Oak Leaf Weekly Update

River Oak Charter School

Hello ROCS Community!

We hope you had time to enjoy the FOUR day weekend!

Last week our community was overjoyed with our Valentine's Day activities, and the students created such unique valentines for each other. It was truly a beautiful day at school with kindness and appreciations abound!

As we go forward, I wanted to share that I value your questions and concerns, as well as your perspectives.

Please don't hesitate to reach out and ask about who I am, about our school, our policies and procedures, and any other areas you are curious or concerned about, for I know that I have not met with most of you in person yet, and relationships are a key factor for building a school community.

It is so unfortunate that this year's COVID protocol of no families on campus has the potential to create barriers to building trust and connection in our community, yet, as I write this, I am excited to share that we are slowly starting to make plans for community events this Spring!

Until then, I look forward to building relationships with each of you and sharing our vision of River Oak together in the years to come. My door is always open!

Below you will find current information, important dates and our last sports report from Kaleo Olson. Thank you for your consistent, clear and detailed reporting during our sports seasons Kaleo, they have been so fun to read!

Kristi McCullough

Kaleo Olson Report

ROCS vs Fort Bragg Middle School (Wednesday, February 9th, 2022)

The ROCS Girls team ends their season with a Win!

On Wednesday, February 9th, both River Oak teams traveled to Fort Bragg Middle School. In what ended up being the girls team’s last game, they ended their season with a win. Both teams won close games.

The girls started off slow and Fort Bragg got multiple offensive rebounds that transitioned into points. The Firebirds found themselves in a 8-2 hole in the first quarter. River Oak got some steals and easy lay-ups that allowed them to get back in the game. The ROCS girls were down 10-8 at halftime.

The third quarter was a fight where Firebirds guard Kaci Maynard and Fort Bragg traded buckets. Later, Fort Bragg pulled away, scoring a few threes and fast break lay-ups. Fort Bragg had a 22-14 lead at the end of the third. River Oak did not give up though. Led by Center Scout Adams, River Oak got back into the game and held Fort Bragg to only 3 points in the fourth. Adams herself had 8. The ROCS girls ended up winning by 1 point, with a score of 25-26. Adams was praised by her teammates afterwards. “Scout really stepped up,” said Kaylee Maynard, “She got a lot of rebounds and made a lot of important shots.”

When asked about the girls season, Coach Rebekah Martinez said; “The improvement from all of these girls over the season was so rewarding. They really figured out how to work together. Their continuity over the last month was amazing, I am SO proud of them.”

The ROCS A boys beat Fort Bragg Middle School in a buzzer beater

The ROCS Boys had an intense game. It came down to the final shot. River Oak came out in an intense press, getting some easy lay-ups off of steals and traps. Fort Bragg got back into the game. They figured out how to break the press and scored open three-pointers and lay-ups which they capitalized on. River Oak also struggled in the second quarter only scoring 4 points.

Even though River Oak had a big hole after halftime, (down 21-28), they made some adjustments. The boys went into a 2-3 defensive zone and they were able to get back into the game. The final minute of the game was crazy. Zach Marinez was fouled, River Oak was in the bonus due to Fort Bragg having more than 6 fouls in the half. Zach went to the line and capitalized on the free throws, putting River Oak up by one. Fort Bragg came back, was fouled, and went to the line, also converting on their free throws. River Oak got the ball into Martinez’s hands and he drew a foul. Down by 2 with 14 seconds left, he calmly nailed both free throws. Then Fort Bragg had a costly error; they stepped over the line of the inbounds.

The Firebirds called a time-out and drew up a play. George Gibbs had an opportunity for a floater and he took it. He missed, but the ball bounced out to Cheyo Minz-Kammer who took a mid-range shot with a fraction of a second left. He drilled it with zero seconds on the clock. Minz-Kammer was embraced by his teammates after the incredible shot. “It was kind of surprising that the ball came to me,” Minz-Kammer, who finished with 8 points, said later, “It got knocked out of Zach’s hands and I shot the ball and it went in. What else can I say?” Coach Martinez added, “At half time, being down against this team was tough. We were really missing our super speedy defensive player, Grayson Rosenberg-Hook (who was out due to illness). The boys regrouped, lifting each other up and going to work as a team. When you trust each other, as these boys do, and refuse to accept defeat, a win is always possible. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

UPCOMING Dates and Events:

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

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

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!

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!

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: