Notes from Oak
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Important Dates
Thurs, Feb 13 & Fri, Feb 14- 6th Grade Entrepreneurial Fair
Fri, Feb 14- Valentine’s Day- class party time TBD with teacher and room parents
Week of Feb 17- 21- President’s Holiday and Winter Break - No School
Mon, Feb 24- Kick-off Assembly for Junior Olympics
Thurs, Feb 27 - Girl Scout Cookie Booth on Blacktop 1:15-2:10pm
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 grds 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
California Distinguished School Award
Entrepreneurial Fair - 6th Grade
Art in Kindergarten
Principal's Message
Oak Honored with 2020 California Distinguished School Award
At the beginning of the week, Elaine Bernard, Abby Laucella, Sara Quigley and I went down to Anaheim to receive our California Distinguished School Award. Only 5 percent of schools across the state are nominated for this prestigious award.
As a team, the four of us wrote the nomination to receive the award. In our proposal, we highlighted the strong sense community we have here at Oak Avenue School. In addition, we shared with the committee Oak’s Professional Learning Community practice as one of the essential instructional tools that have made a difference in our instruction.
Professional Learning Communities (PLC) have allowed Oak to focus on thoughtful collaboration as educators in order to reach all students and help them achieve academic success. Every Thursday, Oak students are released early so teachers and support staff can meet to work and discuss key assignments, analyze student data, and plan the next steps on how to either support or challenge students depending on their current levels.
In the coming weeks, we will invite our Superintendent and The Town Crier to help us celebrate this accomplishment with our community. Stay tuned for the date!
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
Student direct science lesson in 5th grade
Creating a lava lamp
5th grade Lava Lamps
LASD 2020-21 School Year Calendar
The 2020-21 School Calendar is now available online.
Attendance Reminder
Please remember that attendance is compulsory. Absences due to illness, medical appointments, religious holiday observance, or bereavement are considered excused. All other absences are considered unexcused.
To report an absence please fill out an online Absence Reporting Form at https://www.oakschool.org/ajax/forms/displayForm.cfm?f=289 or call 650-237-3939 and include the following information:
Student’s first and last name
Grade
Teacher
date(s) of absence
Reason for absence
If sick, please specify if your child has a fever, common cold symptoms such as a runny nose or cough, vomiting and/or diarrhea, and or any other communicable or contagious illness.
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.
Health Bulletin - Update
Coronavirus
Student safety is our top priority in the Los Altos School District. We are taking every precaution to be sure that our students remain healthy as we learn more about the coronavirus.
Students returning from mainland China arriving in the United States since February 3, 2020 should be excluded from school for 14 days, beginning the day after they left China. This is a change from previous guidance.
CDC guidance on returning travelers is available here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/risk-assessment.html
For students & staff who came back to the U.S. prior to February 3 and do not have respiratory illness, they may wish to consider staying home for 14 days after they left mainland China, but it is not mandatory.
As public health departments across the nation are working to identify anyone who might be infected to prevent further spread of the outbreak, we encourage all students, parents, and staff to take common-sense precautions to prevent the spread of all infectious diseases, including common illnesses like colds and flu.
To prevent the spread of illness, staff, students, and families are requested to follow the guidelines below:
Encourage students and staff to stay home when they are sick.
Those who have a fever at school should go home and stay home until at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever without the use of fever-reducing medicine.
Separate sick students and staff from others, ideally in a separate place, until they can be picked up to go home.
Promote hand hygiene among students and staff through education, scheduled time for handwashing, and availability of soap and water or hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your face, particularly your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Teach and encourage proper cough etiquette—cough or sneeze into a tissue, sleeve, or arm (do not use hands).
Perform routine surface cleaning.
Consider not attending large gatherings, as this is where cold, flu and other respiratory viruses often spread.
How is novel coronavirus spread? Are my children and family at risk?
It is unclear how easily or frequently this virus may spread from person to person, so it's important to practice good hygiene (e.g. cover your cough and sneeze, and wash hands, avoid touching your face). We are still learning about this new virus, but at this time the risk is low to Santa Clara County residents.
