Notes from Oak

• Fri, Feb 28 - Coffee with the Principal (and Blach Principal, Bhavna Narula)

• Fri, Feb 28 - 2nd Grade Field Trip to Tech Museum

• Wed, Mar 4 - Chorus Assembly at MVHS - Walking field trip 12:45-2pm

• Thurs, Mar 5 - Walk/ Bike to School

• Thurs, Mar 5 - Minimum Day- Noon dismissal for Kinder, 12:15 dismissal for grades 1-6

• Fri, Mar 6 - End of Trimester 2

• Tue, Mar 10 - STEM Expo

• Wed, Mar 11- PTA Meeting 8:45am

• Wed, Mar 18 - Hearing Screening Kinder/2nd & 5th Grades

• Fri, Mar 20 - Jr High Principal Presentation to 6th Grade Students 11am -Noon Multi

• Sat, Mar 21 - Oak Gives Back - Hope’s Corner Serving Meals in Mountain View

• Sat, Mar 21 - Spring Fling & Auction, Juniper Hotel, Cupertino 6 -10pm

• Mon, Mar 23 - Pigeon Point/5th Grade Andreeva

• Wed, Mar 25 - Pigeon Point/5th Grade Hokeness

• Thurs, Mar 26 - Instrumental Quest - 4th Grade

• Mon, Mar 30 - Pigeon Point/5th Grade Bautista

• Thurs, Apr 2 - Walk/ Bike to School Day

• Mon, Apr 6-10 - Spring Break - No School

Please join us tomorrow morning, Friday, February 28, at 8:45am in the multi for our principal coffee. You get to have two principals tomorrow: myself and Bhavna Narula from Blach School. Come join us and learn more about our Junior High program.

Census Counting is on the way!

Over the next week, teachers will talk about census counting and why we do this as a nation. It is important to remember when you receive your census document - school age children count.

Health Education for all Students in K-6

In the coming week, we will talk to students about hand washing and coughing etiquette. With the various colds, flu and germs spreading, we want to make sure children understand the proper way to keep clean and healthy. I challenge parents to check in next week and ask their children how long they should wash their hands and the two ways to cough safely.

Chorus Assembly

Next Wednesday, March 4, we are walking to Mountain View High School to watch our chorus students perform with MVHS Chorus students. Please make sure to complete your child’s field trip permission form and return it to your child’s teacher. We can’t wait to see the performance this year.

Congratulations Oak Students

Team 77787A, Oak RoboCC from Oak Avenue School, won the Amaze Award in the Los Altos VEX IQ tournament. Way to go Ryan F, Nicholas H, Matthew H, Nikko S, and Ronak C for representing Oak Avenue Elementary!

Oak Avenue School Tours

Have you heard your neighbors talking about wanting to know more about Oak School? Perhaps a new family just moved into the area and they are looking at different school options. Maybe a neighbor has preschool-age children and they are inquiring about Oak School.

Please let families know Oak School is open for tours. Feel free to pass along my email address. I would be happy to set up a time to provide a personal tour and answer questions about the Oak School community. kattell@lasdschools.org

We hope you had an enjoyable February Break! As a reminder, LASD is following federal and state guidelines related to the coronavirus outbreak. We ask our families and staff to follow all guidelines to keep students and staff healthy.

Anyone returning from mainland China should stay at home for 14 days and not go to school or work, or other public places such as the grocery store, or use public transit. They should also self-isolate from others in the same household. If a returning traveler has questions, they should call the Santa Clara County call center between 8 am - 5 pm at 408-885-3980.

Please review CDC guidance on returning travelers here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/risk-assessment.html​

In the unusual event that a student or staff member who returned from mainland China prior to February 3, 2020, and who has symptoms of respiratory illness, such as fever and cough, AND became ill within 14 days after their departure from China,

Please take the following steps:

1. Separate the individual from others as much as possible and arrange for the individual to go home, and

2. Contact the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department during regular business hours (408-885-3980, M-F 8-5) for further guidance.

For more information, check out the helpful FAQs from Santa Clara County Public Health Department.

Precautions to Prevent Spread of All Infectious Diseases

At this time the health risk to the general public in Santa Clara County from novel coronavirus remains low, but schools can take common-sense precautions to prevent the spread of all infectious diseases. These precautions will be helpful to prevent the spread of other common illnesses such as influenza and gastroenteritis.

Encourage all students, parents, and staff to take everyday preventive actions:

• Stay home when sick.
  

• Remain at home until fever has been gone for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicines.

• Seek immediate medical care if symptoms become more severe, e.g., high fever or difficulty breathing

Use “respiratory etiquette:”

• Cover cough with a tissue or sleeve. See CDC’s Cover Your Cough page (https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/actions-prevent-flu.htm​) for multilingual posters and flyers, posted at the bottom of the webpage.

• Provide adequate supplies within easy reach, including tissues and no-touch trash cans.

