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Written by the NPA   

Entering Nueva
Nueva Community
Schedule and Details of the Day
Evaluations and Conferences
Before and After School Activities
Nueva Programs
Middle School Questions

Entering Nueva


Attending new family events and connecting with your buddy family prior to the start of school will help your child find familiar faces when school begins. The teachers and Social and Emotional Learning Specialists work as a team to help new students transition, and they explicitly engage the class in activities designed to make the new students feel comfortable. Please speak with your child's teacher(s), advisor, or division head if you or your child needs extra support.


Nueva teachers welcome open communication with parents. They have worked out various methods to ensure a balance in meeting the needs of families in their classrooms. If you have questions or feel the need for more information, contact your child's teacher(s) or advisor. Teachers will answer your questions about their communication plans at Back to School Night.


The year's first parent-teacher conferences will be held in October (see Calendar for this year's dates). This conference is an opportunity for teachers and parents to exchange information about a child's progress. For our youngest students, it serves primarily as an intake conference; for our older students, it is a chance for teachers to gather information from parents and provide feedback about their child's work to date. Middle School students are an integral part of parent-teacher conferences and often are prepared to lead them, reflecting on their personal and academic goals. There are two additional parent-teacher conferences: one in February and an optional conference in June. At those times, you will meet with and receive narrative evaluations from the homeroom teacher/advisor and specialists. Written narrative evaluations are sent to you at both times.ms See below for more information.


Class assignments will be mailed to parents in the school’s August mailing. Class sizes vary according to grade. In Middle School, class sizes vary by subject matter and grade.


In Lower School, each classroom has the opportunity to work with the other grade-level teacher and students on various projects throughout the year. The length of time and frequency varies by grade and project.

In Middle School, students are divided into groupings for morning and afternoon classes. Groupings and the class schedule change after winter break, allowing students the chance to be in class with various teachers and students. There are also curricularly driven reconfigurations throughout the year.


Partial access to the private website is granted to families upon acceptance to Nueva and submission of their enrollment agreement for the following September. Parents of students new to Nueva are given the opportunity to sign onto the site at the New Parents Orientation held each spring, and will receive partial access to the site at that time. Full access will be provided July 1st. If you need assistance in logging in, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If you are parents of a new student and would like more information, please contact the Admissions Office.

Nueva Community


Parents are an integral part of the Nueva community, and are involved through their participation in activities and programs organized by the Nueva Parents Association (NPA). There are opportunities for involvement for everyone, from one-time events to ongoing programs, from providing classroom assistance to teachers to planning or organizing activities and events from home.

You can get involved in many ways. Each year, on the first day of school, the NPA hosts Tea on the Green, our traditional “welcome back” volunteer fair. This is a wonderful chance for interested parents to talk with NPA program and event chairpeople to get an idea of volunteer opportunities. It is a very fun, social morning with a lovely breakfast and welcome greetings from our Director, Trustees, and NPA Leaders.

Once you become a Nueva family, you can contact your NPA Lower School Resource Chairs or NPA Middle School Resource Chairs, depending on the grade(s) of your child(ren). These are the NPA representatives who work most closely with teachers and administrators and who, depending upon your particular interests and talents, will be able to advise you. In addition, you should always feel free to contact the chairperson for the activity or program that interests you. You can find the NPA Program, Event, & Committee Chair listing in the Nueva Directory and online after logging in.

If you are a current parent, please log-in and go to “NPA/Volunteer” from your Nueva Home Page. You will then find links to volunteer sign-up pages for the many NPA events and programs. New parents will receive an email over the summer with information, log-in info, and initial passwords so that you can access the private website, which includes the Directory, many (many) blogs, picture blogs, and wikis, and NPA contacts and links.


While there are no specific volunteer requirements, we encourage each parent to volunteer in some capacity for the Math, Science & Technology Fair held each winter, and for two additional non-classroom activities throughout the school year. If every parent would volunteer at this suggested level, the volunteer load will be equitably distributed among our families. We offer jobs that are big and small to suit all schedules, and all participation is greatly appreciated!


