News
List of 20 news stories.
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6th Grade Science: The “Egg-cellent” Mystery Lab
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Over the past week, 6th-grade students conducted a four-day lab investigation exploring chemical reactions, cell membranes, and osmosis. This hands-on experiment reinforced their understanding of how substances move across membranes while incorporating key scientific skills such as measurement, data collection, and graphing.
The lab began with students placing an egg in vinegar and observing how the chemical reaction dissolved the eggshell, leaving only the membrane intact. This process provided a connection to our study of cells, as students examined how the egg’s membrane functions similarly to a cell membrane, allowing certain molecules to pass through while keeping others out. -
Classroom Spotlight: Sorting Things Differently with Number Bonds in Kindergarten
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Long ago, at the beginning of this school year, the concept of number bonds came up during our kindergarten Back to School Night. “What do you know about number bonds?” we asked the parents. Parents responded: “Number whats?”. It’s taken a while, but kindergarteners are now deep into discovering how to make and manipulate numbers in ways that are new (and possibly confusing) to many adults.
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Tzedek Project Kickoff-The Seventh Grade Retreat
Read MoreThe Seventh Grade Retreat is a kickoff to our Tzedek Project. The students began the day diving deep into an ancient Jewish text that provides guidance on how to prioritize our giving. Students wrestled with the questions of – is it more important to give locally or globally? Is it more important to help with short-term solutions or long-term solutions?
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Connecting with the California That We Know and Love
Read More4th graders all over California spend the school year learning about the beloved state in which they reside. Some may have been born in California, have multi-generational Californian families, or have moved here from another place that they once called home. Though these students all have different connections to California, most recognize that this is a place that they know and love. Throughout the school year 4th graders examine what makes California a desirable place to live, how California became the powerhouse state that it is today, and dive deeply into its multilayered history. This is no different for our students at Brandeis! -
A Reimagined Declaration
Read MoreBefore the winter break, the 8th graders concluded their study of the Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence. Together, we examined the Enlightenment ideals that shaped the thoughts of key Revolutionary figures such as John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Central to these discussions was the philosophy of John Locke, who argued that all individuals possess “natural rights,” including life, liberty, and property. Jefferson famously echoed this idea in the Declaration, replacing “property” with “the pursuit of happiness.”
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Unmasking Identity: How The Lord of the Flies Inspired Creative Reflection in 8th Graders
Read MoreToday, the 8-2 Language Arts Class proud of their work, showed off their completed projects. Before the break, the class studied William Golding's The Lord of the Flies, dissecting the writing style, character development, the social contract and its interaction with human nature. Along the way, they also learned how to write literary essays. With those analytical tools in hand, the students were ready for a creative challenge that brought their learning to life. -
Flag Football in Middle School PE
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After countless days of being rained out in December, middle school PE is starting off the new year with a continuation of our flag football unit. Did you know that flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country? It has gained so much popularity that several states including California have added it into their high school and college sports programs. -
Theater Arts Students Set the Stage for a Spectacular Production of Oliver!
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We so happy to be able to bring you the moving story and the sumptuous music of Oliver! Based on the Dicken’s classic Victorian novel, Oliver Twist, Oliver! is darker than most family musicals - mixing joy and heartbreak as casually as life so often does - but it touches us more than most family musicals.
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Kindergarteners Learn About Torah By…MAKING ONE!
