Doyle Drive Demolition

As many people have heard, the Doyle Bridge is being demolished in 2 days (Friday). The Doyle Bridge is the bridge that connect you to the golden gate, of course its not the only, but whether it is or not, going across the bridge will be the closet thing there is to impossible. It will be closed from 4/27 to 4/30, or, to be exact, from 8 pm Friday to 5 am Monday. This will be a great weekend to go to the mountains cause you certainly wont miss much here.

            Doyle Bridge, being the narrow and seismically fragile approach to the golden gate it is, is not exactly adored by the people who cross it to work everyday. Officers are worried that those who don’t make the commute and barely know a feather or a fig about the Doyle Bridge will ignore the warnings of the 57-hour closure and extreme traffic likely hood which will cause even more of a traffic tangle on 19^th Avenue and Highway 1, the approaches to the Golden Gate that will remain open.

            Explosives may not be used thus the Doyle Bridge will be demolished in a slightly more complex, yet far safer way. Demolition crews will go to work on the elevated concrete structure. Using 40 hydraulic hammers, cranes and other heavy equipment hauled in from across the country, they’ll punch holes in the 10 football fields worth of road deck, then rip apart the girders and support beams and chop down 280 concrete columns.

            If your going to attempt to enter the traffic here is a hint of advice: If your traveling between the north bay and south bay you can avoid going on the Golden Gate by taking the ferry, which will be running additional services, or head to the east bay and take the bay bridge, because with all the traffic, it will be much, much quicker. As for tourist, bicycle across the bridge. You’ll see more and enjoy it more. If you completely insist on taking the bridge, it is suggested to take California street or Geary Boulevard across town to highway 1 and then should be prepared for a slog.

Mrs. Okamoto Day

Mrs. Okamoto Day is when we celebrate a huge fan of the San Fracisco Giants baseball team, Mrs. Okamoto. Mrs. Okamoto's full name is, Hatsuko Okamoto. Mrs. Okamoto started supervising at hillwood in 1953. Mrs. Okamoto was super popular because she was a very loving person. Mrs. Okamoto retired from HIllwood School in 1996. Mrs. Okamoto was a huge fan of the San Fransicisco Giants because she loved them. Since she passed away we all celebrate her and the Giants because she was a big fan. During lunch we go downstairs and eat outside. For lunch Mr. Grantz does a barbeques hot dogs. It's really fun and exciting! I think we all have a lot of fun. Go Giants!

The History of Hillwood

Hillwood  Academic Day School has been a school for 61 years.  Mr. Grantzs' grandmother started the school.  Her name was Mary Libra.  The school's colors are forest green and dark blue.  Hillwood is not a typical school, for it is in a victorian house that was built in 1893.  Mary Libra started the school in 1949 and she started the summer program in Muir Woods.  In 1995, Libra passed away and Mr Grantz ran the school, with the help of his wife.  Mr. Grantz now runs the school. 

Even after 61 years, the outside of the the school still looks almost the same.  The desks in the school are still the same, too.  Mr. Grantz attended this school for kindergarten and first grade, and then graduated here.  Mr. Grantz went to Bridgepoint high school in Newark for six months, then he took a test for his high school diploma.  He passed and then went to the University of San Francisco. 

Hillwood Fund-raising

This article is all about Hillwood fund-raising. There are many ways that Hillwood helps fund-raise. There is the Walk-a-thon, the Math-a-thon, the Bake Sale, and Pennies for Patients. The Walk-a-thon is where the school walks to the Marina Green and back. The Math-a-thon is where each class does their grade level Math. The Bake Sale is where everybody brings their own goods and money to buy the goods brought by each family. The Pennies for Patients is where we put money in a green box and donate it to the school, where it goes to children with leukemia.
Hillwood is a great fund-raising school, and it is amazing because Hillwood is so small! This is all because of the helpful students.  
       
                                                       Thank you all Hillwood students! --Andre :()

Living In The City

People who were born or raised in the city might think that San Francisco is not a big deal, but for people who just seen the city it is a big thing. San Francisco has many places to visit. There are a lot of malls. As someone who is from a Davis (a college town) these are amazing stores.   All of the malls here is great. My family had to go to Sacramento  to go to a mall. Also the amazing sites there are is also great. One of my favorite site is The Golden Gate Bridge, because it is a beautiful site and has a  lot of history to it, and just to learn all of the hard work put into the bridge. That is also one of the most popular sites.

