Synapse Glossary

Annual Fund - Second largest source of annual income for Synapse, after tuition. Like many independent schools, emphasis is on 100% participation for the entire Synapse community. The Annual Fund pledge period runs from September to November. Contributions can be made subsequently through March. We are so thrilled and proud to have 100% participation in the Annual Fund for the past six years! 

Associate Teacher Program - The Associate Teacher Program is Synapse’s teacher apprenticeship program. Associate Teachers work and learn in the same classroom with a Lead Teacher. 

After Care - Synapse’s supervised after school activities. After Care runs from dismissal to 6:00pm most days, unless there is a special school schedule. Parents may sign students up for After Care on a day-to-day basis.

After School Programs (ASP) - Special classes that take place after school which students can sign up for per trimester. Students must be registered at the beginning of the trimester to attend After School Programs. 

Blackbaud - Our student information system, Blackbaud hosts our school directory, students’ schedules, attendance records and Trimester Reports. Other features, including calendar, athletics, and parent handbook can also be found here in tandem with MySynapse. 

Book Exchange - An opportunity to clean out your bookshelves at home! Bring used books in during the collection period and receive one book per ticket. When the exchange opens, students use tickets to get “new to them” books. 

Book Fair - Hosted at school, proceeds are used to purchase new books for the Synapse main library, classroom libraries, and other literacy resources. Typically held in the Spring before Spring Break. Books are available for all ages.

Brainwave Learning Center (BLC) - Launched in 2019, it is a multifaceted initiative, including curriculum support for teachers, integration of best practices from learning sciences research, unique neuroscience learning opportunities for students at all levels, and leading-edge scientific research on the developing mind and brain. The BLC is co-led by Liz Toomarian, PhD, Director of the Brainwave Learning Center and Radhika Gosavi, PhD, Associate Director, with support from Bruce McCandliss, PhD, Stanford Professor. The home of the BLC at Synapse is in Building 4. 

Buddy Program - Cross-level buddy assignments between younger and older students which support social emotional growth. Buddies are assigned starting in TK & Level 1, and may change from year to year. 

Building 1 (B1) - Building 1 houses our Engineering & Design Makerspace, as well as our Middle School STEAM classrooms. It is a multipurpose building that has also been the home of our Spring Benefit and Graduation celebrations in past years. Sometimes referred to as “the Warehouse”.

Building 2 (B2) - Building 2 contains Transitional Kindergarten, Visual Arts & Design, Performing Arts, and our main gathering space (Playspace) which is used for assemblies, indoor recess, presentations, and other large school activities. In 2023, we added three brand new Level 3 classrooms to the second floor of Building 2. 

Building 3 (B3) - This is the oldest of the Synapse School buildings at 3375 Edison Way. Lower School classrooms are located here, as well as our main entrance, administrative offices and communal spaces, including the Library, Kapla Block Room, flex spaces, Learning Center offices, Admissions, and Staff Co-lab.

Building 4 (B4) - This building is where most of our Middle School classes are held. Building 4 is in between the Middle Playground and the Garden Playground. 

Change Maker - Synapse defines Change Makers as people who impact the world in positive and authentic ways, are robustly prepared for real­ world challenges that require the integration of academic, creative, and social­-emotional domains, and are not defined by numbers or scale. Each year a specific Change Maker who embodies the annual theme is chosen to help focus curriculum across all levels. 

Change Maker Themes - The 9-year cycle of Change Maker Themes are the building blocks of a Change Maker. The themes influence Synapse Curriculum and the choice of each year’s school-wide Change Maker, who is chosen to align with that year’s theme. 

The themes are Intersection - Turning Point - The Power of One - Crisis & Opportunity - Iteration - Counterpoint - Risk & Initiative - Transformation - Noble Goal

Did you know… There are 9 themes so that a student starting at Synapse in Kindergarten would have experienced one year of each theme by the time they graduate from 8th grade?

