A Schoolwide Commitment to the Joy of Learning

A Schoolwide Commitment to

THE JOY OF LEARNING

THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE IN THE CRAFT OF TEACHING

At a time when educators around the world are grappling with the scope and extent of pandemicrelated learning loss, Burke’s has been wellpositioned to identify learning gaps and provide the tools to ensure our students thrive. This school year’s Professional Development (PD) schedule includes more than 45 afternoon meetings and three Professional Development Days for faculty to collaborate with their peers and build out classroom experiences.

What’s up in the HUB?

A comfy couch, extra seating, and a large table to gather around are at the center of the HUB, home to Renita LiVolsi, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and Fran Yang, Director of Curriculum and Innovation. These two admin team members intentionally share an office to collaborate and innovate on the K-8 curriculum and interdisciplinary projects throughout the year with a strong DEIB lens. It is appropriately named as it is often a hub of interaction and conversation between admin, teachers, staff, and others on campus who stop by or walk through and chat about anything from the day’s events to the execution of an innovative

idea. Overlooking the Lower School Blue Top with the cacophony of student laughter in the background, its location offers a constant reminder of Burke’s mission to educate, encourage, and empower our students with a focus on joy.

Prioritizing Professional Development (PD)

Head of School Michele Williams likes to say, “Our commitment to PD runs deep. We walk the talk. We create the time for faculty and staff to engage in professional development and provide two times what many of our peer schools allocate towards PD.”

Utilizing an internal Burke’s PD website, faculty and staff are able to seek and apply for on-and off-campus professional development opportunities, connect with others about what PD they’re engaged in, and learn about innovative classroom practices and instructional strategies. They are also able to find resources from past guest speakers, consultants, and in-house presentations. In the summer, teachers can engage in conferences or workshops, apply for a summer grant to work collaboratively on a curricular project or engage in an Idea Lab to further develop an idea for the coming year.

When I came to Burke’s 10 years ago, the Board was focused on building a strategy to recruit and retain excellent educators. My response at that time was that when teachers are learning, students are going to learn more effectively.

— MICHELE WILLIAMS, HEAD OF SCHOOL

A few Idea Lab examples in action are:

● Upper School Math Department: The math team met to plan a pilot for the Connected Mathematics Project’s fourth edition as part of a trial group. The group got early access to the updated curriculum and are working to incorporate open-ended questioning, high-ceiling and low-floor tasks (tasks that all students can access but that can be extended to high levels), increased differentiation, and group work. The team is looking forward to exploring some of the CMP4 investigations with students over the course of the school year.

● Upper School Makery/Language Collaboration: A collaboration between the Upper School Makery teacher and the Spanish department, this project is designed for eighth graders and incorporates three parts: a written biography, a podcast, and a creative poster in the style of the Fillmore. Spanish teacher Anthony Sabedra said, “Music is one of my passions and I wanted to incorporate the presence of women in music from the Spanish-speaking world.”

● Lower School Teacher’s College Phonics: A facilitator from Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Project spent the day with the K-3 teachers and those who support language arts instruction in the Lower School during an engaging full day workshop. New instructional and student materials and books were purchased for the program, and the first-grade team - along with Lower School Learning Specialist Kelly Shea - developed a fall implementation plan. Some faculty attended summer workshops on this curriculum, and some will attend the fall TC Phonics Institute to further their understanding. The phonics program will provide important scaffolding for students’ reading and writing throughout the school year.

Lower School

(Top) Faculty and staff used a beach ball toss to model using play as a vehicle for connection.

(Bottom, Left) Faculty and staff take a survey during nationally recognized antibias and antiracist educator Liz Kleinrock’s session.

(Bottom, Right) Faculty get a lesson on how to integrate Makery tools such as the laser cutter into their classroom projects.

Over my career, I have seen what happens when teachers become inspired through transformational professional development experiences. That inspiration translates into powerful classroom experiences that benefit students in a myriad of ways.

- Alice Moore,

Director

Professional Development Institute (PDI)

Summer doesn’t start for our faculty and staff when the final school bell rings! Each year, faculty attend the Professional Development Institute (PDI), which brings leading trainers and organizations to Burke’s for on-campus professional development the week after graduation. Offerings at past PDIs have included an Investigations Math training, an “Inclusivity by Design” workshop, differentiation of learning, the Burke’s EdTech summit, and a Service Learning Institute that integrated on-campus PD and service projects across the city. The time is used to collaborate on changes, additions, or innovations they plan to pursue in the coming school year. The projects and trainings from last June’s PDI included:

● DEIB Training: Jabari Lyles Consulting held faculty/staff training on gender inclusion, and Lower and Upper School worked in breakout groups to learn how to approach gender inclusion in developmentally appropriate ways. Jabari Lyles also provided a training session in October for parents/ guardians to learn how to support students across the gender spectrum.

