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...
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!
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 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 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. We are down to 21 school days for students and the next few weeks are busy with events. The Middle School had a wonderful three days and two nights at the Montara Lighthouse. They were hiking, kayaking, and working on independence skills together. A BIG thank you to the Middle School team for spending time away from their families to help our students grow.
This coming week, our Elementary students will close out the year with experientials of their own. Upper El will head south to Watsonville for their overnight at Farm Discovery, while Lower El and Middle El heads north for a day trip to the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens.
Have a beautiful weekend and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! – Danny Martin, Principal From breakfast to lunch, as well as all the goodies, gift cards, notes, and gratitude in between, on behalf of all the faculty & staff, thank you to all the families who spoiled us this appreciation week! Your little notes and drawings are often cherished and truly help us get through the day. Thank you, as well, to Student Government for providing lunch from Chipotle yesterday for the entire school – students and staff.
Field Day We ushered in the new month with a fabulously spirited week, wrapping up today with Field Day at the Burlingame Parks and Recreation center fields. Huge thanks to our co-Athletic Directors, Daniel Quinal and Gage Daniel, for planning and executing a successful day of field competitions. Our neighborhood groups bonded and stepped up to the plate for a host of games before lunch. AND what a delicious lunch it was! Casadores' catered taco bar was a hit for students and staff alike. The day ended with our students winning the tug-of-war against faculty and staff. I know we were outnumbered, but students really brought their A-game to the match! We didn’t stand a chance. They got us two-for-one this week, winning the annual Student vs. Staff Basketball Game on Wednesday, as well. Thank you to our Stanbridge Parent Association volunteers for all your help and support led by Claire Collet, Pamela Davies, and Lisa Kennedy. It takes a village and we are so glad to have all of you as partners. Please come to our Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast this Wednesday so we can thank you appropriately for all you do for our school. One Community, Many Cultures Stanbridge is a community that has many different cultures and we are in the midst of numerous celebrations. Yom Ha'atzmaut was yesterday, May 1; Monday, May 5, is Cinco de Mayo; and the month of May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. We hope you can enjoy celebrating these beautiful spring days together with family and friends. Wishing you all a restful weekend ahead. – Julie Smith, Head of School BRIDGES: Supporting Post-Secondary Life In our final unit in Bridges, students are exploring the wide range of assistive technology that can help both now and after graduation. Although most seniors were aware of many of the apps available on their phones, there was a lot to learn. We began with a discussion of the ethical use of these technologies, including AI like Chat GPT and Gemini. While it’s clear that using technology to cheat or take credit for ideas/work that isn’t one’s own is wrong, there are many gray areas. The class was split on using Chat GPT to create original poetry or works of art - some felt it was okay as long as credit was given to the technology but others felt that using AI for creative endeavors takes away from those who are creating the art/poetry without assistance. I highly recommend playing with Goblin.Tools - it’s a web-based AI that does specific things like breaking down a project into tasks, rewriting text/email to be more formal, explaining the tone of text, and suggesting a recipe when given random ingredients. While AI can feel intrusive and creepy, it can be incredibly helpful and will be increasingly used in the future. – Cindy Schlesinger, Director of College Counseling & Transitions POST SECONDARY RESOURCES
The weather was perfect for Field Day today (a few pictures below). Neighborhood Groups worked together in a dozen fun Athletic activities including:
Hello Stanbridge,
There are lots of exciting things happening in Student Government. First off, we want to thank all the parents who donated clothes for the Samaritan House clothing drive! [We have over a dozen bags and boxes to donate!] Student Government will be dropping off the clothes very soon. Furthermore, next Thursday, May 1st, Student Government will be offering Chipotle lunch for students and staff who filled out the Google Form. If you know your child will want Chipotle please fill out the form by Sunday night, April 27th. Note there will be no weekly sale next week as Chipotle lunch will be offered on Thursday. So, please complete the form to make sure your child gets Chipotle. Student Government Elections for the upcoming school year will be on Monday, May 19th. Any student who wants to run for office should fill out the Intent to Run Google Form that Advisor Kenny will send out this Monday. In the form, Kenny will include who qualifies to run for each office. Good luck to all the candidates who run! Finally, next week is Spirit Week, and here are the days of what is happening:
–Monie A., Student Government President ![]() With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Andrea “Andi” Jobe, who founded Stanbridge Academy in 1982. Andi was 84 years old when she died at her beachfront home in Ecuador, where she had lived for the past several years. We got this news in a heartfelt email from her son, Allen, whose difficulty in school due to a learning disability spurred Andi to create a school for him and other students like him. Allen wrote that he did not speak until he was seven years old, and doctors were pessimistic about his prospects. Unwilling to accept this, Andi enrolled in a Speech Therapy program and graduated with a Master’s. She took an SLP role at a public school in the South Bay and, alarmed at the poor services students received there, set about creating a school that would accommodate their needs. In his email, Allen described our school’s beginning in a rented space in Mountain View. “She had times when she almost did not make payroll. She never turned