About

Holly Oak Elementary School is a public school serving students in kindergarten through 6th grade in the Evergreen School District of San Jose, California.

 

 
 

School Vision Statement

Holly Oak works with our families to provide a pathway to realize the dreams and hopes of its children, and to create a safe and friendly learning environment. We envision technologically literate students who are life-long learners and active in their community. Together, the staff and the PTA will provide a high quality standards-based instructional program that develops life-long learners and responsible, productive leaders of tomorrow.

School Mission Statement

The mission of the Holly Oak Elementary School is to provide the academic support for students to pursue their learning potential to the highest levels, to create a school climate that fosters the feeling of family and community involvement, and to provide children opportunities to experience and participate in the world around them. Their future depends on their ability to think creatively and critically, work with a team toward mutual goals, appreciate diversity, and be able to adapt to change. They need skills in acquiring, filtering, processing, and using information to make effective decisions and to communicate with others. Students will understand they are a part of a local and global community.

Our students will learn to set goals, strive to achieve them, and to gain the skills necessary to be a productive and responsible citizen. They will learn to monitor their own academic and social growth, and to work with the adults around them to assist with their "coming of age" process.

Students will learn to make good choices and choose a life-style that will promote a healthy body, mind and lifestyle. They will learn the importance of the links between health, fitness, and learning. They will set goals that combine health, learning, family, and community involvement.

Finally, Holly Oak Elementary is a family friendly school. We want children to remember their experience at Holly Oak fondly, as a place that helped them grow into successful adults. We value the inclusion of family participation in all aspects of the school.

 
California Distinguished School Logo
 

Principal’s Message

Armando Lara

Welcome to another year in the life of the Holly Oak family. We look forward to another successful year, and continue to build on past years' experiences.

First, I want to commend the staff, students, and parents for their hard academic work to achieve all the academic goals set forth last year. As you know, both California and the Federal Departments of Education set high expectations for all schools to meet. With hard work and motivation, the student learning quotients as measured by the California Academic Performance Index (API) and the federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reached the highest levels in the history of the school. Every student sub-group made substantial growth in the areas of language arts and mathematics. Now, we are poised to achieve these goals again.

Last year was a banner year for parent participation and support for the children of Holly Oak. As a complement to the Family Learning workshops provided by the school, the PTA provided Choir, Art, Crafts, Dance, and PE opportunities for children after school. In addition, the hosted several Lunch Bunch events, Guys Night Out, Mother/Daughter Tea, Family Game Night, Sharks Hockey at School, and performances by the choir and dance students.

All these activities led to the bestowing of the National Parent Group of the Year by the PTA publication, PTO Today. This national honor is chronicled in the Fall edition of the glossy magazine, which features Holly Oak on the front cover, along with an extensive description of the PTA's winning ways. Big thanks go to President Sherry Gilmore and the many parent volunteers that energizes the "focus on family" philosophy of the group.

Another source of pride for the community is the physical improvements to the school. Originally built in 1967 as the fifth school in the Evergreen School District, we were due for a property facelift. Last year the landscaping was renovated, and the results are fabulous.

This year, the portables were renovated or replaced, and reconfigured to give the campus a more unified look. The school now has a new gathering area, improved playground space, and an outdoor learning area. Additional landscaping gives a whole new feeling to the school. Every single alumni or parent emeritus who has visited recently comments on the tremendous rejuvenation. Come by and see it if you have not already. You will be pleased, too.

Finally, even in this time of economic distress, we will continue to provide the service to students and community that has been a hallmark of this neighborhood since its inception forty two years ago. We will uphold the commitment to and pride in the community, and continue to foster the sense of family that defines our collective history.

Join us in our efforts by volunteering, donating, or just plain spreading the good news of Holly Oak.

Fanning the flames of learning and stoking the fires of motivation.

More About Holly Oak