Others rested them on the backs of their chairs. There was a time when Visitacion Valley middle school in San Francisco could have featured in a gritty US crime drama. Later that year, a gunman brazenly stormed into the school, threatened to kill a teacher and robbed two employees. We are continually navigating the phases of a 'call out to call in culture' with each other.". This prompts staff to reflect and ultimately declare, "I want to be an anti-racist teacher, but I don't exactly know how." Mortgage insurance $0. Nearby schools include Cleveland Elementary School, Visitacion Valley Middle School and Jordan (June) School For Equity. This work has gotten co-opted and watered down, leading to many people talking the talk, without much walk. Students seemed happy, says ODriscoll. I like to think of myself as a recovering perpetrator of WSC. Ive found that it makes peoplestudents and teachersmore joyful, Dierke said, To have that time to reflect and be still is important.. Property taxes $170 Home insurance $105 . The work to address racism in schools has been called cultural competency, diversity training, and equity. When I first heard about it I thought it probably wasnt going to work, says ODriscoll. 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. In one, the effects of the Quiet Time Program, conducted over half the academic year, were evaluated in public middle school students performing below proficiency level. Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco Unified school district (Courtesy of Joe Truss). Although controlled studies are difficult to perform in an academic setting, collectively the results of the Bay Area studies are encouraging. This might include wanting to win an argument, not making space for others to talk, and rushing through meetings. Visitors are always amazed, Dierke said afterwards, but it works. This is because we are starting with the branches of the tree instead of the roots. The school is working on improving parent involvement through our Parent Liaison. Staff watch a clip about white fragility during a staff meeting (Courtesy of Joe Truss). This includes emotions of fear, anger, and guilt, as well as actions of argumentation, silence, and withdrawal. Racial-equity leaders must be both intentional and responsive when doing this anti-racist work. View SFUSD's most recent athletics participation dataor past years' reports. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school starting Wednesday, August 17, 2022. But no one touched on the real problem stress.. An all-party parliamentary group has also recommended the Department for Education designate three schools to pioneer mindfulness teaching, and set up a 1m fund to allow more schools to benefit from support in the practice. Saratoga, California, United States. There he is leading with a vision of Love, Literacy, and Liberation. It is invisible and it is toxic. students who meditated showed a significant decrease in anxiety and a significant increase in resilience compared to nonmeditating students. Lynch runs a non-profit foundation that promotes meditation in schools and also sponsorsmeditation retreats for under-served students. Consequently, this allows for us to align our purpose with our pedagogy, curricula, policies, decisionmaking processes, and adult structures. It can result in white rage, broken relationships, grievances, and further harm to oppressed students. Dont just throw it into 2,000 schools, he says. Leading a 501 (c)3 nonprofit working with a consortium of collaborative partners including university researchers . 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. Due to stereotype threat, this is especially problematic when students of color are a numerical minority in a classroom or school. Grades: 9-12. . WSC dehumanizes people of color. This page was last updated on June 8, 2021. 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. Further, staff moved to thinking about how our school practices perpetuate WSC and send negative messages to our students. These beliefs lead to actions that are dehumanizing to all races of people; however, they have a more drastic effect on indigenous, black, and people of color (IBPOC). Distance: 1.7 mi. School: Visitacion Valley Middle: District: San Francisco Unified (District Profile) County: San Francisco: Address: 1971 Visitacion Ave. San Francisco 94134-2700: Phone (415) 469-4590: Web site* CDS Code: 38 68478 6059919: School Type: Intermediate/Middle Schools (Public) Charter School: No: Principal/Administrator: Courtney Harris, Principal . Parks near 132 Britton St include Crocker Amazon Playground, Visitacion Valley Greenway, and Bayview Park. Thus, we are building a collective purpose and a commitment to learning. Property has a great layout with large kitchen, formal dining room, living room and decent size bedrooms. 1. Before the students learn to meditate, the Quiet Time programme requires all staff to be trained in TM. 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). You can find more information about the fair at sfusd.edu/fair. WSC dehumanizes people of color. 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. 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. Students at Visitacion Valley School in South San Francisco observe 15 minutes of quiet time every morning. 