When it came time to organize the annual winter holiday party in her daughter’s first ­grade class at Bullis Charter School, Christina Mireles wanted to help the students celebrate the holidays in a way that didn’t involve making styrofoam snowmen.

Searching on the United Way website for a meaningful way for children to give back to the community, she discovered EHC LifeBuilders in Sunnyvale.

Working with classroom teacher Nancy Barlow during the weekly “Writer’s Workshop,” Mireles described to the 20 first­graders how at the EHC LifeBuilders shelter, clients in need arrive in the late afternoon, sleep for the night and then eat breakfast in the morning. The shelter then provides everyone a small snack for the day when they leave at 6 a.m.

After consulting with Elizabeth Griswold, community relations specialist at EHC LifeBuilders, Mireles suggested to the students that they provide a midday snack for 125 adults for one day.

The class discussed how serving others relates to the school’s integrated character pillars – Citizenship, Fairness and Respect.

The children brainstormed ideas for stores from which they could ask for donations and composed request letters. Their letters generated more than $170 in gift­card donations from Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Draeger’s Market and Target, as well as perishable donations from De Martini Orchards, Andronico’s and Starbucks.

Anagha Jain, mother of a third­grader at BCS, recruited her daughter’s class to participate in the project by creating 125 handmade cards with holiday wishes and words of encouragement. During their holiday party time, the classes collaborated to decorate and fill 125 bags with snacks, which were delivered to EHC LifeBuilders.

Griswold said her clients were “touched by the handmade cards and appreciated the fresh fruit in particular.”

An abundance of donations enabled the students to contribute additional items to the shelter, including 12 pounds of brown sugar, raisins and men’s socks.

First ­grader Amina Hurd said the experience made her feel “really happy.”

“I felt thankful because they had what they needed to survive,” she said. “And they wouldn’t be hungry anymore.”

“Our students gained a simple yet profound understanding of helping others,” said third­grade teacher Margaret Lim. “They learned that hard times can cause many people to lose what they have. I loved seeing their hearts reach out to others.”

The Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge awarded Bullis Charter School’s fourth grade second place in the 3-5 grade level for its project on developing an erosion control method and preventing loss of habitat in a nature preserve.

Lynn Reed, Bullis Charter School science and engineering specialist, served as mentor to the victorious team.

Nearly 13,500 elementary students participated in this year’s Challenge, which aimed to empower young people to create solutions to today’s environmental problems. A panel of environmental advocates and science educators selected the Bullis team based on the project’s ability to resolve a current environmental issue at the school and encourage others to participate.

The students and Reed collected data, researched riparian environments and developed plans for habitat restoration. They discovered that their methods were successful in preventing erosion and restoring habitat and continue to work with staff at the nature preserve.

“This year’s group of elementary-school teams drove environmental change in their classrooms and schools,” said Jeniffer Harper-Taylor, president of the Siemens Foundation. “(Bullis students) demonstrated that no matter their age, our country’s youth are excited and energetic about solving the environmental issues facing our communities. The Siemens Foundation and its partners are proud of these students and their mentors for encouraging their peers to take action and create a more sustainable world.”

As the second-place winner, the fourth-graders will receive a prize package that includes a banner for their school and a Siemens We Can Change the World green prize and temporary tattoos for each student. In addition, Reed will receive a $3,000 grant for the school, free registration and hotel accommodations at an upcoming National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) national or area conference, a one-year membership to NSTA and a pocket video camera.

The Challenge is a collaborative effort of the Siemens Foundation, Discovery Education, the College Board and NSTA. More than 35,000 students have participated in the Challenge since its inception in 2008.

For more information, visit www.wecanchange.com.

Two Bullis Charter School students recently garnered top prizes at the 36th Annual Chinese Language Teachers Association of California Mandarin Speech Contest.

The competition drew more than 650 students from 28 California schools to San Francisco to compete against grade-level peers in Mandarin public speaking. The charter school integrates the language into the curriculum beginning in kindergarten to prepare its students to be well versed in international culture and competitive in the expanding global economy.

Fourth-graders Karina Halevy and Jacqueline Hillman received the top prize in their divisions by delivering the best oral presentations of original Mandarin speeches. This is the second time in the past few months that Karina has been recognized for her Mandarin comprehension. She recently took first place in the Chinese Essay-Writing Competition in a local competition organized by the Confucius Institute at San Francisco State University.

Karina and Jacqueline participate in the Mandarin classes as part of the school’s Foreign Language Program, which will include all classes as the current fourth-graders, the class that started the language in kindergarten, move into fifth grade. It is already an integral part of the new middle-school program.

