Writing to wish you a wonderful spring break with your kids! Before I unplug for the week, I thought I would update you on some of the great school happenings. We are so fortunate to live and be part of the connected community of Menlo Park and the MPCSD school district. Just this past weekend was the Menlo Park Atherton Education Foundation auction event and it was nice to see so many Oak Knoll parents in attendance supporting our district and the education of our kids. If you didn't go, make sure to join us next year!

 

Here are some of the highlights from the past month:

• The Willy Wonka Musical was a success! We are so proud of our 4th and 5th grade students who grew their confidence and performed in front of the sold out theater, not to mention our entire school audience. Our walking field trip, to watch the show, was worth every step! Hats off to Mrs.Tee for directing the Oak Knoll production. As we look to the future, we must inspire more boys to participate in this enrichment opportunity.

• Our upper grade coding class is now open and available to all 3rd-5th graders on Tuesdays during lunch. More than 50 kids, boys and girls, have been showing up to code! Students are using apps such as Kodable, LightBot, CargoBot, Hopscotch and Scratch to learn coding skills and complete challenges.  Thanks to our teachers, Mrs.Emmert, Mr.Coldoff and Mr.Cline for starting this club and keeping the students engaged through the variety of apps, the tracking of their progress and the built in celebrations once they pass through a number of levels. Encourage your kids to check out this club!

• The MPCSD school board officially adopted Math Expressions as the K-5 Common Core mathematics program. Math Expressions was piloted in six classrooms at Oak Knoll this year. I spent some time observing the program and talking to the kids about their experiences. 5th grade students are happy with the program and feel it does a nice job clearly explaining the concepts, providing practice and interaction with their peers before moving on to the next concept. Teachers are also excited about the organization, rigor and critical thinking aspects of the program. With any program adoption, the most important factor is the teacher. Given our focus on continuous improvement, we will continue to provide professional development and collaboration time for our staff.

When we return from break, we look forward to more! Here are a few things that are on the horizon:

• Our 3rd-5th grade students will engage in a nationwide academic assessment called Smarter Balanced. This is the first time our students will receive score reports from the state in regards to their performance on this test. Please help us frame this experience for our students in our growth mindset philosophy. By design, it is impossible to get 100% on this assessment because a section of the test is adaptive and will adjust based on student performance. Check out the MPCSD Parent Pages for more information.

• The Talent Show always provides a buzz on campus! 4th and 5th graders have been invited to participate on Wednesday 6/3 and the whole school joins in to watch, cheer, and support the performers. This show is inspiring for our students on the stage and in the audience!

• Our next Coffee Talk is on Tuesday, May 12 at 8:15am in the Oak Knoll gym! Please join me for coffee and a great conversation with Principal Burmeister about the bright future of our very own, Hillview Middle School.

• Remember to complete the Parent Input Form for placement by 4/27!

Happy spring break!

 

Kristen Gracia