Elementary

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.

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 third grade students celebrated their completion of their first take home novel, The Boxcar Children. The activity started with a literature circle, where each student did a wonderful job taking on their role. The unit culminated with an afternoon "Boxcar Picnic." The students watched the The Boxcar Children movie while they noshed on many of the same tasty treats as the characters from the book (fresh bread and butter, blueberries, chocolate chip cookies and milk). It was a lovely afternoon where literature was brought to life.

Did you know that Oakwood students can now take a shuttle to school? Oakwood has partnered with Kidz Jet Shuttle Service to provide transportation to and from Oakwood for students in Los Gatos and San Jose. Kindergarten through high school students are utilizing this service and loving it. This alternative transportation is helping to keep the air clean while providing an opportunity to grow the Oakwood community.

The entire Oakwood campus gathered for a birthday celebration in honor of Oakwood's 20th anniversary. This was one of many events scheduled as part of the year-long anniversary celebration. Mrs. Hanson led students in a birthday song and everyone enjoyed cupcakes festively decorated in Oakwood colors. A special anniversary photo was taken by an Oakwood alum aerial photographer. Stay tuned for more about this special photo! Happy birthday, Oakwood!

Oakwood welcomed preschool through 5th grade students and their families for the 2018-2019 school year at the Lower School Kick-off event. Families gathered as Mrs. Helvey and Mrs. Shales gave the official welcome and introduced our wonderful lower school faculty. After dropping off their school supplies, elementary school students had the opportunity to talk with their teachers and socialize with their classmates over ice cream. Meanwhile, ECE students and their parents sipped some lemonade, talked with teachers, and had some play time with classmates before their official day of school on Tuesday.

Oakwood faculty and staff gathered in the library on Monday morning for a breakfast and meeting to kick-off in-service week. The upcoming week will be filled with meetings, trainings and getting classrooms ready in order to prepare for the start of the school year. Everyone is hard at work to make sure that the school year kicks-off right. We can't wait to see all of our students and their families back on campus next week!

A Groundbreaking Ceremony was held to commemorate and officially launch the Spreading Our Roots: Oakwood School Campus Expansion project on Thursday, May 10th as part of our Spring Open House and Art Show. All students and their families were invited to join us as we marked this special moment.

The event started with a few words from our Head of School Michelle Helvey, who shared what the school and this project meant to her and why the expansion was necessary, followed by remarks from Larry Kent of Kent Construction, who built the Oakwood high school building and is completing this important project for us. Ted Helvey spoke next about the history of our school and campus and how it belongs to all of us. The administration, along with some honored guests and students, donned hard hats and shovels and ceremoniously broke ground, while confetti cannons showered participants with colorful confetti. Attendees were given Spreading Our Roots: Oakwood School Campus Expansion seed packets at mementos of this historic celebration. Oakwood high school student Ashwin Viswesvaran took photos and videos of the event and we will share his finished compilation as soon as it is ready.

This campaign will be the first of its kind for Oakwood, and will mirror what other independent, not-for-profit schools employ to fundraise for projects of this magnitude. As we ramp up our fundraising efforts to complete Oakwood's new liberal arts building, gymnasium, and playfields, ultimately advancing our school's ability to provide enhanced hands-on learning opportunities and expanded extracurricular offerings for our current students as well as sustaining this excellence decades into the future, we will look to our entire community for support.

The Oakwood 2017 Thanks and Giving Celebration was an amazing event as usual. The 154 assembled Thanksgiving food bins were presented to Community Solutions. Over 1,117 books collected for the "Reading Hour" 2nd grade book drive were presented to the El Toro Clubhouse. There was singing, socializing, a video showcasing the things we are thankful for and pumpkin pie for the students – it was an Oakwood event that was truly a celebration of giving! Thank you to everyone for contributing and for showing our community your wonderful giving spirit.

Click here to view the "Oakwood is Thankful" video shown at the celebration.