Notes from Virtual Oak

School campus closed: Virtual school in session

Fri, May 29- Last Day of Virtual Instruction

Fri, May 29- Weekly School Assembly 8:30am

Mon, June 8- 2:00pm Staff Parade to say Goodbye

Wed, Jun 10 - Last Day of the school Year

Wed, Jun 10 - 6th Grade Celebration Parade - Specifics TBD

Wed, Aug 19 - First Day of School 2020-2021

LASD calendar 2019-2020

Next Year LASD 2020-2021 Calendar

This year we will continue with the tradition of having a Field Day for grades K-5. I pulled our grade level colors at our May 22 assembly.

Here are the colors if you missed it:

Kindergarten - Blue

First Grade - Purple

Second Grade - Yellow

Third Grade - Green

Fourth Grade - Orange

Fifth Grade - Red

Although we cannot participate on campus, our PE staff, Mrs. Welch and Mr. Ortman, have developed some fun at home activities for your students to practice. Check out their videos which are posted in your child’s Google Classrooms.

During the week of Jun 1, your will meet with their teacher to try some of the activities together or share how they went at home. Here is the Google folder Oak Field Day 2020 where you will be able to upload photos to include in a culminating video which will be presented to the community on Jun 9.

In order to ensure the safety and health of staff and parents in compliance with county health orders, the procedure will be as follows.

We find it necessary to assign drop off/pick up times according to grade level. We apologize that this may require multiple trips to the school, but it is necessary to ensure a smooth, orderly, and safe process. If there is a long line of cars when you arrive at school, you may park in the lot and wait for the line to go down or you may return a little later. Do not get out of your car and walk over to drop items.

We will strictly enforce these procedures to ensure the health and safety of staff, students and families.

Please read carefully:

1. Parent/Guardian will drive to the front of the school during the designated time and remain in the car. Please remain inside of your car and do not come inside the school!

2. Before arriving at school, please pack up any school items to return such as library books, textbooks, musical instruments, etc. Items should be packed together in a box or bag and labeled with your child's name and teacher's name.
   

3. Please have your child’s Last Name First Name initial in large letters posted on A LARGE PAPER VISIBLE FROM your car windshield. Please do not roll down the windows.

4. The parent will release the trunk or back hatch of the vehicle and the staff member will remove the bag with the labeled items to be returned to school.

5. The staff member will put a bag with the student belongings in the trunk.

6. In order to be in compliance with social distancing orders, please do not walk/bike over for the pickup. Students alone will not be able to pick up the bagged contents.

7. Items not picked up by noon on 6/8, will be discarded. No items will be held over the summer.

Assigned times & dates are as follows:

Wed. 6/3

Kinder - 8:30-10:30am

1st Grade - 10:45am-12:45pm

2nd Grade - 1:30-3:30pm

Thur 6/4

3rd Grade - 8:30-10:30am

4th Grade - 10:45am-12:45pm

5th Grade - 1:30-3:30pm

Fri 6/5

6th Grade - 8:30-10:30am

All Grades Make-Up - 10:45am-3:30 pm

Mon 6/8

ALL Grades Make-Up 8:30am-12:00 pm

Please follow all county health orders pertaining to social distancing and face covering. We hope that you and your family are keeping safe and healthy and look forward to seeing all of you soon.

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Friday, May 29 -8:30 am School-wide Flag Salute Assembly - I have asked teachers to post the link in your child’s google classroom. Due to confidentiality and potential hacking of group video calls, I am hesitant to publish the code and link in our public newsletter. Please sign on through your child’s LASD google account. We will be able to navigate the platform better and include up to 250 attendees.

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Our Year End Celebration for the school will be a final parade for the staff. We will follow the same route through the Oak neighborhoods as before. The parade will begin by leaving from Oak School at 2:00pm on Monday, June 8. It took us about 1 ½ hours to get through last time, so I would gauge your time accordingly.

In addition, we’ve scheduled a parade for Wednesday, June 10, for our outgoing 6th Graders. I am currently surveying the 6th grade families to see if they’d like to use the same route or a shorter, modified route.

In the past, we’ve shown our love and appreciation to our outgoing 6th graders -- now rising 7th graders -- by sending them through a tunnel of students on either side where we congratulate and cheer them on their way to new adventures.

This annual tradition is usually done on campus on the final day of the school year. This year we will be doing this through a parade format. We are hoping students and families will come out and cheer our rising 7th graders onto Junior High School.

Stay tuned next week for details.

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As we prepare for the close of the school year we want to remind our families that our school facilities are closed to the public. People may use our fields while adhering to social distancing requirements as determined by state and local public health authorities.

The blacktop, assembly area and hallways will not be accessible weekdays, June 1-June 10, as our staff prepares for closure.

Daily attendance is still taken as usual in the virtual classroom.

If your child is sick and cannot participate in virtual learning, please let us know via email: lyazdani@lasdschools.org.

Please provide the following information:

• Student name and teacher

• Your relationship to student

• Reason for absence and date of absence

Dear Oak Community--

As the year comes to a close, it is safe to say that it has not played out at all like I imagined. From family crises to a global pandemic, this year has been rough.

Through all these challenges, I have seen the strength of our community in action. I have seen us helping each other and coming together in new ways, as we have been unable to be together in “normal” ways. I have seen everyone step up to do what they can for our kids and each other.

As we prepare for a quarantine summer, I would like to simply say thank you.

Thank you to our teachers and staff, as you made the best of an ever-changing, stressful scary time. You have kept learning going while also making sure our kids know they are valued and loved.

Thank you to our parent community. You have stepped up in so many ways, through volunteering, donation, or a friendly wave hello at drop off, or now from a distance as we pass on the streets.

And a HUGE thank you to our PTA board. You have kept things running, making sure that a global pandemic doesn’t get in the way of providing the resources our kids, teachers, and staff need.

I have no idea what the next weeks and months will bring. Nobody does. But whatever comes, stay healthy and safe. I’m looking forward, with both excitement and trepidation, for the challenges and opportunities that the next school year will bring. Whatever comes, our community is strong, and for that, I am thankful.

Sara Payne

Oak PTA President

oakptapresidents@lasdschools.org

LOG VOLUNTEER HOURS

OAK SCHOOL PTA ANONYMOUS SUGGESTION BOX

Oak Virtual Literacy Festival -- Last Day to Order is Sunday, May 31!

Even though we won’t have our physical Literacy Festival this year, we've made special arrangements with Hicklebee’s for a virtual book fair.

In an effort to support their book fair customers during this time of school closure, Hicklebee’s has put together the online book fair page, https://www.hicklebees.com/bookfairs2020.

They have provided links to some of the books they have available at the warehouse, and you are welcome to place orders for books not listed as well.

Free shipping is available on orders over $25, and curbside pick up at the store is available too.

Detailed instructions for placing an order are below. The Oak Library will receive 10% book fair credit on all orders placed by May 31, 2020. All proceeds fund the Oak summer reading program prizes. Please remember to write Oak Avenue Elementary in the comments section so we receive the proper credit.

Hicklebee’s Online Ordering Instructions

1. Go to https://www.hicklebees.com/bookfairs20202.

2. Put some great books in your cart J

3. Select “Curbside Pickup” or “Enter Your Ship To Address” for your shipping method.

4. Write the school name in the comments section of the order page, (OakAvenue Elementary) or our Oak book fair will not receive credit.

Online Scholastic Read-a-Palooza

All LASD schools will be participating this summer in the Scholastic Read-a-Palooza online summer reading challenge. This will be in place of our traditional Oak Summer Reading Challenge.

It can be found within Scholastic’s Home Base.

​https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/games/

From the menu on the Home Base site, register or sign-in, then choose Read-a-Palooza Visit to create your avatar or choose Check In to record your reading streaks to earn virtual rewards and help Scholastic donate books.

Santa Clara County Library Summer Reading page

Beginning this week, the Santa Clara County Library has its Summer Reading page up at https://sccld.org/summer2020/, and on June 1, Beanstack will be ready for registration to begin.

