Oakwood Parent COVID-19 Resource Page
Oakwood COVID-19 Updates
May 22
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Greetings Oakwood Families, Virtual Friendship Celebration First of all, thank you all for a great evening last Saturday. It was wonderful to have so many of you join us for our Virtual Friendship Celebration. And a special thank you to all those who contributed to help provide Tuition Assistance to many deserving students. Your gifts have made a difference. The Future I want to share with you some information about how we’re planning for the future – near and far. Materials Pick Up and Return Most of our students still have materials at Oakwood, of course. We’ve not been allowed to open up our doors to you all to gather those belongings. We know that there are also materials that many of you need to return to Oakwood – textbooks, laptops, etc. The week of June 8th - 12th has been designated for the exchange of materials. A SignUpGenius will be coming out soon so that you may schedule a time to swing by the school to drop off and pick up materials. Summer Program Given the current social-distancing measures still in place in Northern Virginia and with student safety in mind, Summer @ Oakwood will implement online learning this summer. While summer 2020 will feel different and offer fewer contact hours, our primary Intensive Reading & Writing focus will remain. Registration is still open, so if you’re interested, email Summer@OakwoodSchool.com for more details of the revised Summer Program. Fall 2020 Of course, the biggest question on everyone’s mind is the Fall. In reality, there is no way for us to know what we’ll be facing at that time. So, we’re looking at several possible senerios, and have initiated the formation of a task force to work on contingencies and proactive plans for how to manage the situation. With the hope that we will be back on campus, we have begun the process of arranging our building with social distancing and student/staff safety as our top priority. With the distinct possibility that we will be required to return to online learning at some point, our Task Force will be preparing for such a transition, applying best practices learned through our current experience and gleaning resources from around the world. Anything is possible. Therefore we are preparing for any of the following scenarios: Fall 2020 – Scenarios
Obviously, none of us can know what will happen, but we are working to be prepared for any of the many possibilities. We will be sending out another Parent Survey in early June in order to include your insights and recommendations in our plans as well. As we begin this Memorial Day weekend, I hope you and your children will enjoy some non-academic family activities together. Until we’re in touch again, I pray you and your families remain safe and healthy. Most Sincerely, Lane |
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May 8
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Greetings Oakwood Families, Thank you for the strong participation in last weekend’s survey. I know it took time and thought for you to reply, so thank you your invaluable feedback. We have tried very hard to address and incorporate your thoughts and suggestions. There is no survey this week, so you can take a break! Survey Results Overall, it appears that we are striking an appropriate balance of live instruction and the home independent work. Around 90% of you feel that we are in the right spot now. A small handful of you (6%) were interested in more Zoom sessions, and a smaller handful (4%) wanted less. Overall, we feel we’ve hit the mark – for now. As this stretches on for 5 more weeks, we know this will continue to be a dynamic situation. Among other things, we heard your request to try to standardize the format of Google Classroom from teacher to teacher. We’ve been working on that also, again hoping to make things more user friendly for you. That process is continuing. We also know that several of you expressed an interest in one-on-one time between your child and his/her teachers. Remember that you can reach out to the teachers directly to set up a session as needed. Many of you have already done that, and I understand it was helpful. We’ll continue to explore ways to free up teachers for this. We’ll send out another survey in a couple of weeks to check in with you again formally. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me with your thoughts. Oakwood Friendship Virtual Celebration You should have seen announcements and invitations to the upcoming Saturday night Oakwood Friendship Celebration on May 16th. I hope you have RSVP’d by now, but if you haven’t, below is a link to do so. This event will serve two purposes. First, and foremost, this will be a celebration of the Oakwood Community! It will involve our students, parents, graduates, and alumni. The evening will be filled with fun, music, and inspiration. We may be separated by social distancing, but we can still gather together in this virtual event and enjoy each other! The other purpose of the evening is to raise funds to help needy families, especially those impacted by the COVID-19 shut downs, be able to afford to attend Oakwood next school year. For years Oakwood has raised money to offer Tuition Assistance to worthy families in need. Clearly, we have a greater need now than every before. We have a chance to help those families now, by raising additional funds to meet the additional need caused by this crisis. Please consider joining us that evening for this exciting and meaningful event! Click here to RSVP for our Friendship Virtual Celebration Teacher Appreciation I speak on behalf of the teachers when I say, “Thank you for your thoughtfulness and encouragement this week!” As I mentioned last week, the Oakwood teaching staff is exceptional, but they are also human (when they’re not being superhuman,) and your gifts and expressions of appreciation are very meaningful. They are working incredibly hard every day, putting in longer hours than ever, in order to serve your children with the best education possible – even in impossible circumstances. Thank you for acknowledging them in such a special way this week. I’m grateful for them and for you. As we wrap up another week of COVID-19 Learning, I hope you and your family remain healthy and safe. With the steady stream of new cases each day, I continue to pray for all of you and your families. Have a blessed weekend. Most Sincerely, Lane McIntyre |
May 1
Dear Oakwood Community,
This week’s Oakwood communication is a another video update from Head of School, Lane McIntyre. See the video below. We hope you enjoy!
