The Red Oaks Review (Winter 2024, Issue #4)

THE RED OAKS REVIEW

Middle Schoolers reach for the stars. SEE PAGE 8

Parent “dream team” give a creative gift.

SEE PAGE 14

THE RED OAKS SCHOOL

Cutler Campus

PreK-Grade 4

Middle School

Grade 5-8

(973) 539-7853

www.redoaksschool.org

MANAGING EDITOR

AND PUBLISHER

Marilyn Stewart

EDITORS

Mike Allegra, Jenna Buesser, Patty Giordano

WRITER

Mike Allegra

CONSULTING

ART DIRECTOR

Jesper Goransson

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Ira L. Black, Joy Glenn, John Rae, Jenna Buesser

The Red Oaks School holistically develops each child’s gifts by inspiring personal and intellectual growth, graduating highachieving students who are happy, confident, resilient, and ready for the challenges ahead. Our diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment supports international mindedness in students and strengthens them as empathetic future global citizens and leaders.

FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL

From the desk of Marilyn Stewart

Welcome to the first Red Oaks Review of 2024! I hope the New Year has found you well. I’m pleased to report that, thanks to you, the 2023-24 school year has been especially kind to us.

I am always gratified by the generosity of the Red Oaks Community. Seemingly every parent, student, and well-wisher is willing and eager to give their dollars, time, and talents to benefit our school. For example, three of our parents—an animator, a voiceover artist, and a television commercial director—volunteered their services to produce our 2023-24 Annual Giving video.

Our annual Food Drive was a tremendous success. Thanks to our community, more than 1,000 pounds of food was collected to feed families in need.

And an eighth grader, Mason Langer, has

devoted his community service project to creating a monthly podcast that promotes the many academic opportunities at Red Oaks.

These opportunities grow more numerous with each passing year. Our new Middle School Rocketry course promoted the International Baccalaureate tenet of Design Thinking. Our early childhood classes dove into the natural world by examining fish. And after the school day officially ends, we offer a wide selection of enrichment programs that cater to most every interest.

You can read about these and many other stories in this issue. So please take a moment to flip through these pages and learn why 2024 may just be Red Oaks’s best year yet.

With warmest wishes, Marilyn

NEWS FROM OUR CAMPUSES

THE RED OAKS SCHOOL

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Professional Development Day Demystifies AI

The dawn of ChatGPT and similar computer programs have prompted many worried conversations about the potential threats of Artificial Intelligence—ranging from copyright infringement to the inability to control a bot that has become “self-aware.” To cut through the doomsday scenarios and volumes of misinformation, Red Oaks recently held a professional development day for faculty and staff.

In an informative and

entertaining hands-on presentation, educators Joseph and Erica Lucci separated fact from fiction, explaining the current capabilities of AI, and how the very programs that have inspired so much handwringing can, in fact, serve as an effective educational tool in the classroom.

Jay explained that there are three types of AI. The first, Narrow AI, represented by chatbots, generative texts, and personal assistants such as Siri and Alexa, is only capable of performing very specific tasks. The other two levels of AI, General AI (AGI), designed to possess broad capabilities, and Superintelligent AI (ASI) which can “think” above and beyond the abilities of human intelligence, do not yet exist and are well beyond our current programming and processing capabilities. To put it another way, modern society is still a long way from the ominous AI of 2001: A Space Odyssey or The Terminator.

Red Oaks teachers created stories through ChatGPT, a program, that when wielded with care, noted Erica, can be used to spur creative ideas in students and serve as a foundation to create truly original stories. Such programs, however, cannot ever be fully trusted; when asked to write nonfiction, for example, ChatGPT can speak with authority on topics that are flat out incorrect. “Sometimes AI can hallucinate,” Jay says. “It can spout facts that are

NEWS FROM OUR CAMPUSES

not true, provide links to a website that doesn’t exist, or offer citations that are neither relevant nor accurate.” So while the AI programs at our disposal can inspire, those who overly rely on them do so at their own peril.