This year, we will help our patrons to Dig Deeper: Read, Investigate, Discover. This theme encourages readers of all ages to dig below the surface and discover everything from the science of wellness and everyday things, exploring art and other cultures, investigating nature and the environment, delving into the unknown, and exploring a treasury of knowledge and possibilities.

The program will run from June 1 through July 31. Patrons can register on (or log into) Beanstack through our website and find an array of online programming through our Biblioevents calendar. Be sure to check out the Beanstack app, also available through your app store.

Each member finishes the summer program by reading five books and earning three badges. Upon completion, each registrant will receive a prize: a book for kids, a pencil pouch for teens, and a book bag for adults.

E-Resources for the Summer

Keep your student’s virtual life engaging, entertaining and educational this summer with this curated list of family e-resources!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T63Cys4wJ_6roYN8ukIRM_wHD4zEHG0_xjIdfvv6Ffs/edit?ts=5eb48ec6​

Please contact Mrs. Forrest at cforrest@lasdschools.org if you have specific requests or have any questions.

LASD Community Gives Back is a group of parents and community members interested in making sure our most underserved students and families are not left hungry in this global pandemic. LASD Community Gives Back is collaborating with Living Classroom to prepare, plant and maintain school garden beds then harvest, and distribute the produce (by way of LASD free lunch distribution) to our most underserved families.

This is where you come in. We need volunteers to help us do all of this. As this project unfolds there will be many different volunteer opportunities (and not all will involve gardening) and we envision all opportunities to be a family affair. Not only will your older ones be able to rake in their community service hours, but also you will be able to help teach your little ones about the lifecycle of vegetables and the joy of growing food and giving to others.

Please know, we will make sure all volunteer initiatives will be done in a physically distant manner and follow all the social distance protocols prescribed by the county.

Interested? Please fill out this quick form. Questions? Email Jessica Speiser.

Continuing to support students remains LAEF’s highest priority. We want you to be aware of our fundraising status for this school year. With the recent economic disruption, LAEF remains $130,000 short of our financial commitment to fully fund teachers and staff at each LASD school.

Here’s some good news! Three generous LASD families have stepped up to offer a Challenge Match. Every dollar you give to LAEF by May 31st will be doubled, up to $20,000. If you are financially able, can you donate any amount now and help us finish funding this school year?

Thank you for considering a donation to support our schools during this critical time.

During these unprecedented times, many individuals and families can use a little extra help. The Los Altos School District has compiled a list of helpful local resources, covering food, mental health, internet service, housing, and domestic violence issues. Please do not hesitate to reach out to these organizations if you need assistance.

Special Education Meetings and Support Zooms for June:
http://www.selpa1cac.org

6/1 SELPA 1 CAC is having a general meeting to hold our elections,
discuss ongoing distance learning challenges and plan future parent
education events. Meeting will be via Zoom at 9 am on Monday June 1.
Email selpa1cacinfo@gmail.com for more information, link and password

The Los Altos Art Docents are 96 dedicated volunteers who have taught 584 art lessons to the elementary school children in the Los Altos School District.

This year at Oak, the docents taught 70 art lessons.

Thank you to Oak parent April Qi Cammarano who contributed to the success of the Art Docent program this year and to Joan Takenaka for firing all the clay pieces the students made.

Due to the Covid-19 virus we were only able to complete 73% of our lessons in the classroom, but we’ve been busy making art videos for your children to do at home. Check out our DIY page and our Youtube channel.

For more information, check us out at www.losaltosartdocents.org.

The Los Altos Art Docent program is turning 50 next year and we want LASD TK-6 students to create a logo to be exhibited at the Los Altos History Museum.

The winning design will be used on posters, pins and sketchbooks during the 2020-21 school year.

Rules:

• 8 ½” x 11” paper

• Draw and use lots of bright, bold colors

• Include 50 and art in your design

• Write parent email and contact info on back

• Attach an artist’s statement to be displayed with submission at the Los Altos History Museum

• One entry per student

Deadline: Saturday, May 30th

Submit: electronically with lasdk8 email here

Or mail to

Los Altos Art Docents

201 Covington Road

Los Altos, CA 94024

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