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Pinewood School
Hello. I am truly excited to share the 2022-23 Pinewood School Impact Report with you. The facts shared within this report allow us to recognize the generous support that you have provided to Pinewood and highlight the meaningful difference it makes in the experience and education of each student, faculty member, and staff member. Whether you supported the school by making a donation to the Annual Fund First campaign or the Benefit Auction, your generosity enables Pinewood to embrace and live our values of knowledge, character, confidence, joy and community.
7:1 is the average student to teacher ratio
Your donations to the Annual Fund First support all the things that make a Pinewood experience unique—our exceptional academic and co-curricular programs, inclusive athletics and arts offerings, as well as competitive faculty compensation essential to retaining our world class faculty in a competitive independent school landscape. Your philanthropy enables us to continue to grow our program to meet the needs of a 21st century education and improve our technology offerings to faculty and students. A successful Annual Fund is a testament to your commitment to creating a robust teaching and learning environment for every student. Your support of the Benefit Auction helps our teachers demonstrate life-long learning by participating in professional development opportunities and graduate study to become experts in their field. Investing in our teachers has a direct and powerful impact on students’ learning. Each year, our goal is to ensure that all funds received are utilized solely for the purpose of providing an unparalleled learning experience within our classrooms. In the pages of this report, you will find many examples of money well spent. I am humbled by your generosity! On behalf of our teachers, staff, board, and students–Thank you!
Scott Riches, President and Head of School
80% of Upper Campus students participate in extracurricular activities
FUN FACTS Annual Report 2022-2023
2022-2023
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100% of K-7th students participated in a stage performance
100% of 3rd-12th students volunteer in community service
Average years of teaching for Pinewood faculty
Average class size: 11
23 AP & Honors Courses
74% of high school students play at least one sport
8000
community service hours donated by Pinewood students last year
30 Spirit Days spent celebrating Panther Pride each year
1 awesome school
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Pinewood School
How students benefit from your support. Outside of tuition, the Annual Fund First is the most critical source of immediately available flexible funds. The Annual Fund First directly impacts every aspect of the school, and allows us to go above and beyond in our program offerings. Pinewood depends on donated income to contribute approximately 8% of the annual operating budget, which translates to $2.1 million last school year. In 2022-23, 86% of our current parents and 100% of faculty, staff and Board of Directors donated to the Annual Fund, demonstrating a strong commitment to supporting Pinewood with their donations.
LOWER CAMPUS
Strides in the Reading Program at Lower Campus! At Pinewood, language arts is the crown jewel of our curricular program. We are proud of the strong reading foundation that we lay for our students, no matter their proficiency. In 2022-23, Lower Campus added the “Scholastic Leveled Book Room” for our K-2 students. The Leveled Bookroom includes over 6,000 books and 780 short reads, with 24/7 access to instructional resources and professional books and services. .
The Lower Campus Science program encourages inquisitive students to discover science and nature around them through exploration, experiments, activities, and readings, then incorporate writing to explain their findings and thoughts. 38 experiments 5 microbats visited our classroom 47 rainbow trout raised/released 9 fish in our classroom pond 1 leopard gecko 6 science games 20+ Next Generation Science Standards explored 4 field trips 150 student journals Numerous books read
Annual Report 2022-2023
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MIDDLE CAMPUS
Hands-On Learning in Action 6th Grade Adventure to Bodega Bay This year, the 6th graders at Middle Campus started off the school year with a 4-day class trip to experience the natural wonders of Bodega Bay. In addition to offering a unique, hands-on learning experience, this trip allowed students to build meaningful relationships with their classmates.
