Community Partnerships
At Black Pine Circle School we believe it is essential to partner with organizations that share our neighborhood, our values, and our commitment to making the world better educated and more compassionate. Below is a list of organizations with whom we currently partner with, or have partnered with in the recent past.
VIA Center:
Each week, our 8th Grade students work in concert with the VIA Center staff to interact playfully and professionally with developmentally differently-abled VIA Center students. Activities include reading together, balloon ball, and drawing.
viacenter.org
The Multicultural Institute:
Four days a week University of California Berkeley volunteers work in the Black Pine Circle School Library with promising under-served West Berkeley students who are enrolled in a program entitled Mentoring for Academic Success (MAS). Black Pine Circle School serves as a comfortable after-school classroom and playground environment.
www.mionline.org
Making Math Real:
David Berg has been teaching adults and students ways to demystify mathematics mastery for over 20 years. Black Pine Circle School is proud to have been the host for Making Math Real events and workshops for over seven years.
www.makingmathreal.org
Kidpower:
Kidpower works with families and students around personal safety, anti-bullying and self- defense. Kidpower uses Black Pine Circle School’s facility for weekend and summer institutes, as well as hosting parent education workshops and integrating into the Black Pine Circle School curriculum.
www.kidpower.org
Making Waves:
Since 1989, Making Waves Education Program has been making college acceptance, attendance, and graduation a reality for Richmond and San Francisco students from economically depressed communities. Making Waves’ 8-year tutoring and teaching program works with schools and families to provide a support network for students, ensuring their success. As a result, hundreds of hard-working students, also known as Wave-Makers, are admitted to academically challenging middle and high schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Black Pine Circle School is proud to have worked with Making Waves for the past five years.
www.making-waves.org
A Better Chance:
Since 1963, A Better Chance has been opening the door to educational opportunities for thousands of young people of color in this nation. Every year, A Better Chance places about 500 new students (Scholars) and supports over 1,900 currently-enrolled Scholars in more than 300 of our Member Schools across the country. After graduation, these Scholars can look forward to a college degree and a real chance at making a difference in their community. Black Pine Circle School is proud to have worked with A Better Chance for the past five years.
www.abetterchance.org
Bay Area Teacher Training Institute:
BATTI is a two-year credential program under the sponsorship of San Francisco State University. All BATTI students work as paid intern teachers at one of a coalition of more than 20 independent (private or parochial) elementary schools around the Bay Area. BATTI students work as assistants (interns) during the day and take university classes two afternoons a week and one Saturday morning per month. While holding paid internships, they gain valuable experience and credit toward their teaching credential.
Black Pine Circle School has worked with BATTI since 2005.
www.ba-tti.org
Bay Area Teacher Development Fellows:
The BATDC is a nonprofit organization founded by local Independent Schools to provide and coordinate opportunities for teachers to grow as professionals. Head of School, John Carlstroem serves on the Board of the BATDC and several faculty members have served as Professional Development Fellows in the BATDC program. Additionally, Black Pine Circle School has served many times as a site for BATDC programming.
www.batdc.org
EBISA
East Bay Independent Schools Association-EBISA is an alliance of over 40 independent schools located in the San Francisco/East Bay Area. The schools work together to provide information to parents and other members of the community interested in independent school education. The Admissions Directors of EBISA work together to provide information about the membership schools to families who live and work in the various Bay Area communities. EBISA schools are defined by their independent governance. Financially, EBISA schools are primarily supported through tuition payments, charitable contributions, and endowment income.
www.ebisaca.org
POCIS
People of Color in Independent Schools -POCIS is an organization that supports teachers, administrators, parents and students who believe that diversity and multiculturalism are endemic to quality education for all. POCIS supports increasing diversity in independent schools at the student, faculty, administration and Board level. POCIS also encourages schools to contract with women and people of color for goods and service. POCIS supports school climates in which the academic and social well-being of all students and adults of color is assured.
www.ba-pocis.org
Harrison House
Harrison House is a shelter located in West Berkeley providing services for homeless individuals and families. Black Pine Circle School collaborates with Harrison House for events, food drives, talent showcases, and get-togethers.
www.self-sufficiency.org
Save The Bay
For nearly 50 years, Save The Bay has given San Francisco Bay a voice, and helped shift public attitudes from complacency to vigilance. Today, Save The Bay continues to be the largest regional organization working to protect, restore and celebrate this great natural treasure by advocating for strong policies that protect the Bay from pollution and inappropriate shoreline development; restoring habitat to re-establish 100,000 acres of wetlands; and engaging and inspiring more than 25,000 supporters and thousands of students annually. Black Pine Circle School students and faculty participate with Save The Bay in restoration projects, canoe field trips, and educational work.
www.savesfbay.org
NatureBridge (formerly Yosemite National Institutes):
Serving over 40,000 participants annually, NatureBridge is the largest nonprofit residential environmental education partner of the National Park Service. Since 1971 we have introduced almost one million students to national parks through field science education programs for schools and youth leadership programs. Black Pine Circle School has been a partner with NatureBridge for over five years and Head of School John Carlstroem was formerly the Executive Vice President of this organization.
www.naturebridge.org