“It was a fascinating and enlightening presentation,” noted Head of School Marilyn Stewart. “While we should always approach AI with caution, we shouldn’t ignore how it might serve as a tool to better educate our children. I look forward to seeing if and how this technology might serve us in the classroom.”

LOWER SCHOOL

A School of Fish

There was something fishy going on in the Early Childhood classrooms.

EC teachers Mary Anne Fairey and Garima Ankareddi chose a compelling way to teach their students the difference between marine vertebrates and invertebrates. To provide a little hands-on learning and stimulate all the senses, the kids had a chance to see, touch, and even smell an octopus that Mary Anne purchased at a fish market.

“Some children were leery and kept their distance, but others were fascinated!” Mary Anne notes. “They

picked it up and looked for the different body parts like the siphon, beak, and head. They counted the arms and felt the suckers.” The students also hypothesized about how the specimen lost half of its arm. “The general consensus,” says Mary Anne, “was that a shark was to blame.”

In Eva Wengler and Maggy Taylor’s classroom, the children studied an undersea vertebrate from the inside out, dissecting a fish and taking a close look at

NEWS FROM OUR CAMPUSES

its parts and their functions. They identified the different types of fins as well as the swim bladder—an organ that fills with gas to keep the fish buoyant in water. “We found the skeleton, and some of the children got to touch it,” says Maggy. “They were also excited to see that the fish had a tongue.”

In all, the EC students had a fun and memorable lesson in natural science. “It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to observe, think, experiment, and enjoy the learning process,” says Maggy.

ALL SCHOOL

Family Soccer Kicks Off Tenth Year

This past fall, soccer players of all ages took to Simons Field for Red Oaks Annual Family Soccer Game, where parents play side by side with their kids to show off their moves and compete for athletic bragging rights. “It’s a really fun day,” smiles parent Jesper Goransson the founder of the event, “and it can be surprisingly competitive.”

Beginning in 2013, the game was originally named Dads and Kids Soccer and was designed with the intent to increase father involvement in Parent Association events.

The games were played on the grass field in Loantaka Park, in Morristown, and proved instantly popular. “One dad enjoyed Dads and Kids Soccer so much he drove straight down from his summer place in Cape Cod with his family to play,” Jesper notes.

As an added benefit, the pickup games served as an effective marketing tool. More than a few passersby noticed the Red Oaks tent set up at the park and inquired about the school.

Dads and Kids Soccer soon grew into an all-school

event and was rechristened Family Soccer, with all members of the community welcome and encouraged to take part. Despite this greater level of inclusion, however, the players aren’t sacrificing their A game. Jesper’s daughter Olivia, who graduated Red Oaks in 2021 and is currently a soccer player at Newark Academy, slide tackled her father during one such Family Soccer match!

“She really got me. I was proud of her,” Jesper laughed. “Bruised, but proud.”

MIDDLE SCHOOL Red Oaks

Provides for the Food Insecure

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Middle School Director Noga Beer cautiously piloted her jampacked van across town. Her destination was the Interfaith Food Pantry, located in Morris Plains, and her precious cargo was an impressive half-ton of

NEWS FROM OUR CAMPUSES

food to be distributed over the holiday to food insecure families across Morris County.

In short, the Red Oaks Annual Food drive was a rousing success. In the fall, dozens of School Community members steadily filled collection bins on the Middle School and Cutler campuses, resulting in a van stuffed from floor to ceiling with canned hams, potatoes, corn, gravy, pickles, fruit, soup, pudding and pumpkin—along with a sizable flock of frozen turkeys belted into the front passenger seat.

“One year my van was so heavy with food that I got a flat tire,” Noga notes with a smile. “Now I’m more careful about potholes.”

Now in its eighth year, the Food Drive has come a long way from its humble origins. In the early years, students set up tables by a local Walmart’s entrance, asking shoppers to buy something extra for the cause. After COVID-19 hit, Red Oaks turned its efforts inward, putting the call out to the School Community at large rather than strangers—an approach that increased the school’s haul exponentially.

“The generosity of our families is so overwhelming,” Noga says. “They always go the extra mile to help those in need. They don’t think twice about it; they just give. And their kind spirit really makes a difference.”

