Research has consistently proven that music and art education build vital critical thinking skills in children. At Silver Oak, PTO funds these programs so all our students have access to art.

Kindergarten - 6th Grades
Arts Attack, a video-based art curriculum system, is used in Kindergarten through 6th grade. This program is designed to teach each child how to express themselves through art and see and experience the world in different ways. The language of art, like the language of words, requires the learning of skills and concepts that will allow the free flow of expression. The goals of ARTS ATTACK are to teach the elements and principles of art and drawing in a developmental and sequential way, as well as to study the art of other artists, cultures and historical periods.

4th - 6th Grades
Upper grade students participate in two additional art programs. The PTO 4th - 6th graders' art program is managed through the San Jose Museum of Art (SJMA) Residency program. Students participate in a six week program with resident artist, Mr. Stuart, to learn and create their art pieces through the Studio Arts program. Teachers claim our kids will not miss school on a day that Mr. Stuart is teaching.

Art Supplies
PTO also funds the necessary art supplies to provide each student an outstanding art experience.

Fall Choir (Grades 1 - 4)
Choir is open to all students in grades 1-4 who want to share their singing talents. Choir practices weekly after school. The fall choir culminates with a Holiday Choir Performance in December.

Silver Oak Band (Grades 5 and 6)
The PTO after school band program, led by Andrew Boyd, is available to all 5th and 6th grade students with no previous experience required. Beginning and advanced levels are available for a variety of instruments including flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, tuba, and percussion. The program culminates with a performance in the Spring Concert in May.

2018-2019 Regular Band Rehearsal Times:

Thursdays
12:45 - 1:45 - Beginning Woodwinds (Flute, Clarinet)
1:45 - 2:45 - Beginning Brass (Trumpet, Trombone, AltoSax, Tuba)
and Beginning Percussion
2:45 - 3:45 - Advanced Band

Battle of the Books is a reading incentive program for students in grades 3-6. The first Silver Oak Battle of the Books started in 2012. The format is a game show venue where two teams of kids compete to answer questions related to books read over the summer. Pass, Play, Steal, and Strike; Fun for all involved!

Click below for the 2019-2020 school year book lists.

3rd/4th Grade Book List

5th/6th Grade Book List

PTO Parent Coordinator: Neha Vyas

The Birthday Book Club is a monthly event to celebrate your child’s birthday by donating a book to your child’s classroom or the school library. If your child has a birthday in June or July, they can celebrate their half-birthday in December or January. This is a wonderful way to increase the number of books for our classroom and school libraries.

A notice is sent home prior to your child's birthday. If you wish to participate, you complete the form and return with a $10 donation to your child's teacher. You may also include a wallet sized photo which will be placed inside the book along with your child’s name. When the form and donation are received, the students will be notified to visit the multipurpose room to select a new book purchased by the PTO. The child will sign the book and donate it to the place of their choice. The book can be taken home, read by your family and then returned back to classroom/school library.

The books are long-lasting gifts that all the students of Silver Oak School can enjoy for years to come. We greatly appreciate your support.

Scholastic Books provides Silver Oak with a great selection of books and novelties for our annual Fall Book Fair. During the Book Fair there are many great books to buy for holiday gift giving and reading. This is also a great opportunity to help your child's classroom increase its library with the Classroom Wish List program. Look for the classroom wish list displayed near the registers.

Scholastic Book Fair is a great event for literacy. Proceeds from this event benefit the school Library.

Music in the Classroom

Kindergartners at Silver Oak participate in an interactive music learning experience through the sounds of drums and percussion. Music teacher, James Henry, visits our kindergartner classrooms 10 times a year. He is a San Francisco artist, recognized among his peers in the music industry. He has composed TV & film scores, touring the world with Columbia recording artist Pablo Cruise, and collaborating with other great artists including Taj Mahal, Robben Ford, Sly Stone, Buddy Miles, Merle Saunders, Pete Escovedo and Tom Jones.

In the spring, kindergartners also experience 12 weekly music visits from Ms. Lauren of MFM (see below).

1st - 4th Grades, Kindergarten (spring): Students in grades 1-4 (Kinder, in the spring) learn and perform music weekly with teachers from PTO music partner, Music for Minors.

Music for Minors (MFM) is a nonprofit with over 40 years of expertise in elementary school music education. With the mission of nurturing in children a lifelong love of music, MFM provides students in transitional kindergarten through sixth grade with a comprehensive music education program. The MFM curriculum includes a variety of musical experiences through hands-on participation in many facets of music, such as singing, movement, theory, dance, musical games, use of rhythm instruments, and playing recorder.

Ms. Marie Alberry-Hawkins (1st & 2nd Grade Instructor) has a BS from San Jose State University and extensive experience in planning and conducting educational programs for preschoolers through adults. She has held numerous leadership positions with the San Jose Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services Department, and previously volunteered as an MFM music teacher for several years. Marie sings with Schola Cantorum.

Ms. Lauren Haber (Kinder, 3rd & 4th Grade Instructor) has a Master’s in Music (Vocal Performance) from the Manhattan School of Music, as well as an AD from the Aaron Copland School of Music. She has a background teaching voice and piano with young students and has extensive operatic performance experience as a soprano. Lauren also serves as MFM’s Director of Talent.

