THE QUICK 411 ON WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 

  • Be sure to read the PA Weekly Newsletter emailed by the PA every week.  Everything you need to know as a parent for the upcoming weeks is in there.  It will come from email address noreply@oaksschool.myenotice.com 

  • You can also log in to the website at theoakspa.org where you will find all kinds of helpful information such as the calendar of PA events, Committee descriptions, Party Book tickets, Oak Merchandise shop and the names of all the PA leadership and Committee Chairs.

  • You will automatically be added to The Oaks Directory, which is a great resource for everyone! Please note: the parent directory may not be used for solicitation of any kind. 

  • Follow The Oaks School on social media! 

Instagram @oaksschool

PARKING + TRAFFIC

  • Drop-off: In the morning, families have the option to park in the parking lot and walk their child to the classroom or drop-off through the carpool lane.  The carpool lane snakes around the parked cars and ends up turning by the entrance so your student can exit out of the passenger side of the car.  If you are parking, please park in the area closer to the church.  The area closer to Highland is reserved for the teachers.

    • Drop-off for Kinder - 2nd grade is 8:15 - 8:30am

    • Drop-off for 3rd - 6th grade is 8:00 - 8:15am

It is important to get your student to class on-time.  Late arrivals disrupt the morning vibe and your student could miss important information. (Other important info is in the handbook)

  • Pick-up: In the afternoon, all families are required to use the carpool lanes for pick-up.  There are three lanes.  Those with younger children are encouraged to use the lane(s) closer to the building.  The staff and security team will direct you to a lane and will walk your student to the car.

    • Pick-up for Kinder - 2nd grade is 2:45 - 3:00pm

    • Pick-up for 3rd - 6th grade is 3:00 - 3:15pm

HOW TO GET INVOLVED AND MEET OTHER WONDERFUL PARENTS

  • We would love to get to know you! Get involved! Volunteer. Volunteer. Volunteer. Fill out the Parents’ Association Volunteer Survey here or email Jessica Day, our Parent Association President (pa@oaksschool.org). 

  • PA Events - Throughout the year there are many opportunities to volunteer with setting-up/breaking down or participating in all of the fun events hosted by the PA such as: Book Fair, Café Friday, Campout, Carnival, Dance, Kids Craft Fair, Acts of Service and Staff Appreciation.

  • In-Class Volunteering is a special opportunity to come help in the classroom.  Throughout the year Art and Library are looking for parents to come in and assist with projects.  There are also specific times of the year when other classes need help such as PE during the Circus or Music during Winter Sing.  You will receive emails throughout the year with Sign-up Genius requests for these events.  

  • Party Book is one of our FUNdraising opportunities. You can attend a party and get to know more of our incredible friendly community, or even host a party and get to know your peers all while making a difference for the school. It’s a great way to meet other parents, especially in other grades.  To find out more about Party Book, visit the PA website: theoakspa.org

  • Charitybuzz is another way we raise money for the school by auctioning off experiences and items donated by our community out to the wider world. Charitybuzz experiences include those in the music, entertainment, business, politics, sports, art, fashion and other industries.  Our Co-Chairs will be in touch with you to brainstorm ideas of how you can contribute an experience to Charitybuzz.

    • Courageous Conversations meetings are open to all adult community members.  They take place once a month and cover a range of topics and issues surrounding equity, inclusion, justice, action and belonging.  These meetings are planned and led by members of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (“DEIB”) Committee (faculty members, administrators, and Oaks parents).  They are enlightening, social and a great way to meet more parents at the school.

    • Affinity Organizations - We have 4 affinity family organizations 

  • African Diaspora Affinity Group

  • White Anti-racist Alliance

  • Jewish Affinity Group

  • Neurodiversity

  • The groups are led by family members/guardians and create opportunities for families to connect and foster unity within the school. The Oaks School is open to supporting other organizations families may be interested in starting. If you are interested in joining any organizations, please complete the Family Affinity Group Interest Form.

GLOSSARY:


Here’s a handy reference to our unique Oaks lexicon:

  • “The Cottage”: Just a simplified way of saying the Kindergarten Cottage.

  • “The Green Space”: The green field area up to your right as you enter the school from the parking lot.

  • “The Big Yard”: The blacktop area off of the parking lot that the students access from the Green Space and down the steps.

  • “The Chapel”: This is where Assemblies are held on Friday mornings.  When you come in the school you walk through the kitchen, down the breezeway and once you are back inside the building at the end of the breezeway, down three little steps and the Chapel is on your right.

  • “Grant Hall”: Various events are held in Grant Hall such as the Art Show, Town Hall and others.  When you come through the kitchen take a right and Grant Hall will be on your right.

  • “The Courtyard”: This is the courtyard in front of you after you come through the kitchen.  We hold Cafe Fridays there on Assembly mornings.

