 Sarah Carlson, Class of 2013
Artist & Community Educator | Half Moon Bay Nearly 13 years after graduation, Sarah continues to bring creativity and connection to her community. Now volunteering at the Half Moon Bay Library, where she teaches sewing classes and creates craft projects for librarians, she credits Stanbridge with giving her the tools to advocate for herself and succeed on her own terms. "Stanbridge was really beneficial for me," Sarah reflects. "The way they accommodated my needs and taught things like note-taking made such a difference." The school's understanding of executive function and processing speed challenges provided Sarah with strategies she still uses today - a stark contrast to her previous educational experience where these needs went unmet. The individualized support she received at Stanbridge remains invaluable in her daily life. Teachers like Jay, who taught her effective note-taking strategies, and Camille, who nurtured her passion for art, understood how to break down complex tasks and provide clear expectations that helped her thrive academically and creatively. Sarah remembers Stanbridge's vibrant community with particular fondness - from serving in student government to participating in clubs, and especially the memorable trip to Washington D.C. during which she was able to witness President Obama's second inauguration. These experiences allowed her to feel truly integrated into school life in ways that wouldn't have been possible with a one-on-one aide at a traditional high school. Looking ahead, Sarah is excited about her upcoming move to Big Wave housing, where she will have her own art space and continue building community connections - the same values Stanbridge helped instill during her four years there. Her perspective for parents considering Stanbridge? The school's supportive approach doesn't just help students succeed academically - it teaches them to understand their own learning styles and advocate for what they need, skills that create lasting independence and confidence. Beyond Traditional Therapy: How Stanbridge's Speech and Language Program Brings Learning to Life1/26/2026
At Stanbridge Academy, speech and language support happens in classrooms, through collaborative projects, and in moments of genuine student engagement that make learning stick. We recently sat down with Mark Engler, CCC-SLP, our speech and language pathologist, to learn about the innovative approaches he's bringing to students across all grade levels. What emerged was a picture of therapy that's thematic, experiential and deeply connected to real-world skills. Teaching Students to Ask Better Questions One of Mark's current focus areas is helping students develop what he calls "social questioning" skills - the ability to ask meaningful questions about the world around them, rather than defaulting to simple yes/no questions or asking about things they already know. In his "Spooky Speakers" thematic unit, students practiced asking open-ended questions that demonstrate genuine curiosity. What made it spooky was that the speakers were wearing masks and students had to ask questions that would help them identify the speaker. This unit helped students engage more deeply with their peers and their environment. This work extends into small group sessions where students explore the concept of "I'm curious about..." as a framework for inquiry. By learning to identify what they genuinely want to know, students develop both their language skills and their capacity for authentic social connection. The Interview Project: Building Real-World Communication Skills Perhaps the most ambitious current initiative is Mark's interview project, where students are learning the art of conducting and participating in interviews - a skill that will serve them throughout their academic and professional lives. The project begins with students watching examples of interviews with diverse subjects, from deaf individuals to zookeepers. Students record what they already know about a topic, then craft strategic questions that build on that foundation. It's deductive reasoning meets communication practice. The culmination? Each student conducts a five-minute interview in front of their classmates. This spring, Mark is planning a finale day where everyone will be interviewed on the same day - a celebration of how far their questioning and communication skills have come. For Lower and Middle Elementary students, Mark is still in the priming phase, introducing them to interview examples and building their foundational skills. The pacing is intentional, ensuring students at every level are appropriately challenged.  Making It Experiential: From Board Games to Bridge Building
Mark's approach recognizes that some students learn best through doing. His ever-expanding Monday boys group has become a laboratory for social communication through play - board games, card games, even building forts and constructing bridges to drive remote-controlled cars across. For the middle and high school group of 10 boys, these hands-on activities create natural opportunities for collaboration, problem-solving communication, and the kind of informal language practice that often proves most valuable. Looking ahead, Mark is partnering with the occupational therapist to take Lower Elementary groups into more nature-based, experiential learning. Students will practice organizing how to get to a destination, orienting themselves in space, describing what they're seeing, and collaborating on projects like building sandcastles. It's speech therapy that feels like adventure. Classroom Integration: Meeting Students Where They Are Mark maintains regular classroom "pushins,” integrated sessions where he works with students in their natural learning environment. These sessions focus on helping students develop the language skills to describe details about what they've learned and to organize and share information effectively. It's not separate from their academic work - it's woven directly into it. For Lower Elementary students, Mark is also running focused groups: a phonological awareness group and asocial communication group, ensuring targeted support for specific skill development. The Case of the Missing Coffee: Making Deduction Fun In Upper Elementary, Mark introduced a mystery-based activity called "The Case of the Missing Coffee," where students practiced deductive questioning and strategic inquiry. It's Sherlock Holmes meets speech therapy, and students were fully engaged in solving the puzzle through careful, thoughtful questioning. A Holistic Approach to Student Growth What stands out across all of Mark's work is the integration of communication skills with critical thinking, social awareness, and real-world application. Students aren't just learning to speak more clearly or use correct grammar - they're learning to be curious, to collaborate, to think strategically about how they communicate. This is what specialized support looks like at Stanbridge Academy: individualized, creative, and always focused on helping students develop skills that will serve them far beyond the classroom.  Bridges Student Spotlight: Mastering the Professional World
