Throughout the first part of this school year we have learned a lot about ourselves, what our bodies can do and how to make them stronger. We are gaining leadership skills by voting and discussing games, changing captains regularly and giving every student the place and space to try their hardest to be their best. This year, more so than in years past, there have been so many students leading by example and setting the tone so that classes are more productive and cohesive. It's so great to see! We have also worked on problem solving skills, communication skills, and being more understanding to one another due to everyone's differences and skill levels. 

This trimester we are working on strength. We will be focused on strengthening our upper bodies, lower bodies and core. Exercises such as dips, pushups, squats, lunges, planks and sit ups will be helping us along our fitness journey. I want to thank all students for their efforts through the beginning of the year. Students helping to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable enough to be themselves has made the beginning of this year a success. Keep up the good work everyone!

-Mr. Phillip

Here in Oakland, MLK Day is observed as the Day of Service and we are encouraging families to participate in a day of service to honor Dr. King’s legacy. 

We’ve curated this list of local service events to assist you in finding volunteer opportunities. To help foster community, we suggest volunteering with friends. Note that most of these activities may require registration or have age requirements. Please plan accordingly:

CLEANUPS / ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION: 

• Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline (Oakport Staging Area)
• Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline (Arrowhead Marsh)
• Higher Ground MLK Jr. Day of Service (105th Ave & Edes)
• Friends of Sausal Creek - Dimond Canyon Habitat Restoration
• Friends of Sausal Creek - Jingletown Native Plant Garden
• Friends of Sausal Creek - Wood Park

CITY OF OAKLAND VOLUNTEER MAP: https://oakland-volunteer-community-oakgis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/mlk-day-of-service 

MARCH & ACTION: 10th Annual Reclaim MLK's Radical Legacy March (Oscar Grant Plaza) & Week of Actions!

COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE:

LAST WEEK TO REGISTER!!

We're excited to announce Northern Light School's 2024 partnership with Oakland Girls Softball League! All NLS girls ages 5 -14 are officially invited to join OGSL’s spring season (February - May) at no cost. Practices will be during the week at NLS on our very own Vida Blue Field of Dreams. Games will be on Saturdays at different fields in Oakland. 

OGSL is a recreational softball program, offering spring and fall leagues for 5 to 14 year-old girls. The main season runs from February through May.

The link below is for NLS students only! 

Registration ends January 19th, so act quickly to take advantage of our partnership with OGSL.

In addition, OGSL is looking for volunteer coaches for the upcoming season and will be offering free coaching clinics for any interested parents.

Please reach out to Mr. Peter at [email protected] if you have any questions or are interested in a coaching role for the upcoming season.

We're looking for parents and students to help with admissions. Here are couple ways we could use some family support and families can earn volunteer hours!

1. Parent or Student Quote or Testimonial- We’re always creating new marketing and outreach materials for admissions and development. We know family quotes are impactful and are always looking for quotes from parents or students about NLS. Why do you love NLS? What’s your favorite subject? Why did you choose NLS for your family? etc…
2. Parent and/or Student Contact – We are looking for parents to serve as an additional point of contact with prospective families. We’d love to be able to connect prospective families with current families to answer questions, talk about the school, share their experience, etc. A parent contact would give us their preferred form of communication (phone or email) that we could then share with prospective families. Prior to receiving a call or email, we would alert you to which family may be contacting you.

If you’d like to participate in any/all of the above ways, please complete the ambassador form by clicking the button below. Please email Jill with any questions or ideas. As always, we're so grateful for all of your continued support and participation!

We are very excited to announce that Northern Light School will be hosting Steve & Kate's Camp on our campus during February Break, Spring Break, and Summer Break! Steve & Kate's camp is open for students 4 years old and up. They have numerous exciting daily activities, an unused days reimbursement program, and provide all lunch and snacks! See below for more info and for camp registration links!

About Steve & Kate's Camp: We believe life’s most valuable lessons come from self-exploration. That’s why we built our camp around self-directed learning. Every time a kid makes their own choice, they gain confidence. And every time they make a mistake, they gain knowledge. With a lot of freedom and a little guidance, our unique approach prepares kids to navigate real life. After all, we think children deserve the world–plus the self-assurance necessary to make the most of it. We’re determined to give it to them. We allow campers to choose from a variety of activities including, sewing, stop-motion animation, music, sports & recreation, makers crafts, bread making, and more. Campers decide what they want to do, and for how long. Our job is to get out of their way, cheerlead creative risks, and provide just enough guidance to make sure nobody does anything totally* asinine.

