News

This year, middle school students are rising to new challenges—literally—by learning the art and science of rock climbing through a special topic class. The course introduces students to a sport that blends physical strength, mental agility, problem-solving, and teamwork, while also promoting personal growth and confidence. 

Live Oak recently recognized two student-athletes with the Spring Student-Athlete Spotlight. Eighth graders Genevieve Sak and Emma Lange, who participated in Live Oak futsal this year, were recognized for their hard work and leadership skills in the classroom and in athletics. Read their interviews below. 

 

The varsity girls worked hard from start to finish in their SFAL championship contest against CAIS, who was a formidable opponent. Genevieve scored two goals, but in the end, CAIS won by a final of 10-2. It was a fantastic season for the varsity girls, who finished with a 7-1 record and made many memorable moments along the way. Congratulations to coaches Katie and Laura on a fantastic season!

Since the school’s inception, Live Oak students have been publishing selected polished writing pieces that represent their exemplary work for the year in their Acorn Stories books. Over the next few weeks, every class will come to the ChangeMaker Lab to turn these meaningful writings into bound books that showcase contributions from every member of their grade. 

Each spring, we welcome back high school seniors in anticipation of their graduation from high school. Invitations have gone out for the Class of 2021 Reunion on Wednesday, May 21. It’s an evening of friendship, food, and fun. For more information, reach out to advancement@liveoaksf.org.

We hope to see you at the annual Art Show on Wednesday, May 7 from 6:15-7:45pm. All of our students are prepared to be docents and to lead their guests through the campus highlighting their own art on display as well as pieces from other classes and grade levels that stand out to them. These student-led tours will reveal the broad range of artists and artistic medium studied to our K-8 students throughout the 24-25 school year. Paintings, sculptures, ceramics, sketches, and other works in progress will give visibility into the talent and potential in our student community.

The regular same wrapped up this week with most of the squads in action. Read the results for each team below. Playoffs begin next week so stay tuned to see where and whom the Lightning will be playing. 

This spring, sixth graders are raising their voices and stepping into advocacy with a powerful new unit called Voices for Change. Evolving from the previous Environmental Changemakers unit, this reimagined curriculum challenges students to explore not only how to protect the planet, but also how to belong—and help others belong—in America today. Anchored by our yearlong essential question, "What does it mean to belong?", this unit asks students to reflect on their roles as young citizens. Questions like “How do letters create change?”, “How can kids advocate for others?”, and “What does it mean to use our voices for change?” have driven class discussions and inquiry.

We still need parent support for students biking from the Sunset, and we would love to have routes from neighborhoods north of GGP for our annual Bike and Roll to School Day on Thursday, May 15. Students are encouraged to bike, scoot or skate to school. Walking and taking public transportation are also celebrated. We will have bike parking in the gym for the day; the kids and the bikes will receive numbered wristbands to facilitate pick up. Read more details below. 

Camp Live Oak is a mere four weeks away, but before we all embark on this thrilling journey,

there are a few crucial tasks you need to complete. Read below for links to register and start completing necessary waivers.

This year, we're rolling out a pre-order process for Camp Live Oak merchandise, which allows us to provide more styles, colors, and sizes. The pre-order window is from April 22-May 9 and all orders will be distributed by May 27. Read more below. 

In Algebra 1, we explore a wide range of functions—linear, quadratic, absolute value, rational, radical, and more. We make extensive use of digital tools, especially Desmos, to visualize and compare these functions. One of our recent highlights was a project centered around designing quadratic artifacts. 

The Lightning JV and varsity futsal teams were in action this past week. They are getting towards their last couple weeks of the regular season. Highlighting the play so far are the varsity girls, who are currently 5-0. Five of Live Oak's six futsal teams have winning records with a couple more games to play. Read below for the most recent results. 

If you are interested in carpooling to this event with other Live Oak parents, click here or reach out to Live Oak's representatives on the SPEAK board, Elizabeth Arbuckle (elizabeth.arbuckle@gmail.com), Jim Wilson (james.a.wilson1@gmail.com), and Beth Toland (utilityandfunction@gmail.com). Read more about the presentation below.

Grandparents & Special Friends Day is right around the corner on May 9! This event gives grandparents and special friends an opportunity to visit the school and spend time in the classroom. Live Oak will mail invitations to grandparents and special friends around Spring Break, so it is important to fill out this contact form for any new contacts or anyone that has had a change of address in the last year. Read more about the day below. 

Live Oak is keeping plastic film out of landfills with Ridwell this spring! As you probably know, plastic film is not recyclable in a regular curbside bin, and so Ridwell will make sure it stays out of landfills. The soft plastics that we collect here will be turned into new decking materials instead! To participate in this limited-time recycling drive and celebrate Earth Month, bring plastic film (zip top bags, grocery bags, bubble wrap, and lots more) to school between May 5-8, and drop it off in the bin next to the front desk. Start collecting plastic film at home now so you have a bunch for the drive. Check out our personal Live Oak Ridwell link  for more information!

