Mountain Oaks School Home

Hello Mountain Oaks Families!

We are preparing for takeoff here at the library! Next week 10/26-10/30 is our Era of Flight Bookfair! We are heading to the skies and soaring off to new adventures in reading, you never know where a book will take you! Join us and participate in the Book Fair games including: Era of Flight trivia scavenger hunt, Paper Airplane construction challenge, and Guess the Clouds in a Bottle. All Book Fair games enter you for a chance to win a free book!

Click article title to check out the Book Fair homepage, set up your e-wallet, check your instruments, and head to the runway! Posted 10/20/26

Hello everyone, with the opportunity of Dual Enrollment in the local community colleges I understand that It can be confusing and intimidating to start the process. That is why on November 19th, 2026 at 6pm I will be hosting a Virtual Workshop for Students and Parents alike to try and show the process of how to sign up and answer any questions right there on the spot. We will be primarily focusing on Columbia and Delta College as they are our local schools with the highest rate of Dual Enrollment from Mountain Oaks. I hope to see you there.

6:00 pm Columbia College Link: https://meet.google.com/rco-fxmw-dub
6:30pm Delta College Link: https://meet.google.com/uka-gwme-wkg

Please click on the title to have

Michael Hicks
College/Career/Social Emotional Counselor
Mountain Oaks
209-754-0532 ext. 4072

We are having our first Senior Graduation Meeting on Monday, November 16th at 10:00 AM. We will be discussing the graduation ceremony, scholarships, and designing the senior shirt.
Michael and Bethany are offering a 4-part Senior Essay Workshop which will start on November 4th from 2:30-4:00 at the San Andreas site. They will also be meeting on November 18th, December 9th and January 27th. Graduates will have a completed Scholarship packets which will include their final draft senior essay.
Senior Information is updated throughout the school year on the Mountain Oaks website. The easiest way to access information during the school year is to scroll all the way down to the very bottom of the website and click on “Senior & High School Resources”. This is where all the graduation and scholarship information lives, long after the announcements have been removed. All Senior Graduates are required to complete the Graduation Checklist form (even if you are not participating in the graduation ceremony). There is a Graduation Packet for you to review with all the scholarship information and dates and deadlines for senior year items. If you have any questions, please contact Samantha Hamilton at [email protected] or 754-0532, ext. 4058.
Please click on the title to access the Graduation Checklist, Graduation Packet, and Senior Trip Survey.

Posted: 10/20/26

​Educational Testing Service (ETS) at the direction of the California Department of Education (CDE), is notifying California students and families about a data security incident involving unauthorized access to and copying of student data from an ETS secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) site, the steps being taken to protect their personal information, and available resources and support. Appropriate law enforcement agencies have been notified, but their investigations have not delayed this notice.

Please click on the title for the full article. Posted: 10/21/26

There will be a couple of workshops cancelled for this week: Explorers Club, Green Team, Wee Folks (both Tuesday and Thursday) and Physical Activity Club. Classes should resume their usual schedule next week.

Mountain Oaks is excited to partner with Granite Peaks Charter to form a 6th-8th grade boys basketball team this season. If you are interested in participating, please complete the interest form by clicking on the title .

Practices begin this week @ 3pm , Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the Jenny Lind Memorial Park, behind Valley Springs Elementary by the library. After this week, we will be using the Mountain Oaks gym for practices. Schedule still TBD. For more information, you can contact Erica Johnson at [email protected]
Posted: 10/19/26

It is with much joy and excitement that I join the Mountain Oaks community as the new assistant administrator. With over 25 years in education, my experiences are diverse and include teaching, directing a summer program, leading a school as a site administrator, and most recently supporting math teachers as an instructional coach.



Similar to the school’s mission, I see children as unique individuals who learn best through active engagement in safe, nurturing environments. It is my personal conviction that all people deserve to be treated with kindness and respect, and that is how I approach my professional roles and responsibilities.