ALL SCHOOL

Funny Business

Found at Parent Social

The Middle School dining hall was recently home to The Red Oaks School’s Parent Social. Consequently, it was also home to roars of

laughter as the improv group, Nutty by Nature, regaled the crowd with original comedy skits based on audience suggestions.

In some cases, audience members did far more than suggest; volunteers were brought up on stage to play pivotal roles in the hilarious action. With plentiful food provided by Taco Affair, as well as a wide selection of desserts from Splurge

Bakery, the event sated the appetite as well as the funny bone.

The social, organized by the school’s Parent Association, has proven to be an eagerly anticipated annual event boasting new entertainments each year. 2022’s social, for example, was a Casino Night, in which guests could hit the tables to win prizes. The year before, the social was held at Madison’s Museum of Early Trades and Crafts.

“These socials are always great fun to plan,” says Meredyth Coleman, who along with Daniela Tubito co-chairs the Parent Association. “And we keep trying to top ourselves.”

“And I think we did,” Daniela adds with a smile. (Daniela was one of the

NEWS FROM OUR CAMPUSES

game parents recruited by Nutty by Nature to be a part of the show.)

The Parent Social is just one of many free events organized by the Parent Association and run by its active group of volunteers. Unlike parent associations found at many other schools, Red Oaks’s PA never asks for membership dues or engages in fundraising; the organization exists solely to provide fun, social opportunities to build and strengthen the School Community. Upcoming PA events for 2024 include AllSchool Bingo, Moms’ Night Out, and the Primary Picnic, among others.

To learn more about the Parent Association and to see a calendar of events, please visit the Red Oaks website at www. redoaksschool.org.

ALL SCHOOL Students

Pursue Their Passions

When The Red Oaks School day ends, new and exciting opportunities begin!

Aspiring ukulele players pluck and strum. Basketball players go for the threepointer. Dancers dance, pianists play, crafters craft, and pickleballers pickle! Each semester Red Oaks curates

a refreshing mix of After School Enrichment classes that embrace a spectrum of interests in the arts, athletics, and academics.

“Enrichment classes give students the opportunity to go deeper and explore their passions,” says Arts Coordinator and Music Teacher Tim Waters. “And, as a teacher, these classes allow me to do so much more for the kids.”

In fact, the Enrichment Programs, in no small part, allowed Tim to build a small-

yet-dedicated Red Oaks band, which has performed in school concerts and at various events.

The school’s Model UN is also a product of After School Enrichment. There the students prepare for conferences, are assigned to a committee, and research and write position papers on a topic of international relevance. They also learn the art of public speaking and critical thinking as they debate and discuss the issues at hand. Last year Red

Oaks Model UN delegates traveled to a conference in Boston where they won several accolades. This year Red Oaks will host its own conference on April 6.

The Musical Theatre program is also a draw, attracting dozens of performers, set designers, and backstage crew. This year’s production, Seussical Jr!, staged with the help of the Dawn Lau Dance Company, promises to be more appealing than a plate of green eggs and ham.

On the Cutler campus a robust assortment of Enrichment Programs for both Early Childhood and Elementary students include classes in Acrobatics and Tumbling, Yoga, Art, Chess, Stop-Motion Animation, Robotics, and more.

“Our goal is to keep these programs unique, educational, and fun,” says Advancement Coordinator Patty Giordano, who sets up the Lower School’s extracurricular offerings. “The children have a great time in the classes, and they get so much out of them.”

In short, staying after school has never been so wonderful.

To see a complete list of ROS enrichment programs or to sign up for a class, please visit the school’s website at www. redoaksschool.org/programs/ after-school-enrichment.

THE ROCKET SQUAD

ROCKET SQUAD

BY MIKE ALLEGRA

On December 14th, Simons Field was cold and blustery. It was not an ideal day for a launch— NASA would have surely postponed a countdown until the weather cleared—but the seventh and eighth grade Red Oaks Middle Schoolers were steadfast and undaunted.

Besides, the school’s winter break was right around the corner. If the students didn’t proceed with the launch that day, there would be no other opportunity.

