We recently visited Thousand Oaks Elementary School to observe the Creek Science program in action. The lesson took place at the nearby Blackberry Creek located just west of the campus. The hands-on and highly interactive Blackberry Creek Science Program is supported by a Strategic Impact Grant, involving all Thousand Oaks Elementary K-3rd graders in a grade-appropriate […]
Category Archives: Interviews
From Trauma to Peace: Mindfulness Program at Willard Middle School
Once a week at Willard Middle School, there’s an unexpected sight of a classroom full of students sitting still with their eyes closed. With the support of our Strategic Impact Grant, Willard Middle School has implemented a weekly Dynamic Mindfulness program where students engage in mindful ABCs (Actions, Behaviors, and Centering) during their Advisory period. […]
Partnering with UC Berkeley on Be a Scientist
Today we welcome guest bloggers Teresa Barnett (Community Resources for Science), Kate Spohr (Berkeley Research Development Office), and Mary Wildermuth (UC Berkeley’s Department of Plant and Microbial Biology) to tell us more about the Be a Scientist program, which is supported by a Strategic Impact Grant. SCHOOLS FUND: We know Be A Scientist is beneficial to […]
Mr. Mac Explores the Meaning of Life
Robert MacCarthy’s classroom at Willard is packed with personality. Mannequins display messy wigs, student work tiles the walls, a disco ball dances from the ceiling. The place is high energy, high humor, and high inspiration. Stepping into his classroom, one instantly feels motivated to learn more. This semester Mr. MacCarthy (aka Mr. Mac) is implementing […]
Getting in the Zone: Hilary Mitchell’s World of Hip Hop
“Get in the zone, people!” Sixty fourth and fifth graders are lined up in imperfect rows in the Washington cafeteria. Younger students look on, snacking on apples and doing their homework. It’s an energetic space, full of elementary student chitchat and fidgeting. When we come through you know we shut it down! Beats bust through […]
The History of Berkeley Public Schools Fund: Interview with Mary Friedman
The Berkeley Public Schools Fund (formerly the Berkeley Public Education Foundation) was founded in 1983 in response to Proposition 13, which reduced property tax revenues in the State and severely impacted the amount of funds available for public schools. Watch one of our founders and current Board member, Mary Friedman, explain how we got our start […]
