stress and its manifestations for example, anxiety, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. 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. This week's important updates are available! 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. 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. These kids hear gunshots on their way to and from school. White Supremacy Culture. It is invisible and it is toxic. This work has gotten co-opted and watered down, leading to many people talking the talk, without much walk. You can listen to Mr. Dierke speak at a conference in Los Angeles in December 2011 about his school districts research on the effect the Quiet Time/TM program has had on his students and teachers since it became part of their school five years ago. are promising. Students straightened their backs and closed their eyes. 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. 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. 8:15 a.m. - MWTh 3:00 p.m.; 8:15 a.m. - TuF 1:15 p.m. SFUSD's Student Family School Resource Linksupports students and families innavigating all of the SFUSD resources available to them. "He's like our own American Idol," Garcia said. Physical Education teacher Barry ODriscoll agreed that Quiet Time has helped improve the staffs quality of life. [2] Under the management of the San Francisco Board of Education, the district serves more than 55,500 students in more than 160 institutions. 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). View SFUSD's most recent athletics participation dataor past years' reports. David Lynch Foundation, involved introducing two 15-minute periods of quiet into the school day. Lastly, this work connected well with our concurrent work of racial affinity groups, social-justice teaching, and revising our school mission statement. 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. Ultimately, we are here to help students empower themselves through education. A pioneering programme has reduced stress and improved grades at Visitacion Valley middle school with lessons other schools can learn from. MLS # 423724059 Property has a great layout with large kitchen, formal dining room, living room and decent size bedrooms. Its very peaceful here now.. 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. In addition, we might see curricula that affirms and engages students of color and assessment practices that dismantle racial bias in standardized testing. View more recently sold homes. 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). 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. The social-emotional learning of students in grades 4-12 is also assessed. In my spare time, I enjoy camping and traveling. The Zestimate for this house is $1,039,700, which has increased by $3,460 in the last 30 days. 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. Anecdotally, favorable feedback poured in from both students and staff members. 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. Before becoming the Assistant Principal at VVMS, I served as an Assistant Principal at two different elementary schools in Richmond, CA. 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. "Although authorities captured the person, parents could have demanded changes at the school," a statement from the principals' association said. The trouble is we dont even see it. Visitacion Valley Middle School 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. The most recentnewsletteris linked below in the Week 25 section and also in our Families section. 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. Sign up for a school tour at sfusd.edu/tours. View property details, photos, and neighborhood info. A restless din filled the large room. 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). And a 2015 review of the program, issued by the Center for Wellness and Achievement in Grades: 9-12. . The second pitfall I will offer is avoiding the tendency to externalize the work of dismantling White Supremacy Culture. Phys Ed: The Benefits of Exercising Before Breakfast, Dog Needs a Walk? This took the form of discussions, watching short video clips, annotating readings, and doing some deep personal introspection. Week 25 newsletter in different languages. Our teachers use Community Building and Restorative Practices. Besides dealing with problems outside school, Visitacion Valley faces challenges in school, too. The work to address racism in schools has been called cultural competency, diversity training, and equity. Here are two pitfalls to avoid. Young people are incredibly stressed, says Michael Matania who teaches mindfulness meditation to young people in London through a programme called Mindkit. But adopting the programme isnt without its challenges. 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. We needed to go deeper than our previous conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion. I got to sit right by him and the whole school meditated with him.. 375. 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. The highlights are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Filipino, and Vietnamese. We must name, define, and plan for white fragility, the defensive response by whites when discussing racism. 1. Like most groups of educators, we had spent a few years dancing around topics of racism and struggled to make lasting change. (DiAngelo, 2018). Further, we must look at how it has affected us and how we have perpetuated White Supremacy Culture. Welcome to our new incoming 6th grade students! 1. Thats amazing for an urban middle school, he said. We publish a weekly newsletter to keep parents informed, hold workshops, and offer many opportunities for parent communication and involvement. 