So, braving the winds, they walked to the field, attracting quite a bit of attention as all were all clad in white hazmat suits. Science and Design Teacher Nimisha Jain, one of the leaders of this band of aspiring aerospace engineers, smiled at the sight.

“Not hazmat,” she corrected. “Today they’re space suits.”

Meanwhile Art and Design Teacher Emily Cannestro drove to the launch site with Elton John’s Rocket Man blasting on the stereo. Her car was filled with the projectiles the students spent all semester building, rebuilding, and refining to maximize airtime and cut wind resistance.

Nimisha and Emily co-teach Design at Red Oaks Middle School; Rocketry was their first such design unit and it served as a hands-on STEM learning experience that combined hard science with design thinking. In this class, students learned the principles of the laws of motion and put their knowledge to the test. Divided into small teams, each group was tasked with building rockets powered by water and air pressure.

There were rules each team had to follow. The main body of each rocket had to consist of a one-liter repurposed plastic

bottle. The rocket had to contain a parachute system to gently guide it back to Earth. And, most importantly, the rocket had to remain airborne for at least three seconds after launch.

But the devil, as always, is in the details. Should the rocket have a detachable nose cone? How big should the parachute be? Will a specific fin arrangement better stabilize the rocket, thereby giving it more lift? What materials should be used? These questions (and many others) led to some rigorous student research on aerodynamics, parachute deployment tactics, and a wide range of other topics.

And on Simons Field that day, all would see if the work paid off. Each rocket was to get three launch opportunities. The best time would be the team’s final score.

“Before we begin, remember, we’re here to support each other,” Emily shouted over an icy wind gust. The shivering crowd nodded, agreeing. “But this is also a competition. The rocket that stays up the longest is the winner.”

Team Skittles was the first to throw down the gauntlet. The colorful projectile was placed on the launch pad and was pumped with air by Emily as Nimisha minded the stopwatch. The blastoff was promising, but nasty downdraft intervened. To Skittles’s credit, the windblown rocket was still aloft for 2.9 seconds. Close but no cigar.

Team NACA’s rocket, with its distinct, glittery rainbow nosecone found more success, with a lift time of 5.19 seconds that generated an appreciative roar from the other teams.

Then came team Velocity, who, even before the first launch, was operating at a disadvantage. The rocket they planned to use in the competition went AWOL, ending up on the roof of the school during an impromptu test flight in the Middle School parking lot. They were forced to use an earlier, less reliable prototype for game day. It sputtered and died on the launchpad.

As team Velocity huddled to make emergency repairs, other rockets took their turns. Team Guts and team Alley Rats did well. NACA, proving their first trial wasn’t a fluke, stayed in the air for five seconds on their second goround. As for Techy BEKAA, the rocket didn’t get much lift, but its nosecone soared to wildly impressive heights, prompting appreciative “oooh”s from the crowd.

But the highlight of the day was the come-from-behind Cinderella story of Velocity. Teammates Vihaan Agarwal, Ellis Finkel, Mason Langer, Emilia Sonneman, tried a different rocket prototype on their third and final launch attempt and with it, earned a time of 6.9 seconds, winning the competition!

Despite where each team landed on the stopwatch, the Rocketry course was undoubtedly a soaring success.

“The teams collaborated so well together,” said Nimisha. “As groups, they integrated concepts from physics, mathematics, engineering, and design. They had fun building the rockets, but they also took the work very seriously. And I think it showed.”

Mason TAKES THE

BY MIKE ALLEGRA

Eighth grader Mason Langer has the confident baritone of a broadcaster. He also gives off the right energy. After testing sound levels with Arts Coordinator Tim Waters, his faculty advisor on this endeavor, Mason turns to

his guests. “It’s all gonna turn out great,” he says, his voice soothing as syrup.

“Keep it chill. Keep it light. It’s just a conversation, not an interrogation. If we need to stop, we stop. No worries.”

That does the trick. The predictable

jitters often brought on by the presence of professional sound equipment quickly melt away. With everyone now relaxed and settled in, Mason counts down from three and the podcast begins.

