Bowditch Middle School
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel Bowditch Middle School is a public middle school
in Foster City, California
. It was built in the late 1960s, and makes use of the pod system of architecture
that was popular during that time period. Bowditch is located in a residential area and across the street from a levee
which follows the San Francisco Bay
. Due to the affluence of Foster City and the families whose children attend the school, Bowditch has a highly involved parent community and is relatively wealthy compared to other area middle schools. Bowditch serves over 990 students.
, sculpturing, drama
, music (both band
and orchestra
l), cooking
, journalism
, astronomy
, marine biology
, French
, and Spanish
. There are ranges of math levels, and 6th graders may skip to Pre Algebra or Algebra 1-2 if they pass the placement test. It is among one of the few schools in the San Mateo
-Foster City
School District
to offer geometry
and the only school to offer Algebra 3-4. Students meeting certain academic requirements have the option of combining some language arts courses in order to increase the number of elective courses that they may take(Reading Exchange Program). Bowditch is a member of the Art David Athletic League (ADAL), and offers golf, volleyball, basketball, track and field, tennis, and soccer. All teams are available to all grades, however volleyball is girls only. Basketball has 3 teams per grade level: A Girls, A Boys, and B Boys. The 6th grade season will start a little later than 7th/8th grade season. Each team's season will have 10 games each. The top 4 will advance to the playoffs. Playoff games are single round elimination. Teams who have reached the finals will have played an extra 3 games.
, music, drama, and sports. Bowditch also sponsors other small programs including K.O.O.L. Kids, an elementary school
student tutoring program. Students from Bowditch also participate in MATHCOUNTS, a national math competition. In 2007 Bowditch placed first in the Northern California division and fourth in California state.
Award in 2005. It was the only middle school
to be eligible for that award in the district based on STAR
test scores. The award was accepted at Disneyland park in Los Angeles
, and now hangs in the school office. The school also gives awards to students who receive 100 block b points and students with a 3.5-3.9 gpa and a Principal's Award to students with a 4.0 gpa. Ms. Freesmeier, Mrs. Bravo, and Mrs. Markham's 6th grade classes have also won 1st place in the WordMasters Challenge, an analogy competition held in the United States. Bowditch offers an award night for graduating 8th graders. There the top students will get an award from their teacher who thinks they are the best.
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
in Foster City, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It was built in the late 1960s, and makes use of the pod system of architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
that was popular during that time period. Bowditch is located in a residential area and across the street from a levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
which follows the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
. Due to the affluence of Foster City and the families whose children attend the school, Bowditch has a highly involved parent community and is relatively wealthy compared to other area middle schools. Bowditch serves over 990 students.
Curriculum
Bowditch offers a variety of courses, including artArt
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, sculpturing, drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, music (both band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
and orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l), cooking
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
, journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, marine biology
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. There are ranges of math levels, and 6th graders may skip to Pre Algebra or Algebra 1-2 if they pass the placement test. It is among one of the few schools in the San Mateo
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
-Foster City
Foster City, California
Foster City is an affluent planned city located in San Mateo County, California, 94404. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 30,567. Forbes ranked Foster City #10 on their 2009 list of America's Top 25 Towns to Live Well. Money has also recognized Foster City multiple times as...
School District
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
to offer geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
and the only school to offer Algebra 3-4. Students meeting certain academic requirements have the option of combining some language arts courses in order to increase the number of elective courses that they may take(Reading Exchange Program). Bowditch is a member of the Art David Athletic League (ADAL), and offers golf, volleyball, basketball, track and field, tennis, and soccer. All teams are available to all grades, however volleyball is girls only. Basketball has 3 teams per grade level: A Girls, A Boys, and B Boys. The 6th grade season will start a little later than 7th/8th grade season. Each team's season will have 10 games each. The top 4 will advance to the playoffs. Playoff games are single round elimination. Teams who have reached the finals will have played an extra 3 games.
Extracurricular activities
Bowditch has many extracurricular programs, including student councilStudent council
Student council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
, music, drama, and sports. Bowditch also sponsors other small programs including K.O.O.L. Kids, an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
student tutoring program. Students from Bowditch also participate in MATHCOUNTS, a national math competition. In 2007 Bowditch placed first in the Northern California division and fourth in California state.
Awards
Bowditch Middle School was awarded the California Distinguished SchoolCalifornia Distinguished School
A California Distinguished School is an award given by the California State Board of Education to public schools within the state that best represent exemplary and quality educational programs. Approximately five percent of California schools are awarded this honor each year following a selection...
Award in 2005. It was the only middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
to be eligible for that award in the district based on STAR
Standardized Testing and Reporting
The Standardized Testing and Reporting Program measures performance on the California Achievement Test, Sixth Edition Survey , the California Content Standards Test and the Spanish Assessment of Basic Education . The STAR Program is the cornerstone of the California Public Schools Accountability...
test scores. The award was accepted at Disneyland park in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and now hangs in the school office. The school also gives awards to students who receive 100 block b points and students with a 3.5-3.9 gpa and a Principal's Award to students with a 4.0 gpa. Ms. Freesmeier, Mrs. Bravo, and Mrs. Markham's 6th grade classes have also won 1st place in the WordMasters Challenge, an analogy competition held in the United States. Bowditch offers an award night for graduating 8th graders. There the top students will get an award from their teacher who thinks they are the best.