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Sex Education at BPC

Here's a NY Times article about sex education that folks are talking about.

and here's a short video about Ivy Chen, Bay Area Sex Educator

Ivy will be offering a must-see Parent Ed evening at BPC Wed, Jan 11th
and Upper School Puberty Education the following week.

The Generous Marriage

The Generous Marriage

By TARA PARKER-POPE, NY Times

From tribesmen to billionaire philanthropists, the social value of generosity is already well known. But new research suggests it also matters much more intimately than we imagined, even down to our most personal relationships.

Researchers from the University of Virginia’s National Marriage Project recently studied the role of generosity in the marriages of 2,870 men and women. Generosity was defined as “the virtue of giving good things to one’s spouse freely and abundantly” — like simply making them coffee in the morning — and researchers quizzed men and women on how often they behaved generously toward their partners. How often did they express affection? How willing were they to forgive?
<read article on NYTimes.com>

Photography Exhibit Opening Dec 1st, SF

I am pleased to announce our latest exhibition, which will be at Corden/Potts Photography Gallery, 49 Geary Street, in San Francisco.  

First Thursday openings at 49 Geary are exciting cultural events.  In addition to Night and the City, most of the galleries in the building are open.  You can bring the kids, (I plan to).  It will be from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, December 1.  

Night and the City was done in the Tenderloin National Forest and Luggage Store Gallery Annex over the course of 2011.  It involves the community in a concept of artistic portraiture and is a homage, in a way, or at least a nod, to Jules Dassin.

Thanks,

Tom Ferentz (Roxanne, 4th & Lillian, 7th)

Artistic Director

Sixth Street Photography Workshop

www.sixthstreetphoto.net

Windrush Update

Nov 10th update: According to someone attesting to inside knowledge, today's hearing did not result in a settlement.


"My understanding is that the bondholders and Wells Fargo have not been able to agree on a budget, and that they will now have a hearing in front of the court on 11/25."  


Also, a Windrush family reported that the 2nd grade was down to 6 students (from 15) and that they had recently received a call from two staff members asking how that family would feel if classrooms (different grades) were combined into one class.  (Nov 14th update: down to 3)



Nov 7th update: Financially threatened peer school Windrush has been operating under the expectation that it will remain open for the remainder of the year under the financial oversight of Wells Fargo.  But despite expectations, a final settlement agreement between Windrush School and its creditors represented by Wells Fargo was NOT completed last week. The school had announced the signing would occur Nov. 2. There was another court hearing scheduled for Nov 10th... <more>


Nov 1st: From Windrush:

"On Oct. 28, a global settlement agreement between Wells Fargo Bank and Windrush School was reached at the bankruptcy court hearing. Windrush expects to sign an agreement with Wells Fargo in New York on Nov. 2. For the remainder of this year, Wells Fargo will hold the school's funds and will turn them over as needed to finance an agreed-upon, revised budget. The Chapter 11 case will be dismissed."


Oct 25th: More difficulties, as reported in the El Cerrito Patch news site:
A bankruptcy hearing Monday revealed that the head of financially threatened Windrush School recently received $69,593 in cashed-out vacation pay, that the school's finance director is leaving and that 11 students have quit the school in the past month (a number of them coming to BPC, maybe 5). <more from the original article>

7th grade field trip to SF for Día de Muertos

On October 26, the 7th graders took a field trip with their Spanish teachers, Ms. Lacy and Ms. Jacquin, to the Mission district in SF.  We went to the Mission Cultural Center exhibit about Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead), and even got to talk with one of the artists about how he created his altar. We walked with Ms. Jacquin to view an alley full of murals (see pics).  We also enjoyed snacking on Mexican-style baked goods, and eating lunch at various taquerias.

Karen Pasternack Straus (Michael, 7th)

 

Feel the Earth move lately?

1st in a series about Earthquake preparedness, with support from Science Specialist Anne Monk

Let's take an honest look at how prepared we each are.

How many of these are true for your family?

