Community
Community is at the core of who we are.
We love being a small school of roughly 115 students in any given year, and a place where each student is known and each idea is heard.
Strong relationships are built through small classes, shared interests, frequent and varied interactions, and a culture of care and kindness. These relationships enable students to feel a deep and joyful sense of belonging, and they enable faculty and staff to truly nurture each student.
Because of our size, we are a school where the entire community can delight in an inside joke or a frivolous debate, where families send open invitations to the entire school for board game days, and where the entire student body works together on collaborative art projects. The life of our school reflects the broad range of interests of our students, families, faculty, and staff.
We aim to be flexible and responsive, and our school continually evolves based on the input and initiatives of students, faculty, staff, and parents.
Students build relationships across grade levels through shared experiences.
Learning and playing together builds community.
Each morning begins with the whole school gathering for morning meeting, where we puzzle over the problem of the week, celebrate birthdays and accomplishments, and revel in student performances. During breaks and lunch, our open gathering space is abuzz with chatter from 6th graders and 12th graders playing cards together, teachers enjoying lunch with students, and students playing pool, foosball, and ping pong. Older students often take on big sibling roles, while younger students infuse the school with playful energy.
Wednesday mini-courses and clubs provide mixed-grade, small-group settings for students to become acquainted with a broad array of students with shared interests. Many morning courses are mixed-grade, and nearly every math course has students from three or four different grades. Collectively, these experiences open the door to a wide range of friendships.
Students come to school from all around the Bay Area.
Our students live in neighborhoods across the Bay Area, including San Jose, Berkeley, Marin, and all points in between.
Many students commute over an hour each way, while some students spend nearly two hours each way—a testament to the lengths that students and families are willing to go for students to be able to attend Proof.
We've designed thoughtful ways to make the commute possible: timing the school day to public transportation schedules, faculty chaperoning kids, and creating a school portal that logs commute milestones. With these systems in place, the commute becomes routine for parents and fun for kids after just a couple of weeks. Students see the commute as a time when they build relationships, learn to look out for one another, and develop independence.
Whole-school gatherings are a highlight of each year, with families joining us for open houses, holiday parties, and student symposia. Our Parent Association helps ensure that we have a vibrant and tight-knit parent community despite the geographical spread. The PA hosts regional events and whole-school events, including end-of-summer socials, a back-to-school parent gathering, weekend hikes and picnics, and regional talks and dinners.
Our Parent Association is an active part of our community.
Our Parent Association aspires to welcome, communicate, organize, and appreciate.
The Parent Association works to welcome all families to the school. The association facilitates communication among parents, teachers, and administrators; organizes events to bring our families together; and coordinates efforts to appreciate the faculty and staff.
PA meetings are held during the year, with a special effort to be inclusive to all parents, especially given the school's geographical diversity. With our PA, we hope all families will be able to get involved in the school community.