Our seniors have been hard at work preparing for their next big step beyond the classroom: entering the workforce. Throughout this “Getting a Job” unit, students have transitioned from identifying their unique soft skills—like leadership and communication—to translating those strengths into professional resumes and cover letters. We’ve navigated the nuances of official job applications and moved into the high-stakes world of interview preparation. The culmination of this hard work will be our mock interview sessions, where students can practice articulating their value and responding to challenging questions with poise and professionalism. It has been inspiring to see their confidence grow as they equip themselves with the essential tools needed to navigate the professional world with success. Integrating Career & College Readiness Lessons into HS Programming We are excited to share that we are expanding Stanbridge’s post-secondary transition programming! Beginning late January, I will begin delivering career and college readiness plans to all high school students by pushing into one of their core classes each month. This practice will continue next year. The lessons delivered to seniors will not duplicate what is already being taught in Bridges. The Career and College Readiness Lessons support the development of critical career readiness skills. Furthermore, when applicable, the knowledge and skills students gain will support their post-secondary transition goals as set for by their IEP. The Lesson Plans support the following student outcomes. Students will:
If you have specific questions regarding this programming, please feel free to contact Colleen McQuade at [email protected]. – Colleen McQuade, Director of College Counseling & Transitions  What a jam packed last few days of celebrations we have had acknowledging the tremendous growth and accomplishments of our students.
Julie Smith Head of School There's so much happening at the end of the year that we really can't put it all into words. Click through some photos of end-of-year events including our Class of 2025 graduation, Class of 2029 (8th grade) promotion, varied awards ceremonies and speeches, a chess tournament, the 2025 Stanbridge Bowl, yearbook signing, Student Government, a K-3 trip to SF Zoo, and some favorite photos of the year thrown in for good measure. Have a restful, relaxing, and rejuvenating summer! Be sure to stay tuned to the Bulldog Blog for Summer School 2025 photos...
As we head into the final days of celebrations – starting with our Seniors tomorrow (Saturday), our Middle School on Monday morning, all of High School on Monday afternoon, elementary on Tuesday morning and finally High School graduation on Tuesday afternoon – we are reminded of large milestone events.
However, the day-to-day work that students put in is what has been the most important and leaves a lasting impression. Friendships made, conversations had, new concepts learned, and independence gained. Each day, I remind myself to look for the good and focus on our individual strengths. Small moments make a huge impact on the health, development, and well-being of our school. Student growth and change can be seen in a yearbook, which was distributed today, who we are at the beginning to where we are today. Remember to keep in mind all of the little changes and growth that took place each day of the last school year. We hope to see parents and families at many of these large events in the coming days! Stay Strong, Bulldogs! Danny Martin Principal
SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!
Thank you for entrusting us to keep your Bulldog active in the Stanbridge community this summer! So many students are joining us – both current and new students, as well as soon-to-be graduates. We are going to have a blast and can't wait for y'all to join us! All payments for summer courses will be deposited next week, prior to the launch of Summer School on June 16th. We need only one more student in PE Adventures and two more enrollments are needed for flexible seating in Camille's Gimme a Hand plaster intensive. Current students in 6th grade and up are welcome! If you're looking for a way to help your child be successful this summer, we can accept enrollment in open classes and payment THROUGH THIS MONDAY, JUNE 9th!
 SECOND EDITION HITS THE STANDS!
Our Journalism Club BullPups, who are in 5th through 10th grades, quickly wrapped up their second edition this year. It's twice as long as the first and features some of this year's favorite moments; a comic strip by our most junior Bullpup; student views of the Talent Show, Field Day, and Experientials; Stanbridge Senior profiles; and much more. Once again, they did a great job thinking about what types of information people not familiar with Stanbridge may want to know more about. Everyone loves reading about events from the students' perspective! We hope this remains a staple Club offering for years to come – they're even considering a podcast next year. Thanks again to Journalism Advisor (and Director of Admissions) Emily Mitchell for getting this club off the ground!  Middle and Upper Elementary have been exploring Garageband on their iPads, learning how to record as well as program drums and synthesizers. It has been a blast seeing everyone's creative ideas. Lower Elementary has been practicing their rhyming skills, coming up with funny lyrics for "Down by the Bay" and "She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain."