• Wash hands frequently.

• Encourage hand washing by students and staff through education, scheduled time for handwashing, and the provision of adequate supplies.

• Routinely clean frequently touched surfaces.

• Separate sick students and staff from others until they can go home. When feasible, identify a “sick room” through which others do not regularly pass.

• Encourage flu vaccine for those who haven’t had it this season to reduce illnesses and absences on campus (but won’t prevent coronavirus illnesses).

A note about face masks: face masks are most useful for preventing disease spread when they are worn by people who have symptoms. People are asked to wear a mask at doctors’ offices and hospitals if they are coughing or sneezing.

For the latest updates on Novel Coronavirus, visit: www.sccphd.org/coronavirus.

The District Nurses will be doing Hearing screening at Oak School for all Kindergarten, 2nd and 5th grades on Wednesday, March 18.

If your child has a known hearing loss, please notify the Health Services Staff at nurses@lasdschools.org before the day of the screening. The nurse will mail a referral form and call the parents of students who do not pass the Hearing screening.

Our Spring Fling and Auction are less than one month away! Thanks to everyone who has been working hard to secure auction items, plan parties, and work with the data behind the scenes. We have lots of old favorites, and some new surprises as well! Get dressed up in your springtime best and join us for a night of fun!

• Tickets will be going on sale. Watch your email for details on how to buy your ticket and register to bid.

• Still looking for a way to support the auction? Want to help Oak but can’t make it to the event? Consider sponsoring a staff ticket! Oak families who sponsor staff tickets will be eligible for early bidding along with auction ticket holders.
  

• New in 2020: You asked for it! This year we will be offering onsite child care while parents are at the auction. We will have a room just down the hall where kids can enjoy a pizza dinner, watch a movie, and play games while parents enjoy a night out. There will be a flat rate per child for auction child-care which can be purchased along with ticket packages. Space is limited (based on the size of the room and staffing ratios) so please purchase your child-care spot in advance! Walk-ins will be accommodated ONLY if space is available! (Child care is only available for kids three-years and older who are potty trained).

Questions? Contact Melissa Sgroi (melissalmiddleton@gmail.com) or Sara Payne (scbpayne@gmail.com).

In March 2020 a very important event will take place: the U.S. Census. The census is a count of all people living in the U.S. and takes place every 10 years. It is simple and confidential to complete.

For the first time, you can respond online. You will receive a unique identifying number in the mail, which will allow you to fill out the online form beginning in March 2020! It will ask questions about your household such as how many people reside in your home, date of birth, race, and sex.

Here are some things you should know about the 2020 Census:

• The Census is important. The Census helps to decide how much federal money our schools will get over the next 10 years, and how much money our state will get for our parks, neighborhood improvements, public health, transportation, and many other programs and services.

• Your kids count! Make sure to count them when you fill out the census form in March.

• Your identity remains anonymous. Any personal information you provide on the census form is protected by law and cannot be shared with anyone or any other federal agency, regardless of your immigration status.

• The Census is safe. All the data collected through the census is protected under Title 13 of the U.S. Code. Records are confidential for 72 years by law. The U.S. Census will never share a respondent’s personal information with other government agencies.

What do you need to do? Complete the short and easy Census form online after you receive your unique identifying number in the mail. If you don’t have a computer at home, you can use one at a library or at a location in your community clearly identified Census Questionnaire Assistance Center.

Dear Oak Community -

Welcome back! Whether your break involved snow, sun, or just a comfy couch and lots of good books, we hope you enjoyed it!

With March right around the corner, it’s almost time for our Spring Fling and Auction!! Join us on Saturday, March 21 at the Juniper Hotel in Cupertino for a great night out to raise critical funds for our school! Whether you come for the socializing, scoring that reserved parking spot in the LIVE auction, filling out your kids’ camps schedule with a donation to Oak, or all the great auction parties, we hope to see you there. Tickets go on sale soon!

Get Ready for Blach!

Join Mrs. Attell tomorrow morning as she hosts Blach Principal, Bhavna Narula, for Coffee with the Principal(s). All are welcome, and we specifically encourage 5th and 6th grade parents to join us to learn about the many wonderful things Blach has to offer.

Sincerely,

Sara Payne

Oak PTA President

oakptapresidents@lasdschools.org

LOG VOLUNTEER HOURS

OAK SCHOOL PTA ANONYMOUS SUGGESTION BOX

Make sure your student picks up a project board!

STEM Expo tri-fold project boards are now available. Come pick up one per project, in the Oak Office.

Donate to LAEF today and your gift will be DOUBLED!

The John and Liane Davila Foundation, the Field Family, and 2 anonymous LASD families have offered to match every dollar donated before March 15th, up to a total of $22,000.

Our students just marked their 100th day of school. Now it’s your turn.

Donate now and help us reach 100% parent participation.

We still need to raise the final $330,000 to fund the 2019-20 school year.

