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.”

The April 22 celebration of Earth Day encourages hundreds of local school children to participate in clean­ up and beautification projects this month.

Students from schools in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills will participate in as many as 40 projects, beginning this weekend. The projects range from trash pickup along trails and at parks to plantings at school campuses.

Event organizer Chris Vargas said the Earth Day cleanup event is in its fourth year. This year, supporters opened the community service project to all schools. The activities run through May 1.

Vargas said members of the local Earth Day Committee began the first project in 2006, involving 180 students at Bullis Charter School.

The number expanded in 2007 to 240 children at Bullis and Pinewood schools.

Last year, participation increased when 300 children from Bullis, Pinewood and St. Nicholas schools combined for the cleanup.

Vargas anticipates as many as 500 students participating this year.

Vargas encourages school parents to urge their principals or Green Committee to contact Earth Day Committee members for information on registering for the cleanup and pickup campaign.

Given the current state of the economy, students at Bullis Charter School are learning a valuable lesson, indeed – how to turn $51,000 into more than $99,000 in the stock market.

 Fourth­ through sixth­ graders participated in Money Smart, a class designed to explain the financial industry with units on corporations, buying and selling stock, investing, risk, diversification, compound interest and current events.

“Financial literacy is something I feel should be incorporated in our state standards of education,” said Quincy Jones, teacher of Money Smart. “It really fosters the students’ critical­ thinking skills.”

In addition to learning about money matters, the students competed against other Bay Area schools in the Stock Market Game. One Bullis Charter School team placed 10th out of 38 teams.

“I learned that buying stocks actually means that you’re buying a fraction of a company,” said Kai Jarmon, a BCS fourth ­grader who took the class.

 Based on the U.S. equity market system, the educational game is sponsored by Merrill Lynch and correlates to California state standards in math, English, language arts, economics, social studies, business education and technology.

 In an effort to build the most successful portfolio of stocks, students learned how to research and evaluate the performance of various companies and industries, allowing them to better understand the effect of current events on corporate financial performance.

“We spent a lot of time watching how a particular stock was performing before choosing what to buy or not to buy,” said Karnika Pombra, a sixth­ grader in the class.

 The student teams received $100,000 in “virtual” money to invest in stocks and mutual funds in the fall. Student trades took place in real­time, just as they do for the actual stock market. By the end of the game, after investing nearly $51,000, the students had accrued $99,812.52.

“When purchasing stocks, we based our decisions on past changes in the company and trends in that industry,” said Matthew Mellea, a fourth­grader in the class.

The students’ final portfolio consisted of stock from Apple, American Airlines, Potash, Wal­Mart and Toyota Motors. Their portfolio was measured against the S&P 500 Index.

Prizes were awarded to top­-ranked teams in each California region. Bullis Charter School students Mellea, Christopher Grey and Noah Herman will receive award certificates.

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” — The Olympic Creed

 More than 1,000 young people from charter schools and communities throughout the Bay Area sought to fulfill the Olympic Creed as they participated in the Bullis Charter School Invitational Junior Olympics June 8. The daylong event was held at Stanford University’s Cobb Track and Angell Field.

?????The eight charter schools that participated included: Bullis Charter School (Los Altos, K­6), Charter School of Morgan Hill (K­8), Escuela Popular Accelerated Family Learning (San Jose, K­4), KIPP Heartwood Academy (San Jose, 5­8), Livermore Valley Charter School (K­8), Making Waves Academy (Richmond, 5), Rocketship Education (San Jose, K­3) and Voices­ College Bound Language Academy (San Jose, K­1).

Local Olympians and athletes, including Susan Jones Roy, a swimmer in the 1968 Olympic Games; Nancy Lippe, a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic field hockey team; Kerry McCoy, a wrestler in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games; Sara Lowe, a synchronized swimmer in the 2004 Olympic Games; Matt Gentry, a Canadian wrestler in the 2008 Olympic Games; Vic Moreno, a wrestler and 2008 Olympic Trials qualifier; Michael Mitchell, a wrestler and coach at Stanford University; and Courtenay Stewart, a synchronized swimmer for Stanford University, encouraged the young participants and awarded medals to the winners.

“We are so excited to have the opportunity to partner with our fellow charter schools in an event that will reach beyond our individual school classrooms and communities to give our students a new athletic and character­ building experience,” said Wanny Hersey, principal and superintendent of Bullis Charter School (BCS) of her decision to spearhead this event.

 Hersey noted that BCS reached out to charter schools located within reasonable proximity to one another in order to facilitate coordination.

 Seeking to echo the traditions of the International Olympic Games, the students participated in an opening ceremony.

 The program featured individual track events and relays, standard field events and contests geared toward the youngest children.

The charter schools weaved information about the Olympic tradition into their curricula while offering athletic training in preparation for the field day.

 At BCS, for example, some third­ to sixth­ grade students participated in an elective class that researched the history of the Olympics. At KIPP Heartwood Academy, students prepared for the individual athletic events, and studied the history of the Olympics and of Ancient Greece, said Mr. David Walton, physical education coach.

In keeping with the Olympic spirit of fellowship, the BCS Invitational Jr. Olympics awarded medals not only to individuals in all of the track and field events but also presented a medal to the school that demonstrated the best sportsmanship. The coaches of the participating schools selected Bullis Charter School for its work initiating the event.