Middle Schoolers have been working on research projects about their favorite musical artists. We have also been learning about text scores—a type of sheet music that uses descriptive text rather than precise pitches and rhythms to communicate ideas. High Schoolers gave some wonderful and informative presentations about musical artists they've been researching. We also learned a little bit about audio and the physics of sound using oscillators and oscilloscopes. – Tobias Banks, K-12 Performing Arts Teacher  Hello Stanbridge,
This week at lunchtime, Student Government [handed out] lemonade and the ice cream which were both very popular. We were happy to give it [away] to the students free of charge for all their hard work. This week we also had the Firesale Snack Shack and thanks to the parents for giving money to their kids to purchase things for the final Snack Shack of the 2024-2025 school year. Student Government accomplished a lot of things this year!
– Monie A., Student Body President SUMMER IS TRULY RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER! If your child is looking forward to a summer of screens, you may want to rethink and at least schedule some activity throughout the weeks to beat doom-scrolling. Click to read ADDitude's article, "How to Avoid Summer Learning Loss," which includes letting interests blossom. What better way to do that than to enroll in one or more weeks of summer programming? Not only will Stanbridge Summer School help you and your child maintain a reliable schedule, but we also know them and therefore the best ways to support their summer learning. Stanbridge summer courses are nearly secured. PE Extravaganza still needs one more camper 4th grade or older to join our two coaches for summer fun. Also, with just three more enrollments, we can open up a second classroom for Camille's Gimme a Hand plaster intensive, which allows for flexible seating. Current students in 6th grade and up are welcome! Pictured below are now-graduates with their plaster projects in Summer 2019, the last time this hands-on, creative course was offered. TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO ENROLL IN OPEN COURSES!   Elementary Art students painted huge flower paintings to decorate Hayden Hall for the spring season and the Spring Sing annual musical event. Students also worked with clay and made small textured bowls as well as other independent clay pieces of their choosing throughout the season. Once dried, students painted them using acrylic paints. Lower and Middle Elementary students made our solar system, including the sun and Earth's moon, out of paper mâché in their classroom with Harriet and Tevita. Once dry, they brought them into the art room and closely examined photographs of what each planet looked like so they could replicate the surface of their planets to look like the actual ones. They mixed paint colors and added texture to their planets, too! Upper Elementary students spent time working with oil pastels, creating beautiful feathers and landscape drawings. Middle School Art students have been drawing, painting, and working with clay. With the start of spring, students created watercolor flower paintings that were hung up on display brightening up our school in Hayden Hall and the Middle School Hallway. Students learned about different types of vortexes and how to draw them using special shading artist pencils and blending stumps. They shaded their drawing adding many light and dark values in order to make their vortexes look visually three-dimensional. They also worked with clay to make small textured bowls and had the opportunity to paint them. High School Art students continued to enhance their drawing skills by working on many diverse sketchbook assignments, some realistic and some optical illusions. They were introduced to using special drawing pencils and blending stumps. They shaded many of their drawings using a wide range of lights and darks from the value scale. All students had an opportunity to make small textured bowls using different shaped molds and texture to press on to the surfaces. They painted their hand-built ceramic bowls. Some students explored the Procreate application on iPads and spent time drawing with the Apple pencil, shading foods such as a slice of refreshing watermelon or a delicious looking piece of cake. (Please send in a paper grocery bag with your student on Monday, so they can bring home these awesome creations soon. We often run out of bags this time of year!) – Camille Geraci, K-12 Visual Arts Teacher  K-8 Emotions & Relationships
As we wrap up the year, students primarily focus on Responsible Decision-Making. Across grade levels, we have been focusing on digital safety, including digital footprint, media choices, and navigating meanness online. Students are highly engaged in discussing the various ways to stay safe online. Middle School students talked about privacy, oversharing, and reflecting on how social media can make us feel. Students are also reminded that everything they do online leaves a history and can be permanent even when they take precautions. Upper Elementary students also focused on meanness online and how to navigate unkind behaviors. Check out Common Sense Media for more information on teaching your student about digital safety: https://www.commonsense.org/ Our youngest students have spent time in “Hedgehog Land,” a video series by the Child Mind Institute designed to teachs students about a variety of skills to support wellbeing. Students learn about managing intense emotions, navigating conflict, and being a good friend. Child Mind had a video series for every age group and additional resources for parents: https://childmind.org/education/thriving-kids/. – Emma Mamis, Board Certified Dance/ Movement Therapist, Clinical Counselor  We are headed into a three-day weekend to commemorate Memorial Day this Monday the 26th. It is a national day of mourning for deceased service members. As such, there will be NO SCHOOL on Monday. We hope for relaxation as we head into our final 11 instructional days.
