White Supremacy Culture. The first day of school will be Wednesday, August 17, 2022. All rights reserved. Thus, we are building a collective purpose and a commitment to learning. 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. The Transcendental Meditation technique is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment. 322 Bayview Cir, San Francisco, CA, 94124 is a 1,317 sq. At times, it appeared that we werent clearly aligned philosophically and did not have a focused call to action. Some conversations fell flat, and others were superficial. What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack? Ive found that it makes peoplestudents and teachersmore joyful, Dierke said, To have that time to reflect and be still is important.. Programs School Data Contact Info Visitacion Valley Middle School Grades 6-8 . A major factor preventing underserved children from learning is the stress they encounter on a daily basis from factors like poverty, deprivation, lack of steady parental input, physical danger and constant suggests that meditation might significantly improve childrens school performance and help close that gap. Further, staff moved to thinking about how our school practices perpetuate WSC and send negative messages to our students. And our teacher turnover and absenteeism is almost zero.. This listing's school district is San Francisco Unified School District. Quiet Time in Los angeles The David Lynch Foundation is partnering with several Los angeles-based institutions which deliver excellence in academics and holistic student development through innovative educational models. CWAE specialists counseled students on meditation techniques and five full-time staffers remain on campus to help maintain the program. With respect to race, the foundational issue is White Supremacy Culture, and we must attack the problem head on. Eighth grader Art Parkeenvincha moved to San Francisco from Canada in the middle of this year. 2023 Editorial Projects in Education, Inc. All school events, including athletic events, will be posted in this calendar. Stacey Buchwald promoted to principal at Valley Middle School of STEM District 196 Superintendent Mary Kreger today announced the promotion of Dr. Stacey Buchwald from interim principal to principal of Valley Middle School of STEM in. It can result in white rage, broken relationships, grievances, and further harm to oppressed students. Even in failure, there is growth, if you are using a critical lens to understand and improve. I also enjoy cooking (and eating) good food with family and friends. Visitacion Valley Middle School 2 4 reviews Grades 6-8 Students 375 Type Public School District San Francisco Unified School District 450 Raymond Avenue San Francisco, CA 94134 (415) 469-4590 https://visitacion-sfusd-ca.Schoolloop.com/ Nearby Schools Elementary Middle High Alvarado Elementary School K-5 Public 515 Students Yordy teaches world history, civics, and freshman seminar and volunteers as a program mentor. But this messy middle is precisely when we need to stay curious, be vulnerable, and innovative. "I am feeling elated," he said after the announcement and celebration in the school's auditorium. A lot has changed over this period, including three principals coming and going, but ODriscoll puts the turnaround down to the one constant: the calming influence of the meditation programme. Modern Band (music) with contemporary instruments, Visuals Arts, Ethnic Studies, Computer Science, Dramatic Arts, and Spanish! It is time that we detox and make the invisible visible. The UK has already started experimenting with meditation: 400 secondary schools offer programmes like the Dot B mindfulness meditation programme, which tends to take place once a week in personal, social, health education (PSHE) class. To do it properly Visitacion Valley middle school made the day 30 minutes longer. This page was last updated on June 8, 2021. Parks near 132 Britton St include Crocker Amazon Playground, Visitacion Valley Greenway, and Bayview Park. 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. Further, we must look at how it has affected us and how we have perpetuated White Supremacy Culture. 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. Imagine that. The first pitfall is failing to scaffold for white privilege and white fragility. For example, we looked at how our implicit bias when responding to student behavior leads to racially disproportionate discipline incidents and we organically identified restorative practices as a focus for the following year. Nov 2020 - Present2 years 4 months. 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 . . And just like that, a hush fell over the auditorium. 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. Zestimate Home Value: $930,000. For the majority of urban students, drugs, gangs and violence are part of everyday life. The programme, introduced to all ages, sees students sit for 15 minutes of meditation twice a day. 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. Then, Dierke struck a bell and said, Okay, its quiet time.. Prompts for reading a White Supremacy Culture article (Courtesy of Joe Truss). WSC shuts down learning. 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). Its provided a lot of stability to our school, helping staff and kids get through the stress they have in their lives., The impressive results have led to more schools in the city introducing the programme. It is the water we are swimming in. Dont just throw it into 2,000 schools, he says. On a personal note, I was born and raised in the midwest, but I have called San Francisco home for the last 13 years. Week 25 newsletter in different languages. Some bowed their heads. 