Hersey and the other charter school principals said they hope the BCS Olympics is the beginning of a tradition for years to come. As for the work involved in coordinating the daylong program with the participation of eight charter schools that had not collaborated in this manner previously, Hersey was undaunted.

“We are all part of a local charter school community and we share a common experience of forming schools from the ground up,” she said. “There is a bond that comes from such shared experience and also a fearlessness about breaking new ground and trying new things. It has been wonderful to see how our different schools are integrating the experience of the Olympics into their individual programs and empowering the students to take on leadership roles.”

State Superintendent of Education Jack O’Connell visited Bullis Charter School in Los Altos this month to recognize the school as a California Distinguished School.

“I was honored to be able to join in the excitement as these dedicated educators learned their schools earned this coveted title,” O’Connell said. “From their stories, it became clear that they share a schoolwide vision of excellence where every student can succeed and achieve at the very highest levels of performance.”
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The California Distinguished Schools program recognizes exemplary and inspiring schools in the state.

“This award is a testament to the incredible talents, dedication and sheer hard work of the entire BCS community,” said Wanny Hersey, BCS principal and superintendent. “Four years ago we set out to implement our vision and are thrilled to be recognized as a California Distinguished School.”

 Students heard the news at a special school assembly April 9.

“I think our school is the best school there could be,” said Neel Gupta, a second ­grade class representative.

Parents who attended applauded the administration, staff members and students for their achievement.

 “This is such a great way to honor our entire community,” said parent Nadja Jackson. “BCS delivers a top ­notch educational program while creating an atmosphere of leadership, positive school spirit and pride.”

A visitation team from the California Department of Education spent a day at BCS evaluating its mission, implementation and award­ winning academic programs to determine its selection.

The review committee singled out the project­-based learning using curriculum that emphasizes problem solving, inquiry­-based instruction and cooperative learning as an important contribution to the school’s success.

“Most importantly, the signature practice of the school – individual learning plans for each student – sets the foundation upon which the instructional program is developed,” the review documents reported.

In addition to the California Distinguished School Award, BCS has received WASC accreditation and been named one of the leading charter schools in the state. Its API scores place BCS in the top 1 percent of California elementary schools.

The school’s open ­enrollment period recently ended with a record number of enrollment requests.

California Charter Schools Association, which supports the charter school movement statewide, selected Bullis Charter School as one of approximately 50 charter schools across the state to participate in the My School! program.

Selected schools agree to incorporate the program into curriculum projects and community activities, and create dialogue among educators and parents about what their school means to them. Bullis Charter School announced its support for the My School! public awareness campaign Nov. 13.

“Bullis Charter School has become well ­known for its outstanding academic and extracurricular programs. The My School! campaign is an opportunity for the students to have fun while highlighting these areas of education,” said Darin Conway, parent of two Bullis Charter School students.

Bullis Charter School is the highest­ scoring California charter school and ranks among the top 1 percent of all schools in the state.

“We are pleased to be recognized as a leader among charter schools,” said Wanny Hersey, principal and superintendent of Bullis Charter School. “We have an outstanding community which has allowed us to put together a unique program.”
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The California Charter Schools Association kicked off the campaign with the introduction of an interactive Web site, www.myschool.org. The site supports the charter school movement and provides an online resource for parents across the state searching for a public charter school in their community.

After a lengthy self­ study and full ­day accreditation team visit, the Schools Commission of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) awarded full accreditation to Bullis Charter School.

The criteria to receive accreditation are based on guidelines of systemic school improvement that address WASC’s central tenet: A school operates with a clear understanding of its purpose.

“Bullis Charter School is extremely proud to have achieved such high distinction in such a short period of time,” said Ken Moore, Bullis Charter School board chairman. “We see the WASC accreditation as confirmation that our programs maximize student learning.”

The accreditation process provides an opportunity for the school to review current best practices, establish short­ and long­ term goals and validate the integrity of a school’s program. Most schools receive a request for further self­ study or a limited term approval. Bullis Charter School, in its second year of operation, was awarded full accreditation.

“I’m very proud of being such a new school and having the WASC team come in and validate the work we are doing,” said Principal Wanny Hersey. “We work on what we feel is important in education to make the school unique.”

The Schools Commission noted the charter school’s unique electives program, its strong parent community and its skilled teaching staff as some of its outstanding features.

“Everything about the school challenges those involved: leaders, teachers, parents, schools and community. This is a high­ achieving school. There is a school community value system that creates an environment so students can glow academically based on their abilities,” the Schools Commission reported on Bullis Charter School.

Hersey said the report recognized that one of the major tenets of the charter school is that it looks at students on an individual basis.

“Our kids model character pillars because our value system is thoroughly integrated,” Hersey said.

Bullis Charter School’s enrollment is up by 30 students this year, for a total of 260 students on campus. Hersey said BCS has welcomed five new staff, including instructional aides, to work on campus this year.

“We have some new, amazing staff joining us, staff that is multi­-talented and qualified,” Hersey said. “I think between all of us, there are 11 languages and a large range of expertise and passion.”

Hersey said the school is working on building its community­ service and environmental science programs. Members of the charter school staff trained at Hopkins Marin Institute last week to prepare for the science programs this year. The charter school is also working with Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills to enhance its environmental science learning.