Notes from Oak
December 5, 2019
Mark Your Calendar
Thurs, Dec 5 - Kindergarten & New Parent Informational Night- 7 pm in the MUR
Wed, Dec 11 - Spelling Bee
Wed, Dec 11 - Linden Tree Book Faire
Thurs, Dec 12 - Vision Screening for K, 2nd & 5th Grades
Mon, Dec 16 - Winter Concert and PTA Bake Sale - 1 pm in Multi
Mon, Dec 23- January 3rd- Winter Break
Mon, Jan 6- Classes Resume
Wed, Jan 8 - PTA Meeting
Thurs, Jan 9 - Walk/Bike to School
Wed, Jan 15- S pelling Bee 1 pm in MUR
Mon, Jan 20 - Martin Luther King Holiday/ No School
Tues, Jan 21 - Staff Development Day, No School
Thurs, Jan 29 - Geography Bee Noon - 3 pm in Multi
Fri, Jan 31 - Movie Night - 5-9 pm in Multi
Scratch Junior Adventure Stories in Second Grade
Partner Reading
Building Ecosystems in Fifth Grade
Principal's Message
Kindergarten and New Parent Night
Tonight we have our annual Kindergarten New Parent evening. We will start in the Kindergarten Classroom at 7:00 pm and then move onto the Multi for our presentation.
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
Hour of Code in the Classroom
This upcoming week (Dec 9-15) is Computer Science Education Week, an entire week dedicated to showing students the importance of computer science education. Thanks to funding from LAEF, every LASD student has the opportunity to learn to code through the STEM and CSTEM program. See more at https://www.lasdschools.org/District/Portal/Computer-Science
During this week, at Oak School, your student will be participating in a computer science lesson where they will explore coding tools using the Hour of Code activities https://hourofcode.com/us
PTA News
Save the date!
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, Dec 11.
We are excited to introduce a new Shop & Dine Holiday experience for 2019 in partnership with two great local Los Altos businesses: Linden Tree Books and State of Mind Public House and Pizzeria.
Linden Tree Books will be open exclusively for Oak families and friends from 6-8pm. It’s the perfect time to get some of your holiday shopping done, and you’ll find fabulous book displays in store organized by age. Best of all, 10% of your purchases will come back to Oak.
If you can’t make it between 6-8, you can stop by any time on Dec 11 and ask that your purchase go toward the Oak fundraiser. You can even shop online--just enter the code “OAKS” in the field labeled “discount code/school name”. That will ensure your purchase is included in the fundraiser. Please share this code with out-of-town friends and relatives who may want to get some book shopping done too!
If shopping makes you hungry, head over to State of Mind Public House & Pizzeria, the winner of the 2017 World Pizza Championship. State of mind will give 15% of all purchases back to our school. This includes both dine-in and take-out orders throughout the day. Just remind them you would like your purchase to go to the Oak fundraiser.
For questions about the State of Mind fundraiser, contact Shweta at shweta.sahai78@gmail.com.
For questions about the Linden Tree Fundraiser, contact Julie Chai at julieschai@gmail.com.
We’ll see you there!
Volunteer Hours
I want to extend a HUGE thank you to all of the volunteers that keep Oak thriving!
Every year, the PTA collects data on volunteer hours for the California PTA. This data is used to protect our tax exempt status, submit grants, lobby for critical educational reforms, and much more. Anytime you volunteer on campus, remember to sign in (and out) at the kiosk in the office. This logs your volunteer hours for you, and allows Oak to know who is on campus in the case of an emergency.
However, we realize you put in countless hours of work for Oak off campus as well. Did you shop for class Halloween party supplies? Spend time collecting and coordinating for class gifts? Did you work on marketing or decorations for walk-a-thon or International Festival? Bake goodies for Oak events? We want to know! Please help our Historian, Isabel Gilbert, by submitting your volunteer hours with this google form. We will send out periodic reminders through the school year, but this form will always be available. You can add your volunteer hours any time!
CORPORATE MATCHING/DONATIONS
I can’t thank you enough for the financial support you provide the Oak PTA.
Corporate matching has become an increasingly important source of PTA funds at Oak. Some companies have a deadline for submitting claims for matching gifts. As we move quickly through December, remember to check on your company’s corporate matching policy. If you aren’t sure, you can use our Double the Donation tool to find out. If you have any questions, or need a receipt or documentation to submit your match, let us know.