away a parent in need. Some would drive buses, clean the school, etc. The school grew and grew into what it is today.” Allen’s note clarified a mystery for us…why the name “Stanbridge”? Here is what he said: “Very few people, I think, know where the name Stanbridge comes from. It is a boarding school in England that my family friend attended. It was a really bad place with really bad food. My mom helped my friend move to a school called Kildonan in New York. It is no longer open. So she thought it would be fitting to name the school a better place than that place in England.” Founding Stanbridge Academy was only one of Andi’s significant contributions to children with disabilities. Andi and her husband, Dr. Richard Jobe, a plastic surgeon, created RSF-Earthspeak, a nonprofit dedicated to helping children learn to speak after cleft palate surgery. Dr. Jobe was also one of the founders of Interplast, an international network of surgeons who provide pro bono surgical care to anyone in need anywhere in the world. We are grateful that Allen reached out to us with the news of his mother’s passing and are inspired by his remembrances. In his words, “I am glad to hear that she is still remembered at Stanbridge. It is her lasting accomplishment. She did not have a strong ego and would almost never take credit for anything. She was really hard to buy presents for. She just wanted to give back.” – Mary Stadler, Director of Counseling It's Spring Cleaning time and Overnight Experientials are approaching for 4th-8th grades! Packing lists can be pretty detailed and some items are often overlooked for inclusion preventing continued warmth and comfort. If you have any of the following items that are gently used, pre-loved, pre-worn, or grown out of, we appreciate any or all donations. Please do not purchase these items for the Stanbridge Experiential Closet. Reduce, re-use, recycle so that others may benefit from your still-usable items. Our goal is to create an experiential tool kit/supply closet to ensure the safety and success of all students and teachers on the trips!
Item requests:
Student Government would also like to remind you that their used clothing drive for Samaritan House children and teens continues this week through Friday, April 11th. So clear out your closets and bring in all your pre-loved clothing and overnight/weather gear to give it another life! Plus, there are proven health benefits of decluttering spaces, too. Thank you in advance for your time and effort. It is much appreciated by so many in our greater community! LIBRARY BOOKS
The end of Q3 is a great time for the return of Library books. Please check your child's spaces at home (or in the car) for any Stanbridge books – either from our main library or from any classroom libraries. This quarter we have over 130 books checked out/unaccounted for in our main library. Our Library Aides have been getting questions and comments from interested readers about books being checked out for extended periods of time. It's super helpful to get home support in collecting books back so they can be read by the next readers. Please return books directly to the library drop or to your core/English teacher. Thank you! PARENT EDUCATION: TRANSITION PLANNING
April 23, 2025 on Zoom | 5:30 p.m. Join us on Zoom to learn about Self Determination Programming (SDP) at the Regional Centers and how to gain access to this important resource. Tiffany Liang, a San Francisco-based Independent Facilitator, was inspired by her younger sister, Grace (Stanbridge Class of '19) to help families all across the Bay Area navigate Regional Center services and enroll in SDP. With a background in HR at tech companies and a Bachelor's degree from NYU, Tiffany is passionate about making disability services more accessible and empowering families to feel confident in the process.
(Interested parties should contact [email protected] for Zoom link.) Dear Stanbridge Parents & Staff,
STUDENT SHOWCASES Two successful Division Showcases down and one to go! It was a full house yesterday that came to see our Middle School Division present their slides. Our four Advisory classrooms were packed both with nerves and smiling faces. For many students, this was their first presentation to a room full of people. Each of the student presentations built on their learning from the beginning of the school year, challenging our students in public speaking, presentation skills, sharing of knowledge, individuality and creativity. This coming week, Elementary families will gather in Hayden Hall to see a variety of presentation formats by all students. Please plan to have at least one family member attend and arrive early for parking, as both our lot and the neighborhood are sure to be impacted by these community events. We look forward to sharing this opportunity for you to see your child shine! OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY (OT) Stanbridge has contracted with Therapeeps for OT services that will take place on our campus on Thursdays. This is the first time we've had OTs on staff and we are working to make the most of this time. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. ADVANCEMENT OFFICE NEWS Our Director of Advancement has been out on medical leave since early November. Please join me in welcoming an Interim Director of Advancement who knows our community well. Please know we will be getting the year-end donation letters out in the near future for tax purposes. If you have any questions or needs prior to receiving those letters, feel free to reach out to me directly. Stay Strong, Bulldogs! Julie Smith Head of School Dear Stanbridge Community,
The Stanbridge Academy Showcase series traditionally takes place mid-winter afternoons before dismissal. We invite current parents to experience the learning that your child is engaging in at school. Think of Showcases as what used to be called (in our school days) a traditional school open house. Each division showcase builds on previous learning to challenge our students in public speaking, presentation skills, sharing of knowledge, individuality and creativity. Please see your division schedule and plan to have at least one family member attend the event. Also plan to arrive early for parking, as both our lot and the neighborhood are sure to be impacted by these community events. HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION High School classes will have two to three student speakers per class period. We will follow your individual student's daily schedule. Please pick one up in Hayden Hall prior to programming.