Another site is Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz Island  is one of the most popular tourist attractions of San Francisco, offering a close view of the former federal prison, oldest operating lighthouse on the west coast of America along with gardens, tide pools, bird colonies, and breathtaking views of the coastline. Another site is Lombard Street. The Lombard Street  is the most crooked street of America and is a popular tourist attraction due to its location and unusual sharp curves. Paved with bricks, it is a steep, hilly street with Victorian mansions on either side. Millions of tourists come here every year to see this popular street, built with eight switchbacks on a 40 degree slope. Another one is Chinatown. The popularity of Chinatown mainly lies in its inexpensive and unique merchandise and food that is not found any place else. It consists of Chinese temples, art, culture, shopping areas, events and much more. It gives the feeling of being in one of the markets of Hong Kong. Chinatown is said to be drawing more tourists than the Golden Gate Bridge making it a must see attraction of San Francisco. Another one is Golden Gate Park.It is one of California's most beautiful urban parks and is 3 miles long by 1/2 mile wide, it is larger than New York's Central Park. Once covered with sand dunes, the Golden Gate Park consists of millions of trees today. The Park is composed of hundreds of attractions including Gardens, Lakes and Museums that are linked by wooded paths. It also has several fly casting pools and a lily pond within its borders. Being home to art, culture, scientific exhibits and lots of recreation, the Golden Gate Park is the third most visited park in America with over 13 million Visitors each year.

Another one is Fisherman's Wharf. Fisherman's Wharf of San Francisco is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, well known for its historic waterfront, delicious seafood and beautiful bay views. Watching the California Sea Lions, Shopping, world class dining, a long coastal row of seafood restaurants, street vendors, talented street performers and beautiful bay views are some of the things that have made Fisherman's Wharf a top attraction of San Francisco.

San Francisco is an amazing city and people are lucky to live or visit here.

Let's Go To The Hillwood Show!

Hello! My name is Asiana. I'm going to be talking about The Hillwood Holiday Talent Show! Our show is small yet big. There is a sheet of paper hung in every classroom and you write down what you are doing for the show in advance. You are supposed to wear formal clothes unlike jeans and t-shirts. And each class preforms a song with the music teacher and the spanish teacher. Parents, friends and family are invited for an adult party in the Grantz's home. The show is from 1:00-2:30. There is a snack table and students can get snacks and refreshments after the show. In the Grantz's home there is food that students can eat after parents have a chance to talk with other parents.

         by:Asiana

Mrs. Woods

Mrs. Woods is our 5th through 7th upper grade teacher. She has done a great job, and everyone is honored for her service.

Mrs. Wood grew up in San Fransisco and is married with two grown-up kids. She has taught in San Fransisco for more than 25 years. We are assigned Math, Science, History (my favorite!), Grammar, and Current events. The 7th graders are doing algebra, and Anya and Rubina are doing the hardest, most advanced math. The 5th graders are dividing decimals for Math, and the 6th graders are doing fractions. The whole class does Science all together. With sports, we like to play at the park. Kickball and Capture the Flag are our favorites.

Ice Berg: The One and Only White Killer Whale

      If you've ever heard of a killer whale, you probably know what they look like. Killer whales have incredible pigment, i must say. They have a pure black coat with two white blobs surrounding their eyes, usually. Ice berg is a killer whale that is entirely white. It was first thought that it was by a disease called Chediak-Higashi syndrome, a rare disease of the immune and nervous system that effects coloration, but that theory was soon proved wrong because most animals with this disease don't make it to adulthood, and Ice berg is estimated to be a male killer whale at the age of about 16. It may be a true albino whale, but because he has a small  amount of coloring on the back of is dorsal fin, it is not fully proven. Ice berg may not be the only white killer whale. In 2000 and 2008, a white killer whale was spotted of the coast of the Alaskan Aleutian islands and in far east Russia, although it could be the same one. According to the witnesses, they all were quite similar.

      Ice berg is a handsome, and likely healthy killer whale. Things like Ice berg remind us that there are still great things that have yet to be discovered. Maybe Ice berg will influence people not only to save its species, but its habitat, The ocean.
                                      -Kennedy S.

Ben the Saviour Of the Drowning Men

Ben, one of the first graders in our school, saved three drowning men. Ben is only 6-years-old.

As you may know, Ben's mother owns a ferry company.  The crew of the ferry spotted a capsized boat with three men holding on to the hull.  While the crew pulled the men onto the ship, Ben communicated with the coast guard.  The men were saved on October 22, 2011, in Marin.  You can learn more about this here.

Local Hero in Rescue Hails from Hillwood!

Let's write up a blog post on Ben — a Hillwood hero.

Here is a link to the news story.

Mr. G

 Mr. G. our 5th through 7th grade substitute teacher grew up is San Francisco but always wanted to live in     Tuscany, Italy, for he wants to import wine, and Tuscany full of it. In school his favorite subject was
Greek and Roman history. His favorite place in S.F. is fishermens warf, because,   "their is a lot of walking." His favorite lunch at hillwood are ham and cheese. He describes himself as a nerd because he likes playing educational games online. He went to college at UC Santa Barbra, in Itally. He's smart too! He has a girlfriend named Silvia who lives in Italy. His favorite book is Game of Thrones and his favorite movie is Gladiator.
He loves to play sports, and his favorite sport is kickball. He loves watching sunsets and his favorite color is blue. He believes that technology is taking over the world and one should go outside more. He doesn't have the skill but would love to design computer programs. He knows how to speak Italian and used to know how to speak spanish.
Mr G. is kind and everyone likes him.

