Educational & Cultural Field Trips Extend Our Classroom

 

Weekly Field Trips
Every Thursday, students who’ve met their weekly academic goals step outside the classroom and into the city. We visit parks, museums, beaches, libraries, civic landmarks, and cultural institutions—places that spark curiosity and broaden perspective.

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We take Muni, walk city blocks, and experience the beauty and complexity of San Francisco firsthand. Students learn how to move through public spaces with awareness, independence, and care—whether they’re talking to a docent or offering their seat on the bus. Sometimes we have structured learning with guides or docents. Other times, we simply play and explore. In every case, we learn by doing—and by doing it together.  Older students look out for younger ones. Everyone learns how to show up, speak up, and pitch in. Both the journey and the destination matter, and every field trip deepens our understanding of the world and our place in it.

 

Annual Ranch Retreat
Each spring, our entire school goes on a 3-day and 2-night retreat to a nature ranch a couple of hours drive away from San Francisco. City kids get to experience nature first hand by swimming, boating and fishing in a pond, hiking to and skipping rocks in a meandering river, and seeing horses, donkeys, sheep, goats, hogs and long-horn cattle that they would never find in a city. At night, the deep dark sky is sprinkled with countless stars while we roast marshmallows and make s'mores by the fire.

 

Being in open nature brings our students joy and wonder, creates lasting memories and renews their spirits for learning.

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Annual Cultural Trip to China
Each spring, our 7th and 8th graders take a 3-week long study trip to Yunnan Province, China to practice Chinese language and see the traditional and contemporary Chinese society. We partner with a like-minded school for a truly bicultural exchange: students in both countries work on a shared project, the history and culture of a destination in China. Students research independently in their respective countries and then meet in person to collaborate, learn, and connect while visiting the cultural destination together.

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This capstone experience brings language, culture, and curiosity to life.