monthly update
Oak Knoll School

November 24, 2015
  
Dear Parents,
 
With Thanksgiving upon us, I find myself reflecting on all the joy, excitement and love I have in my life. I am grateful for the Oak Knoll staff, the partnership I feel with you, and of course, our incredible students. These are the reasons I enjoy coming to work each day. No matter what challenges we face, we have people around us who make the work exciting, meaningful, and interesting. Relationships matter. Some of our most important work is in showing our students that we are all connected, that they have a support system here at school, and that being compassionate to others leads to a more loving community as well as enhanced personal well-being. 

Along with this work supporting our theme of Connected, our campus is abuzz with multiple innovative initiatives! Here are some other highlights I am grateful for this season: 
  • Our Mindset Online Course is open and so far we have had 40 parents pick up their car magnet. Remember our goal is to distribute 100 magnets, so please contact the office after you have completed the course!  Along these same lines, Oak Knoll will be presenting our mindset work at the Learning and the Brain conference in SF!
  • As instructional leaders, Mrs. Kessler and I enjoy working in collaboration with the teachers on best teaching practices. Over the next trimester we will be observing every classroom during writing time. These observations will help us to calibrate our expectations of best practices in writing school-wide and work alongside our teachers to support the continuous improvement of our writing program.
  • Embracing our Differences month has been a huge success! Our goal was to highlight that our differences do not matter as much as our similarities in wanting friendship and inclusivity. I am confident that every student is leaving school for Thanksgiving with more compassion for and understanding of others. Some highlights included having award-winning children's author Patricia Polacco talk to our students about her journey as a learner with reading disabilities, a visit from Dr. Coble-Temple, Mrs. Wheelchair America, and a vibrant dance performance by students from the College of Adaptive Arts.
  • As our Technology Coach, Mr. Coldoff has made his way into every classroom, coaching teachers at each grade level on how to best use tech tools to enhance teaching and learning. As an example of this, he is working with our primary teachers on how they can use their set of iPads at stations, and working with our upper grades on using Google Drive and Google Classroom to create paperless work flow and tighter feedback between teachers and students. 
     
  • Clubs, clubs and more clubs are happening at Oak Knoll this year! From Minecraft and Coding to Singing and Spanish, we have clubs for all interest levels. I am happy to report that we are getting both girls and boys to subscribe to our clubs regardless of topic. Our students are seeing these clubs as opportunities to try something new, which is exciting!
  • Mrs. Scott, our school counselor, has taught four lessons in every classroom, including how to use the Four-Square Apology and how to use I-Messages as a conflict resolution tool. In addition, she taught a lesson on self-appreciation tied to our Embracing our Differences month.
  • We value music education and are adding musical instruments to the playground for students to put their creativity and curiosity to work! Soon you will hear the sounds of children, working together, and making music on our new Freenotes Outdoor Musical Instruments, thanks to our PTO.
  • Mrs. Snow's retirement is approaching, and we are looking forward to celebrating her many years of service at Oak Knoll on December 14th after school. Our office will be working diligently to fill her shoes and we are excited about whom we have selected. Mrs. Cathy Petersen will be move into the Office Manager role and Mrs. Dorothy Lopez will move from an Instructional Aide into the office as Administrative Assistant. Congrats to both Mrs. Petersen and Mrs. Lopez!
 
Wishing you and your families a happy Thanksgiving!
 
With gratitude,

Kristen

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." -William Arthur Ward