Elementary

Campers in the Summer@Oakwood program recently had the opportunity to interact with Lower School Head and Principal, Mrs. Shales' farm animals! Mrs. Shales brought one of her goats and some of her chickens for the campers to meet. The children learned fun facts about each of the animals were taught about their particular needs and proper care. Campers enthusiastically asked questions as they pet and held the animals. The children also had fun sharing about their own pets with one another. Thank you, Mrs. Shales, for bringing your farm animals for our campers to enjoy!

Our Summer Explorers attending Summer@Oakwood enjoyed a fun-filled water playday on Friday, June 25! With perfect weather, our Junior Kindergarten through Second Grade campers splashed in mini pools, played in water tables, squirted each other with spray bottles, and ran through the sprinklers! We can't wait for more fun water days ahead at Summer@Oakwood!

On the last day of school, Friday, May 28th, the Oakwood High School Class of 2021 wore their caps and gowns to participate in Oakwood School's Third Annual Senior Walk. Students, faculty, and staff enthusiastically cheered on our seniors in-person while families showed their support watching the event live over Zoom. It was a special experience not only for the graduating seniors but also for the younger students who look up to them. We are proud to celebrate our Senior Class's great accomplishment with this Oakwood tradition.

Each year, Oakwood fifth-grade students complete a Shark Tank project. The project has two parts. The first part consists of each student writing a persuasive essay on their own creative idea/product. Then, five to six ideas are selected from those essays to base the products/ideas they will work on for the second part, which are group projects. The groups work to become passionate experts on their concept, build a prototype, and prepare a presentation to present to our own Oakwood Shark Panel. The students try to persuade the judges that they have the next big idea. Because students practice written and oral communication as well as collaboration skills, the project is a creative way for them to become more effective communicators while having fun and a little friendly competition.

Oakwood fourth-grade students study California state history and as the school year comes to an end, the students and teachers celebrate with a California-themed day. On Wednesday, May 26, the day began with movie-making and pet rock personalization. The students learned many fun facts during the day, such as the creator of the Pet Rock was originally from Los Gatos, and his grandchildren attended Oakwood School! The students moved the fun from the classroom to the playground in the afternoon, where they took turns playing Hoop and Post, jumping toy frogs, whistling morse code, and digging for gold. It was a warm day, and to the delight of the students, they ended it with water relays and popsicles.

A love of reading opens the world up to the imagination and a lifetime of possibilities. Ms. Broch and Mrs. Pappa's second-grade classes attended Camp Read-A-Lot, Friday, May 21. The students dressed in camping attire and snuggled up with their favorite reading book, a pillow, and a stuffed animal for the day. When on-campus studnets arrived in their classrooms, they discovered their desks transformed into tents. During the day, the campers heard stories from our "Reading Rangers," Mrs. Shales, Mrs. Helvey, and a few parent volunteers via Zoom, all while snacking on camp treats. It was a fun day filled with many reading-based activities for these campers.

At Oakwood, we are dedicated to providing an environment in which students explore and research ideas and develop higher-level thinking skills.
In March of 2020, Oakwood moved to remote learning, and as a result, the 2nd-grade students were unable to participate in the annual 2nd-grade Fossil Dig Lab last year. Therefore, the current third-grade students are ending this year with an opportunity to participate in the lab they missed. They began the lesson with a brief review of Paleontology, discussing how fossils form and how Paleontologists use fossils to improve our knowledge of extinct creatures/plants from long ago. After the review, they participated in the fossil dig. They each received a dig site excavation box as members of the Official Paleontologist Research Team for Oakwood School. The class reviewed the use of each tool within their pack, created their observation notes, entered the dig site, collected their fossil specimens, and drew conclusions about their fossils. It was an exciting and educational activity for the students to practice their analyzing and evaluation skills.

At Oakwood we want our students to be as excited about learning at sixty as they are at 6, 7, 8, 9, etc. That's why our teachers present curriculum through their own inventive ways. Our fourth-grade on-campus and remote students have been hard at work learning all about owls. They began with a discussion of characteristics that make owls members of the birds of prey. Next, they researched various types of owls and used the reading to identify unique features and structures of owls. Then, the students discussed what an owl pellet is and how they form. To get experience with owl pellets, the students participated in an owl pellet dissection. They made observations of the owl pellets during this lab and used a bone identification chart to sort the bones. After sorting bones and keeping a tally, the students used their findings to decide what creatures their owl had eaten.

Oakwood's second-grade students participated in an Ellis Island Immigration activity. The purpose was for students to learn that entering America for many immigrants was historically very difficult. The children were taught about Ellis Island and immigration as part of their history unit. As the unit came to an end, students selected a country of origin from their ancestry.

Oakwood School was thrilled to be chosen for our students to talk with Astronaut Dr. Shaoon Walker on the International Space Station via Amateur Radio on March 22, 2021. This activity was part of the ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) Program, which promotes learning opportunities as part of the STEM (Science, Technology, Education and Math) initiative.