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Agenda Item
C.-6 19-2227 8:30 PM - Public Hearing by the Board of Education of Oakland School for the Arts - Petition and Proposed Charter - Grades 6-12 - July 1, 2020-June 30, 2025 (Renewal).
My 10th grade son is an OSA student whose “emphasis” is production design. Not only is he excelling as a set designer, builder, painter, and lighting and sound designer and producer, he is also excitedly developing confidence in his academic and life skills. I’m sure his new-found sense of himself comes in large part from the diversity, inclusiveness and high standards OSA demands of its community. The independence, responsibility and skills he is learning will serve him well, no matter what he chooses to do in life. His OSA production design team builds tiny houses for homeless Oaklanders and he has interned at Fox Theater shows working behind the scenes in lighting, sound and set preparation. It’s a pleasure to see his enthusiasm for school and it's a joy to see him take on responsibility for helping others, at school and in the Oakland community. I respectfully ask you to renew OSA's charter; keep this wonderful school alive as one of the jewels of Oakland.
My daughter is currently a 10th grader in Vocal Music at OSA. As a career educator I support the charter renewal for numerous reasons:
OSA successfully incorporates arts and academics in an educationally solid approach. The school balances these while striving to maintain an aware, conscious, and supportive approach to all students and styles of learning As a parent of a student with special needs I am extremely impressed with the support, cohesion, and dedication of all OSA staff This school is a uniquely wonderful positive environment that is dedicated to fostering the best in all its students. I wholeheartedly recommend approval of the charter. OSA has a superior academic, artistic, and support staff and it is a privilege to be included in the OSA community.
Our son transferred, just this year, as a Junior, into to Instrumental Music Program at OSA.
The opportunities for him, already, have been an enormous boost to his engagement with
his educational pursuits, development of his musical skills, and the networking available with
other greatly talented young people.
OSA provides a unique and valuable opportunity in our community for these gifted students to excel and explore their talents and skills, unlike any other educational setting I am aware of in Oakland. The school successfully trains these gifted young artists and launches them into the world, as witnessed in the high number of graduates who’ve gone on to excel on the national and international level of arts making.
OSA provides a great service for the City of Oakland. Please renew their charter so that more students can continue to benefit from this great community resource.
My daughter is currently a 8th grader at OSA Dance Department. I see the transformation in my daughter’s dance , her creativity , growth and her passion. I sit back and watch other students and see how much they enjoy coming to school just the light in their eyes. OSA is a wonderful school with so many wonderful opportunities for the creative student at heart. I support OSA and support the renewal of charter .
I am writing today in support of the OSA charter renewal. My daughter is in the 6th grade and is thriving at OSA. She is in an environment where she feels as though she can be herself and is accepted for just that, being herself. She is provided a challenging academic and artistic environment in the same school. We have a 4th grade son who is practicing his art daily so he can also attend OSA - this is a huge leap for our son. Please renew the OSA Charter as we need all types of schools to accommodate all the different types of students across Oakland.
Oakland School for the Arts provides a unique opportunity to students in Oakland and the East Bay to express their talents and follow their passion. Our community needs this school to continue to thrive! It is such an honor to see the talented young people share their work with such pride and enthusiasm. Please support this charter renewal.
I am writing to support the renewal of the OSA charter. My son joined this year in the high school and I cannot say enough on how his artistic talent has been nurtured and given adequate time in the day to be developed - something not available to him in any other program (we have attended public and private). I believe strongly in the mission and focus on the arts curriculum and the nurturing and development of talented kids who have been sidelined in other schools.
My daughter is in the 6th grade Vocal Arts program at OSA.
She is feeling challenged artistically and academically in all of the best ways.
She made the choice to leave a school she loved to move to OSA and she expresses each week how happy she is to be in a supportive, inclusive and dynamic school.
Please allow OSA to thrive for all of our children and larger community
My daughter is in 7th grade and in her second year in the vocal music department. OSA is the fourth public school she has attended in the city of Oakland, and the school in which she feels the most genuinely supported and accepted, in her words. She says everyone is nice there, which makes me smile. What I think she's getting at is the strong culture of inclusion at OSA. It starts with the administration and teachers, and flows to the students and the community of families. She admits she is the happiest she has ever been attending school. She feels accepted, she has new friends, she is flourishing with all As and advancing with her art. OSA is a unique school with a unique vision which truly delivers on nurturing creative, socially sensitive, disciplined young people. We are a family who does not have the means for extra curricular art classes. OSA is an invaluable resource, and can continue to provide opportunity for many more students like my daughter with your approval.