• My family has an evacuation plan.
• I know exactly what to do if there is an earthquake while I am home alone.
• My family practices emergency drills regularly.
• My bedroom is earthquake safe.
• The inside of my house is earthquake safe.
• My house has structural earthquake proofing such as shear walls or being bolted to the foundation.
• My family keeps a 3 day supply of emergency food supplies to be used in the event of an earthquake.
• My family keeps a 3 day supply of emergency water supplies to be used in the event of an earthquake.
• My family keeps a 3 day supply of emergency medical supplies to be used in the event of an earthquake.
• My family keeps a 3 day supply of emergency hygiene supplies (handi-wipes, TP, tampons, etc.) to be used in the event of an earthquake.
• My family keeps emergency supplies such as flashlights, gloves, and shovels to be used in the event of an earthquake.
• My family keeps a 10 day supply of emergency pet supplies to be used in the event of an earthquake.

If you're feeling queasy right, now, convert that into action.

1. Add this to your mobile phone: (303) 756-9481. It's the out-of-area phone number that BPC will use to keep us informed, if the school phone lines aren't working (St. Anne’s Episcopal School, in Denver)

2. Refresh or start assembling your earthquake supplies by picking up an extra flashlight when at the hardware store, or a few gallons of water at the supermarket.  Or assemble a full kit with a list like this one.

A good website for accurate earthquake information is the U.S. Geological Survey

• a section specifically for kids
• "Did you feel it?" - up-to-the minute descriptions of earth movements.

A great App for Smartphones: QuakeWatch

Nourish You News

That's what the salad bar looks like after the kids are through with it! If you haven't done so, it's time to renew for November!

Halloween Fair

Halloween Fair at the school this Friday at 1pm!  Adults encouraged to come in costume, too!

Parents' Circle Oct Meeting Notes

Parents’ Circle Meeting – October 11, 2011

Agenda

* Annual Fund

* Windrush School’s status

* Parent Education Nights

* Families Make A Difference

* Picnic A Great Success

* Volunteering and On-Line Sign-Ups

* Managing The Transmission Of Information to Families

Addition To Parents’ Circle Leadership

The Parents’ Circle meeting kicked off with the announcement that the ranks of Robin Dandridge and Cary Whitney have been swelled by the addition of Evan Specter, creating a triumvirate heading the Parents’ Circle. Among his many other contributions to the school, Evan created and maintains this blog, View From The Parents’ Circle.

Annual Fund Drive To Begin

The BPC Annual Fund will be revving up soon, and we can all expect to hear more in the near future. And if Grandma and Grandpa might be in a position to make a contribution, too, we are looking into ways to facilitate that conversation.

Windrush School Status

As the community has heard, Windrush School is in bankruptcy, and Windrush families have been reeling. Many Windrush refugees have been touring other schools, including BPC, during the past couple weeks, despite a decision by Windrush’s board to try to stay open until the end of the school year. At the moment, its fate is still quite uncertain; the school filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a decision with which its creditors disagree. <more about Windrush>

While the Black Pine Circle Admin team empathizes with Windrush’s rattled families, the focus is on filling in a few open spots and keeping gender balanced in each classroom.  The maximum class size will not change from 20-21. When there are 22 in a class, that comes from more families matriculating than expected. 

Parent Education Nights

October 25: Workshop on Gender and Sexuality, spearheaded by Judy Appel, Executive Director of Our Family Coalition (and a BPC Parent!). <more>

Mid-November: Another workshop is planned around the theme of Developmentally Appropriate Uses of Technology

November is National Novel-Writing Month

There will be a party on November 3, to get the ball rolling. 7 p.m., in the theater.  While parents' part is to help kids set their word-per-day writing goals, some parents may want to seize the day and start that writing project we've always said we would do "one day".  A number of teachers will be writing alongside the kids, too!