The New Science Teacher

 Auritte is this year's science teacher. She comes every week on Friday to teach us about aerodynamics. Auritte is the head of an organization called "Celsius and Beyond". Celsius and Beyond is a science enrichment program serving children in grades K-9 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Teachers and scientists from Celsius and Beyond teach physics, chemistry, biology, mechanics, and math. Students from 5-7 grade build planes and gliders and are taught how planes are built to manipulate air currents. Our latest project is a motorized plane.

Anna Seven the Art Teacher

Anna Seven is the art teacher at Hillwood Academic Day School. She is a parent volunteer. Every Friday, she comes and does art with us. Each class has a different assignment.

We only have art homework once a cemester and only the older kids have the art homework. Anna Seven has her own site with her artwork. http://www.annaseven.com/ .  

You can also follow Anna on Facebook.com.  Anna Seven is her name.


Written By: Rubina H.

Before The Hunger Games Began

        As you probably already know, the movie, "The Hunger Games" is said to be even bigger than twilight, another popular movie and book,but today we aren't talking about 5 star film and what not, were going to talk about how life was before the hunger games. The hunger games takes place in a far future where war nearly cut of the human race, but the capitol organized what was once north America into 13 districts, but to keep rebels from uprising, the capitol makes each district send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen into an area to battle to the death where only one will come out alive.
         The main character, Katniss Everdeen lives in the poorest district, district 12, where she hunts and trades to keep her family alive, But she doesn't do this all alone. Her best friend/Allie/ is Gale, a strong,  about 17  boy who is in much of the same situation. Together they make a fantastic team, until the 74th annual hunger games comes around, and its not what you'd expect.12 year old Primrose Everdeen is chosen to go into the hunger games and fight for survival. Prim. This is Katniss's younger sister. A stagger of pain shoots through Katniss and she doesn't know what to do. Without thinking she volunteers. Now a boy will be chosen. Peeta Mellark is called. He is an old friend, in a way. After her father died, her mother tuned out and she had to find food on her own. She was starving, searching through trash cans only to be screamed at by those who owned it. Peeta owned a bread shop. He saw Katniss and tossed her a loaf of bread. This saved her from starvation. How could she kill the boy who saved her, or will she?Find out for yourself by reading the book.
                                  -Kennedy S.

Mrs. Gayle Schmitt

Gayle Schmitt is the music teacher at Hillwood Academic Day School. Every Wednesday, Gayle Schmitt comes to Hillwood and she goes to every classroom and sings Country Music. 2nd - 4rth grades and 5th - 8th grades have music books. Kindergarten - 1st don't.
Ymca, Hards day night for me, Lollipop Tree, If  I Had A Hammer, Volcano, Help, Puff, The Magic Dragon, I Wanna Hold Your Hand,  were some of the favorites.

Gayle has her own band for children called The Toodala Ramblers. She gives a recital every year and she invites older children from Hillwood to help her perform. We dance and entertain the children in the audience while Gayle and her band, fiddle, two guitars, banjo and bass, play music and sing.

 Gayle Schmitt has a pizza guitar but she stopped bringing it. She also has a regular guitar. Children love her! She is very entertaining! The little children sometimes dance and sing with her.




Written By: Rubina H.

Max the Puppy

This year at Hillwood, the Grantzs' got a new puppy named Max. Max is a black Labrador retriever. Max was adopted when he was six-weeks-old, and he was adopted after Zach, our school's last dog, passed away. During the school day, Max stays at the Grantzs' friends house. Max is very playful, and likes to chew on things. In the spring, Max was 8-months-old. Mr. Grantz got Max from a hunter who lived in San Jose.

The dog before Max was named Zach, and he was loved dearly. Zach passed when he was fourteen-years-old. Zach's middle name was Northstar, because he had a diamond on the middle of his chest. Zach grew up living in this school, and Max will grow up in the school.

Max lives in the school with the Grantzs', and, like Max, and hopefully will live here the rest of his life.

Who Writes About Who

Today, eveyone please begin writing your yearbook stories. Your goal is to post at least two stories.


Each upper grader chose a topic that they will write about in the yearbook.

Asiana: Ms. Tom, cabin, overnight in cabin, bake sale, Holiday Talent show

Andre: Mr. G, Mrs. Woods,

Rubina: Mrs. Schmitt, Anna, Mrs. Westmoreland, Miss Ann

Nikita: Academy of Science, Auritte,

Claire: Fridays, Max, Math-a-thon, Mrs. Okomoto Day

Jordyn: Hunger Games, Pennies for patients, Miss Lidia

Anya: Max, in memory of Zack, Good Overview of Life at Hillwood

Angela: Miss Marta, The Quails, The Hunger Games, (Editor).

Christen: Pumpkin Patch, The Hillwood Herald, The Bay Bride, The City

Kennedy: Halloween, A day at Hillwood, walk-a-thon, Highlights of each class

Rubina H.