I urge the OUSD Board of Directors to renew Oakland School for the Arts' charter. My son is a 7th grader in his second year at the school in the Literary Arts department. The school administration, teachers and overall community have fostered not only his academic progress and his love of writing but his appreciation for the arts as a whole. Additionally, I have been impressed at the support of the social and emotional development of the students. Recently, my son became concerned about a peer's emotional well being and he felt comfortable and supported enough to reach out to a trusted adult in the administration and share his concerns. The adult took his concerns seriously, while also protecting the privacy of the other student. I'd venture to say this is not the experience kids have at all middle schools. The well-roundedness of the experience the kids are receiving at OSA cannot be stressed enough. Please keep this important school for the children of Oakland!
Oakland School for the Arts has an important place in our community. It offers youth a safe environment to explore and master their interest in arts in a unique and special way. Not only is it a school about arts, it is about celebration of Oakland and development of social conscious, it is important to the greater community of Oakland, solidifying us as an Arts Hub. An entire neighborhood and community has blossomed around a highschool and now a couple of generations of Oakland born and raised young people have blossomed as Oakland Role Models and in some cases national and international ambassadors of Oakland. All of who return there energy and investment in Oakland.
Oakland School for the Arts has an important place in our community. It offers youth a safe environment to explore and master their interest in arts in a unique and special way. Not only is it a school about arts, it is about celebration of Oakland and development of social conscious, it is important to the greater community of Oakland, solidifying us as an Arts Hub. An entire neighborhood and community has blossomed around a highschool and now a couple of generations of Oakland born and raised young people have blossomed as Oakland Role Models and in some cases national and international ambassadors of Oakland. All of who return there energy and investment in Oakland.
My daughter is a Junior in Production Design. She is diagnosed with being twice-exceptional, which means gifted with learning differences. OSA has been extremely supportive in meeting her needs as a unique student including access to teacher meetings and an extensive 504 plan. The fact that she can be her quirky, creative self is a gift that we would not find at another high school. Please allow OSA to continue being the school that it is now; a place where like-minded kids come together and grow into the creative adults they aspire to be. Thank you for supporting OSA's charter renewal.
I strongly support the charter renewal for Oakland School for the Arts (OSA). My two children commute from Pleasant Hill to attend OSA.
OSA is a phenomenal asset not only for Oakland, but also California and beyond. OSA has gained national attention throughout the art industry, as well as the most prestigious colleges and universities for producing top notch talent. In fact, OSA is so well known that some of the greatest artists in the world come to visit and volunteer their time (e.g. Winton Marsalis, YoYo Ma).
OSA was started as an innovative vision by Governor Jerry Brown and HAS ACHIEVED that vision BY VIRTUE OF IT BEING A CHARTER SCHOOL. OSA has a graduation rate of 99% and the 99% that apply to post-secondary education receive acceptance letters
.
For Oakland to maintain this asset, please renew the charter without modifications to this educational “recipe” that obviously works.
My son is a Senior in Production Design. We looked at a lot of schools to try to find a place where a talented child, with a strong propensity for learning through building and creating can thrive. And we found that place in OSA. It is difficult to express how helpful the style of acquiring the knowledge at OSA helped to motivate and inspire our child. Our family feels grateful for the place like OSA to exist!!! Please make it possible for other children to experience the style of learning, the dedication and talent of the staff, the passion for creativity and knowledge. I see how well OSA prepared our offspring for the next stage in his life. Thank you!
My son is 7th grade Visual Arts student and OSA has been the perfect school for him. He is a creative, sensitive artist and being around other creative students and faculty has given him an opportunity to express himself and thrive. Both me and my husband are artist as well and we wish we had a special school like OSA when we were growing up. The teachers and administration at OSA are amazingly dedicated to support all students and encourage individual expression and diversity. WE LOVE OSA!
