in schools has been called cultural competency, diversity training, and equity. This is true for our staff as well, contributing to racial fatigue and staff sustainability for IBPOC. 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. (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. Thus, we are building a collective purpose and a commitment to learning. fear. This year, the school has had to integrate more than 100 new students onto campus after another nearby middle school was closed by the district. This 3-bedroom 3 bath Tri level home has a lot of character and with the right owner can be brought up to date. 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. The teacher has also seen dramatic transformations in his students. I look forward to our partnership this upcoming school year and collaborating with all of you to support our brilliant students. 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 work has gotten co-opted and watered down, leading to many people talking the talk, without much walk. Visitacion Valley Middle School - San Francisco | DonorsChoose 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. When My School Started to Dismantle White Supremacy Culture - NGLC Visitacion Valley Middle School | LinkedIn But this messy middle is precisely when we need to stay curious, be vulnerable, and innovative. I think of my mantra, and it helps me calm down., Bob Roth, Executive Director for the David Lynch Foundation, said meditation is not just a way for students to relax but has real cognitive benefits. Visitacion Valley Middle School - Public School Review 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. School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) are required by state law and are intended to provide families with important information. Joe Truss 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. 1. Teachers and students are assigned to academic families that use a variety of innovative technology, cross-curricular writing programs, and project-based and standards-based instruction throughout the year. In addition, Dierke said regular Quiet Time has also helped teachers relax. Some bowed their heads. For over 10 years, Visitacion Valley Middle School has been utilizing Transcendental Meditation to help students address stress and improve focus. 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. It helps me not be so tired during school, she said. Connection is first and foremost because this work is all about relationships - connecting with stakeholders, earning trust, and sharing in the decision making. New Principle, amazing teachers and support staff. A restless din filled the large room. Homeowners' Insurance. Executive Director Gerald Tirozzi of the association noted that Dierke has given the community around the school a sense of hope. What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack? Two controlled studies have been published so far; others are in submission 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). Students, families, and school staff can email requests to sflink@sfusd.edu,call 415-340-1716(M-F, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m., closed from 12 to 1 p.m. every day), or complete an online request form. Mad Sal's Dockside Inn in Ale House Alley, and Mission Blue. We are the operators of some piece of the education machine, and therefore, if we change our actions, we can change the larger system. After the shooting, the usual culprits were blamed: guns, violent movies and video games, says Rice. We are the operators of some piece of the education machine, and therefore, if we change our actions, we can change the larger system. An easy way to remember our website is to memorize our bit.ly URL! Annual math and English scores improved in the students who meditated, while they declined in those who didnt meditate. 325 Harkness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134 - Redfin "I am feeling elated," he said after the announcement and celebration in the school's auditorium. View more property details, sales history and Zestimate data on Zillow. Based on Rocket Mortgage data in comparison to public data records. Anther example might be superficially speeding through content or discouraging interruptions for questions. June 4, 2021 Dear Visitacion Valley Middle School Community, I am deeply honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve as Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School. The first day of school will be Wednesday, August 17, 2022. Speak with a TM teacher: 888-LEARN-TM (888-532-7686), Stanford research: TM is twice as effective, Reduced for adults, Out of view, city dignitaries and his students waited inside Visitacion Valley Middle School to surprise him with the news: He was the National Middle School Principal of the Year.. This prompts staff to reflect and ultimately declare, "I want to be an anti-racist teacher, but I don't exactly know how." As for getting the children to start. We are continually navigating the phases of a 'call out to call in culture' with each other.". Visitacion Valley Middle (San Francisco) is a 06 to 08 grade school in San Francisco, and has made tremendous strides in improving the acceptance rate and education its students receive. Chaos at SF middle school is not an isolated case 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. Home has a beautiful view with a nice size backyard for entertainment. I began my career in education in Richmond, CA. 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 (DiAngelo, 2018). The highlights are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Filipino, and Vietnamese. 183 Tucker Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134 | MLS# 422698295 | Redfin [2] Under the management of the San Francisco Board of Education, the district serves more than 55,500 students in more than 160 institutions. CWAE specialists counseled students on meditation techniques and five full-time staffers remain on campus to help maintain the program. Consequently, this allows for us to align our purpose with our pedagogy, curricula, policies, decision making processes, and adult structures. This might include wanting to win an argument, not making space for others to talk, and rushing through meetings. The award, given by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, includes a $5,000 award for the school. Visitacion Valley Middle School Callers can still leave a voicemail or send an email or request form at all hours. Even I, a black educator who has studied ethnic studies and critical race theory, still perpetuate tenets of White Supremacy Culture. Parent Advocates - ParentAdvocates.org Thats amazing for an urban middle school, he said. We have seen attempts at creating buy-in fail for initiatives like ethnic studies, mastery-based grading, or project-based learning. Anther example might be superficially speeding through content or discouraging interruptions for questions. 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. In the outside world, TM has been criticised for the price-tag it comes with; the programme at Visitacion Valley costs $280,000 (185,128) a year - paid for mainly through private donations to CWAE. As a leader, I hold three core values close to me: connection, growth, and appreciation. 1500 Visitacion Ave, San Francisco, CA is a single family home that contains 1,068 sq ft and was built in 1944. I got to sit right by him and the whole school meditated with him.. - Managed relationships and contracts with principals and key staff at our 3 middle schools. But this messy middle is precisely when we need to stay curious, be vulnerable, and innovative. David Lynch Foundation, involved introducing two 15-minute periods of quiet into the school day. When the bells sound twice a day at Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, students who used to be too rowdy to even sit still close their eyes and spend 15 minutes clearing their minds. Grades: 6-8. At Visitacion Valley Middle School (VVMS), in the San Francisco Unified school district, our brave staff spent a majority of the 2018-19 school year unpacking White Supremacy Culture (WSC). Balboa High School. Property taxes $170 Home insurance $105 . Tuesdays at 9:00a.m. The Transcendental Meditation technique is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment. On a recent morning at Visitacion Valley Middle School in South San Francisco, Principal James Dierke looked out over the schools auditorium at more than 100 eighth graders. Lynch runs a non-profit foundation that promotes meditation in schools and also sponsorsmeditation retreats for under-served students. We focus on equitable teaching practices and encourage student participation. Before the students learn to meditate, the Quiet Time programme requires all staff to be trained in TM. He blogs at culturallyresponsiveleadership.com and is a racial equity leadership coach. Due to stereotype threat, this is especially problematic when students of color are a numerical minority in a classroom or school. Students meditating at Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School in San Francisco. 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. Principal and Interest. That kind of stuff makes it hard to focus on algebra, he said. These are also known as bank-owned or real estate owned (REO). Select Week, Month, or Agenda to see different views of the calendar. Those selecting Dierke for the honor noted how a gunman entered the school, threatening teachers and students in 2004.