Spotlight on Schools: Silver Oaks Cooperative School
🏫 Silver Oaks Cooperative School 🏫
By: Dana Tompkins, mother of a kindergartner at Silver Oaks Cooperative School
Tell Us About Silver Oaks Cooperative School:
Parental Involvement at Silver Oaks Cooperative School:
Basically you can be as involved (or not) as you want! The school has three co-oping tuition structures that allow for full co-op, partial co-op, or non co-op options. Our family choose the full co-op option, which means that once every two weeks I spend a day helping in the classroom, which I enjoy. Parents are also asked to attend membership meetings, serve on a committee, and participate in other school activities. It’s wonderful to know what our son is learning first-hand and to be part of a tight-knit community of other families. Most important for us though is that there’s no big bureaucracy to get lost in or to wait years for things to change—parents have a direct line to the school’s director and are encouraged to speak up, if there’s a concern.
What Children Learn at Silver Oaks Cooperative School
Another parent described the teachers at Silver Oaks as “gifted,” and I couldn’t agree more. I love seeing the creative lessons that the teachers come up with—Geography Jeopardy, Hula Hoop phonics, the “someday” playground project, and “composting” worms in the classroom. As a parent, it’s wonderful to see the kids excited to learn different things in new, creative ways.
I also love that the school takes great care to find the best learning tools for the kids. Teachers use Singapore Math, Writer’s Workshop, and Handwriting without Tears to supplement their curriculum. With smaller class sizes, and flexible grouping, the children are given the individualized attention they need based on their academic level and ability, not their grade level. It’s amazing to see my kindergartner already learning to read and write in such a short period of time!
What Do You Like Most About Silver Oaks Cooperative School?
There’s so much to like that I hardly know where to start. What my husband and I were initially attracted to is, “The Great Outdoors” as one of the school’s guiding principles. Surrounded by beautiful wooded land, the school has at least two thirty minute recesses called, “outdoor work” and sometimes lessons are even taught outdoors! The kids have climbing structures, wheel barrows, gardening tools, tires, ropes, and more. It’s amazing to see what they come up with! Rain jackets, boots, and extra clothes are a must, too, as the kids go out rain, shine, or mud. I love that the Silver Oaks teachers understand that children need playtime in order to learn and that outdoor time is never taken away as a punishment.
Upcoming Open Houses at Silver Oaks Cooperative School
Questions?
Greenbelt Elementary School
Dora Kennedy French Immersion School
University Park Elementary School
Riverdale Elementary School
Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary School
Robert Goddard Montessori School
Mt. Rainier Elementary School
Holy Redeemer School
College Park Nursery School
Do not send your children here. They are not qualified to deal with what they have set up. My child did not learn there and instead was judged and punished repeatedly. I know of many parents with similar experiences. The idea is great but the execution is terrible.