Lower School: Parent participation in classroom activities is highest in the Lower School, especially in the younger grades, and is coordinated through the Classroom Representative (“Class Rep”). The Class Reps are experienced volunteers who work directly with teachers as requested to plan parent support for class activities. As teachers’ needs vary from class to class, many teachers utilize a class volunteer calendar to communicate their needs to the parent community. To ensure inclusion and participation in school-wide activities, Class Reps also work directly with the Lower School Resource Chairs who sit on the Executive Committee of the NPA. To volunteer, contact your Class Rep, or one of the Lower School Resource Chairs.

Middle School: Parent participation in the Middle School is highly valued. Students in grades 5th through 8th are organized in Advisories, led by a Faculty Advisor, and parents volunteer early in the year to act as NPA Advisory Liaisons. These individuals function similarly to Class Reps as described in Lower School above. They work directly with the NPA Middle School Resource Chairs, who sit on the Executive Committee of the NPA to carry out events and programs affecting individual Advisories, the whole Middle School, or the entire Nueva Community. To volunteer, contact your child’s Advisory Liaison, or one of the Middle School Resource Chairs.

You can find the contact information for the Resource Chairs in your Nueva Directory and online after logging in.


Literary Club, fondly referred to as “Lit Club,” is a treasured literature discussion program for students in second through eighth grades. A part of the Nueva program for more than 25 years, Lit Club provides opportunities for students to practice reading strategies and literary analysis in small, cross-grade groups. Lit Clubs meet weekly for one hour with trained parent and teacher facilitators, the Lit Club Leaders. The program generally begins in October of each year and ends in May.


Lit Club Leaders are the individuals who work with a partner, either a teacher or another parent volunteer, to lead one Lit Club group. Training for interested volunteers is held each September. If you have a love of reading to share with our students and are interested in becoming a Lit Club Leader, please contact the Nueva Librarian.


Yes! Nueva parents interested in checking out materials from the Nueva Library can visit the Library and ask any Nueva Library Assistant to create an identification card for them. Cards are kept on file at the Checkout Desk. All materials can be checked out for two weeks, and are renewable unless the materials are on hold for another member of the Nueva community. Renewals must be done in person or via an email to one of the Library Assistants. The library has a collection of materials on subjects that might interest Nueva parents: giftedness, learning styles, parenting, SEL, and teaching and learning in general, and often has copies of titles by our Common Ground speakers.


The catalog can be accessed online at http://libsearch.nuevaschool.org.


Adult Lit Club is an informal program run by Nueva’s Librarian that invites members of the Nueva community and their friends, to come together on a monthly basis to discuss books. Selections are recommended by participants, with a vast array of styles and genres selected over the course of a year. This has been a long-standing tradition at Nueva, and is a wonderful, welcoming experience for all who drop in. You are not obligated to come every month.


We take community seriously at Nueva and look for every way possible to build a supportive and inclusive community every day, in every activity, for the good of our students and their families. Highly supported by the Administration and organized by the NPA, many specific activities and programs are intended to bring families together, beginning with Tea on the Green on the first day of each school year. The Buddy Program welcomes new families as they transition, and early in each school year each individual grade, led by their Social Representative, hosts a Parent Social as a way to reconnect socially and make new friends.

Other community-building events and programs include the Talent Show, Bingo Night, the MST (Math, Science, & Technology) Fair, Book Week, the Art Show, Staff Appreciation, and the Hospitality Committee. And let us not forget Helping Hands, our parent-organized effort to provide coordinated support for members of our school community who are faced with a medical crisis.

Having students enrolled at Nueva creates a connection from family to family that we believe is precious. We recognize and value the diversity in our community and come together as often as we can to celebrate. Community at Nueva is part of the daily fabric of Nueva life, and is ultimately a benefit to our children.

Schedule and Details of the Day


Bus: We encourage anyone who can to ride the bus! We have bus service to/from San Francisco and the Peninsula: multiple routes are offered to minimize trip time and maximize convenience. The bus is a safe, fun, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly way for students and faculty to travel to and from school. Many lasting friendships are created among children who live near one another. When you log in to the private site, a link to the Bus Transportation Enrollment form appears at the top of your home page.

Carpool: Carpools are informally arranged by parents in a grade or region. Speak with the parent representative of your child's grade to find out if you can join an existing carpool or need to coordinate a new group. Check in with your buddy family for more information.

