en debra@drwdesign.com Copyright 2011 2011-03-10T23:29:34+00:00 http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/newsletter/ http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/newsletter/#When:23:29:34Z {summary} 2011-03-10T23:29:34+00:00 http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/mission/ http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/mission/#When:23:26:27Z {summary}Oakland School is committed to creating a nurturing environment in which the particular academic, emotional, and social needs of each student will be met. We recognize that every child is unique and learns differently and that an academic program must be tailored for each individual. Our goal is to encourage and help students achieve their potential, so that they will develop a love of learning as well as a firm sense of self-worth and respect for themselves and others. 2011-03-10T23:26:27+00:00 http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/events/ http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/events/#When:19:27:14Z {summary} 2011-03-09T19:27:14+00:00 http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/support-oakland/ http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/support-oakland/#When:22:59:26Z {summary} 2010-04-27T22:59:26+00:00 http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/quotes/ http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/quotes/#When:21:03:17Z {summary}Following are verbatim quotes from parents who were surveyed about their Oakland experience in the years after their child’s graduation from the school: “We both attribute a great deal of our daughter’s success to the skills and attitudes she acquired at Oakland.  You helped her to see success as a possibility and we are eternally grateful.  The investment was substantial, but we certainly got our money’s worth.  We often reflect on her years at Oakland and your loving insistence on building success where there had been little.  We are so thankful that we found Oakland - it has made a life’s worth of difference.” “He came to you a confused child with an uncertainty about his academic future, and left a young man full of self-confidence and goals.  He recently told someone, ‘I love to read,’ a statement we would not have heard two years ago.” “There are many times we feel your ears should be burning as we brag about the time he spent with you.  I feel we cannot express the many ways his life was so positively affected by the hard work of the Oakland Staff.  You will be pleased to know that he has set his college goal as Virginia Military Institute (VMI).” “Graduation was wonderful.  We were so proud to see our son standing straight and tall and ready to move on.  Everybody at Oakland has been wonderful for him.  I think of where he was four years ago and how far he has come.  He has self-confidence and I think is really ready for the next step.” “It is hard to believe that in June our son will graduate from high school and go straight into a four-year college.  There is no doubt that his foundation was laid at Oakland.  His confidence, his attitude and his determination all started with you and your wonderful staff.” “I came out of desperation to see the school and out of prayers hoping that this was the right place for my son.  I found peace, acceptance and people who valued my son for who he was.  I found hope, as my son has found his own faith and hope in the future.  We both leave with trepidation.  Can we make it?  Will the next school be a success or will there be problems? We believe that the next step and the ones after that will be successful.  You have given him all the essentials, plus goodness and kindness.  I cannot think of people and a school that gives more to their students.” “Finding Oakland was the first wonderful step.  Finding out over four years how much you could enable our sons to achieve provided many, many unexpectedly exciting steps.  Growth has been significant in reading, math, and content areas beyond our dreams after our earlier nightmares in public education.  Personal, social, and athletic growth has been as significant. Both teachers and Residential Instructors have been knowledgeable, skillful, and genuinely caring toward our children. The food service staff must have done something right as both boys have grown at least ten inches and three shoe sizes!  We are grateful to each individual staff member. We couldn’t have asked for more. While having our children away from home was not what we would have chosen, we wish with all our hearts that each American child could have an education as well suited to his or her needs as we have found for our sons, thanks to Oakland.” “As I write parent statements for his college applications, I get very moved every time I talk about what an enormous difference Oakland has made in his life.  I do truly believe that it has saved his life, and for that I am eternally grateful that I found you.  I don’t know how I had the courage to drop him off, but clearly something greater than me has guided this process.” 2009-02-13T21:03:17+00:00 http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/parent-participation/ http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/parent-participation/#When:20:42:00Z {summary}All students have an Individual Instruction Plan (IIP), which is a student’s educational roadmap for the year.  Parents are encouraged to be active participants in the design and implementation of their child’s academic program at Oakland.  The plan includes current levels of performance as well as strengths and weaknesses noted in the areas of reading, written language and math.  