Black Pine Circle School

10/13/2026

10/08/2026

Our 5th graders returned from an unforgettable three-day team-building outdoor education adventure at Westminster Woods in the beautiful redwoods of Occidental! 🏕️🌿

A favorite part of the trip was taking on the “high elements”—elevated ropes courses designed to challenge students both physically and emotionally. 💪❤️ Guided by Westminster’s excellent naturalists, students pushed beyond their comfort zones as they:

🪢 Balanced on high wires at Coho Crossing
🦊 Leapt from great heights on the Flying Fox
🚀 Zoomed through the trees on the Creek Zip
💫 Lifted one another into the air on the Haul Swing

But the biggest accomplishment wasn’t simply conquering the courses—it was supporting one another along the way. Students cheered for their classmates, celebrated each other’s successes, and discovered the courage that comes from trying something new together. 🙌🎉

During the final reflection circle, many students shared an enormous sense of pride in the way they faced their fears and stepped outside their comfort zones. 🌟

As one student put it: “I thought it would be scary, but it was actually really fun!” 😊

We’re incredibly grateful to our teachers and parent chaperones for supporting our 5th graders and making this meaningful and memorable experience possible. ❤️🌲

10/07/2026

✨ Applications are now open for the 2027–28 school year at Black Pine Circle School!

BPC is a K–8 School of Thought where students are known, challenged, and taught how to think—not what to think. Through strong academics, Socratic inquiry, the arts, in a community of care, students build knowledge, follow their curiosity, find the joy in learning, and develop the judgment and confidence to think for themselves.

We’re excited to invite you to come visit Black Pine Circle School! Register now for classroom tours and admissions open houses. These events are a wonderful opportunity to explore our campus and learn more about what makes our community unique.

https://portals.veracross.com/bpc/form/inquiry/account_set_up/account-lookup

10/01/2026

🌲 Sixth Grade Adventures at Boulder Creek! 🌲
Last week, our sixth-grade students, advisors, and Coach G traveled by bus to Boulder Creek for an unforgettable experience with Wolf Adventures!
Students spent their days playing games with their trail groups, performing skits, singing songs, and building friendships in their cabin groups and around the dining hall. They learned in the freshwater creek and beneath the beautiful redwood canopies, discovering what it means to learn, explore, and grow together.
Along the way, students explored historical life skills and wildlife adaptations while trying their hands at new challenges—including building small motor-powered boats, sewing, rock-wall climbing, archery, and tomahawk throwing. 🏹🧵🧗‍♀️
Most importantly, they strengthened the skills that help a community thrive: collaboration, independence, problem-solving, and looking out for one another.
What an incredible time of adventure, learning, and friendship! 🌿✨

09/29/2026

🎪 What a Saturday! 🎪
The annual BPC Fall Carnival brought hundreds of students, parents, faculty, and alums together for an afternoon packed with community, cake coveting, cotton candy, and bottomless shaved ice. 🍧
We listened to the market and ordered double the cotton candy this year. Still, we ran out of sticks! 😅 Thankfully, copier paper and a little creativity saved the day. Shutting down early would have triggered a riot!
🎶 The BPC Band was awesome!!
🎯 Carnival games and a giant jumpy house on the field were a big hit!.
🌮 The line for the shave ice truck snaked along the street all afternoon.
💦 And, of course, there was the infamous dunk tank!
Lucky for us, the Berkeley Fire Department is a great neighbor. They rolled up with lights a-flashin’ and filled the tank lickety-split with fresh water. About 100 dunks later, it was arguably still water. 😂
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out, everyone who baked cakes for our popular Win a Cake Game, and all of our amazing volunteers who helped make the day such a success.
BPC fun is a fun place to be! ❤️🎉

🎪

09/25/2026

🍂🎪 BPC's Fall Carnival is Here! 🎪🍂

The BPC community is coming together tomorrow for an afternoon packed with fun, games, creativity, and plenty of treats! 🎉

✨ Make and craft
🎯 Carnival games
🎶 Live music from the BPC Band
🍔 Food trucks
🏰 Jumpy house
💦 Dunk tank — filled at 1 PM, courtesy of the Berkeley Fire Department!
🍭 Cotton candy, shaved ice & popcorn
🎨 Face painting
🧗 Climbing wall
🎂 Cake-winning fun
🏀 Pop-A-Shot
…and MORE!

Come play, create, eat, laugh, and enjoy the festivities with the BPC community. Don’t miss out on the fun! 🍁❤️

09/22/2026

Oakland Museum of California

09/22/2026

🌊 More than 45 members of the BPC community volunteered at the 42nd Annual California Coastal Cleanup at the Berkeley Shoreline this past Saturday! 🧹🐢 It was a great opportunity for our students of all ages to make a difference 🌍 by helping clean up the waterfront. They were part of the more than 50,000 volunteers who participated statewide, collecting over 96 tonnes of trash collectively!
Thank you to all our families who came out to support this important effort ♻️💪, which helps protect wildlife habitats and limits the amount of trash flowing into the ocean! 🐋🦋

09/18/2026

✨ Our community recently came together at our All-School Gathering, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15–Oct. 15). Our assembly, led by student speakers and performers, highlighted the diversity and richness of Hispanic cultures.
At BPC, we connect these celebrations to our mission: to create a learning community that encourages humanity, empathy, cultural understanding, and intellectual freedom. 🌎💙 We celebrate together. / ¡Celebramos juntos!