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. Other schools have taken a few minutes off lunch and tutorials. (DiAngelo, 2018). provides quality after-school programming to children in the area. Our GPA has trended up significantly since the start of Quiet Time., All of this indicates that we are winning the battle against the predictor power of demographics. for the lowest performing demographic was double that for the overall student group. Therefore, it was necessary to create shared understandings and subsequent commitments, which was facilitated by exploring a framework of White Supremacy Culture. Middle Schools Elementary Schools Fares The Free Muni for Youth Program provides San Francisco youth ages 5-18 with free Muni service, regardless of household income level. Its important to note that these responses work to maintain current consciousness and white supremacy. (DiAngelo, 2018). Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for anything (. Our teachers use Community Building and Restorative Practices. Tuesdays at 9:00a.m. Anther example might be superficially speeding through content or discouraging interruptions for questions. The highlights are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Filipino, and Vietnamese. 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. Principal and Interest. Students at Visitacion Valley School in South San Francisco observe 15 minutes of quiet time every morning. Get the latest education news delivered to your inbox daily. This is true for our staff as well, contributing to racial fatigue and staff sustainability for IBPOC. Otherwise, white fragility will shut the anti-racist party down; it's an equity consciousness buzz kill, for real. I thought it was just another fad. 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. Thats what were gradually doing here., The payoff might be most evident in students like Angelica Mahinay, who says, Man, when I hear students getting an attitude, or theyre saying theyre going to fight, I say, Hey! Consequently, all other cognitive functions such as learning, problem solving, or creative thinking stop, (Hammond, 2015) activating our fight, flight, or freeze response. 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. 1. For students of color, characteristics of White Supremacy Culture similar to microaggressions hijack the amygdala. I value growth because I am constantly reviewing data, asking how we can be better for our students. 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. Therefore, it was necessary to create shared understandings and subsequent commitments, which was facilitated by exploring a framework of White Supremacy Culture. Distance: 1.7 mi. Those selecting Dierke for the honor noted how a gunman entered the school, threatening teachers and students in 2004. We needed to go deeper than our previous conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion. It would be nave to think that meditation alone could erase the effects of the many factors, like poverty, that are barriers to educational achievement. We must name, define, and plan for white fragility, the defensive response by whites when discussing racism. Staff watch a clip about white fragility during a staff meeting (Courtesy of Joe Truss). 2,414 Sq. This might include wanting to win an argument, not making space for others to talk, and rushing through meetings. Please refer to legal details concerning copyright and trademark protection. But Quiet Time is a relatively inexpensive intervention A pioneering programme has reduced stress and improved grades at Visitacion Valley middle school with lessons other schools can learn from. Likewise, test scores have increased in recent years but still remain low compared to other SFUSD middle schools. 3 Baths. A $60K Starting Salary for Teachers? We can have equity missions plastered on walls and front that we are about closing the opportunity gap, but we don't go deeper than diversity trainings. White Supremacy Culture is the silent killer flowing throughout classrooms and school hallways, like carbon monoxide gas. I was very reluctant when it first started, he said. 3. fear. Principal James Dierke monitors school activities with his handi-talkie at Visitation Valley Middle School, 450 Raymond Ave, San Francisco. Now that the shock of reading these words has worn off, let's explore what it is and why we need to dedicate more time to exploring its dehumanizing effect in our schools. 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). For instance, we might see folks making eye contact, leaning into conversations about racial identity, and asking probing questions. This prompts staff to reflect and ultimately declare, "I want to be an anti-racist teacher, but I don't exactly know how." stress and its manifestations for example, anxiety, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Meditation strengthens the areas of the brain that control our fear center, he said. Discussing WSC gave us more impetus to make changes, because we now knew what was happening if we refused: microaggressions, dehumanization, widening the opportunity gap, and producing disproportionate outcomes. This requires dismantling White Supremacy Culture and building a new foundation for an anti-racist and empowering education. Even I, a black educator who has studied ethnic studies and critical race theory, still perpetuate tenets of White Supremacy Culture. We saw kids with real post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Yes, it is exhibited by leaders at all levels, including me. [3] Balboa High School. The entire schoolfaculty, staff, and studentsspend the first and last 15 minutes of every day in silence. 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. This has included making decisions about curriculum, school partnership, and hiring, without authentically involving teachers or students in the process. students who meditated showed a significant decrease in anxiety and a significant increase in resilience compared to nonmeditating students. Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco Unified school district (Courtesy of Joe Truss). students, and couples, Contact a certified TM teacher This week's important updates are available! 