The title of Mason’s show is The

STUDENT

keeps everything running smoothly. Even a casual listener can tell that Mason is a natural.

So it might come as a surprise to learn that Mason’s broadcasting career might never have taken off if it weren’t for a subpar Marvel movie.

“I was looking forward to seeing Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness with a few of my friends on opening day,” he explains. “Well, I saw it, and I remember walking out of the theatre thinking, ‘What did I just witness?’ I walked home fuming about how I spent my birthday money on this.”

Mason’s disappointment was still fresh in his mind later that evening when his mother showed him an application to become a Time for Kids reporter for the 2022-23 school year. Time for Kids, a division of Time magazine, is a weekly newsletter distributed to schools across the United States. To be considered for the job, an applicant had to submit a 450-word article on any topic.

Mason decided to apply—and he knew exactly what he wanted to write about. His negative review of Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness was passionate, articulate, and coldly logical—and it soon earned him a coveted spot on the Time for Kids staff.

“Hating that movie was my destiny!” Mason laughs.

www.redoaksschool.org/academics/ middle-school/community-project

that was!” Mason recalls. “ Those broadcasts—I did about eight of them— made me realize just how much I loved podcasting and journalism.

“And,” he added, “I really wanted to apply that knowledge and bring it to Red Oaks”

He pitched the idea of a podcast for his Eighth Grade Community Service Project. “I thought I could use it to promote everything that’s distinct and unique about The Red Oaks School. I ran it by [Middle School Director Noga Beer and Head of School Marilyn Stewart] and they were incredibly enthusiastic.”

Ginger Branch (a name that references both the red in Red Oaks School and Mason’s coppery hair) and this episode is a relaxed give and take about the school’s visual arts program. It’s quite a show, and Mason’s professionalism

The next year was a whirlwind of activity. Mason was given plum writing assignments, which included interviewing celebrities Danny Pudi and Ken Jeong from the TV show Community

Another key part of the job involved taking part in a monthly Time for Kids podcast. “What a great opportunity

Thus, The Ginger Branch was born. As of this writing, three podcast episodes have been recorded, all of which are available on The Red Oaks School website. Mason is looking forward to recording new shows until his graduation this coming spring. He also hopes to keep this podcasting dream alive with the debut of a new host in the fall.

“I don’t want this to die with me,” he says. “I’d be more than happy to train someone. I think I started something here that could be a tradition. This show is such a fun thing to do, and I hope that someone is willing to pick up where I leave off, do their own show, and find their own voice.”

ANNUAL FUND

A Creative Gift

A trio of parents donate their talents to the Annual Fund

“Red Oaks

gives our children the

best every day. Let’s work together and pledge to give our best to Red Oaks.”

–Booth Daniels, Annual Fund video V.O.

In October, Red Oaks sent out a short video to the School Community about the importance of the Annual Fund. This wasn’t the first video the school produced, nor was it the last, but it may very well have been the best. The film was only a minute long, but it did a lot in that minute. Perfectly chosen photos and video clips highlighted the joyful students, dedicated teachers, and varied program offerings at the school. The fund’s goals were clearly and concisely communicated through expertly animated segments and a soothing-yet-upbeat voiceover.

It was a professional production, but unlike a lot of videos with similar polish, the message felt genuine and heartfelt. It was as if the producers of this missive had a sincere and personal stake in the effectiveness of the message. That was indeed the case as the entire creative team was made up of three Red Oaks parents, each with their own unique set of skills, all of whom were eager to volunteer their services.

“They were a dream team,” gushes Advancement Coordinator Patty Giordano.

First year ROS parent and professional animator Tracy Gromek has two children attending the school, Lucas in first grade and Faye in fourth. As soon as her kids were enrolled, Tracy was

eager to be an active participant in the life of the school.

“At the last school my kids attended parents weren’t given any opportunities to get involved,” Tracy remembers.

So she showed off her artistic chops by sharing photos of a Harry Potter-themed birthday party she recently created for her kids. She crafted everything down to the last detail: sculpting every wizard wand, whipping up smoking cauldrons, even hand-making chocolate party favors (Tracy is also a skilled chocolatier). The whole shebang was awe inspiring, “and kind of insane, really.” she laughs.

