Erin Morgan
Academic Coordinator, Math and Science
“The students at Oakwood are well ahead of their peers in public schools and other specialized schools when it comes to understanding the brain.”
-Dr. Guinevere Eden, Director of the Center for the Study of Learning, Georgetown University
Barb Zukowski, Academic Supervisor (1981-2007)
Learning how to read is hard.
I should know - In my 36-year career in education, the majority of those years were spent helping students with dyslexia gain the skills they needed to develop into successful readers.
Our mission at Oakwood is to provide a “multisensory educational program in which students with learning differences are guided to achieve their unique academic and social potential in a nurturing community environment.” (Oakwood Mission 2021)
But how do you stay true to this mission while navigating a myriad of COVID restrictions such as social distancing, wearing masks, adding air filtrations systems, and other measures?
Recently, Oakwood held the official groundbreaking for a major expansion and enhancement project. The plans include a complete renovation of the current facility and the addition of a new gym, classrooms, breakout and multipurpose spaces, and a new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) area.
Lane McIntyre, Head of School
Everything in life benefits from a solid foundation. Whether it is the homes we live in or the skills we use in our daily lives - they all are built upon a foundation set years ago.
50 years ago, Oakwood was built on the foundation of great people with great hearts who genuinely wanted to help others to grow and learn and succeed
Jeanine Cyrwus, M.Ed., CAGS
Academic Coordinator, Reading/Language Arts
Structured Literacy is a term adopted by the International Dyslexia Association, and refers to reading programs that are rooted in evidence and research. Examples you may be familiar with are curriculums that follow Orton-Gillingham (OG) methodologies.
Deborah Cohen, Ph.D., Oakwood School Counselor
Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness. --- Desmond Tutu
This month at Oakwood School, we are reflecting on the idea of hope. Hope is the belief that things can get better in the future, that there are good things ahead, and that something you want to happen will or can happen.
Lane McIntyre, Head of School
This year has been like no other in our 50-year history. Over the past year, we have been faced with more challenges than ever before. From remote learning last spring -- where we had a crash course on ZOOM -- to the current school year where we have navigated the challenges of physical distancing and mask-wearing.
Lane McIntyre, Head of School
The Early Years...
I don’t really have any memories from before Oakwood was founded. It has basically always existed in my mind. The year was 1971, and I was six years old when my parents, Bob and Mary McIntyre, founded what we now know as Oakwood School.
Kim Hiday, Oakwood School Speech and Language Pathologist
I’ve always been impressed with people who can remember the first book they read, and even more impressed when they can choose a favorite book. The books I’ve chosen as my “favorite” have changed as I’ve changed and are now specific to genres, an age group, and authors.
Deborah Cohen, Ph.D., Oakwood School Counselor
Over the summer, I worried a lot about our students. I wasn’t sure what life had been like for them since we left school or how COVID had impacted their families. I could imagine, but didn’t know what kind of trauma, grief, or anxiety the children would be bringing back with them when they returned to school. I wondered if the kids would show up at Oakwood, manifesting COVID stress as visible angst or acting out.
Jeanine Cyrwus, M.Ed., CAGS
Academic Coordinator, Reading/Language Arts
What are learning disabilities? Learning disabilities are caused by differences in brain function that affect how a person’s brain processes information. They are not an indication of a person's intelligence; people with learning disabilities are just as bright as others.
By Kim Hiday, Owner of McLean Speech & Language
Whether a dog lover or not, you’ve got to admit that pooches can work magic with kids.
Meet Yoda, who spends many of her days at Oakwood and is owned by McLean Speech & Language, the speech therapy organization that works in house with Oakwood students.
Deborah Cohen, Ph.D., Oakwood School Counselor
The current pandemic has brought drastic changes to our daily lives that are unprecedented in our lifetime. Many adults have said that this time is “surreal”, which Webster’s defines as “unbelievable and marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream.”
Michele Dausman, Occupational Therapist at Oakwood
I would not be saying anything new to remark that these are unusual and challenging times. In my own family, we have worked to be mindful in establishing new routines, to try new and creative cooking options, to stay safe, and even to make sure that we still like each other from day to day--there are a lot of “together” minutes!
