Elementary

The Oakwood gym was filled with song and dance today during the Freedom Festival. Our Oakwood community enjoyed this school-wide celebration of patriotism. Students honored our country and our veterans with grade-level presentations, which included patriotic songs and videos produced by students. Veterans and members of the military had special VIP seating and were honored with a song sung especially for them by our 5th grade students, "American Heroes."

Oakwood third grade students put their math knowledge to the test as they measured ingredients in a cupcake activity for Valentine's Day. Working in groups they followed a recipe, selecting and measuring out the correct amount of each ingredient and following the steps in the instructions. This activity helped them to understand the importance of precision when measuring out ingredients for a recipe, as well as following the steps in order. They also learned the importance of having the correct quantities of ingredients for a successful chemical reaction when baking. After baking the cupcakes they decorated them for Valentine's Day. Who knew learning could be so delicious!

During lunch on Wednesday, the Oakwood community gathered to fundraise for The Oakwood Interact Club's annual Smackdown! Courageous staff and faculty volunteered themselves to be targeted for flying plates of whipped cream, thrown by enthusiastic Oakwood students. Funds raised this year will go to "Se Necesita Un Pueblo" (It Takes a Village), a project aiming to improve the lives of orphaned children in Venezuela and "Future in Focus," a project to help provide glasses, bikes, and eye exams to impoverished youth.

Our third grade students are asked to think of ways they can earn money for the Oakwood Thanks and Giving community service project. This may include doing simple chores around the house for parents, relatives or friends. Their earned money is then put together and they go on a shopping trip to purchase the needed items. They are tasked with using their math and problem-solving skills to be as cost-effective as possible when purchasing the items.

This week, they took their combined earnings to Nob Hill, and were able to purchase enough items to create several bins containing a complete Thanksgiving meal as well as grocery store gift cards. The bins of food and gift cards were presented to Community Solutions, along with the rest of the bins created school-wide, during our annual Thanks and Giving Celebration.

Oakwood fifth grade students created beautiful chalk art poppies and learned about the flower's history in art class. They learned about the poem, "In Flanders Fields," which dates back to World War I. In honor of Veteran's Day their art work is on display in the main office along with a brief history of the poppy. Stop in and take a look.

Oakwood third grade students learned about the "White Table" tradition of setting a small table with a white cloth and one chair in a common dining area to honor our veterans – especially MIAs and POWs – to remind us of their sacrifices and the impact on their families. They respectfully set a "white table" on campus today to serve as a visual reminder to our student body. Students were invited to add the name and photo of a military family or friend who has served, or is presently serving, to their display. To learn more about this tradition and the meaning of each item on the table, you can visit the website of Margot Raven, author of children's book, America's White Table, which Oakwood third grade students read in class.

The week leading up to Halloween is full of Halloween and harvest activities for Oakwood students. Jr. Kindergarten students visited the Oakwood pumpkin patch, the entire community gathered for the Annual Pumpkin Carving Festival, the lower school students participated in costume parades and parties and the middle and high school students showed off their creative costumes.

Oakwood fourth and fifth grade students celebrated the Middle Ages and Renaissance time periods with a day full of hands-on, enriching, and educational activities. Students, faculty, and parent volunteers donned period-specific attire from elaborate gowns to pirate and knight costumes. Games and activities included archery, Shakespeare recitations, and jousting. Students learned all about falconry and were able to see and interact with falcons and owls. A medieval weaponry expert held demonstrations and students were able to handle weaponry and even try on some knight's armor. A guest speaker talked to them about how children lived in that time period and how they got their food and clothing. After a grand feast, the celebration concluded with a May Pole Dance by our very own fourth grade students and recorder performance by our incredible fifth graders. Thank you to all of the volunteers who made this event possible.

Oakwood fifth grade students put on quite a show in their musical performance of "The Great Ghost Chase." A poltergeist haunted an asylum, creating dangerous mischief. To add to the antics, the patients locked up the staff and nobody could tell who was a patient and who was staff. As chaos unfolded the 'Ghostchasers' showed up grooving to the 'Ghostchasers' rap, led by the head Honcho. The number was an audience favorite, as the actors rapped and danced, loaded with their arsenal of kooky weapons. With the nonstop action, everybody from the poltergeist to the cabdriver to the asylum patients did an excellent job of keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.

To wrap up the history unit about Ancient India, second grade took a field trip to the India Community Center. The visit included yoga, arts and crafts, food sampling, and more. It was a great opportunity for students to experience different aspects of Indian culture.