Every December, the joyful sounds of storytelling and laughter fill the Benjamin Franklin Library (BFL) at Viewpoint School, marking a treasured annual tradition: the Head of School Holiday Readings. These events, led by Head of School Mr. Mark McKee and his wife, Ms. Cathy Shelburne, bring the spirit of the season to life for students and teachers alike.

Primary and Lower School students gather for a series of seven reading sessions, each featuring a mix of cherished classics and new literary selections. Curated by librarians Sue Jean Woodmansee and Beverly Schwarz, these stories reflect values that resonate deeply with the Viewpoint community, including kindness, gratitude, cultural understanding, and the joy of giving.

Celebrating their 10th year leading this tradition, Mark and Cathy select age-appropriate stories that encompass winter holidays while exploring themes of friendship, family connection, responsibility, and humor.

Dressed in festive holiday-themed accessories, they take turns reading page by page, projecting illustrations onto the screen and bringing each story to life with animated voices and expressive gestures. This year, students enjoyed stories like The Christmas Mitzvah and Jackie’s Gift, which highlighted lessons on bridging cultures, embracing generosity, and sharing blessings with others.

“The children look forward to this yearly holiday event in our beautiful library. In this smaller, more intimate setting, they appreciate the special time with our Head of School. Mr. and Mrs. McKee radiate love and joy for our youngest students,” said Vanessa Harrington, Assistant Head of Primary School.

Interactive and engaging, the Head of School Holiday Readings are a highlight of the winter season, setting the tone for a meaningful and joyous winter break.

On Friday, December 6, the joyful sounds of children’s voices filled the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza’s Kavli Theater, as Viewpoint’s Primary and Lower School students presented their holiday program, “We Are Lights.”  

With enthusiastic and heartfelt performances from each of the classes, as well as the Primary and Lower School Choruses and Dancers, and the Advanced Fifth Grade Strings, the audience delighted in the spirit of the season. In addition to music and dance performances, narrators from the Fifth Grade class shared holiday traditions practiced by cultures around the world and delivered holiday sentiments in eight different languages - Russian, Japanese, Hebrew, Persian, Hungarian, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Korean.

Viewpoint’s dance teacher Gabrielle Brown, a former soloist with American Ballet Theater, choreographed excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, performed by the Primary and Lower School Dancers, led by Jordan Aaronson ’26, Chloe Brendle ’26, Charlotte Hariton ’26, Isabella Wang ’28, Finn Harrington ’29, Callie Roskowinski ’31, and Keira Pescherine ’31.

“As I celebrate my tenth year as Head of School, I realize just how much I’ve come to love this annual celebration,” shared Mark McKee. “For me, perhaps for you, it kicks off the holiday season, as we hear and sing music together, learn about one another’s families and stories and traditions, and celebrate our students and our connections with one another.” 

During the program, the school celebrated Claudia Antoine, Head of Lower School, who was honored for her 34 years of service and her final Holiday Program before retirement. Recognized for her love of students and the holidays, as well as her ability to uplift those around her, Claudia was thanked and congratulated for her dedication to the Viewpoint community.

The holiday program concluded with Viewpoint’s Giving of the Greens prepared by the VSSA. This annual tradition, in which each child receives a beautiful spray of greens, represents the School’s abiding belief in the continual growth of each student and the warmest wishes for a joyful holiday season.

Viewpoint School recognizes Bradley Gail, Timothy and Christina Gaspar, and Dr. Niniek Purnomo and Klaus A. Woizik for their leadership support in the Viewpoint Fund and their symbolic sponsorship of this event as donors in our Chair's and Head of School Circles.

On Saturday, November 16, Viewpoint's Primary and Lower School students, and their families, showed up ready to serve and make a difference in our community at the School’s 10th annual Hour of Giving event held on campus.

Preparation for the event began earlier in the week with the All-School Drive, where students helped collect diapers and baby wipes across campus. First and Fourth Graders then teamed up to unpack and organize the donations. 

On Saturday morning, families packed 75 gift bags for the Good+Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to breaking the cycle of multi-generational poverty by supporting low-income parents and caregivers.

“The Hour of Giving provides a powerful opportunity for our students to live out the principles of our Character Education program,” said Vanessa Harrington, Assistant Head of Primary School. “When students help others, they experience a magical transformation: they realize that by filling someone else’s bucket, they are also filling their own. The more we give back, the happier we feel inside.”

The Hour of Giving has grown from a small event into a cherished tradition, welcoming families year after year. Funds raised through the Pennies for a Purpose program, where students contribute spare change throughout the year to a canister in the Primary School Office, helped purchase supplies for the event.

Viewpoint is hosting its next Hour of Giving in the Spring which will benefit School on Wheels, a nonprofit organization dedicated to tutoring children experiencing homelessness in California.

On November 19-20, First Grade students geared up in vests and showcased their archaeological skills as they dug for fossils during Viewpoint’s annual Paleontologist Day event in the Primary School sandbox.

“We started our dinosaur unit about a month ago, introducing different types of fossils like coprolites and trace fossils,” shared Jackie Sanchez, Primary School Science Teacher. “In the classroom, the students practiced using excavation tools before putting their skills to the test outdoors.”

The immersive activity brought the month-long dinosaur unit to life, giving students the opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge in a hands-on setting. Armed with tools they had practiced using in class, students carefully excavated their assigned zones, uncovering fossils and making exciting discoveries along the way.

Paleontologist Day was originally spearheaded by Sanchez as a way to create a memorable and immersive learning experience for students. Now in its third year, her vision for the event has continued to evolve. 

“Last year, we had only five fossils in the sandbox. Now we’re at eight,” she explained. “I’m hoping to keep adding more realistic fossils each year. Right now, many are toys, but my goal is to include pieces that students can immediately recognize as real fossils.”

Sanchez also highlighted how the event has transformed the way students retain knowledge, noting that the hands-on experience helps concepts stick with them long after the lesson. 

“Even my second graders from last year remembered everything and were excited to cheer on the first graders,” she said.

Looking ahead, Sanchez is eager to expand this concept and introduce similarly engaging learning experiences to other grade levels.

“Second grade is learning about volcanoes, so we’re planning a big volcano eruption event this year,” she shared. “I want to make learning as interactive as possible for all the students, turning each lesson into an experience they’ll always remember.”