*Totally asinine: By our definition, mistakes aren’t asinine. They’re how you learn.

Mark your calendar - It's going down! It's Prom Night, an Adult Prom with a modern twist. Our Prom party kicks off on 3/16 at the beautiful Oakland Scottish Rite Center. Come relive your prom night or get a second chance at a great experience. This is going to be epic!

This is a ticket-only event, get your tickets today online or pay at the front office (we accept cash, checks, and credit card)! In addition, we are selling raffle tickets! Purchase a ticket to be entered into our raffle. We have some amazing prizes up for grabs, and every ticket sale goes directly toward NLS! 

We are excited to announce our STEAMposium to all science classes this week! The entire school (elementary and middle school classes) will have projects to share at the showcase on February 7, 2024. In Kindergarten - 5th grades, we will be completing class projects in our science and homeroom classes. HOWEVER, if your child is interested in completing their own project (individually or with a partner), all the information is provided for what they will need to complete a project outside of class. This is a great opportunity for students to share their interests with the NLS community!

If your child turns in a STEAM Project Background Form by 12/13/2023, they will be provided with a printed template for each section of their project, and a display board to showcase their work. Students will not have time to work on these projects in class, so everything will need to be completed at home, and turned in by February 5, 2024. 

Even if your child chooses not to complete a STEAM project at home, they will still have a class project to showcase, so we hope to see everyone after school on February 7, 2024! 

See below for STEAMposium project resources at each grade level. Questions? Please reach out to Ms. Lindsey!

We are excited to announce that Northern Light School has chosen Clarity as our new tuition assistance application system. Our goal is to make the tuition assistance application process as easy as possible for your family. 

You will find that Clarity offers a streamlined and user-friendly tuition assistance application process that can take as few as twenty minutes to complete. It is mobile-friendly, so you can complete your application on your phone or tablet! Furthermore, your 1040 and W2 documents from 2022 will be automatically transferred from the IRS when you complete the verification step, so you will no longer need to upload those documents manually. These are just a few ways in which Clarity enhances the tuition assistance application process.   

We know that you may have questions about this change and how it will impact your family. We welcome you to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. We also invite you to review the FAQs attached below to learn more about Clarity!

The FTC is always looking for volunteers to help lead and execute our programs. Find out more about volunteer opportunities by filling out the interest form. 

While the entire NLS community is part of the FTC, support our programs by becoming a paid member. Dues are $21 per adult for 2023-2024.

Find out the latest information on upcoming events and FTC business.

Using a partnership model, Northern Light School asks that each family participate in volunteer hours. Each family is required to volunteer a minimum of 30 hours during the 2023-2024 school year. For families that do not satisfy their volunteer requirement by the end of the 2023-2024 school year, they will be billed $10 for each hour remaining. [For example, if they serve 25 hours, they will be billed $50. That is, 5 hours x $10 per hour for the remaining 5 volunteer hours.]

Parent engagement and participation is crucial to the health of our school community and we thank you for your time and support!

We will keep families up to date on upcoming volunteer opportunities. In the meantime, the best place to check is with your child's homeroom teacher. Teachers will also send out opportunities as they come up. Some current volunteer examples and opportunities are:

Attending FTC Meetings



Flag Football Coach

Preschool Garden Support - weeding, clean up)

Preschool Playground - wood chip maintenance

Driving on Field Trips

Room Parent

Dance Chaperone

Supply Donation ($10 = 1 hour)

Development Event Volunteer

Lunch Duty

Yard Duty

If your child will not be attending school or will be dropped off late/picked up early, please contact the Front Office 510-957-0570 to report your tardy/absence. You can also send a message to Molly Harrington via Parent Square or you can email her directly at [email protected].  

If you know you will be out far in advance or for a longer period of time, please also communicate with your child's classroom teacher for any missed assignments or independent work.

Northern Light School has a No Peanut Policy. The School recognizes that food allergies represent a health and safety hazard, which can have serious consequences. for those who have such an allergy. Peanuts are the most common allergy amongst school-aged children. In order to foster an inclusive and safe environment for everyone, the school prohibits the use, serving, or selling of peanuts, peanut butter, or any peanut product by students, staff members, visitors, or guests.

Safety is a community effort and we thank you for doing your part in keeping our community safe!