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Monday, February 1
- Walk Through the Revolution (Cline, Murphy), Playroom
- Parcel Tax Special Board Meeting, 7:00pm, TERC
- Science Fair Registration Opens
Thursday, February 4
- Family Math Night, 5:30-7:30pm, Gym
Friday, February 5
- Chinese New Year Assembly (K-5), 1:05-1:30pm
- Thank You Luncheon for Teachers and Staff
Saturday, February 6
- OKCO Winterfest Family Social, 5:00-7:00pm
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Monday, February 8
- Oakland Zoo Field Trip (Chan, Poole, Jagelka),8:15am-1:45pm
- Last Day to Complete Parent Survey
Tuesday, February 9
- Oakland Zoo Field Trip (Fujimoto, Lavezzo, Boatright), 8:15am-1:45pm
- Parent Coffee Talk, 8:15am, Gym
- Third Grade Ohlone Programs
Thursday, February 11
- Last Day to Order Yearbooks
Friday, February 12
- NO SCHOOL, Collaborative Planning Day
February 15 - February 19
Wednesday, February 24
- Last Day to Register for Science Fair
Wednesday, March 9
- Science Fair (Grades 2 & 3), 6:00-8:00pm, Gym
Thursday, March 10
- Science Fair (Grades 4 & 5), 6:00-8:00pm, Gym
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It is time for our annual 5-minute survey to help Oak Knoll's Site Council, teachers and administrators understand how well Oak Knoll School is performing so far this year. Your input is critical for us to understand fully what is working well and what needs improvement. We would like your constructive and actionable feedback now so that we have time to respond to the survey results during this school year. All responses are anonymous and all results will be shared with Principal Gracia, Assistant Principal Kessler and specific classroom related responses will be shared with the relevant teacher(s).
There are a couple changes to the survey this year that we would like to highlight: - We are asking you to complete ONE survey for your entire family at Oak Knoll. - If your child is in a multi-age program, please focus your responses on your child's GRADE LEVEL teacher.
Click here to complete the 5-minute survey by February 8.
The Oak Knoll Parent Survey is a great opportunity to get your feedback on the big picture of Oak Knoll School each year. If you have specific feedback or concerns, the best way to resolve them is to contact the classroom teacher and/or Mrs. Gracia and Mrs. Kessler. Our teachers and staff are dedicated to making it work for students throughout the year.
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Message about 4th/5th Grade Looping
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After a lot of thought and consideration, taking teacher and parent feedback into consideration, Mrs.Gracia has decided to discontinue looping across 4th and 5th grade traditional classes.
Oak Knoll is unique because it is a school with choices and variety for parents, students, and teachers. This is important to us. We see the value in offering students with a multiple year experience with a teacher and student group (multi-age). We ALSO see the value in offering students a chance to have many different experiences year-to-year, working with different teachers and students (traditional). For this reason the options we will offer students and parents will be: Multi-age (3-year experience) and Traditional (year-to-year experience).
Given this change, we have an opportunity to innovate and redesign elements of our traditional 5th grade program. This is an exciting time for Oak Knoll! We are in the process of visiting other school sites to observe innovative programs, working directly with Hillview to backwards-plan, and utilizing Design Thinking to involve our teachers, students and parents in this work.
If you have any questions or ideas, do not hesitate to contact Mrs.Gracia.
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This last week Oak Knoll joined Laurel and Encinal in the Great Kindness Challenge put on by Kids for Peace. During the week, kids were encouraged to do as many kind acts as possible!
Everyday, classrooms watched inspirational Kindness Videos. They also could visit the kindness station to write kind notes to other kids, staff or family.
We hope that the kindness we have seen this week will continue throughout the year.
Students giving out free hugs. |
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Music Notes - Update from Bee Tee
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The semester is another fun-filled one. Students continue to sing, play, dance and learn new musical concepts, as well as perform and improvise on a variety of instruments.
Please click here to read the full by grade update from Bee Tee, if you missed reading it last week.
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PE Update from Hope Scheid
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The students and I are having so much fun in PE.
