The Oaks School

Our daughter, currently in fourth grade, and our son who graduated two years ago, (and is currently in 8th grade), have made for nearly a decade of direct experience with this wonderful school. From the start, the Oaks progressive mission and practice of engendering mutual respect and awareness of others has been an ideal learning environment in challenging times. Our children have both grown in every way ~ socially, intellectually, and creatively at the Oaks. For us, this had been driven by the continuity brought by great teachers, (several of whom have been at the school since its inception), and who have not only leaned in on diversity, equity and inclusion since we began at the school nine years ago, but also pivoted and adapted seamlessly to the special challenges of teaching during the pandemic. Most of all, our children take joy in learning and have responded to the experiential and often play-based teaching that happens in the art, music, and STEAM classrooms where we are dazzled by their creations. The library has been a site of learning and refuge for our kids (they love to read), and after years of improvement, the elaborate campus built into a 1920`s church rectory is a beautiful, shady, walled garden in the middle of the City. Our eldest child was well prepared for learning beyond the Oaks and now excels in a challenging middle school, where he also enjoys playing organized sports and creative extracurricular activities. While progressive education can mean many things, the Oaks` curriculum and approach to learning have been just right for our family. Finally, the community of families we met at the Oaks has to led to enduring friendships that we carry with us. From school leadership to faculty, staff, families, and most of all the classmates, we have had a great experience at the Oaks and highly recommend it.

Such an important decision in the lives of families with small children is the forst elementary school environment. This decision often sets the stage for so many of the next steps. We entered The Oaks School community when our son was a small five year ol kindergarten student...we watched him grow and flourish through his sixth grade year. He is a kind, confident, eloquent kid who is able to speak up eloquently, listen actively and think critically. Our partnerships with the teachers and administrators could not have been more fruitful. Whether discussing his learning and development, tough conversations about race and privilege, or middle school selections, we consistently felt heard and valued as members of this community. Our son is now attending a first choice independent middle school in LA county. The Oaks provided a great foundation for our son to explore the world boldly without being frozen by the fears of hard truths or potential failure!

What a privilege it is to be a part of The Oaks community. My daughter transferred into the Oaks in 1st grade. She was welcomed with open arms and instantly felt like the students and teachers were families. The Oaks is a small progressive school unlike any I`ve ever come across. The Oaks truly lives its mission and has an unmatched atmosphere with a warm and loving vibe that really allows the students to flourish. The anti-bias education that the Oaks is able to offer at this level is groundbreaking. My daughter comes home talking about bias, multiple perspectives, and how important inclusion is. They place just as much emphasis on social-emotional learning as they do academics. This was important to me as my daughter needed some lessons in compassion and social interaction. The Oaks teaches her to understand and process her feelings as well as the feelings of others. As both an LGBTQIA and BIPOC family, it is important for my daughter to be seen and understood by her peers and teachers. The Oaks does just that with book selections as well as their lessons. The programs are vetted to be sure that they are inclusive and represent those in the room and those who are not. My daughter came home one-day ecstatic that they had read a book in class about a girl with two moms. "It felt like it was about me!" She said. I can`t imagine her having this experience in her previous schools and feel so fortunate that she is growing in her identity and feels not only comfortable but proud of her family. Prior to The Oaks, my daughter was not a confident math student. Thanks to the Cognitive Guided Instruction math approach, she was able to use methods that worked for her and not forced to do things in specific ways as can be the case with older models of math teaching. It has really expanded her math thinking and she`s able to analyze numbers in ways that are so impressive for her age. The Oaks is a special place and I can`t stress how fortunate we are to be part of this family.

What a wonderful school! The teachers are caring, inspiring, and enthusiastic and the community was so special and warm. Our daughter's time at The Oaks was terrific. A special little bubble in Hollywood!

Our daughters attended Marlborough from K - 6 and we are truly so grateful for the education they received at this remarkable school. They describe their learning systems as developmental and I would define that as inspiring curiosity and teaching in ways that spark passion instead of more rote systems based on memorization and repetition. As a result of that, our daughters have loved the process of education and have excelled at their subsequent school, which is one of the most challenging academic schools in L.A. They truly remain curious about subjects and love exploring worlds and matters that are intriguing to them. I credit this entirely to The Oaks and the teachers they encountered there. One of our daughters took a while to learn to read and one of the teachers worked with her to gain that skill. Our daughter now is a voracious reader who has read several grades above her level, and her love of books was inspired by her teachers at The Oaks Finally, the Oaks truly practices compassion and empathy and these traits are shared by our daughters as well as their classmates and friends. We can't recommend the school more highly!

The Oaks is a supportive progressive school that has a very different, less institutional feeling than most of its competition. It is truly a place for children to thrive, and mine have done just that. Both of them attended from K-6th, and they loved the experience. I feel the Oaks set them up to be lifetime learners, as well as socially engaged, and very confident, all fine outcomes from such an intimate place. The Oaks has an active anti-bias curriculum that has been in place for a number of years, and the children embrace and consider the difference in all its permutations, and they are well prepared to deal with many of the issues that will impact their generation. The Oaks educators and administrators are wholly committed to progressive learning, which is a large enough area for all sorts of learners to inhabit. The graduates end up attending many different middle schools, from Oakwood and Marlborough to Pilgrim and ESLA. I cannot express how much my family and my kids loved being a part of the Oaks community!

We love The Oaks. I cannot say enough good things about it! We have one child who went all the way through (K-6), and a child who is still there. The teachers are wonderful: dynamic, smart, kind, skillful, compassionate, warm, and engaging. The administration is helpful, responsive, and kind. Our kids LOVE school. Our younger child runs out the door every morning to get there, and our older child loved every minute of The Oaks. I feel The Oaks is a place where a love of learning is thoughtfully cultivated, and where kids are really seen and known for who they are by their teachers and peers. They are taught to be curious, to collaborate, to be critical thinkers, to take risks, to make mistakes, and to engage in the world around them. This all happens while learning all they need to know and beyond for middle school. We have made lifelong friends there. It is an amazing place, and we are very grateful to be a part of the community!

This learning environment, social atmosphere, and faculty made becoming a coder easy and wonderful.