Enrollment

TK is transitional kindergarten — part one-of-two of Kindergarten! Your student must turn 5 years old between September 1 and March 1of the school year to be eligible for expanded TK at La Escuelita. In TK, we focus on school-readiness skills, socio-emotional development, and pre-literacy skills. We delve into the SEEDS curriculum to give students quality interactions with both teachers and other students. Your child will learn how to manage their emotions and build friendships. We will go on enriching field trips to the Oakland Zoo, Fairyland, and Tilden Little Farm. By the end of the year, your students will expand their knowledge of letter names, sounds, rhyming, vocabulary, shapes, numbers to 20, and will be ready to start being readers on their own. Your child will leave TK ready for Kindergarten and the rest of their schooling career!

In Kindergarten, students learn foundational literacy skills necessary to become independent learners. Students learn to name all letters and sounds of the alphabet, produce rhyming words and read sight words through various fun and enriching activities. We foster a love of reading through engaging and high-quality children’s books. By the end of year, students will blend CVC words (consonant, vowel, consonant) and be able to read “beginning to read” books independently. Students learn to write using phonetic spelling and frequency words.

In math, students learn to count, write, and identify numbers 0 to 20, recognize plain and geometric shapes, learn measurement, and solve basic addition and subtraction problems. Students will build addition and subtraction fluency over the course of the year. 

Students go on field trips to Regional Parks, Oakland Museum of California and the Exploratorium. We visit the Oakland main library once a month. We provide the students with hands-on art, music, PE and science activities to help develop social-emotional, fine and gross motor skills, and most importantly, a love of learning!

In First Grade, students will continue to develop their fundamental reading skills. They will expand their phonics knowledge and vocabulary, learn many reading strategies, and engage in comprehension activities. We utilize small groups to provide individualized instruction that will meet the personal needs of your child. 

We also use the Eureka Math curriculum which covers addition and subtraction, measurement and data, and geometry and time. We use hands-on activities to engage students in developing their understanding of more complex math tasks. Students will work with numbers within 120, by counting forwards and backwards, and by 5s and 10s. 

In first grade we also explore many science topics including sound and light, air and weather, and plants and animals. Students will do outdoor observations, experiments, and projects, and record all of their learning in a comprehensive science journal. 

In social studies, we focus on our time and place in the world, citizenship, and celebrating our identities and the cultural diversity of Oakland. La Escuelita also provides many enrichment opportunities for students. Every week, first graders will have PE, Art, library, and music class through Cantare Con Vivo. We partner with local organizations to provide students with many field trip opportunities throughout the year. Some of our common field trips include the Oakland Public Library, the Exploratorium in San Francisco, the Oakland Museum, and a class favorite, the Oakland Zoo. Your student will leave first grade with great memories, experiences, and the skills they need to succeed in second grade!

In Second Grade, our students become more experienced writers and readers, developing their skills in more complex and comprehensive ways. Students read longer books with more complex text and write more with stronger and more precise language.

We use Eureka Math to help students become proficient in three-digit addition and subtraction, skip counting, money, and time. They understand place value and can fluently add and subtract within 20.  

We continue to do full hands-on FOSS Science built around focus questions, academic discussions and science notebooks to make discoveries in earth sciences (rocks, pebbles and silt), life sciences (plants and insects), and physical sciences (solids and liquids). In addition to our second grade curriculum, students enjoy Library, PE, Music, and Art which they attend once a week

We visit the Oakland Public Library every month and have exciting field trips to give students the context for learning, including to the Exploratorium, regional parks, the Oakland Museum and other Bay Area museums.  

Welcome to the upper grades! Third grade is a big transitioning grade from second to fourth grade. Students are deepening their understanding of the world around them, building compassion and empathy for others, and becoming more independent thinkers.

Third grade readers are continuing to fill their toolbox to become lifelong readers including fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary skills. In third grade we dive into chapter books and learn to move from picture clues into text evidence. In writing, students are building their knowledge of sentence structures and parts of speech to form paragraphs and organized writing. We focus on personal narrative, informational writing, persuasive writing, and fiction writing.

Using Eureka Math curriculum, third grade mathematicians strengthen their number sense skills (skip counting, place value, comparing numbers) to add and subtract within 1000, multiply and divide within 10, learn measurement and time, begin understanding fractions, and more. Our third grade scientists are exposed to three FOSS Science units filled with investigation, critical thinking, and problem solving; Earth (Water and Climate), Life (Structures of Life), and Physical (Motion and Matter). 

In addition to our third grade curriculum, students enjoy Library, PE, Music, and Art which they attend once a week. We go on a number of field trips to connect our classroom learning to the outside world. Some field trips include visits to the Oakland Public Library, the Oakland Museum, Chabot Space and Science Center, the Exploratorium, and more!

In Fourth Grade, students build upon their knowledge from previous grades while developing critical thinking skills. Fourth graders are encouraged to become more independent and to  challenge themselves academically.

4th grade mathematicians begin the year reviewing place value and operations with whole numbers. The first few units of our Eureka Math curriculum cover addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, factors, multiples, and patterns. Midway through the year, the students explore fractions and decimals; the concepts range from equivalent fractions to adding, subtracting, and multiplying fractions. In the later part of the school year, the students dive into geometry, measurement, and data. They learn about two-dimensional figures, angles, perimeter and area. All of the math concepts are reinforced during weekly math activities, games, small group instruction, and cross-curricular activities.