Bullis Charter School seventh-grade students are spending the last weeks of school preparing their final project, a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” a culmination of all the specialized skills they learned this year.

The 20 seventh-graders received a junior high experience unlike the norm. The regular curriculum was contained in nine-week blocks interspersed with three-week intersessions of specialized learning.

“The intersession served as a respite. It helped them energize and really enjoy school,” said Bullis Middle School Team Leader Lisa Stone. “The intersessions made the year fly. It was something they looked forward to but at the end of each intersession, they were ready to return to the regular schedule.”

The nine-week blocks of curriculum included physical education, electives (drama, art and music), English/language arts, math, history, science, foreign language (Spanish or Mandarin) and advisement. The intersessions comprised small group instruction on woodwork, textiles, food, renewable energy, tech challenge, engineering, design, technical and performance.

“We believe in developing the whole child,” said Bullis Superintendent Wanny Hersey.

Part of developing the whole child is offering emotional education as well, which the seventh-grade program provides through mentorships and leadership classes.

“The small group has allowed the teachers to have more meaningful interactions with the students,” Hersey said. “The teachers are able to really get to know (them).”

The advisement sessions included brainology lessons that take an introspective look at how each student learns, takes notes and studies.

“Studies show in middle school the engagement piece goes down,” Hersey said. “Sometimes middle-school students focus on the wrong things. This is the ideal age to guide them, because they can actually think at a higher level.”

Hersey said the program helped the students internalize and answer such questions as: How do I overcome my weaknesses? What are my strengths? Who am I? Who are the people I should look up to?

Parent Lucy Hsu said she appreciates the smaller classes.

“I think it is a benefit that the class is only 20 students,” Hsu said. “That they are able to operate at a really small size and customize to the kids is terrific.”

Hsu’s son Jarrod is at a high math level. She said she is happy the school continues to teach him at his level.

The middle-school program also provides students an opportunity to experience new and unique sports and play them competitively.

Bullis Charter School seventh-graders competed in a triathlon, fencing, table tennis and volleyball. For most competitions, they compete in a league of small schools.

“We really like playing in this league because it welcomes learning and trying” Stone said.

The sports program encourages participation at every level – from novice bike riding to competitive volleyball – every student is included in the competitions.

Looking ahead, Hersey said that the eighth-grade program, scheduled to begin next year, would be similar to this year’s seventh-grade structure, but the intersessions will focus more on becoming well-rounded citizens, with a larger emphasis on service.

Bullis Charter School seventh­ graders are not your everyday junior high students. This year, the 21 students are enrolled in a project­based program designed differently from the typical middle school experience.

The students began seventh grade at Bullis Charter School Aug. 19. The first nine weeks of school, they will proceed through their normal curriculum of science, math, language arts, foreign language, music, art and drama, with classes paired to allow longer “blocks” of times in specific disciplines. Bullis Superintendent Wanny Hersey said the block schedule is preferable to the routine seven­ period junior high experience, which often requires students to run from class to class with no logical subject­ area progression.

For example, math and science classes are scheduled back­to­back at the charter school so that teachers can collaborate with students on projects that build on, apply and reinforce concepts in both subject areas.

“The block scheduling allows us to have opportunities to have students immersed in project­based learning,” Hersey said.

After the normal curriculum period, students will engage in three­ week intersessions in which students can develop a deeper understanding of a particular subject.

The first intersession, scheduled to begin in October, will focus on woodworking, cooking and sewing, Hersey said.

The intersessions move beyond the classroom and engage the students in active learning in the real world, she said. Depending on the area of focus, students may participate in field study, job shadowing, interviewing, performing and learning from professionals outside the classroom.

The intersession lessons combined with the Bullis Charter School curriculum will culminate in a student-­run production of a Shakespeare play.

“The skills and knowledge they gained throughout the school year will give the students the ability to put this play on,” Hersey said.
She said the play is an ideal way to incorporate what students learned in history, literature, music and performance, and apply the practical skills developed in the intersessions.

Hersey said the staff strives to meet the emotional and social needs of students as well. Each student is assigned a faculty mentor who helps him or her focus on achieving goals and provides academic, emotional and social support.

In addition, Hersey said outside professionals will visit the students and act as real-­world mentors.

“The students are able to work on their 21st­ century skills while allowing them to work with experts in the field through the mentor program,” she said.

Hersey said the seventh­ grade program fits with Bullis Charter School’s brand of project-­based learning. Every student spends time analyzing, integrating and applying concepts to real­life learning opportunities, she said.

Bullis Charter School in Los Altos recently hosted and competed in a track ­and ­field meet for K-­6 charter school students throughout the Bay Area.

