Burke's Viewbook

WHYBURKE’S?

At Burke’s your daughter

finds her voice, and we want

to hear what she has to say.

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WHY AN ALL–GIRLSSCHOOL?

A Burke’s girl is . . . anything she wants to be.

Katherine Delmar Burke founded the school

more than 100 years ago to educate girls in

preparation for college. This defining purpose

challenged societal expectations and norms,

helping to lead the way for women’s equality.

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DREAM VIDEO

Today, although much has improved for girls

and women, we still face gender imbalance

in the workplace with alarming statistics

related to salaries and the lack of female

leaders in top positions and in specific

industries. At Burke’s, girls are not limited,

exemplifying that “There Are 400 Ways to Be

a Burke’s Girl.” An all-girls education helps

girls be confident and true to who they are.

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An all-girls education relies on teaching

methods derived from the latest research

on female brain development.

WHAT ARE THE UNIQUE LEARNINGOPPORTUNITIESAT BURKE’S?

Memorable and life-transforming experiences

are abundant at Burke’s thanks to unique learning

environments and classes led by innovative

educators committed to project-based learning.

On any given day, you’ll see students experimenting

with levers while changing a tire; sewing the

costumes for their class play; or taking risks riding

a unicycle as they learn about balance, teamwork

and self-advocacy.

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SLAVE TRADE

21ST – CENTURY LEARNING

The girls solve problems through invention

and examine difficult subject matter such

as modern-day slavery and childhood hunger.

A Burke’s girl will find her own voice and utilize

it to make a difference.

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The teachers at Burke’s are just as innovative

and unique as the classes they teach. Burke’s is a

school where teachers are constantly challenging

themselves through collaborating cross–divisionally

and across subject matter. Burke’s teachers

participate regularly in local and national professional

development opportunities, pursue National Board

Certification and take advantage of countless other

experiences that enhance the learning of each

and every girl.

OPPORTUNITIES

As a result, our program is characterized by

integrated project-based learning and a range

of differentiated instruction—always focused

on the whole girl.

HOW DOES BURKE’S EMPOWER GIRLS TO BE LEADERS?

Burke’s empowers girls to succeed as leaders in

their classrooms, in their communities and in

their own lives. They lead classroom meetings,

assemblies and campus tours, and start clubs

such as the Gay-Straight Alliance. Through

project-based collaborative work, they learn to

lead small groups, facilitate decision-making and

advocate for themselves. Our girls participate in

public-speaking classes and drama productions.

A hallmark in the development of voice is the

presentation of each girl’s original speech to

the assembled Upper School in her seventh-grade

year. During her eighth-grade year, she prepares

a presentation that highlights an experience

she’s had, a passion she has pursued or a

newfound interest she has explored. At the

heart of this journey to leadership, a Burke’s

girl will find her own voice and use it to make

a difference.

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In both the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school

years, Burke’s girls received the most

awards of any school in their age group

through the Toshiba/National Science

Teachers Association ExploraVision

competition which required them

to identi f y a societa l problem and

propose a solution.

WHAT MAKES BURKE’S 3.5 – ACRE CAMPUSSO SPECIAL?

For a school situated in a city populated with more

than 800,000 people — and with the highest real-

estate cost per square foot in the country — a

3.5-acre outdoor campus is unique; Burke’s is the

only independent elementary school in San

Francisco with an expansive, green campus.

At the end of California Street, you will find a

city block that epitomizes joy and learning.

Girls greet their classmates as they walk along

a landscaped playing field and move freely

around campus all day. Beautiful views of the

Golden Gate Bridge can be seen when walking

along the second floor of the Grace Magill

Arts and Sciences Building.

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• Four distinct outdoor spaces including a sprawling,

grass soccer field

• A multipurpose gymnasium with a regulation-sized

basketball court

• Three state-of-the-art science labs

• Two innovation labs known as Makery Up and

Makery Down

CAMPUS SPECS

• Two performance spaces with professionally

rigged sound and lighting systems

• Two large, light-filled art studios

• Two music rooms, each with an electronic keyboard

and a full complement of Orff instruments

• A fully-equipped kitchen, lunchroom and outdoor

eating spaces

WHAT ARE SOMETRADITIONS THATDEFINE BURKE’S?

A Burke’s girl will participate in a variety of institutional

traditions—many of which date back to the school’s

founding. As a Burke’s girl, she will square dance at

the Lower School Picnic. She will attend the near

century-old Fall Festival, an event that transforms

the campus into an autumnal playground. She will

perform in Greek plays, concerts, cabarets and musicals.

As an eighth grader, she will participate in

the colorful Maypole ceremony. Tradition

will follow her until the day she graduates.