Gifts of any amount are appreciated!

We welcome one-time donations, monthly donations, stock donations, and pledges.

Help fully fund teachers and staff at your school.

With more teachers than ever before signing up for our fun and engaging lessons, we need your help to meet our lesson demand!

Please join us for our upcoming Spring Docent Training on Monday mornings in March from 9-Noon (3/2, 3/9 & 3/16) at the Los Altos School District iLearn Studio located at 201 Covington Road in Los Altos.

Our trainings are fun, educational and even include breakfast! The suggested time commitment is only 6 hours a month and, in turn, we invite you to join us for our docent enrichment events which include socials, hikes, garden tours, workshops and lectures.

No experience or green thumb necessary as we teach you everything you need to know! Volunteering with Living Classroom is a great way to act locally to help nurture our future environmental stewards and care for our planet!

Living Classroom Spring Docent Training

Mondays 9-Noon 3/2, 3/9 & 3/16

Los Altos School District – iLearn Studio

201 Covington Road, Los Altos

*Can’t make Mondays? Ask us about our apprentice-style training!

Click here to view and/or print our flyer!

RSVP/Questions? Email livingclassroom@lasdschools.org or call (650) 947-1103.

Check us out at www.living-classroom.org!

Who we are:

We are a dedicated group of trained volunteers who teach

hands-on garden-based lessons to students in grades K-8.

Why volunteer?

Living Classroom is about more than just teaching students how to plant in the garden.

It’s about using the edible and native plant gardens at each school as living laboratories and engaging student learning in fun and relevant ways. Most of our standard-aligned lessons are interdisciplinary and tie into science, social studies and math curriculum.

Our hands-on lessons also get kids outside (green time vs. screen time), encourage healthy eating habits, and promote environmental literacy and stewardship.

Volunteering with Living Classroom offers a way for docents to act locally to help protect our environment and nurture our future environmental stewards!

You don’t have to have a green thumb to be an amazing Living Classroom docent. In fact, our program is great way to learn how to turn that black thumb into a green one!

Living Classroom docents enjoy ongoing educational programs, hikes, field trips, social activities and a wonderful sense of community. Just seeing the students smile and get excited when a docent arrives to give a lesson is rewarding and priceless!

The commitment is only 6 hours (3 lessons) a month and you can tailor the program to fit your interests and availability.

Thanks and we hope to see you in the gardens soon!

Living Classroom Staff

Caroline Chan

Program Coordinator, Living Classroom

Los Altos School District

(650) 947-1103 (office)

(650) 262-6497 (mobile)

livingclassroom@lasdschools.org

6th Grade Orchestra Students from Loyola, Oak, and Springer will be featured in a performance with Blach Intermediate School Orchestras.

Come to see the progression of string students from elementary to middle school. It is a free concert/workshop, everyone is invited!

String Fling Concert

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

7:05pm

Blach Intermediate School

Tour Blach Intermediate School

Are you a future Blach parent and interested in what the future holds in junior high school for your child? You’re invited to tour our National Blue Ribbon Blach Intermediate School.

Meet the principal, talk with students and teachers, and visit classrooms. Learn how classroom instruction, innovative curriculum, and an unparalleled array of electives prepare students for success in high school, college and beyond. Blach is a welcoming and inclusive junior high school that focuses on the whole child and empowers and engages students to become global citizens and lifelong learners.

Take a look at the Blach video in our media gallery and please sign up using this link to join the tour that is most convenient for you. Tour dates are as follows:

Friday, March 13, 9:30am-11am

Monday, March 16, 1:30pm-3pm

Hope’s Corner-Serving Meals, March 21

On Saturday, March 21, we will be volunteering at Hope’s Corner in Mountain View to pack bag lunches and help serve breakfast to those hungry and in need. This is a very rewarding opportunity for our children to help out those who are less fortunate here in our area.

Space is limited to a total of 20 volunteers for 2 shifts:

Shift 1:(6:45-9am) and Shift 2: (8:45-11am).

This project is open to all students ages 5+ with an accompanying parent.

For sign-up and more details:

Members: Follow this link.

Guests (no login required): Follow this link.

About Hope's Corner

Hope’s Corner offers showers and serves a free breakfast and bag lunch every week to those in the community who are hungry and/or homeless. The number of people coming to the Saturday meal has grown from a few dozen in the beginning in 2011 to now serving more than several hundred people every Saturday. For more info. visit:

http://www.hopes-corner.org/

Mission:

It is Oak School’s mission to ensure high levels of learning for all students. Every day we respectfully collaborate to develop confident, resilient, joyful learners who care about the Oak School community and become responsible citizens.

Email: kattell@lasdschools.org
Website: https://oakschool.org/
Location: 1501 Oak Avenue, Los Altos, CA, USA
Phone: (650)237-3900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Oakavenuesch
Twitter: @OakPrincipal