Cultural Arts Day

The Encinal campus was alive with East African culture on Monday as we celebrated our fourth annual Cultural Arts Day! 

With the leadership and dedication of Ed Vail and his crew of tireless volunteers, our students explored the culture and geography of the Lake Victoria region for a full day of excitement and learning. With a special visit from The Spirit of Uganda, we were transported to Africa with bright costumes, inspired dancing, and fantastic drumming.  Students, staff and parents were moving hands and feet to the music along with the performers! At the food station, students sampled local treats including roasted plantains, or as one student declared, "barbequed bananas!" Each year, I look forward to this special day when we come together as a school community to celebrate the cultures of the world. The support of our amazing parent volunteers, our generous PTO and a Jeannie Ritchie grant from the Menlo Park Atherton Education Foundation make this event possible at Encinal School. Thank you!

Advisory

It is with great enthusiasm and pride that I announce the January 31 launch of this year's Encinal's Advisory Program. Advisory is a sixty minute period on Tuesday afternoons for groups of fourth and fifth graders to engage in community building activities and student-led, problem-based learning projects aimed at improving Encinal School. Students completed interest surveys, indicated their top choices and were assigned to groups. Choices included drama, Spanish, carpentry, health and fitness, dance, music, writing, sewing, technology and others.

Sessions will begin with team building activities designed to foster communication skills and a sense of community within each group. Next, students will be challenged to research and define an area for improvement, create and implement an improvement plan utilizing the theme of the Advisory and analyze their results. In the spring, each Advisory team will develop a presentation and report to their peers.

Our world is changing at a remarkable pace and we are challenged to provide students with an education that will help them soar ahead as learners and leaders in an increasingly global society. Although our teachers integrate these skills into the curriculum in a variety of ways, Advisory is a place where we can ensure that all children have opportunities to make choices based on their own learning styles and interests, and engage in common experiences designed to develop 21st Century skills.

Advisory supports students' success by:

• Developing community and fostering meaningful connections among students and staff members in our 4th and 5th grade complex
• Providing each child with an opportunity to feel a sense of purpose and empowerment, develop leadership skills and engage in meaningful work to improve our community
• Encouraging innovative, creative thinking and the development of problem solving skills in a motivating, authentic context
• Giving students an opportunity to reflect on their learning and practice communication skills

The concept for Advisory emerged from the strategic planning process of Encinal's teachers and staff. As we envisioned Encinal as a K-5 school, we made a commitment to providing an educational program that supports not only academic excellence, but also leadership skill development and a sense of personal and social responsibility for our world.  We identified a set of skills for student success in the 21st Century and committed to developing students who:

• Pursue learning with eagerness, independence and a spirit of inquiry
• Recognize their individual learning styles, strengths and areas for growth
• Master the core curriculum and excel beyond the basics to become critical thinkers and curious, innovative problem solvers
• Develop a toolbox of strategies and skills to support their success now and into the future
• Collaborate as active citizens who contribute positively to the school, community and world

With the thoughtfulness, dedication and collaboration of our teachers, Advisory was born! Special thanks to our Advisory Planning PLC: Team Leader Maggie Sanchez, John Ashfield, Sue Booth, Maria Clemo, Janet Meister and Lauren Short.