  • “The Alley”: This is the area you walk down after coming through the gate to get to the kitchen.  The PA has our events board on the wall there and will hang up banners for upcoming events so make sure you walk through the Alley once in a while to see what is up.

  • “The Sanctuary”: This is the main area of the church.  The school uses this space for special events such as Winter Sing and 6th Grade Graduation.

  • “RAs”: This is short for Room Ambassadors.  Your RAs are parent volunteers who send you lots (and lots) of helpful, informative emails about what is going on at the school.  If you’re lucky, your RA will try and entertain you with the volume of emails they send out.  We know it’s a lot but please make sure to read them.

  • “Assembly”: Each grade hosts assemblies throughout the year, sharing what they have learned in class through creative presentations.  At the end of each assembly, two 6th graders share the Thought for the Week.  After Assembly, students return to class while families congregate in the courtyard for Café Friday (snacks and coffee provided by the hosting class parents).  Many families attend the assembly whether their child is part of the presenting class or not.  Attending Assembly is a wonderful way to connect with other classes at the school, see what other classes are learning and is a chance to meet more of the community.  We encourage everyone to attend as many Assemblies as they are able.

OTHER HELPFUL INFORMATION

  • School Lunch - The service we use is Hero Eats.  You received an email from Aaron Fielding with all the info you need for how to create and account and order lunch.  They release the menus monthly.  We recommend you order for the whole month and then make sure you complete the check-out process.  Many parents (including many on the PA exec team) have failed to complete the process and their kids did not get their lunches that day.  Until you get a confirmation email that your order has been placed you have not finished the process.

  • Oasis - The Oaks Morning and After-school program is called Oasis.  Details are in the Handbook but in summary, if you need morning care or aftercare you can reserve your spot in your Popsicle account.  Oasis is offered in the morning starting at 7:30am and after school until 5pm.  If you are late to pick-up your student, they will automatically be placed in Oasis and your account will be charged.

  • Enrichment Classes - The Oaks offers after school enrichment classes in the Winter and the Spring ranging from Chess to Sports with Sherry, to Street Art.  You will get an email from the office with the class listings and you can sign-up through your Popsicle account.

  • Lost and Found - The Oaks staff tries very hard to keep our space tidy and when they find clothing, water bottles, lunch containers, hats, etc. left lying around they will turn them in to the Lost and Found.  Lost and Found is located in the Security Office which can be accessed from The Alley and is the door just before the kitchen.  You can go in and look for your items any time.  The PA does three clean-outs a year (before winter break, before spring break and last day of school).  We will look for names on clothes and reunite labeled items with their owners.  Anything without a name will be sorted by size and put on display in the Alley for a day or two.  After that, anything that has not been claimed will be bagged up and donated.  So, PLEASE LABEL YOUR ITEMS.

For more details on any of the above, please check out the Parent Handbook.

WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE A QUESTION/CONCERN ABOUT MY KID’S EXPERIENCE IN THE CLASSROOM?

  • Reach out to your classroom teachers - the teachers are your best resource and have the most information on what is happening in the classroom.  Remember, approach your teachers as partners; with curiosity and assume good intentions.

  • If further discussion is needed - contact Patty Word (patty@oaksschool.org) or Ted Hamory (ted@oaksschool.org).  Approach all parties in a respectful manner.  It is always helpful to raise concerns while also proposing solutions.

WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE A QUESTION/CONCERN ABOUT SOMETHING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM BUT INVOLVING THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY?

  • Again, your teachers are a great resource for advice.

  • If teachers are not the appropriate contact, you can reach out to Ted and Patty.

  • You can reach out to a Board member but they will likely direct you back to Patty and Ted.

  • Remember, we are in a community - you can talk to the other parties directly but please remember our guidelines and keep confidential information confidential, try and be a problem solver and assume all parties have good intentions.

WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE A SUGGESTION/COMPLAINT ABOUT SOMETHING RELATED TO THE PA?

  • You can reach out to the President of the PA, Jessica Day (pa@oaksschool.org) - She is happy to hear suggestions on how to make things better and is always looking out for more people to run events. 

  • Come to PA meetings!   If you have ideas, feedback or suggestions for PA events, please come to the PA meetings and share.  We are always looking to make events more inclusive, more fun, and easier for everyone.  We are open to new ideas and always open to new people who want to help!

ARE STUDENTS ALLOWED TO HAVE PHONES?

  • Short answer, “No.”  Long answer, if they bring a device to school they must leave it in their backpack or a teacher may ask to hold it until the end of school.  The school also asks parents to model behavior by avoiding using our phones when possible while on campus.  It’s hard, we know.

There is a wealth of other helpful information in the Parent Handbook which will be handed out the first week of school.  We encourage you to read it and use it as a reference.