Is my family at risk of getting novel coronavirus?
At this time, the general public in Santa Clara County is at low risk for the new coronavirus. However, public health officials are still learning about this virus. It is important that everyone take preventative measures to help decrease the spread of the flu and other viruses that are in our community. Stay away from people who have signs of a respiratory tract infection, such as a runny nose, coughing, and sneezing, and try to avoid gatherings with lots of people.
When should I keep my child home from school?
If anyone is ill with fever, cough or other symptoms, they should stay home from work or school and other public activities until they have recovered.
Should children whose parents traveled to China stay home from school?
If a child has not traveled to an area with ongoing circulation, and they are not ill, they can continue their everyday activities. But if a child is ill, they should be kept home.
Can a school send a student home if they recently returned from China and have cold-like symptoms?
Any student with a fever or respiratory symptoms can be sent home by the school.
What should I do now to protect my family?
Get your flu shot to protect against flu, which can produce symptoms similar to novel coronavirus.
Wash your hands with liquid soap and water, rub for at least 20 seconds.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, sleeve or arm. Do not use your hands.
Avoid touching your face, especially your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay home if you are sick with any respiratory symptoms, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and are feeling tired.
Try staying away from large groups of people.
CDC recommends against traveling to China.
More information can be found on the Santa Clara Public Health Department website:
https://www.sccgov.org/sites/phd/DiseaseInformation/novel-coronavirus/Pages/home.aspx
Staying Healthy during Flu Season
It is definitely Flu Season. Please take a look at the link below regarding when to keep your student at home and what to do to stay healthy!
https://www.lasdschools.org/District/6315-Flu-Influenza.html
PTA Update
Dear Oak Community -
As we head into Valentine’s Day and February break, our auction team is working hard to finalize our catalog for the Spring Fling & Auction on Saturday, March 21 at the Juniper Hotel in Cupertino. Mark your calendars and come ready for auction games, the wine wall, and bidding on annual favorites and lots of new packages. We can’t wait to see you there!
A Note to 6th Grade Parents:
The Blach PTA is looking for five parents plus one alternate to join their Nominating Committee. In the next couple of months, this committee will be working to put together a PTA slate for the 2020-2021 school year.
We are striving to get a balanced representation on this committee from our three feeder schools (Loyola, Oak, Springer, and Covington). If you can lend a hand, please contact Cindy Zinn or Rachel Michelson.
This committee requires only a couple of meetings and lasts only a couple of months, but it is quite arguably one of the most important jobs for the PTA.
LIFESAVERS
Our lifesavers this week are our room parents. These volunteers have been working hard to make sure our kids enjoy a fun Valentine’s Day!
A big Valentine’s THANK YOU to: Melissa Sgroi, Jessica Calvert, Alexandra Kvasova, Kinnera Rao, Namrata Tholiya, Katherine Katz, Mark Millet, Heidi Ng, Kristin Coit, Claudia Garcia, Jen Oku, Rumi Bhattacharyya, Sarah Brown, Leena Faerber, Annie Peters, Angela Kristovich, Sara Payne, Moazzam Chaudry, Rajesh Shakkarwar, Jana Robson, Chrissy O’Sullivan, Sonja Commendatore, Paige Bennionn, Serena Hung, Aifra Ahmed, Isabel Gilbert, Claudia McCoy, Sabrina Hoellrigl, Anny Frehner, Harriet Yu, Andi Lorincz, Agnes Chang, Cindy Zinn, Jennifer Caringella, and Gitta Vink.
Sincerely,
Sara Payne
Oak PTA President
We Have A Challenge Match!
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.
Oak Community News
6th Grade String Fling Concert
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
7:05 PM
Blach Intermediate School
Volunteers Needed for Nominating Committee
A Note to 6th Grade Parents:
The Blach PTA is looking for five parents plus one alternate to join their Nominating Committee.
In the next couple months this committee will be working to put together a PTA slate for the 2020-2021 school year.