But those party photos served as an effective calling card. When Trustee Megan Clark and Patty, the duo who headed up the Annual Fund video project, were on the lookout for an animator, they knew exactly who to call.

Voiceover Artist Booth Daniels succinctly explained his motivation for copywriting and narrating the Annual Fund video.

“Guilt,” he jokes.

An ROS parent for five years, his schedule voicing cartoon characters and radio and TV spots didn’t give him much time to venture far from his home

recording studio.

But he found time a few years ago; after the pandemic hit and everyone was stuck at home, Booth received a request from Red Oaks that fell well within his wheelhouse (and within his home studio). The school had put out a general call for volunteers to record themselves reading picture books. These videos would be shared online for the benefit of the homebound Early Childhood students.

Booth recorded The Day the Crayons Quit while his (now-fifth-grade) daughter Abby unofficially directed the session. “She made sure I gave every crayon a different voice. Every. Single. Crayon.” The finished product outed him as a massive talent.

As for Seyi Thomas, parent of ROS third grader Isaac and sixth grader Lilah, he wasn’t sure how the school learned of his career directing TV commercials—the most recent of which was for NJM and featured a bull in a China shop. He was simply approached by Megan at a school event. She asked, “You’re in TV, right?”

“Usually when someone asks me that I brace myself for an outlandish question like ‘Can you do my wedding video?’” Seyi laughs. “But Megan told me about the plans for the video and I saw it as a great way to leverage what I do. I knew I could be useful. I was eager to do it.”

Seyi, Booth, and Tracy had never worked together before, but they clicked immediately. “Everybody liked and respected everybody else,” Tracy says. “We would put our heads together,

get our marching orders and then, via email, send drafts back and forth,” Booth says. “Seyi would put some footage on top of my voiceover. Then Tracy would say ‘Oh! I’ve got a great graphic we can put right here.’”

The timeline was tight, only three weeks from ideation to completion, which meant that Patty and Megan had to watch the clock and provide support as needed.

“The deadline was very important, but Patty and Megan were very good at both allowing us to brainstorm but also reining us in,” Seyi says. “And the notes they gave us were spot on.”

“Megan and Patty were amazing,” Tracy adds. “They did all the work that helped us to make what happened happen. They found the photos, they kept the schedule, they got us what we needed to finish the job. Our group Zoom meetings were the most productive Zoom meetings I’ve ever experienced.”

The vibes were so positive— and the results so impressive— that Seyi, Booth, and Tracy jumped at the chance to work together once again. Almost immediately after delivering the Annual Fund video, they went straight to work on Red Oaks’s Thanksgiving video.

“And I have a feeling there’s more to come,” Seyi says with a smile.

But no one seems to mind. Quite the opposite, really. “One thing I personally got out of editing and directing this video was that I could get a little window into all the happy little moments that happen in all our kids’ lives. You get to see that part of the community up close,” Seyi says. “You see what you’re funding through the Annual Fund.”

Two Campuses, One School

THE LOWER AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS ARE SEPARATED BY GEOGRAPHY BUT TOGETHER IN SPIRIT

The distance between Cutler and the Middle School is only a little more than a mile. But a distance even that short can, at times, seem insurmountable when two campuses wish to forge a single identity.

“We want to make sure that the physical distance between our campuses doesn’t separate us in other, more significant, ways,” notes Lower School Director Sera Capriotti.

That’s why the One ROS initiative was born. The brainchild of Sera and Middle School Director Noga Beer, the goal of the program was to create events throughout the school year where younger and older students can interact, work together, and, as one, celebrate the Red Oaks spirit.

Beginning in October with Spirit Day, the entire school—students, faculty, and administration—congregated for a fun day on the Cutler Campus. “Kids received matching t-shirts, posed for an all-school photo, rehearsed dances for the upcoming Harvest Festival celebration, played team building games, and had snacks,” Noga explained.

