Dear Presidio Parents, Guardians and Community Members,

   As we continue our work in creating safe spaces for each and every child at Presidio, we are proceeding with a series of homeroom conversations with our students on race and equity. Next week our 7th graders will participate in circle conversations titled “What do we know about Race?” This series of conversations will be facilitated by members of our school community. Students are encouraged to share their feelings and thoughts to the following questions:

• What does race mean to you? Is race an important part of your identity on a daily basis?

• When are you most conscious of your race? Share an experience of being particularly aware of your race.

• When are you most aware of the race of others? 

• Invite student to have a talking piece with them on Wednesday

   We welcome families to begin this conversation at home, if you are ready to hold space for such conversations. After spring break we will continue the same series of circle conversations with 8th and 6th grade. As always feel free to contact our administrative team if you should have any questions or concerns.

We look forward to a continued partnership with our families as we grow into a community that celebrates the vibrance and diversity of Presidio Middle School.

   We know that there is hurt, anger and fear in our Asian American and Pacific Islander communities as violence and atrocities of hate continue to be perpetuated against them. We stand in solidarity with our AAPI students and families, you are loved. We can only create the beloved community by working together to become it. We offer these resources to all in our community parents and guardians following the violence of this past week:

• How to Talk to Kids about Race theconciouskid.org

• 6 Ways to Be an Ally Anti-Defamation League

• Show Up: Your Guide to Bystander Intervention ihollaback.org

• Young, Proud, and Sung-jee, a children’s book on fighting anti-Asian racism in COVID-19

• Asian American Children’s Books, all grade levels

• Dear Mom, Dad, Uncle, Auntie, Black Lives Matter to Us Too medium

• Care Package Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Heritage Center 

• Self-Care Tips for Asian Americans Dealing with Racism Huffington Post

• Asian Americans in the People’s History of the United States Zinn Project

Yours in community, 

Ms. Dunbar

Upcoming Events @ Presidio

3/20                 Lemonade - West Portal Fundraiser
3/19-3/28         Growing Up Green Promo @ Sloat Garden Center
3/22                 8th Grade Placement Letters mailed
3/22                 Registration for 6th & 9th Begins
3/29-4/2           Spring Break
4/8                   Community Meeting - High School for 7th Grade Families
4/9                   Registration for 6th & 9th Ends

See below for further details for each upcoming event

Please help the School Site Council support our students by filling out our community survey by Monday (March 22). It should take less than 10 minutes and is focused on gathering and applying lessons learned from this year. Please share the Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese survey links below with anyone you know who may prefer using those languages.

We want to acknowledge that this has been a very unusual and difficult year. We know that moving to distance learning has put an enormous strain on families and on teachers. Many decisions about how and when to move back to in-person learning are outside of our school's control. However, we want to provide an opportunity for clear-eyed assessment of what's gone well and what's gone poorly this year. We also want to get input from our community that will help put us in the best possible position to support our students in successfully transitioning back to in-person learning.

Feel free to reach out to be directly if you have any questions about the survey. 

Warm wishes, 

Amy (mom of Milo and Baxter Zrob and School Site Council parent rep) 

SURVEY LINKS

• Presidio Middle School Community Survey Spring 2021
• Presidio中學 社區調查 2021年春季
• Presidio Middle School Encuesta para la comunidad Primavera de 2021
• Trường Trung Học Presidio Khảo Sát Cộng Đồng Mùa Xuân 2021

我們要承認，這是非常不尋常和困難的一年。我們知道，轉向遠程學習給家庭和教師帶來了龐大的壓力。關於如何以及何時恢復當面學習，許多決定均在本校的控制範圍之外。然而，我們希望提供一個機會去清楚地評估這一年的情况，了解哪些方面變好、哪些方面變差。我們並希望獲得社區的意見，這將有助於我們盡可能得到最佳定位，以支援我們的學生成功地過渡回當面學習。

Queremos reconocer que este ha sido un año muy atípico y difícil. Sabemos que el paso a la enseñanza a distancia ha impuesto una enorme presión a las familias y a los maestros. Muchas decisiones sobre cómo y cuándo volver a la enseñanza presencial se escapan del control de nuestra escuela. Sin embargo, queremos ofrecer una oportunidad para evaluar de forma clara lo que ha salido bien y lo que ha salido mal este año. También queremos conocer la opinión de nuestra comunidad para que nos ayude a estar en las mejores condiciones posibles para apoyar a nuestros alumnos en la transición de regreso al aprendizaje presencial.

