Five Oaks Academy competed in the “Battle of Books” competition through the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA). Both of our teams, Middle and Elementary, competed in Regionals in November and made it to the state finals held March 3. The FOA Middle School Team won 1st place competing against 12 other teams from the 3 regions of the state. The FOA Upper Elementary Team, who placed 1st in Regionals, placed 4th at the state competition.

Congratulations to both teams! Your many hours of reading and practice, along with great teamwork and collaboration paid off!  A SCISA Representative will come to our International Festival to recognize our state championship.

Due to the inclement weather expected, the Dr. Jane Bluestein event Communicating Effectively with Your Child: Win-Win Strategies for the 21st century Parent will not be held tomorrow, February 26.  The rescheduled presentation will be on Thursday, April 23 at 6:00pm.

Dr. Bluestein will use this opportunity to share her deep understanding of child development and unique perspective on parent/child interactions. She will give practical advice that is applicable for both parents and educators to use in daily interactions with children. Her focus will be on how to avoid power struggles and communicate peacefully with your child. Please join us for this entertaining and informational event.

Five Oaks Academy celebrated National School Choice Week with a spirit day Wednesday, January 28.  National School Choice Week shines a spotlight on the need for effective education options for all children. FOA supports the rights of individuals to choose a school that fits the needs of their child and their family.  For more information on School Choice or to see where  South Carolina stacks up against other states on the issues concerning school choice,  visit http://schoolchoiceweek.com/press/media-center?s=sc.

School Choice Week is a nonpartisan and nonpolitical public awareness effort.

FOA is thrilled to be named one of  Greenville’s Top 10 Preschools by Kidding Around Greenvilles readers.  Kidding Around Greenville is a website designed to unite a community of parents to help each other find schools, upcoming events, and other needed information. Find FOA on their Top 10 list at http://kiddingaroundgreenville.com/2015/02/best-preschools-in-greenville.html.

Due to the inclement weather expected, the Dr. Jane Bluestein event will not be held February 26. Save the date to attend her rescheduled presentation on Thursday, April 23 at 6:00pm. 

Five Oaks Academy is excited to announce that Dr. Jane Bluestein, award-winning author of over ten books, will speak  at the Simpsonville Fine Arts Center on February 26 at 6:00pm. This event, Communicating Effectively with Your Child; Win-Win Strategies for the 21st Century Parent will give Dr. Bluestein the opportunity to share her deep understanding of child development and unique perspective on parent/child interactions. FOA’s director, Kathleen Trewhella-Grant, and several staff members have had the opportunity to hear Dr. Bluestein keynote at various conferences and were impressed by her informative, dynamic and entertaining presence.

Dr. Bluestein has worked with thousands of educators, counselors, healthcare professionals, parents, childcare workers, and other community members world-wide. She specializes in programs and resources geared to provide practical and meaningful information, as well as training in areas related to relationship building, effective instruction and guidance, and personal development. Her extensive bio can be found at http://janebluestein.com/. We would like to extend the invitation to all family and friends that would benefit from this enlightening event. Dr. Bluestein will have books available for signing at this event.

Five Oaks Academy would like to thank Summers Orthodontics, Five Oaks Annual Fund, Flatrock Family Dentistry and the South Carolina Montessori Alliance for sponsoring this event.

The 7th and 8th graders had the wonderful opportunity of working with Greenwood Genetics Lab on Thursday, January 15 . This mobile lab allows students to be able to put their knowledge to the test. For the past nine weeks, the Middle School students have studied cells, genetics and heredity. This was the culminating project for the students. Each child had a work station and was able to participate in two experiments.

The first experiment consisted of extracting DNA from split peas. The students learned and practiced all safety precautions and were able separate the pea proteins to find and see the actual DNA. The second experiment was more of a real life experiment. The kids used the process of gel electrophoresis to test the proteins in imitation crab meat and real crabmeat. They then were able to apply this information to find out if a crab dish brought to a hypothetical pot luck was used to poison a hypothetical victim.

The kids really enjoyed applying the knowledge they have learned about cells and genetics to a real life experiment. It was a great way for the students to see how you can use basic skills we learn at school and begin to weave a path for future jobs and interests.

Please join us for a panel discussion featuring FOA graduates to hear first-hand about their transition to high school and how FOA prepared them for their future. We are excited to welcome back our alumni on January 22 at 6pm to the FOA campus. This year we will also have several alumni parents on the panel to answer questions and give a parent’s perspective of the process.

This is a wonderful opportunity to see the culmination of our program from a variety of graduates at different stages of their high school careers. We invite FOA families and perspective families to this insightful evening to learn what to expect during the transition to high school and beyond to the college years. This is always an affirming evening to hear our well-spoken graduates speak about being prepared for high school. We are so proud of our graduates!

“Middle school is, of course, geared to prepare a student for the hustle and bustle of high school, but what I found once I entered 9th grade is that the FOA Middle School not only prepared me to get by, but to exceed in every class both academically and socially.” -Tucker Wulf, Sophomore

 

“FOA Middle School gave me more than just a solid education and preparation for high school honors classes. It helped me to realize my true potential. I feel confident and secure in a place where peer pressure is constant” – Carson Barber Sophomore

Congratulations to the Battle of the Books teams who represented Five Oaks Academy at the South Carolina Regional Competition at Thomas Sumter Academy on Thursday,  November 20. The  Upper Elementary team placed first and the Middle School Team placed fourth. Both teams qualified  to compete in the State Competition to be held in March, 2015.

The team started preparing for the competition this summer when they were required to read from a selection of 20 books. The teams practiced both during and after school. Congratulations to the Battle of the Books team members  for all their hard work.

The FOA Middle School is excited to announce their first annual Greenery Sale. The money raised will go towards the eighth grade class field trip that culminates their time in the middle school program.  For these trips, we ask that parents contribute only a portion of the money. Students work in class and, at times, out of class to raise large portions of their trip money on their own.

The eighth grade trip gives our students an opportunity to practice the skills that they have learned at Five Oaks.  The students collaborate to choose a destination, plan activities that coordinate with our curriculum, make reservations, and budget how much it will cost.  This has become an event that our children look forward to for many years.

By allowing our kids the chance to partake in fundraising for themselves, we are providing them the experience of running a business, setting goals and following through on a task. We want to offer you an opportunity to help our middle school students by purchasing winter greenery wreaths. You may place an order online at www.helpsupportmygroup.com.  All online orders will need to be placed by November 30, 2014.  No late orders are accepted by the company involved in our sale. Online orders will be shipped directly to your house.

Thank you in advance for your support.  If you have any questions, please email Ms Alissa.

Many parents have questions about technology and how it relates to their children. Are our children safe on the web? How does social media affect children? This months Parent Lecture Series will focus on Technology. We will have two technology experts speak about internet safety and social media; there will also be an opportunity for them to answer questions.

Adam Anderson, founder and CEO of Palmetto Security Group, will be discussing how to keep your child safe when using mobile devices.  Adam has been a security professional for over 15 years and is actively trying to educate people on what he believes is one of the major security risks facing companies today, bad business processes and procedures.

Debbie Jarrett is Content Coordinator and Education Technology Specialist for ETV where she trains over 3,000 South Carolina teachers each year on how to integrate technology in the classroom. Debbie will be talking about social media and how it relates to students.

Please join us on October 16 at 6pm for this very informative Parent workshop!