We are striving to get a balanced representation on this committee from our three feeder schools (Loyola, Oak, Springer and Covington). If you can lend a hand, please contact Cindy Zinn or Rachel Michelson.
This committee requires only a couple of meetings and lasts only a couple of months, but it is quite arguably one of the most important jobs for the PTA.
Thinking Ahead to Junior High
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
Oak Gives Back Volunteer Project- Hope’s Corner
Hope’s Corner-Serving Meals, March 21th
On Saturday, March 21st, 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 Hopes 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:
Kids’ Art Classes at Los Altos History Museum
In support of Los Altos History Museum's current exhibit, "Gallery 9: Celebrating Art in Los Altos," the Art Docents of Los Altos will teach drawing and painting to kids on two Saturdays.
Children in grades two through six who wish to learn basic drawing and painting skills may take a Kids’ Art Class led by the Art Docents of Los Altos at the Los Altos History Museum.
Held from 9:30 – 11 am, the class for the second- and third-graders is on Feb 29, and fourth, fifth, and sixth-graders on March 7.
The classes are part of the program line-up for the Museum’s exhibition, “Gallery 9: Celebrating Art in Los Altos,” on display through March 8. The exhibition showcases the work of artists from Gallery 9 in Los Altos, a cooperative fine art gallery now in its 50th year of operation.
“This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Art Docents of Los Altos, a group that has done so much to foster art education in Los Altos schools,” said Exhibition Curator Dr. Amy Ellison. “We want to celebrate their accomplishments. The classes they are offering at the Museum are special because the docents will be teaching the kids skills using art that is in the gallery as examples.”
The Art Docents are a group of volunteers through the Los Altos School District who provides a comprehensive visual arts education to students in grades K - 6. Their goal is to create a sense of excitement about art and the freedom to be creative.
The fee for each class is $20 per child. Register at losaltoshistory.org/gallery/9
Los Altos History Museum began in 1977 with the opening of the J. Gilbert Smith House historic farmhouse, built in 1905. In 2001, the Los Altos History Museum opened its modern building next door, which houses the Museum's collections, permanent and changing exhibits, store and administrative offices.
The Museum and J. Gilbert Smith House are open Thursday through Sunday, from noon to -4 pm. Admission is free. The gardens, outdoor agricultural exhibits, and picnic areas are accessible beyond Museum hours. For more information, visit: www.losaltoshistory.org, email hello@losaltoshistory.org, or phone 650.948.9427 x14
The MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series presents:
Scott Hartley
The Fuzzy and the Techie: Why the Liberal Arts Will Rule the Digital World
Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020 - 7:00 - 9:00 pm
MVHS Eagle Theatre
3535 Truman Avenue., Mountain View, CA
Join us as Scott Hartley, venture capitalist and author of The Fuzzy and the Techie, explores the vital role of liberal arts in humanizing our technology, shattering assumptions about business and education today.
While Silicon Valley is generally considered a “techie" stronghold, the founders of companies like Airbnb, Pinterest, Slack, LinkedIn, PayPal, Stitch Fix, Reddit, and others are all "fuzzies"— people with backgrounds in the Arts and Humanities.
Learning to code is not enough; the soft skills—curiosity, communication, and collaboration, along with an understanding of psychology and society’s gravest problems—are central to why technology has value. Well-rounded people are the instrumental stewards of robots, big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning; offering a human touch that is of critical importance in our technology-led world. A new generation of entrepreneurs, those who are both fuzzy-and-techie, is fast emerging and will be the center of our future economy.
For anyone doubting whether a well-rounded liberal arts education is practical in today’s world, Hartley’s discussion offers inspiring insights.
Audience: Parents and educators of students grades K - 12.
To register for this free event, go to https://mvla2019-20-scotthartley.eventbrite.com
Books available for purchase, thanks to Books, Inc., (cash or check).
Sponsored by Los Altos Educational Foundation (LAEF), MVLA High School Foundation, Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF), and Los Altos-Mountain View PTA Council.
Oak Avenue School
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