High School Alumni Panel

On October 19, there will be a panel of BPC graduates talking about their high school experiences.  If you're wondering or anxious about what happens to BPC kids after 8th grade, come check it out.  We are expecting as many as 2 dozen high schoolers, so you'll be able to collar someone who's at the high school you have in mind, and hear how their transition was...

Families Make A Difference

Liz McBee attended the Parents’ Circle Meeting to talk about the Families Make a Difference committee. In recent years, the main focus has been supporting Harrison House, a nearby homeless shelter for families (with a blanket drive, Xmas gift drive and decorating party, and some other support) and also some one-off events like the Coastal Cleanup. If anyone has a cause that they'd like to bring attention to, FMD may be able to partner with you to make it happen.  A good example of this was last year's dinner at a restaurant where the tab went to support Breast Cancer research.

The next meeting is November 7 at Liz’s house. Along with the Harrison House Christmas gift drive, the committee also hopes to discuss a new focus: families within the BPC community which might need a helping hand.

Volunteering and On-Line Sign-Ups

Robin reported that on-line sign-ups have been a success (no more paper sheets at potlucks that could be misplaced later!) and that the volunteers slots have been almost entirely (98%) filled.  Great job, everyone!

Annual Picnic

The BPC Annual Picnic was a rousing hit, with record numbers of attendees, great weather, and largely glitch-free functioning.  There was particular appreciation of the BPC faculty/admin/parent music jamming, and the loom weaver.  Special thanks to the trash sorters for their commitment to our being a green school.  Note to selves: we could have done a better job keeping our plastic out of the compost bins, but the green team rolled up their sleeves to minimize our landfill waste!

The Big News was that next year the picnic will move up one week, to the last weekend in September, in order to avoid conflicts with a number of other local events, including Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and the Full Belly Hoes Down.

Transmission of  Information and Storage of Historical Knowledge

The evening’s discussion included addressing the challenge of the transmission of knowledge from outgoing room parents/events coordinators, etc. to their incoming counterparts. Evan Specter put on a presentation about the current use of Google Docs for this purpose, and a discussion ensued about how best to provide and control access. Another issue discussed was the ongoing effort to prioritize and tame the sheer volume of information coming at parents; the all-school Week At A Glance newsletter is intended to address that problem.  This blog, the school calendar, and other tweaks and integrations under discussion may bring further ease in navigating school life and facilitating community and connectedness.

Other suggestions included a handbook and an orientation for room parents.

Halloween Festival

The crafts and games for the festival are largely in place.  This year, instead of little prizes at each booth, kids will get tickets for participating in each event, and at the end will cash in their tickets for one or two larger prizes, like hacky-sacks, sushi erasers, glow-in-the-dark stickers...

Kids will be encouraged to wear their costumes on Friday Oct 28th, when the Halloween event is being held, and not on Monday, which is Halloween.

 - Wendy Woolpert, 8th grade Room Parent

Next Meeting is Tuesday, Nov 8th.  All parents welcome.  

Discussion Topic: mini-fundraiser options for this year and next.

Parent Education: Gender & Sexuality, Oct 25th

The Diversity Committee Invites You To A Special Parent Education Night, 
Tuesday, October 25th, 7pm In The Library!

Where did this blog come from?

We have a great school, and yet we only know a fraction of what happens at it, including the talents and interests of our fellow parents & faculty.  A series of conversations between interested parents and the administration led to this blog as a venue for some of the informal and less urgent messages and information that parents don't NEED but might appreciate. It's a work in progress.  

This site will showcase cool things that our kids are up to (like perhaps some excerpts from November's novels), and also our talented faculty and parent body as well!  We also re-post important messages from the administration, and provide a modicum of "insider" info for those that like that sort of thing but aren't able to or keen to attend meetings.

YOU would help make this great by contributing whatever you think a majority of parents would find interesting or useful.

How do I submit something?
Best would be to send an email to this address with your draft post, ideally with a photo. We will edit for brevity...

What sorts of things would be suitable?