7 /10. 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 $93. Homeowners' Insurance. Its also important to start small. Grades: 6-8. As Boys Get Fatter, Parents Worry One Body Part Is Too Small. Leading a 501 (c)3 nonprofit working with a consortium of collaborative partners including university researchers . After the shooting, the usual culprits were blamed: guns, violent movies and video games, says Rice. 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. Teachers. A restless din filled the large room. Callers can still leave a voicemail or send an email or request form at all hours. Classes take place at students desks after the qualified TM teacher rings a bell. Our courageous educators got personal, thinking about how White Supremacy Culture shows up in their personal lives and between colleagues. During those times, students could either practice Transcendental One day children came in to find three dead bodies dumped in the schoolyard. Quantum Physicist (16:40), By Mario Orsatti on 02/15/2012 Blog Home. Main Office: 952-431-8300. But Quiet Time took years to develop. David Lynch Foundation, involved introducing two 15-minute periods of quiet into the school day. In recent years however, Principal Dierke and a growing number of other educators have found a way to break the predictive power of demographics. The student population of Visitacion Valley Middle is 358 and the school serves. Its very peaceful here now.. Were not perfect, Dierke said. levels of self-confidence and happiness. live well. SFUSD's Student Family School Resource Linksupports students and families innavigating all of the SFUSD resources available to them. They worked harder, paid more attention, were easier to teach and the number of fights fell dramatically.. C. Visitacion Valley Middle School is a public school located in SAN FRANCISCO, CA. 420 Harkness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94134 | MLS #422713413 | Zillow By Owner New Construction These properties are currently listed for sale. San Francisco Superintendent Carlos Garcia told Dierke's students Friday that their principal was chosen from among the thousands of middle school principals across the country. Also, our school is rich in ethnicity and culture. You can see past weeks' newsletters as well. She is a frequent guest on KQED's "Newroom" television show and "Forum" radio show. Having served the past two years as Assistant Principal, VVMS is a community that I love and care for. Grades: 9-12. . We might also see students connecting their identities to their learning and applying it back to their communities to manifest social justice. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school starting Wednesday, August 17, 2022. But now I meditate twice a day, and I do it at home. At times, it appeared that we weren't clearly aligned philosophically and did not have a focused call to action. This took the form of discussions, watching short video clips, annotating readings, and doing some deep personal introspection. 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.) Otherwise, white fragility will shut the anti-racist party down; its an equity consciousness buzz kill, for real. 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. The Rent Zestimate for this home is $3,399/mo, which has increased by $239/mo in the last 30 days. 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. I can be really hyperactive, he said. The results of 17 studies conducted to date in the Bay Area, varying in duration from three months to one year, showed benefits across parameters including reduced stress, increased emotional intelligence, reduced suspensions, The most recentnewsletteris linked below in the Week 25 section and also in our Families section. When I first heard about it I thought it probably wasnt going to work, says ODriscoll. This home last sold for $840,000 on Feb 2, 2021. I get to school at 7 a.m. for softball practice. 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). Visitacion Valley Middle School. I saw this personally at VVMS, as situations got awkward, uncomfortable, and uncertain. Connection is first and foremost because this work is all about relationships - connecting with stakeholders, earning trust, and sharing in the decision making. Racial-equity leaders must be both intentional and responsive when doing this anti-racist work. Visitacion Valley Middle School is a public school in San Francisco, California that is part of San Francisco Unified School District. $5,220. This is true for our staff as well, contributing to racial fatigue and staff sustainability for IBPOC. James Dierke, principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School in San Francisco, California, has been named the 2008 MetLife / National Association of Secondary School Principals National Middle Level Principal of the Year. It contains 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. School communities gather twice a year to review data and previous actions in order to intentionally plan for the coming months. *The name of one student has been changed. 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. ODriscoll also says that leadership buy-in is essential for the programme to work as there needs to be support in terms of time and resourcing. That was crazy, Angelica, the student body president, said. One teacher, Mary Chirichella added, Some teachers had the courage to approach others to have tough conversations about microaggressions. White Supremacy Culture. The social-emotional learning of students in grades 4-12 is also assessed. 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. For example, pushing students to work independently or write before processing verbally can lead to stress and isolation. 