Do It Yourself:  You will receive more information on traffic flow and pick-up and drop-off locations in the summer mailing.


School starts promptly at 8:30 AM and ends at 3:25 PM.  Bus, carpool, and parent drivers generally arrive as early as 8:15 AM and start departures at 3:30 PM.


The length of the school day is as follows:

  • Pre-Kindergarten: 8:30 am to 12 noon
  • Kindergarten: 8:30 am to 1:30 pm, or 3:25 pm
  • 1st through 8th Grade: 8:30 am to 3:25 pm


The general school calendar can be viewed here. Current parents can log in to see further details of daily activities.


The regular kindergarten day runs from 8:30-1:30. There is also an optional 1:30-3:30 after care program. This afternoon session is included in the regular tuition, and can be used on a drop-in or full-time basis.

The 8:30-1:30 program is led by the homeroom teacher, with the support and collaboration of specialists and teaching associates. It is the core kindergarten program and includes: integrated thematic studies, academic content, specialist classes, learning through play, and SEL. All kindergartners attend the morning program. Its curriculum is self-contained and does not carry over to the afternoon.

From 1:30-3:30, the two kindergarten classes integrate with one other. This session is led by the kindergarten teaching associates, with the guidance of the master (homeroom) teachers. It includes a rest time, snack time, and activity. The curriculum consists of a variety of enrichment and play activities from which the children can choose. These offerings vary based upon the interests and talents of the teaching associates (some previous examples include: science, gardening, art, music, drama, nature).


Yes, for an additional fee you can purchase wonderful catered lunches that are served daily on all full days of school. Our lunch caterer prepares the food in our own beautiful Café kitchen, using organic ingredients when they are available, Clover milk products, and hormone and antibiotic-free poultry and beef products. Ordering is done online in advance, and is flexible to allow you to order lunch for your child on days that you choose. If a child forgets lunch one day, they can charge a lunch, which is billed to the parents monthly. Adults can also order meals for themselves on days they will be spending time on campus. Please log in for further details, next month’s menu, and online ordering.


Students in grades pre-k through 4th grade visit the library weekly, and other grades come as needed. They are encouraged to explore their interests and choose books for their reading pleasure. In addition, the library is available before and after school. After 2nd grade, students may come during lunch recess to read, socialize, and play card and board games. Of course, the library staff is always available to help students who are working on projects or need information, or who want help finding that perfect book!


Each reception desk handles minor scrapes, injuries, and illnesses. If your child is unable to return to class, you will be called to come and pick him/her up from school. We will also call emergency services as needed. All faculty and staff receive annual training in first aid and CPR.


Call the front desk if your child is going to be late or absent for sickness or any other reason. The faculty tracks absences and tardies and will follow up with parents if necessary. If an extended absence is unavoidable, please talk with your child’s teacher ahead of time.

Evaluations and Conferences


Yes, it is true that Nueva students do not receive grades. Twice per year, in January and June, the classroom teachers and specialists complete a thoughtful and comprehensive written assessment of each child. Three times each year, in October, February, and June, conferences between teachers and parents are held (see below). It is our belief, backed both by solid research and by decades of experience, that eliminating grades promotes internal, rather than external, motivation and gives the students the freedom to engage in the content, rather than memorization for the sake of grades alone.


Parent teacher conferences are held in Oct and Feb with optional meetings in June. Starting in 4th grade, students are expected to attend a part of the conferences, and teachers help prepare the students beforehand. Assessment of individual student progress is an important process, including written narrative evaluations and, if necessary, interim reports.

Teachers meet individually with each parent in mid-October so that student information can be shared from parent to teacher and initial goals can be set for the year. A longer, in-depth conference is held at midyear to evaluate progress and refine goals. Year-end conferences are also available at parent request.

Early in each school year, “Back to School Night” events are held each September, one for Lower School and one for Middle School, and are an opportunity for parents to hear curriculum plans for the year from classroom teachers and Specialists. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend these informative evenings. Notes on the curriculum are also posted on our public site, and the handouts are available for download on each parent's Nueva home page.


