School Year 2012-13 Accomplishments

April 3, 2013


Dear Claire Lilienthal Family,


As we enter our final term for the year together, I wanted to reflect on our accomplishments and year ahead.  Together as a staff, we began the year with goals to improve discipline and school climate through both Restorative Practices Professional Development and facilitation, improved existing policy for K through 8 in terms of adult supervision and schedules, and additional staffing.  Our students continue to work well together, enjoy and respect each other, and we believe this is a result of the cooperative learning that occurs in the classroom, in our academic work together, through project based learning, our Physical Education Program, Artists in Residence programs, and Outdoor Education.  Additionally, we now lead SFUSD in the use of Common Learning Assessments in both English Language Arts and Math, not to diagnose your children, but so teachers have a tool to guide planning and instruction for both groups and individuals, instead of waiting until standardized testing time. Our school continues to lead the way in the school district in Inclusive Practices and improving Special Education services, for which all of our staff had additional Professional Development this year, and is already in our plans for next year to continue.  If you had a chance to look at our achievement data, all of which is accessible on ClaireLilienthal.org, you will see that our school continues to make great gains.


Our goals for next year include deepening this work, as well as working more specifically with achievement gap students, those students who are not doing as well as we think they can do.  Thanks to the passing of Proposition 30, we will not face cuts next year, but as we shared with you frequently throughout the year, Proposition 30 maintains our funding.  Our Faculty and elected member of the School Site Council have worked to both align our budgets with priorities, as well as discuss deeper issues, such as how the school can improve communication to families how teasing and bullying are addressed at school, so please continue to follow this work in progress.  We are also looking forward to changes in Middle School Math, providing greater enrichment opportunity through the Elective Period.  This year we added a wide array of after school program opportunities, which we hope to continue next year as well.


We thank the San Francisco Unified School District for providing additional funding, over and above our usual “Weighted Student Formula” funding, to support an additional teacher in the 4th/5th KIP and Middle School Korean Language Pathway, for the first time in the history of Claire Lilienthal, and we thank the coordinated efforts of parents and teachers working in partnership with the school and district administration to make this happen.  Our School Site Council has already approved the funding of an Early Literacy Specialist at the Madison Campus, which we believe is important for the future success of our students, and we are pleased that this position will be increased as well.  As a Faculty and Staff, we have determined our next priority, to support the social and emotional needs of our students and families, reduce conflict, provide CLA Counseling and Reward for achievement gap students, and more, is to bring our part time Learning Support Professional / Counselor to full time.  For this we will be seeking additional funding and will ask the PTA.  I am pleased to let you know that our State and Federal Budget, while not what it should be, will not be facing reduction.  There will be ample funding and opportunity for substitute teachers and extended hours for Professional Development for teachers throughout next year for our English Language Learners, Gifted and Talented students, and achievement gap students, all whom deserve the best education we can provide them in the form of a differentiated curriculum.


What can you do to help?

Come to the auction!  Be generous!  And support the priorities for improvement that have been determined by the Faculty, Staff, and Community Input at Claire Lilienthal.  Support a PTA that we hope will continue to provide

  • A Physical Education Program for Kinder through 5th Grade Students
  • An Artist in Residence Program for 100% of our students from Kinder through 8th grade with the San Francisco Arts Education Project
  • Outdoor Education scholarships, so every child can attend
  • A technology resource person and new funding to begin replacing our computers at both campuses
  • Classroom Funds and Grade Level Funds for teachers
  • A Green Schoolyard Coordinator who has done wonderful work this year with our students and teachers at both campuses.


This is what makes Claire Lilienthal special.  We could not do it without your support and partnership.  Thank you for your trust and partnership, your volunteerism, your generosity, and your friendship.  All of us believe it is a great honor to teach your children and be such an important part of each others’ lives.


See you at STARLIGHT!


Sincerely,


William Hack

Principal