Helios School

Helios 7th and 8th graders grapple with big questions of human identity, unity, and division. In the Being Human expedition, they participated in a presentation by a Jewish Partisan and were able to hear directly from a survivor, Leon Rujninger, who experienced the Holocaust. Thank you Melissa Vineyard for organizing this incredible opportunity through the JFCS Holocaust Center.

Thank you, HCA chairs and volunteers, for making our first Helios Outdoor Movie Night a stellar success! The Helios blacktop was magically transformed into a drive-in/outdoor cinema, the weather was great, and the goodie bags you prepared for everyone were much appreciated! It was so wonderful to see our community together again. See you at the next one!

This afternoon some of our Condors families enjoyed a beautiful hike at Rancho San Antonio. Head of School Pam Clarke joined the fun, and surprised everyone with a special treat! Thanks to room parent Tameen Khan for setting up this great event to start off the long weekend.

A big thank you to Jennifer Logan for assembling our traditional Helios Welcome Tree just in time for our students’ return!

After many months away, today Helios welcomed back our students to campus. Students, Parents, and teachers are thrilled! #NoPlaceLikeHelios

Many of our Falcons cohort (1st-2nd grades) spent a wonderful day at Bean Hollow Beach - climbing rocks, running away from waves, and digging holes to China. With masks and the beach breeze, it made for a lovely socially safe event where the kids could meet each other (some for the first time), play, and even apply what they’ve learned in class about erosion and peninsulas!

This past weekend, shortly after 1000 am, a group of 30+ masked Heliosians departed on a 2.2 mile tour of Stevens Creek County Park. Thank you Martin Nguyen for hosting yet another great hike!

Helios Connections Webinar The Intersection of Giftedness and SEL Nov 13, 12pm-1pm We invite you to attend a Helios Connections Webinar hosted by our Director of Advancement, Noa Mendelevitch, and featuring Anabel Jensen, Ph.D - Helios' NEW Director of Community Relations.... Gifted learners have advanced cognitive abilities but not necessarily in every area. A student may excel at math but struggle with writing or vice versa. Equally important is that they may be unusually sensitive, passionate, and emotionally intense. They have a heightened sense of awareness and a strong intellectual drive. Perhaps, most notably, gifted children experience asynchronyuneven academic, emotional and physical development. Because asynchrony is so prominent in gifted children, some professionals believe asynchronous development is the defining characteristic of giftedness. In this webinar, Dr. Jensen will share how SEL competencies help both parents and educators bridge the gap. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-intersection-of-giftedness

A huge thank you to the following individuals for helping us make our campus beautiful for a video that will help prospective families see all that Helios has to offer while we remain sheltered-in-place. Elizabeth, Coraline & Linnea Wallace-France; Anubha & Rohin Jain; Allegra, Dan & Cameron Scheirer; Lu, Audrey, Isadora & Zoe Zhao; Jocelin Chan; Tameen Khan; Sarah, Ethan, Ellery & Adabelle Pratt; Sarah & Natalie Bolin; Qihe & Weijia Kong; Rachel Bagnani; Michelle Lehner; Yang Chu, Mason, Naomi & Jasper Ng; Sameer, Stephanie & Raiyan Pandya; Jolee & Brendan Crosson; and Jasmine Bicoy A special thanks to Emily Achberger for bringing snacks and sustenance for our teachers on campus during professional development and bin packing!

Thank you Pam Clarke our Head of School for giving our Helios staff a super fun party with nibbles and music yesterday! #NoPlaceLikeHelios

Exploring and applying to a new school can feel like a monumental task, but we hope that our information nights, workshops, school tours and assessments provide you with a better understanding of your child’s unique educational needs -- and are even a little enjoyable. We’re committed to providing you with several opportunities to get to know our school in a genuine way. We want to help you discover whether Helios is the right fit for your student and family. Please take some... time to explore our website, attend an information night and a school tour where you’ll have an opportunity to talk with current parents and hear more about our amazing program designed for gifted learners. We look forward to getting to know you and your child through the admissions process. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call (408) 475-0017 or email [email protected]. Warmly, Noa Mendelevitch Director of Advancement

Thanks to our wonderful Head of School Pam Clarke for encouraging our kids to talk to their families about their personal experience of 9/11, and for sharing on her blog the speech she gave as HoS in NYC the day after the tragic events. Many valuable discussions are happening today thanks to her guidance. https://www.heliosns.org//message-from-our-head-of-school-

Posters are being made and campaign speeches are being written...for this year's Student Council elections! Thanks to new Wilderness Coordinator, iLab guru, and Student Council Advisor Emeric Bisbee for helping our kids run amazing virtual campaigns and giving them the opportunity to participate in student government.