• Great concerts or activities for adults or families
• Especially good educational resources, including websites or Apps
• Information about your family owned-business.  Special attention given to families/businesses who are actively supporting the auction or the school in other ways, but reach out anyway...
• Great photos or short video capturing a great BPC moment (right now we are going by BPC's existing photo-opt out requests)

Is this website visible to the whole wide world?

It does not turn up in search results, but the URL can be shared with other folks.  If we end up wanting to share more photos and videos, we'll put that on a password-protected section.  But for now, this is designed for ease of use.

What is the purpose of this site?

The mission is to support the school to be sustainable, our community to be mutually supportive, our events to be successful, and our parent-owned businesses to thrive.  We might host some mini-fundraisers here, all funds going directly to the school.

Who's in charge?

Evan Specter, Co-chair of Parents' Circle, is the editor, but more folks are getting involved.  All submissions fitting the mission will be accommodated.

Posts are written by the not-omniscient Evan Specter if not otherwise noted, and I take personal responsibility for their content.  I ask that you do me the courtesy of informing me directly if I take a misstep.

Picnic '11: Liquid Nitro Ice Cream & Impromptu Jamming

The umpteenth annual BPC Picnic had great weather, 

and the best food ever (thanks to Nourish You),

Stephen Corlett & Cary Whitney's Ice Cream recipe:  

Take milk, cream, sugar & vanilla. Add liquid nitrogen. Stir.

An impromptu jam by some of BPC's talented faculty, parents and students.

Here's one more liquid nitrogen demonstration- Stephen & Cary froze and smashed a flower

More than 50 parents came together to make the Picnic a success, and another dozen arrived saying "can I help?"  Special thanks to Anne Marie Elliot (decor), Charlie Martinelli (poster design), Zuzana & Rastislav Bodik (beverages), Karen Zukor (ticketing), and Michele Jin (volunteer coordination), Mary Ann Pearson (Compost Commander) and to shoppers Wendy Woolpert, Catherine Atcheson, Claudia Huttner & everyone who saw something that needed doing and just did it!

Windrush School to remain open through the school year

Stories culled from Windrush's website and the El Cerrito Patch website


How does this affect BPC?
According to John Carlstroem at the Parents' Circle meeting Tuesday night, despite Windrush staying open, a number of families are still approaching BPC, and we may be accepting a few into the student body.


Oct 11th update: Windrush will stay open to the end of the school year
At a meeting with parents and staff on Monday night, the board of trustees announced that Windrush School had received $867,000 in pledged support in less than two weeks. Based on this support, the board passed resolutions to keep the school open through the remainder of the 2011-2012 school year, subject to continuing Bankruptcy Court approval. The Board also announced the formation of a committee specifically tasked with the responsibility of developing plans for future operations beyond the current school year, with input from the school’s parent, faculty and staff constituencies.

Picnic Snapshots

Special Thanks to local artisan Lynn Harris, for sharing her Japanese Saori looms with us.

Lynn teaches classes locally:  (510) 527-5909 website & email

Kids were finding lizards 

and hoopin' it up

From the Head of School & Chairman of BPC's Board

Dear BPC Families,

In keeping with our tradition of updating you on happenings in our community, we wanted to pass along some information about Windrush School.  As many of you have heard, or read last week on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, Windrush is experiencing severe financial hardship.   At present, Windrush is in the midst of an emergency fundraising drive in hopes of keeping the school open until the end of the school year. Windrush families and faculty have met frequently this week, and the Windrush community is feeling understandably vulnerable.

As we became aware of this unfortunate situation, the BPC community immediately reached out to our friends at Windrush.  We continue to be in contact with their administration and have been offering our support and assistance.

Ms Ronquillo in Chicago, 1/2 price Mini-Maker Faire Tix

Last chance!


BPC's K teacher Romina Ronquillo is performing at El Cerrito's CCCT.