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. Down Payment . Apply for Educational Benefits for the 2022-23 school year White Supremacy Culture. Check out the 2022-23 academic calendar here. CWAE specialists counseled students on meditation techniques and five full-time staffers remain on campus to help maintain the program. In 2006 there were 38 killings in our neighbourhood, says Barry ODriscoll, the schools head of physical education (PE). Therefore, unexamined behaviors of White Supremacy Culture are preventing students from being comfortable or supported enough to learn and flourish. By 2009-10, attendance rates were over 98% (some of the highest in the city), and today 20% of graduates are admitted to the highly academic Lowell high school before it was rare for even one student to be accepted. [2] Under the management of the San Francisco Board of Education, the district serves more than 55,500 students in more than 160 institutions. 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. Our Zoom link is: https://sfusd.zoom.us/j/89260175755?pwd=R2VLdWJQOVdySElJa1c2UUhCTkw5QT09. This includes emotions of fear, anger, and guilt, as well as actions of argumentation, silence, and withdrawal. Theres an App for That. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for anything (. ODriscoll was sceptical at first about mediating himself, but since giving it a try he can concentrate better and feels less stressed. With respect to race, the foundational issue is White Supremacy Culture, and we must attack the problem head on. Many have little or no parental oversight. 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. By Joe Truss, the principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco and a leadership coach. This took the form of discussions, watching short video clips, annotating readings, and doing some deep personal introspection. All rights reserved. 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. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider regarding any medical condition. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for anything (harrisc@sfusd.edu). suggests that meditation might significantly improve childrens school performance and help close that gap. That is not always possible for his schools students, Dierke said. And our teacher turnover and absenteeism is almost zero.. Principal Broker: William J Oliver. The social-emotional learning of students in grades 4-12 is also assessed. Teacher Phil Yordy, left, works with freshman Derek Shallow, 15, right, during an after school mentoring program at Oregon High School in Oregon, Ill., in February. "I am feeling elated," he said after the announcement and celebration in the school's auditorium. Visitacion Valley Middle School prides itself in its active role in the community by welcoming parents, families, and community partners to participate on all levels of creating a culturally responsive 21st Century Middle School. Dismantling WSC unites staff to work toward being anti-racist. The second pitfall I will offer is avoiding the tendency to externalize the work of dismantling White Supremacy Culture. Tuesdays at 9:00a.m. For the majority of urban students, drugs, gangs and violence are part of everyday life. After graduating from Seneca Valley in 1996, I e arned my bachelor's degree from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. [3] Students straightened their backs and closed their eyes. Anecdotally, favorable feedback poured in from both students and staff members. Most definitely recommend this school to parents in the neighborhood with kids in Kinder-5th grade. But to start, we must go inward. Here are two pitfalls to avoid. During those times, students could either practice Transcendental Our courageous educators got personal, thinking about how White Supremacy Culture shows up in their personal lives and between colleagues. Service Learning White Supremacy Culture. 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 At times, it appeared that we werent clearly aligned philosophically and did not have a focused call to action. Students. Racial-equity work is like trying to defuse a bomb and cutting the wrong wire. 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. Like most groups of educators, we had spent a few years dancing around topics of racism and struggled to make lasting change. Balboa High School. Dierke, who has been principal at the school for 13 years, said things reached a turning point about five years ago. The Zestimate for this house is $1,039,700, which has increased by $3,460 in the last 30 days. The student population of Visitacion Valley Middle is 358 and the school serves. 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. She is a frequent guest on KQED's "Newroom" television show and "Forum" radio show. This leads to resistance or failure to follow through, maintaining a status quo of disproportionate outcomes for students based on race. This article was amended on Wednesday 25 November to clarify that Visitacion Valley middle school funds Quiet Time mostly through private donations to CWAE. 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. The Rent Zestimate for this home is $3,399/mo, which has increased by $239/mo in the last 30 days. 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. David Lynch Foundation (20:44), John Hagelin, PhD 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. Dear Visitacion Valley Middle School Community. 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. We have seen attempts at creating buy-in fail for initiatives like ethnic studies, mastery-based grading, or project-based learning. 