My 10th grade son is an OSA student whose “emphasis” is production design. Not only is he excelling as a set designer, builder, painter, and lighting and sound designer and producer, he is also excitedly developing confidence in his academic and life skills. I’m sure his new-found sense of himself comes in large part from the diversity, inclusiveness and high standards OSA demands of its community. The independence, responsibility and skills he is learning will serve him well, no matter what he chooses to do in life. His OSA production design team builds tiny houses for homeless Oaklanders and he has interned at Fox Theater shows working behind the scenes in lighting, sound and set preparation. It’s a pleasure to see his enthusiasm for school and it's a joy to see him take on responsibility for helping others, at school and in the Oakland community. I respectfully ask you to renew OSA's charter; keep this wonderful school alive as one of the jewels of Oakland.
My daughter is currently a 10th grader in Vocal Music at OSA. As a career educator I support the charter renewal for numerous reasons:
OSA successfully incorporates arts and academics in an educationally solid approach. The school balances these while striving to maintain an aware, conscious, and supportive approach to all students and styles of learning As a parent of a student with special needs I am extremely impressed with the support, cohesion, and dedication of all OSA staff This school is a uniquely wonderful positive environment that is dedicated to fostering the best in all its students. I wholeheartedly recommend approval of the charter. OSA has a superior academic, artistic, and support staff and it is a privilege to be included in the OSA community.
Our son transferred, just this year, as a Junior, into to Instrumental Music Program at OSA.
The opportunities for him, already, have been an enormous boost to his engagement with
his educational pursuits, development of his musical skills, and the networking available with
other greatly talented young people.
OSA provides a unique and valuable opportunity in our community for these gifted students to excel and explore their talents and skills, unlike any other educational setting I am aware of in Oakland. The school successfully trains these gifted young artists and launches them into the world, as witnessed in the high number of graduates who’ve gone on to excel on the national and international level of arts making.
OSA provides a great service for the City of Oakland. Please renew their charter so that more students can continue to benefit from this great community resource.
Thank you for your consideration,
Keith Terry
My daughter is currently a 8th grader at OSA Dance Department. I see the transformation in my daughter’s dance , her creativity , growth and her passion. I sit back and watch other students and see how much they enjoy coming to school just the light in their eyes. OSA is a wonderful school with so many wonderful opportunities for the creative student at heart. I support OSA and support the renewal of charter .
I am writing today in support of the OSA charter renewal. My daughter is in the 6th grade and is thriving at OSA. She is in an environment where she feels as though she can be herself and is accepted for just that, being herself. She is provided a challenging academic and artistic environment in the same school. We have a 4th grade son who is practicing his art daily so he can also attend OSA - this is a huge leap for our son. Please renew the OSA Charter as we need all types of schools to accommodate all the different types of students across Oakland.
Oakland School for the Arts provides a unique opportunity to students in Oakland and the East Bay to express their talents and follow their passion. Our community needs this school to continue to thrive! It is such an honor to see the talented young people share their work with such pride and enthusiasm. Please support this charter renewal.
I am writing to support the renewal of the OSA charter. My son joined this year in the high school and I cannot say enough on how his artistic talent has been nurtured and given adequate time in the day to be developed - something not available to him in any other program (we have attended public and private). I believe strongly in the mission and focus on the arts curriculum and the nurturing and development of talented kids who have been sidelined in other schools.
I strongly support OSA’s renewal.
My daughter is a 6th grader at OSA.
She enjoys and loves her school.
Please keep OSA for children.
My daughter is in the 6th grade Vocal Arts program at OSA.
She is feeling challenged artistically and academically in all of the best ways.
She made the choice to leave a school she loved to move to OSA and she expresses each week how happy she is to be in a supportive, inclusive and dynamic school.
Please allow OSA to thrive for all of our children and larger community
My daughter is in 7th grade and in her second year in the vocal music department. OSA is the fourth public school she has attended in the city of Oakland, and the school in which she feels the most genuinely supported and accepted, in her words. She says everyone is nice there, which makes me smile. What I think she's getting at is the strong culture of inclusion at OSA. It starts with the administration and teachers, and flows to the students and the community of families. She admits she is the happiest she has ever been attending school. She feels accepted, she has new friends, she is flourishing with all As and advancing with her art. OSA is a unique school with a unique vision which truly delivers on nurturing creative, socially sensitive, disciplined young people. We are a family who does not have the means for extra curricular art classes. OSA is an invaluable resource, and can continue to provide opportunity for many more students like my daughter with your approval.