This sizzling musical of murder & seduction is ready to “razzle dazzle” CCCT audiences with its pulse-racing story of a pair of sexy murderesses craving the celebrity spotlight in 1920s Chicago. With a wildly entertaining cast of characters, heart-stopping dance numbers, and a dazzling Kander and Ebb score, Chicago is a sure-fire hit! 


Tickets & More Info
It's PG-13, not for the little kids!

Crafty kids, robot geeks, and lovers of DIY should start getting excited because the East Bay Mini Maker Faire is less than a month away!


A Maker Faire is about celebrating learning and doing – not the finished and perfect end product.  It’s a place to share what we’re learning with others, and celebrate the fun and freedom of being an amateur.

Located at the Park Day School in Oakland, this not-so-mini meet up of Makers will take place on October 16 from 10 AM to 5 PM.  Half-price tickets available until Sept 30th

1st Parents' Circle Meeting of the New Year

Overview:

• Head of Realm School - Victor Diaz
• new Head of BPC's Upper School - Bill Webb
• new Development Director - John Ormsby
• News from the Heads of School
• New Hardware & Infrastructure - Randi Lee
• Volunteering at BPC gets refreshed- with fewer tasks and some new service opportunities
• Changes to the Room Parent Role
• Planning for the Picnic

Realm
The air was a bit charged as Victor Diaz, the head of BPC's new neighbor, Realm Charter School, began to address the 25 room parents and admin team gathered in the library, but Victor is very charming and it's rather inspiring what they're trying to do over there- cutting edge educational approaches for a traditionally underserved population.  He apologized for not reaching out sooner, and expressed a sincere desire to be a good neighbor. <more about Realm>

New Senior Staff
We heard from Bill Webb and John Ormsby.  We heard about BPC through Bill's fresh eyes and it reminded many of why we chose BPC... he said BPC is known for involved parents and kids who are kind to each other... that this was an attraction for him, and he was already seeing it. John Carlstroem added that the committee of faculty, parents and staff were unanimous in selecting Bill.


We met John Ormsby (formerly Bay Area representative to Barbara Boxer for 10 yrs).   He's a competitive cyclist with a 4 yr old, a taste for Mexican Coca-cola, and an easygoing demeanor that belies a keen intellect.  He sees his role as raising awareness and resources, human and financial, to benefit the school. He also had this to say about volunteering:


Volunteerism is the heartbeat of many worthwhile endeavors.  Reminds me of parenting itself.   Your work is absolutely essentially to the functioning and character of BPC.  It conserves resources, it fosters community, it sets a proper example, and it makes a difference.  And darn it, if done with spirit of "Explore More" it can even be fun.   Who doesn't enjoy a good lice check?

So thank you again for investing your time, talents, energy and patience.  If you don't consider yourself leaders, you should, because you are.  So here's to working together with on behalf of your school, your children and your fellow families.  - john


Other Admin highlights

• The new 1st grade assistant is a credentialed teacher in her own right.  
• Last year's small kindergarten is now at 18, and the whole school enrollment is at 242, which is "full" and a few more than last year.  It's also a boon considering the troubles experienced by many of our peer schools.  
• The physical plant improvements, on both sides of the street, were spent to have the campus "better reflect the quality of our school".  Check out the bleachers, hardscaping, cabinetry and new fixtures at the upper school and new flooring at the lower school, which were designed and built by BPC parents (Erin Gilett, Scott Bretall, Vit Salvo, Robert Bell,  Bruce, Ben, and Camille Carter).  Another example of BPC community coming together with a barn-raising spirit!

Back to School Picnic
Sunday Oct 2nd, 12-3pm in Tilden (Padre site)
We did some super efficient event planning...  this year's theme is farm-to-table, back-to-the-land, DIY food... we're looking into butter-churning, making ice cream with liquid nitrogen, and more.  A Donkey & Goat Winery is bringing the vino.  Laura Wolff's husband Steve is bringing suds from Pacific Brewing Company in Oakland.  Got an idea of some way you could add to the good times?  Reach out.

