Middle School Staffing News

August 1, 2012

Dear Middle School Families,

Although physically I am far away from school right now, mentally - and electronically - I am very connected.  Many of us have put in an additional work week to prepare the middle school for some renovations over the summer.  Sorting through storerooms and closets, I have come across many reminders of my days in the middle school (1999-2007), and I am itching to begin again in the fall.

This spring I was able to meet many families at the high school information meeting; I was pleased at the number of names and faces that I recalled from the “old days.”  And through teaching an exploratory class and observing demonstration lessons, I have gotten a sense of the students and am eager to know them better.  

Our demonstration lessons have yielded great success: all open positions in the middle school have been filled by the candidates we met and observed in the last few weeks of school.  

6th Grade Math/Science:  Stephanie Mera holds an M.A. in Education, a B.A. in Math and Business, and both a multiple subject (K-8) and a single subject (Math) credential.  Her most recent teaching experience was at The Farm, the Middle School campus of The Grove School, a Montessori-based charter school in Redlands.  There, Stephanie was part of a teaching team much like ours.  She loved getting to know students well through their mentor program.  As the only math teacher, she developed a strong program that emphasized state standards while honoring the fundamentals of a Montessori education.  Stephanie is excited to find TBS so closely aligned with the philosophy and practices of her beloved Farm as she moves with her husband to Berkeley, where he will begin graduate studies at Cal.  She’s an accomplished pianist and an avid runner.

7th & 8th Grade Science:  Over the past 23 years, Jeff Sandler has taught all levels of science at The Marin School, a school that used to include a middle school, but no longer does.  There he is known for his energetic and enthusiastic teaching style and the bonds he forges with his students.  Jeff loves taking kids out into the field to participate in actual scientific research.  His list of topics for “outside the walls week” at TMS inspired us with projects we might do with 7th graders while the 8ths are in Mexico.  Last summer Jeff was a coach at Camp “Ultimate Peace,” where 170 Palestinian and Israeli children learned non-violent conflict resolution through the game of Ultimate Frisbee.  Jeff enjoys traveling, mountain biking, and all kinds of water-related adventures with kids.

7th & 8th Grade Math:  Kimberly Huie holds an M.A. in Teaching, a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering with minors in English and Philosophy, and a single subject credential in Math.  Kim discovered that her engineering career path did not satisfy her desire to connect with people.  After volunteering as a tutor in Math and Chemistry at an after-school arts program in Harlem, Kim turned to teaching high school math.  For the past five years, she has taught Pre-Algebra, Algebra, and 7th grade English at Holy Name School in San Francisco.  Since obtaining her master’s degree this spring, Kim is very interested in student-centered teaching practices.  One of her student references remarked that she “included everyone” in class; her graduate advisor pointed out how much Kim contributed to establishing a safe community within the graduate program classes.  Even with a heavy teaching load these past years, Kim has coached a MathCounts team, led a weekly math club, and choreographed the school musical.  She is looking forward to being an advisor and to sharing her love of all kinds of dance in exploratory classes.  

One other staffing change is in the works.  This fall, Norman Johnson and Rebecca Greco will be working together with the 7th grade: Rebecca will teach Cultural Studies 7, in addition to Humanities 8, and Norman will teach English 7, in addition to Humanities 6.  This arrangement will allow both teachers to have a two-year continuum with students, while providing an opportunity for greater collaboration between the 6th and the 7th/8th grade staff.  

While it’s great to have this new infusion of energy into the middle school, I am also very pleased to be working once again with MaryBeth Ventura, Tanya  Madrid, Craig Jackson, and Norman, who were around during my previous stint, as well as Rebecca and Benicia Hill.  They have all been very welcoming.  

Mitch is ushering me into a new era by setting up a blog through which I can communicate regularly with the parent community.  I'm looking forward to sharing with you our thinking about the renovations in the middle school classrooms, our plans for a rafting trip in mid-September, a new design for math groupings, and lots more.  

Happy summer,


Gretchen

P.S. If you have lost track of the summer reading assignment from Rebecca or from Norman, you’ll find links below.

Sixth-Grade Summer Reading Guidelines

Seventh-Grade Summer Reading Guidelines

Eighth-Grade Summer Reading Guidelines