Middle School Advisory Groups will present slide decks about life in Middle School. We will meet in Advisory classrooms. Please pick up your individual student's daily schedule in Hayden Hall prior to programming.
Families will gather in Hayden Hall to see a variety of presentation formats by all students.
Stay Strong, Bulldogs! Danny Martin Principal Monday is a National Day of Service to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a world-famous civil rights campaigner. "He is considered one of the great orators of modern times, and his speeches still inspire many to this day," (ducksters.com). Check out places to volunteer in your home community, read non-fiction books together at your local library (there are plenty of children's books on civil rights), or look up Martin Luther King, Jr. online to read about his contributions and help continue the conversation at home at an appropriate level. There are so many more ways to contribute.
Here are just a few resources to check out:
Stay Strong, Bulldogs! Danny Martin Principal INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAMS (IEPs) AT STANBRIDGE
I hope everyone has had a smooth transition back to the real world following break! As spring begins to approach, it is possible that you have an upcoming IEP meeting. I just wanted to send out a reminder of some ways that Stanbridge can support you through this process.
For your knowledge, ALL testing can be completed at Stanbridge. It is where your student is comfortable and feels supported! – Alyssa Dew, Learning Specialist POST-SECONDARY TRANSITION SUPPORT
We spent time last semester creating a multi-pathed flowchart that took them from graduation to independence. We traveled to the College of San Mateo, as it was on many of their flowcharts. Our students enjoyed hearing from two alumni, as well as seeing one of the recording studios and their resource center. On February 11th, our Juniors and Seniors will visit San Francisco State and learn more about how they support students. In March, we’ll be hosting alumni panels so that both parents and students can hear from alumni. The dates and details will be announced shortly. – Cindy Schlesinger, Dir. of College Counseling & Transitions ONLY AT STANBRIDGE
We ended the year with a visit from the one-and-only Stanbridge Santa and lively performances at the Annual Holiday Concert. A highlight of the concert is the leadership of performance arts teacher Tobias Banks, he certainly makes our students shine bright. Thank you all for supporting this annual event. (Stay tuned to social media over break for lots of pictures... and get a sneak peek in the weekly collages below!) Thank you to the Stanbridge community for your thoughtfulness, generosity, and support. We appreciate the gifts and the snacks that were brought in for the staff on Tuesday, as well as through the rest of the week. We were able to feast on savory and sweet treats all week long! ANNUAL FUND UPDATE We have now reached over 85% participation in the 2024-25 annual fund from our parent community! A special thank you to our Advancement committee members Cindy Kuenhle, Kinga Czegeni, and Sherrie Shagong for sending emails and making calls to help us close the gap. It takes a village – we appreciate all you do for our community. We all wish you health and happiness as you head off into Winter Break to celebrate the holidays. Spending time with friends and family to laugh, relax, and recharge. Wishing you joy to come in 2025. Happy Holidays! Julie Smith & Danny Martin Talking With Your Child About Their Diagnosis
Parents often ask our counselors how and when to talk with their children about their diagnosis. This excellent article from the Child Mind Institute gives guidelines for beginning and continuing this conversation. Even if you have discussed this with your child, the article may be helpful. You'll discover how the ongoing conversation may change as your child grows into adolescence and adulthood. There are additional links on the web page to insightful articles about how to talk with relatives and others about your child's diagnosis. HS Social Learning High School students are using Social Learning time to consider how we communicate with words, body language, and gestures. We've looked at slang and when it should be used, how to determine whether teasing is friendly, annoying, or malicious, and the pros and cons of gossiping. Students have had robust discussions about using group chats and how to keep them positive. – Mary Stadler, Director of Counseling |
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