Jim Smith, 81, also worked as a mail handler and served as vice president of the Berkeley Property Owners Association.
Rosa Parks Elementary School
Finally, a chance to learn in person at Berkeley Unified’s summer school
With pressure mounting for schools to address learning loss, BUSD takes care to prioritize socio-emotional enrichment.
Parents fear that elementary students opting for distance learning could be left behind
Parents worry that distance learners are more likely to be stuck with a substitute than students on-campus, especially a substitute without experience teaching online.
Too soon, or not soon enough? Pace of school reopenings divides Berkeley
Some Berkeley parents want an immediate return to campuses, but others have argued that even small reopenings could be dangerous.
Let them eat lunch: Parents and kids say Berkeley schools have too-short mealtimes
Berkeley Unified is famous for its lunch program, but kids are coming home from school with barely eaten sandwiches and tales of scarfing down food, sometimes in as little as five to 10 minutes.
Berkeley schools go beyond bathrooms to support gender non-conforming students
While policies elsewhere limit the rights of transgender and non-binary students, BUSD tries to be as accommodating to its gender non-conforming students as possible.
Berkeley School Board primer: Decision time for board on overcrowding
Turning the Berkeley Adult School into a new grade school is being considered as a long-term solution to overcrowding. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel Turning the Berkeley Adult School into a new grade school is being considered as a long-term solution to overcrowding. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel The Berkeley schools Board of Education meets tonight, Jan. 14, for a closed session at 6 […]
Berkeley’s West Branch library to re-open in December
Berkeley’s West Branch Library under construction. Photo: Eli Wolfe Berkeley’s West Branch Library under construction. Photo: Eli Wolfe By Eli Wolfe Construction continues at a brisk pace at Berkeley’s West Branch Library, which is scheduled to re-open in December, after the holidays. The completion of the West Branch, which is located at 1125 University Ave. (at San […]
Remembering science education advocate Karen Meyer
Karen Meyer. Photo: Courtesy of Angie Gardner Science education advocate and community volunteer Karen Marie Meyer died in her West Berkeley home on Wednesday, Aug. 14, after battling brain cancer. She was 45. Karen graduated from UC Berkeley in 1991 and soon after began working with Dr. Isabel Hawkins of UC Berkeley’s Space Science Laboratory. […]
Enrollment surge necessitates three new kindergartens
BUSD officials informed the principal of Rosa Parks Elementary School, Paco Furlan, just nine days ago that he would have to add another kindergarten class. Photo: Frances Dinkelspiel So many new students have unexpectedly enrolled for kindergarten for the 2013-2014 school year that the Berkeley Unified School District has to add three new kindergarten classrooms. […]
Berkeley’s Rosa Parks students have their day in court
Bailiff Jack Egawa swears in witness Kaila Lenrow at a mock trial on June 13. Photo: Drew Goetting If you’ve never heard of the trial of Timmy McGraw, don’t consider yourself uninformed. McGraw vs. The People was a local, low-profile case of vandalism and mistaken identity. There were no life-changing revelations, the defendant was ruled not […]
Berkeley offers free summer lunches, snacks for youth
Photo: Reed Sandridge Berkeley is facilitating free lunches and snacks for under-18-year-olds this summer at locations across the city. In the Berkeley Unified School District, 42 percent of students receive free or reduced lunch during the school year, which is easily accessible when school is in session but can become difficult to find during the summer. […]