Parent Education
Note: Parent Education events and meetings are being held virtually on ZOOM.
In order to help our parents, students, and teachers work together as a “family unit,” we offer a Parent Education program that spans the entire Oak Grove experience from Preschool through 12th grade. Parent Education events are led by teachers as well as outside professionals, covering topics like Growth Mindset, social media wellness, college readiness, inquiry-based dialogue, diversity & equity, teen sexuality, and more. In addition, the program emphasizes building relationships and support networks among parents, teachers, and community members.
On February 11, 1974, the day the school was officially announced, Oak Grove School founder J. Krishnamurti said:
And this school here, we have been discussing with the teachers, with the parents, and with the architects for the last two years. This school is entirely different from the other schools in India and England. Here the parents are involved in it, which is a new kind of experiment because if the children are going to be different then parents must also be different, otherwise there is a contradiction between the child and the parents, and there will be conflict between them. So to avoid all that we thought it would be right that the parents as well as the teachers and the students work together as a family unit.”
Elementary & Secondary Parent Ed Schedule
Grades 1st-12th
Our Parent Education program takes a two-pronged approach. First, the program is designed to support parents in raising children and adolescents through workshops on subjects such as child development, communication strategies, harm prevention, and academic support. As students advance to the secondary level, we also include sessions on college readiness and the transition into adulthood. The second goal of the program is to build relationships and support networks among parents, teachers, and community members. Oak Grove is a close-knit community, and we seek to create a healthy dialogue between staff and families in order to best serve the needs of our students.
RSVPs and Snacks:
While RSVPs are not required, we always appreciate knowing who is planning on attending. Please email willhornblower@oakgroveschool.org if you are coming. This workshop is adults-only. We also need a few volunteers who would like to bring some tasty snacks. Please email Will if you are interested.
ECP and Early Elementary Parent Education/Family Partnership
Preschool-3rd grade
Gathering in the Main House once a month, Parent Ed begins just after you’ve said good-bye to your child (anytime after 8:00am) and continues until 10:30am.
The goal of Parent Ed is to support both parenting and teaching by building pathways between home and school. We place high value on this aspect of our program and urge families to attend. Parent Ed is your time, an opportunity for families to share the complexity and similarity of their experiences during the young family years. We want parents to feel comfortable bringing their comments and questions to our morning discussions. These meetings offer a chance to wonder out loud, deepen understanding of our individual children, their relationships and growth, and of child development in general. The goal is to increase self-understanding, balance, and joy in family life.
Each month a different teacher from the early elementary program will join us in Parent Ed for the first hour, 8:00-9:00am. Parents of OGS students from Preschool through 3rd grade are welcome to join.
Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Parent Education
Please refer to the school calendar to see the current Parent Education schedule.
Living Education: Self-Discovery
Blog, News, Parent Education, Parent PerspectiveMarch 31, 2019 by Christina Sbarra Self-Discovery: Making Space for What Really Counts The recent college admissions scandal, dubbed Varsity Blues, hit the news just a few days before the release of Turning the Tide II, the second installment of a report on the college admissions process from the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Making Caring Common Project. As if part of a […]
Talking to your Child about Sex and Sexuality
Blog, Parent EducationTobi Jo Greene of The Empowerment Workshop joined some Oak Grove parents a few weeks ago for a discussion on how to have healthy and productive conversations with children and adolescents about sex and sexuality. Here are a few of the key points from the discussion: How do I start conversations about sex and relationships […]
On Implementing a Growth Mindset in the Home
Blog, Parent Education, Parent UpdateThank you to those of you who were able to attend our Parent Education workshop on implementing Growth Mindset practices in your household. It was wonderful to see such a dedicated group of parents working together to discuss what actions and language will best help their children to embrace a culture of effort and perseverance. […]
Adult Learning Environment at Oak Grove
Blog, Parent Education, Parent UpdateA school is a place for learning, and not just for our students. It includes an active learning environment for the adults, too. In addition to an emphasis on inquiry and self-reflection, which in and of itself supports a culture of learning, we also set aside time in our regular schedule for professional development, shared […]
Friendship in Early Childhood
Blog, Parent Education, Parent UpdateIn early childhood, children are developing skills at school to help build a strong foundation for cooperative social play. During early childhood, kids actively seek ways to assert their own identities and to find ways to be powerful. Unfortunately, because of their developmental level, young children often don’t know how to make themselves feel more […]
Communicating with Children
Blog, Parent Education, Parent UpdateBy Will Hornblower Across the Oak Grove campus, parents and staff have been discussing strategies to improve the way that adults connect and communicate with children. Over the course of three workshops, we brainstormed ways to help students develop resilience, autonomy, and rapport with adults. We started by posing a question to a gathering of […]