“The students were divided into mixed groups so students of different ages could work together,” Sera adds. “It was a wonderful kickoff to the year,”

The campuses came together again in December when elementary students in grades 1-4 joined the Middle School chorus in the Winter Performing Arts Showcase on December 14. As one, the group belted out seasonal favorites to the

appreciative crowd.

More One ROS events are scheduled for 2024. Director of Athletics Rebecca Contant and PE Teacher Vincent Abbate are planning a field day in the spring, when seventh graders will travel to Cutler to work with the early childhood students. Also Language teachers Martha Trevino and Claudia Perez Lopez are coordinating a Mexico Day at Cutler on April 16. Eighth graders will join the elementary students in speaking Spanish, making tortillas, and trying out a few Spanish dances. Other events will be announced soon.

“One ROS has been a great way to celebrate the Red Oaks spirit of friendship, shared purpose, and belonging,” says Noga.

UNDERSTANDING IB MYP

WHY ASSESSMENT MATTERS

BY YONCA OKTAY

As an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme school, Red Oaks is always striving to ensure that the curriculum best serves our community of learners. This is done through a series of rigorous assessments. Through these assessments, teachers can reflect upon the coursework to determine what went well and where improvements need to be made.

This is most obviously seen throughout summative assessments. These assessments are evaluated at the end of each term and usually consist of a multifaceted project, evaluated on a 1-8 point scale. Each IB MYP course

is crafted to ask our students broad, intellectually challenging, open-ended questions; these final projects assess each student’s understanding of the material.

When I craft my syllabus for a course, I ask myself several questions: “Where will I take my students?” “What will they get out of what I teach?” Formative assessments allow me to regularly check in with students to answer these questions and determine if they are following along and keeping up with the work. These assessments can take the form of a quiz, a class discussion, or simply listening in on student group work. Frequent formative assessments help me to answer the big question: How

are they doing?

Formative assessments also answer another, more important, question: How am I doing? Assessments don’t just belong to students, they belong to teachers, too. Let’s say I taught a poetry lesson and two days later I gave a quiz on the material. If everyone in the class bombs that quiz that doesn’t reflect on the students nearly as much as it reflects on me. I need to ask myself, What did I do wrong? Was I not clear? Did I move too quickly? What happened?

IB MYP embraces the philosophy of a Community of Learners, so it should not come as much of a surprise to learn that we at Red Oaks encourage peer assessments. Students help other students. They guide each other and offer suggestions and ways to improve.

IB MYP students also assess themselves. I’m pleased to report that Red Oaks students usually assess themselves quite accurately. That said, if a student feels he deserves eight points on an assignment rather than six, he is welcome to meet with me to discuss and defend his work. Occasionally the student persuades me to boost the number; most other times, the student gets a better understanding of why my assessment is what it is.

The IB MYP educational model is all about student agency. It is our job to empower students and allow them to take ownership of their learning. As a teacher, I see these students for approximately 180 days each year; my goal in that timeframe is to build their character and skills. We are assessing students to be a part of the global world.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Elena & Shira Buchsbaum

It’s closing in on two decades since sisters Elena and Shira Buchsbaum graced the halls of the Cutler House as curious, bright-eyed Montessori students, but the lessons they learned there left an indelible impression.

“I think about Red Oaks a lot,” notes Elena.

She graduated as a sixth grader in 2006, the last year the school was named the Montessori Children’s House. “Besides our parents, the teachers and staff at Red Oaks are singularly the most important adults who have been in my life—or probably ever will be in my life. It’s through them that I really understood the influence an adult can play in a child’s life. Even one meaningful interaction with children can shape how they view themselves and how they view the world.”

The impact was so positive and influential that Elena chose to pursue teaching as a career. After attending Madison’s public school system, she graduated from Brown University with a double major in Political Science and Judaic Studies. She soon found work at Success Academy in Bushwick, Brooklyn, teaching fourth grade.

“There were thousands of times when I was teaching in the classroom during my five years at Success Academy when I would flash back to my time at Red Oaks and think, ‘What would this teacher do in this moment?’ ‘How would they approach this situation?’”

