Park Day School

We started our first faculty meeting of 2021 talking about what is happening in the US Capitol, and how to talk about this frightening moment in our democracy with our K-8 students. We had powerful break out discussions on our Equity work around identity this school year and plans for our transition into our next phase, "envisioning justice in community. Our discussions felt particularly poignant and necessary today. Tonight our teachers are working on a letter to our parent community, which will be shared tomorrow. Stay safe, and stay with hope, everyone.

Looking for a way to support the PDS community while buying your gifts this year? Check out the Park Day School gift guide featuring makers, teachers, artists, writers, florists, designers, musicians, and more! Every business and offering in the guide is owned by a Park Day School parent or staff member.

Pop some popcorn and grab some red vines because you have front row seats to the world premiere of the Park Day School Annual Fund campaign video! Hear from new Head of School Angela Taylor how your gift will help us meet the challenges of the moment and launch us into a bright future. Visit www.parkdayschool.org/give/ to join us! And if you've been enjoying our recent #throwback posts, you definitely don't want to miss this! Who can name some of the Park Day Schoolers starting at around 40 seconds in?

PDS Student Action Committee has launched our 2020 Holiday Toy Drive! This year we are collecting NEW UNWRAPPED toys for 4Cs of Alameda County, a non-profit family resource agency. Donation boxes will be available in the driveway during pick-up and drop-off starting next week until Monday, December 14. Thank you!

Calling all Park Day School alumni! You are a vital part of the school’s 44 year legacy of empowering young people to make positive change in the world, and we are so proud of you! Right now, that mission is more important than ever. Park Day is a place where racial and ethnic diversity is celebrated, a place where socioeconomic diversity strengthens our understanding and connectedness, and where love is love and the gender continuum is honored. But together we can do even mo...re. We invite our alumni and their families to give generously in support of the Annual Fund this #GivingTuesday. Park Day will always be your home, and we are grateful for your commitment and dedication. With your support, we will emerge from this challenging year stronger and more resilient than ever. www.parkdayschool.org/give/ Do you recognize any of these Park Day School community members? Make sure to tag them in the comments! We've also got one throwback included of a teacher who's still teaching at Park Day - can you spot her? Make sure to head on over to our instagram page, too, for some more throwback pics! https://www.instagram.com/parkdayschool/

Having our students back on campus as we began our reopening this week meant lots of joy, laughter, learning, stretching, connecting, and community!

Get Your Tickets to the East Bay Mini Maker Faire! The 11th annual East Bay Mini Maker Faire is THIS Sunday, October 25th, in the safety of cyberspace through an online exhibition of Maker projects and a live virtual event--there's something for everyone! Along with returning favorites from the East Bay Maker community, you'll see beloved Park Day educators and parents like Grecia Bloom, Jeanine Harmon, Sara Levine, Rowan Littell, and Arjuna Sayyed hosting workshops, leading panel discussions, and giving exciting demos. Remember to Buy Tickets! Take part in this reimagining of the quintessential Park Day community builder and support the EBMMF by getting your tickets to the Faire today!

Check out these Park Day alum (and one current 8th grader) changemakers featured on Disney for Hispanic Heritage Month!

"This pandemic has laid bare racial, educational, and socio-economic disparities for the world to see. We, at Park Day School, have doubled-down on our mission to prepare students to be informed, courageous, and compassionate people who shape a more equitable and sustainable world. The heart of progressive education is that students learn by doing." - Angela Taylor, Head of School Check out this profile of Angela Taylor at 510families.

Have you heard about our new podcast series? If You Knew Me Mondays (IYKMM) is a weekly storytelling forum that gives greater visibility to the unique experiences and perspectives of Park Day’s marginalized community members. IYKMM uses moderated Q&A with a different community member each episode to help our audience develop greater cultural awareness. For our premier episode, we hear from Park Day’s new Head of School, Angela Taylor, to learn about what guides, inspires an...d fulfills her on her path as an educator, community leader and amazing human being. Using an intersectional framework, we talk about her childhood, adapting to and leading a new community in a time of crisis and how she sustains her ever-present positivity. Check out the rest of the episode here: https://www.parkdayschool.org/iykm-angela/ and stay tuned for more episodes coming soon!

Friday, September 25th was Global Day of Climate Action. Last year our Student Action Committee led a middle school walk out and protest march around the neighborhood. This year was different! Last week the SAC met remotely and planned an art installation to share with the community to mark this global event. The installation represents the scene of a climate action protest in the future. The students created the installation outside the main gate on 42nd street. It also includes a replica of the "Climate Clock" in NYC. Come by and check it out! More about the Climate Clock: https://nowthisnews.com//this-climate-clock-is-counting-do #ParkDaySchool #ProgressiveEducation #LoveLearning #OaklandSchools #510families #EastBaySchools #PDSAtHome #climateaction #Fridaysforfuture

"Oakland's official bird refuses to move."

One of our 1st grade teachers, Katy, wrote this book to help our 1st graders contextualize the wildfires in California and to introduce the Indigenous perspective to the wildfires. We are hoping to empower the students with knowledge about fire and to see that it is actually a way to heal the Earth, when used as it has been by our Indigenous neighbors for thousands of years. https://www.parkdayschool.org/fires-book/

"In this moment, the importance of supporting our students as they make sense of this complex world - both internally and in our community - is clearer than ever. At school, we’ve been in deep dialogue about how to honor the complexities of this moment in our practice. This year, we are deepening our commitment to social justice, anti-racist teaching and emphasizing the importance of empathy, compassion and resilience....Across our K-8 community we are embracing the following... themes: Explore (ing Identity), Envision (ing Justice) and Engage (ing Activism). In addition to our faculty's commitment to these themes, we have also added Stories for Friendship and Justice in K-3 and a weekly Equity and Justice course in grades 4-8....As we launch the new school year, I invite us all to reflect on the question: How will you embrace our Equity and Justice Framework along with your child/ren?" - Arjuna Sayyed, Director of Equity and Inclusion, Park Day School. Read Arjuna's full letter to the community here: https://www.parkdayschool.org/community/equity-inclusion/

Happy first day of school! We had a great first day back and found creative ways to participate in some of our beloved back to school traditions. Enjoy this iteration of our Welcome song, sung each year from teachers and staff to our students. To check out some of our students' first day of school portraits, head on over to our instagram - https://www.instagram.com/parkdayschool/!

Thank you, PDS community, for working together to create 511 "kits" for the guests of St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County. Each kit contains a student-made card and antibacterial wipes. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, SVDP's dining hall has been closed so they are serving to-go meals only. We hope that these "kit's will bring some joy to the guests. We are happy to help support SVDP and their work to help the most vulnerable in the community.

The recording of Embrace Race's webinar "How do I make sure I'm not raising the next Amy Cooper?" below. This evening, at 5:30, Embrace Race is hosting "I still can't breathe": Supporting kids of color amidst racialized violence, featuring Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith, a clinical child psychologist who specializes in trauma and issues of race. Link in the post shared. After you register, there are opportunities also to donate to this important organization dedicated to helping raise a brave and empowered generation.

Many Park Day families will be at the Youth Rally today at 4 PM, protesting together from a safe social distance. More information provided in the comments. #blacklivesmatter