- Mabel R., Ani SB, and Magnolia D., Green Team Ridwell Crew

The Lightning played a number of tight futsal games over the past week. Trey scored three goals, while Julian and Finn added one each for the seventh grade boys JV Green in their close 8-5 loss to The San Francisco School. For the boys Varsity White, Harry put in two goals and Nate and Elliot added one apiece in a competitive 6-4 defeat at the hands of Synergy. Finally, Dante scored three goals and Kenji added one in the sixth grade JV White’s close 6-4 loss to CAIS.

The Middle School Music Festival is coming up next week in the Grand Hall. The fifth and sixth graders will perform on Tuesday, April 1 at 6:30pm, followed by the seventh and eighth graders on Wednesday, April 2 at 6:30pm. Audiences can look forward to a diverse lineup of music, spanning jazz, rock, folk, reggae, pop, and musical theatre—performed through both vocals and a variety of instruments. Each evening of music will last approximately one hour. We can’t wait to see you there!

Click here to watch the recording of the fifth and sixth grade performance. 
Click here to watch the livestream of the seventh and eighth grade performance. 

The third graders have been hard at work in science, becoming experts in geology, and have just wrapped up their musical performance, Geology Rocks. This time-honored tradition tells the story of students searching for their missing geology professor and provides a fun, memorable way to dive into geology.

In the thrilling game, "Vader Cone Ball" teams engage in a dynamic challenge that highlights teamwork, throwing skills, cooperation, strategy, and accuracy. Each team is assigned specific roles, including cone guards, a Vadar, and storm troopers. The objective is to eliminate the opposing Vader while simultaneously knocking down all three cones placed throughout the playing area.

The Lightning opened their spring futsal season with some positive results this past week. Maya and Malia put home three goals each and Laina added one as the JV girls finished in a 7-7 tie with The San Francisco School in their opening game. The JV girls then earned their first victory of the season, a 7-6 win over Children’s Day School, as Malia, Maya, and Rose all found the back of the net. Shoshi led the way with five goals as the varsity girls came out strong in their first contest of the season, posting a 18-0 shutout against Gateway. On the boys side, Dante scored four goals to lead the Lightning and Elio scored one in their 5-3 victory against SFS. Renly made many great saves in the goal to help secure the win. The sixth grade JV Boys White followed that up with a balanced scoring attack as Dante, Elio, Jamieson, Renly and Theo all found the back of the net in their 11-4 victory over Gateway on Wednesday.

There are a variety of opportunities to get involved at Camp Live Oak May 28-30. Read more below. 

In our unit titled, "Los Deportes en Países que Hablan Español" students are enhancing their understanding of present tense verbs, such as "juega a" (he/she plays) and "quiere jugar a" (he/she wants to play). They are also building upon vocabulary that they learned in previous units. This sports-focused unit invites students to explore how athletics shape cultures in Spanish-speaking countries.

Middle school students have been actively engaged in movement, singing, and instrument playing during music class as they prepare for the upcoming Music Festival in April. Their focus has been on learning, practicing, and refining their songs to deliver a polished performance.

 

Get your tickets near the front desk starting at 8am on Thursday, March 13. Opening night will be Friday, March 14 with a 7:30pm showing. That will be followed by two shows on Saturday before wrapping up with two more on Sunday afternoon. Read more about the play below. 

Live Oak is excited to announce a collaboration with The Lunchmakers, an organization founded by local students to address hunger in the Bay Area. Together, on Sunday, March 30 from 9:30-11:30am at Live Oak, we will make 200 bag lunches to bring to Glide, a nationally recognized center for social justice, dedicated to fighting systemic injustices, creating pathways out of poverty and crisis, and transforming lives, including distributing lunches to those who are hungry in San Francisco. Spots are limited, so please sign up here by March 25 to attend and/or bring supplies or play a particular role at the event. Please contact Deedra Veerathanongdech (deedraveera@gmail.com) with any questions!

As we enter into the Spring, Camp Live Oak is on the horizon. Stay tuned for updates and volunteer opportunities in upcoming Live Oak weekly newsletters, via the Camp Live Oak tile located on the Live Oak Family Portal Resources tab, and the Camp Live Oak Website. In the meantime, read below for information about the schedule and lodging at Camp.

Live Oak recently recognized three student-athletes with the Winter Sports Student-Athlete Spotlight. Eighth graders Magnolia Doherty, Tula Patrick, and seventh grader Shoshi Kellerman, who participated in Live Oak basketball this year, were recognized for their hard work and leadership skills in the classroom and in athletics. Read their Q&A interviews below and learn more about these athletics leaders.

In February, second graders began their physical science unit on forces and motion. Throughout the year second graders are asked the essential question: How do people use the process of science to investigate questions about the natural world? During this physical science unit students explore the scientific method and investigate questions about how objects move and how forces act upon objects.

The Lightning capped off a historic winter sports season by claiming three league championships last week. It was the first time that Live Oak has won three basketball titles in the same season and continues a string of five straight seasons with at least one Live Oak hoops team claiming a league crown. Read all the finals results below. 

