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Pictured above:
Chumash elder, Julie Tumamait-Stenslie, speaks to the whole school on Peace Day.
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From the Head of School
Approaching Sexual Health and Wellness
“Surely a school is a place where one learns about the totality, the wholeness of life.” This quote is from the original “Intent of Oak Grove School” written by J. Krishnamurti in 1975 when the school was founded. This totality includes the emotional, intellectual, social, psychological, spiritual, and physical realms of humanness. One such aspect of being human is our sexual health.
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Sexuality, in and of itself, intersects and overlaps with every aspect of healthy development. Therefore, a comprehensive sexual health education must include the biological, socio-cultural, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of sexuality from the cognitive domain (information); the affective domain (feelings, values, and attitudes); and the behavioral domain (communication, decision-making).
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At Oak Grove, we implement an explicit sexual health curriculum beginning in Preschool, which also includes incorporating age- and stage-appropriate provocations for these conversations to emerge naturally. Teachers meet these questions and conversations skillfully and with accurate, age-appropriate information. While in Preschool this might look like honoring one’s personal space, saying “no” to unwanted hugs, or using medically accurate terminology when referring to genitals. Over the years, the curriculum incrementally expands to include body image, media literacy, reproductive health, and a deep look into sexual rights and responsibilities.
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Because this initiative, like everything we do, requires deep partnership between the parents and the staff, Debbie has worked closely with our faculty and staff and has also facilitated Parent Education workshops for us over the past three years, including this month.
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Open House & All School Showcase
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If you're in the area, join us for an in-person experience of Oak Grove School.
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Currently enrolled families do not need to RSVP
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Sweet to Savory
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"I had never considered how handing a banana to a hungry seventh-grader before their math test would have such a huge impact on me, connecting my job and my passion through a simple act of care. For the student, this was just another moment in their day; for me it was an affirmation that I’d landed in the right place."
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Oak Grove’s Head Chef, Julia San Bartolome, reflects on her decision to join the school and the delectable role food plays for the community. This article was published in the Fall 2022 issue of Edible Ojai & Ventura County.
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Peace Day
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As the students took turns articulating their ideas, one first-grader shared, “Peace is being together.” Another commented, “It is quiet.” This exchange took place during a brief exploration into why Oak Grove observes Peace Week. We then turned our attention to decorating and cutting out paper peace cranes. All students across campus have been making cranes as we prepared for this special celebration at Oak Grove.
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Throughout the week, students made wishes for peace as they added cranes to our Peace Day Art Installation located at Main House, representing our combined hopes for peace – within oneself, interpersonally, and in our world.
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The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations General Assembly. Two decades later, in 2001, the General Assembly unanimously voted to designate the day as a period of non-violence and cease-fire. At Oak Grove, we acknowledge Peace Day with a week-long exploration into the notion of peace.
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John Lewis said, “We are one people with one family. We all live in the same house... and through books, through information, we must find a way to say to people that we must lay down the burden of hate. For hate is too heavy a burden to bear.”
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In honor of Peace Week and in recognition of this year’s school theme, To Listen with Great Care, Attention, and Affection, one may wonder what ways we can practice a “cease-fire” in our personal lives.
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Watch the short video below of some of the paper peace crane activities.
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K Quote
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Sensations have a beginning and an end, they can be repeated and expanded; but experiencing is not within the limits of time. What is essential is experiencing, which is denied in the pursuit of sensation. Sensations are limited, personal, they cause conflict and misery; but experiencing, which is wholly different from the repetition of an experience, is without continuity. Only in experiencing is there renewal, transformation.
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Why Every Educator Should Revisit
J. Krishnamurti
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The June 2022 issue of India’s respected magazine, Education World, dives into the importance and relevance of Krishnamurti’s teachings and his global impact on school students and adults alike.
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Tap below to read the article, which includes interview content from Oak Grove's Head of School.
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Socially Speaking
A recent Instagram post —
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A photo montage from various grades.
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