ACORN Monthly

Dear Oakhill Community,

August is here! Back to School verbiage, supplies, and ads are everywhere! I love this time of year – the planning, the excitement, and the anticipation – we're just days away from officially beginning our 2026/2027 school year. As I head into my 20th year at Oakhill (my 34th start of school as an educator), I am as excited today as I was then… just a (little) bit older and a (whole lot) wiser. I am proud you have chosen Oakhill. We (every department, every division, and every facet of the school) are here for your children. We constantly reflect on our mission and who we are as a school – “to challenge, to know, to value, and to inspire our students to be their best selves.” We strive to ensure our mission is in motion every single day!

Before we jump into "back to school stuff”, I have to give a huge shoutout to Jaci Ebert and her entire team for making this summer magical for our campers! In my eyes, "Best Summer Ever" definitely came true in every way. It was such a smooth summer, and so much of that success came from having our incredible Oakhill teachers working with students, welcoming Oakhill alumni back to work as teaching assistants, and seeing so many happy campers—current students, new students, and non-Oakhill kiddos alike! I am grateful and proud of everyone involved!

On a personal note, my summer was a great mix of adventure, routine, and to-do’s. Brooke and I kicked off the summer traveling to the Big Island in Hawaii; since then I’ve been a total homebody! Kevin and I have "enjoyed" lots of meetings with our contractor as we build our “modern farmhouse” - I am crossing my fingers to move in for the holidays!!! Living in the country and having trails and “tails” brings me so much joy - from my Highland steers, Maverick and Milo, to my goats, Clarence and Walter. On a sad note, I lost my English Cream Golden Retriever, Marley, in early July, but we now have a golden retriever puppy named Oakley! She’s keeping our 8-year-old Dalmatian, Ralphie, on his toes (and trust me, Ralphie is not sad or lonely at all now!). Although I miss Marley dearly, Oakley has been good for all of us!

Brady and Eliza came to visit on the absolute hottest and most humid weekend ever - a true "Welcome to Kansas City in late July” moment. Nevertheless, we enjoyed Joe’s KC BBQ and Corner Cafe…the perfect stops for great food and AC! They just bought a new home in Dallas and are so excited for this next chapter…I can’t wait to go visit…they say they have a room for us!  Brooke is starting an MBA program through SMU in a couple of weeks, all the while training for a full Ironman in Australia this fall! She is goal oriented and loves to learn! I am always so proud of her determination and drive!

We have spent the summer preparing for the year ahead - bringing back all that was successful, making changes where we believe is best, and determining direction as we focus on a few goals and initiatives. Here are a few areas we are very excited about when it comes to academics:

• STEM Expansion: Thanks to two generous donors, we are continuing to work on the new STEM lab at the South Building! While the space won't be ready for the start of the school year, our students will get to watch the vision come to life each and every day. The Main Building STEM lab is also taking shape - it will be located just off the main building library. In these spaces, our students will focus on computational language and critical thinking, ensuring they have the necessary skills and thought processes for high school, college, and beyond.
• Library Focus: Stephanie Youngblood is taking on an exciting new role overseeing both libraries (Main and South), creating a vibrant hub for learning and creating a space and place to enjoy books, books, and more books!
• Device Balance: I've always been proud of our long-standing "rule" to turn in phones and smartwatches when students arrive at school (we have been doing this for 20 years even though devices have looked different over the years). This year, we are challenging our teachers to pull back on in-class iPad usage in Lower, Intermediate, and Middle school (Early Childhood doesn’t use devices at all) - only using them when their use truly enhances learning as a necessary tool. This will create the space necessary for teacher/student interaction, collaboration, and learning…Oakhill teachers ARE the difference makers!
• Vertical Alignment: We are focusing on making sure each grade level and division bridges smoothly to the next, maintaining vertical and philosophical alignment when it comes to homework, academic expectations, and mission fulfillment. We want your children and YOU, the parents, to feel and see a smooth transition!

Oakhill is all about connections, and we have some exciting new opportunities launching this school year:

• Inaugural Alumni Advisory Board: This August, we are installing our very first Alumni Advisory Board, featuring representation from our first graduating class of 2010 all the way through the class of 2018. We hope to engage our alumni even more and share their journey and successes with current families - to see what is to come.
• The Connections Crew: We are launching a new Connections Crew to strategically connect new families, current families, prospective families, and alumni families - bridging all our constituents so everyone comes to know and love our very own piece of paradise: the Oakhill education and community.
• The Mighty Oak Fund & Big Events: We are finalizing our divisional, grandparent, alumni, and honorary chairs for this year’s Mighty Oak Fund, planning to meet or exceed last year’s fundraising goals while boosting overall family participation simultaneously. Also, mark your calendars now: our annual Golf Tournament is right around the corner on September 28th, and this year’s Auction is April 18th! Not only are these events FUN, but they are important to our fundraising efforts.
• Endowment - I am proud to share that Oakhill has opened an Endowment - such an important step in our overall growth and sustainability. We will be sharing ways to participate. 

Faculty & Staff Updates

Our teachers, staff, and administrators are top-notch - talented, lifelong learners who truly love what they do. I’ve kept you apprised of changes, moves, retirements, and new hires in this spring and summer's ACORN articles; here are our final placements since the last edition:

First and foremost, I want to thank Maggie Newhouse for her 19 years of service and dedication to Oakhill—as a teacher, leader, student advocate, and highly admired administrator. As you know, she moved to Utah a year ago, helping us remotely during this past school year by supporting overnight trips, managing special projects, maintaining alumni communications, and so.much.more! Maggie will always be a part of Oakhill. Please join me in thanking Maggie for EVERYTHING; the Oakhill door is never closed when it comes to Maggie!

Early Childhood Placements & Welcomes:

• Jessica MacNaughton (Pretoddler TA): You may know Jessica as Eleanor’s mom, and now she is our new Pretoddler Teaching Assistant! Jessica has spent her career in customer service and relationship building, so she truly understands the importance of a strong family/teacher/school partnership. She brings a calm, nurturing demeanor and a wonderful perspective to our youngest students and newest parents!
• Colette Leinen (Toddler TA): Please welcome Colette as Lily Clevenger’s TA in the Toddler classroom! Colette brings 30+ years of experience specializing in infants to 3-year-olds as an in-home daycare provider and lead teacher at various learning centers in the area. She and Lily are going to be a dynamic duo!!
• Jennifer Gray (Prekindergarten TA): Jennifer has been an Oakhill parent for several years - Carter and Cruz’s mom! She worked as a substitute teacher last year with great versatility, flexibility, and care! Jennifer will be assisting Stephanie Lafferty in Prekindergarten!
• Makenzie Wheeler: She will be moving from Toddler to Preschool to assist Tara Johnson.
• Candice Carpenter: She will be moving from Preschool to Prekindergarten to assist Sarah McConkey.

First Day of School Info:
You’ll be receiving additional communication regarding car lines, first day of school details, and messages from Tim Ziegler (Early Childhood and Lower School Division Director) and Margaret Sarver (Intermediate and Middle School Division Director) as we get closer to the date!

I am so excited for all that this year holds!. Thank you for your continued partnership and support - see you at the Back to School Bash on Tuesday, August 18th anytime between 6:30-8:00 pm! 

Ready to get “back to school,”

Suzanne