In a foreign language class, an effective and fun way to learn and practice new language structures is through games. The main vehicle for language acquisition in our program is storytelling in both the form of engaging stories from our curriculum units and entertaining or hilarious songs from Señor Wooly. So, how and why do students use games to build language acquisition? 

Three of Live Oak’s four playoff basketball teams advanced to the SFAL finals this week. Read below for all the playoff results and the finals schedules.   

Mark your calendars for one of the most popular all-school events of the year, connecting changemaker hands and hearts together! Family Service Night will be Thursday, March 6 at 6:30pm in the Grand Hall. Join other Live Oak families for a lively and fulfilling evening working on projects that benefit local community organizations. Read below for details on the projects we will be working on and how to sign up. 

During the month of February, kindergartners embarked on their first-ever Engineering Unit. They learned that an engineer is “a person who uses tools to solve problems and make life easier.” Students learned that there are many different types of engineers and honed in on civil, mechanical, software, and electrical engineering.

The 8th annual Black Joy Parade is happening in Oakland on Sunday, February 23. As part of our annual tradition, Live Oak’s African American Affinity Network will have a contingent participating in the parade. If your family has members who identity as Black and/or African American* we'd love for you to walk with us! The parade itself begins at 12:30pm with food, music, vendors, and celebration to follow. More information to come about specific parade and meet-up details.

Please fill out this form if you would like to join us. If you have a t-shirt from a past year, please wear it. I will bring extras for folks who don't have one. Please reach out to Adrian Takyi (adrian_takyi@liveoaksf.org) with any questions.

At Live Oak, our mission to cultivate compassionate, curious, and critically thinking students is woven into every aspect of our curriculum. The seventh grade humanities "Postcards Home" research project–which students completed while reading comedian Trevor Noah’s memoir, Born a Crime, and learning about Africa’s powerful medieval kingdoms, such as Ghana and Mali–is a prime example of how we foster global citizenship and a deep understanding of cultural diversity.

Toby got the seventh grade boys JV Green going early leading fast breaks with high energy in their 40-30 win over Friends. He finished the game with nine points and several great assists. Eddie led all scorers with 10 points. On the girls side, Maya and Rose made some big shots in the 33-11 win as the JV girls improved to 5-0. The varsity girls had another solid performance behind the strong all around play of Genevieve as they defeated Friends by a final of 45-14. They followed that up with a 44-21 victory over Kittredge as Magnolia put home 18 points and Ivy added 13 to help the varsity girls finish off their regular season undefeated. They will await their playoff matchup as they gear up for the postseason. Rounding out the week’s action were the varsity boys, who bounced back with another strong win against CDS to get to 2-2 on the season. Nate led all scorers with 25 points.

“We are the same. There is no difference anywhere in the world. People are people. They laugh, cry, feel, and love, and music seems to be the common denomination that brings us all together. Music cuts through all boundaries and goes right to the soul.” - Willie Nelson. Kindergartners through fourth graders have been getting ready to share songs with parents and families at our lower school music concerts! 

We are happy to announce the recipients of this year’s Young Alumni Changemaker Award, Justin Babler-Kuebler ‘21 and Nala Urrutia ‘21. The Young Alumni Changemaker Award began in 2022 to recognize that Live Oak students do not wait to make an impact in their communities. The award honors current high school juniors and seniors who graduated from Live Oak that model empathy and responsibility, demonstrate a capacity to create change in the community, and inspire actions in others. 

This month 3 East students visited 826 Valencia to learn more about the craft of writing and published their own book: Don’t Delete Us. The field trip was an excellent opportunity for our students to explore creative writing, work collaboratively, and grow their confidence in the writing process. While at 826 Valencia, students were supported by writing coaches, a ghost writer, illustrator, and four courageous parent chaperones.

Lower school musicians are hard at work perfecting their xylophone parts and memorizing their lyrics for the Lower School Music Festival. Join us in the Grand Hall for the kindergarten through second grade show from 8:35am to 10am on Thursday, February 6, followed by the third and fourth grade performance on Friday, February 7 at the same time. Both events will be livestreamed, so keep an eye out for a link to view that video if you can’t make it in person. This year’s theme is “Water” and will feature aquatic tunes ranging from traditional folk numbers to classic rock favorites.

After a comprehensive search and interview process, we are excited to introduce Regina Hardatt as Live Oak School’s incoming Lower School Division Director and Asha Weber as Middle School Division Director starting in the 2025-26 school year. 

Connell had 16 points and Eddie went 3-for-3 from three-point range to lead the seventh grade JV Green to a 47-30 victory over Children’s Day School. Meanwhile, the sixth grade JV White were led by Theo S. and Kaya on offense as Live Oak kept it close in the first half. CDS was a formidable opponent and pulled ahead in the second half to secure the victory. On the varsity boys side, Nate and Coleman came up with big shots down the stretch as the Lightning earned their first win in a tight 33-30 contest against KIPP Bayview. Finally, the varsity girls clinched a 31-15 victory over KIPP Bayview this past Tuesday to improve to 3-0 on the year.

Live Oak’s basketball teams started 2025 on a positive note by winning each of their first three contests in January. Read this week's results below.