Notes From Oak

• September 20th, International Festival 5:00- 7:00 pm on the Blacktop

• Monday, September 23rd-27th, Walden West for Sixth Grade

• Tuesday, September 24- Picture Day- (adjustment made, we will need only one day for pictures with the sixth graders gone- Makeup day is Oct. 22)

• Friday, September 27- No School for Students- Professional Development for teachers

• Thursday, October 3rd- Walk and Bike to School Day

• Saturday, October 5th - Oak Gives Back Rise Against Hunger Meal Packing Event

• Friday, October 11th- Crazy Feet Day

• Saturday, October 12th- Walk a Thon - Theme- TEAM OAK
  

Happy Thursday and what an incredible week we are having at Oak. As many of you are aware your children have set goals for themselves in various areas over the first few weeks of school. At the Wednesday morning assembly, I shared that as a staff we were working on setting our own instructional goals. I met with the classroom teachers yesterday to discuss their goals for the year ahead. We worked on an action plan for each staff member and how I can support them in reaching their goals. Goal setting is an important part of education. As educators, we want to make sure we are constantly improving our skills and finding ways to make the learning experience better for our students. In addition, I shared with students that I have set a goal for myself this year: I want to sit down with every Kindergarten, First, Second and Third-grade student and read with them individually this year. It might be a book, or it might be a story they have written, however, having a chance to connect with each of our primary children is important. As of today, I am at 16 students, with a long way to go. I know many of you might be saying, well what about our 4th, 5th and 6th graders? How are you going to connect with those students? I was going to continue the reading goal, but I am not sure if it is the right way to connect with the students in the upper grade. I have been pondering and I’m still searching for the best way to make that happen. If you have any ideas, please send them my way. I will keep you and the students informed of what my goal connection will be for the upper grades and what my progress is on reaching my goal. I will tell you that so far it has been amazing to hear students read. I love my job!

I encourage you to talk to your children about the goals they have set for themselves. I have found the more often we highlight, discuss and focus on our goals, the more likely we are to achieve our goals.

Last week, as I dropped my kids off at 8:15, I got a great reminder of how learning is always happening at Oak, even when it’s disguised as fun outside the classroom. A small group of students were fascinated by a praying mantis they discovered near a tree. I helped one of our teachers move it to a safe space as the group of curious students grew. They asked questions (“Is it an insect or arachnid?” “How can we tell?”). They watched it crawling among the leaves, and observed how well it was able to camouflage itself. By the time the 8:30 bell rang, there were at least 20 young entomologists having so much fun observing the large bug, they didn’t realize they were getting an impromptu science lesson at the same time. I couldn’t help thinking how grateful I am for the community of parents and teachers at Oak who come together to encourage our kids’ curiosity and learning as it extends beyond the classroom.

While our kids are having fun learning and following their curiosity, our parent volunteers are planning some wonderful events for us to come together as a community! I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night, September 20, from 5:00-7:00 on the Oak Blacktop for our 6th annual International Festival! Our kids will learn about the cultures of the world as they sample food and customs from around the globe! All are welcome to join in the parade of nations at 6 pm, with churros and entertainment afterward. Students will get their “Passports” stamped as they travel through each country. This is a fun event, and a wonderful way to celebrate the diversity of the Oak community!

Thanks to Referee Batman for joining us at Flag Salute this morning to get our kids excited about this year’s sports-themed Team Oak Walks Walk-a-thon! We recognize that our students are a critical part of our community, and we want them to feel empowered to step up and contribute. So this year, students designed the t-shirt, students are building our music playlist, students will submit the artwork for our decorations (there is a tray in the office to collect art), and students will do the fundraising! Keep an eye out for information on helping your students set up a profile on PledgeStar. PledgeStar allows for student-driven fundraising, and we hope your kids are excited about stepping up to be an active player with Team Oak!

Finally, I wanted to make sure you know about the Oak School PTA Suggestion Box. We want to hear from you! If you have a suggestion, you can submit it here: OAK SCHOOL PTA ANONYMOUS SUGGESTION BOX. This link will be posted weekly at the bottom of the PTA section. (Please note: because this is an anonymous suggestion box, we cannot reply to submissions. If you have a concern that requires a reply, please email the board directly).

Our Lifesavers this week are....

Cindy Zinn, Tara Williamson, and Jen Oku - Thank you so much for taking the time on short notice to make sure our PTA closet is safe and organized!

Andi Lorincz - Thank you Andi for getting our Fall calendar printed and posted! Stop by the kiosk to see all the fun events happening at Oak over the next several weeks!

Madeline Chiu - This talented young artist submitted the winning design for our Walk-a-thon T-shirt this year. Congratulations!

Sincerely,

Sara Payne

Oak PTA President

oakptapresidents@lasdschools.org

OAK SCHOOL PTA ANONYMOUS SUGGESTION BOX

Come join Oak Gives Back, Saturday, Oct. 5th (3:30-5 pm) at the Los Altos United Methodist Church as we package meals for the organization Rise Against Hunger. Oak Gives Back will be working alongside hundreds of volunteers from our Los Altos community, including boys/girls from Scouts and other elementary schools, to pack 10,000 meals to be sent into areas of disaster or starvation. Thirty spaces are available. Students must have an accompanying adult.

Sign up here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1dni0pBj3QhBDDBqpevX0MQjPXJ8m5oP4NcZtPGa0ze4/edit?usp=sharing

You’re Invited!
Community Engagement Process for Our Local Schools

The Los Altos School District (LASD) has initiated a Community Engagement Process to involve the public in formulating a long term facilities plan to house Bullis Charter School (BCS) and ensure a top-quality education for all children.

We value your perspective and welcome your participation in a process to envision the future of education in our neighborhoods.

Please join us for one of the charrettes

(Each charrette will have the same format, so you only need to attend one)

Wednesday, September 25, 6:30-8:30 pm

Blach Intermediate School Multipurpose Room

1120 Covington Rd.

OR

Saturday, October 5, 9:30-11:30 am

Egan Junior High School Multipurpose Room

100 W. Portola Ave.

As a participant in the upcoming charrettes, you will work in a small group to review previously considered ideas and help generate new ideas for the community to discuss and consider. You will have a chance to evaluate these ideas at subsequent workshops in November. Our process consultant, MIG, will then organize and summarize the results, which will be presented to the LASD Board in January.

For more information visit LASD’s Community Engagement webpage. Please email communityengagement@lasdschools.org with any questions.