Achievement test data is included and specific goals and objectives are noted for the core academic areas.  It is important to note that the objectives are not merely a listing of the curriculum, but are individualized to address the particular needs of each child. Narrative reports follow up on the progress of students in each area and are sent home quarterly.  Formal conferences are held three times a year, but parents are welcome to schedule in-person conferences, call, or e-mail with questions, concerns or suggestions at any time. Next: After Oakland 2009-02-13T20:42:00+00:00 http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/study-skills/ http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/study-skills/#When:20:12:01Z {summary}Equipping students with a robust toolkit of study skills is a cornerstone of The Oakland Way that benefits children long after they leave our grounds.  Content classes at Oakland such as science and social studies are taught as Study Skills classes with the goal of helping students become successful in all classes at Oakland and to prepare them to be successful in school after Oakland. Most study skills do not come naturally, especially for children with learning difficulties.  Therefore, skills are taught both in isolation and then integrated throughout the curriculum.  Some of the key study skills taught include the following: learning the parts of a book including title page, table of contents, index and glossary; effective use of reference materials; efficient and pertinent note taking from books, whiteboards/chalkboards, lectures and media; test preparation and test taking strategies; memorization techniques; learning how to become a flexible reader by exposure to skimming, scanning and other techniques; and comprehensive report preparation and writing. Study skills instruction at Oakland is designed to enhance organizational skills both in terms of materials and time management.  Homework is given, but assignments are manageable and meaningful.  In addition, hands-on activities supplement traditional classroom instruction. Technology Technology is a key component of the larger study skills program.  Oakland’s academic program leverages PCs throughout the curriculum to enhance classroom instruction.  Students complete most of their writing on PCs and are taught keyboarding and proofing skills as well as how to use spell check and grammar check.  Students also learn how to prepare PowerPoint presentations.  Additionally, various software applications are used in all areas of the curriculum to promote student interest, reinforce concepts and provide guided practice. Next: Parent Participation in the Academic Program 2009-02-13T20:12:01+00:00 http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/english-math/ http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/english-math/#When:20:01:00Z {summary}Students at a beginning level in reading will not have a separate English class, but will receive written language instruction within the reading classroom.  As a student’s reading level improves, his or her schedule expands to include an English class.  More skilled readers and students with written language difficulties will be enrolled in both a writing and a grammar class.  In addition to writing, composition and grammar, students also receive keyboarding instruction.  Since many students with attention difficulties struggle with getting their thoughts down on paper, Oakland’s small classes and individualized attention provide a nurturing and accepting environment in which students begin to feel comfortable with the process of writing.  As one English teacher put it, “Kids who view themselves as poor writers feel like they’re caught in a mudslide. Everything is moving too fast and is out of their control.  Oakland’s writing program stops the downward motion so that students can take a realistic look at their own strengths and develop strategies to overcome weaknesses.”  Over the years, Oakland students have participated in and won recognition in local, statewide and national writing competitions. Math Math classes at Oakland are taught in small groups of six to eight students and range from basic math concept courses to Geometry for ninth graders working above grade level.  Student schedules include an instructional period at their appropriate level followed by a guided practice period.  Lessons follow textbooks written to cover the Virginia Standards of Learning, but are often broken down into smaller, easy-to-follow steps.  Teacher-made worksheets help clarify concepts and allow students to be successful.  The multisensory approach found throughout the Oakland program is employed in math classes, as well, with students writing on erasable whiteboards, working with manipulatives, reciting mnemonics and playing math games to reinforce concepts.  Prompt feedback on written work and class exercises ensures that students know right away that they’re on the right track.  Lessons are planned to connect to students’ lives and are personalized whenever possible to make the topics more relevant. Next: Study Skills Including Technology 2009-02-13T20:01:00+00:00 http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/reading/ http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/reading/#When:19:53:01Z {summary}Not all learning disabilities schools provide one-to-one instruction, but this method has been an integral element of The Oakland Way since the school’s inception.  Each student, other than older students nearing completion of the program and ready to transition into high school, receives at least one 30-minute period per day of one-to-one instruction.  