A Message from SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Wayne
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你好! Kamusta! こんにちは! 안녕하세요! Talofa! Xin chào!
These are ways to say hello in Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Samoan, and Vietnamese — some of the primary languages spoken by Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students and families in the San Francisco Unified School District.
Learn more about how we celebrate AAPI heritage at SFUSD further on this page.
Featured AAPI Staff and Students
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The 5th Grade Cantonese Biliteracy students celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival at Gordon J. Lau Elementary School showcasing their language, culture, and broadcasting skills.
Asian PAC
The Asian Parent Advisory Committee advocates for the diverse needs of Asian students and their families. We partner with SFUSD to ensure equity and excellence by strengthening inclusive and supportive environments where every student can thrive academically and holistically.
Association of Asian American Administrators
The Association of Asian American Administrators hosts leadership forum for aspiring school leaders. Participants hear from Asian American leaders at every level.
"I like playing in the school yard, my classroom, doing art with my teacher, and learning about space."
- Julian Ow, Kindergarten, Garfield Elementary School
"I am proud to be in a school community where we believe in each and every child's brilliance and power while overcoming challenges together."
- Lily Chen, National Board Certified Teacher, Kindergarten Cantonese Biliteracy at Jean Parker Elementary
"I was a student at Spring Valley, so it’s nice to come back to the community where I grew up and learn from the families that are now here."
- Erica Wong, 3rd Grade Teacher, Redding Elementary School
"This is a really great time to make sure our students are ready to be adults with personal finance education to help them make the right decisions."
- Kingsley Yee, SFUSD Personal Finance Specialist
“The Chinese Affinity Group for Administrators is a safe space where we can share our stories, support each other, and lift up our voices in a world that often makes us feel invisible.”
-Co-facilitators of the Chinese Affinity Group for Administrators
Diane Lau-Yee, Principal at Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary School
Rosina Tong, Principal at Sunset Elementary School
AAPI Heritage Month Celebration Guide
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Explore the APA Heritage Foundation's AAPI Celebration Guide for Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month in San Francisco.
How do we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage at SFUSD? Link to this section
In SFUSD, we honor our AAPI communities each day. Many of our schools offer Asian language programs and clubs for AAPI communities. In fall 2021, Leola M. Havard Early Education School opened the first dual-language Samoan immersion program in the mainland U.S. SFUSD also has employee affinity groups such as the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) Racial Affinity Administrators Group and Kabayan for Filipino/Filipino-American staff.
Additionally, the SFUSD Fa’aSāmoa Initiative (FASI) helps address the academic disparities amongst Samoan/Pacific Islander students. FASI stems from a 2018 HAPI Resolution passed by the SFUSD Board of Education and amended in September 2020 In Support of Equitable Services and Staff for Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Students.
SFUSD has long been a leader in teaching Ethnic Studies in high schools. Ethnic Studies classes have screened Chinatown Rising, which discusses Asian American youth activism and SF history from the 1970s to the present day. Classes have used this as a text to encourage students to think about contemporary change-making movements. Numerous Ethnic Studies student podcasts have centered around Asian American identity, model minority myths, and countering Asian American hate in society.
Now in its fourth year, the Filipinx Student Wellness Internship creates an empowering mental health educational space for SFUSD Filipinx students to develop skill sets to have agency over their mental wellbeing. They wrapped up their second Filipinx Wellness Conference at San Francisco State University, where interns presented mini-workshops related to mental health wellbeing.
SFUSD Asian American and Pacific Islander Resource Guide
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The purpose of this resource is to provide a curated list of materials that reflect some of the history and diversity of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. This is not a comprehensive list, nor does it reflect all the identities within the AAPI community. It is meant to serve as a launch pad for staff to use to explore their own learning, use with students or by families.
AAPI Month Reading Event at Jean Parker Elementary School Link to this section
Celebrating the start of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month at Jean Parker Elementary School! Volunteers...
Posted by San Francisco Unified School District on Monday, May 6, 2024
Asian American Trailblazers in Civil Rights Link to this section
View a recording of an in-person Teachers Workshop featuring Principal Liana Szeto of Alice Fong Yu Alternative School. The workshop highlights Asian American pioneers and the pivotal court cases that changed the landscape of U.S. civil rights, including the U.S. Supreme Court decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) that established the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship for all.
Lunar New Year Celebrations Link to this section
This page was last updated on October 10, 2024