How we do SCHOOL!!

Before I share the BIG NEWS, I'll remind you why we decided to look into alternative schooling!  We went to public school and really never had any other thoughts regarding where we would send the kids!  That was until Jackson started reading at three and more of his Asperger symptoms became clear!  The more I read, the more I learned how many people with special needs, especially people with Aspergers Syndrome, struggled in a public school setting.  I was also discouraged with what I was learning for friends who had been teachers in the public school setting.  I set out to find an affordable alternative!  The idea of homeschooling Scared Me To DEATH!!  I don't think there is any reason to hide that school was not really my "thing", and figuring out how to teach my kids everything they needed to know just seemed impossible!!

I instantly fell in love with the UMS model (University Model School)!  The name gives away the idea; is like college!  The kids go to a classroom (or "school") a couple of days a week, and the rest of their studies is done at home.  The kids are put into classrooms based on their abilities instead of age and all of their lessons are laid out very clearly for us to follow!

We have been attending an AMAZING UMS school for the past four years!   We have all learned so much!  Jackson was able to start school at age four and has done wonderfully!  I am constantly impressed by how much the kids are able to learn with the smaller class sizes and one on one attention!  It's awesome to be a part of their education and witness it first hand!  Because UMS is a part time school, the cost associated with it is a fraction of what private school would be and the bonus is all the extra time we get to spend together, the extracurricular activities they get a chance to do, and more time we have to take advantage of all the cool things Austin has to offer!

OK!!  Here is where the BIG announcement comes in!!!

We are opening a NEW UMS SCHOOL- 

  When I say "we", I absolutely positively do not mean ME!!  I mean several amazing men and woman that are so much smarter than I am, are coming together to form something new and innovative in the way of a UMS style school, and I will be crashing the meetings! ;)

      This new school is completely different then any other UMS school in the area!   This school will not have a specific religious association.  Three Oaks will be an All INCLUSIVE school for everyone that is interested!   Our goal is to educate children so that they can be "of the world, not just in the world"!  We want to see families of all backgrounds, of all types, of all religious beliefs, and of all ethnicities!  We want to explore and share the beliefs and values from all over the world so that our children will be armed and able to make educated decisions, not to mention be ready to face real world problems and controversies with confidence and a strong foundation of knowledge!

The school itself will combine the best parts of all the instructive methods instead of being trapped in one particular way of teaching!   We want to stay on the cutting edge of educational research and allow flexibility for our children who each have very different learning styles.  We want the focus to be on each child as an individual; their strengths, their weakness, and their personal way of learning.  We want to provide an unparalleled education, while focusing on teaching our children how to really "Love to Learn"!!

Among the many things that will make this school amazing; making a difference and serving our community will be a focus at Three Oaks School-  
"To meet our mission of inspiring leadership for the public good, Three Oaks School engages in a required Service Learning program that empowers our students to experience the world in order to learn from it and to be of committed and substantive service to others. Working together, Three Oaks students and teachers learn how to serve productively with partners in Greater Austin, across the country, and around the world in settings that are often unfamiliar and challenging. While learning how to solve problems as they emerge and being exposed to complex issues, Three Oaks students expand their view of themselves and the world, build empathy, independence, resilience, and humility, and come to understand that through their individual actions they make a positive difference in the lives of others." 

At Three Oaks we hope to cultivate delight and wonder. Our goal is to challenge our students without exasperating them. While we maintain rigorous academic standards, we foster joy in learning through connecting classroom efforts with hands-on activities, real-life experiences, field trips, and special academic events. Every teacher at Three Oaks School works to inspire students to pursue truth and delight in wisdom. In short, we want our children to not only learn, but to love learning.

Do you want to join us? Three Oaks is currently looking for pioneer families who are interested in building a new and unique school serving the North Austin area.  We need families to help us finalize our school's philosophy and values; and will be looking for students, teachers, and staff that want to be apart of something new and exciting!  Let me know if you are interested in more information!  Everything is just starting to come together and we would love to see more families join us on this awesome adventure!  A great place to start would be to like the facebook page, so you can get updates and information as it becomes available!

Wish us luck, as we exclusively home-school this year while preparing for the The Oaks School launch in 2015!!