We are getting excited because the summer Olympics are this summer in Brazil and students have been learning tidbits about the Olympics each week. In this past month and next we have and will be working on our ball skills, this includes throwing and catching, dribbling with our hands and feet and juggling. We have been practicing our throwing and catching in some fun games and playing handball (the version they play in Olympics). We will be working on some volleyball skills, soccer skills and some basketball skills in the next couple of weeks. All these sports are Olympic events. In many of the games we play we are concentrating on teamwork, how to communicate and work with peers with similar or different skills. The students have been learning so much, I am proud of all of them.
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5th Graders Return from Outdoor Ed
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On Friday, we welcomed back our fifth graders from five days and four nights at the YMCA Camp at Jones Gulch where they participated in the annual fifth grade Outdoor Ed trip, an award-winning environmental education program from the San Mateo County Office of Education. The students learned about the natural world, explored the beach and forests, worked in teams with other students, and much more. Here is what some fifth graders had to say about the trip:
" It was awesome! I loved it! My favorite parts were the night hike because it was cool to explore  everything at night and climbing the tree Eudora because it was so huge that you felt like you could climb forever." - Justin
"The best part of the week for me was all of the awesome adventures at the beach!" - Michael "My favorite part was walking on the muddy meadow trail and putting mud on my face." - Maya
"It was very fun, and I loved it! My favorite parts were the beach activities because you got to tear up plants, walk along the marsh, and take ice plant naps, and the night hike because you could see things in a whole new perspective. Also, at Outdoor Ed, I learned about two new foods, and they taste really good!" - Willem
"My favorite part was the night walk and the beach day. It was so fun!" - Landen
And, of course, thank you to the fifth grade and multi-age teachers who spent their week (days and nights!) up in La Honda with our 5th graders - Amy Austin, Johnna Becker, Jessica Bouret, Dylan Cline, Stacy Emmert, Teri Murphy, and Michelle Tom!
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Lion King a Roaring Success
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On Friday, students at Oak Knoll were treated to performances of the Lion King put on by Third Graders. Then over the weekend, friends and family were able to see the shows performed at the Hillview Performing Arts Center. Thanks go to Ms. Bee Tee, Oak Knoll Music Specialist, Mr. Bill Hairston, Hillview Middle School's Director of Drama, Dr. Sarah Westfall, all of our teacher and parent volunteers, and of course, the student performers!
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Family Math Night - This Thursday
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Come along to Oak Knoll's annual Family Math Night this week on Thursday, February 4 from 5:30-7:30pm in the Oak Knoll Gym!
The event includes 8 hands-on stations that explore several different math concepts through games and activities that parents do with their children. Each station will have a facilitator to assist the parents in engaging their children. These projects are designed to reinforce classroom learning in a fun, engaging way and will give examples to parents of ways to make learning math fun. Each station will have 3 different levels of activities suited for students from kindergarten through 4th grade. Past experience has shown, though, that it is most enjoyable for parents and their students 3rd grade and below.
Please encourage your students to attend!
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OKCO Winterfest Volunteers Needed
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Are you interested in making connections with other Oak Knoll families, within and outside our school neighborhood? Help build our Oak Knoll community by volunteering at Winterfest and enjoy carnival games, potluck appetizers, cookie decorating, and more. The OKCO Winterfest will be held this coming Saturday, February 6, 5:00-7:00pm. If you are interested in helping out at the event, please contact Jenni Djafari.
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Order Yearbook by February 11
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The 2015-2016 Oak Knoll yearbook is on sale until Thursday, February 11. The yearbook is a great way to keep Oak Knoll memories alive for your kids, so don't miss out on this last chance to order this precious keepsake!
Check out the wonderful 5th grade artwork currently up on the bulletin boards outside the school office to see what will be on the front and back covers of the yearbook this year!
Yearbook orders are exclusively online for $25. Please be sure to specify your child(ren)'s grade and teacher for each book.
Please contact Tamara Russel or Gina Skinner with questions.
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Is your child a curious explorer? Do you get interesting questions about nature, physics, chemistry, biology, human or animal behavior from your child that you'd like to help them answer? Want to help introduce the scientific method to your child in a relaxed and engaging way? Then the Oak Knoll Science Fair is for you! Forget everything you know about the mandatory and awful science fairs of your youth. The Oak Knoll Science Fair is all about encouraging children's natural curiosity while teaching the scientific method in a supportive and noncompetitive environment. We are committed to keeping science fun and accessible for your child and your family! Save the dates: Grades 2 & 3: Wednesday, March 9 from 6:00-8:00pm Grades 4 & 5: Thursday, March 10 from 6:00-8:00pm See more details and register now through February 24 at the Oak Knoll Science Fair website. Questions? Email the Oak Knoll Science Fair Team at oakknollsciencefair@gmail.com
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Friday, March 4 is Oak Knoll's 18th annual Friends and Family Day. Invite a friend or family member to come to school to get a glimpse of our campus and classrooms.
