The Crystal Ball

Celebrating Tradition + Envisioning Our Future

The 29th Annual Auction for Tuition Assistance, the Crystal Ball, will be held Saturday, March 8th in the Galleria of the San Francisco Design Center.  

View the Crystal Ball 2008 Auction Catalog.

The deadline for Donations & Catalog Advertisements is Friday, February 1st!

8th Grade Garage Sale

PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE:

Saturday, December 8, 2007, 8:30 AM - 2 PM.

Noe Valley Pediatrics Parking Lot, 24th Street near Dolores

(Rain Date: Sunday, December 9th)

Each year, as an effort to raise funds for the many events that the graduating class does, SFS holds a yard sale. Your donated items are greatly appreciated and may be tax-deductible. Items should be clean and working. We cannot accept computers or monitors. Laptops are okay.

Please label items with a suggested price. Stick a piece of tape with the amount written on it on the item. Or fill a bag with same-priced items and put the item price on the bag. We can also price things at the sale. Unsold items will be brought to Community Thrift, Goodwill and the SF Public Library. Bring your donations to:

• The San Francisco School during morning and afternoon carpool on Thursday, December 6th and Friday, December 7th.
• The Garage Sale site beginning at 7 AM.
• Or contact Ronn or Dahlia Uchihara, Yard Sale chairs (650-755-3639 or uchihara@sbcglobal.net) with questions or to arrange for pickup.

The San Francisco School's Annual Peace & Diversity Book Fair will be held on December 4 & 5 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in The School's Library.  Proceeds from the Book Fair benefit The San Francisco School Library.

Please join us on for a special Book Signing and Tea Party on December 4th from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. in the Activity Room as we celebrate three San Francisco School authors and a film maker:  SFS parents Leslie Crawford, Josie Iselin, Andrea Gosline and Melissa Peabody.  Profits from book and DVD sales will benefit The School's new neighborhood library, The Portola Branch. 

The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Morris as the next Head of The San Francisco School, effective July 1, 2008.

The Board's unanimous decision followed the enthusiastic recommendation of the Search Committee which cited the close alignment between The San Francisco School's mission, values, and strategic goals and Steve Morris' personal strengths, skills, vision, and experience.

Much beloved in his community by students, educators, administrators, and families, Steve brings both roots and wings to the position of Head of School. As one staff member stated: "It is hard to imagine a candidate more suitable to The San Francisco School at this time - seasoned and groomed enough to know who we are, yet fresh, energetic and open-minded enough to chart his own course while staying true to the values of SFS."

In his letter to the Search Committee, Steve alluded to his personal story that illustrates how, thanks to the educational and community resources he received as a student in an independent school, he was able to transcend challenges and go on to become the first member of his family to obtain a college and a graduate degree. Steve understands that today's children face their own challenges in a world that is increasingly competitive and too often fractured by lack of understanding and mutual support. He feels it is imperative that students graduate with a combination of both academic skills and strong character traits in order to succeed in the world and to contribute to it.

Mike Diamonti, Head of University High School, highlights Steve's: "strength in motivating and bringing together a group of strong personalities and opinions to achieve a common objective." Diamonti adds, "children are his passion, equity is his passion."

Of The San Francisco School, Steve says: "SFS is a proven leader in music and arts education. We are also known to take great pride in educating our students on social justice and equity issues. These facts should always remain. SFS now must develop an equally strong reputation for its academics. All of this can be achieved while maintaining a compelling, engaging learning environment."

That Steve has worked closely with and been mentored by Terry Edeli over the past three years adds to his depth of experience as Assistant Head of The San Francisco School, as an English Teacher, Advisor, and Coach at both University High School and Sewickly Academy, as Dean of Multicultural Programs at University High School, as Program Officer of Summerbridge National, and Executive Director of Summerbridge Pittsburgh. Steve's dedication to his family, especially his wife Beth Goya and their two sons, Rowan and Mason, speaks profoundly to our emphasis on family at SFS.

Our appointment of Steve Morris concludes an exhaustive national search assisted by independent school consultant Roger Bass of Resource Group 175. The thirteen-member S arch Committee, comprised of current and former trustees, parents, alumnae parents, and faculty, was assisted by student, parent, and faculty advisory committees. The San Francisco School e community's spirited participation energized and informed the entire process. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we thank all those who worked so diligently to help us successfully complete that most important responsibility of the Board - the selection of our new Head of School. Please join us in welcoming Steve Morris as incoming Head of The San Francisco School.

Sincerely,

Matt Plut
Board Chair

Tamara Hicks
Search Co-Chair

Terry Gamble Boyer
Search Co-Chair

The San Francisco School had the honor of hosting an educational delegation from the Renoir Creative School (www.renoir.com.tw) in Taiwan on Monday, February 5th. The twenty teachers and administrators are here in the Bay Area to research elementary education, as their school will be expanding from its current preschool into a full preschool through elementary. After a brief welcome and overview, the delegation spent most of the morning touring the school and visiting classrooms. Our second graders, who are currently studying China and many of whom are studying Mandarin in our extended care program, welcomed the visitors with a few words of Chinese, and with classrooms filled with evidence of their China study. The visitors also enjoyed interviewing two of our eighth graders who had just heard today that they had been accepted to School of the Arts. In answer to a question about what they appreciated the most about their visit to The San Francisco School, the visitors enthusiastically responded with the first grade music class with Sofia, and The San Francisco School’s overall emphasis on big overarching ideas and the emphasis on teaching thinking skills.

Please join us at The San Francisco School's annual Peace & Diversity Book Fair on November 28 & 29 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in The School's Library.  Proceeds from the Book Fair benefit The San Francisco School Library.

Vivian Walsh, author of Olive, The Other Reindeer will be coming to singing time at 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, November 28 to talk to 1st - 5th graders about her books and writing.  She will also visit preschool classes that day and sign books.

8th Grade Garage Sale

ALERT! THE GARAGE SALE HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO SUNDAY NOVEMBER 12TH DUE TO A CONCERN FOR RAIN!!!!!

Sunday, November 12th, 8am to 2:30 pm

In the parking lot at the corner of 24th Street and Dolores Street in Noe Valley.  Rain date: Sunday November 12th, same time, same location. 

Each year as an effort to raise funds for the many events that the graduating class does, there is a garage sale.  Your donated items are greatly appreciated and can be tax deductible.  Items should be clean and working.  We cannot accept computers or monitors.  Laptops are ok.

Please label items with a suggested price.  Stick a piece of tape with the amount written on it on the item.  Or we will price things at the sale.  Unsold items will be brought to Community Thrift, Goodwill and the SF Public Library.  Bring your donations to:

1. The San Francisco School during morning and afternoon carpool on Thursday, November 9th and Friday, November 10th.

2. The Garage Sale beginning at 7 am.

3. Or call Bob Dunlap at 333-6833 to arrange for pickup.

International Coastal Clean-Up Day
  On September 16, hundreds of thousands of people will descend on beaches, lakes and streams all over the world to remove trash and debris - on land and under the water. Volunteers of all ages from every continent will form the largest one-day volunteer event on behalf of clean oceans and waterways - the International Coastal Clean-Up.
   SFS is committed to social change. The Social Action Committee invites you to take action and be a role model for your child! The committee’s kick-off event is International Coastal Clean-Up Day - Saturday, September 16, 9-12 pm, rain or shine, at Ocean Beach’s Zoo entrance (where Sloat Blvd. meets the Great Highway). Wear layered clothing and sunscreen; gloves are recommended. Stay as long as you can.