She will be showered with pansy flower petals

during a time-honored stepping-up ceremony,

followed by Commencement, a moving

ceremony during which each girl is paid tribute

for her individual talents and achievements.

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HOW DOES BURKE’S CARE FOR THE “WHOLE GIRL”?

At Burke’s, our focus extends beyond the classroom.

We aim to provide our students with a multifaceted

education that includes physical and wellness

education, outdoor education, service learning,

confidence building and mindfulness. We make it

our mission to know and care for the whole girl.

It is our goal that at the end of a student’s time

at Burke’s, she leaves not only well-versed in

academics, but as an empathetic individual

who finds joy in learning, is emotionally and

physically self-aware, is fortified with coping

and resiliency skills, is confident in her ability

to achieve whatever may come to mind, and

practices self-efficacy.

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HOW DOES THE BURKE’S COM MU N IT Y REFLECT THATOF THE OUTSIDEWORLD?

Burke’s faculty and staff establish an environment

that cares for the whole girl and, by extension, the

whole family. We are an inclusive community that

prepares all of our students for participation in

an increasingly global community. This work is the

responsibility of everyone on campus. Diversity is

celebrated throughout our curriculum, and our

Director of Inclusivity and Community Building and

our Multicultural Committees help guide our efforts.

In our new strategic plan, Burke’s is committed

to creating a diversity task force to research

and develop a three-pronged approach of

recruitment, enrollment and inclusion to

ensure that the school continues to reflect the

rich diversity of the Bay Area in the student

body, faculty and staff.

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Although the numbers below shift with each incoming class, our

current community reflects the following demographics:

54%DUAL WORKING PARENTS

STUDENTS OF COLOR

RECEIVE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

DUAL HOUSEHOLD FAMILIES

SINGLE PARENT HOUSEHOLDS

ADOPTIVE FAMILIES

LGBTQ HOUSEHOLDS

35%

18%

6%

2%

2%

1%

HOW DO BURKE’S

GIRLS ENGAGE THE

WORLD OUTSIDE OF

BUR KE’S CA MPUS

WALLS – LOCALLY

AND GLOBALLY?

When a girl joins the Burke’s community, she joins

a group of friends, family and mentors. Burke’s

girls learn to give of themselves in our smaller

community and outside of our campus. The girls

appreciate the many opportunities they have to

participate in our school recycling program,

field trips throughout San Francisco, Burke’s

Gives Back and our outdoor education programs.

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OUTDOOR PROGRAMS

The girls gain a strong understanding of who

they are and have many opportunities to

develop their voices and utilize them to make

a difference.

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WHAT DO STUDENTS DO AFTER SCHOOL?

At Burke’s, the day does not end at the ring of

the dismissal bell. Lower School students have the

option of attending Tree House, an after-school

program that fosters play, friendships across grade

levels and time to relax and reflect on the day.

In addition, classes are offered through the

After School Enrichment Program in areas

such as woodworking, languages, writing,

yoga, musical instruments and more. Upper

School students attend study hall and

athletic practice, and some volunteer at a

local neighborhood center or elementary school.

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WHAT HAPPENSAFTER BURKE’S?

A Burke’s alumna is confident and engaged

in the larger world and connected to her

alma mater. Burke’s girls attend high schools

and colleges that further engage their

curiosity and interests post graduation.

They have gone on to have careers as research

biologists, concert musicians, technology

entrepreneurs, senior executives of Major

League Baseball teams and Pulitzer Prize-

winning novelists. Whatever the path chosen, each

young woman knows where her passions lie and

goes on to make a difference in her community.

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ALUMNA LAREINA YEE

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNAE

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HOW CAN

PARENTS GET

INVOLVED IN

THE BURKE’S

COMMUNITY?

At Burke’s, volunteerism is taught in the classrooms

and by example from our parents. There are many

opportunities for Burke’s families to become involved

in the Burke’s community. We enthusiastically

encourage parent participation, and most parents

find volunteering a rewarding way to share in the school

life of their daughter and to meet other parents.

There is a vast array of volunteer opportunities

that can accommodate a full range of parent

schedules, such as helping with morning drop-

off, assisting in the lunchroom or driving on

field trips.

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In addition, parents can serve on the Parents’

Association on a variety of special committees,

such as Sustainability, Burke’s Gives Back,

Wellness and others. They can help make Annual

Fund phone calls, work on Dinner Auction

or Fall Festival or help plan the Burke’s Speaker

Series, as well as other special events

throughout the year.

When parents give of their time they do so

joyfully, knowing that they are contributing to an

environment in which their daughters are

learning about volunteerism and are developing

their own voice and sense of confidence.

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At Burke’s your daughter

finds her voice, and we want

to hear what she has to say.

If you would like more information, contact

the Admissions Off ice at 415.751.0177 ext.

221. We look forward to hearing from you!