New Computers and other Technology
As part of the school's strategic plan, the Board has allocated funds to address the deferred maintenance in the area of school technology.  The school now has a totally upgraded network, to serve a set of new laptops for faculty and chromebooks (netbooks) for student use, which means that the computer lab can now come to the kids instead of vice versa.  The faculty are particularly jazzed about new document projectors, which eliminate transparencies (a waste of time and $) and make it instantaneous to project anything on the wall and large: great for kids who respond more to visuals.  The money came from an advantageous refinancing of the modest debt BPC incurred when building the library some years ago.  Kudos to parent & board member Randi Lee and IT guru Menna Stern for conducting a thoughtful review.  There will be more about this in coming months.


Volunteering Changes
Most of our peer schools have made volunteer service mandatory (is that an oxymoron?) at 20+ hours, and offered a financial opt-out, but BPC's Parents Circle is skipping the bureaucratic hassle and maintaining BPC's tradition of modest but meaningful parent participation. A team of parents met over the summer and managed to reduce what's expected of every family.  The new sign up list also highlights some tasks that require a greater commitment of time, or not so much time but more responsibility.  Sign Up Today!


Room Parenting
In previous years, it was one of the main responsibilities of a room parent to send reminders to volunteer prior to each event involving parent volunteers.  That's a thankless task we are happy to change.  After a limited experiment last year, room parents are now each taking on ONE event as the volunteer coordinator.  That means that you will be receiving volunteering reminders from a variety of parents you may not know.  Room parents also took on coordinator roles related to the Back-to-School Picnic, which will have a Farm-to-Table, Slow Food, DIY theme.  Got an idea to make it awesome?  Reach out.


If you're new to the school & wondering what's involved in being a room parent, here's a thumbnail sketch
Aside from the reminders and helping run the Back-to-School Picnic (Oct 2), room parents also coordinate teacher appreciation also act as information clearinghouses for their classes- receiving more information about what's going on, through monthly meetings and messages from the Chairs, and then passing on some distilled version to their classes.  One of the purposes of this blog is to relieve the burden of trying to summarize everything that is communicated in those meetings.  But it's no substitute for the monthly meetings, where room parents & other interested parents get a better sense of the administration, get the inside scoop on what's happening in the school on an institutional level, and get the chance to voice their opinions about matters of import.  Room parenting is a role that counts for most of a family's volunteering, too.

Two delicious invitations from talented BPC Parents

Check out their "Maybe I'm amazed" on YouTube.

Saturday Sept 3rd, stop by the Cheeseboard Collective on Shattuck between 5 & 8pm and hear Hank Maninger's band The Tear Jerkers play while you enjoy the great pizza. (Sat's pizza: Roma tomatoes, Red onions, Bulgarian feta, Mozzarella, Lemon zest and juice, Cilantro, Garlic olive oil.)

New Tasting Room FRIDAYS 4-7pm & SATURDAYS 12-4pm

Saturday, Sept 10th, 12:30 - 4:30, BPC-family owned winery A Donkey & Goat is having their annual Fall Fête. Great food from Zut (4th Street eatery) and 6 new wines! Not far from school, on 1340 5th Street. $20 in advance, $30 at the door. Kids under 12 are free and there's a huge enclosed area for them to run around, including a bocce court.

Grilled Brentwood Corn + Anzol Farms Heirloom Tomatoes Salad + Martin Bournhonesque’s Roasted Beets + Blossom Bluff Grilled Stone Fruit + Rotisserie Don Watson Lamb + Grilled Bill Niman Ranch Beef Kabobs While enjoying the bounty you can groove to live sounds of the winery favorite Michael LaMacchia. For more information contact Tracey or call the winery at 510-868-9174, or visit their website.

Nourish You hot lunch program

Got Lunch? 

Join the 160+ families and beaucoup de faculty

www.NourishYou.net

Shop at Target, much?

Here's a thought:  get the Redcard from Target:
5% discount for you, and 1% for our school.
This program has already raised almost $1,000 for BPC.
Click here for more info & to apply.