Also, please take a moment to complete this week's feedback survey. Click here to participate in the survey. This survey is now closed.
Finally, we are continuing to offer our Individual Technology Help Sessions with our Technology Support Staff. Click here to sign-up for a helpful, one-on-one troubleshooting session.
Most Sincerely,
Oakwood School Administration
April 24
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Greetings Oakwood Families, I hope this has been a good week and that you are remaining safe and sane. Thank you all for your participation in the Parent Survey last weekend. We were pleased to get such strong participation, which provided a lot of useful information. I wanted to give you some quick feedback. Survey Results We found that a majority of you feel that our students are receiving the “Just Right” amount of Zoom Instruction. However, another 30% of you felt we should increase the amount of that live instruction. As you know, this week, we ramped up those Zoom sessions. So, in this week’s Survey, please let us know what you think about the increased amount. Statistically, there was an interest in a corresponding decrease in the amount of Student Independent work as live classes increase. Tech Help Needed The biggest expressed need we found in the Survey is a desire for more help on your end navigating Google Classroom and Zoom. We heard you! As a result, we are offering Individual Technology Help Sessions. Below is a link to request that Tech Help. Our Technology Support Staff are offering to set up one-on-one sessions with any of you who would like assistance using Google Classroom and/or Zoom. Complete the form, and they will be in touch with you to schedule a training session. We recognize that you are all at different places in your functionality, so instead of a large group training session, we will offer individual help where you need it the most. Please don’t be shy about signing up! Help is available! Link to Sign up for Tech Help: https://forms.gle/qX3ACz3mcUVr9TW48 New Survey Below is also a link to a survey evaluating this week’s activities. It is a simplified version of last week’s Survey, intended to help us see trends and to make adjustments accordingly. Please take a moment to respond; we do want your continued feedback. Click here to participate in this week's feedback survey! This survey will remain open until 9AM on Monday, April 27th 2020. Staff Planning Days Change As you know, on our calendar May 7 & 8 are scheduled to be Staff Planning Days. The main purpose of those days is always to give teachers time to prepare Progress Reports for their students. This year is no different. However, we have decided to split and delay those days this year in order to give our teachers more time to work with and assess students for those Reports. We also think it will be less impactful on our students and families to push those back and spread out those days to different weeks. So, those two Staff Planning days will now be May 15 & May 22. Go Team! Thank you for all that you are doing on your end to partner with your child’s teachers. We recognize that this is a challenge for everyone. But, at Oakwood, we believe most challenges can best be conquered by Teamwork. So, we are pleased to partner with you in this unprecedented adventure. We will continue to communicate with you, and look forward to growing through all of this. Most Sincerely, Lane Lane McIntyre, Head of School |
April 9
March 27
Dear Oakwood Community
I hope that your family continues to remain safe and healthy. This week we have continued to adjust our planning and thinking from short-term to long-term, considering the Governor’s order that schools remain closed for the school year.
Classroom Schedules
This week most of our classes had at least one live online session with their teacher. The Academic Team has been meeting with each Teaching Team, discussing the establishment of classroom schedules. They will be rolling out those schedules class-by-class over the next few days.