Class Notes - Weekly level-wide communication with a review of activities from the past week, a preview of activities in the next week, announcements, important calendar events, and pictures. Class Notes are sent from teachers in the Lower School, and in a weekly roundup email for all of Middle School. 

Coffee - 1. An informal gathering for parents, which generally takes place immediately after drop-off. This is a great time to gather and catch up on Synapse news with other parents. Check the Community Calendar or Friday Narwhal News for coffee dates. 

2. The caffeine beverage consumed at a “Coffee”. 

Common Ground Speaker Series - A parent education consortium on the San Francisco Peninsula, of which Synapse is a member school. Each year they present a variety of cutting-edge speakers, topics and special events designed to inform, engage and inspire our school communities. We advertise upcoming Common Ground speaker events in the Synapse Weekly Newsletter. 

Learn more: http://www.commongroundspeakerseries.org/ 

Community Math Circle - Synapse Community Math Circles are open to the community and provide an opportunity for students and their parents to experience the thrill of mathematical discovery, through problem-solving and interactive explorations. Sessions are available for PK-8 students, led by experienced Mathematicians and Math Educators, from within and outside Synapse. Math circle leaders strive to create experiences that are low-threshold and high-ceiling, offering many points of entry and making the content accessible with minimal mathematical background, but often lead to deep mathematical concepts and can be connected to advanced mathematics. We encourage parents to attend and participate with their children. 

If you are looking for the class, see Math Circle.

Community SEL Room (CSR) - The home for Synapse Parent Education events and some student SEL classes. Located in the former Multi-purpose Corner downstairs in Building 4.

Constructivism - An approach to learning that views students as active constructors of their own knowledge, building on past experiences and reflecting to make sense and meaning from new learning. 

For the parent-teacher cover band, see The Constructivists.

Educational Vital Signs (EVS) - An annual survey given to all school constituents regarding the climate of the school.

Emotional Intelligence Model - Six Seconds’ framework for learning and practicing emotional intelligence. Informs curriculum and all aspects of a Synapse education.

Empathy Hall - The large open seating space downstairs in Building 4 (B4). 

Engage - The second phase of the HEARTS model. Fun and playful activities with cognitive and emotional hooks captivate students, stimulate their pre-existing knowledge, and develop a context for new learning.

EQ Check-In - A time for individuals to reflect on their emotional state. An EQ Check-In is often done at the start of the school day or a class or activity. 

Some examples of EQ Check-Ins: How do you feel, 1-10? What emotion word describes you right now? What is your theme song of the moment? What weather do you feel like? If you were a body of water right now, what would it be? Etc. 

EQ Seminar - A Self-Science class for 7th and 8th grade students. Students often meet in small groups to discuss applications of EQ competencies.

Equity and Inclusion Committee (EIC) - The EIC was created to increase student, staff and parent education around social justice and inclusivity. EIC has launched Equity and Inclusion in Action, a multi-year and multi-pronged initiative involving members of our entire Synapse community. 

ERB - Educational Records Bureau, the organization that develops the Comprehensive Testing Program, a standardized assessment Synapse uses with 5th-7th graders.

Exit Ticket - 1. A check-in at the end of a class for students to reflect on their learning and ask questions of their teachers.

2. The final project of a Synapse 8th grader’s career. This Exit Ticket encompasses two parts: A service project for the school community and a shared reflection and presentation at the end of the school year.

Expeditions - The Middle School's annual week-long trips that act as capstones of the MS community experience. Past Expeditions have gone to the US South, Washington, DC, Chicago, Alaska, Boston, Hawaii and Los Angeles. Recent Expeditions have been revamped to focus more on appreciation and exploration of nature, sending Middle School students to the Channel Islands, Joshua Tree, Bryce Canyon, and Kenai Fjords National Parks. 

Family Camp - Not to be missed, SynC organizes this twice yearly outdoor event and it is one of the community highlights of the year. It is a fantastic way to get to know the community and make new friends. 

