Morrison Planetarium - features a completely digital planetarium dome measuring in at 27.5 metres (90 ft.) in diameter with a 23-metre (75-foot) diameter screen.Kimball Natural History Museum - generally encompasses the entire museum outside the planetarium, rainforest, and aquarium, and includes Africa Hall (the Academy's oldest running exhibit), the East Wing (which includes a Foucault pendulum, also a carry-over exhibit from the older, pre-2008 renovation of the Academy), the West Wing (which currently houses several geophysical exhibits), as well as several smaller exhibits distributed throughout the remainder of the Academy building.The main venues of the museum include the following: The main thrust of the exhibits is natural history. Arapaima, arowana, catfish, pacus, cichlids and other fish species can be seen from a submerged acrylic tunnel. View of the Amazonian flooded forest in the rainforest exhibit. In fact, unbeknownst to most patrons, research and administrative facilities occupy nearly 50% of the Academy's physical structure. Although one aspect of the IBSS is available for view by museum patrons at the science "project lab" exhibit, most of the research happens in laboratories and facilities "behind the scenes" and not observable by the public. Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability (IBSS) īesides its function as source of public science education through its museum, the California Academy of Sciences also operates the Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability (IBSS) as its research arm, conducting research in the fields of taxonomy, phylogenetics, and biodiversity studies. The Academy Fellows are, in turn, "ominated by their colleagues and appointed by the Board of Trustees.the Fellows remain members of the Fellowship for life." The Board of Trustees are then responsible for appointing the executive management of the Academy, who in turn are responsible for overseeing the Academy's overall operation and the hiring of its other managers and employees. The California Academy of Sciences, California's oldest operating museum and research institution for the natural sciences, is governed by a forty-one member Board of Trustees who are nominated and chosen by the California Academy of Sciences Fellows. 1.1 Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability (IBSS).In early 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Academy of Sciences had around 500 employees and an annual revenue of about $33 million. The institution is located at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.Ĭompletely rebuilt in 2008, the Academy's primary building in Golden Gate Park covers 400,000 square feet (37,000 m 2). The Academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research. The California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, California, that is among the largest museums of natural history in the world, housing over 46 million specimens. I have always been treated kindly and professionally in all of my dealings with administration and office staff. As a whole, I think they have a great group of teachers. We’ve been lucky in that there’s only been a few teachers here that weren’t a positive fit for our kids. Like most other schools, you’ll have teachers who you adore, and teachers you don’t. Pick up and drop off are a bit of a zoo, but that’s how it goes for most schools. We appreciate the time and energy that the teachers put into making it work and making that an option. When school resumed in the fall, distance learning for my 6th grader was like a well oiled machine. The first few weeks of learning weren’t completely ideal, but a great effort was made to keep the kids on track. Other area schools took 3-4 weeks to implement online learning. When schools suddenly shut down for Covid, Calibre had an action plan that quickly had our kids distance learning. Students wear uniforms, however, they are still able to wear jeans and shoes of their choosing. It isn’t brand new, but it is kept in good repair. Calibre hosts student concerts, carnival type festivals, 8th grade graduation trips, and a cultural feast. Pre Covid, my child enjoyed after school band and guitar orchestra. There are several extracurricular activities offered at a reasonable price to participate. They foster good communication between the school and the parents.