● Upper School Advisory Program & SEL: This year, as we focus on the Social Emotional needs of students, faculty worked with consultants from the Institute for Social and Emotional Learning (IFSEL) around using SEL practices to continue to build our Upper School Advisory program. A series of parent workshops is being offered over the course of the year to provide greater insight into what SEL looks like in Upper School as well as provide tools to use at home.

● Learning Target Development: Specialist faculty and fourth grade teachers have been pursuing a project around learning targets and curriculum mapping under the guidance of Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs. The development of the Burke’s curriculum map provides faculty and staff with an important tool of communication about the progression of skills through the years at Burke’s. The Curriculum Committee is made up of faculty from various departments in both divisions as well as the Academic Admin team and will oversee the work throughout the year.

Opening Meetings

Opening Meetings are the official kick-off to the new school year for faculty and staff. This year’s sessions featured nationally recognized antibias and antiracist educator Liz Kleinrock as well as Trauma-Informed Teaching organized by Burke’s Lower and Upper School Counselors in conjunction with Grace Dearborn of Conscious Teaching. Time was also spent preparing classrooms, completing mandated reporter training, and working together by division and department to brainstorm ways to integrate Makery technology, library resources, and expertise of the specialists into classrooms.

Curriculum Conversations

Faculty gather monthly under the leadership of Fran Yang, Director of Curriculum and Innovation, to engage in conversations about curriculum, new project ideas, and collaborations across subject areas. Each session begins with a series of prompts that include questions such as “what is a cross-grade or cross-disciplinary collaboration that would be exciting to see happen?” or “what is an aspect of student life at Burke’s that could connect to the greater community around us?” This year, faculty looked at student performance and any patterns that may have changed or been impacted by pandemic-related factors. It is an opportunity for the Lower School and Upper School divisions to share observations and ideas. Out of these conversations great things happen.

Burke’s educators are dynamic professionals, dedicated to continually pursuing opportunities to deepen their practice, extend their expertise, and collaborate with others to ensure that our students are engaged in learning experiences that encourage them to be their best authentic selves.

- Fran Yang, Director of Curriculum and Innovation

Burke’s Academic Admin Team

The Academic Admin Team is made up of the Head of School, Director of Curriculum and Innovation, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, and Upper and Lower School Division Directors. This team meets together and in smaller configurations to drive and facilitate Burke’s strategic vision around curriculum and professional development. Topics range from organizational planning of all professional development (in-service days, outside speakers, the June Professional Development Institute); managing and considering changes to and/or the adoption of new curricular initiatives; and coordination of the scope and sequence of the K-8 curriculum.

As the eighth Head of School at Burke’s, Michele Williams holds an extensive background in independent school education, including more than a decade as the Head of Stevenson’s Upper School. Born to a family of educators, Michele grew up in New York and received her undergraduate degree in American Studies from Smith College, where she was a varsity athlete. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management. She began her career teaching history at Suffield Academy in Connecticut. Michele joined Stevenson in 1991 and held positions of increasing academic and administrative responsibility, including Director of Residence and Dean of Students, before being named Head of the Pebble Beach Campus in 1998.

Renita Livolsi is in her second year at Burke’s as Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging. She has dedicated her career to creating access, inclusivity, and community in a variety of institutions, which include non-profits, government, and education. She is also a co-facilitator for the course “How to Talk About Race” with Rise for Racial Justice through the University of San Francisco and a DEI consultant with Alma Partners. Renita is a native of Detroit and a student of Waldorf schools in Detroit and in Wilton, New Hampshire.

Alice is beginning her tenth year at Burke’s. Before coming to Burke’s, she was a third-grade teacher, K-5 science teacher, Director of Environmental Sustainability, and Director of Curriculum and Professional Development at Marin Country Day School. Before that, she taught at an all-boys school on the East Coast. Alice has a professional background steeped in curriculum design and has spent most of her career leading change in schools using a systems thinking approach. Her expertise in strategic planning and execution has been critical to the success of the last plan at Burke’s as well as the formation of the current plan. Her own educational journey began at an all-girls school, and she is loving being back in an all-girls environment.

Sheena Tart-Zelvin is beginning her third year as Upper School Director. Entering education in 2005, she spent nine years at The Hamlin School where she wore many hats, and before that she taught middle and high school students in Missouri, Texas, and New Mexico. She says, “I am grateful to work with a talented faculty that is dedicated to the school’s mission to educate, encourage, and empower. Even still - the moments that I get to spend with students like greeting them in the courtyard, stopping by a class, or helping to answer a question about a math assignment - are the highlights of my day and the joy at the center of my role.”

Fran Yang is in her third year at Burke’s having joined as Makery Facilitator and Technology Integration Specialist and moving into the role of Director of Curriculum and Innovation in 2021. She has been an educator for more than 30 years, both as a K-8 classroom teacher and an instructional coach. She approaches faculty and staff professional development in a way that aims to ensure learning experiences are both timely and relevant to boost engagement, which then translates to meaningful classroom practice application. Fran oversees the library, Makery, and technology team and enjoys spreading her appreciation for technology as a tool for teaching and learning as well as supporting teachers to develop integrated learning experiences for students.