Yes, as part of our requirements for school accreditation, students in grades 3 through 8 take a standardized test called the Comprehensive Testing Program, version 4 (or CTP 4, for short). This test was written by Educational Testing Services (ETS) and is sponsored by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB). This test is more difficult than the standardized tests administered in most other schools. The CTP 4 is an achievement test, meaning that it is not a test of specific school curriculum, but an assessment of academic process skills.

The results of the CTP 4 standardized tests are not used in the Nueva evaluations, which are written by the Nueva faculty and based on the class curriculum. While sometimes the results of the CTP test for an individual student may suggest that a learning issue exists, in general Nueva students perform very well on these tests and mostly confirm what the student, the parents, and the teachers already know. In such exceptional cases, a learning specialist or other professional would work with the student, the parents, and the faculty to make a more complete and accurate assessment. The best assessment of a student’s growth in learning, as well as her or his learning needs, is based on an evaluation of the cumulative work done in class over the years, as well as the observations of parents and teachers. More colleges are also focusing on class work, not requiring standardized test results for college admissions. Therefore, we encourage students and their parents not to put undue emphasis on these standardized tests.

Before and After School Activities


Nueva offers daily supervised care for grades K–8 before and after school. This program is available for a fee on a full-time, part-time, or drop-in basis. Fee-based, after-school enrichment classes are also available. Extended Day program information and enrichment class offerings are provided to families prior to the start of each school year. See our pages on Extended Day, After-school Enrichment, and Homework Club.


Extended Day is supervised care for grades K-8 before and after school. After-school Enrichment are fee-based classes in a wide variety of topics, often bringing in outside experts as teachers, and usually lasting for one semester. Homework Club meets three days each week to provide a quiet place to study, and a Nueva teaching associate to provide assistance. Tech Club is a free club for children who have a passion for technology. It meets Fridays in the Media Lab.


All of these are among the many ways we offer children the opportunity to make choices in their own education. Academies are special elective classes for cross-grade groups in grades 3-8, that meet once a week for 6-8 week sessions in 90 minute blocks. Academies allow students to choose from a wide range of goal-oriented activities led by teachers, parents, or other students. Academies meet on Friday afternoons, run for eight or nine weeks, and are offered three times a year. Electives are semester-long classes offered in Middle School and chosen by the students. Intensives occur in 4th grade for two weeks in December. Similar to Academies, the children sign up for their choice of classes offered by teachers and parents for 5 days in a row. CRISPs (Curriculum-Related Independent Study Projects) also occur in 4th grade: children decide on something they are interested in learning about, plan and carry out a project, and share what they’ve learned with the class. Choice Time is found in grades 1-4, and allows the children to choose how to spend part of their time in class each week. See this article for more information.


Yes, Nueva participates in the Small Schools Intermediate League (SSIL). We offer flag football (boys), cross country (coed), volleyball (girls), basketball and soccer for 5-8 graders (both boys and girls). We also participate in at least one tennis, golf, and bowling tournament each year. See our Athletics page for more information.


Yes, that is permitted, but only if the outside program does not intefere with the Nueva sports practice and game times. Nueva sport’s teams practice from 3:30 to 5:00 pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursdays, with all competitions at 4:00 or 5:00 pm on those same days.


No. There is a "No Cut " policy in the Nueva athletic program. All students in grades 5-8 who want to play get to play.


In rare circumstances a 4th grader will be allowed to play up at the discretion of the league, parents, coach, and Athletic Director, and after careful consideration of the child’s safety.


Yes, at the discretion of the parents, coach, and Athletic Director, and after careful consideration of the child’s safety.

Nueva Programs


The Menuhin-Dowling Scholars Program is a unique component of the music department at Nueva. Originally established by Helen Dowling and Yehudi Menuhin, this program encompasses 25-30 auditioned students of piano, violin, winds, brass, guitar, and cello. These students demonstrate the potential for high musical achievement. For these students and families, there is willingness to become strongly involved in music. Excellence of performance is the primary goal of this program. And the presence of this program heightens the value of music for the entire student body. Children in the program are exceptional music students who take lessons twice a week, study theory, form ensembles, attend field trips, and perform regularly.

Admittance into the Menuhin/Dowling instrumental music program is by audition only. Current, eligible first through seventh grade instrumental students typically audition during the Solo Review schedule in May. Families of these students should communicate their interest and intention to audition for the program to their instumental teacher.

