Enrichment & Student Growth

5th and 6th Grade Band Program

Elevate your child's 5th or 6th grade experience with the enriching world of music.  Evergreen Elementary School District's band program is more than just notes – it's about fostering creativity, teamwork, and a love for learning.

Our program offers a chance for your child to:

• Pick up a new instrument, or continue their musical journey.
• Experience the joy of creating music with a friendly group.
• Develop valuable skills like teamwork, dedication, and self-expression.

Learning an instrument isn't just about notes. It's about building confidence and a lifelong love of music.

Learn more about ESD Band

Visit our ESD Band webpage to learn more about our program to see what instruments are being offered or watch this informational video.

There is no cost for this program. However, students may need to rent or buy their instrument and supplies.

The Evergreen School District Band is an optional part of the curriculum offered to all 5th and 6th grade students. Class meets for approximately 45 minutes once a week during the school day and is a “Performing Arts” class.

Registration information is available at the beginning of each school year. If you have any questions, please email the band director at your school:

2025 Registration and Class Information

• Online Registration: Open now through August 29, 2025
• Classes are held during the school day from mid September to mid June. 

Band registration links

Ready to sign up? Click on the new or returning link to complete the online registration form:

• New Student Registration
• Returning Student Registration

Research has consistently proven that music and art education build vital critical thinking skills in children. At Silver Oak, all our students have access to art.

Kindergarten through 6th Grades Art

Arts Attack, a video-based art curriculum system, is used in kindergarten, first grade and second grade. This program is designed to teach each child how to express themselves through art and see and experience the world in different ways. The language of art, like the language of words, requires the learning of skills and concepts that will allow the free flow of expression. The goals of Arts Attack are to teach the elements and principles of art and drawing in a developmental and sequential way, as well as to study the art of other artists, cultures and historical periods.
 

Kindergarten - 4th Grades Music

In 1st to 4th grade, students receive music lessons throughout the year to learn about different musical instruments and understand music better.

Students in 1st to 3rd grade can join a special Holiday choir that culminates with a festive performance before the winter break.

Throughout the year kindergarten students have music lessons suitable for their age during the school year to help them lay a strong foundation for their future music learning.
 

4th, 5th and 6th Grades Art

Ms. Lisa Sato offers weekly art lessons every Monday and Tuesday, where students explore a variety of artistic techniques and mediums. Her lessons are designed to foster creativity, build social skills, develop technical skills, and encourage self-expression.  Each class provides students with the opportunity to experiment with different styles and materials, allowing them to build confidence in their artistic abilities while discovering their unique voice in art. If you have any questions about the classes please reach out to Lisa Sato at lsato@eesd.org 

SOEP/PTO coordinates its extracurricular Fine Arts plays with Starting Arts. Two play are offered for students to participate in each year: Upper Grade Play for grades 4-6 and Lower Grade Play for students in 1st - 3rd grades.  Watch for announcements on our website for registration.  These extracurricular offerings are self-funding via registration fees to cover program costs.  Click links below to learn more. 

Upper Grade Play
Lower Grade Play

Silver Oak Elementary School's STEAM Lab opened in March 2017. It was the first dedicated STEAM lab in Evergreen School District and is designed for student to have access to 21st century skills in science, technology, engineering, art and math. Our STEAM Lab offers our kindergarten through 6th grade students fun, exciting, hands-on ways to explore these subjects. The projects they will work on strengthen students' abilities to be creative and flexible problem-solvers. Our lab offers students in all grades the ability to learn introductory STEAM concepts and activities that are age and grade appropriate.

With Silver Oak PTO donations and Measure M monies, the STEAM Lab is colorfully outfitted, wired for the latest technology, and equipped with materials and tools so students can take advantage of a space that promotes working on group projects.

Each year in the fall, Silver Oak’s fifth graders are offered the opportunity to spend one week at Walden West Outdoor School, located in the scenic hills of Saratoga, CA.

Operated by the Santa Clara County Office of Education, Walden West provides a one-of-a-kind outdoor education program where students connect with nature, science, and each other in meaningful ways. Surrounded by oak woodlands, chaparral, and redwood groves, Walden West inspires students to develop a love of the outdoors while gaining the skills and knowledge to become responsible stewards of the environment.

At Walden West, 5th and 6th grade students engage in hands-on science lessons and field studies. Through interactive exploration, they learn to see themselves as part of the natural world, building character, cooperation, and ecological awareness—all within a fun camp environment filled with campfires, songs, and shared experiences.

