0
Skip to Content
Brightworks
About Us
Our School
Our Story
BWX Video
Our Staff
In the Press
Our Location
Our Board
Our Nonprofit
Employment
Contact
How We Learn
How We Learn
How We Learn
The Arc
Early Elementary
Elementary
Middle School
High School
Aftercare
Join Us
Get Started
Rolling Admissions
Tuition & Aid
Upcoming Events
Self-Guided Open House
Admissions Process
Our Community
Updates
Calendar
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Before & Aftercare
Parent Involvement
Support Us
Donate
Annual Fund 2024
Human Library
Brightworks
About Us
Our School
Our Story
BWX Video
Our Staff
In the Press
Our Location
Our Board
Our Nonprofit
Employment
Contact
How We Learn
How We Learn
How We Learn
The Arc
Early Elementary
Elementary
Middle School
High School
Aftercare
Join Us
Get Started
Rolling Admissions
Tuition & Aid
Upcoming Events
Self-Guided Open House
Admissions Process
Our Community
Updates
Calendar
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Before & Aftercare
Parent Involvement
Support Us
Donate
Annual Fund 2024
Human Library
Folder: About Us
Back
Our School
Our Story
BWX Video
Our Staff
In the Press
Our Location
Our Board
Our Nonprofit
Employment
Contact
Folder: How We Learn
Back
How We Learn
How We Learn
The Arc
Early Elementary
Elementary
Middle School
High School
Aftercare
Folder: Join Us
Back
Get Started
Rolling Admissions
Tuition & Aid
Upcoming Events
Self-Guided Open House
Admissions Process
Folder: Our Community
Back
Updates
Calendar
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Before & Aftercare
Parent Involvement
Folder: Support Us
Back
Donate
Annual Fund 2024
Human Library

Brightworks Blog

Brightworks is a flurry of activity and we are thrilled to share peeks into the lives of the students, our school and the community.

Featured
Gender Expression & Expansiveness
Gender Expression & Expansiveness
Read More →
Immersive Multi Day Event
Immersive Multi Day Event
Read More →
Earth Day Clean-Up
Earth Day Clean-Up
Read More →
May: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Read More →
Planning for Next Year
Planning for Next Year
Read More →
Mixed-age Classes
Mixed-age Classes
Read More →
Reimagining Education to Honor Children and Childhood
Reimagining Education to Honor Children and Childhood
Read More →
Spring Gathering & Updates from Leadership
Spring Gathering & Updates from Leadership
Read More →
How do we measure success?
How do we measure success?
Read More →
Spring Celebrations
Spring Celebrations
Read More →
Brightworks School Receives Historic $10 Million Gift
Brightworks School Receives Historic $10 Million Gift
Read More →
Break and Build Recap
Break and Build Recap
Read More →
Happy Black History / Black Futures Month
Happy Black History / Black Futures Month
Read More →
Brightworks ABC’s
Brightworks ABC’s
Read More →
Spreading Love, Peace and Hope
Spreading Love, Peace and Hope
Read More →

Follow along on social media too!

Let's celebrate our 8th grade graduates this year! 

While all of our learners got a heartfelt recognition for all their accomplishments and contributions at our last day of school, we do want to especially celebrate our 8th grade graduates! 

Some o
We kicked off Pride Month by inviting Drag Queen, storyteller and author Lil Miss Hot Mess, @lilmisshotmess to read from her own work! And our kids loved it! 

Take a peak at these cute snippets and see what this playful and imaginary approach can do
We love to see our middle schoolers providing support to our elementary students in a joint effort to share about their current project work! And we are very excited to see these kind of cross age interactions being so beneficial to all participants!
What is happening around Gever's desk? 

Take a look at these snippets and imagine the rich culture of learning we work to cultivate on a daily basis! 

At the heart of our teaching philosophy is the belief that developing students' agency is vital t
When our Middle Schoolers go camping they always return with an epic experience! 

This time they visited Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and The Robert Ferguson Observatory for some night time star gazing, studies of native & indigenous plants, memor
This majestic visitor was spotted right in our parking lot this afternoon— a reminder that at Brightworks, nature isn’t a field trip, it’s our everyday backdrop.

Nestled in the heart of the Presidio, Brightworks students explore tr
We are on Fire! Today was our first day of a two-day, all-school workshop with @audiopharmacy ! These snippets only show the beginning of today! Stay tuned for more to come!

By elevating the meaning, sound and purpose of Hip Hop, Audiopharmacy are p
Melissa Nocero 9/13/17 Melissa Nocero 9/13/17

Our Year of Connections, Beginning with Coin

This year we want to dive deeper into what it is we really want to know and to do that, we need to ask questions and seek answers. As a way to begin this journey of questioning, instead of brainstorming ideas around "coin," we brainstormed the specific questions we are interested in answering. Three full chart papers later, there are still questions not written down here that fill their journals from their personal brainstorms.The Teal Band is an experienced crew in the shop, even our new additions are experienced thanks to Tinkering experience. While it is important to have a refresher orientation in the shop every year, this experienced crew was ready to take on shop orientation 2.0, the next steps, with Brendon, Gever and Evan.We received a lesson from Gever on precision cutting on the chop saw. The word of the week at Brightworks is "kerf." Kerf, the groove or slit created by cutting a workpiece; the width of the groove made while cutting. We now understand the importance of the placement of the blade to our measurement to get proper dimensions. How can you cut out a path or a complex interior shape on the band saw? With Brendon's support, we learned ways to explore interior angles that allowed us to get into tight corners. Geometry continues to play a huge part of our experiences in the shop.Along with reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, we are listening to the book 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life by Cami Walker. This is Cami's story of how giving transformed her life when she felt she had nothing left to give due to her illness. The Teal Band will be spending a lot of time this arc looking at the ideas of value and personal currency. Along with listening to the book, the Teal Band is also taking on the challenge of giving 29 Gifts in 29 days and we invite you to join us. 

Read More

About Us

Our School
Our Staff
Our Blog
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Tinkering School
Contact
Staff Log In

Admissions

Apply Now
Admissions Process
Upcoming Events

Our Program

How We Learn
The Arc
Project-Based Curriculum

Get In Touch: 682 Schofield Road, San Francisco CA 94129 // (415) 701-8700 // Office Hours: 8am-6pm // School Hours: 9:15am-3:30pm (MTThF); 2:30 (W)

Brightworks is an innovative K-12 project-based school and a project of the Institute for Applied Tinkering, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Brightworks holds diversity of opinion, lifestyle, ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and race to be the cornerstone of our school community. Brightworks does not discriminate in its services, programs, or admissions on any of those above criteria.

(c) 2025

Founding Member of the Innovative Schools Cooperative