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San Francisco, CA
Cow Hollow School
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Parents at this school would recommend this school to other parents. |
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Review this preschool |
neighborhood: Presidio · Telephone: (415) 921-2328 · Website: www.cowhollowpreschool.org
Home-School Connection
| OVERALL RATING (4.6) |
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| Conducts an open house at start of school year | 
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| Conducts a parent-teacher meeting at start of school year |
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| Conducts regular parent teacher conferences |
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| Provides summary of child’s learning at end of year |
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| Provides guidance on developmental goals for the following year |
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| Provides guidance on best Kindergarten and elementary schools |
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source:
Director's Comments
Parent/Teacher Conference: Two conferences will be scheduled each year to discuss your child's progress (mid-year and in the Spring). Parent Education Evenings: This lecture series is offered as opportunities to disperse and gather information regarding parenting, teaching, concerns, questions, child development, etc. Topics include Conflict Resolution, Responsive Language, Observing Competencies, Encouraging Self-Esteem and Relationship Building. Home Visits: These optional visits have been organized to help make the transition from home to school more comfortable for the new younger children. Two weeks prior to school starting, the teachers will visit your home, at your convenience, to met your child, discuss routines and get to know your family. Classroom Journals: Online journals for each class are written weekly by the teaching team. They include an update on projects, curriculum, special discoveries and conversations that are guiding the children's learning experiences. Reading the journals each week with the children can act as a bridge from school to home and as a memory tool for your child's meaningful experiences. Family Books: To help bridge your child's home experiences to those at school, each child has a Family Book to fill out and decorate over the summer. The book will stay at school during your child's school experience (growing and changing every year) and will act as a tool to allow adults and children to make important connections and build relationships with your child. It will be used to promote memory, as a historical reference, and to encourage shared meaning making and compassion. Brown Bag Lunches: Parents and the Director will choose topics in advance for small roundtable discussions. Documentation: Gathering, organizing and presenting project work provides opportunities for the children to revisit their experiences, helps them appreciate the process of creating, and helps them understand the meaning of their experience and build upon it. The documentation process also exists to enable parents to learn more about their child's progress and development. CHS holds a Kindergarten Information Night to provide each family with a substantial packet of materials to inform, prepare and help guide parents through this process. In addition, we hold a Kindergarten Orientation, have regular parent meetings throughout the process, and share resources and information. Our school website serves as another vehicle for kindergarten information and parent discussions.
Separation
| OVERALL RATING (4.8) |
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Beginning of the year separation is handled through:
- Home visits by teachers
- Pre-entry meetings with parents at school
- Small group sessions
- Parents in classroom early on
- Abbreviated schedule at start of school year
source:
Director's Comments
Optional Home Visits help make the transition from home to school more comfortable for the new younger children. Two weeks prior to school starting, the teachers offer to visit your home, at your convenience, to met your child, discuss routines and get to know your family. The first day of school is shortened, and parents of the 2/3-year-old are required to stay to help with the transition. Throughout the school year, parents are welcome to stay with their child to help with any separation issues. The teachers work with parents to come up with solutions to help their child overcome separation.
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
Cow Hollow Preschool believes that parents' involvement is integral to the education process. Parents work in the classroom with the teaching team, attend an invaluable parent education series, and have open and frequent communication with the director and teachers so that they fully understand their child and their role in his/her education.
Parent #2
This is our first year at Cow Hollow so I can not fully respond to questions that start with 'at the end of the year'.
Parent #3
Uses specific supportive wording when talking with children. Problem solves with children control/sharing/problem situations; parents as teachers/learners in classroom. Teachers bring children's interests from home into classroom projects.
Parent #4
Cow Hollow Preschool is a co-op so there are always 2 teachers, 2 parents per class of 10 kids.
Parent #5
Cow Hollow School has the most comprehensive, thoughtful, well-researched educational philosophy of any preschool in San Francisco that we visited. This philosophy is articulately communicated by the school director, Darcy Campbell, and is put into practice every day in every classroom by every teacher. Parents are partners in every aspect of their child's experience, from the (moderate) co-op requirement at the 2 and 3-year-old levels to the frequent and detailed communication from teachers and staff.
Parent #6
Prior to school, CHS schedules a meeting with one of your teachers at your home. This was vital in helping our child transition to school. In fact, the home visit formed the foundation of a very strong bond that our child has with the teachers. The teaching teams also produce a weekly journal that documents what the children have done that week. The journal includes photos of the children taken during the week, quotes from the children about various activities, announcements about the coming week, and sometimes advice about particular issues. These journals are AMAZING. You can keep track of what's going on in the classroom and see and read what your child has been up to. At parent-teacher conferences, you also receive a comprehensive written report about your child. At the first conference it was a two page report about who our child was and how our child was developing. At the second conference it was a six page report covering the same areas, but in far more detail. It was pretty phenomenal and confirmed for us that the teachers really "got" our child.
Parent Community
| COHESIVENESS RATING (4.6) |
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Parents:
- Hold social events at the school to build community
- Fundraise
- Are able to visit the school anytime we want
- Go on field trips
- Volunteer in the classroom
- Receive newsletters
- Hold social events outside of the school (with and/or without children)
- Encourage play dates out of school
source:
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
Have access to website for directors letters and classroom journals
Parent #2
Work for Parent Association
Parent #3
Sit on parent association board
Parent #4
Much more
Parent #5
Pairs old parents with new parents
Modes of Communication Between School and Home
- Notes
- Phone Calls
- Voice Mail
- Special Meetings
- Two or More Regular Conferences
- Drop-Off
- Pick-Up
- Regular newsletter/printed updates circulated to the whole school
source:
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
Online weekly class journals accessed through our preschool website which reviews and highlights what occurred in each class. It's an incredible, valuable tool for the parents.
Parent #2
Weekly classroom journal.
Parent #3
Website journals
Parent #4
Secure website
Parent #5
Weekly diary online
Parent #6
Website
Parent #7
Internet - weekly journals
Parent #8
Weekly journals
Parent #9
Classroom journals written weekly about class and their experiences
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The Wild Tangle of Grasses
If there was a single photo that could capture my feelings and thoughts about the past year, this would be it. It reminds me to keep looking toward the brightness of the light, even if I am caught in the wild tangle of grasses. This shot reminds me that
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Today's “Preschool’s Out” Activity
Trace around your child's foot, with shoe on, on a piece of white construction paper or card stock. Have child cut out the shoe print and add a spooky face. Glue it to a popsicle stick and you have a ghost stick puppet!
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