By 4th grade, most students are reading to learn. This allows for an array of exciting learning opportunities and projects. All steps of the writing process are practiced and reinforced through a variety of writing activities; these assignments often connect to our novel studies. Students will also express their love of reading through hands-on projects and book reports.

In Social Studies, students explore the rich history and geography of California. This includes political, social, and economic topics.  Students also explore the role of the state and federal government.

4th grade scientists explore physical, life, and earth sciences.  Students will design and conduct experiments and observations. Students will work collaboratively to explore the science at work in the world around us.

We enhance the classroom experience by including art, music, physical education, and guest presenters. Students have the opportunity to participate in multiple field trips including: Redwood Regional Park, Lake Merritt Sailing into Science, The Exploratorium, attending an Oakland A’s game, and more!

In Fifth Grade, students are encouraged to develop multiple skills through a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes critical and independent thinking while recognizing different interests, strengths, and learning styles.

Students will find main ideas and understand or search to understand complex vocabulary in their reading. They will also critique the author's viewpoint, and understand controversial topics through debate while evaluating both sides. Students will begin writing about their reading: understanding and analyzing text structures, interpreting text, supporting claims about a text through evidence and research, and making inferences based on what they’ve read. These are important skills for middle school! Students will write narratives, opinion papers, and informational texts while quoting, learning how to draft and revise, and searching for primary sources (our Westward Expansion Unit). Students will also write persuasive papers with supporting detail and evidence.

We use Eureka Math to learn concepts such as place value, add and subtract decimals and fractions, multiply and divide decimals and fractions, multiply and divide whole numbers with multiple digits, geometry, measurement, algebra, patterns, and coordinate planes/graphs. These topics prepare students for middle school.

In Social Studies we discuss: The Land and People Before Columbus: Native Americans, Age of Exploration, 13 Colonies, Slave Trade, Road to the Revolutionary War/American Revolution, The Development and Significance of the U.S. Constitution, and Westward Expansion. Our Social Studies is enriched through slideshow presentations and videos, followed by discussion, brief writing activities, and collaborations with other students (group work).

We cover these Science units: Mixtures and Solutions, Earth and Sun, and Living Systems. Students complete collaborative investigations through academic discussions to learn about each unit with guided focus questions, and will write their findings in notebooks and share presentations with the class.

There are many exciting field trips to look forward to in Fifth Grade! Some of our field trips include: The Oakland Museum, Writing Workshop 510, the Exploratorium, Lake Merritt, and Redwood Regional Park. We also have organizations who come to campus to share their expertise and profession (Firefighters, Police Officers, Aviation, Science Engineers, and more).

Students new to learning English (ELL students) have all the same opportunities as other English Learners to learn grade level content and become comfortable with English in school. In addition, newcomers receive 2 hours per week of extra support to grow social English and foundational reading skills. We use a curriculum called In the USA (Inside the USA, for middle school) to get to know one another, our community, and gain school readiness skills. Learn more.

The English Learner (EL) Program ensures that students with limited English mastery:

1. have access to school opportunities by helping students grow English language skills at their grade level,

2. develop high levels of academic success in English, and 

3. meet the same challenging state academic standards all students are expected to meet. 

We work with our district’s ELLMA office to offer English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction and activities. You can read in more detail about the program here.

In P.E., you will learn about your own body and your own health. While gaining the skills and knowledge to improve your health and life, and to have fun. You will set goals, monitor your own progress and learn how to improve. 

Physical Education State Standards:

• Standard 3.3: Develop individual goals, from research-based standards, for each of the five components of health-related physical fitness: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition.

• Standard 4: Students demonstrate knowledge of movement concepts, principles, and strategies that apply to the learning and performance of physical activities.

• Standard 3: Students assess and maintain a level of physical fitness to improve health and performance.

This is Mr. Swihart’s 6th year directing music at La Escuelita, and his 23rd year teaching music in OUSD. Before coming to La Escuelita, Mr. Swihart worked in the OUSD Music Department, supporting TK-12 music programs across OUSD, and served as the director of the award-winning instrumental music program at Montera Middle School for 6 years.

TK-5 students attend weekly or bi-weekly music lessons with a teaching artist from a local arts organization, Cantare con Vivo. Students sing diverse folk songs from around the world and learn fundamental musical skills.

In 3rd Grade, we have forged a strong partnership with Living Jazz, which provides teacher artistst to facilitate classes in the Fall and the Spring. Click here to learn more!

In Grades 4-5, students have the option of playing violin, trombone, flute, clarinet, saxophone, drums, or trumpet in the La Escuelita Band. Most students use OUSD instruments, which are loaned to students for the school year, free of charge. Students have two 30-minute classes per week, where they learn how to read written music notation, improvise on simple melodies, and play a variety of musical styles (pop, rock, classical, blues, jazz, folk songs, etc.). Mr. Swihart focuses on giving students the knowledge and skills they need in order to perform music joyfully, individually, and together as a band. The La Escuelita Band performs multiple times throughout the year, at school concerts and special events.

The resource program supports specifically assessed students who are deemed to need extra assistance in math, writing and English language arts. Students also work on social skills, team building skills, behavioral management skills and organizational skills. In this program the whole student is supported.