- Grades K,1,2 (and K-1-2 Multi-ages) Welcome Coffee starts in the gym at 8:45am. These classroom visits start at 9:05am.
- Grades 3,4,5 (and 3-4-5 Multi-ages) Welcome Coffee starts in the gym at 9:30am. These classroom visits start at 9:50am.
You can print the following invitation to give to your friend or family member. Additional invitations are also available in the office. Click here for a Spanish version of the invitation.
If you have questions or can help volunteer for the event please contact Alison Matthews.
PLEASE NOTE PARKING: We have a limited number of special parking spaces in front of the school office reserved for individuals with limited mobility. If your friend or family member does not need assistance, please have them park on the surrounding streets and enjoy the walk to campus.
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MPCSD Parent Education Series
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There are still two great upcoming talks in the MPCSD Parent Education Series. Mark your calendars!:
February 24: Julie Lythcott-Haims - Highly sought after speaker and author, former Dean of Freshmen at Stanford University, and acclaimed author of How to Raise an Adult, Julie Lythcott-Haims joins the Menlo Park community to present, "Throw Out The Checklisted Childhood." Whether you've wanted to see her and haven't been able or whether you have seen her several times already, you don't want to miss this presentation prepared especially for Menlo Park families. Bring your friends and neighbors. Light refreshments provided. Free onsite childcare available for potty-trained children. Wednesday, February 24, 6:30pm, Hillview PAC.
March 9: Most Likely To Succeed - Movie Screening + Panel Discussion. You've heard the buzz, now come see what it's all about. Are public schools in need of a drastic overhaul? Where is MPCSD in the continuum of innovation? Join us for a screening of the thought-provoking documentary followed by a panel discussion of education leaders. Light refreshments provided. Free onsite childcare available for potty-trained children.Wednesday, March 9, 6:30pm, Hillview PAC.
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Ollie Salutes our Oak Knoll Site Council
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Ollie is so thankful that Oak Knoll has its Site Council to continually help our school improve upon itself and evolve into a better and better place for our children to learn, grow, and flourish. The Site Council is made up of teachers, staff, and parents who work collaboratively to develop, evaluate, and update Oak Knoll's site plan. They review data, gather student and parent feedback, and work closely to ensure that our school is pushing itself in all of the areas that matter for our children and our community. For all of their work, we owe them a huge round of applause. Thank you to Laura Fujimoto, Renee Lavezzo, Andrea Boatright, Karen Clancy, Susan Sanchez, Teri Murphy, Jacqui Cebrian, Nicole Scott, Kristen Gracia, Leah Kessler, Terry Thygesen, Tracy Watt, Allison Chao, Karen Dearing, Sara Leslie, Jeff Weiner, Janelle McCombs, and Theanne Thomson. And, Ollie says that to make sure that the Site Council hears your input, be sure to fill out their annual parent survey. They want to hear from you!
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5th Grade: California Healthy Kids Survey
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Menlo Park's fifth through eighth grade students will be participating in the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) this February. This survey is recognized as the leading health data gathering survey currently available in the country. This is a very important survey will be given to Oak Knoll's 5th grade students on February 22, 2016. Participation in the survey is voluntary and we hope you will give permission. Consent forms and more detailed information are being sent home via your child's communication folder. Please complete & return the consent form to your child's teacher as soon as possible. Need another copy? Click here to download and print a copy of the consent form.
You may review the CHKS survey in the school office or view the Elementary Survey in English or Spanish on line.
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SPECIAL BOARD MEETINGS TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE PARCEL TAX
We encourage you to attend the upcoming final Special Board meeting on Monday, February 1 at 7:00pm (date changed from February 2) in TERC Building, 181 Encinal Avenue, Atherton, to learn more about the possibility of a MPCSD parcel tax on the May 2016 ballot. The Board will be receiving public comment. You can also email them directly at board@mpcsd.org.