More than 700 elementary students participated in the second Charter School Invitational Junior Olympics June 6 at Stanford University’s Cobb Track.

“We were thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with our fellow charter schools in an event that reached beyond our individual school classrooms and communities to give our students a tremendous athletic and character­ building experience,” Bullis Charter School Principal/Superintendent Wanny Hersey said of her decision to host the meet.

Bullis Charter School reached out to nearby charter schools to help coordinate the event. Participating schools included Livermore Valley Charter School, Charter School of Morgan Hill, Escuela Popular Dual Language Academy in San Jose, Rocketship Sí Se Puede Academy in San Jose and Voices College­Bound Language Academy in San Jose.

Echoing the traditions of the Olympic Games, students from all the schools participated in the opening ceremonies, which included a performance of the national anthem by school bands and a soloist, an athlete procession with school banners, a torch­passing ceremony by outstanding citizens from each school and rhythmic gymnastics to the music of “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus.

The theme song was chosen to represent the philosophy of the event: Victory is not in the reward, but in the journey and the “climb” it takes to get there.

The meet featured running relays (50, 100 and 400 meters), individual track events (100, 400 and 800 runs), standard field events (long jump, broad jump and javelin) and other events geared toward the youngest children (egg and spoon race, beanbag toss and basketball shootout). Between events, students participated in activities hosted by the Youth Science Institute.

In preparation for the meet, participating schools provided students with athletic instruction and taught them about the Olympic tradition across their curricula.

Students participated in a torch relay among the schools and a friendship bracelet exchange on the day of the event to encourage a connection to the other schools.

In addition, the charter schools welcomed four local Olympians, who presented medals to participants. The Olympians included Sara Lowe (synchronized swimmer, bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics), Dana Kirk (swimmer, 2004), Christine Thorburn (bicyclist, 2000) and Ted Huang (windsurfer, 1996 and 2000).

In keeping with the spirit of fellowship, Bullis awarded medals and ribbons to all participants and a citizenship trophy to the Voices College­Bound Language Academy for demonstrating superior sportsmanship.

“We had a wonderful time,” said Frances Teso, principal of Voices. “In fact, the parents and kids can’t stop talking about how amazing the day was. Most of the kids wore their medals to school the following day. Some parents said kids even slept with them on.”

Lucretia Peebles, director of charter schools at the Santa Clara County Office of Education, was on hand to kick off the day’s festivities.

“I applaud Bullis Charter School on their efforts to foster collaboration among charter schools within and outside of Santa Clara County,” she said.

Bullis Charter School kindergarten teacher Kea Feldman’s goal is to help children read. She is compassionate, dedicated and occasionally likes to chase her own tail.

According to her Los Altos owner and kindergarten teacher Jane Feldman, Kea, a 10 ­year ­old shepherd mix “reading dog,” is specially trained to help with reading comprehension – she sits and listens patiently as students sound out words and grapple with story concepts.

“It’s a way to motivate students in a fun way without their being constricted or hindered by ability,” Feldman said. “She’s not going to judge or restrict them.”

Feldman said Kea’s presence also helps students apply fictional themes with reality.

“I might ask the kids, ‘What did Hansel and Gretel do to mark their path? They used breadcrumbs. Well, what if Kea were walking with them – should they still drop breadcrumbs?’ It gets kids to connect the story with real life,” Feldman said.

Kea sits attentively while children read to her, a quality attributed to the rigorous training she underwent six years ago.

 To ensure her best behavior in unpredictable classroom situations, Kea’s trainers would leave her alone in a room until she learned not to search for her owner and would make loud noises to numb gradually her reactions to pandemonium.

 However, a malignant mast cell removal surgery recently sidelined Kea and her education career while she spent six weeks in recovery, which proved physically and emotionally draining for Feldman and her dog.

 After veterinarians removed the tumor, they told Feldman Kea might need further radiation therapy to ensure her cancer would not return. Feldman, however, said she did not want to subject her dog to more stressful treatment. In the face of a 30 percent to 40 percent chance of the cancer recurring, she said no.

That initial surgery – necessary to save Kea’s life – was costly.

Thanks to an outpouring of local support during a two­ week fundraiser at Pet’s Delight in downtown Los Altos last month, Feldman recouped 15 percent of the total cost.

Feldman said she is grateful for the support of Tatiana and Denis Boulankine, owners of Pet’s Delight.

 “They provided the venue and sold items to donate some of the proceeds for (the surgery),” Feldman said.

Insurance could have covered the operation, but Feldman did not purchase it when Kea was young.

Now with Kea healthy at least for a while, Feldman said her dog “plans to spend the next couple of years as a reading dog, enjoying her life.”