Tuesday Talks at OHA

Tuesday Talks is a hybrid program of Oak Hill Academy’s own character education curriculum, The Ophelia Project – CASS Creating a Safe School, Teaching Tolerance, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), and Responsive Classroom.   Twenty five, small student groups assigned to a mentor teacher meet twice a month on Tuesdays to discuss real-time scenarios, share ideas, problem solve, and practice dialogue for various situations.    

Now in its third year, the feedback on Tuesday Talks from students and teachers alike has been overwhelmingly positive.  The students express a comfort level within their small group as well as the ability to speak freely and openly.  Topics include: pandemic response and racial justice, bullying (identifying aggressor, target, bystanders, and upstanders) and cyberbullying (turning negative to a positive).  The constant use and impactfulness of social media remains challenging waters for our middle school students to navigate.   Having designated time to discuss these issues provides a safe haven and a learned skill set.  Headmaster Joseph A. Pacelli connects the truism between the value of education combined with importance character education when acknowledging through this process our students constantly add  “tools to their toolbox.”    

Oak Hill Academy students see the importance of in our Community of Kindness.  Service projects within Monmouth County, MC Day Care Center, backpack and school supplies collection, coat drive, Hat and Mitten Tree, Bridges of Books to name a handfull,   allows our OHA students to serve and help others locally.  Our reach is also global as our students collect supplies for troops, food for Crop Walk, and donations towards clean water in South Sudan.  Our core values of Acceptance, Respect, Honesty, Kindness, Perseverance, Responsibility, Commitment, Cooperation, Politeness, and Sportsmanship shape our daily practices and define our school culture.  

For more information on Tuesday Talks please contact Mrs. Scheuer School Advisor at 732-530-1343 x7 or sscheuer@oakhillacademy.com .