Our staff and curriculum
Our team of teachers and staff provides a nurturing environment to support both creative and cognitive development. Our curriculum is in accordance with the highest standards of the California Department of Education in the fundamentals: Reading, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies.
Our teachers are highly-skilled, creative and passionate about what they teach. They believe in the potential of each and every student. Our staff provides instruction in the visual and performing arts, computer skills, and cultural history. In addition to our 15 classroom teachers, we have part-time staff including the school librarian, two PE coaches, school psychologist, learning support professionals, vocal and instrumental music teachers, dance and drama teachers and artist-in-residence.
At Sunnyside, teachers are frequently assisted in the classroom by student teachers, parents and volunteers. We are fortunate to have close ties to SF State University’s teaching credential program and City College of SF, and our children benefit from the energy and ideas of these educators-in-training.
Our school Principal, Ms. Schlenke, has been in the teaching profession for more than 20 years. Before she became a teacher, she worked for seven years in a UCSF research lab. She then discovered her love for teaching and taught at Alvarado for 10 years before becoming Teacher-in-Residence at the Exploratorium. From there she moved to SFUSD’s curriculum office as a science resource teacher prior to becoming the principal at Sunnyside. Thanks to her passion and experience, Science has become a very important part of Sunnyside’s curriculum.
Sunnyside provides additional and essential services for those children who require special attention. Two of our 15 classrooms specifically serve severely impaired, special needs children. The Gifted Program (GATE), Multi-lingual Services, and Special Education Programs are available on site.
