Visitacion Valley Middle School

A little VVMS/ Big Viz history and then some:

Visitacion Valley Middle School was ready to serve the Visitacion Valley community in 1971, constructed on San Franciscan land that once belonged to the Native American people called the Ohlone. 

Currently known locally to some as Viz Valley, this culturally diverse neighborhood is part pastoral, part residential, and part commercial, nestled amongst 6 parks of the Visitacion Valley Greenway, as well as 313 acres that makeup John McLaren Park. The Valley is a village. 

Big Viz is fed into by Guadalupe, Cleveland, El Dorado, and Visitacion Valley Elementary (little Viz) schools. VVMS had been repainted and made completely accessible to the physical needs of all people by 2005. In 2007, Visitacion Valley Middle School adopted the Quiet Time program, which engaged staff and students in Transcendental Meditation as a daily routine under the principalship of James Dierke, who was NASSP National Middle School Principal of the Year in 2008.  In 2009, with the partnership of the First Tee Foundation, Big Viz was the first school to have its own golfing facility and program. Stymied by the pandemic, this opportunity will begin anew this school year, along with the rejuvenation of our garden program. VVMS is also the home of an immense population of native choral frogs! 

Under the leadership of Joe Truss, 2015-2016 saw the transformation of the entire building to create new classrooms and spaces for various programs, including a spacious wellness center, recording studio, and library. Through two Innovation Awards in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, environments and routines that support accelerated reading comprehension/interest, science learning, and mathematical learning were established.  Salesforce also has been part of the important transformations and innovations in technologies and spaces in our school.  

Between 2017-2019 school years, with the support of the New Tech Network, VVMS transitioned from the 50-minute period schedule to block scheduling, Project Based Learning, and Problem-Based Learning (for math), allowing for more adult collaboration time, deeper student learning, and student intervention classes- as well as an investment in culturally responsive teaching via Zaretta Hammond and restorative practices. 

Plans this year are to focus on a sense of belonging at VVMS, through the formation of a formal student council and more self-driven student learning. We are truly about our 3 priorities- Love, Literacy, and Liberation for ALL students. Pay us a visit and watch this space!

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