At the January 11 Board meeting Superintendent Ghysels and the Long Range Planning Ad Hoc Committee continued their discussion with the School Board on the possibility of renewing and/or increasing a parcel tax as Measure C expires on June 30, 2017. Following the Board's initial discussion at its November 10, 2015 meeting, Superintendent Ghysels and staff held thirteen informational meetings with parents, staff and the community in December. The informational meetings included Measure C background information, student enrollment data, District's financials, and an overview of MPCSD's commitment to excellence. The Board continued its parcel tax discussions on December 8, 2015, December 15, 2015, January 11 and 21, 2016.
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It's Auction Time!
We're looking for a few good parties!
Please consider donating parties, events, or experiences for adults to the 2016 MPAEF auction. Organize a bash or an intimate dinner. Donate a Parisian brunch or a yoga workout followed by a healthy breakfast. Love to bake and cook? Get together with your friends and donate a dozen muffins each week for a month, or create a theme party that will have everyone talking! You could teach a knitting class, offer French lessons, or cake decorating - whatever your passion or talent you can be sure someone else would love to learn from you!
Donate an opportunity to inspire, motivate, or entertain our kids!
K.I.T. - Kids in Training -- Let's show the kids what we do all day! Don't just bring the kids to work, put them to work. Whether you're an engineer, scientist, designer, doctor, veterinarian, chef, artist, or public servant, open your doors and call in a lucky student. Teach kids what makes your profession interesting by bringing a few to your office for a few hours or a whole day. Expand their horizons by showing them what you do and how you do it - trust us, they'll love it!
Events and Experiences for Kids - Whether fitness, art, cooking, or a once-in-a-lifetime experience, donate a chance for kids to take a break from school work and just be kids! Run the track with moms and dads and finish with a custom smoothie. Toss the pigskin or learn to shoot hoops with a Stanford player. Draw unicorns on sun art paper, organize a scavenger hunt, or take them browsing at the local bookstore followed by lunch - whatever the idea, just organize it and they will come! Kids playing with kids builds lasting memories, as much for the children as for the adults!
Click here to submit your donation via our online donation form. Deadline is February 11.
Thank you in advance for your generosity! We can't wait to see you in April.
Krista Rosa Brennan, Mary Grundy, Cyndy Hogan and Flavia Herrod
MPAEF Spring Event Auction Co-Chairs
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Make a Difference with MPAEF!
Happy new year! We are looking for interested parent volunteers to join the MPAEF Board for the 2016-2017 school year. There is a place for everyone, so whether your interests are in event planning, donor or business stewardship, graphic design or campaign leadership, we'd love to hear from you. To get an idea of who we are and see a list of current positions and board members, click here. Please email nominating@mpaef.org if you are interested in investing in education. Together.
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Thanks to Our Realtor and Business Partners
We want to take the opportunity to shout out some appreciation to just a few of our many realtor and business partners in the community. Thank you for your support!
Gold Level
Cameron L. Aboudara DDS, MS
Chris Lindsey DDS
Silver Level
Stacy Quo, Mid Peninsula Orthodontics
Bronze Level
Bulldog Sports and Fitness
Suneeta Chilukuri - Realtor Partner
Tim & Kim Yaeger, Yaeger Residential Brokerage - Realtor Partner
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Teen Night: Valentine Cards & Crafts
February 5, 6:30 pm, Menlo Park Public Library
The Menlo Park Library's after-hours Teen Night will feature snacks, games, and supplies for Valentine-inspired crafts. The event is free, thanks to the Friends of the Menlo Park Library, and will take place in the Menlo Park Library's downstairs program room. Preregistration is required. Click here for more information.
Developmental Disorders Study Participants Needed
Scientists at the Department of Psychology and Psychiatry, Stanford University, are trying to understand how children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD process sensory information. We are looking for typically developing children, ASD and ADHD children who are between 4-9 years old. Participating in our study would involve a two-time visit to our lab, which is located on campus. For more information, email Dr. Francesca Pei or call (650) 725-2440.
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Please submit announcements and flyers to newsletter@oakknollschool.com for Oak Knoll events. For the Community Corner, send submissions to communitynews@mpcsd.org.
The deadline for both email addresses is by noon on the Wednesday prior to publication date. Guidelines for submission are available online.
To read past Oak Knoll PTO newsletters, please visit our archives.
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