An Oak Grove School Update • November 2023

Above: 3rd grade students learning about Chumash culture and traditions. Article below.

November 2023

Jodi Grass

From the Head of School

A few years ago, we lost a huge oak tree near the Pavilion. Losing this tree was a particular hardship, as it provided a perfectly situated screen to the arc path of the spring sun. Spring is when we have many large assemblies and performances. Without the oak, the glare and heat of the sun become extreme for both those on stage and those sitting in the audience. After careful consideration, we decided to plant another oak where the previous one had been.

To promote faster growth, we planted a nurse tree next to it. A nurse tree, if you don’t already know, is a larger, faster-growing tree that shelters a small, slower-growing tree. The nurse tree can provide shade, shelter from wind, or protection from animals. Our nurse tree is a Tipu Tipu. When you have time, you might take a moment to notice how tall and strong both trees have become. It almost appears that the oak is leaning or reaching toward its Tipu Tipu nurse. What a lovely metaphor this partnership offers.

Today is Giving Tuesday. Oak Grove relies on donations from parents, alumni, staff, and our philosophical donors to strengthen and grow in a way that would not be possible otherwise. So much of what has been done over the past few years has been possible because of your generosity. Thank you for supporting Oak Grove.

— Jodi Grass

Your abundant generosity allows us to provide financial aid to students who otherwise could not afford to attend the school. You are partnering with us to maintain the beautiful, spacious campus and modest buildings. Your gift ensures that we can continue to support our faculty and staff through realistic wages and professional development.

Thank You for Your Support

Oak Grove at the

KFI Teaching Conference

Last month, our Dean of Studies, Will Hornblower, embarked on a trip to India to attend the annual Krishnamurti Schools Teaching Conference in Chennai. Here’s what he found there.

Read the Interview

Indigenous Chumash Culture

Acorn Pancakes

As part of their recent social studies project, our third grade students made acorn pancakes with former Oak Grove Director, teacher, and current Board member Karen Hesli.

“It’s part of a two-month project where we’re learning about the Chumash people of this area,” third grade teacher Serra explains. “We’re studying what it’s like in a traditional Chumash village, and the kids will make dioramas and write reports about Chumash people.”

Open House Event

A Wonderful Day

On Saturday, November 4th, Oak Grove School hosted our annual Open House and All-School Showcase on a perfectly temperate, sun-filled autumn day. In the crowd of over 500 attendees was a mix of current families and welcomed guests. Those gathered had come to see the work of young people they hold dear, to meet future teachers in unfamiliar classrooms, to feast on delicious homemade vegetarian enchiladas, and to find out more about this learning community. It was a day to celebrate the work of our students, the work of our teachers, and our community as a whole. Most importantly, it was a day to be together.

Parent Education

Age & Stage Meetings

What is an Age and Stage Meeting? Ali Danch, our Director of Pastoral Care, School Counselor, and Parent Education Coordinator, talks about our recent and upcoming Age & Stage meetings.

From the Oak Grove Kitchen

Kabocha Squash Soup

Soup season is upon us! There's something about homemade soup that seems to nourish more than our immediate hunger. Soup offers warmth from the chilly autumn evenings and fills our bodies with healthful locally harvested produce. I love how a hot pot simmering on the stove will fill the kitchen air with savory and aromatic notes. As a child, my dad always served me soup in a mug, and something about each sip seems to warm from the inside out.

For this recipe, my goal was to create an easy way to use up the random squash and gourds lying around from fall decorations. As your family gathers over the next few weeks, I hope you will enjoy a warm mug of handmade soup.

This soup is very versatile. Feel free to substitute the kabocha squash with any hard squash like a pumpkin, butternut, or acorn squash. Miso paste is optional.

— Chef Julia San Bartolome

Download the Recipe

K Quote

“I think it is very important to learn about oneself, because it is only then that the mind can be emptied of the old, and unless the mind is emptied of the old, there can be no new impulse. It is this new, creative impulse that is essential if the individual is to bring about a different world, a different relationship, a different structure of morality."

J. Krishnamurti
K Discussion/Dialogue

Socially Speaking

A recent Instagram post —

6th Graders sharing a Thanksgiving Potluck as part of an emergent math project where they designed recipes and converted fractions to delicious decimals!