Festival of Learning

This year’s Festival of Learning is being held April 30 through May 23, 2013

The theme is:

The Whole Child – Developing Multiple Intelligences and The 100 Languages of Children

The public is invited to all events. Come join C5 Children’s School and our partner in the festival, the Diablo Valley Community College Early Childhood Education Curriculum Class Students.

Events will be held at both of our centers. One center is located in the Hiram Johnson State Office Building at 455 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco. The other center is in the next block in the new San Francisco Public Utilities Building at 525 Golden Gate Avenue.

The Festival of Learning events include:

The Grand Exhibit is open to the public during business hours from April 30 through May 23 and presents children’s work and documentation of teachers, parents, family members, and community members working with them.

The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the exhibit, with Olympic opening ceremony-like activities, was held on April 30th from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. The Grand Marshall for the ceremony was Ingrid Mezquita, Senior Program Officer, First 5 San Francisco, Preschool for All.

Public Demonstrations are held daily during the festival by every age learning group of children working in public with their teachers.

The Saturday Morning Seminar Was held on May 4 focusing on the theme of the festival with presentations, discussions, great food, and tours of the exhibit of children’s work and the two centers. Over 80 parents, family members, educators, and members of the public attended.

The Friday Workshop will be held on May 10th in the Benecia Rooms in the Lower Level Conference Center at the Hiram Johnson State Office Building at 455 Golden Gate Avenue from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The C5 staff and the Diablo Valley College Early Childhood Education Students will meet on the festival theme of “The Whole Child - Developing Multiple Intelligences and The 100 Languages of Children.”

The Gala Evening Party Will be held on May 17, celebrating children, their work, and their learning partners. Over 300 people will attend.

The Annual Raffle of many fabulous prizes will be held during the Gala Evening Party.

Join us for:

The Exhibit of Children’s Work

April 30 to May 23. The exhibit is open during business hours in the Hiram Johnson Building’s Great Hall, 455 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco. There are displays from both of our centers.

The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held on April 30th from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m. Examples of children’s work was presented from all learning groups, ages 3 months to 6 years old. Visitors saw examples of children’s ongoing projects and activities that documented their explorations and expressions in a wide array of various media, processes, and discoveries that revealed the power of learning of young children in collaboration with each other, teachers, parents, family members, and community members.

Gala Evening Celebration

We will celebrate on May 17th from 5:00 to 7:30 pm, on the 2nd Floor of the Hiram Johnson State Office Building at 455 Golden Gate Avenue. We will have an event-packed evening festival full of fun, excitement, and learning for families, friends of C5, and the general public. Over 200 people are expected to attend. There will be C5 families; friends of C5; children sampling food, some made by the children; music; the Children’s Exhibit; school tours; talks by teachers, parents, and alumni children; music and dancing; games and creative activities; an exciting raffle with a wide range of amazing gifts; and, films by children, teachers, and famous educators. Tickets will be $20 per person, $25 at the door. Children 12 and under were free.

Children and Teachers Working in Public

There will be 12 days during the four-week festival when the children and staff at C5, with parent chaperons, are taking their learning processes into the public view in San Francisco for 19 demonstrations. In most cases, the children are continuing explorations and development of their projects or their current interests and fascinations.

The schedule of the Public Demonstrations is:

Public Demonstration (1) One of the younger preschool age learning groups in the Cable Cars Classroom demonstrated their “3-D Collage Work” with their teachers and parent chaperones on the Sky Bridge over the lobby in the Hiram Johnson State Office Building, at 455 Golden Gate Avenue,  on May 3rd, from 10:00 to11:00 a.m.

Public Demonstration (2) Another of the younger preschool age learning groups in the Cable Cars Classroom demonstrated their “Dramatic Play” with their teachers and parent chaperones in the 455 Golden Gate Building’s Great Hall, on May 6th, from 10:00 to11:00 a.m.