The Walden West experience would not be complete without meeting the school’s most famous resident, the banana slug, affectionately known as “Sammy.” Students love spotting these bright yellow slugs along the trails, making it a quirky and unforgettable part of their week.

While the specific lessons may vary depending on teachers, weather, and the moment’s inspiration, all students encounter core themes such as:

Field studies immerse students in functioning ecosystems, including:

• Riparian and aquatic habitats of local streams

• The oak woodland, chaparral, meadow, and redwood communities unique to the Saratoga foothills

• Observational and scientific strategies such as measurement, sampling, data interpretation, and comparative investigations

• Fundamental ecological and resource management concepts woven into every activity

The experience is both social and academic. Living 24 hours a day with peers teaches students cooperation, responsibility, and teamwork toward shared goals. Classroom teachers accompany students and help them adjust to time away from home, while students discover independence, build friendships, and create memories that will last a lifetime.

There is no better way to learn science than to be immersed in it for a week—exploring, discovering, and living it firsthand at Walden West!

Learn more about Walden West.

In the classroom, students complete one of five types of projects: experiment, demonstration, model, collection, or invention. Students are interviewed by a panel of teachers and parents who select which project will advance to the district science fair. Each project focuses on science concepts correlated to grade-level standards. For more information, contact your classroom’s teacher.

Each spring kindergartners observe the life cycle of the frog and butterfly starting with larvae and tadpoles and following them through being born to developing into an adult. Students' study the similarities and differences in the life cycles of organisms. The lesson begins with a reading of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Next, students use a video to study the developmental stages of frogs, dragonflies, and butterflies. They compare insect and frog life cycles to each other and to the stages of human development.

Learn more about these two competitions that students study for to compete in during the school year. 

Math Olympiad* - 4th, 5th and 6th graders
Kangaroo Math* - Grades 1 - 6

Primary Programmers introduces students in grades 4–6 to the fundamentals of computer science through hands-on coding in Python. Participants explore key programming concepts such as variables, data types, loops, arrays, and basic algorithms while building small software projects that develop logic, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

This PTO program is offered in two levels: Level 1 for beginners learning foundational skills, and Level 2 for students ready to deepen their knowledge with more advanced Python concepts. Classes are free, held before school, and limited to 24 students per session. Registration opens each fall and spring, with details available on the Silver Oak and PTO websites.

Accelerated Reader (AR), created by Renaissance Learning, Inc., is an individualized reading program used to assess and improve each student’s reading skills and to increase reading enjoyment. Find out more about the AR program on our Library page.

Battle of the Books is a national reading incentive program that Silver Oak has participated in since 2012. Silver Oak students who will be in grades 3-6 each Fall are invited to challenge themselves to read as many books as they can from their grade's list from summer until the start of the competition in October.  Students form teams and compete in a game show style venue where two teams face off at a time to answer questions related to any of the stories on their list. The top two teams for each level will meet in the Championship Competition to see which 3rd/4th grade and 5th/6th grade teams win the BATTLE OF THE BOOKS. Learn more about and see reading lists for this PTO sponsored program.

Students in grades 4-6 have the chance to showcase their talents in a classic spelling bee coordinated by the PTO. Daily spelling activities begin in January. Finalists of the written spelling bee advance to the Oral Spelling Bee taken at the end of January. All words are chosen from the Spell It! website. Visit the website for practice word lists and more information about the Scripps Spelling Bee.

i‐Ready’s

i‐Ready’s adaptive test identifies students’ strengths and weaknesses in reading. An adaptive diagnostic automatically adjusts the difficulty of the questions according to each student’s ability levels. The first question your child will see will be based on his/her chronological grade level. As your child proceeds through the test, items become more or less challenging, depending on how he answers each question. The test is designed to find exactly the level at which your child is performing in phonics, vocabulary, literature and informational text comprehension. Login information is available on our Academic Resources page.

RAZ-Kids

RAZ-Kids is an interactive reading tool for students to practice reading fluency and comprehension. Students have a log in and a password to get into their reading account. Teachers are able to monitor each students' progress and change their reading level. These levels are all individually based on each child's reading level and are adjusted to reflect their abilities. The students can listen to a story, read a story out loud, record themselves reading, and then take a comprehension quiz. Each child earns points or stars to use for their RAZ Rocket which allows them to buy things for their rocket very similar to Webkins.

Newsela

Newsela is an innovative way to build reading comprehension with nonfiction that's always relevant: daily news. Newsela makes it easy for an entire class to read the same content, but at a level that’s just right for each student.