As of 2020, Family Day Camp has replaced the overnight camping trip. We are hopeful that camping can return soon! 

First Day of School Coffee - We welcome Synapse parents & other adults to gather for coffee and breakfast snacks after drop-off on the first day of school to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Check the Back to School newsletters for location & timing details! 

Garden - The Synapse Garden, located on the far side of Building 4, is a community space where students & teachers can learn about gardening and grow their own plots. Produce from the Garden also makes great snacks for staff and students.

GrowFit - Organization that Synapse partners with to organize our physical education program. GrowFit coaches sometimes teach PE and coach sports teams, as well as offer After School Program classes.

HEARTS - Synapse’s framework for constructivism & project-based learning.

Heat up memory, movement, community. 

Engage attention and emotion through play.

Activate discovery through real experiences.

Reflect to synthesize meaning.

Transform knowledge into creative solutions.

Store learning into long term memory.

Heat - The first phase in the HEARTS model. Students also begin the day exciting their brain, body, and heart through hot cognition, physical exercise, and community building.

Ice Skating Party - Join students and teachers across levels for our annual ice skating event for some fun times on and off the ice! Pizza and hot chocolate is served. Generally takes place around Winter Break. 

Innovation - One of our pillars, Innovation at Synapse is dedicated to developing creative fluency and confidence, to help students bridge the gap between imagination and action. Innovation is taught across all levels and is embedded in all other curriculum. 

Synapse fact! Innovation used to be the name we called Building 2. 

Innovation Model - Synapse’s framework for transforming a creative idea and finding solutions for human-centered issues.

Innovation Studios - An exciting Lower School afternoon Friday program led by Synapse Associate Teachers that aims to develop fluency in creativity and divergent thinking within a Design Thinking framework. Embedded in the program is the Synapse constructivist philosophy of offering students a variety of project choices, a key to intrinsic motivation, and our commitment to supporting EQ competencies such as Noble Goals.

Interactive Lab - Synapse’s traditional mid-year all­-school event centered around the annual theme and change maker with interactive exhibits built by students. Attended by all families, friends, grandparents, alumni, community partners, and more! A highlight of the school year! 

Language Arts - Modeled after Lucy Calkins’ work (and other educators in the Reading and Writing Project at Columbia), Language Arts is a Middle School class designed to encourage a love of writing, build literacy fluency, and self-management in reading & writing. Language Arts focuses on deepening students' language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) and the mechanics of writing, as well as structure and craft in the genres of narratives, exposition, and opinion/ persuasion.

Level - The term Synapse uses for its Lower School cross-grade classrooms; i.e. Level 1 = Kindergarten, Level 2 = 1st & 2nd grades, Level 3 = 3rd & 4th grades. When speaking informally, "all levels" is often used to refer to Lower School plus the Middle School.

Synapse fact! In the early days of Synapse’s Middle School, when it was only one class, it was known as Level 4.

Level Parents - Each level has 2-3 Level Parent volunteers representing SynC. They are responsible for helping foster community and supporting our amazing staff. Unlike many other schools, their work is generally outside the classroom, including organizing potlucks, playdates and our teacher appreciation activities among other things. They also serve as liaisons between teachers and the parent community.

Literacy Electives - This is a Middle School elective course. Small-group, literacy-based discussions and activities based on teacher and student interests that meet once a week per Trimester.

Literacy Groups - Differentiated literacy instruction in the Lower School. Topics include reading fluency, phonics and decoding, vocabulary development, literature circles, guided reading and writing, and comprehension skills.

Makerspace - A space for making things. Now known as The Engineering & Design Center, the Makerspace is housed in B1. This is the main space where many of our larger projects have their humble beginnings.

For more information, see Engineering & Design.

Mathletics - This program, hosted sometimes after school & sometimes during lunch, provides an opportunity for Middle School and Level 3 students to solve interesting problems from a variety of mathematics competitions including AMC8, MOEMS, Bay Area Math Olympiad, and Girls’ Adventures in Mathematics.