Public Demonstration (3) One of the older pre-K interest groups demonstrated “Baseball at the Park” with their teachers and parent chaperones in the Civic Center Park on May 7th, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Public Demonstration (4) Another of the preschool learning groups, The Lightning Bolts, will demonstrate “Shapes City” with their teachers and parent chaperones in the Great Hall at 455 Golden Gate Avenue, on May 8th, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Public Demonstration (5) One of the younger preschool age learning groups in the Cable Cars Classroom will demonstrate their “Obstacle Course” with their teachers and parent chaperones in the Great Hall at 455 Golden Gate Avenue, on May 9th, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Public Demonstration (6) One of the older learning groups from the Golden Gate Classroom, The Sky Tigers, will stage their “Cats performance” with their teachers and parent chaperones in the cafe of the SF City Building Center, at 525 Golden Gate Avenue, on May 9th, from 10:15 to 10:30 a.m.

Public Demonstration (7) The infants from The Caterpillars learning group in the Babbling Brook Classroom in the San Francisco City Building Center will demonstrate “Musical Instruments” with their teachers and parent chaperones in the café at that building on May 13th, from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Public Demonstration (8) One of the toddler Learning Groups in the Bay Classroom, from The Monkeys, will demonstrate “Seeds” with their teachers and parent chaperones on the mezzanine at 455 Golden Gate, on May 13th, from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Public Demonstration (9) The young toddlers from the San Francisco City Building Center in the Bayshore Classroom, The Butterflies, will demonstrate “Clay Works” with their teachers and parent chaperones in the café at that building on May 14th, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Public Demonstration (10) Another of the toddler learning groups, The Monkeys, from the Bay Classroom, will demonstrate “Drums” with their teachers and parent chaperones on the mezzanine at 455 Golden Gate, on May 14th, from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Public Demonstration (11) One of the older pre-K interest groups from the Golden Gate Classroom will demonstrate “Beads and Necklaces” with their teachers and parent chaperones on the mezzanine at 455 Golden Gate Avenue, on May 15, from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Public Demonstration (12) The older preschool learning group, The Race Cars,  from the Redwood Classroom at the San Francisco City Building Center will demonstrate “Work on the Calypso Ship” with their teachers and parent chaperones in the café at that building, on May 15th, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Public Demonstration (13) One of the older pre-K interest groups from the Golden Gate Classroom will demonstrate “Marble Run” with their teachers and parent chaperones on the mezzanine at 455 Golden Gate Avenue, on May 16th, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Public Demonstration (14) The younger preschool age learning group, The Spiraling Musicians, from the Mighty Oaks Classroom at the San Francisco City Building Center will demonstrate “Marching Band” with their teachers and parent chaperones in the Civic Center Park, on May 16th, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Public Demonstration (15) The preschool learning group, The Starships, from the Golden Gate Classroom, will demonstrate “Painting” with their teachers and parent chaperones on the front steps of the Supreme Court Building at 350 McAllister Street, on May 20th, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Public Demonstration (16) The toddler learning group from the Pacific Classroom, The Elephants, will demonstrate “Ramps, Tunnels, Bridges” with their teachers and parent chaperones on the mezzanine at 455 Golden Gate Avenue, on May 21st, from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m.

Public Demonstration (17) The toddler learning group from the Pacific Classroom, The Elephants, will demonstrate more of their “Ramps, Tunnels, Bridges” with their teachers and parent chaperones on the mezzanine at 455 Golden Gate Avenue, on May 23rd, from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m.

Public Demonstration (18) The younger preschool age learning group, The Spiraling Musicians, from the Mighty Oaks Classroom at the San Francisco City Building Center will demonstrate more of their “Marching Band” with their teachers and parent chaperones in the café at that building, on May 23rd, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Public Demonstration (19) One of the older learning groups from the Golden Gate Classroom, The Sky Tigers, will stage their “Cats performance” with their teachers and parent chaperones in the auditorium in the lower level conference center of the Hiram Johnson State Office Building, at 455 Golden Gate Avenue,  on May 23rd, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Directions to C5

C5 Children’s School main offices are located at 455 Golden Gate Avenue, Suite 2400, San Francisco, California, 94102. We are in the Hiram Johnson State of California Office Building. The main entrance to the building is on the South side of the street in the middle of the block between Polk and Larkin Streets.

