Mark Day School

Mark Day School is a fully accredited, independent, coeducational kindergarten-8th grade school in San Rafael, California, in Marin County. The school was established in 1980. Joe Harvey has been head of school since 2011, succeeding Damon Kerby, who had served as head since 1987.

On May 23, 2014, the school announced that it would change its name from Saint Mark's School to Mark Day School. The change took effect on July 1, 2014.

Mission

Mark Day School discovers and nurtures what is finest in each child in a vibrant, inclusive learning community. Innovative and full of heart, Mark Day School strives to develop well-rounded critical thinkers in a challenging program that fosters academic excellence and responsible world citizenship.

Special programs and curriculum

Mark Day School provides hands-on learning, Guided Reading in the lower grades, daily physical education, a chess program, and visual arts, drama, and music. Foundational skills and competencies in traditional disciplines are interwoven with four cross-disciplinary "literacies": cross-cultural literacy; ecological literacy; media and information literacy; and social, emotional, and ethical literacy. School plays are performed at the Marin County Civic Center's Showcase Theater. Kindergarten through 5th grades follow the Bridges in Mathematics curriculum.

Mark Day School offers curricular Mandarin and Spanish beginning in kindergarten.

Famous people who have spoken at the school include Melba Pattillo Beals, astronaut Leroy Chiao, Holocaust survivor Dora Apsan Sorrel,^[3] and Olympic swimmer Matt Biondi.

In 2006, Mark Day School initiated Northern California's only all-female chess tournament.

School partnerships

The school has a global education program that is supported by local and international relationships. The key to its partnerships is based on the idea of reciprocity - everyone has something to teach and something to learn.

Local Partnerships

In 2003, Mark Day School partnered with Canal Alliance, a nonprofit center supporting the Hispanic community in Marin County on immigration and education issues. The two organizations have continued to develop several joint educational initiatives, including a community leadership course for 7th graders. In spring 2015, Mark Day initiated a partnership with Next Generation Scholars (NGS). Other local partnerships include those with Aldersly senior residence, Head Start schools in the Canal district of San Rafael, Cedars of Marin, GLIDE, SF-Marin Food Bank, Adopt a Family, and Ritter Center.

Global Partnerships

Since 2004, Mark Day has been developing long-term relationships with schools and organizations to deepen the educational experience using a global lens.

South Africa

In 2004, the school established a partnership with eSibonisweni Primary School in KwaZulu, South Africa. Mark Day School sends a delegation of faculty, parents, and students to eSibonisweni every other year, where they engage in joint academic and art projects and assist with building maintenance and beautification. Additionally, since 2011, Mark Day has hosted several delegations of students and educators from the Kliptown Youth Program (KYP) in South Africa, during which they visited Mark Day's campus to teach and learn alongside faculty and students.

China

Beginning in 2007, Mark Day School has arranged for faculty exchanges with Beijing Experimental Primary School #2. Teachers and administrators from both schools have visited one another. In spring 2014, the first group of Mark Day students visited the Beijing partners as part of the school's Mandarin language program; during their visit, students do homestays in Beijing and are immersed in its culture. In January 2016, Mark Day hosted 72 students and faculty members; they shadowed students in classrooms, engaged in projects with Mark Day students, performed Swan Lake, and hosted a traditional Chinese dinner. These reciprocal visits continue to be a significant part of the global education program.

Costa Rica

The partnership with Pan-American School (PAS) in Heredia, Costa Rica, began in 2013. In 2014, Mark Day School's first delegation of students and teachers visited PAS as part of its Spanish program, and later that year, Mark Day hosted a delegation from PAS. Students from both schools do homestays and language and cultural immersion during these annual trips.

central courtyard of Mark Day School

Environmental stewardship

The school has made environmental awareness part of its program and has a native-butterfly habitat garden and an organic fruit, vegetable, and flower garden that has been recognized by Marin Master Gardeners as a model for school gardens. The organic garden program has its own teacher and has been integrated into the curriculum for Lower and Middle School.

Accreditation and memberships

Mark Day School is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools and the California Association of Independent Schools. In 2014, CAIS accredited the school for seven years.^[4]

References