Five Oaks Academy toddlers, primary kindergartners, lower elementary students, upper elementary students and middle school students recently participated in a fundraising drive to support the organization Amman Imman: Water is Life.  Amman Imman is dedicated to improving and saving lives among the poorest and most abandoned populations of the world by supplying permanent sources of water in the Azawak of West Africa.

The annual fundraising drive, named Ammon-a-thon, gives students the opportunity to raise money by getting sponsors to pledge support for completing repetitions of some of their favorite outdoor activities including running laps, doing jumping jacks, throwing and bouncing balls and other physical activities.  These activities provide students the opportunity to showcase their determination and support of this wonderful cause.  Overall, the students jumped, bounced and sweat their way to raise  over $5,000.  Combined with other fundraisers done over the course of the year in support of Amman Imman, the students raised $6,495.22.

Amman Imman’s global objective is to increase water security for the children and adults living in the Azawak of West Africa in order to drastically reduce the incidence and prevalence of morbidity and mortality related to water insufficiency and poor water quality, such as dehydration, diarrhea, intestinal helminthes, skin diseases, lice infestation, schistosomiosis, trachoma, etc. The project’s objectives include;

• creating permanent, sustainable, and potable water sources, so that everyone within the target population has sustainable and equitable access to enough water quantity of high quality to meet their consumption, cooking, personal and domestic hygienic needs, as well as the needs of their animals,
• ensuring ecologically, financially, and socially sustainable management of water quality and quantity and
• improving hygiene and sanitation related knowledge and behavior among members of the target population.

Events such as the Amman-a-thon empower Five Oaks Academy students to be actively involved in helping others and engages them as global citizens.  Five Oaks Academy is proud of all of its students who participated in Amman-a-thon.

Five Oaks Academy is proud of all of its 2012 graduates and wishes them every continuing success as they transition to the next stage of their education!

Listed below are the graduations for the 2011-2012 academic year.  More information may be found on each graduation by clicking the respective link.

Toddler Graduation – May 17, 2012 – 10:15AM

Kindergarten Bridging Ceremony –  May 17, 2012 – 3:00PM

Lower Elementary Peace Ceremony – May 24, 2012 – 9:00AM

Upper Elementary Commencement Ceremony – May 24, 2012 – 11:00AM

8th Grade Graduation – May 29, 2012 – 6:00PM

Congratulations, graduates!

Five Oaks Academy will be hosting both a student viewing and an adult’s only reception for its 2012 Student Art Show. The Five Oaks Academy Student Art Show showcases the artistic achievements of FOA student artists and their interpretations of both the renown artists and distinct art styles they have studied in Five Oaks Academy’s unique Art History Program run by FOA Art Program Directress Jill Plumley.

Adult’s Only Reception

Parents are encouraged to join us from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, 2012 for an adult’s only reception.  Childcare will be offered in the Lower Elementary II classroom.  Please RSVP to emily@fiveoaksacademy.com if you would like to take advantage of childcare.

By Emmi, FOA Middle School Student

On Sunday, March 25, 2012, Five Oaks Academy Middle School students departed from the Amtrak Station in downtown Greenville on a journey to the nation’s capitol, Washington D.C.

They arrived at Union Station in the early morning on Monday and started their trip by visiting the National Aquarium. Here they saw sea creatures from every ocean on Earth. After this first stop, the students made their way to the National Zoo to see animals from various parts of the world, including the panda from China and the cheetah from Africa. That night the students experienced a monument night tour, where they saw the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, the White House, the Capitol Building, Lincoln Memorial, and more.

The next morning, the students began their day at the National Spy Museum, where they learned about the most legendary spies of all time and even took on a secret identity for the day. Following that, the middle school continued to the Smithsonian. They began at the National Air and Space Museum where they saw fighter jets from world wars, rode simulators, and some students even chose to see the Einstein Planetarium. That evening, the middle school students dined at Bistro Bistro, where they enjoyed a selected menu that included a delicious chocolate cake or crème brule for dessert.

On their last day, the students visited the National Holocaust Museum, where they learned of devastating stories and shocking human experiences. Later on, they continued the Smithsonian by visiting the Museum of Natural History, Museum of American History, and the American Art Museum, where they saw the featured exhibit; The Art of Video Games. That night the middle school returned to Greenville by train and they will always remember their exciting experience at the nation’s capitol.

Existing and prospective students may now sign up for Five Oaks Academy’s 2012 Summer Camps.  All camps are filled in the order completed registrations and payments are submitted to the Five Oaks Academy front office.

If a student signs up for both morning and afternoon camps, they are invited to stay on campus during the lunch hour of 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

Summer Camp registrations and payments (in full) are due by Friday, May 27, 2012. No refunds will be issued after June 5, 2012.

Registration forms can be picked up in the front office or downloaded here.

Cathy Meng Robinson, violinist with the Miami String Quartet, performed for a captivated audience on her violin which dates back to 1735.  Ms. Robinson is a founding member of the Miami String Quartet, one of the most widely respected quartets in America. She teaches at Kent State University where she is currently an artist in residence.  A long time friend of Five Oaks Academy owner Laura Baur, Ms. Robinson promises to return to Five Oaks to perform again when her touring schedule permits.

“It is fun to cook with the teachers.  It’s kind of hard to plan.  You know they like the food when everyone says, ‘It’s an awesome meal’.” – Walker

The Five Oaks Academy Upper Elementary classroom involves all of the members of its community in as many classroom activities as possible.  One of these activities is the weekly community lunch.  Each week, two Upper Elementary students plan a menu, organize, shop, and prepare a meal for the entire Upper Elementary class, visiting Lower Elementary students in the third grade, and the Five Oaks Academy Faculty.  This exercise is an extension of the students’ practical life curriculum and is designed to foster independence, as well as expand the breadth of food experiences for the children.

“It was fun and interesting.  It was really yummy.”   – Maddie

Two student orchestrate an entire meal from its beginning stage of planning all the way through to the end stage of serving.  The chosen “chefs” research menus, make a shopping list, and go to the grocery store.  Part of the grocery store list involves budgeting for items and looking at nutritional values.  The average meal servers over 50 people each week.  In guiding the students, the teachers emphasize a variety of cooking methods and ethnic styles.

“It is fun to go shopping and to experience cooking with other people that you normally would not have an opportunity to work with.”  – Kaitlyn

As the students research needs, they are asked to look at fresh and holistic ways to prepare the items.  This fall, for example, instead of boiling store bought noodles for fetuccini alfredo, the students made whole wheat pasta by hand.

“I Like to cook.  It was fun!  We made eggrolls, veggie fried rice, and sweet and sour chicken.” – Carson

Ann Douglas Leineweber appeared on February 23, 2012 as a guest artist for the Upper and Lower Elementary Programs.  Her project was Folk Art using a variety of reclaimed wood such as old wooden pallets, barn wood, and branches and twigs.  The Elementary students listened to her presentation then moved to the back deck of their building to create their own folk art pieces as they enjoyed the beautiful sunny day.

Ann Douglas works in photography, mixed media collage, and folk art.  Her son Huntington is a student in the Upper Elementary classroom.  We were excited to have Ann Douglas on campus for this guest artist appearance.  The Guest Artist Program is funded by the Artist Bazaar proceeds and by the Five Oaks Academy Annual Fund.

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!