Auditions for incoming first grade students, all new students to Nueva, and current students who did not audition in May are held in September. Families of new students should communitcate their interest in the program to Geoffrey Gallegos, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Instrumental Music Coordinator.


No, all Nueva students are welcome to perform at concerts whether or not they are taking lessons at Nueva.


Starting instrumental music lessons at Nueva begins with one or more sample lessons with the appropriate instrumental music faculty in the area of interest (piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and guitar). This is the best way for the student and teacher to become acquainted, discuss goals, teaching style, methadology, and determine the best student/teacher fit. Once a teacher has been chosen, instrumental lessons are generally once a week, 30-45 minutes in length. Menuhin Scholars have two 45 minute lessons per week.

All lessons are scheduled by the Instrumental Music Coordinator, in consultation with the teachers, at the beginning of the school year and take place during the school day and after school. Priority of scheduling is determined by a grade hierarchy (highest to lowest) with preference given to Menuhin Scholars. For lesssons that are scheduled during the school day, every effort is made to minimize the impact on the core curriculum of the individual student in question. The vast majority of lessons take place on campus. Some instrumental faculty offer a limited number of lessons at their home studios. Excepting the Menuhin/Dowling program, which is tuition based, payment for lessons is arranged and made directly with the instrumental music teacher. Each teacher has his/her own policy regarding payment and makeup lessons.




In addition to classroom teachers, Nueva’s teaching model utilizes Specialist teachers who are experts in a particular discipline, such as Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Music, Art, etc. Working seamlessly with classroom teachers, Specialists enrich the academic program and are a critical part of Nueva’s integrated curriculum. See the individual specialist pages for more information.


History is one of the subjects that make up Humanities, along with Literature, Writing, Economics, Politics, Philosophy. According to Wikipedia's very nice definition, "The humanities are academic disciplines which study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytic, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural and social sciences." In Nueva's Middle School, Humanities is one of the main subjects taught.


Offered in 2nd and 3rd grades, Math Club provides opportunities for children to discover mathematical concepts through play, puzzles, and experimentation. There are typically four activities led by adult volunteers. Students circulate among the activity tables to work on the activities of interest to them. It is a chance for students to meet weekly in small groups to build, investigate, compute, visualize, create, and ask questions and pursue answers about mathematical topics. There is always something of interest for children of every skill level.

All of these are among the many ways we offer children the opportunity to make choices in their own education. Academies are special elective classes for cross-grade groups in grades 4-8, that meet once a week for 6-8 week sessions in 90 minute blocks. Academies allow students to choose from a wide range of goal-oriented activities led by teachers, parents, or other students. Academies meet on Friday afternoons, run for eight or nine weeks, and are offered three times a year. Electives are semester-long classes offered in Middle School and chosen by the students. Intensives occur in 4th grade for two weeks in December. Similar to Academies, the children sign up for their choice of classes offered by teachers and parents for 5 days in a row. CRISPs (Curriculum-Related Independent Study Projects) also occur in 4th grade: children decide on something they are interested in learning about, plan and carry out a project, and share what they’ve learned with the class. Choice Time is found in grades 1-4, and allows the children to choose how to spend part of their time in class each week. See this article for more information.

Nueva has a unique, sequenced, developmentally-appropriate, immersive trips program that begins in 1st grade with a sleepover in the Ballroom, and continues through all the grades, growing gradually longer and more far-flung, until it culminates in 8th grade with a two-week international excursion. For complete information, see our Nueva Trips Section.

Middle-School Questions


Our Mission states: "The Nueva School uses a dynamic educational model to enable gifted children to learn how to make choices that will benefit the world." As part of that mission, three times a year, middle school students participate in a full-day service project in their advisory group. Many advisories stay with the same service project over three years so that students can develop a relationship with an organization and feel a sense of commitment to a project. Some recent projects include:

The Lantern, A center for education and hospitality, located at 3106 Folsom Street in San Francisco, the Lantern was founded in 2006 with a mission and vision designed to meet the needs and desires of the neighborhood residents -- literacy and computer skills, citizenship preparation, family support, and community building. So far Nueva students have made physical improvements to the space, helped teach classes in reading, writing, geography, computers, and baking, set up a computer lab, helped with childcare, and sorted and organized donated resources.

