Five Oaks Academy was awarded a $500 All-Star Health Award for our organic gardening program. All-Health Team was so pleased that we utilize our garden for food preparations, feeding our classroom animals, and for the infusion of oils used in our classroom cooking that they offered to film a commercial on our campus. Twenty-five students were provided with All-Health t-shirts, water bottles, and pencils and were able to show the cameras many different things our students do organically every day.

The commercial will be aired on channel WIS10 in Columbia, SC and is now available to view on YouTube at http://youtu.be/fd-hq75EcjE.  A big thank you to Ms. Amy for organizing this award and to our students for keeping our campus green!

Article by Ms. Rachael Cross, Music and Movement Instructor

Mmmmm – everyone loves the smell of freshly baked bread!  This year I wanted to pass on that tradition to the next generation by giving them a skill that mustn’t be lost. In groups of five or six, the middle school students have come to my house to make bread. We’re starting with Rustic Italian bread, and we will continue with other types. To start the process off, a yeast experiment was done to show the science behind the rising of bread. Then it was off to the kitchen to reproduce that experiment in the bread itself.

The process of baking fresh bread is simple, but time consuming. The students read the recipe, often written in cooking shorthand, and followed directions while learning that bread making is not an exact science. The bread making process also involves plenty of trial and error.  Too dry? Add more liquid. Too moist? Add more flour. Not smooth and satiny? Knead longer. Each student goes home with a loaf of fresh bread for his or her family to enjoy.  Up next will be Rosemary Foccacia just in time for those cold-weather meals of soup!

Five Oaks Academy is pleased to host Kathryn Kvols, author of “Redirecting Children’s Behavior” and national presenter on childhood behavior, on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. on its main campus.  This event is open to all Five Oaks Academy families.  Members of the public may reserve a seat by calling the front office at (864) 228-1881.

Kathryn will also be selling her book for $15 at the Five Oaks Academy front office with 10% of the proceeds going to Five Oaks Academy and participating in a Q&A Breakfast  on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 8:45 a.m. on the main campus.

Kathryn J. Kvols, formerly a mental health counselor, is president of the International Network for Children and Families, through which her book and parent education materials are used around the world. Kathryn has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Social Work with a minor in Education from Concordia College in Minnesota. She has directed summer camps for children, focusing on personal growth skills. As a parent educator, she speaks and gives workshops around the country.

A “catalyst for creating healthy relationships” is the best way to describe Kathryn Kvols. A dynamic and entertaining international speaker, Kathryn has worked with thousands of teachers, nurses, counselors, childcare workers and parents, presenting keynote addresses, workshops, and classes. Kathryn presents fresh new ways of looking at age-old problems. Seeing with these new eyes, her audience is inspired to make amazing shifts toward loving action. These loving actions are creating more satisfying relationships at home, in school and in the workplace. She is adept at creating safe learning environments through her heart-felt speaking style, her sense of humor, and insightful observations. Her workshops are interactive and her audiences walk away with practical tools they can implement immediately.

Recently the healthy faculty challenge, Movement Matters, came to an end.  Movement Matters provided the faculty with a fun and healthy challenge along with the opportunity to track our movement on a daily basis.  The results of the challenge were incredible! Combined, the faculty walked almost 10.5 million steps over the course of two months which is equal to walking across the United States twice!  One member of the faculty walked a million steps. Thanks to the entire faculty for participating and taking the “steps” to a healthier life style.  We look forward to more challenges and pursuing healthy lifestyles together.

Enrollment for the 2012-2013 academic year began two weeks early to give parents ample time to review the launch of the Modified Calendar schedule.  The new calendar begins August 10 and continues through June 7 to allow more time for research projects, MAP testing, and for seasonal breaks. In addition to the new calendar, FOA is offering a new 12 month payment plan that begins August 1, 2012 and continue through July 1, 2013.

Re-Enrollment Dates For Existing Students

To guarantee a spot for an existing student at Five Oaks Academy, (i) a $500 deposit, (ii) a $300 re-enrollment fee and (iii) a signed Letter of Intent are due by February 3, 2012.  The deposit of $500 will be deducted from the payment plan selected by the family on the Letter of Intent.

Enrollment Dates for New Toddler & Primary Students

Five Oaks Academy is in open enrollment for its Toddler and Primary Classrooms.  Prospective families should review the Admissions Process.

Enrollment Dates for New Elementary & Middle School Students

Five Oaks Academy will begin admitting new elementary and middle school students beginning February 6, 2012.    Prospective families may apply prior to this date and should review the Admissions Process.

Open House

FOA will have an Open House on January 24 for new students.  Families of Five Oaks Academy who refer a family that is accepted into the academy will receive $100 referral fee for the recommendation.

Orientation Nights

Parents who have students who are moving to a new class level will be invited to an Orientation night in May to prepare the child for the transition.  January 24 we will have a Transitions Workshop where graduates of Five Oaks Academy and a faculty and parent panel will have a round-table discussion about how students deal with transitions in a Montessori environment and also in other traditional settings.

Enrollment Documents

Enrollment documents can be found on the Admissions section of the FOA website.

The Lower Elementary Classes of Five Oaks Academy have been so passionate about helping others.  The students have so much compassion and strive to help those less fortunate in any way they can.   Along with all of the classrooms at Five Oaks Academy and South Carolina Montessori schools, the Lower Elementary classes support Ronald McDonald House Charities and Amman Imman: Water is Life.  We begin each year educating the students on these charities and the many ways we can help.