I strongly support OSA’s renewal.
My daughter is a 6th grader at OSA.
She enjoys and loves her school.
Please keep OSA for children.
I urge the OUSD Board of Directors to renew Oakland School for the Arts' charter. My son is a 7th grader in his second year at the school in the Literary Arts department. The school administration, teachers and overall community have fostered not only his academic progress and his love of writing but his appreciation for the arts as a whole. Additionally, I have been impressed at the support of the social and emotional development of the students. Recently, my son became concerned about a peer's emotional well being and he felt comfortable and supported enough to reach out to a trusted adult in the administration and share his concerns. The adult took his concerns seriously, while also protecting the privacy of the other student. I'd venture to say this is not the experience kids have at all middle schools. The well-roundedness of the experience the kids are receiving at OSA cannot be stressed enough. Please keep this important school for the children of Oakland!
I fully support the renewal of the Charter status for OSA. Thank you! -Liz
Oakland School for the Arts has an important place in our community. It offers youth a safe environment to explore and master their interest in arts in a unique and special way. Not only is it a school about arts, it is about celebration of Oakland and development of social conscious, it is important to the greater community of Oakland, solidifying us as an Arts Hub. An entire neighborhood and community has blossomed around a highschool and now a couple of generations of Oakland born and raised young people have blossomed as Oakland Role Models and in some cases national and international ambassadors of Oakland. All of who return there energy and investment in Oakland.
Oakland School for the Arts has an important place in our community. It offers youth a safe environment to explore and master their interest in arts in a unique and special way. Not only is it a school about arts, it is about celebration of Oakland and development of social conscious, it is important to the greater community of Oakland, solidifying us as an Arts Hub. An entire neighborhood and community has blossomed around a highschool and now a couple of generations of Oakland born and raised young people have blossomed as Oakland Role Models and in some cases national and international ambassadors of Oakland. All of who return there energy and investment in Oakland.
My daughter is a Junior in Production Design. She is diagnosed with being twice-exceptional, which means gifted with learning differences. OSA has been extremely supportive in meeting her needs as a unique student including access to teacher meetings and an extensive 504 plan. The fact that she can be her quirky, creative self is a gift that we would not find at another high school. Please allow OSA to continue being the school that it is now; a place where like-minded kids come together and grow into the creative adults they aspire to be. Thank you for supporting OSA's charter renewal.
I strongly support the charter renewal for Oakland School for the Arts (OSA). My two children commute from Pleasant Hill to attend OSA.
OSA is a phenomenal asset not only for Oakland, but also California and beyond. OSA has gained national attention throughout the art industry, as well as the most prestigious colleges and universities for producing top notch talent. In fact, OSA is so well known that some of the greatest artists in the world come to visit and volunteer their time (e.g. Winton Marsalis, YoYo Ma).
OSA was started as an innovative vision by Governor Jerry Brown and HAS ACHIEVED that vision BY VIRTUE OF IT BEING A CHARTER SCHOOL. OSA has a graduation rate of 99% and the 99% that apply to post-secondary education receive acceptance letters
.
For Oakland to maintain this asset, please renew the charter without modifications to this educational “recipe” that obviously works.
My son would not be the student artist that he is without Oakland School for the Arts.
I am a strong supporter of OSA's charter renewal!
My son is a Senior in Production Design. We looked at a lot of schools to try to find a place where a talented child, with a strong propensity for learning through building and creating can thrive. And we found that place in OSA. It is difficult to express how helpful the style of acquiring the knowledge at OSA helped to motivate and inspire our child. Our family feels grateful for the place like OSA to exist!!! Please make it possible for other children to experience the style of learning, the dedication and talent of the staff, the passion for creativity and knowledge. I see how well OSA prepared our offspring for the next stage in his life. Thank you!
My son is 7th grade Visual Arts student and OSA has been the perfect school for him. He is a creative, sensitive artist and being around other creative students and faculty has given him an opportunity to express himself and thrive. Both me and my husband are artist as well and we wish we had a special school like OSA when we were growing up. The teachers and administration at OSA are amazingly dedicated to support all students and encourage individual expression and diversity. WE LOVE OSA!