Dear Parents,

We are looking forward to year 16 of Breakaway! Below is a list of Breakaway course selections. Please sit down with your child and help him or her make selections that work for your family. Please note that not all courses are offered to all grades. Students may not repeat courses they have participated in previously. It is highly unlikely that everyone will receive a first choice. Three choices must be selected. Those who did not receive a first choice last year will be more likely to receive their first choice this year. We ask you to help your child pick courses that are of the most interest to him or her, and not make decisions based on what friends are doing. Breakaway is an integral part of the Blue Oak School program and full participation is expected. Please note on the selection form you received if your child will miss ANY portion or both days of Breakaway. Please send this section of the completed form to school with your child no later than Tuesday, February 20.

Thank you!

The Breakaway Committee

Build a Town
For: Grades K – 2
Led by: Steph

Do you like to build with the blue blocks? Would you like to run a business? Together we will build our own town from the ground up! We will name and create each house, restaurant, road and park that goes in our town. Finally, we will pretend to be the people living in the town, and play to our heart’s content!

For the Love of Pets
For: Grades K – 3
Led by: Rashelle

Who doesn’t love cuddly cats and darling dogs? In this Breakaway, we will learn about rescue animals when we visit the Napa County Animal Shelter. We will also visit Ella’s Cat House and Catnip Bar to learn how to safely interact with cats and to play with adorable cats that are waiting to be adopted to a good home. Finally, we will make cat and dog treats and toys that we can donate to the Napa Animal Shelter, Ella’s Cat House, or for you to take to your furry friends at home.

From Here to There
For: Grades K – 3
Led by: Megan

From Here to There explores the science behind different ways of transportation, and will introduce students to a new world of travel possibilities. Our first day will be spent at the Bay Area Children’s Museum exploring their new exhibit on transportation. We will learn about waterways, earthmovers, hovercrafts and other ways to move on earth through play and hands-on exploration. On Friday, back at Blue Oak, we will spend the day building and experimenting with bridges, boats and wind.

Creative Adventures
For: Grades K – 4
Led by: Berynes & Kim M.

Are you ready for a “creativity explosion?” Our Creative Adventures will include exploring the art exhibit at Hess Collection, gathering our own “nature collections” in the park, and creating our own cartoons and flip books. On Friday we will travel to the Charles Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa where we will learn more about Charles Schultz, Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the gang, and we will participate in a workshop for hands-on “cartooning” practice. Get in touch with your inner artist and practice looking at the world in new and exciting ways!

It’s Electric
For: Grades 2 – 5
Led by: Constance & Sahar

Have you ever wondered how a light bulb works or how a motor runs? Then come join us, and have fun exploring the amazing power of electricity! You’ll have a chance to make your own creations light up with simple to more complex circuits. You’ll build a flashlight with everyday items, create illuminated art, and use your new skills to explore the possibilities within your imagination! So join us for an exciting exploration of electricity!

Oodles of Noodles
For: Grades 3 – 8
Led by: Kim H. & Julie

You are invited to a delicious breakaway where we will explore our taste buds and cooking skills with pasta! Some are called noodles, some are long, and some are flat and curly. Whatever form they come in, they are loved! Join us in this hands-on breakaway as we make different types of this versatile dish. Along with making our own noodles, we will visit and taste at a local noodle restaurant. Back at school we will prepare and cook the dough and toppings for a final feast on the last day. We may even have time to make a dessert too!

Active Adventures
For: Grades 4 – 8
Led by: Marcus & Paul

Looking for an active adventure? Join us as we: rock climb at Rockzilla climbing gym, explore the hidden treasures of Oxbow Preserve, stand up paddleboard on the Napa River, and hike the steep and challenging trails of Skyline Wilderness Park and Westwood Hills. Note: This is a physically demanding breakaway – be prepared to give it your best effort!