You have to go back later to Target.com/tcoe to add BPC as the beneficiary.
Do it now, if you have a Red Card and haven't done so!   I just signed up  - Evan

Realm Charter School Timeline & Updates

Realm Charter School opened this Fall a half block from BPC

Nov 6th: Realm has a great Facebook page with active participation by the parent body.  It'll give you a window into what they're about...


Sept 29th: Realm has posted a traffic coordinator on 8th street (the gentleman in the white hat). Some of the neighbors are still very agitated about how the traffic is impacting them.

Sept 7th: Realm Director Victor Diaz came to the Parents' Circle Mtg to address concerns and pledge a cooperative relationship.  They are looking to us for ideas of how to be a good neighbor and practice safe drop-offs... One big plus to come out of their arrival is a 4-way stop at Addison and 8th- that finally addresses the high-speed traffic coming down Addison.  Meanwhile, he and the neighbors are preparing to meet with a mediator.

Sept 2nd: Black Pine Circle Admin and Realm are talking about ways to smooth the morning traffic.  Do your part and drive safely, skip the U-turns on 8th, etc...

A few notes from the last Parents' Circle meeting of the school year

There was a lively discussion about school volunteering and there was general agreement that a worthy goal for next year was an emphasis on "clarity" and "commitment".  What does that mean?  We're still kicking it around, but the gist is balancing what assistance the school needs with what the parent body is able or willing to make time for.  Making your volunteer hours worth your time by having a dedicated event coordinator at each event.  Receiving a reminder with a picture of the coordinator, so you know you're in the right place and who to ask if a question comes up.  Commitment is knowing that we can count on you to consider it like any other appointment in your life, putting it in your book, arriving on time to play a constructive role in whatever's happening.

Some people choose to get more involved, of course, whether taking up one of the room parent tasks, or organizing a class art project for the auction, coming up with a booth idea for Halloween or The Art Fair, participating and perhaps also helping organize community service events through Families Make a Difference.

What's amazing is with our busy lives, including more parents working longer hours, longer commutes, etc., that we pull off so many successful events, raise so much money for the school, and "raise a barn" together in the spirit of partnership that is one of the hallmarks of the BPC experience (in addition to those stellar academics, arts, music and performance)

There's also a renewed commitment from the PC heads and administration to take a hard look at events and volunteer tasks and look for reductions in the number of tasks.

What do YOU think the Parents Circle should be focusing on?

tell us, at parentcircleheads@blackpinecircle.org

Editorial: What would YOU be a champion for?

Over drinks at the Albatross Pub, or in the library, small groups of BPC parents have for several years been putting together events under the banner of "Families Make a Difference"(FMD) and "Diversity Committee".  Busy folks like Steven Emerson, Jeff Williams, Gail Kurtz, Janice Sager, Gary Kennerley, Mark Johnson, Tali Barr, Myra Paci and Jenny Lederer have made time to create enrichments for our community: Shoreline Cleanup, inspiring service in partnership with Harrison House, Diversity potlucks with live music, international film nights.  Their principle, as far as I (Evan) understand it, has been that whoever shows up with an idea that they're willing to work for, will have the support of the group.

There's a need for a new generation of parents to step in and step up in these groups.  What kind of community service or perspective-broadening events or activities do YOU feel strongly about?

Or maybe you're passionate about something else, that would enrich the experience for our kids and indeed, for all of us?  A Mini-Maker Fair?  An expansion of our food-garden-nutrition program?

Something else entirely?

Reach out to those folks.  Or to John Carlstroem.  Leave a comment.  Start a ball rolling!

Snapshots from the Art Fair

p.s. a great video of the Art Fair here on the blackpinecircle.org site.

BPC's Spring Potluck is Friday, May 20th

Come one, come all to this year's Spring Diversity Potluck! 