Online Tools
We’re pleased with what we’ve learned about using Zoom, and our teachers will continue to become more and more familiar with that tool, as well as others. We are pleased to let you know that all our classes, including Teams 1-4 for the first time, will be rolling out the use of Google Classroom to help direct assignments and instruction between students and teachers. It will also give you and your students a framework in which you will find various resources you’ll have at your disposal. As we instruct online, there are guidelines that we need to use. Please click here to review these guidelines with your child before his/her first class on Monday.
Change and Communication
As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, said: “change is the only constant in life.” I would add, “Especially in a pandemic.” We are finding that every week, sometimes from one day to the next, we are having to adjust things. Clearly, this an evolving environment, and I hope you can continue to flex with us as we adjust. We will continue to communicate with you regularly. We will be having a school-wide virtual town hall meeting in the near future. We’ll let you know as soon as that is scheduled and how to login.
Spring Break
Yes, we will have Spring Break!! We are going to stick with our break as currently scheduled, April 6th – April 13th. I hope that gives you and your family, as well as our teachers, a chance to breathe and take a mental break. I pray that it is also a time of spiritual strength and refreshment as we celebrate a number of faith-oriented holy days during that break.
Campus Status
Our campus remains open with limited staff on-site, well under the 10-person restriction. Call or email, we’re here if you need us!
Thanks again for your flexibility and endurance through this historic time. I recognize how taxing this is on our children, and thus on you. May you find strength and hope in the midst of challenge.
Most Sincerely,
Lane
M. Lane McIntyre
Head of School
March 23
Dear Oakwood Community,
As you likely heard, Virginia Gov. Northam announced that schools in our Commonwealth will remain closed through the end of the school year. While something like this would have been unthinkable even just a few short weeks ago, we knew it was a possibility. It is now our present reality. Oakwood will comply with this Executive Order, of course.
While this is clearly not ideal, we remain committed to educating your children. Obviously, our Academic Team and teachers have already been working hard to develop electronic schoolwork and distance learning resources. That will continue, now with a longer view in mind. The more we do this, the more we will learn about how to be as effective as possible.
As I noted in my email last Friday, our teachers have done a lot in a very short period of time already. In fact, nothing in my email from Friday has really changed. As I said, “This was a good week. Next week will be even better.” That is still true.
There are clearly more details to follow. We will continue to process all that this means and will continue to communicate to you with regular updates. For now, we continue to pray for you and your children as we all navigate these uncharted waters.
Most Sincerely,
Lane
M. Lane McIntyre
Head of School
March 20
Dear Oakwood Families,
I hope and pray that your family is safe and healthy. During this unprecedented time of uncertainty, may your home be a place of refuge and peace for your children.
We’re wrapping up our first week of distance learning…and we are ALL learning a lot – teachers, parents, and students alike!! We’re discovering what works and what needs adjustment. And, as our teachers become more comfortable with the tools we’re currently using, that learning will clearly increase.
I’m proud of our staff for pulling all this together with such little notice. They were able to lay out a basic plan in less than 48 hours, and it has gotten us off to a start. As you know, our style of education (multi-sensory) does not lend itself naturally to distance learning. However, we continue to seek out tools and ways to engage students in creative ways. Our Academic Team and support staff are working hard to help discover some great resources that are very promising.
That being said, I know you are probably hoping for more synchronous contact between teacher and student. We are getting that set up, starting with using Zoom to facilitate a live video platform for Parent Conferences.
By the middle of next week, the teachers will be setting up schedules for meetings with their small groups for Reading/Literature/Writing, Math, and OG/Phonics/Word Study. This will look different at each level of our program, so look for the information from your child’s teachers about what will be occurring and when. The Academic Team is working with each set of teachers to develop this schedule, starting with one “interaction” per week for each of the core classes.
Please be patient as we travel down an uncharted path with virtually no road map nor time to prepare. “Grace” is a word and concept that is as valuable as gold right now. This was a good week. Next week will be even better.
