Middle School


Sixth Grade Humanities

My students are encouraged to take risks, and to live and learn adventurously though not recklessly.  I believe there is a time to abandon the classroom, to go beyond books and lectures, and learn to read the world.
Education: 
BA, Connecticut College
MA, Lesley University, MA
Credential in Middle School English Language Arts, Massachusetts
Prior Experience:
Shady Hill School, MA
Tower School, MA

Sixth Grade Mathematics & Science

Education:
BS, Arizona State University, Tempe
MEd, University of Mary Washington, VA
PhD, Southern Seminary, Louisville, KY
Credential, New Zealand
Prior Experience:
Belle Meade School, VA
Mountain Vista Governor's School, VA
Marshall Middle School, VA

Sixth Grade Music

It is rewarding to see how music has become ingrained in my students; how it is a natural part of their everyday lives and how they think of themselves as musicians.

Kim is beginning her tenth year teaching music at Blue Oak School and is also the director of the Napa Valley Children's Chorus whose members include singers in grades 3 - 6 from Blue Oak School and throughout the Napa Valley.

Education:
BME, University of Northern Colorado
MM, West Virginia University
Prior Experience:
Kindergarten, First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grade Phillips-Edison Charter School, Napa, CA
Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelth Grade, Ygnacio Valley High School, Concord, CA
Napa Valley College
Kim also teaches Music in the Lower School.

Seventh & Eighth Grade Humanities

"To educate is to guide students on an inner journey toward more powerful ways of seeing and being in the world" (Parker Palmer from The Courage to Teach).

Being a new member of staff of Blue Oak School and community, I feel like I have found my home.  I am thrilled and priveleged to be a part of what Blue Oak has created and look forward to evolving with the community of learners I am now a part of.
Education:
BA, Communications, Spanish Minor, Chico State University
MA, Curriculum Teaching and Learning, Sonoma State University
National Board Certification, Early Adolescence English / Language Arts
Credential, Multiple Subject K - 8, California State University, Chico
Prior Experience:
Humanities Teacher, The River School, Napa, CA
Middle School / High School Teacher, Pan American School of Bahia, Brazil
Consultant / Counselor, Work Family Directions, Boston, MA
English as a Second Language Teacher, Britannica American Village School, Okayam, Japan

Seventh & Eighth Grade Mathematics

I am very happy to be at Blue Oak where teachers are trusted to make educational decisions with and for their students.
Education:
BA, College of St. Catherine, MN
Credential, Pacific Union College
Prior Experience:
Napa Valley Unified Schools
River Middle School, Napa

 Seventh & Eighth Grade Science

It is refreshing to work in a school where faculty and students are focused on the joy of learning without the stress of standardized testing. Blue Oak's small classes and block scheduling allow me to conduct student-centered, hands-on learning experiences in science.
Education:
BA, Geography, environmental conservation emphasis, University of Colorado Boulder
MA, Experiential Education, University of Colorado Boulder
Prior Experience:
Outward Bound Program, University of Colorado
Alpine Mountaineering Course Instructor, Colorado Outward Bound School
Athletic Director, North Jakarta International School, Indonesia
Upper School Environmental Science, Elgin Academy, Elgin, IL
Seventh & Eighth Grade Science, Town School for Boys, San Francisco, CA
Sixth, Eighth, Ninth & Tenth Grade Sciences, Warren Walker School, Las Vegas, NV
Eighth Grade Science, National Cathedral School, Washington, D.C.

Seventh & Eighth Grade Music

I am excited to teach such a progressive music class at Blue Oak School.  I believe that by giving students hands-on experience with the instruments and as performers, they will be able to learn solid music fundamentals while having fun.  Before you know it, these kids will be rock stars.
Education:
BM, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
MM, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Certificat de Perfectionnement, L' Ecole Normale de Musique, Paris, France
Prior Experience:
Instructor, Guitar, Electric Bass, Songwriting, Garage Band 101, Napa School of Music
Interim Professor of Composition, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Substitute Instructor, Composition Workshop, Counterpoint, Orchestration, Music Theory and Musicianship, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Music Theory and Musicianship Assistant, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Private Instructor, Guitar, Composition, Music Theory and Musicianship, San Francisco Bay Area
Other Experience:
Performer in various styles from rock bands to classical ensembles
Commissioned, performed, recorded and published composer