When Elena wasn’t quite sure of the answers to those questions, she would

contact Red Oaks to ask. She remained friendly with many of her former teachers who were always happy to provide guidance and moral support.

“[Art Teacher] Maureen Palmquist was a huge mentor in my life, Elena says. “Teaching is tough and there was a point when I was considering quitting the profession midway through my second year. Ms. Palmquist was the person I called, and she was the one who helped me though that difficult time. So Red Oaks’s role in my life has not been confined to the six years I was at the school, it continues to this day.”

During the pandemic, when Elena

taught classes remotely, she decided it was time for a career shift. She went back to school and earned a master’s degree in Social Work and another in Leadership, Management, & Entrepreneurship from Columbia University. She recently accepted a post at CDW, a tech consulting firm out of Chicago. Elena’s still teaching, however; now she runs virtual training sessions for engineers, helping them learn communication skills, business skills, and interpersonal skills so they can effectively work with clients. “It’s a new challenge and I’m very excited about it.”

Shira graduated Red Oaks at the end of her fifth-grade year in 2008 and has similarly fond memories of the school.

“It’s been 16 years since I’ve been there, but I can remember the names of every teacher I had,” she says. “And each one of those teachers made a concerted effort to have an individual, independent relationship with each child. I also remember spending a lot of time in the art studio. My favorite time at Red Oaks was the art classes— and artwork and crafting is a significant part of the work I do today.”

Shira, too, went on to Madison public schools and then, to Brown. She graduated with dual majors in English and Anthropology, then went on to earn her master’s in Book History from the School of Advanced Studies, University of London. She earned a second master’s in Library Science from Indiana University, Bloomington.

Now Shira manages the Exhibitions Program at the Grolier Club in NYC, a private bibliophilic society

Shira Buchsbaum

Elena Buchsbaum

with a membership comprised of librarians, collectors, curators, book sellers, directors of cultural heritage institutes, and other people in the field. The museum program features seven exhibits each season that focus on the history of the book. Past exhibits include publishing for the armed forces in WWII, historic book bindings, and an in-depth look at the history of detective novels. All of these exhibitions are free and open to the public.

“I describe my job by saying I’m a librarian who’s currently doing museum work with books,” she explains.

“Red Oaks was and is so important to me,” Shira continues. “I remember doing some placement tests over the summer before I started in Madison’s junior high school, and the results indicated that I should skip a grade. I decided not to do that for social reasons, but it goes to show how well Red Oaks prepared me academically. Red Oaks has served me well ever since, too; the school developed my independent thinking and creative problem-solving skills. I am so grateful for what everyone there did for me.”

Elena agrees. “My whole philosophy for the work that I do, whether I’m teaching elementary students or adults, is rooted in Red Oaks’s Montessori model. I believe that the key to learning is teaching someone how to learn. That’s what I experienced at Red Oaks and that’s the principle I return to right now.”

Class of 2015 Notes

After graduating from Red Oaks, Devon Cinque attended Madison High School, where he played hockey and varsity tennis and served as a Peer Mentor. He went on to Columbia University, where he earned a BS in Operations Research: Analytics with a minor in Political Science. He has recently accepted a position at Adobe in New York City as an Associate Technical Manager.

Jack Feldman attended high school at Gill St. Bernard’s, where he was a shot put and discus thrower on the school’s Track and Field team. He attended Johnson & Wales before transferring to Temple University in his sophomore year, majoring in Philosophy. He graduated in December 2023 and plans to pursue a graduate degree.

We Need Your Notes!

Are you a Red Oaks alum? We want to know what you’ve been up to!

Have you earned a degree? Were you hired to a new job? Moved to a new town? Declared a major? Published a story? Got on a sports team? Starred in a show? Won an award? Met up with fellow Red Oaks alumni?

Drop us a line and tell us what’s new in your life. Encourage your friends to do the same. Let’s keep our Red Oaks Community strong!

Send your notes to Ilana Radcliffe at iradcliffe@redoaksschool.org.

The Red Oaks School

21 Cutler Street

Morristown, NJ 07960

The Red Oaks School