Honestly speaking, your involvement as a parent is going to be essential for effectively serving our students, your children. Older students will need less; younger students, may need quite a bit. I’ve spent quite a bit of time for the past two weeks consulting and sharing ideas with other independent schools around the area and across the country, including other LD schools. Universally our discussions have concluded that parental engagement will be a critical factor in academic success during this time. As an Oakwood parent myself, I’ve been “pounding and tapping” vocabulary words with my daughter! Interesting, and sometimes amusing for both of us, it has been very, very profitable. Our teachers are providing some great content. It is imperative for us as parents to help implement the lesson plans.
On other note…remember, your children still need physical activity in order to learn. So make sure to schedule “wiggle breaks” and recess into your day. (And screen-time doesn’t count as motion breaks!) My wife took my daughter on a walk around Lake Accotink yesterday for PE!
The administrative staff remains on campus for now, seeking to keep everything running and facilitating all the teacher activities. Please feel free to reach out to us by phone or email if you need anything.
Resilience is a trait we work hard at Oakwood to foster. This historic disruption to our lives is giving an epic opportunity for all of us to build that resilience. May God grant your homes peace in this time of trial.
Most Sincerely,
Lane
M. Lane McIntyre
Head of School
March 16
Dear Oakwood Families,
As the current challenges regarding the COVID-19 virus continue to change and develop, we wanted to clarify a few logistics and then share some academic information with you.
Dates and Governing Authorities:
Oakwood is currently under the authority of the Governor of Virginia’s Executive Order. As such Oakwood will be closed until at least March 27th. We will follow their instructions regarding reopening or extending the closure. Please note that we do not necessarily follow Fairfax County Public Schools when they differ from the Governor’s parameters.
Parent Conferences:
It is our goal to carry on with Parent Conferences over the next couple of weeks. Your child’s teacher will be in touch regarding that specific schedule. They will be offering to conduct the Conference using video conferencing via Zoom, or telephone conferencing.
Academic Expectations:
As we all acclimate to this new reality of social distance, the Oakwood teachers and the Academic Team have been working hard to learn how to engage with the students from afar! We want the students to maintain skills and keep learning. Your child’s teacher will have already communicated with you about work to be done, and every child left school on Friday with backpacks loaded!
While each team will have certain expectations, here are some that apply to everyone:
Assignments
Students will have work Monday through Friday in the following subjects: Reading/Literature, Orton-Gillingham/Phonics, Writing, and Math. Younger students will have worksheets that have been sent home already or will be emailed to you. Older students (Teams 5 – 10) will use Google Classroom to receive and submit work.
Workspace
Home workspace – set up an office for your child. Structure is important for these days and adds a level of certainty in a high anxiety time! Have a designated workspace with materials readily available in an area that is relatively free of distractions. Keep a schedule – have certain times for work to be completed. Help your child organize and track the work that is sent.
Expectations
The work we are sending home does need to be completed – it is not optional. Your child’s progress can be preserved with practice and review of skills. For students in Teams 5 – 10, these assignments will be part of the final grade. At this time, we are aiming for about an hour of schoolwork daily; older students may have a bit more and younger students a bit less.
Technology
Please remind your child about responsible use of technology. We will all be using technology to communicate, and we know these devices can be invaluable tools for learning. Some children (in Teams 5 – 10) will need help to monitor use of Google Classroom, too.
Hands-On-Learning
This is a great opportunity to have students try more hands-on activities such as helping with cooking (reading a recipe, measuring ingredients), doing science experiments, finding items in the house that rhyme, or begin with a certain sound, writing a letter to a relative, etc. Of course, we all know that physical activity is important and if it is outside that is even better.
Reading
Read, read, read – every day! Many students have access to Epic or Learning Ally. Local libraries provide access to books via online apps.
Contact Info
If you run out of things to do or have questions, email the teachers or the members of the Academic Team: Jeanine Cyrwus jcyrwus@oakwoodschool.com for Reading, OG and Writing; Erin Morgan emorgan@oakwoodschool.com for Math or Science; Deb Cohen dcohen@oakwoodschool.com for mindfulness; and Susan Autry sautry@oakwoodschool.com for Social Studies or general questions.
Since each team and group within a team will have different requirements, please contact your child’s teacher for specific questions.
Office Open
The Oakwood Administrative Offices will remain open during this time, so please feel free to be in touch. We will close if the Governor mandates such a closure.