Oak’s lifesaver this week is:
Tara Williamson. Tara stepped down from the PTA presidency, and stepped right up to be an LASD Ambassador for Oak. So far, this program has been successful in promoting our schools and all the wonderful work happening in LASD. As we kick off our new family registration period, we are so grateful for the work you do to share Oak with the wider community!
Sara Payne
Oak PTA President
Blach Holiday Faire
You are invited to the annual Blach Holiday Faire! Stop by this Friday, Dec 6, from 1-4pm. Start your holiday shopping with student made gifts, including jewelry, treats, crafts, clothing and more!
For questions, contact Cindy Zinn (cindyzinn@gmail.com)
Fire Gift Drive & Fundraiser
How It All Started
By Valerie G (Oak 5th grade student)
Have you ever decided to make a change in the world? Well, Chase N, Oak 5th grade student, decided to make a change.
It all started when Chase woke up and felt bad that people had lost their homes in California wildfires. Chase always thought of others first, so he decided he needed to do something about this. He quickly came up with the idea of a fundraiser at Oak Avenue Elementary. He rushed over to his Mom to see what she thought about the idea and she thought that it was a great idea.
The very next day Chase sent an email to his teacher, Ms. Bautista, to see what she thought. The Cougar Facilitators, a group of helpful 6th graders, also thought it was a great idea, so he started getting to work. He asked for volunteers who would be willing to help.
He gathered Mikito T, John D, Austin B, Valerie G, Katherine W, Megan P, Alisha R, Erin H, Madison B, Liam A, and James L to help out. The crew didn’t just help out because it was Chase, they decided to join because they had the same mission: Everyone Deserves Holiday Joy.
The team worked over Thanksgiving writing the plan, designing posters and a banner. On the Sunday before school started again, they braved the rain and hung flyers all over school!
At their first school meeting they started making posters, decorating boxes and taping posters for the fundraiser. At their second meeting, they distributed gift donation boxes and money jars to each classroom. Chase’s Mom and Mrs. Bautista, Chase’s teacher, were great help as well. Chase and his team believed that every kid deserves a joyful holiday. Happy Holidays America!
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!
Please donate today!
Details:
- Please donate NEW - UNWRAPPED gifts, donate through gofundme or in the classroom (Cash or Checks made out to Teresa Long)
- Please share gofundme with friends, family, and coworkers. We are trying to bring AT LEAST 500 gifts
- Need parent and student helpers to pack gifts into boxes and cars Friday 12/13 after school in the Multi
- Need parent and student helpers to drive/deliver and wrap gifts on 12/14 at the Healdsburg Free Store where we will have a FREE holiday gift shop!
- The classroom with most donations will win a prize! So if using gofundme, please put your child's classroom number in the comments!
Thank you for helping the kids bring joy to the children in the fire zones!
Vision Screening
The District Nurses will be doing vision screening, both near and far, at Oak School for all Kindergarten, 2nd, and 5th grades, next Thursday, 12/12/19. If your child has glasses or contacts, please make sure that they wear them to school on the day of the screening. The nurse will mail a referral form to the parents of students who do not pass the vision screening.
Lost and Found Items
Winter Enrichment Classes are Enrolling!
Looking for an after-school enrichment activity for rainy winter afternoons? Oak's winter after-school enrichment programs are enrolling! Most classes start in December and January. We have sports, languages, sciences, art, math, coding, theater, debate and a host of other fun classes for all grade levels.
Get more information and sign your student up for winter enrichment programs here: https://www.oakschool.org/oakavenue/7034-Oak-Enrichment-Programs.html.
Sign up soon! Classes fill quickly and under-enrolled classes will be cancelled.
If you have questions, please contact the enrichment providers directly or Pam Smith at pcsmith04@comcast.net.
Living Classroom Needs You!
Living Classroom is in need of more volunteers!...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 Winter Docent Training on Monday mornings in December from 9-Noon (12/9 & 12/16) 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 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!
Living Classroom Winter Docent Training
Mondays 9-Noon 12/9 & 12/16
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 out 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 a 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
WE have a Challange Match!
A group of LASD families has offered to match every dollar donated before December 31, up to a total of $50,000. Your donation will be doubled if you give now!
We have raised 70% of our $3.4M goal for this school year. We need your help to finish the job.
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:
Monday, December 9, 9:30am-11:00am
Friday, January 24, 1:30pm-3:00pm
Friday, March 13, 9:30am-11am
Monday, March 16, 1:30pm-3pm
Also, please Save the Date for our Junior High School Information Nights on February 6 at 7pm. More information will be provided to our families in upcoming newsletters.
Oak Avenue School
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/Oakavenueschool/
Twitter: @OakPrincipal
