M.A.J.O.R.S. (Making Academic Jumps Over Rigorous Standards) was back on the OPA campus this month and better than ever!
During M.A.J.O.R.S. week, first through eighth grade students attend an elective-style enrichment class for an afternoon session of building, dancing, creating, and more! When the week is complete, our entire student body has an opportunity to enjoy the performances and projects at the M.A.J.O.R.S. showcase. Here is a sample of just a few of the great classes our Champions enjoyed:
Building Ironmen
Bodily Kinestetic/Interpersonal
Fifth through eighth grade Champions learned all about how to take their health, nutrition, physical fitness, and athletic knowledge to the next level. This class taught kids about the different foods they can eat to accomplish athletic excellence and what techniques they can use in sports to stay safe and protected.
OPA Bridges Falling Down
Spatial/Logical Mathematical
Students were challenged to build a bridge that would hold 3 pounds of weight using only toothpicks and glue. Each toothpick and drop of glue was assigned a value. Students were tasked with building a structurally sound bridge under budget. Additionally, they learned about different tyypes of bridges, design, how they need to be supported, and then got ready to build!
Not Your Ordinary Street Hocky
Spatial/Bodily Kinesthetic
Students learned tips, rules, and techniques to take their hockey game to the next level. All ability levels had a great time in this fun hockey clinic!
Leaders Wanted
Interpersonal/Intrapersonal
Champions looking for a challenge spent the week sharing their talents and learned about real world leadership roles. In this Apprentice-style class, students learned to plan activities, use their creative skills to lead others, and had an opportunity to develop a product launch and marketing plan.
OPA's Design Star
Spatial/Logical Mathematical
This design class was offered to 2nd through 8th grade students. Participants learned about styles of design and created amazing room design boards. Floor plans, fabric and carpet samples,accessories, and floor plans were shared on their inspirational design boards.
Robo-tastic
Spatial/Logical-Mathematical
Exploring the wonderful world of robot engineering, 3rd and 4th grade students used Legos and computers to design and control a real robot.
The Art of Paper
Spatial/Bodily-Kinesthetic
Saving trees and making their own paper, 4th through 8th grade Champions participated in several creative projects centered around paper. Students learned about Origami, quilling, paper beads, flowers and made a paper bag scrapbook.
Champions Art Studio
Spatial/Interpersonal
Calling all Monets and Van Goghs! Students in 4th through 8th grade learned fundamental elements of art. They learned about the masters and art history. Students then put those skills into practice to recreate famous art pieces.
Mission Impossible!
Bodily-Kinesthetic/Logical-Mathematical
Becoming experts in espionage and learning what it takes to be a spy was the mission, as they chose to accept it! First through third grade Champions joined the Spy Academy and learned about decoding messages, hiding secrets, and the art of disguise. Students in the photo below were construction Morse Code devices.
Get Your Stitch On!
Spatial/Interpersonal
First through fourth grade Champions learned some basic sewing skill such as mending, sewing on a button, and made these adorable little monsters.
Comic Book Heroes
Linguistic/Spatial
Comic book fans unite! In this creative class, first through fourth graders learned the basics of comic book illustration, then created their own designs. What fun!
Oxford Preparatory Academy was pleased to welcome a special delegation of students, teachers, and administrators from Nankai Univesity Affliated Primary School, located in Tianjin, China to our campus on Thursday, February 2, 2012. The fifth and sixth grade students were in California for a special delegation and we are thrilled they came to spend a day at OPA!
Upon their arrival, every fifth and sixth OPA student came to Honour Hall to give a big Champion welcome our nineteen student guests and their chaperones. Oxford Student Ambassadors partnered with guest students for the day to show them our campus, introduce them to friends during recess, and welcome them into our classrooms for the day.
The fifth and sixth grade guests and their OPA Ambassadors participated in an ice breaker, led by Mr. Shuler before heading off to their classrooms.
Our student guests from China jumped right in. As the adults toured classrooms and learned about our academic program, we saw Chinese students engaged in P.E. with classmates, participating in Mandarin lessons, heading to computer lab and more.
Our guests joined us for a special luncheon while our performance band presented musical pieces they learned for Chinese New Year. The students exchanged small gifts and Mrs. Roche was honored with a beautiful vase and tea gift set. Our guests left a lasting impression on our students and staff with their kindness and interest in our school. Friendships quickly formed and we enjoyed seeing the kids experience the cultural exchange. It was a joy to see OPA students from all grade levels greet our guests in Mandarin. Oxford Preparatory Academy is grateful to Founder Albert Chang, Advisory Board member Norman Hsu and members of the Nankai Delegation for facilitating this visit. We look forward to continued relationships as we develop our global awareness.
I wish to thank Oxford Advisory Board member Norman Hsu for making this trip possible, for both our administrative delegation, and for the OPA teachers who will bring their experiences back into our classrooms. We are deeply grateful for this enriching experience.
Visiting China has always been a dream of mine. The culture, the people, and the religious customs have always fascinated me. The trip was a fantastic adventure that I will not soon forget. During our winter break this past December, I was fortunate enough to be invited to spend a week in the Hainan Providence of China with a delegation of superintendents, school administrators, and educators. While our teachers were hard at work at Chinese teaching seminars, I was able to witness the Chinese educational system first hand.