Enjoy this unexpected time together!
Oakwood School Administration
March 13
An Update From Our Head of School
The Oakwood leadership has been meeting regularly to discuss COVID-19 and its impact on our school. Obviously, this situation is very fluid, and changes are ongoing as plans evolve. We will continue to update you with details as they develop.
Update, Friday, March 13, 2020 at 3:00pm:
Monday, March 16, 2020, will be a Staff Development Day. There will be no school for Oakwood students. Oakwood’s faculty and staff will be in the building preparing lesson plans to use during the upcoming school closures.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020, through Friday, March 27, 2020, school is closed. Students will be out through at least March 27th.
Tuesday, March 17, 2020 Students will begin to receive regular assignments from teachers. You will get detailed information on Monday, March 16, 2020, about those assignments.
Parents should plan for their student to have access to a laptop or desktop computer for at least an hour each day. If this is not possible for your family, please notify your teacher.
At this time, we are working on arrangements for Parent-Teacher Conferences which have been scheduled for March 19, 20 & 23. We will be in touch as soon as we have firmed up plans.
The next update is scheduled for Monday, March 16th – or sooner if events warrant.
We appreciate your patience during this challenging time for our community, our country, and our world. As events unfold, we will continue to keep you updated.
Sincerely,
Lane
M. Lane McIntyre
Head of School
Oakwood School
March 11
An Update From Our Head of School
Dear Oakwood Community,
We have been continually monitoring the COVID-19 virus and its impact on our surrounding area. We wanted to provide you an update on what we know, reassure you of the steps we’re taking on our campus, and provide a general overview of the next steps.
Despite Fairfax County Public Schools being closed on Monday, March 16, 2020, Oakwood School will be open as normal, unless we are instructed otherwise by the Fairfax County Health Department, or if our health status as a school changes.
To date, there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 identified in Fairfax County Public Schools or any local public school systems.
The Oakwood campus as a whole is being cleaned as often as possible with extra care to high traffic areas. Oakwood is reinforcing the importance of the following with all Staff and students:
- Washing hands often with soap and water; and if not available using hand sanitizer.
- Avoiding touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
- Covering mouth/nose with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
- Avoiding contact with people who are sick.
- Staying at home while you are sick and avoiding close contact with others.
Please reinforce all of these points in your household.
The school Administrative Team is working on an operational and instructional plan should the school need to close for any length of time.
- Field Trips: We are not necessarily canceling all Field Trips at this time. We’ll take them week-by-week, and location-by-location to determine whether it is prudent to cancel or not.
- Parent Conferences:At this point, we plan to continue with Parent Conferences as scheduled. If the situation changes, we’ll be back in touch.
We have been in touch with our local health department, and we will relay any information should we be advised to implement different actions to prevent the spread of the virus.
Additional information can be found at the following links:
- https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/novel-coronavirus
- http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/news/2020-news-releases/
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Because this situation is fluid, we will be providing periodic updates to keep the Oakwood School Community informed. Thank you again for your patience and understanding as we continue to monitor this situation closely.
Sincerely,
Lane
M. Lane McIntyre
Head of School
Oakwood School
March 6
Dear Oakwood Community,
In response to the CDC’s announcement regarding the COVID-19 virus, we wanted to share the following information about the precautions that Oakwood School is taking to keep our campus clean and to educate our students about the coronavirus.
First, we are reinforcing the importance of students properly washing their hands before eating, and after sneezing, coughing, or using the bathroom. Teachers are providing additional transition time to allow for this. We are also reinforcing with our custodial team the importance of following our rigorous cleaning protocols by using hospital-grade disinfectants on frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs, faucet handles, and handrails. Hand sanitizer is available in all classrooms and common spaces.
Our teachers have been speaking to our student body in age-appropriate ways about the coronavirus and how to prevent illness at school. Here are some of the resources that they have been using in their discussions:
• Comic Strip from NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/28/809580453/just-for-kids-a-comic-exploring-the-new-coronavirus
• Safe Sneezing Video from MythBusters: https://youtu.be/3vw0hIs2LEg
• Helpful Posters from the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51048366
If you are looking for ways to approach this conversation at home, please feel free to use these resources.