Realm Charter School receives approval from BUSD to move forward on 8th at Addison

this is Evan's personal impression 


After attending the community meeting and the BUSD School Board meeting, it seems clear that we will have a new school in the neighborhood in September.  John did everything possible and remains on top of the situation, but there isn't anything to be done except hold them to their promises to minimize the effect on the neighborhood in terms of noise, traffic and parking.  It will be 200 kids in 2011-2012 and 300 kids in 2012-2013.  You can read more about them and their admirable vision on their nifty website.

Messages from Head of School John Carlstroem re: Realm

UPDATE ON REALM CHARTER SCHOOL

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING TONIGHT, WED. 5/11/11 AT 7:30
OLD CITY HALL 2134 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BLVD UPSTAIRS

Dear BPC Community Members,

At last night's meeting, neighbors and community members voiced serious concerns around an increase in noise, traffic, and parking congestion with the addition of REALM Charter Middle School. There was also heavy criticism expressed relating to the accelerated pace of this process, and a sense that the community involvement was "an afterthought."

The Parents Circle Heads invite you to be a Room Parent

From Robin Dandridge, current and continuing Parents Circle Head:

Being a room parent at BPC can be a rewarding experience.  Certainly it has been for me.  Maybe this next one will be the year you do it!  

Our remarkable school depends on the parent body for support during about 20 events each year.  The primary purpose of the Parents Circle and room parents is to help make that happen.  In recent years, room parents have opted to divide up the tasks so it's better defined and less burdensome for each (e.g. 'the email guru, the event guru, and the faculty care-taker').  Another way to look at it:  there's a mix of project management, strategic thinking, individual and group problem-solving, plus staying on top of the calendar and reminding fellow-parents about upcoming responsibilities.  


The rewards of being a room parent include gaining a better understanding of what goes on behind the scenes with the BPC faculty, board, admissions, fundraising, and other internal processes. But it's also spending time with other dedicated parents, with a shared intention of making a real difference in our son's and daughter's lives! 

This is a serious commitment that lasts the entire year - September through June (& maybe even a few emails sent over the summer!).  Most grades have chosen a 2-3 person room parent team, and that seems to work best.

What's the workload?  During the average week, there might just a bit of email conversation for one or more of your team.  But leading up to big events like the Picnic, Halloween or Soiree, there will be several hours of work involved for some room parents.  There are also the monthly meetings, where one or more of your team represents your class.

We need great people with wisdom, lots of energy, and a deep desire to help BPC realize all that it has offer.  This volunteer cadre makes our school different, and frankly, is essential to BPC's success!

If you're ready to join the Parents Circle, reach out to your current room parents today.  You can also find out more by coming to the last meeting of the year, which happens to be a dinner party at Laura's house on Tuesday, May 17th., at 7 PM.  Location: 1111 Hollywood Ave, Oakland, California.

News briefs

High School Admissions

According to John Carlstroem, it was another banner year for High School admissions- pretty much every kid got in wherever they wanted to go, and it's once again about half & half private/public.  There was some discussion in Parents Circle about the dramatic rise in the cost of private high school (up to $31-39,000 with all the fees).

Soiree Recap

Soirée / Auction was once again a resounding success- a gorgeously designed event with great food and music that made history for BPC- the most guests, and the greatest sum raised for the school $44,000+

Upper School Head Search Process
John Carlstroem outlined the process and there was some discussion (at Parent's Circle and also at the recent Java with John) about what the search committee (composed of staff, faculty, board and parents) are looking for. A number of veteran parents recalled feeling anxious during previous searches for senior administrative roles, and how happy they were with the choices made.  The discussion ended with a request for regular updates about the process, which have been appearing since, in the weekly notices.

BPC Admissions

Despite what peer schools are describing as another challenging year, BPC's admissions effort paid off.  There is a full incoming K class (with 2 on the waiting list), and the smallish 1st grade has picked up new kids, who Sue Bechtel believes will fit in very well.  The teachers and administration are also very pleased with the incoming kids & families.  The word from Faye Wu is that parents are still applying to the few open places in a few grades.