5th and 6th Grades: Silver Oak's 5th and 6th grade students have busy academic schedules to achieve over the course of the year, and so their music classes are held in the spring over 10 weekly visits by music teacher and band instructor, Mr. Andrew Boyd.

Mr. Boyd brings a lifetime wealth of music knowledge and experience to the students of Silver Oak. He is a graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Through songs, various instruments, and interactive teaching, he shares the important ground foundations of music in a way that is passionate, inspiring and engaging each students creative spirit.

The aim is fun, informative, experiential learning.

PTO Family Fun Fest Carnival is a fun event for the entire family. On a warm afternoon in May, the community comes out to play at Silver Oak, with carnival games, entertainment, and many other fun activities. Enjoy Dinner at the Carnival from our concessions stand, and have a snow cone from the Kona Ice Truck!

The Silver Oak School community continues its commitment to fitness. Students in all grades participate in running or walking during this event as part of the school's physical fitness program. This fun run is also a "fun"-raiser and parents are encouraged to support their children with their pledges.

For information about this year's event... please visit the FITNESS FUN RUN webpage.page of your passport. Try new foods, watch traditional dancing and listen to live music from around the world. This very popular event is always great fun - the children LOVE it!

Travel around the world and learn about the different cultures within our own Silver Oak community. International Night is a wonderful evening of displays, music and food. Tour all the wonderful displays and answer questions along the way to get a "stamp" on every page of your passport. Try new foods, watch traditional dancing and listen to live music from around the world. This very popular event is always great fun - the children LOVE it!

Math Kangaroo is a popular international not-selective competition in mathematics for students in grades 1 through 12. It is organized by “Kangourou Sans Frontiers” with the aim of promoting mathematics among young people around the world. Each participant is seen as a winner and receives recognition and gifts on the test day in March. Those who achieve the top results are awarded in May. The competition consists of a 75 minute multiple choice test with 24 to 30 questions of increasing difficulty that challenge students through posing interesting problems. Math Kangaroo helps the students both to develop their skills and to enjoy mathematics even more.

Silver Oak is an exam center for Math Kangaroo and this competition is open to Silver Oak students only. For more information about this program, visit www.mathkangaroo.org.

Silver Oak Math Olympiad team students work really hard and have achieved excellent results in the Olympiad contests. Students meet before school in the library to learn different problem solving techniques and practice solving non-typical math problems. Through this program students experience a marked improvement in their mathematical thinking, their confidence when faced with a problem and, most importantly, their love for math.

Math Olympiad contest consists of 5 exams held once a month from November to March. The exam covers advanced math problems and has the same paper for 4th, 5th and 6th graders.

Primary Programmers Essentials and Advanced are both 8-week basic programming classes offered to 4th - 6th graders. In this class, students learn basic programming concepts using a standard programming language, such as Java. From variables and data types to loops and arrays, students will learn basic algorithm development based on simple mathematics. As students continue to develop these skills, the instructors will present more challenges in new and exciting and fun ways. Primary Programmers classes are taught by Silver Oak parent Attila Lengyel.

This is a National Drug Awareness & Prevention Program supported by Silver Oak through age appropriate activities and assemblies that encourage students to lead healthy, happy, and drug-free lives. Drug Free messages will be reinforced throughout the week via themed spirit days, a poster contest (with prizes) and special readings by the teachers. We encourage you to take this opportunity to discuss the topic with your kids as well.

Students in grades 1-6 have the opportunity to participate in theater arts through our school plays. The after school drama program allows students to fully experience being a part of a theater production from auditions, to rehearsals, to the excitement of the performance, and finally, the reward of applause for a job well done. Every student who auditions is guaranteed a part in the play. Students work hard to hone their acting, singing and dancing skills over the course of a 3 month period. In recent years, we have had the benefit of the directional talent of "Starting Arts", a nonprofit organization whose mission is the promotion and preservation of quality arts education in public schools. (Visit www.startingarts.com) The program also relies heavily on parent volunteers in order to run smoothly.

There are 2 productions each year. In the fall, students in grades 4-6 start work on the upper grade play culminating in a week of performances in mid-December. During the spring, students in grades 1-3 start work on the Lower grade play culminating in a week of performances in April. This is always a wonderful experience for the children so be on the look-out for details about each play.

Students in grades 4-6 have the chance to showcase their talents in this classic spelling bee. Daily spelling activities begin in January. Finalists of the written spelling bee advance to the Oral Spelling Bee taken at the end of January. All words are chosen from www.myspellit.com. Visit the website for practice word lists and more information about the Scripps Spelling Bee.

Silver Oak has been a participant in the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2006. The winner of this annual school bee event goes to the Bay Area Regional rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee sponsored by the San Francisco Chronicle. The winner of the Bay Area Regional rounds continues to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C.

Silver Oak students are superstars and the Talent Show is the event where they can showcase their talents. Auditions are held in April or early May with performances in May. All students accepted are allowed to perform after auditions.

Walk-and-Bike-to-School Week takes place in October. During this week all students who can walk or bike to school—one day or each day. Can’t walk or bike to school? Students get to school early and do some laps around the track to earn the daily stamp. Throughout the week participating student's hands are stamped. The class with the highest participation for the week will be awarded the “Golden Shoe” trophy.