“I feel like before, a lot of people only spent time with their friends, but since our meal groups, cabin groups, and hiking groups were all dispersed, we got to know each other better and it was fun getting to know new people.” Shanku P, Student
“Joining the kids hiking & fireside
chats, you learn about their fears and aspirations as they begin to make adult choices. I highly recommend participating in a student trip if you wish to learn more about what’s going on in the mind of your child.” Larry Chu, Parent Chaperone
At Middle Campus, our drama department (under the direction of Ms. Post) creates confident communicators and collaborators by rehearsing and performing a class musical for our entire community to enjoy. 30 hours of performance 10 musicals 15 days of rehearsals on average, per show 220+ bars of music learned on average, per show 55 props used onstage Over the course of their tenure 172+ musicals directed by Drama Director, Ms. Post and 250+ musicals accompanied by Joseph Lai Thousands of memories made
SEL Our Social and Emotional Learning curriculum is based on the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning’s (“CASEL”) Core SEL. Middle Campus and Upper Campus uses the Wayfinder program (a program that came out of the Stanford Design School) for their SEL work. Upper Campus SEL curriculum also includes assemblies and workshops by the YWCA. Last fall, grade level assemblies included such topics as bullying, cybersafety, safe bystander intervention, self-care, gender roles, and sexual assault prevention.
“It helps build the foundation of self-awareness so students know what makes themselves unique. It’s better to start now than when they are older and life is moving faster.” John Swift
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Pinewood School
UPPER CAMPUS Pinewood graduates continue their educational journey by embarking on paths that are as diverse as their interests. This year’s graduating class took their impact near and far.
50 graduates 100% attending 4-year colleges/universities 12% at UC campus 16% at UC/CSU campuses combined
Language Arts Pinewood students outperform national and independent school norms on standardized tests, and alumni routinely report that the skills they learned in Pinewood’s English program serve them exceptionally well in college. We are proud to be a school that continues to recognize the primary importance of language arts in a rapidly changing world. Upper Campus offers many opportunities for students to write with more independence and share their work with a larger audience, such as The Perennial, our school newspaper and the most popular elective on campus, and Tabula Rasa, our literary arts magazine. These award-winning publications allow students to explore journalism and creative writing while gaining leadership skills.
62% attending private universities 38% attending public universities 4 students attending international universities – Canada and UK 170+ families/students following our college counseling social media accounts 40+ visits from colleges and universities 10% of class were recruited athletes 9 miles – distance to the closest college (Santa Clara) 5305 miles – distance to the farthest college (University of Exeter)
Exciting Developments at the Upper Campus–Computer Science Program The Pinewood technology department is excited to bring higher-level coding and design engineering principles to our junior high curriculum, aligning it with our complete K-12 Computer Science and Engineering experience. Pinewood recently added Ms. Christine Tran to the program. With 17 years of in-class teaching experience at Woodside Priory, Ms. Tran will build on the existing program to utilize the new Upper Campus Maker Space and expand the Engineering Design Thinking curriculum.
Annual Report 2022-2023
Pinewood Evergreens Here at Pinewood, we have a special term that is
At Pinewood, the term “Evergreens” is specifically
known and recognized by all who are part of our
designated for students who undertake their
community: “Evergreen.” Webster dictionary defines
academic journey with us from kindergarten to
Evergreen as “having foliage that remains green and
senior year of high school. Mirroring the
functional through more than one growing season,”
definition, our Evergreens consistently
or “universally and continually relevant: not limited in
embody Pinewood’s values of knowledge,
applicability to a particular event or date.”
character, joy, and community.
Congratulations to our class of 2023 Evergreens Daniel Blotter, Sklyar Chui, Sally King, Felix Redman, Devan Reynard, and Ashton Riches
Daniel Blotter
Sally King
Devan Reynard
“Being at Pinewood K-12 has shaped me as a person because it is what has helped me become so outgoing, confident, and willing to put myself out there and try new things.
“Pinewood’s nurturing community has helped me grow up and out of my shell throughout my 13 years at Pinewood. As an editor on the Perennial staff, we surrender our Monday and Tuesday evenings once a month to crank out the layout for the monthly issue. Working long hours after an exhausting day at school, our brains are fried by the end of the day, so it was no surprise that we descended into madness one evening. We crafted paper airplanes out of our page drafts and commenced an all out war, throwing the planes at each other. That chaotic attitude and adrenaline-filled battle will forever be one of my favorite memories at Pinewood.”