We traveled with administrators from all over the world and were able to visit many different Chinese schools. This was such a treat! While there were different customs unique to the culture, I noticed many similarities between Oxford Preparatory Academy’s educational program and the Chinese program. Students would always stand up to answer a question. The students always prefaced their answers with the professor’s name and provided their answers in complete sentences. All students were engaged in their lessons! What an awesome sight that was! Once class was over, the students were so polite. They surrounded us and shared their excitement about school. They were excited about trying out the English skills they had been learning in class. Some of the younger students would say something in English, and as I answered their questions, they would giggle and then runway and hide.
My trip to China left a lasting impression on me, and I will always look back fondly on all the adventures I had, the buses I rode, and the students I greeted. I cannot wait for the road of life to lead me back to China. I hope that it leads me back quickly.
Please double-click the image below to enjoy a slideshow of more images from China in full screen.
Oxford Preparatory Academy, in partnership with Hanban North America and the College Board, had an exceptional opportunity to experience educational travel to China. Hanban is committed to providing Chinese language and cultural teaching resources and services worldwide. Hanban excels in meeting the demands of foreign Chinese learners and contributing to the development of multiculturalism and the building of a harmonious world. Through this grant-funded experience, our Oxford teachers, staff and administrators are excited to bring even more innovation and new ideas into our classrooms. Oxford Preparatory Academy wishes to thank Advisory Board Member Norman Hsu, Founder Albert Chang and Hanban North America for this facilitating this wonderful experience.
"I feel so fortunate to have been able to travel to the other side of the world and learn about the Chinese language and culture. We tried interesting food, saw a beautiful rainforest, taught a Mandarin Chinese Lesson, and witnessed the breathtaking beauty of a Buddhist temple by the sea. My trip to China was an experience I will never forget!"
--Amanda Murchey
Second Grade Professor
Washington State University at Chino Valley
"China was an amazing experience. It truly taught me the value of other cultures and even more so, the value of our own culture. Everyone in the city of Haikou was very friendly and had a cheerful demeanor. Students walked around the town excited to see us and were all very respectful. Furthermore, as my fellow teachers and I presented a lesson to our Chinese counterparts, we saw the true value of our own teaching methods and strategies (Multiple Intelligence (M.I.) and GATE strategies). The other Chinese teachers, staff, and administrators were impressed with our engaging M.I. lesson. We learned so much from our trip and at the same time, left an OPA style impression in China. Success!"
--Brian Cordero
First Grade Professor
Oregon State University at the Chino Valley campus
"Visiting China during this past winter break was a life-changing experience that I will not soon forget. The people, the places, and the cultural experiences were much more than I could have ever asked for. Everyone, from the youngest student to the oldest adult, made me feel very welcome...even though I only knew three words in Chinese. My favorite experience on the trip was our trip to the Tao Temple. This place was breathtaking. It was situated on a high mountain and overlooked the valley below. It was so peaceful. I could have stayed up there for hours deep in thought. Experiencing a place like this really makes you appreciate life and all it has to offer. China was a trip of a lifetime. Thank you Oxford Prep, because without you, this trip would not have been possible."
-Thomas Mallory,
5th Grade Professor
University of Washington at the South Orange County campus
"This past winter break I had an amazing opportunity to visit the island of Hainan, China. I went on this trip blindly - not knowing the itinerary of the eight days that would be spent overseas. The only thing I knew was it would be a trip to remember. My favorite part of the trip was working with my fellow Oxford teachers on a lesson plan in Mandarin! It was an impossible task - none of us spoke Chinese and we were being asked to present a lesson in Mandarin. We stayed positive and put our best efforts forward utilizing our training in Multiple Intelligences... and we won! Our lesson plan was voted best by the audience! I felt so proud because it definitely brought a new challenge to me... and I got to work with other Oxford teachers with whom I haven't had the chance to work with before! Thank you Oxford Prep for this amazing opportunity."
- Corinna Lee,
6th Grade Professor
Harvard, SOC
To see a highlight video of their amazing experience in China, please double-click the video feed below:
ASB elections were held on the Oxford campus today. Champions took their votes to the polls in a new, innovative, digital way! Honour Hall was filled with red, white and blue as campaign managers and candidates stated their positions and delivered their speeches. After the speeches were complete, students were dismissed by class to to the "polling stations " to Rock the Vote on a class set of iPads. A survey, with all candidate names was waiting for the voters. The survey was created on the school website under the ASB page and each student simply hit "refresh" upon completing their voting. ASB Advisors and eighth grade Professors Mr. Jared McCleod and Ms. Wendy Agredano watched the voting returns come in real time and were able to notify the new ASB elected student leaders within minutes of the polls closing. Students, parents and staff all report that the elections were exciting, fresh and simple to execute. The students had a great time electing their new student leaders!
Click here to view a complete photo recap of Oxford's Election event.
Oxford Preparatory Academy is committed to providing a technology-rich academic program for all students. Be sure to check out Miss Mattingly's after-school Computer Club for upcoming enrichment classes!
