Greetings Burke's Grandparents!
Spring is here! This time of year symbolizes transitions, both figuratively and literally. The weather is changing, flowers are in bloom, students are moving up and some are moving on. It's a time of great excitement and change and you can feel that energy in the air at Burke's.
 
I hope you've had a chance to visit campus for at least one event during the school year. If you haven't, there are a few more chances before we say goodbye to make way for summer. Be sure to check out the photo galleries to see our recent activities and please check our end-of-year event dates listed at the end of the newsletter.
 
As we begin to wind down the school year, the Grandparents' Council is preparing to say goodbye to founding member and co-chair, Mary Robinson, and member Kay Woods. Mary and Kay share a granddaughter, Ella '19, and have been with the Council from the very beginning. Mary, with the help of co-chair Barbara Sklar and vice-chair Christina Norman, built the Grandparents' Council from a modest 17 members just three years ago to over 50 members and counting! We wish Mary the very best and will miss her leadership, guidance, and humor next year, but are excited to welcome Tom Perkins on as vice-chair when Christina transitions to co-chair. Please read Mary's farewell letter and Tom's Grandparent Profile below!
 
To learn more about joining the Council or about volunteer opportunities associated with being a member, please don't hesitate to contact me. You may also visit our grandparent webpage.   
 
Best,  
 
Erica Obando
Communications and Advancement Associate
415.751.0177, ext. 301
 
 
Grandparents' Council Members 
  
Mary Robinson and Barbara Sklar 
Co-Chairs, Burke's Grandparents' Council
 
Christina Norman
Vice Chair, Burke's Grandparents' Council
 
Victoria Barkan 
Susan Boeing 
Rosemary Booth 
Sylvia Bunshoft 
Flip Caldwell 
Barbara Callander '44 
Lyman Casey 
Bob Caulfield 
Anne Coglianese 
Joe Coglianese 
Suzy Diamond 
Dagmar Dolby 
Sandy Feldman 
Ivana Ferrera  
Doris Fisher '49 
Vicki Fleishhacker '60
Trish Flint  
Helen Galvin 
Susan Gantner 
Ellen Griffin 
Cherrie Harden 
Gary Harden 
Jane Hartley 
Stephen Jasik 
Stefania Jha 
Rick Jones 
Julie Jospe 
Neelie Kroes 
Martha Kropf 
Doris Linnenbach 
Sharon Litsky 
Susan Lynn 
Mary Ann Margaretten 
Bobbie McClanahan 
Kathleen McKewan 
Heidi Perez 
Tom Perkins 
Mary Robertson 
Helen Schwab 
Clarke Swanson 
Elizabeth Swanson 
Bonnie Trexler 
Terry Trexler 
Mary Ann Walker 
Katie Webb 
Gail Whelan 
Dede Wilsey 
Kay Woods 
Jack Wyant 
Peg Wyant 
Cynthia Zinober 
Pete Zinober

Grandparents' and Special Friends Day

Many thanks to all of you who attended Grandparents' & Special Friends' Day in May. We loved hosting so many of you on campus and appreciate your flexibility as we near the end of our Campus Center construction. I hope that each of you enjoyed hearing from, learning about, and playing with your granddaughters and that your look into their daily lives strengthened your own connection to Burke's. Please click here to view the photos taken during the event and here to see the shots from our photo booth. All pictures are free to download! 
 
   

 
A Special Farewell from Mary Robinson, Grandparents' Council Founding Co-Chair

Three years ago a few of us were having lunch and thinking aloud of ways that we could become more involved with our grandchildren, specifically our granddaughters who were attending Burke's. "Why not form a group of grandparents, open to all, that would be more engaged in on-campus activities?" And so, the first Grandparents' Council was created. Barbara Sklar gamely agreed to be my co-chair and Christina Norman Vice-Chair. (Somehow having titles seemed important at the time.) Read more.
A very special thank you to all of the grandparents who have given to the Campaign for Girls. This has truly been a complete community effort. Burke's is in the final stages of its community-wide capital campaign  Many Voices. Many Hands. All Burke's.: The Campaign for Girls, and we are delighted that over 80% of parents have already pledged their support. We are now reaching out to grandparents to join our parent community in this endeavor.
By making a gift that is meaningful to you, you will help Burke's to fund its strategic plan goals of:
  • Growing our endowment to increase teacher salaries by more than 10% and expand our financial assistance program by an additional 15%.
  • Supporting new programmatic initiatives and prototypes through two Innovation Funds.
  • Completing our new Campus Center, with unique multi-purpose functionality for more cross-grade, project-based learning to benefit Burke's girls for generations to come.

To find out more about Many Voices. Many Hands. All Burke's.: The Campaign for Girls, please click here. To a give to the campaign, click here.

Grandparent Profile: Tom Perkins

Watching our grandchildren grow up has been a great joy for my wife, JaMel, and me. We are especially lucky to be living across the street from Julia (class of '22) and Will (Town '20). We have been greatly impressed with the education that Julia and Will have been getting and how much they love their schools. Read more. 


Congratulations to our eighth graders for successfully navigating through the high school admissions process! They celebrated by wearing the colors of their chosen school. Click here for more photos!


The members of the Class of 2019 will attend the following schools:
 
Day Schools
  • The Bay School
  • Branson School
  • Convent of the Sacred Heart
  • Drew School
  • International High School
  • Lick-Wilmerding High School
  • Marin Academy
  • Menlo School
  • Nueva School
  • St. Ignatius College Preparatory
  • San Francisco University High School
  • The Urban School
Boarding Schools
  • Berkshire School (MA)
  • Brentwood School (Canada)
  • The Cate School (CA)
  • Groton School (MA)
Faculty Profile: Quise Edwards

Q uise Edwards joined Burke's in 2017 as the Director of Inclusivity and Community Building. She hit the ground running and her contributions to the culture and community at Burke's were felt immediately. As a product of K-12 independent schools, Quise has a unique perspective on the amazing opportunities these institutions create for their students, while also being able to speak to the challenges some families can face in the independent school community. Read more.
 
Become Our Fan on Facebook!

If you're on Facebook -- or even if you're not! -- you can follow along with daily happenings on the Burke's campus by checking out our Facebook page.  Click here  for directions. 
Tell Your Story

We would like to include grandparent profiles in each of our newsletters. We invite you to submit your profile: Send us a picture along with a brief bio of where you have been and what brought you to Burke's! Please contact Erica Obando at 415.751.0177 ext. 301 or [email protected].
Recent Burke's Photo Galleries
Click the photo to access the entire gallery.

Calendar of Upcoming Burke's Events
Pansy Day
Wednesday, 6/12,
10:30 a.m.
Burke's Campus

Commencement
Thursday, 6/13,
1:30-4:30 p.m.
Burke's Gymnasium

SF Pride March
Sunday, 6/30