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.. Principal and Interest. WSC dehumanizes people of color. 5/28/2021. and our Visitacion Valley Middle School Spark Program site. Students. This article was amended on Wednesday 25 November to clarify that Visitacion Valley middle school funds Quiet Time mostly through private donations to CWAE. Most of the students seemed disinterested in Dierkes announcements about the springs impending graduation, upcoming field trips, and recent birthdays. 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. Visitacion Valley Middle School provides quality education that prepares students for a fulfilling life in a global society. Education in collaboration with the San Francisco Unified School District research department, had more good news. 7 /10. Most definitely recommend this school to parents in the neighborhood with kids in Kinder-5th grade. It really is quiet time.. Imagine that. 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. Parks near 83 Ervine St include Visitacion Valley Greenway, Bayview Park, and Louis Sutter . He blogs at culturallyresponsiveleadership.com and is a racial equity leadership coach. Down Payment . Ale House Alley, Mission Blue, and Lucky's Bakery & Cafe. This requires dismantling White Supremacy Culture and building a new foundation for an anti-racist and empowering education. 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. One teacher, Mary Chirichella added, Some teachers had the courage to approach others to have tough conversations about microaggressions. The 1,233 sq. 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. In the first year of Quiet Time suspensions at Visitacion Valley which has 500 students aged 11-13 were reduced by 45% (pdf). The program, which had initial funding from the Students at Visitacion Valley School in South San Francisco observe 15 minutes of quiet time every morning. Further, staff moved to thinking about how our school practices perpetuate WSC and send negative messages to our students. One of San Francisco's toughest schools transformed by the power of meditation The school is working on improving parent involvement through our Parent Liaison. 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. I can be really hyperactive, he said. I am deeply honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve as Principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School. Meditation strengthens the areas of the brain that control our fear center, he said. and San Pablo, CA. The Visitacion Valley Middle School mission is to create, through transformative relationships, an inclusive and collaborative learning community that is relevant to the lives of ourstudents, families, and staff. 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. WSC shuts down learning. 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.) They couldnt concentrate on school.. Consequently, "all other cognitive functions such as learning, problem solving, or creative thinking stop," (Hammond, 2015) activating our fight, flight, or freeze response. 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. 375. Racial-equity leaders must be both intentional and responsive when doing this anti-racist work. This requires dismantling White Supremacy Culture and building a new foundation for an anti-racist and empowering education. Property taxes $170 Home insurance $105 . She is a frequent guest on KQED's "Newroom" television show and "Forum" radio show. 1971 Visitacion Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94134, We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school starting. Property Taxes. It can result in white rage, broken relationships, grievances, and further harm to oppressed students. 4 Beds. One seventh grader at Visitacion Valley said, I used to be really fidgety, couldnt stay in my seat for very long. Having served the past two years as Assistant Principal, VVMS is a community that I love and care for. That funds four and a half (full-time equivalent) Quiet Time staff on site to teach the classes and support students. Awesome school! 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. I had never done meditation before, but now I do Quiet Time. This listing's school district is San Francisco Unified School District. students, and couples, Contact a certified TM teacher MLS# 423725010. And our teacher turnover and absenteeism is almost zero.. We have seen attempts at creating buy-in fail for initiatives like ethnic studies, mastery-based grading, or project-based learning. We focus on equitable teaching practices and encourage student participation. SOLD JUN 13, 2022. Consequently, all other cognitive functions such as learning, problem solving, or creative thinking stop, (Hammond, 2015) activating our fight, flight, or freeze response. Select Week, Month, or Agenda to see different views of the calendar. 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. For a more complete list, see the 15 WSC characteristics from Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones in the 2001 Dismantling Racism Workbook. This has included making decisions about curriculum, school partnership, and hiring, without authentically involving teachers or students in the process. White Supremacy Culture also tricks us into thinking that if we change to fit a white model, we can be more valued but still never be white. For example, pushing students to work independently or write before processing verbally can lead to stress and isolation. According to state test scores, 12% of students are at least proficient in math and 26% in reading. About This Home Great Visitacion home with 2 bed/ 1bath upstairs and bonus room/bath downstairs.