Middle School Art

Moving from the art studio to the classroom gives me the chance to integrate an interdisciplinary unit seamlessly. It often feels like the same class; the intense study of a time in history is brought to life with the infusion of the arts.
Education:
BFA, Textile Design, California College of Art
BA, Education, California College of Art
MA, Education-Curriculum Design, California State University Hayward
Credentials:
Multi-subject (K-8), California College of Art
Art (K-12), California College of Art
Prior Experience:
Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade, Prospect Sierra School
First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grade, Soesterberg Elementary, The Netherlands
Fifth Grade, Park Day School
Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grade, Oakland Public Schools

Middle School Spanish

I am pleased to continue the use of TPRS (Teaching Proficiency Through Reading and Storytelling) to help all students acquire Spanish.
Education:
BA, Psycholinguistics, Dartmouth College
MA, Counseling, UCLA Graduate School of Education
Prior Experience:
Seventh & Eighth Grade Spanish, Bilingual Program Coordinator, San Francisco Day School, San Francisco, CA
Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade Spanish, Middle School Community Service Director, Athenian School, Danville, CA
Seventh through Twelfth Grade Spanish, Pinewood School, Los Altos Hills, CA
Instructor, Supervisor, Active Learning, Inc., Corte Madera, CA
Ninth through Twelfth Grade Spanish, Petrolia School, Petrolia, CA
Ninth through Twelfth Grade Spanish, Ninth Grade French, Lawrence Academy, Groton, MA

Middle School Drama

In working with children, I strive to create an atmosphere of collaboration and creativity. Although performance is the natural result, the process of getting to that point is the focus as we work on building confidence, cooperative learning, reading comprehension with a script and public speaking skills, which all establish a foundation for manifesting a child’s highest potential.
Education:
BA, Literature, SUNY Purchase
MFA, Acting, UC San Diego
 Prior Teaching Experience:
Berkeley Rep Theatre
TheatreWorks
Resident Teaching Artist for TheatreWorks’ Children’s Healing Project at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Palo Alto, CA
 Other Experience:
Actor in television, film and theatre in New York, Chicago, San Francisco
Aimée also teaches Drama in the Lower School.

Middle School Physical Education

Education:
BS in Physical Education, University of Arizona
Prior Experience: 
Canyon View Elementary School, Tucson, AZ
Esperero Canyon Middle School, Tucson, AZ
Other Experience: 
Head Freshman / Assistant Varsity Volleyball Coach, Tucson High School, Tucson, AZ
Kali is also the Middle School Athletic Director.


Middle School Librarian

  

Education:
BA, UC Berkeley
Master of Library and Information Science, San Jose State University
Credentials: 
Elementary Teaching, California State University, Hayward
Primary Teaching, Somerset Education Authority (England)
Prior Experience:
Children's Services Napa City-County Library - Library Associate
Sleepy Hollow School, Orinda, CA - Literacy Specialist
Elementary Teacher Grades 108 (CA and England)
Mary is also the Lower School Librarian.

Middle School Learning Specialist

During my time at Blue Oak School, I have been consistently pleased and excited to see the most enthusiastic teachers using best practices in the classroom every day.
Education:
BA, University of Colorado
MA, University of San Francisco
Credential:
Multiple Subjects
Learning Disabled, Mild to Moderate
Culture &
Language Acquisition &
Diversity (CLAD)
Prior Experience:
Porter-Gaud School, Charleston, NC
Stuart Hall for Boys, San Francisco, CA
Elmhurst Middle School, Oakland, CA
Mission Hill Junior High School, Santa Cruz, CA
Megan is also the Lower School Learning Specialist.

High School Placement Counselor

Melinda Cooke, High School Placement Counselor, Service Learning Coordinator, & After-School / Summer Program Coordinator
Melinda has played a number of roles in the past several years at Blue Oak School: parent, volunteer, tutor, seventh grade humanities teacher, eighth grade support teacher, and Summer Program Coordinator. Melinda brings together all these roles as Director of Special Programs, in which she integrates various areas that take the Blue Oak mission, programs and students out into the community: After School Classes and Neighborhood, Summer Programs, High School Placement, and Service Learning.
Education:
MA, Experiential Education, University of Colorado, Boulder
BA, Religious Studies, Fine Arts, French, University of Colorado, Boulder
Prior Experience:
September School, Boulder, CO
North Jakarta International School, Indonesia
Elgin Academy, Chicago, IL
San Francisco Day School, CA
Warren Walker School, Henderson, NV
Center for Artistry in Teaching, Washington, DC
Holton-Arms School, Bethesda, MS
Melinda is also the After-School / Summer Program Coordinator at the Lower School.