375. Racial-equity work is like trying to defuse a bomb and cutting the wrong wire. It helps kids reduce anxiety and increase their ability to reason and concentrate., Principal Dierke said, as a result of Quiet Time, the schools image is changing. Home has a beautiful view with a nice size backyard for entertainment. What Happened When My School Started to Dismantle White Supremacy Culture, The Standing Up for Racial Justice coalition. Please read our Welcome Back letter. There was a time when Visitacion Valley middle school in San Francisco could have featured in a gritty US crime drama. Now, 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. the Visitacion Valley principal who brought the program to life in 2007. Now our previous work on Culturally Responsive Teaching, use of rubrics, and adding student voice had a theoretical underpinning. We can have equity missions plastered on walls and front that we are about closing the opportunity gap, but we dont go deeper than diversity trainings. The school has something to offer everyone, from new programs of study and a variety of clubs to join. Property has a great layout with large kitchen, formal dining room, living room and decent size bedrooms. Therefore, unexamined behaviors of White Supremacy Culture are preventing students from being comfortable or supported enough to learn and flourish. As for getting the children to start meditating, ODriscoll says the biggest hurdle was getting them to feel comfortable with their eyes closed. 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. To do this, we use diverse staff resources and improve student access to high quality programs during the school day and in after-school programs. Consequently, "all other cognitive functions such as learning, problem solving, or creative thinking stop," (Hammond, 2015) activating our fight, flight, or freeze response. But adopting the programme isnt without its challenges. Like most groups of educators, we had spent a few years dancing around topics of racism and struggled to make lasting change. They are more motivated, more confident, more focused, more successful and more joyful. It can result in white rage, broken relationships, grievances, and further harm to oppressed students. David Lynch Foundation (20:44), John Hagelin, PhD He blogs at culturallyresponsiveleadership.com and is a racial equity leadership coach. Property Taxes. and San Pablo, CA. This change comes at the cost of detaching ourselves from ourselves, which also is dehumanizing. To do it properly Visitacion Valley middle school made the day 30 minutes longer. They are owned by a bank or a lender who took ownership through foreclosure proceedings. At VVMS, we were able to get past defensiveness and excuses and get to the heart of the matter. In fact, based on certain urban zip codes, education researchers can predict students attendance rate, behavior, test scores, and overall academic achievement. . 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. Public, 6-8 Serves this home. The award, given by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, includes a $5,000 award for the school. We focus on equitable teaching practices and encourage student participation. 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. Real Options for City Kids (R.O.C.K.) Lastly, this work connected well with our concurrent work of racial affinity groups, social-justice teaching, and revising our school mission statement. Mortgage insurance $0. Principal and Interest. Thus, we are building a collective purpose and a commitment to learning. I noticed a lot of them missing school, fighting, and getting angry a lot. He attributes that to higher levels of job satisfaction. Please call and make an appointment with the principal, assistant principal, dean or school secretary. I look forward to our partnership this upcoming school year and collaborating with all of you to support our brilliant students. This is such a pattern in urban schools that researchers consider it a predictable outcome. Ultimately, we are here to help students empower themselves through education. 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 meditating at Phillip and Sala Burton Academic High School in San Francisco. View more recently sold homes. 3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic Government Administration SAN FRANCISCO, California Dismantling WSC unites staff to work toward being anti-racist. 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. 9 . Surrounded by drugs and gang violence, the kids were stressed out and agitated. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me for anything (harrisc@sfusd.edu). Visitacion Valley Middle School is part of San Francisco Unified School District. In my dream, I imagine that educators can become comfortable talking about race and how it informs the work of educating children. It is invisible and it is toxic. But to start, we must go inward. An easy way to remember our website is to memorize our bit.ly URL! In 2008 Mr. Dierke was named MetLife/NASSP National Middle Level Principal of the Year. In my dream, I imagine that Culturally Responsive Teaching, restorative practices, and deeper learning are all alive in classrooms across the United States. The Standing Up for Racial Justice coalition defines White Supremacy Culture as "the idea (ideology) that white people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions of white people are superior to those of People of Color." Lastly, this work connected well with our concurrent work of racial affinity groups, social-justice teaching, and revising our school mission statement. in San Francisco. (Dan Schreiber/The Examiner) In 2004, two students discovered the partially decomposed body of a 19-year-old stabbing victim. The trouble is we dont even see it. We must name, define, and plan for white fragility, the defensive response by whites when discussing racism. I am privileged to be able to continue to work with our dedicated staff, AMAZING students, and supportive parents. Don't be confused. This took the form of discussions, watching short video clips, annotating readings, and doing some deep personal introspection.