Finally, we all know that the common cold and flu viruses are not unusual during the winter season. If a student shows signs of a cold or the flu at school, we will immediately ask parents to pick them up. Likewise, if your student displays any cold or flu symptoms, please help us by keeping your child at home until they are symptom-free for at least 24 hours.
Thank you for your support and for helping us keep Oakwood a healthy environment for our students.
Sincerely,
Lane McIntyre
Head of School
Oakwood School
Oakwood School’s Distance Learning Plan
Click Here to Learn More
During this unprecedented time, we are keenly aware of the challenges being faced by parents, teachers, and students as we navigate this new educational territory. That being said, Oakwood is committed to ensuring that each student makes progress during the remainder of the school year.
We are providing the following information to give you an overview of what our distance learning plan entails and how you can be most helpful to your child in this endeavor.
Please understand that this initial plan will continue to evolve as, together, we adjust to teaching and learning in a virtual world. Your input will be invaluable during this process as we seek to create an optimal learning environment for your child.
In this ever-changing time, one thing remains constant: Oakwood is dedicated to providing the best education possible for each of our students.
Online Instruction:
- Presently, Oakwood teachers are providing live-online instruction in the core subjects of OG/Word Study, Reading, Writing, and Math. Additional non-online classwork is being provided by teachers to students to further build their skills.
- Oakwood’s goal is to increase online instruction after we return from Spring Break. Of course, this will look different for each grade level and will be communicated to you directly by your child’s teacher as we gradually increase the amount of time for the core subjects.
Beyond Reading, Writing, and Math:
Science and Social Studies:
- Non-core subjects, such as Science and Social Studies, will be taught in the existing homeroom teams and will be based on the students’ grade level.
- For instance, our youngest elementary school students will be doing more “hands-on” projects and “virtual field trips” via live instruction.
- For our older, middle schoolers, a combination of online and independent learning will reinforce the development of their study skills as well as the content of the material being introduced.
- Instruction in Science and Social Studies will be phased in as we see how the students adapt to the increased instruction in the core subjects.
Art, Music and PE:
- When we return from Spring Break, PE, Art and Music will be offered directly to students online. Although we encourage students to participate in these activities, they are not meant to overwhelm students, so their participation in them is not mandatory.
- We recognize the value of social activities during this time. Therefore, other opportunities for socialization, such as Lunch Bunch with Oakwood Counselor Dr. Cohen, will continue as well.
Speech and Occupational Therapy:
· Online individual therapy is available for those students previously enrolled.
Communication:
- Team Teachers will remain the primary source of communication for you and your student.
- Teachers will provide you with times during the school day (outside of virtual teaching hours) when they are available to connect with you and answer questions.
- The Academic Team and additional administrative staff will also be available during the school day to assist parents and students.
Helpful Tips for Parents
- Have a dedicated space for your child to work.
- Students should have the materials they need at their workspace. Teachers may ask that you supply certain items for your child. If you don’t know what your child might need, please ask the teacher. This may include printing out materials that the teacher has sent either in an email or via Google Classroom.
- Students should be logged in and on time for class with the materials they need.
- Snacks and bathroom breaks should occur before class begins.
Online Learning Platforms
- Teachers are using Google Classroom to post assignments, upload supporting documents for lessons and practice, and share links. Some of these may need to be printed out and scanned to submit; others can be completed and “turned in” via Google Classroom.
- Zoom will be used for all online teaching sessions.
- Your student may need your assistance in accessing live instruction via Zoom, as well as monitoring the completion and return of practice assignments via scanning or uploading to Google Classroom.
- If you need assistance in familiarizing yourself with Zoom or Google Classroom, please access the following links: 1) Mrs. Busovsky created this Introduction to Google Classroom 2) two videos about Google Classroom (video one), (video two) and 3) a video about Zoom that has good information – for kids and adults!
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we use our growth mindset to determine the best learning situation for our students, using these new platforms. We understand this places new responsibilities on you, the parent, and challenges for your home. As always at Oakwood, we are all part of your child’s team. The more we work together to support your child, the more progress your child will make. We are here for you!
Thank you,
Oakwood School Academic Team