Physical Comedy
For: Grades 4 – 8
Led by: Aimee & Olivia

Want to walk into a door and fall like a boss? In this breakaway, we will visit a theater to learn pratfalls and elements of stage combat with a professional fight director. Our physical comedy study will also include viewing famous funny slapstick clips from television, movies, and plays. We will then take our pratfalls and fights, and choreograph them into a comedic scene to be performed for parents on our final day. This breakaway is for serious clowns — so don’t try anything funny. Ha!

Super Cyclists Unite!
For: Grades 4 – 8
Led by: Meredith & Margarita

When the sun is shining, the open road beckons. Or at the very least, the open bike path does. Join us on a full day of bike riding to and from Kennedy Park. We’ll be sure to make a few pit stops along the way, with one being at a local bike shop to make sure our bikes are in tip-top shape. Once we’re at the park, we’ll visit the biking trails and the new skateboard park, of course. On Friday we’ll bike some more, a little closer to school, and help plan the annual Bike to Work Day with a member of the Napa Bike Coalition. Grab your helmet and let’s ride!

Amazing Race
For: Grades 5 – 8
Led by: Darren & Susan

Are you ready for an outdoor, active Amazing Race-style breakaway? This is the perfect breakaway for you. For this adventure, you will be exploring San Francisco and Yountville. Each day will be filled with scavenger hunts using teamwork, clues and GPS coordinates. What do you really know about these cities? Sure, you’ve probably been to Union Square, Bouchon Bakery and China Town. Maybe you have even walked across the Golden Gate Bridge! Bring your knowledge of these places and your clue-solving skills and join us for an Amazing Race!

Creative Wanderings
For: Grades 5 – 8
Led by: Melinda

Calling all artists! Join us for a couple days of creative wanderings in San Francisco and Napa. On Thursday we will head to the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco. On Friday we will visit special places in Napa that will inspire our creative spirits to make some art of our own. All materials will be provided. Let the journey begin!

Math is Everywhere
For: Grades 6 – 8
Led by: Kristina & Sue

Do you love math? Do you enjoy solving puzzles and problem-solving? Do you see it everywhere? We are going to explore different ways we encounter math in our world. We will explore science, art, PE, language arts, social studies, and more with a math perspective. We will design a series of math activities and challenges for others to experience how math is everywhere.

LeMons
Led by: Greg

Students who are enrolled in LeMons as their elective are automatic participants in this course for Breakaway.

Note from Dan

What does it mean to be well educated? This important question helps to frame how we teach, and for what purpose. At a recent Parent Roundtable, we explored this topic. Here are some of the characteristics that emerged when we brainstormed the concept of being well educated:

The ability to work with information in the world
Problem-solving issues both macro and micro
Being well rounded
Becoming a good conversationalist – comfortable speaking and discussing ideas
Knowing and accepting yourself
Feeling safe
Asking questions; being inquisitive
Developing self-confidence
Able to apply knowledge to the world, changing it for the better
Understanding one’s roots; learning from the past and connecting lessons to the future
Critical thinking; processing and challenging facts – constructing new knowledge
Imagining; creating
Collaborating with others; work well as a team

It is clear that, in addition to mastering foundational skills and knowledge, a well-rounded student must also be fluent in many higher-level skills and talents. They must learn both excellence and wisdom. In progressive schools we teach both academic and social-emotional competencies.

What happens in schools in which success is primarily measured in test scores? In 1890, Elizabeth Harrison, an early progressive educator, wrote about this phenomenon: “One of the mistakes of our age is that we begin by educating our children’s intellects rather than their emotions…The results are that many children grow up cold, hard, matter-of-fact, with little of poetry, sympathy, or ideality to enrich their lives…We starve the healthful emotions of children in order that we may over-feed their intellects. Is not this doing them a great wrong? When the sneering tone is heard, and the question “Will it pay?” is the all-important one, do we not see the result of such training?…The education of the heart must advance along with that of the head if well-balanced character is to be developed.”

At Blue Oak we teach the whole child, helping students develop their academics, their humanity, and their passion to explore and impact the world. In this way, we define well-educated as head, hands, and heart.