Children with severe reading disabilities often receive additional “one-to-ones” and may spend 2.5 to 3 hours daily in intensive reading instruction.  Because the ability to read impacts all aspects of education, teaching reading is not only an Oakland specialty, but also a core focus of the academic program.  The hallmark of the beginning reading program is phonics and the structural analysis of words.  Different levels of reading instruction will focus on comprehension, literature, organization and study skills. One-to-one instruction is flexible and based on the individual student’s needs.  Beginning readers practice phonics skills, decoding and the structural analysis of words – all skills that are taught in the phonics class.  During this individualized time, they may use tracing packets – children trace the raised shapes of the letters of words – as they hear and read the sounds orally.  In this way, several senses are brought into play.  Drill and repetition are also features of the program at this level, and oral reading helps children transfer and practice the skills they have learned in isolation. As children become more adept at reading words, oral reading continues to be a focus of one-to-ones.  This method allows the student to practice reading with a teacher in a safe and accepting environment.  By reading some passages orally him or herself, the teacher is able to model inflection, punctuation observation and pronunciation, giving the struggling reader a listening break, which also provides story continuity and improves comprehension. Oral reading also allows the teacher to constantly observe and evaluate a reader’s skills and provides opportunities for questioning, for detecting weaknesses as well as for offering praise and encouragement. Daily one-to-ones also give the teacher an opportunity to teach specific comprehension strategies, vocabulary development and improve a reader’s fluency.  And since the reading teacher is also the student’s “Main Teacher,” he or she can serve as a resource for almost any area needed.  As the champion for each student, one may find the Main Teacher helping a student study for a science test, guiding handwriting practice, drilling multiplication tables, reviewing spelling lists, giving extra assistance with a writing assignment, developing a schedule for homework completion or even discussing a social problem with a student.  As one teacher noted, “If you weren’t aware of what I was doing, you’d think I was conducting an orchestra.”  Students may also work in small reading groups or independently using materials chosen specifically to enhance each individual student’s skills.  Students often show 1.5 to 2 years of progress in reading each year as measured by standardized testing and achievement level and are moved ahead as quickly as their abilities allow.  Next: English & Math 2009-02-13T19:53:01+00:00 http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/upward-lift/ http://www.oaklandschool.net/site/upward-lift/#When:19:09:00Z {summary}Students who are non-readers or who are reading below a fourth grade level and are significantly behind grade level are enrolled in Oakland’s own acclaimed “Upward Lift” Program, which was developed in the early days of the school and has been refined over the past 60 years.  Offered during the summer session, this intensive, systematic six-week program includes three 50-minute periods of reading each day.  The overall objectives are 1) to improve the child’s reading level by at least one year as measured by standardized tests and/or achievement level and 2) to raise the student’s self-esteem and, therefore, openness to learning by providing a successful experience with measurable growth. The focus at this early stage of the reading experience is to produce a vertical lift in decoding and word recognition rather than to improve comprehension skills.  A typical Oakland student is average to above average in intelligence and those who benefit from Upward Lift often have solid general comprehension skills; however, they need to learn the process of reading.  Once they learn how to read the words and sentences, comprehension follows. The program’s daily schedule consists of a group class in phonics. Students learn phonics rules, decoding skills and the structural analysis of words in a telescoped version of a full year’s course.  Students work at their own chalkboards designed especially for this class.  By working at the board, the children are using their kinesthetic sense and by also hearing the words read and repeating the words, they benefit from the multiple modalities that Upward Lift employs. In this sense, The Oakland Way of teaching phonics is very similar to the Orton-Gillingham method.  The two programs differ in that the Oakland technique focuses on the vowel sounds in each word, making word division and blending more fluid for the child. The second and third daily reading periods focus on a variety of tasks. There may be multiple segments of one-to-one oral reading with the teacher.  These sessions are preceded by a review of phonics lessons and preview of the reading passage.  The remainder of the reading periods is comprised of independent study in materials chosen specifically for each student in order to build, strengthen and reinforce skills. The intensity of the Upward Lift program produces dramatic results.  Perhaps most importantly, students themselves can see results and, therefore, realize that they can learn.  As a result, students are motivated to work hard to reach the next academic milestone. Next: Ongoing Reading Instruction 2009-02-13T19:09:00+00:00