Oak Leaf Weekly Update

River Oak Charter School

Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the blossom, Kind deeds are the fruits. . Take care of your garden, Take out the weeds. Fill it with sunshine, Kind words and kind deeds.

ROCS Community,

Thank you for your support of our students and the ROCS program!

Also, I wanted to thank you for responding to the tardy and absent letters that are sent by the office. It is important to meet with me if you have received a letter so we can find out ways to support your family with tardiness or absences. In addition, we appreciate the efforts to finalize, sign and turn in your independent study work and contracts!

Join the Charter Council!

Please consider serving on the Charter Council for River Oak. We are seeking community members who are dedicated to Waldorf Public Education, have a desire to see our school succeed and thrive, as well as a love for working on a team. Please reach out to the office for more information!

Basketball season is wrapping up and we appreciate the support from families and our beloved coach Ms. Martinez! Her dedication, patience and coaching skills have left a lifelong imprint on each of her players because of her positive impact. Having a coach that sees you and guides your development is a gift, and we are so fortunate! Thank you, Ms. Martinez!

Our new COVID Coordinator, Ms. Ali, has started and is forming positive relationships with staff and students, as well as helping where she can on campus. Ms. Ali is a team player, and we are so happy to welcome her to our community! Thank you for your service, Ms. Jessica, and we will see you around campus as a parent and substitute!

Acorn Hut News:

Please be sure to write your aftercare checks out to River Oak Charter School with Acorn Hut on the memo line- we SO appreciate this, thank you!

Wednesday Afternoon Garden Volunteers:

Thank you Jessica Welling for getting this started and providing oversight on what is still needed! Parents, please email me kmccullough@riveroakcharterschool if you would like to help prep the winter garden for spring planting on a Wednesday after school. Thank you!

ROCS Yearbook Information:

To purchase online:

https://link.entourageyearbooks.com/my/RiverOakUkiah2022

8th grade will start selling yearbooks in both parking on Wednesdays AND Thursdays.The yearbook costs go UP to $30 after April 4th.

APRIL 4th is also the AD deadline. To place an ad, a parent or business can email yearbook@riveroakcharterschool.org

Uploading photos? Just email yearbook@riveroakcharterschool.org

COMING UP:

February 15th, 5:30pm, Charter Council Meeting (zoom link on website calendar)
February 17, 21 No school
February 22nd- Speech Assembly
February 24th- Leadership Event- cookie contest
February 25th- 8th grade Angel Island Field Trip
February 28th- 6th Grade Play
March 28-April 1- Spring Break

Please reach out if you have questions or concerns, and thank you for your support of River Oak!

With Gratitude,

Kristi McCullough

Mind Out Loud- Mental Health Resource for Students 5th -12th Grades

Wellness Together School Mental Health is excited to announce Mind Out Loud, a free online event for STUDENTS (5th-up), in partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education and the California Department of Education.

On March 12th, students can join together for an all day virtual experience to:

Connect with their peers across the country
Hear from engaging speakers to be equipped with practical tools for wellness
Increase mental health awareness and advocacy for themselves and their friends
Learn about suicide prevention
Reduce stigma around mental health

Watch the 2021 RECAP Video:

https://youtu.be/tkVlM2LyCZg

Mind Out Loud (MOL) Program Overview:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6155db8ad3ad244590ec0c7d/t/61e99c53ee0c7c6eb45fa1ad/1642699872663/Mind+Out+Loud+Program+Overview.pdf

Hunter's knitted Gnome from handwork class- so much love and pride!

Why Waldorf Students Knit

This is an article that was shared at a private Waldorf School in Philadelphia. Enjoy!

SPORTS REPORT by Kaleo Olson

River Oak Vs Pomolita’s B Girls Games played Thursday, February 3rd, 2022

The River Oak B girls team won their second game in a row, defeating Pomolita 30-27.

River Oak started out strong with key shots made by Varsity Gaches and Kaci Maynard. The Firebirds had a 10-6 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter, Pomolita surged ahead and had a 16-14 lead. The Firebirds closed out the quarter strong and had a one point lead at the half. The third quarter was the Firebirds quarter, they outscored the Panthers 9-3. River Oak did not let up, they continued to play hard and they were able to close out the game with a win.

This was the second time ROCS had played Pomolita this season. The first time they lost 30-22. Gaches and Kaylee Maynard were asked what was something that they did this time that they didn’t do the first time. Gaches, who had a season high 17 points, said “ We played harder and we shot more so we could get more chances to score.” Maynard, who had 5 points and 6 rebounds said “ Just having more chemistry and experience as a team after playing more games together.”

Coach Rebekah Martinez added her thoughts on this win; “I could not be prouder of the effort shown by this girls team. To win this game, today [after being beaten before], shows that these girls do not give up, they continue to learn and grow as a team, building trust with each game they play.”

River Oak Vs Pomolita’s A Boys

The River Oak boys A team suffered their first loss of the season, losing to Pomolita 52-41. The beginning of the game was back and forth; both teams traded baskets. River Oak was down 13-9 until two three pointers from Kaleo Olson and Cheveyo Minz-Kammer were made. After these buckets it looked like River Oak was going to pull away but Pomolita answered with a barrage of deep three pointers. Even with these three pointers, River Oak only found themselves down 24-20 at the half.

Halfway through the third quarter, Minz-Kammer suffered a foot injury. He later tried to come back into the game but was unable to put his weight on his foot. Without the fourth leading scorer and defensive production from Minz-Kammer, the Firebirds fell deeper into a deficit. Then it got worse, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, George Gibbs, who had 8 points on the night and is the Firebirds second leading scorer, fouled out. With both sharpshooters out of the game, River Out could not overcome this debt and they fell short of their hopes of an undefeated season.

One contributing factor to this loss was a season low 30% from the free throw line for the Firebirds. “I share our boys' disappointment with the loss of this game. There were several things against us in the 2nd half that made it harder for us to take control of this game. Missed free throws and Pomolita’s double teaming of our key players also contributed to this loss,” Coach Martinez added after the game. “We will regroup and focus on our next game against a strong Fort Bragg A boys team next week.”