Oakland Unified School District

Wednesday was exciting at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School as the students enjoyed a fun assembly in which they got to meet some new friends from the Golden State Valkyries and Kaiser Permanente, and they got to take home a pair of new shoes from an organization called Shoes That Fit. All the adults welcomed the students with a cheer line, then the young people got to hear from Dr. Rita Ng, the Physician in Chief of Kaiser Oakland, and the Valkyries General Manager, Ohemaa Nyanin. Then it was time to receive the new shoes, which included Nikes, Adidas, Reeboks, Filas and a host of others. The volunteers handed out more than 300 pairs. Each student received a Valkyries string backpack. But it still wasn't over. On their way back to class, each student received a Lit Kit from Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. Students across the District are receiving the same Lit Kits. All these students were thrilled to begin their day with such a fun event and new shoes with which they can enjoy winter break. OUSD thanks Shoes That Fit, Kaiser Permanente, the Golden State Valkyries, and all their partners and supporters for making this day happen for our students!!

Wednesday was a day that students and staff at Madison Park Academy-Primary will not soon forget. It was "The 12th annual Christmas with the Currys" event sponsored by Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, and this year's theme was "Giving Joy." It was a huge celebration, perhaps the biggest one yet, with a free book fair, a holiday-themed petting zoo that included roaming "rein-donkeys," an art lesson area led by a team from Pixar Animation Studios, lots of games, a snow globe bounce house, craft-making, a bean bag reading area, a DJ, and many other activities. The team also revamped the school's library, which looks amazing! Safeway supported the effort with gift cards for families to help with the holidays. The many volunteers from such organizations as Kaiser Permanente, Workday, and KABOOM! helped all the students have an amazing day, including by giving them Under Armour backpacks filled with school supplies. The big surprise for all the kids (and adults) was an unexpected appearance by Stephen Curry and Ayesha Curry, the founders of Eat. Learn. Play. They spoke to the school community and let them know that the school will be getting a new playground next spring. The Golden State Warriors star even sat down in the area where students were designing suggestions for the playground, and he worked on some designs himself. The couple toured all the features of the celebration, tried some of the games, enjoyed the petting zoo, signed lots of autographs, and took lots of selfies with attendees. We thank the Currys and Eat. Learn. Play. and all their partners for always supporting our students and schools!

Saturday was a special day at Piedmont Avenue Elementary School, as many in the school community and the District community came together to say thank you to a wonderful leader. Dr. Zarina Ahmad retired as principal from the school and from the District in June, and this event was a celebration of her dedication to all the students and staff she supported in her 16 years as principal, and her time before that in the District. All told, she was in OUSD for 31 years. Dr. Ahmad started off teaching at Peralta Elementary then moved to Chabot Elementary She then became an assistant principal at Acorn Woodland Elementary before landing at Piedmont Ave as principal. She won honors as OUSD New Teacher of the Year and National Disney Teacher of the Year. As principal, she was honored as Principal of the Year by African American Male Achievement, African American Female Excellence, and the District. And she was also an Oakland City Council Black History Month Honoree. The celebration was filled with food, music, speeches on how much Dr. Ahmad means to the community, and words of love from her family. Board of Education President Sam Davis presented her with a Certificate of Appreciation. There is also a plaque honoring her next to a tree on the campus. Dr. Ahmad is now with the Alameda County Office of Education working in leadership development. OUSD sends deep gratitude to Dr. Ahmad and wishes her the best in her future endeavors.

Hundreds of students at Laurel Elementary School are feeling quite a bit warmer today thanks to an amazing project on Friday morning. Two wonderful District partners, Kaiser Permanente and Operation Warm visited the school and brought 500 new winter coats for all the young people to pick from. Operation Warm, with financial support from Kaiser, does this at an Oakland school every year, and this year, Laurel was lucky enough to be chosen. Volunteers helped each student go through the line and pick out the exact right jacket that fits the best. All the students walked away ready to stay warm as winter sets in. And they proudly showed off the new fit to each other and to staff, who were just as impressed. “Our Kaiser Permanente volunteers are excited to help at this heart-warming event and ensure every child at Laurel Elementary receives a brand-new coat to keep them warm this winter,” said Kaiser Permanente East Bay Senior Vice President and Area Manager Dante Green, FACHE. “We recognize that some families might be struggling with increased costs for basic needs, including food, shelter and clothing. We’re pleased to work with Operation Warm to make the lives of Laurel Elementary children and families a little better.” “It’s a privilege to join hands with Kaiser Permanente to serve the Oakland community,” said Operation Warm Executive Director Grace Sica. “Beyond providing coats, this event fosters a profound sense of comfort and belonging in the lives of these children.” The students all signed a pair of thank you posters for the partners. OUSD thanks Kaiser Permanente and Operation Warm for supporting our schools and helping ensure our students are ready for the cold!

There is nothing quite like improving a school yard with a brand new playground! (And a pair of special guests!) That's exactly what happened at REACH Academy on Monday when the students got to enjoy a ribbon cutting for their new play structure, soccer pitch, sport court, outdoor classroom and nature area, complete with a lot of beautiful new murals. This project is the 15th school yard completed in Oakland Unified School District by Stephen and Ayesha Curry and their Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation and KABOOM!. Since this was such a significant milestone, this ribbon cutting event has some serious star power with the Currys coming in to tell the students how much they care for them, and how deserving the students are of this entire new space. The students shared their thanks right back to the Currys telling them how much they love the new yard and appreciate what the couple has done. Like all the projects, the bulk of the heavy lifting work here came over the course of three days with a big group of volunteers. This one had lots of help from Kaiser Permanente and Workday. The kids could not wait to explore all the new features, and they got to play after the ribbon was cut. OUSD thanks Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, the Curry Family, and KABOOM! for always being there for our students and showing them so much love. ❤️

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Applications are open for the Oakland Teacher Residency (OTR) for the 2025-26 school year! Read out our Frequently Asked Questions (https://lnkd.in/gxKNwvAe) for more information and links to apply, and check out this video to see why a residency program has proven to be the most effective teacher preparation pathway: https://lnkd.in/gdxX25RB

On Wednesday morning, a new partnership debuted that will make an enormous difference in the lives of many Oakland students. It's a collaboration between OUSD and the new Oakland campus of Northeastern University - Oakland that will get OUSD high school graduates to and through four years of college with zero debt. It's called the Northeastern Oakland Opportunity Scholarship, and it gives recipients a full-ride scholarship of $85,000 per year for four years. Seven graduates of OUSD's class of 2024 are heading to Northeastern this fall with the scholarship, and two of them were at a news conference announcing the program. Angela Vergara and Nyari Wright (center L-R) both graduated from Oakland Technical High School in May, and now cannot wait for their classes to start in September. They'll also get the chance to study at the school's other campuses in Boston, Toronto, London, and elsewhere. Here, Vergara and Wright are pictured with, from left, Northeastern Oakland Dean Daniel Sachs, OUSD Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell, OUSD Board of Education President Sam Davis, and City Council Member Kevin Jenkins. The school is looking to have ten OUSD students join the Northeastern campus every year with scholarships totalling $3.4 million. This opportunity will come up soon for this year's high school seniors! Congratulations to Oakland's new Northeastern students, and many thanks to Northeastern for supporting our young people and our city!

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