Mealtrain Program - SynC’s Sunshine Committee organizes meals and other support (rides, playdates, etc) for teachers, staff and families going through challenging times, such as an illness, new baby or passing. If you become aware of a community member going through a difficult time, discreetly bring it to SynC’s attention (if appropriate) and we can ask if they would like support.

Morning Meetings - In the Lower School, classes often start each day with a morning meeting involving an EQ check-in, updates or announcements for the day, and hot cognition.

MySynapse - Our online parent portal. MySynapse is your one-stop-shop for Synapse information. You are there now, congratulations! Now get exploring!

NAIS - National Association of Independent Schools. Synapse is a member school. 

Narwhal - Synapse’s mascot! Elected by the entire community as a result of a 7/8 Election math project.

Nature Day - Nature Day is an important part of the Synapse program both for social emotional growth as well as the development of an appreciation for nature. As a school that encourages change and fosters the growth of future change makers, we feel it is important to develop an appreciation for our earth through experiencing nature and learning more about it in a hands-on, authentic way. One day each week for one trimester, Levels 1, 2 and 3 head out to nature (in past years, students have gone to Huddart Park or Filoli), rain or shine. 

Newsletter - See Synapse Weekly Newsletter.

Operation Gratitude - Starting the day after Halloween, SynC collects any extra candy you’d like to get out of the house. It is then donated to First Responders and the Military through a non profit based in southern California. It’s a great way to support those looking after us all while getting rid of any unwanted candy.

Pajamas & Pancakes Day - A Synapse tradition! The day before Winter Break, Synapse buddies spend time together while teachers & staff make pancakes for lunch. Everyone (teachers included) is encouraged to wear pajamas.

Parent Association - See SynC.

Parent-Teacher Conferences - Held up to four times a year, conferences are an opportunity for parents and teachers to learn from each other and strengthen partnerships in educating change makers. Conferences are typically in August, December, March and June. LS conferences are with Leads and Associates; MS conferences might be with advisors or content teachers, or even run by students.

Parent-Teacher Social - Toward the beginning of the school year, SynC organizes a Parent-Teacher Social. This gathering is held at school and provides an opportunity for parents and teachers to socialize in a relaxed setting. This is one of the only social events of the year to meet teachers from any team. So, take advantage of this chance to get to know our amazing staff!

Performing Arts - A cohesive, sequential, progressive skill building 9 year program that empowers students to express themselves through performance and develop creative fluency by providing sequenced skill development, age appropriate performance experiences.

Personal Education Plan (PEP) - The document that students and faculty use to track and reflect on their goals, centered around the Synapse Learning Outcomes.

Playspace - Our main school gathering space in Building 2, used for Performing Arts classes, all-school assemblies, indoor recess, presentations, and other large school activities & events. See Building 2 (B2).

Pods - Groups of students that meet & work together during assemblies and special events. Pods contain at least 1 student from every level and cross-level buddies are assigned within pods. Each pod has 2-3 adult staff members assigned. 

Portfolio Day - A day in which students showcase their work and demonstrate their learning to their parents; occurs at the end of Trimester One and at the end of Trimester Three. See Interactive Lab for Trimester Two's open house event.

Project Based Learning (PBL) - A teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects. In project-based learning, the learning process through which students construct meaning from investigations values process over product. Students conduct research, build, reflect, transform, and communicate information in new ways. Synapse's curriculum is heavily based in project based learning.

Riekes - The Riekes Center for Human Enhancement is a contracted organization (right next door) that provides Synapse with nature and arts instruction. Riekes instructors manage Lower School Nature Day activities, and provide class options for Middle School Performing Arts.

Room Parents - see Level Parents. 

Six Seconds - An emotional intelligence network, international nonprofit organization, and the founding organization of Synapse School.