We had a fabulous Talent Show on Thursday this week! See the Weekly Collage post below for this year's lineup. Thank you to all of the families that came out to support the event. We also had our biggest bake sale of the year. Our partnership with parent bakers/providers is much appreciated. Our Class of 2025 spent Thursday morning at Sunrise Senior Living in San Mateo. They played chair volleyball with "pool noodles and a balloon." The elderly seniors won the game 10-7! Our students and their new friends enjoyed snacks and played a few rounds of BINGO. Building intergenerational friendships is an important way for students to gain empathy, as well as a better understanding and appreciation of the world-at-large. We have many celebratory events as the year finishes out. Please check the calendar below and plan to attend the events your child is part of. We are excited to see many friendly faces on campus! Enjoy your three day weekend! Danny Martin Principal  In 9th Grade Engineering Design class, students just finished creating custom desk lamps as their second woodworking project. Many of them also incorporated 3D-printing into their designs. In HS Tech class, students recently engaged in "vibe coding" by using AI to create video games using natural language instead of code! Middle School students used the Canva software to make websites based on their favorite activities and hobbies. Upper Elementary engaged in an AI Foundations course on Minecraft while learning how to use code to make sure AI is fair, safe, and helpful for everyone. – Gregory Wilson, Director of Instructional Technology Over the final weeks of school, Elementary will be working on perspective taking, inferencing (using empathy and devising smart guesses), and saying good bye appropriately as we get ready for summer. Transitions can be a bumpy time for our students and learning expected to ways to say goodbye and how to stay in touch can help when friends are leaving or moving – either to different divisions or schools. We will also tap into the joy that summertime can bring. – Tricia Keener, Speech & Language Pathologist  We are right in the middle of – what is known in the school world as – the "100 days of May." I am sure you are feeling the crunch of year-end activities in your homes, as well. Below are all the things we want to make sure parents and trustees have on their calendars for the end of the year at Stanbridge [dates & times for community only]:
Congratulations to our Flag Football team who played their last BASSAL league game yesterday in Novato. We are all so proud of their TEAMWORK! Yesterday's 42-28 WIN against Winston Prep was the exciting accumulation of a season of hard work, perseverance, and determination! Their growth witnessed throughout the season was so special. The players and their familes should be so proud. On that note, a huge THANK YOU to all of the families for your support throughout this season! As Coach Gage shared, “You truly have raised amazing individuals & it makes us coaches proud to have had the opportunity to coach them! PROM 2025! As you are reading this, our high school students are enjoying a Casino Night Prom on our campus. Thank you to our parent volunteers, led by High School representatives/dance organizers Helen Siu, Laura Porter, and Lisa Kennedy, who transformed our courtyard to make this a magical evening for our students. Details from fun prom favors to extra cherries in “The Sphere” drinks (Shirley Temples) helped make this night a memorable one. Enjoy your weekend! – Julie Smith Head of School  KINDERGARTEN-8TH GRADE Wow—this school year has truly flown by, and I couldn’t be prouder of our Elementary and Middle School P.E. students! Throughout the year, we’ve focused on learning new games, developing new skills, working as a team, and showing strong support and sportsmanship toward one another. It’s been incredible to see how much each student has grown in so many different ways. Our recently concluded Field Day was a perfect celebration of that growth—showcasing not only the amazing effort and performance during games, but also the enthusiasm and encouragement students showed for their Neighborhood Groups and teams. Their energy, teamwork, and spirit were inspiring to watch! – Coach Gage Daniel, K-8 Physical Education & Health, co-Athletic Director 6TH GRADE-HIGH SCHOOL High School and Middle School Physical Education focused on physical development, skill development, personal responsibility, and social skills throughout the year. Students improved coordination and body control during sports activities, basic techniques using proper footwork and hand-eye coordination, core fitness components, strength, endurance, flexibility, speed, and agility. They demonstrated proficiency in movement skills such as throwing, striking, and jumping. Athletes also took responsibility for personal safety, equipment use, strategy tactics, and independent decision making. Students learned social skills working cooperatively with classmates regardless of skill level, sportsmanship, inclusion, fairness, and respect. In Health, they also learned about nutrition, injury prevention, mental awareness, and stress management. – Coach Daniel Quinal, 6th-12th Physical Education & Health, co-Athletic Director  INAUGURAL EDITION HITS THE STANDS!
Our Journalism Club BullPups, who are in 5th through 10th grades, did a great job thinking about what types of information people not familiar with Stanbridge may want to know more about.
Since our dedicated Journalism Club team meets only once per week after school, they end up doing some of their planning and writing from home. The reporters are now excitedly preparing the second edition and they've certainly found their groove. The next edition is twice as long and features favorite moments of the year, a comic strip by our most junior Bullpup, Stanbridge Senior profiles, and much more. Stay tuned. Thanks to Journalism Advisor (and Director of Admissions) Emily Mitchell for getting this club off the ground this year! Everyone loves reading about events from the students' perspective and we hope it remains a staple Club offering for years to come. |
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