“Pinewood has allowed me to grow up in a very friendly environment and learn about how to treat others. I have also learned to become disciplined and hardworking.
I have a lot of great Pinewood memories, but one of my favorites is this year’s lip sync. It was special to me because, after getting last place every year, I decided to step in and take charge of it this year. I was really nervous about it but I put in a lot of work, and I was so happy with all the dedication and commitment I saw from my grade in practices every day leading up to the assembly.”
My favorite Pinewood memory was the senior class trip at the beginning of the school year when we went on our rafting overnight trip. Sleeping in the tents next to all of my friends is something I’ll never forget.”
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Pinewood School
How teachers benefit from your support. At Pinewood, we believe that our program is only as good as those who implement it. This is why Pinewood faculty strive for excellence in their craft regardless of their years of experience. Pinewood leadership is committed to helping faculty develop high-quality instruction that positively impacts student learning.
Learning Beyond the Classroom Our faculty members are constantly in search of unique opportunities that enable them to relate their
Aurora Collantes Faculty, Spanish, World Language Department Head K-6 I am very grateful for the opportunity Pinewood School has given me to continue my education, sponsoring courses for me to take over the years I have worked here. At the beginning of the summer, I attended the training Department Chairs Institute offered by CATDC, California Teacher Development Collaborative, together with other colleagues from Pinewood. The workshop was excellent because it provided great knowledge and foundation on how to be a department head. Also, the workshop presented best practices and different models of leadership while giving us the opportunity to interact with other educators from different schools. I came out from that training with a better understanding of what the role of a department head should be, and with many practical tools to implement in that role. I am sure my department will also benefit from this training. I have been very excited to share many of these ideas and tools with them to strengthen our team and collaborations. Ultimately, our students will benefit from all of this. A big thank you to our Pinewood community!
curriculum to the real world.
% 100 100% of Pinewood faculty/staff participated in professional development sessions and on-campus workshops offered by Pinewood this year
33% of faculty/staff participated in specialized, off-campus professional development $2,500 per year for full-time faculty/staff is available for specialized, off-campus professional development 8 faculty/staff utilized Pinewood’s Graduate Study Reimbursement Program and participtated in the following areas: 26.6% Classroom Learning Tools 26.6% School Administration 46.8% Curriculum
$$$
Annual Report 2022-2023
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Debbie Ditton
Monica Llagaria
Faculty, Music Lower Campus
Faculty, Spanish Upper Campus
In February, I was privileged to attend an all day Professional Development Workshop called “Responsive Classroom - For Special Area Teachers.” The training was centered on making the classroom a safe, productive learning environment for every student. We learned (and reviewed) techniques for bringing students together as a group, focusing them on the learning for the day, sending them out of class ready for their next learning experience, and redirecting behaviors that are not conducive to a safe and joyful class. Because this training was geared towards “special area teachers,” all of the amazing examples and suggestions were completely pertinent to my position as a music teacher, and also recognized the time limitations that exist in all enrichment classes.
My most recent Professional Development, I took a course in Backward Design Lesson Planning. It has been very helpful in planning and designing my thematic units. I did apply it right away, thinking about the learning outcomes first, and defining what students will be able to do with the language after the lesson. It can be as simple as students being able to ask for and say their name or age, or as complex as writing a Spanish recipe, sequencing the steps.
As a result of this training, I have been able to quickly incorporate many of the things I learned into my classes. I have started posting a class message on the board at the beginning of each class, to bring us together and let the students know what the learning objectives are for the day. I have added a class cheer or self-reflection at the end of each class to send us out of class on a positive note. My favorite new skill has already made a huge difference in the efficiency of the class - interactive modeling. This has been a game changer in the last month, as it has allowed me to model exactly what my expectations are, let the students notice the things I did and the way I did them, and then practice what I modeled as a class.