I recently relocated to Calaveras County from the Bay Area and have been enjoying the peace and beauty the natural landscape offers. As I settle into your wonderful school community, I am most excited to build connections and support your children’s educational experiences.

Posted: 10/14/26

Dear Mountain Oaks Community,
Please be advised that we must remove one of the mature pine trees in the courtyard due to safety and structural concerns. The tree's root system has compromised the adjacent sidewalk, creating a significant tripping hazard that unfortunately resulted in a recent injury. Additionally, there are rising concerns regarding potential structural damage to the main building.

The County Office of Education has officially classified the tree as a safety hazard and is currently coordinating with specialized contractors to ensure its safe and proper removal. To minimize disruption, the work is scheduled to take place over Thanksgiving break, allowing ample time for the removal and cleanup process before school resumes.

As of right now, we will only be removing the 1 tree. If it is suggested that additional trees should be removed, we will hold a Mountain Oaks Community meeting. This forum will allow us to collectively discuss the structural concerns and explore alternative shade options for the courtyard.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Andrew Gardner at 754-0532, ext. 4062 or at [email protected].

Posted: 10/13/26

Greetings Mountain Oaks Students and Families,

Mountain Oaks has two significant benchmarks before us this year: Charter Renewal and WASC Accreditation. Both of these important processes require us to examine data, review progress, and evaluate programs and practices. To do that well, we need to hear the voices from our entire community.

One way we can gather important information from you about your experiences at Mountain Oaks Charter School is through the CA Healthy Kids Survey. The California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) is an anonymous assessment administered to students in grades 5,7,9, and 11 and families to evaluate school climate, safety, student wellness, and youth resiliency. These surveys are voluntary. However, we strongly encourage you to participate in these surveys so we can identify school wide areas of strength and need so we can continue to support our students and families in all ways at Mountain Oaks. Please click on the title to access the surveys.

Science Camp was last week and all of the families who attended had a fabulous time. We had a smaller turnout than usual. We would like to know what we could do to maybe build more interest or if there are different programs or changes, we can make. We are looking to get a better understanding of what barriers may be keeping students from attending our school science camp. The team would love feedback so we can better plan for the future. Please click on the title to take the small survey. Thank you for your time and input. Posted 10/5/26

This October 27th, Mountain Oaks is providing the opportunity to take the PSAT. The PSAT is 2 hours and 45 minutes long practice test for the SAT and tests your skills in reading, writing, and math. The deadline to register is October 16th. There is a readiness deadline of October 23rd, this will make the day of testing shorter as you will have already filled out a lot of the pre-test information. We have 10 spots available for each age group; 8th and 9th graders are combined, 10th Graders and last 11th Graders. If you are a 12th Grader and wanting to take the test please reach out to Michael Hicks and he will help you.

Click on the title to access the Google Sign Up form. Posted 9/27/26

A Message from Andrew Gardner
I am incredibly grateful and honored to join the Mountain Oaks community as your new School Administrator. Having spent my career serving students, families, and educators throughout the foothills, it feels especially meaningful to continue that work in a community that values family, flexibility, independence, and student-centered learning.
For more than 20 years, I have had the privilege of working in public education in a variety of roles, including as a teacher, principal, district Career and Technical Education Director, and most recently as the Executive Director of Amador College Connect. Throughout each of these experiences, one thing has remained constant: I believe every student deserves to be known, supported, challenged, and given meaningful opportunities to succeed.
What excites me most about Mountain Oaks is the opportunity to serve students and families whose educational journeys may look different from the traditional school experience. Independent study and homeschooling require trust, partnership, creativity, and a deep commitment to meeting students where they are. I look forward to listening and learning from our families, supporting our incredible staff, and helping ensure that every Mountain Oaks student has the opportunity to thrive.
I feel very fortunate to continue serving the students and families of our foothill communities. I am thankful for the warm welcome I have already received and excited about the relationships, experiences, and opportunities that lie ahead.
I look forward to being part of this community!

Please click article title to review the Mountain Oaks Cell Phone Policy. Posted 10/3/25