Ronald McDonald House charities provide a “home-away-from-home” for families so they can stay close by their hospitalized child at little or no cost.  The houses provide shelter, meals, and entertainment for families during a difficult time.   Our students collect can tabs all year road to give to Ronald McDonald House. In November, our classes went on a field trip to the Greenville Ronald McDonald House. Before we went, the students collected donations of items the house needed. At the house we received a tour and learned all about how the house operates and their mission.  We were also able to give back by doing community service activities such as raking, picking up sticks, sanitizing, sweeping, and sorting supplies.  On February 8^th, the students will be preparing a meal to take to the families living in the Ronald McDonald House. In addition to multiple ways we have supported this charity as a class, we have had many students donate their own money and also have had children create items to sell to family members and neighbors.

Amman Imman is dedicated to improving and saving lives among the poorest and most severely threatened populations of the world by supplying permanent sources of water in the Azawak of West Africa. Wells of Love is the service learning program of Amman Imman: Water is Life.  Wells of Love empowers Montessori students across the world to give with a caring and philanthropic spirit by engaging them to help bring water and hope to the 500,000 children and adults living in the Azawak and our students are very empowered! Throughout the year, Lower Elementary participates in a variety of fundraising activities for Amman Imman such as bake sales, water sales, craft sales and an event called The Amman-athon. The Amman-athon is an event where students each choose two events to participate in and receive monetary pledges for each repetition of their chosen skill.  Students have chosen hula hoop, basketball, jumping jacks, cartwheels, forward rolls, jumping rope, etc. This event has been a great way to build community, improve athletic and math skills while raising funds!  In addition to these in school activities, many students have chosen to raise money outside of school. We have had students sell art, toys, baked goods, crafts, fruits, hand written books, hot chocolate, lemonade, and muffins.  We have also had many students donate their own money to this wonderful cause.

The students and teachers of Lower Elementary want to thank everyone that has supported our fundraising over the years.  The students have such compassionate hearts and truly want to give back.  We are so proud of them!

Cameron and Thomas Barnhardt traveled to Chicago to cheer on their dad Jay who ran the Chicago Marathon on October 9, 2011.  It was a beautiful day and they were able to see their dad at miles five and ten in Lincoln Park and then again in Chinatown at mile twenty.  This was Jay’s fourth marathon, so Cameron and Thomas are accustomed to trooping around town to cheer him on and they love getting high fives from all the other runners!  In addition to watching the race, they rode on the El and in cabs.  They visited the Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park Zoo, Millennium Park, and the Lego store! Though they hated to miss Fall Festival, all the Barnhardt’s had a great time in Chicago.  Congratulations to Mr. Barnhardt for completing the marathon!

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On Wednesday, October 5, 2011, Five Oaks Middle School students partnered with The Generous Garden Project to benefit members of the Greenville community. Located behind the Wild Radish Health Store on Verdin Street in Greenville, the goal of The Generous Garden Project is to provide local food banks with nutritious, locally grown foods that are not always readily available to such organizations. Due to necessity, many food banks store foods that have a longer shelf-life, but that are more processed and preserved. Because of this, many individuals who rely on these food banks miss out on important nutrients that fresh produce provides. The Generous Garden seeks to eliminate that problem. Not only do volunteers maintain large gardens of food, but they do so organically.  Volunteers also visit local farms to glean produce that, while perfectly appropriate for immediate use, may not make it all the way through the packaging process and to market. Instead of these goods going to waste, they are given to local families in need.

The Middle School class spent several hours with volunteers from The Generous Garden Project, harvesting tomatoes, lettuce and okra, moving their chicken coop, feeding and watering their worm farm, and fertilizing their fields.  While they visited, Middle School students also got to see local volunteers from food banks arrive to pick up the produce they harvested. Students were able to see The Generous Garden’s future plans for an aquaponic greenhouse system that will allow them to grow crops and fish in a re-circulating, mutually beneficial system. The students were able to see how their own hard work that day benefitted the volunteers at The Generous Garden Project and the community at large.

If you or your family or any other group you may be involved with, are interested in helping The Generous Garden Project, take a look at their website at www.generousgarden.org. There you can donate funds, sponsor a garden bed, find ways to share your gardening materials or discover how to give of your time and help make your community a happier, healthier place.

Five Oaks Academy and friends raised over $1,400 to help the International organization Dining For Women to promote awareness for “The Fistula Foundation”.  The Foundation concentrates on educating people on the needs of the women who need treatment worldwide.  The organization supported by Oprah Winfrey tries to provide funding for treatment and prevention of fistula.

On September 20, women supporters of the organization gathered at the Five Oaks Academy campus for an evening of fellowship and collective giving.  Several vendors were present donating profits to Dining For Women.  The women watched a video made by the Fitula Foundation that highlighted women who were suffering in Ethiopia.  For every $450 raised, a woman can have surgery which will cure her for live from the condition.

Dining for Women began in Greenville in 2002 by Marsha Wallace.  The organization focuses on improving the lives of women and girls worldwide.  Dining For women concentrates on issues that will find solutions to problems facing women through education, healthcare, and economic development.  Since it’s conception in 2002, Dining For Women has grown with many chapters nationally and internationally.  The service group has been published in The New York Times, Women’s Day Magazine, and New Adventures in Philanthropy.

Bonnie Papajohn led the Dining For Women chapter meeting and gave the presentation on fistula repair.  Several Five Oaks Academy women expressed interest in creating their own chapter.  Please see more information at diningforwomen.org and fistulafoundation.org.