If I had to choose the PD course that has impacted me the most, it would be the Avant ADVANCE training I took last summer, a concrete, hands-on, powerful asynchronous online training. The training explains how to assess students’ proficiency levels, so the feedback and help we provide helps them advance. We were taught identification methods in concrete, measurable ways, utilizing real-life examples. Now, I can better discern my students’ proficiencies levels and I feel more confident in giving them feedback aimed at improving their performance using the Spanish language in different tasks. Thanks to the generosity of the Pinewood community, I feel very fortunate to be able to keep learning and growing in my profession.
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Pinewood School
Auction The Annual Benefit Auction is a long-standing tradition of celebrating community and philanthropy at Pinewood. On April 15, 2023, over 250 Pinewood community members gathered at the Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club for an evening of food, fun, and fundraising. The Pinewood community honored our faculty by raising over $200,000 toward the Faculty Professional Development and Graduate Study Reimbursement Program. Pinewood teachers are committed to being lifelong learners, and use these professional development opportunities to hone their skills. By keeping up-to-date on their areas of expertise, Pinewood teachers create exceptional learning environments for our students.
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Annual Report 2022-2023
AFF ambassadors
491
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$10,000+
AFF supporters 414 individuals 77 organizations
70 donors at this level
133
new AFF donors
$2,677
average donation
$630,113
in matching gifts
22
sign-up parties
37
auction committee members
437
Roaring 20’s Night supporters
$300,000 total raised at auction
37
online bids
100%
community Built
98 437
donations to Fund-A-Need
number of supporters
THANK YOU!
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Pinewood School
Paths
Oscar Barnes Daniel Blotter William Bull Vincent Chen Skylar Chui Kate Cornyn Robert Cui Chlea Facelo Adam Fallick Rachel Farhoudi Myles Fox Anna Grillo Samantha Hsiung Christian Hwang Ayana Jassal Devon Kaskade Miriam Kianpour Sally King
University of Chicago Utah State University Art Center College of Design University of California- Berkeley Williams College Sarah Lawrence College University of California- Los Angeles University of Portland New York University Tulane University of Lousiana Ohio University- Main Campus Cal Poly University of Pennsylvania Dartmouth College University of California- Berkeley University of Denver Trinity College Dublin University of California- Berkeley
Rathi Kolappa Akash Kumar Elijah Kurian Audrey Lo Syon Mallempati Nathaniel Martin Peyton Meinhardt Natasha Moretti Audrey Nelson Seika Oelschig Jade Ramirez
Northeastern University University of California- Berkeley Occidental University University of California- Irvine George Washington University Syracuse University Villanova University University of Toronto Case Western Reserve University Colby College California State Universoty- San Marcos
Annual Report 2022-2023
of Panthers
British Isles
McKellar Reed Felix Redman Devan Reynard Ashton Riches Maximillian Roesch Sophia Rosen Jason Rowe Josiah Saberi Garrett Sablich
Brigham Young University- Idaho University of Exeter Cal Poly Brigham Young University- Provo Providence College Cornell University University of Puget Sound The University of Tennessee- Knoxville Davidson College
Alexandra Sheiba Emmett Smith Peyton Spinner Carolyn Steeg Niki Taradash Logan Thompson Justin Ting Taufaeteau Tongi Ava Victoria Uhrich Mitali Vasudevan Andrew Wang Rosalie Wessels
University of Puget Sound The University of Edinburgh University of Miami Santa Clara University Boston University Syracuse University Texas A&M University University of Oregon Southern Utah University Northeastern University Colby College Santa Clara University
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Pinewood School
DEVELOPMENT OFFICE 327 Fremont Avenue Los Altos, CA 94024 650-209-3041 development@pinewood.edu www.pinewood.edu Federal Tax ID# 94-1527492