Welcome to Oakwood!

Through the Eyes of Children

According to Macmillan’s Beginning Dictionary, a school is defined as “a place for teaching and learning.” At the heart of our school is our Mission and Vision statement, which captures our focus on children and their learning. As educators, we know that learning goes beyond the basics of ABCs and 123s. At Oakwood, we focus on the development of the whole child: academics, social-emotional learning, and physical development. We provide the foundation on which all other learning takes place.

How does this translate to what is going on in our primary building? Enter any of our classrooms, and you’ll see students talking, sharing, collaborating, and exploring. Students are engaged in their learning. Teachers are modeling, facilitating, and differentiating to meet the needs of all students. Every day is new; every day is exciting; every day is fun! As the old adage states, a picture is worth a thousand words. This is Oakwood School….through the eyes of children.

Welcoming to everyone who enters our building.

Collaborating

Students learn how to regroup ones into tens using tactile manipulatives.

Those same students learn about the Hour of Code through collaborative activities with 5th-grade “buddies” from River Valley.

Exploring

Students explore through inquiry-based lessons during their Pebbles, Sand, and Silt science unit. Students had an opportunity to sift rocks into different groups using various sizes of mesh screens. The real-life lesson was that large machines do the same type of thing (sifting and sorting) when building sidewalks, cement park garbage cans, or the mortar for holding bricks together.

Assessment

Students are formally assessed three times a year using NWEA’s Measures of Academic Progress. Test results allow teachers to scaffold instruction.

Giving

Students created “Snowman Soup” care packets for troops overseas. It’s never too early to learn the importance of giving through service projects such as these.

Enjoying each other’s company on the journey!

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