Parking

The closest parking is in the block next to our building. It is the University of California Hastings Parking Garage at 376 Larkin Street, between McAllister and Golden Gate Avenue. It is on the right side as you are traveling north on Larkin. The rates are $3 for 0-1 Hour; and, $3 per hour for each hour afterward.

The next closest parking garage is in another block next to the other side of our building. It is the Civic Center garage that is underground below Civic Center Park in front of City Hall. The entrance is on McAllister Street between Polk and Larkin. The rates are $3 per hour 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and, $2.50 per hour for 3 to 6 p.m.

Mass Transit

If you take BART or MUNI, get off at the Civic Center Station, walk to Larkin, go north on Larkin to Golden Gate Avenue, turn left before crossing Golden Gate Avenue, walk to the middle of the block, and the main entrance to our building is immediately off of the sidewalk in the State of California Building.

Security in the Building

There is security screening in the building that is similar to screening at courtrooms and airports. The security officers can direct you to our school and meeting spaces.

Donations

C5 Children’s School is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public interest organization.
Donations and Sponsorships are accepted. Contributions are tax deductible.

History of Our Festival of Learning

Our first exhibit was in 2005. Many examples of children’s work were displayed on the mezzanine in front of the Preschool Center and around the hallways outside the school. The theme that year was “Making Learning Visible—An exhibit advocating for the rights of children and the possibilities of learning for all.”

In 2006, the exhibit was installed in the Great Hall at the Preschool Center building and was displayed prior to the auction. That year, the theme was “Growing Strong Together.”

In 2007, we discontinued the auction and created the Festival of Learning with the central focus on children, their work, and their learning. We replaced the fundraising function of the auction with money donations from families, friends, extended families, and corporations; and, the sales of raffle tickets and tickets to the Gala Party. These funds were used for special enhancement activities and a small number of partial scholarships. The festival theme that year was “Facilitating Learning and Development in Partnership with Young Children and Families.”

Also in 2007, as part of our staff retention and incentive plan and to augment our comprehensive staff development and curriculum planning, we set an objective of sending two teachers each year on the U.S. Study Tour to Reggio Emilia, Italy. The proceeds from the Festival of Learning fundraising activities go to support these study tours, along with providing scholarships for children whose families could not otherwise afford to enroll their children in our school or to stay at C5 Children’s School.

In 2008, the festival and exhibit theme was “The Surprise! ... what children can do!!!”

In 2009, the festival and exhibit theme was “The Greening of Learning—Reducing, Reusing, Recycling, ReCreating.”

In 2010, the theme for the Festival of Learning was “Discoveries! The Inspirations, Insights, and Innovations from Children’s Interactions with Materials, People, and Processes.”

In 2011, the theme was “Deeper Learning Through collaboration—with Children, Parents, Family, Colleagues, and Community Members.”

In 2012, the theme was “Dreaming and Doing – The Power of Collaborating Teams and Individual Imagination.”

We have now sent 12 staff members on the one-two week U.S. Study Tours to Reggio Emilia. The study tours have been life-changing professional growth events for all of the teachers. They enthusiastically tell stories of their experiences and implement what they have learned to create many more amazing possibilities for a new culture of childhood at C5.

The strong support we have had over the years from our parent and family community, our neighbors and vendors, and the community at large have helped to spread the word about children’s capabilities and accomplishments from birth to kindergarten, to fund tuition scholarships for some of our families, and to send a total of eight staff members to the schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy on the U.S. Study tours.

We invite you and those you care most about to join us each year for a marvelous four weeks of a Festival of Learning!

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