Silicon Valley Math Initiative (SVMI) - Synapse is a member of the the Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative, which is comprised of over 150 members. Members include school districts, individual schools and educational organizations. Members are entitled to a large library of resources including performance tasks & Problems of the Month (POM), curriculum & instructional tools, summative & formative assessments, and professional development opportunities. These tools are used by our teachers to help inform math curriculum K-8. 

SportsHouse - Sports facility at Fifth Ave. and Edison Way that Synapse uses for physical education classes and home athletic games. Has also been the location for other large community events, including the Spring Benefit and The Constructivists show. 

Synapse took over the lease for the Sportshouse buildings in January of 2022. 

STEAM Elective - Middle School elective courses that embody the intersections between science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. 

Store - The sixth step of the HEARTS model. Students are encouraged to store the lesson in long-term memory by repeating what was learned and completing a short exit ticket exercise at the close of the school day.

If you were hoping to find out how to purchase Synapse swag, see the Synapse Store.

Student Support/Success Team (SST) - The Student Support/Success Team process is designed to assist Synapse teachers in addressing, documenting, and supporting student needs.

Summer Camp Share - This is an online place organized by SynC to share your kids’ summer plans to coordinate with friends and get ideas. It contains an archive of the prior summer’s info as well as tabs for each level for the upcoming summer. It begins circulating in January and is invaluable for summer planning and syncing calendars with friends. 

Summer Playdates - Official end of summer playdates are scheduled on campus in August. These are great opportunities for new & returning students to start building friendships, and especially for new TK & Kindergarteners to get more comfortable on campus before the first day of school. 

Sunshine Committee - The portion of SynC responsible for Morning Munchies, Staff Snack Cabinet, Mealtrains, and Operation Gratitude. If you would like to join the committee, please email sync-up@synapseschool.org.

Synapse Learning Outcomes (SLO) - Practices and habits of mind that encompass our three frameworks for teaching and learning: leading-edge academics, social-emotional learning, and innovation. All Synapse students are assessed on these SLOs. 

The SLOs are Communication - Perspective - Feedback - Creativity - Follow Through - Inquiry - Iteration - Advocacy - Risk

Synapse Weekly Newsletter - A weekly school-wide communication to keep you updated on all school events and announcements. The Weekly Newsletter is sent via email. 

Newly rebranded as Narwhal News! 

SynC - The parent association at Synapse is called SynC. Its mission is to (1) foster a vibrant and inclusive parent community and (2) support and appreciate our amazing staff.

Teacher Appreciation Week - For one week in the spring, we celebrate our teachers. Typically, each of the five levels takes a day and, led by their Level Parents, organizes an appreciation activity. The overall effort is planned and coordinated by the SynC Teacher Appreciation Week Committee.

Town Hall - A monthly, or as needed, community event on Zoom. Hosted by Jim, Head of School, this is a time for the community to get together, to share what is happening at Synapse, and for you to ask any questions you might have of Synapse Leadership.

The Constructivists - Synapse’s rockstar parent-teacher cover band. The band puts on a one night only show at the end of the school year. Anyone is welcome to join the band with a nominal time commitment for rehearsals. This is a remarkably talented and fun group and a fantastic show. THE parent event of the year. You don't want to miss it! 

Transform - 1. The fifth phase of the HEARTS model. Students transfer their learning to another context, develop deeper problem solving skills, and apply new understanding to purposeful and creative projects.

2. A section of a Middle School class (sometimes also called Structured Work Time) - an opportunity for project work, where students have access to teachers for support and questions. Students work toward goals and either stay in their advisory to work, or transition to another teacher’s space for targeted support.

Two Stars and a Wish - A quick, accessible format for giving feedback - two stars are pieces of appreciation and a wish is something constructive, often phrased as "I wish that...". Also called “Glows and Grows” in some classes.

Visual Arts & Design (VAD) - A cohesive, sequential, progressive skill building 9 year program where students use the Innovation Model to explore creative connections to academic areas of focus. Students analyze historical context, develop an understanding of artistic and design concepts and experiment with new skills to execute on their vision for their projects.