Chúng tôi muốn thừa nhận rằng đây là một năm học khó khăn và khác thường. Chúng tôi biết rằng việc chuyển đổi sang hình thức học từ xa đã gây ra một áp lực lớn cho các gia đình và giáo viên. Nhiều quyết định về cách thức cũng như thời điểm quay lại mô hình học trực tiếp hoàn toàn nằm ngoài tầm kiểm soát của nhà trường. Tuy nhiên, chúng tôi muốn nhân cơ hội này để thực hiện một đánh giá rõ ràng về những điều tích cực và yếu kém trong năm học này. Chúng tôi cũng muốn lắng nghe những ý kiến đóng góp từ cộng đồng, điều này sẽ giúp chúng tôi có được sự chuẩn bị tốt nhất để hỗ trợ học sinh chuyển đổi thành công trở về mô hình học trực tiếp.

• Stop AAPI Hate to report any and all instances of anti-Asian hate crimes and violence;
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice to report instances of hate and to read the stories of those who have been impacted by anti-Asian hatred & violence; 
• Asian Mental Health Collective if you are in need of mental health support and/or services;
• Anti-Asian Violence Resources which is a REALLY comprehensive website with links to news updates, report incidents, learn to be a(n better) ally, and/or where to donate; 
• Donate to Asian-Americans Advancing Justice;
• Donate to those affected by yesterday's hate crime.

• President
• Secretary
• Treasurer

• Attend Board of Education Budget & Business Services Committee Meetings, which are typically on the first Wednesday each month at 4pm. Find the meeting notices and agendas here: https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/sfusd/Board.nsf/Public#tab-meetings
• Find SFUSD budget, LCAP, and audit documents here: https://www.sfusd.edu/about-sfusd/budget-and-lcap
• Read more about how education funding in California works in very accessible language (for those of us who aren't finance professionals) on the Ed100 website: https://ed100.org/lessons/support
• Join the SFUSD Community Advisory Committee on Special Education when they host their next monthly meeting on 3/25. It will also be on budget and how it pertains to students who receive special education services, learning recovery, and extended school year. If you have a child who has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or just want to learn more, please join them! https://sites.google.com/view/cacspedsf/meetings/upcoming-meeting

I am from the future

One of the products of what generations have made

Born to carry the fate of the future

I am a pursuer

I strive to work hard and to gain

I have hopes and dreams, just like everyone

I am part of the future

Woven into the future generation

Who strive to carry what everyone wants,

A better future

Because everyone works hard

Everyone wants to improve

So the past generation will rely on the future generation

And someday, there will be new problems

The future generation must face

And soon, a new future generation will be called upon

Making the past future generation part of the past generation

To help improve our world to make a better place

But when we sit down and think

And we look in the place we are at

We think of everything we have right now

Given to us from the past

Everything that our past generations have done

Everything our past generations have sacrificed for us

Everytime WE have relied on the past generation

Shows how important the past is

And we sit down and realize

To see all the things

Both the past and the future generation

Have done for the world

And to realize….

The past was from the future

All our contributions

Helps realize that…

WE, are from the future

Emily Pan

Presidio Middle School

7th Grade

I Am The Future 

In this world I am just a small middle school girl out of many

In this world not everything is fair in life, but it’s forgiving

What we as a nation seek to become, what can we do to rebuild our strength and how? 

What people have done to each other in the past dawns on us now

What we have done to make our planet bleed, the things we have done to our planet that we just now concede; what world do we want to live in, and how will we follow ourselves out of this  maze?

The world as we know it today, too wounded to look at with one single gaze

Our souls and our hearts have been crushed by the pandemic we are going through

But you and I can take a part in this moment, that is something I must remind you

As there are rich people thriving while many people go through hardship & distress

Let's bring the light out of this settled darkness

Let this generation lead us and the generations to come

Let’s lead ourselves and each other to create a future  where nothing can beat us

I am the future, but so are you

So let's come together and create a future of brand new, and remind ourselves of what we can do

Olivia Sanchez

Presidio Middle School

6th Grade

SFJAZZ Girls Day

SAT, MAR 20 • 11 AM - 2 PM PT

Join celebrated women jazz faculty in this very special virtual session for female jazz instrumentalists and singers ages 13-18 during Women's History Month. Ensemble techniques, improvisation, and musicianship will be the focus of this program for developing jazz players. 

This year’s theme is “Women in the Music Industry: Building Community & Building Your Chops”. You will have the opportunity to learn from and play with the musicians above and more on Saturday, March 20th!

Please sign up using the link below. Note that this year's event is virtual so you will receive the zoom invitation closer to the date of the event.