Friday Focus

Next Sunday, October 16, our 13th annual Walk-a-thon will take place at Lake Merced. Students, staff, and friends in the community will be joining us that morning to help raise funds for our school.

Walk-a-thon is Coming!

Every student, parent, and supporter that participates in the Walk-a-thon will receive a promotional T-shirt for his or her participation.

There will be lots of papusas, haystacks, and lots of fun as we work together to make a difference in the lives of the kids at our school.

Previous Walk-a-thons have helped to fund a computer lab, provided hands-on materials for art and science, and helped with the construction of our playground.

Two projects will benefit from this year's Walk-a-thon:

• Multipurpose Room--We are transitioning our worship center into a multipurpose room. A portion of the funds raised will be used to replace the wooden pews with stacking, soft-cushioned chairs that will be much more comfortable to sit on! In addition, this will allow us to reconfigure the room for many different uses--chapels and assemblies; PE on rainy days; small groups; room for kids to work on cooperative projects; and lots more.
• Enhance Integration of Technology--A portion of the funds received will be used to upgrade computers in our lab and help acquire a digital video camera and video projector to enhance integration of technology.

A strong support of our Walk-a-thon is essential for maintaining San Francisco Adventist School's tradition of excellence. Our goal this year is $10,000.

I'm confident that as we all work together we can reach our goal and continue to make our school a great place for kids to grow.

Last year's Walk-a-thon...

Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences

Our fall Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, October 19, and all day on Thursday, October 20. Report cards from the first quarter will be given out on that day. Students in grades 1–8 are expected to attend their conference.

There is no school on Thursday, October 20. Extended care will be available from 7:30 am-6:00 pm on that day.

A form to reserve your Fall Conference is included with this Friday Focus, or you may fill it out online at our website (link below).

Please select your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices for an appointment with your child's teacher(s) and return to school by Thursday, October 13. We will try to honor your choices as closely as possible.

Parent-Teacher Conference Schedule...

Teach Your Child to Ask Questions, Ponder Problems

The best way to help develop your child's thinking skills is to get them talking.

Parents want their children to ask questions and think through problems. There are many ways you can help your child learn these important skills. Here are some ideas to try:

• Ask questions. Say things like, "I wonder why that happened?" Encourage your child to ask the same kinds of questions.
• Encourage your child to find facts to back up her opinions. If she feels strongly about an issue, help her write a letter to the newspaper or the mayor.
• Ask questions about school work. After your child reads a lesson, ask her what was the most important thing she read.
• Talk about the questions teachers are asking, not just ask what they are teaching. In history, the teacher might have asked, "Why did people come to live in the Americas?"
• Think out loud. We don't always let our children know how we solve problems. The next time you face a decision, share your thoughts as appropriate. Talk about each step. Your child sees what it takes to think a problem through.

Adapted from: Carol A. Weiss, "But How Do We Get them to Think," University of Maryland Center for Teaching Excellence.

Small Groups Begin at SFAS

This past week our CSI: San Francisco group took over our weekly chapel and leading small groups. Each week our junior high group (CSI: San Francisco) presents a skit for chapel and then lead a small group of kids to further apply the concept presented in chapel. Currently we have ten small groups that meet every week on campus. The CSI group is doing an outstanding job!

Next week's skit, "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Bush" will help kids learn that not only does God speak to us, but we also need to listen for God to speak. Through Moses' encounter at the burning bush we'll learn that God speaks to us.

Feel free to join us Wednesday morning at 8:15 am for a great time of worship, and check out some pictures on our website.

Photos from Chapel...

Make Sure Your Child Schedules Homework Time

On average, American children spend more time watching TV than doing homework. The U.S. Department of Education also notes that when parents limit TV time, more homework gets done.

Schedule homework time first. Plan on 15 minutes per day for each year your child has been in school.

Then talk with your child about how much television and what programs he can watch.

The Story They Missed

Television, radio, and print media take pride in being "America's most trusted news source" or their "fair-and-balanced reporting" or printing "all the news that fit to print." I'm not so sure that most of us trust them all that much. I'm quite certain that they are as biased in reporting as most of us are in hearing. And there's a lot of good news that nobody seems to bother to print or broadcast.

For example, the focus of coverage on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is an example of the worst in journalism. Blaming. Finger-pointing. Bickering about lines of authority and responsibility. Absolutely untrue stories about murder, rape, and scores of corpses in major shelters. Reporting the grossest of speculations. Are our media outlets correct that America is a cesspool of corrupt politicians, incompetent leadership, racist citizens, and selfishness? Mmm. Okay, there's a lot of that hateful stuff. But there's much more that's good that they've missed.

Generous Americans gave $700 million to the Red Cross and another $55 million to the Salvation Army in just two weeks. Thousands of unpaid volunteers manned shelters, cooked food, and cried with scared people. As soon as they could, thousands more trucked in donated supplies, sent crews of people with chain saws and shovels to help clean up, and opened their homes to evacuees.

Predominantly black churches sheltered white people whose homes had been destroyed. Majority white churches took in Latinos and African Americans. A rabbi and a preacher drove in a truckload of supplies donated by their synagogue and evangelical church. Muslims, Christians, atheists, conservatives, liberals –- a coalition of goodwill of compassion has displayed the best in human nature.

Little kids emptied piggy banks. Elderly people sacrificed from fixed incomes. Corporations gave huge checks. Offices collected small amounts. Schools accepted children without the normal paperwork. People didn't really care if the person benefitting from their efforts were Democrat or Republican, Baptist or Catholic, rich or poor in pre-disaster times. They stepped up to help.

As the blame games and posturing continue, let your focus be on the good things you see. Watch for things that reflect love and concern and sacrifice. Look for local stories of school children or church groups who are creative in kindness.

"You'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly..." (Philippians 4:8 MSG). If you look, those things are there to see.

--Rubel Shelly