TIME For Kids

TIME For Kids is a weekly classroom news magazine that motivates kids to read. Issues cover a wide range of real-world topics kids love to learn about - and it's the best nonfiction text you'll find! A powerful teaching tool, TIME For Kids builds reading and writing skills and is easily integrated across our curriculum, including social studies, science and math.

Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run is a 10-week social-emotional after school program that teaches girls and anyone who identifies as a girl, in grades 3-6, critical life skills such as: managing emotions, standing up for themselves and others, and how to be a good friend, all the while training for a celebratory 5K fun run at the end of the season. Learn more about the GOTR program at Silver Oak. 

Friday Run Club

Our Friday Run Club is designed to show students how much fun it can be to move their bodies while promoting team work. Students participate each Friday during their lunch recess. Every week they run or walk 1 lap minimum, they receive a special charm to add to their necklace for that week. For every lap they go around the track, their class receives 1 point. The class with the most points at the end of the month, will get to keep the winner's trophy. At the beginning of the school year students are given class shirts. We are grateful to our PTO for making this program available to our students.

Fitness Run

Silver Oak PTO Fitness Run is held annually in Spring.  All students participate in this event as part of the school's Physical Fitness Program. Pledge forms will be sent home with your child. Contributions are made as a flat dollar amount (not per lap). Students that raise a minimum of $25 will automatically be entered into a raffle for prizes. Funds raised by this event are used to support physical education, health and wellness at Silver Oak. Learn More.

The Kids Heart Challenge is an educational and health-building experience for students and families. Through heart-healthy challenges, students learn about the importance of cardiovascular fitness, balanced nutrition, and wellness habits, while also gaining life skills like CPR and goal-setting. Participating fosters stronger family engagement in healthy lifestyle choices, and students feel empowered when they see the impact of their efforts. It fits naturally within our enrichment, wellness, and student growth offerings by supporting the whole child: physical well-being, social responsibility, and positive behavior.

To learn more and get involved, visit the Kids Heart Challenge page at Silver Oak. 

Red Ribbon Week

Each fall, Silver Oak joins schools across the nation in celebrating Red Ribbon Week, a week long campaign dedicated to promoting healthy, drug-free lifestyles and empowering students to make positive choices. Organized by our Student Council, this annual event combines fun, engaging activities with meaningful conversations about safety, wellness, and the importance of making smart decisions.

Throughout the week, students learn age-appropriate strategies to resist peer pressure, build confidence, and care for their physical and mental health. Daily themes, schoolwide spirit days, and classroom discussions help reinforce the message that living drug-free supports stronger relationships, clearer thinking, and brighter futures. By participating, students not only learn how to make healthy choices for themselves but also become advocates for a safe, supportive school community.

Project Cornerstone at Silver Oak

Sponsored by the Silver Oak PTO, Project Cornerstone is a social-emotional learning program that helps students build character, empathy, and confidence through monthly stories and classroom activities. Parent volunteer readers share carefully selected books and lead discussions that teach kindness, inclusion, respect, and how to be an “upstander,”  someone who stands up for others and makes positive choices. By learning these skills together, students strengthen relationships, reduce conflict, and help create a caring, inclusive school community.

Learn more about Project Cornerstone on our PTO website.

Child Abuse Prevention Program

Silver Oak students in kindergarten and grades 2, 4 and 5, participate in discussions led by the YWCA of Silicon Valley about topics of bullying and sexual abuse in an age-appropriate manner. The premise of the program is all children have the right to be safe and healthy at school and at home. The goal of this program is to teach young people in an engaging and age-appropriate way to recognize, resist, and report abuse. During the Child Abuse Prevention Program presentations, children are taught to use The Plan if they ever feel unsafe or unsure about something that is occurring in their life. The Plan has three steps: Say “No! Stop!”, Walk Away, and Tell Someone (like a trusted adult). The Child Abuse Prevention Program presentations run 35 – 55 minutes, depending on grade level. For more information, please see the YWCA-SV website.

Teen Empowerment Program

Silver Oak 6th graders participate in the YWCA of Silicon Valley's Teen Empowerment Program where they discuss the topics of bullying, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and teen dating violence in an age-appropriate manner. During Teen Empowerment Program presentations, tools are taught for staying safe such as: assertive communication, boundary setting, seeking peer support, and telling a trusted adult if students feel unsafe. This presentation lasts 55 minutes. For more information, please see the YWCA-SV website.