Woodside School District

Administration

Harlin Hansen, Steve Frank, Patrick Hurley, Hanwool Kim,
Jenn Pedersen, John Bartfield

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Steve Frank — Superintendent & Preschool Director
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Steve Frank
Superintendent & Preschool Director
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I am fortunate to be entering my 22nd year at Woodside School and in my first year as Superintendent. I have an undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and received my master’s degree in Educational Administration from Santa Clara University. I am so proud of my two amazing daughters.

I began my tenure at Woodside School in 2001, and I spent nine years as an Upper School social studies teacher. I transitioned to administration and spent five years as the K-8th grade Assistant Principal, and in 2013, I transitioned to be the Upper School Principal. At the start of the 2019-20 school year, I held the position of Superintendent as well as the US Principal, supported by three Upper School Deans for each of the three Upper School grades. And then, starting the 2020-21 school year, which is one to go down in the history books, I was, and still am, the Superintendent of the district.

My duration at Woodside School is due in large part to the small-town experiences that Woodside provides. The talented staff, motivated students, and supportive parents help to provide a rich, nurturing environment for learning to occur. I take great pride in the relationships that have been created during my tenure at Woodside School, and there is no better feeling to watch our students grow into leaders as they enter the world.

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Jennifer Pedersen — Upper School Principal
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Jennifer Pedersen
Upper School Principal (Grades 5-8)
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Jennifer Pedersen has been an integral part of the Woodside Upper School staff for 9 years, teaching English Language Arts, then served as the 8th Grade Dean during the 2019-20 school year and transitioned to Upper School Principal at the start of the epic 2020-21 school year. She earned her B.A. in English Literature, Theory, and Criticism and her M.A. in Education from U.C. Davis, and recently earned her M.A. in School Administration from Loyola Marymount University. Jenn has a relationship-based approach to leadership, focusing on the importance of a growth mindset, flexibility, and integrity. Her background in curriculum development, differentiation, high school transition support, and social-emotional learning positions her well to serve our Middle School community. Jenn is committed to the idea of continuous improvement and enjoys engaging with data and hands-on research, especially as it relates to advances in student achievement and program development. She is proud to lead the administrative team as the Woodside Upper School Principal and appreciates that our phenomenal staff members hold high expectations for all students. As a Woodside resident herself, she is passionate about our community and looks forward to working to uphold our school’s commitment to rigor, innovation, and fostering the development of well-rounded children.

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Patrick Hurley — Lower School Principal
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Patrick Hurley
Lower School Principal (Grades TK-4)
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Patrick Hurley is the Lower School Principal (Grades TK-4) at Woodside Elementary School. Patrick joined the Woodside School community as our ELD Teacher for the 2021-22 school year. Prior to this, Patrick served as the principal at Foster City Elementary School in the San Mateo-Foster City School District from 2016-2021. He taught English and English Language Development for 18 years, including 12 years at Mountain View High School. He has worked with teachers, district leaders, and education researchers on various improvement efforts, mostly related to supporting English Learners. He was a lecturer in the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP) where he worked with pre-service secondary teachers on supporting English Learners.

Patrick graduated from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio with a BA in English and earned a master's degree in Education Administration at San Jose State University. He swims with a masters swim team most mornings before school and is currently learning how to play pickleball.

If you have any elementary / lower school questions or items to be addressed, please contact Mr. Hurley directly.

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John Bartfield — Student Services Director
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John Bartfield
Student Services Director
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I am thrilled to be joining the Woodside School District community! Having worked in San Mateo County schools for over 20 years and living in nearby Redwood City, I am very familiar with the excellence of Woodside School District and its incredible community support. It is such an honor to be the new Director of Student Services, and I am so excited to apply my knowledge and experience in service to the students, families, and staff of the Woodside community.

I have 26 years of experience in education and began my career in the classroom as a special education teacher in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. From there, I became a school psychologist and served in this role for ten years in the West Contra Costa Unified and San Mateo-Foster City School Districts. Moving into administration in March of 2012, I assumed the position of Director of Special Education in San Mateo-Foster City, a position I held for eight years. Then, I worked as Assistant Director of Special Education in the San Mateo Union High School District for three years. Since July of 2021, I have served as the Director of Special Education and Student Services for the Pacifica School District.

I am passionate about creating, supporting, and fostering educational environments that facilitate all students' positive engagement in their learning. Educating the whole child is more important than ever; besides academics, we must be attuned to students’ social-emotional learning and mental health, which are also crucial to their learning.

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Hanwool (Han) Kim — Chief Business Officer
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Hanwool (Han) Kim
Chief Business Office
EMAIL

Hello Everyone! I am excited and honored to join Woodside Elementary as your Chief Business Officer. Woodside stands out as a district whose whole community has come out to support the students’ high level of education and enrichment opportunities. I hope to be a strong contributing member by providing stable and clear leadership in business aspects. My professional experience has taught me fiscal management of school districts at the big-picture level and day-to-day operations. I have financial reporting, data analytics, and state education legislature expertise. Always the student, I am eager to explore and understand Woodside’s needs, systems, and relationships. I believe we can work together to improve any inefficiencies we may find along the way.

I look forward to meeting you all and being part of Woodside!

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Harlin Hansen — Educational Technology Director
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Harlin Hansen
Educational Technology Director
EMAIL

851-1571 x4039

Prior to coming to Woodside, I taught for 11 years in both the Cupertino and Poway school districts. In those districts, I taught 2nd and 4th grade as well as 4 years as a technology resource teacher working with teachers on using technology in the classroom. I also began teaching a technology class for teachers in the credential program at Santa Clara University.

In 2005, I came to Woodside School as the Director of Instructional Technology. I managed the technology program here and was able to spend time working with students and teachers in using technology in the classroom. I later moved back into the classroom and taught 3rd grade. After being out of the classroom for 8 years it was amazing to start using some of the technology that didn’t even exist when I last taught in a regular classroom. After 5 years, I was asked to become the Technology Lead where I am now responsible for the school’s tech department. I continued to teach as the coding teacher for students in grades 3 – 8. Last year I was given the opportunity to move away from teaching coding and start teaching design thinking with all of our students. I love my new role as the design lead and I look forward to enhancing this program as I work with students, parents, and teachers.

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Administration

Steve Frank — Superintendent & Preschool DirectorTop of Page

Jennifer Pedersen — Upper School PrincipalTop of Page

Patrick Hurley — Lower School PrincipalTop of Page

John Bartfield — Student Services DirectorTop of Page

Hanwool (Han) Kim — Chief Business OfficerTop of Page

Harlin Hansen — Educational Technology DirectorTop of Page