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. It helps me not be so tired during school, she said. Visitacion Valley Middle Public 6-8 1971 Visitacion Ave. San Francisco, CA 94134-2700 (415) 469-4590 District: San Francisco Unified SchoolDigger Rank: 2320th of 2,740 California Middle Schools Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,103 Students who attend Visitacion Valley Middle usually attend: Feeder schools for Visitacion Valley Middle: 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. 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. 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. 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. Now, Visitacion Valley Middle School is a public school in San Francisco, California that is part of San Francisco Unified School District. Don't be confused. Real Options for City Kids (R.O.C.K.) Callers can still leave a voicemail or send an email or request form at all hours. Other schools have taken a few minutes off lunch and tutorials. Get the latest education news delivered to your inbox daily. Since beginning Quiet Time, Dierke said things have improved: Daily attendance last year was more than 98 percent, and there have been fewer suspensions and higher test scores. And thats one of the challenges., However, Swarana Patel, a teacher in a north London secondary school where behaviour is often an obstacle, can see the benefits of a more intensive programme like this. 3 Baths. Of even greater interest, the increase in G.P.A. In order to build this ideal structure, we must start at the base and engineer for equity. where I had the privilege to serve as a 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts and English Language Development (ELD) teacher at a public middle school. Quantum Physicist (16:40), By Mario Orsatti on 02/15/2012 Blog Home. The school faces declining enrollment, test scores that don't meet federal standards, teacher turnover, truancy and a high neighborhood crime rate. Grades: 6-8. Rice says they use TM because it takes those who do it to a deep level of relaxation, and its easy for children to learn. For a more complete list, see the 15 WSC characteristics from Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones in the 2001 Dismantling Racism Workbook. We needed to go deeper than our previous conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Joe Truss 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. Our school commits to delivering high quality educational program that addresses individual needs. to meditation? Lastly, this work connected well with our concurrent work of racial affinity groups, social-justice teaching, and revising our school mission statement. General education entry grade seats per application: https://sfusd.zoom.us/j/89260175755?pwd=R2VLdWJQOVdySElJa1c2UUhCTkw5QT09, Districtwide before and after school program information, Social-Emotional and Culture Climate Report, School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). 322 Bayview Cir, San Francisco, CA, 94124 is a 1,317 sq. 336 Wilde Ave , San Francisco, CA 94134-2252 is a single-family home listed for-sale at $988,888. Eighth grader Stacy* has been meditating since she joined the school three years ago. It's important to note that these responses work to maintain current consciousness and white supremacy. Every day before class, Visitacion Valley Middle School students pass an informal memorial known as the "R.I.P. Visitacion Valley Middle School. Imagine that. The art of relaxation: ideas to get students to unwind and recharge, How two minutes of mindfulness can calm a class and boost attainment, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. (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 basks in principal-of-year award, campusviolence03_005_cs.jpg Dismantling WSC unites staff to work toward being anti-racist. This took the form of discussions, watching short video clips, annotating readings, and doing some deep personal introspection. As a leader, it is easy to hoard power, claim objectivity in decision making, or believe that there is only one way to fix education. 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 school used to be known as the fight school, he said. 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. Its much cheaper to focus on prevention and building resilience, and mindfulness is the single best tool that you could possibly give them., As for Visitacion Valley middle school, the area around it is still violent, but now the children are not as affected by it. Visitacion Valley Middle School Catering to our kids grades 6-8. 1. School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) are required by state law and are intended to provide families with important information. I value growth because I am constantly reviewing data, asking how we can be better for our students. It is time that we detox and make the invisible visible. Racial-equity leaders must be both intentional and responsive when doing this anti-racist work. 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. At first glance, it might not appear the principal of the year would come out of Visitacion Valley. MLS # 423724059 609-611 Naples Street is a 2-bed, 2-bath, 1,850 sqft multi-family home built in 1947. Public, 6-8 Serves this home. Former principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco and a former Principal of the Year.