Live Oak Learns: Parent & Guardian Enrichment at Live Oak

In planning our program for this school year, we reflected back on what we learned from years past and took action on a few key takeaways. We are so grateful for the engagement so many of you brought to last year's events–from thoughtful questions during sessions to the conversations that continued long after they ended. Those interactions reminded us why this work matters. At the same time, we heard genuine, constructive feedback about how we can continue to iterate on our program to make them even more valuable for your families. We take that feedback seriously, and it's shaped how we're approaching this year–higher frequency, greater depth, and more alignment with the learning and support our students are experiencing in the classroom.

These parent enrichment opportunities with the Head of School and Associate Head of School are intended to build trust and transparency by giving families direct access to school leadership's vision in leading school priorities and maintaining a pulse on how families are experiencing school life. They reinforce the partnership between home and school by affirming that parents and guardians are active stakeholders in their child's education and by helping to align expectations around academic, social, and community. The sessions will help parents and guardians understand school decisions and help the school leadership understand family needs. We expect to strengthen the Live Oak School community by ensuring our school leadership is visible, approachable, and responsive throughout the year.

In alignment with Live Oak School's mission to support the potential and promise of each student, Grade Level Roundtables provide a facilitated space for parents and guardians to connect, share experiences, and engage in open dialogue as children move through developmental stages and milestones. Just as we ask our students to become courageous and conscientious learners, we invite our parent community to bring that same spirit of curiosity, honesty, and care into these conversations. Roundtables strengthen the partnership between home and school and deepen our shared understanding of Live Oak School's mission in action–by celebrating successes, addressing concerns, and exchanging ideas. Together, we act with compassion and integrity to support the growth of our children and the health of our whole community.

Live Oak School partners with Well Beyond Academics to provide comprehensive sexuality programming, mental health curriculum and substance use education to students and their families. They take necessary but potentially awkward, scary, stressful topics and turn them into fun, engaging opportunities for learning, conversation and connection. Parents are invited to join the various parent education opportunities provided for specific grade levels within this series. These events offer a window into the programming that students are receiving and provide parenting strategies and communication tips in connection to that content. 

Live Oak's membership with SPEAK, a coalition of 18 different K-8 independent schools in the Bay Area, provides access to free parent/guardian education events throughout the year at different member school sites. SPEAK facilitates a network that brings together renowned speakers from fields as diverse as parenting, diversity, children's mental health, and digital citizenship. 

ISACS Parent Series provides a series of webinars, designed for parents and guardians and hosted by leading experts in the fields of education, parenting, and child development, with the intention of supporting families in all stages of their children’s growth. Live Oak families will be able to stream these webinars live or watch the recording, all free of charge. 

In the weeks ahead, you will see a link to our parent enrichment overview, including dates and topics for all of our offerings identified above. Your presence, your questions, and your perspective help us build a stronger, more collaborative learning community for every family at Live Oak. We hope you'll join us this year, and are looking forward to continuing this partnership together.