Fall 2024 Welcome Back Letter
August 5, 2024
Dear Students/Parents/Guardians/Caregivers:
We are excited to welcome students back for the 2024-25 school year in a few short weeks. The first day of classes will start on Monday, August 19, at 9:30 am. We know that building a strong relationship with you is essential and that family and community support and collaboration are crucial to student success. As partners we can make our school vision a reality for all our students.
APG School Vision
Our students will be critical thinkers, globally conscious, and lifelong learners. They will be successful practitioners of their chosen careers and life callings. They will be impactful members of their communities who have the tools to work for justice for all.
At the end of the school year, Dr. Jung, our assistant principal, was chosen as the new principal at Dianne Feinstein Elementary School. We will miss her and wish her well in her latest adventures. We are excited and pleased to introduce our new Assistant Principal, Elizabeth (Lizzy) Hull Barnes.
Lizzy is committed to schools as inclusive and creative spaces and is thrilled to join such a dynamic school as A.P. Giannini. As a young person, she loved dance and mathematics and has followed those two passions her whole life. She earned her bachelor’s degree at LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before moving to the West Coast and working as a community organizer in the Pacific Northwest and the Bay Area, focusing on environmental advocacy and LGBTQ+ rights, before moving into education as a profession. She has worked in education for decades across various age groups and roles, ranging from after-school programs to supporting multilingual adults learning English, classroom teacher, elementary instructional coach, and district administrator supporting Mathematics and Computer Science K-12. She earned her master's degree in education, an administrative services credential, and, most recently, a computer science credential from SF State. She is looking forward to getting to know you and your students. If you are at the school, please stop by and introduce yourself.
We know you have questions about returning to school. Please visit the links below and follow up with us if you have other questions:
- SFUSD
- APG Website (Updates will be added next week)
6th GRADE ORIENTATION: There will be a 6th-grade orientation on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, between 9:00 and 11:00 to support students and their families as they transition to middle school. (Families and Students should attend.) Flyer
Student Class Schedules: All student schedules will be accessible in Synergy before the first day of school. Parents and students must be signed up in ParentVUE and StudentVUE to access student schedules through Synergy. The Counseling Department will be available to support students and families with ParentVUE and accessing Synergy the week of August 12. Please be on the lookout for your ParentVUE activation code, which is being shared by the district.
We welcome you to a new school year on behalf of the faculty, administration, and staff.
Sincerely,
Tai Schoeman, Principal
Heidi Smoot, Assistant Principal
Lizzy Hull Barnes, Assistant Principal
See link for: Essential Information to Begin the Year
Principal's Message
Welcome!
A.P. Giannini Middle School, located in the Sunset District of San Francisco, is a rich and culturally diverse student body reflecting the remarkable city in which we live.
We have a wide variety of programs and methods designed to meet student needs and we believe in making a big school small where 6th grade students are in self-contained or core classes, and 7th grade students are in teams. We place our 8th grade students in individual classes to prepare them for high school.
AP Giannini is known for excellence in academics with programs servicing GATE, ELL, and Special Education students. We have an award-winning music program that offers choir, orchestra, and band, and a unified arts program with drama, art, and guitar.
We have something for every student at AP Giannini. Our students can select from an assortment of school clubs, join sports teams and lunchtime intramural sports, become involved in the student council, represent AP Giannini in community activities such as cleanup day, and participate in a full elective program that performs at many venues throughout San Francisco.
Our families and community are an integral part of the academic, social, physical and emotional success we experience at AP Giannini. We rely on our community and encourage everyone to join the PTA and contribute to the Jaguar Fund. In addition, A.P. Giannini has an active School Site Council that utilizes a site-based management model where we promote a standards-based curriculum, equitable access to resources, and community-based partnerships.
I invite you to spend some time getting to know AP Giannini Middle School and learning about the numerous and wide-ranging offerings we have in our remarkable community.
Tai Schoeman, Principal
Digital media and technology are evolving at a dizzying pace, both unlocking extraordinary opportunities and posing real risks for young people. Students are using the immense power of the internet and mobile technology to explore, connect, create, and learn in ways never before imagined, both in and out of the classroom. At the same time, tech use can bring up ethical challenges such as cyberbullying and misinformation and health issues related to media balance and social and emotional well-being. APG sees these as teachable moments. We believe that digital citizenship skills have become essential for students in the 21st century, especially this school year. That's why we are committed to teaching our students how to be digital learners, leaders, and citizens.
This page was last updated on August 6, 2024