Read Moreby Jonathan Ferris, Judaic Studies & Hebrew Teacher, Kindergarten
At our all-school Simchat Torah gathering, the eighth graders helped to hold our Torah fully open for all to see. One 8th grader chanted the last lines of the Torah and another the first few lines; “in the beginning (beresheet)…” Capturing on Kindergarten enthusiasm about this big scroll displayed before them (and their enthusiasm about seeing their beloved 8th grade chaverim) we went up to the beit midrash (our house of prayer) to get a closer look at the Torah. -
Learning about Elections in 5th Grade
Read Moreby Madeleine Mackenzie, 5th Grade Teacher
Here in 5th grade, we’ve had a busy month. 5th graders have been turning in work to complete their first quarter of middle school, preparing for their first ever conferences…and learning all about the election. While they do have favorites in the lower school election, the majority of our focus has been on the US Election taking place tomorrow, as of when I’m writing this. -
8th Grade Lip Sync Video Challenge Wrap-Up! by Kate Glustein, Spanish Teacher
Read MoreOur talented 8th graders have just completed an exciting and creative assignment: a lip sync video challenge! Each student was assigned a very popular Argentinian song to lip sync called “Corazón” (heart) giving them the perfect opportunity to showcase their creativity, confidence, and unique flair. This engaging project turned out to be a highlight for the students, combining both fun and learning in a memorable way. -
Motor Skills and Body Movement in Lower School PE
Since we are in October, we have entered into our Throwing Unit beginning with underhand throwing. Our main learning targets include controlling their fine and gross motor skills through underhand throwing and accuracy and distance in throwing. In order to reach our targets, a proper underhand throwing technique was taught to the students in three simple steps: 1) STEP (step with opposite foot), 2) TICK (swing throwing arm behind to 6:00), 3) TOCK (swing throwing arm in an underhand motion to 3:00).Read More -
News from the Specialist
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Creating Sacred Spaces: A First-Grade Exploration
Read Moreby Sandra Menachem, 1st & 2nd Grade Judaic Studies TeacherOur first graders embarked on a exploration of what makes a space or time sacred. Through the lens of Philemon Sturges’ book, Sacred Places, they discovered some of the world’s most revered spaces, which helped them connect to the idea that sacredness can be found in many forms.In our Jewish studies class, the students learned that sacredness is not limited to specific times or places but can be deeply personal. They illustrated their own sacred spaces—whether it’s a cherished spot like a grandmother's home or a special moment spent in their parents' arms. Each drawing represents their unique personal connection to sacredness. -
Unambiguous Loss
Read MoreLike many of you, I am sure, I spent last weekend reading the terrible news about the six hostages killed, and especially Hersh Goldberg-Polin: our own, a Bay Area boy, who became a kind of avatar for the indiscriminate horror of October 7th. I watched videos of Israelis surging into the streets, the shock and fury, the helplessness of individual parents and loved ones trying with all the might in their small bodies to array themselves against the disinterested, disembodied state. I watched Rachel, Hersh’s mother, courageously stand in front of the world as she has over and over for eleven months and put her pain into words. One section of her eulogy really caught my ear: -
Classroom Spotlight: Photographers Head to the Zoo
Read MoreWith the end of the year finally upon us, our 7th and 8th-grade photographers were excited to take their culminating trip to the San Francisco Zoo. The students have spent half a year in their photography elective learning deep technical skills with their SLR cameras.
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Brandeis 2024 Today - A Remarkable Community
Read MoreHello from New York, where I am representing Brandeis at The Covenant Foundation’s annual project
director’s meeting, and meeting with some of our alumni at Columbia and other New York colleges and universities.
We had a beautiful, joyful 60th-anniversary community celebration this past Sunday—I wanted to share in this space the welcome address I shared there.Hello and welcome! It is such an honor to have you all here to celebrate this amazing school’s sixtieth anniversary. For those of you who I haven’t yet met, my name is Dan Glass, and I have the good fortune of being the head of school here at The Brandeis School of San Francisco, in my ninth year in that role. And if we have not met, please come introduce yourself today—whether you are an alum, a former parent, a friend of the school, if you are here to celebrate Brandeis then you are someone I would like to know. -
Classroom Spotlight: First Grade Science in Nature
Read MoreSince the beginning of school, our wonderful first graders have put on their scientific hats and have been having a blast learning about the natural environment that surrounds us. This includes learning about sound and light, air and weather, and most recently plants and insects. We have been studying observing the general features of plants and insects as well as their life cycles. Most recently, this unit of inquiry culminated in the raising and release of Painted Lady butterflies! -
Classroom Spotlight: Open Art in the Art Studio
“Open Art” is a beloved part of the art program at Brandeis. Beginning in third grade students have the opportunity to spend recess or study hall in the art room.Read More
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