Glide Memorial in San Francisco. Even if you haven't been to Glide, you may know it from the The Pursuit of Happyness, the Will Smith movie that featured the community prominently. If you have time, see the website for this incredibly noble and inclusive organization: http://www.glide.org/

Avalon Academy is a school dedicated to providing exceptional educational services to children with movement disorders such as cerebral palsy. Nueva students help out, befriend, and play with children who have motor function challenges.

Shelter Network's Headstart Preschool
. After cleaning the communal kitchens in the residence halls, Nueva students jump right into the classroom experience, and play outside with the little ones by making kites and teaching duck-duck-goose.

North Shoreview Montessori School is a public Montessori magnet school, where Nueva students work in mixed-level classrooms as teaching assistants, helping younger children practice math and reading.

Yes, 5th grades are really part of the Middle School at Nueva, however, great care is taken to ensure that 5th graders are joined with students from grades 6 – 8 in age appropriate and mutually rewarding ways, as 5th grade is often a year of great development and transition for most students. For example, there are certain programs, like Lit Club, where 5th graders are joined with 6th graders in small groups. No, they don't go to dances until 6th grade, but they do occasionally have other evening social events that are solely for 5th graders, like their own Movie Night.


A foreign language option is offered in 6th grade; art and music electives are available in 7th and 8th grades.


MathCounts is a weekly after-school math club for grades 5-8. There is no formal sign up and weekly attendance is not required. It uses a published national curriculum from Mathcounts organization, and culminates in an optional school, regional, and state competition in January and February.

Q: What is Futures?
A: Future Problem Solving is an international movement involving 11 countries and over 250,000 students worldwide. The program stimulates critical and creative thinking skills and encourages students to develop a vision for the future. Students compete in small teams, using a six-step problem-solving process to find solutions to a themed scenario set in the future. Past themes include the counterfeit economy, pandemics, cosmetic surgery, and space junk. Teams complete in divisions -- Junior Division for Grades 5 and 6, Middle Division for Grades 7 and 8. There are five competitions (known as Bowls) each year -- two practice bowls, a Qualifying Bowl, the State Bowl, and the International Bowl. All students compete in the first three bowls, but only the top couple of teams will be invited to the State Bowl and only the top team in each division is invited to the International Competition.

Q: Who can join Futures?
A: All 5th - 8th Graders are welcome to join Futures.

Q: When do the Futures teams meet and how much of a time commitment is it?
A: The Nueva Futures team meets every Friday from 3.30 - 5.30 pm. Students are required to attend all Friday sessions from the start of the school year until the Qualifying Bowl in February. Outside of the weekly practices on Fridays, students will be required to do extensive research and reading to familiarize themselves with the topic for each bowl. We know that the most successful teams are those that organize practices, sleep-overs, and meetings outside of school. This is not an essential part of the program, but it is a great way to bond with your team mates and have a fun time!

Q: How successful have our teams been in past competitions?
A: Nueva has one of the most distinguished records in the California Future Problem-solving competition. In 2009, five of our teams were invited to the State Bowl, and one of our Junior Division teams was invited to the International Bowl.

Q: Where are the bowls held, and how much does the whole program cost?
A: The first three bowls will all be held at Nueva, and will take place during our regular Friday sessions. The State Bowl for 2010 will be held in San Diego on April 24th. We charge a $250 fee per student for the whole year. This money goes towards the registration fees for the Bowls, and the purchase of materials, booklets, and guides for each FPSer (Future Problem Solver). The costs of the trip to San Diego and to the International Bowl are not included in this fee.

Q: How can we learn more?
A: We will hold an informational session for interested students and parents in early September. Please see the calendar and your Nueva homepage for more information nearer the time.

 
Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, The Nueva School is a nationally recognized independent school serving gifted students and emphasizing integrated studies, creative arts, and social-emotional learning. For more than 40 years, Nueva has remained committed to its original vision: to inspire a passion for lifelong learning, foster social and emotional acuity, and develop a child's imaginative mind. Nueva creates a dynamic educational model to enable gifted children to learn how to make choices that will benefit the world.