As an independent school rooted in Oakland, we focus on being inclusive, diverse and anti-racist in our instruction as we move to be the change we want to see in our communities.

We’re proud of our reputation as a school where students feel comfortable and supported for who they are. Open-mindedness and an appreciation for differences uniquely prepare students to be compassionate leaders in their adolescent and adult years.

We give students myriad opportunities to get to know themselves and each other as learners, contributing community members, and empowered, authentic human beings.

At each grade level, students wrestle with questions that emerge from their social studies and science curricula around such topics as racial and socioeconomic equity, the gender spectrum, and environmental sustainability. Please use the left and right arrows to scroll through and watch the videos below for a sample of recent units on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the classroom.

MARCH

During the month of March, Aurora’s K-5 students are learning about the Black Lives Matter principle, Black Women (See the 13 Guiding Principles). The website blacklivesmatteratschools.com defines this principle as follows:

FEBRUARY
Aurora School’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee is comprised of parents, and this month is sharing two of the 13 Guiding Principles of the Black Lives Matter movement that are the focus of Aurora’s K-5 classrooms this month (February): Black families & Black villages. The website blacklivesmatteratschools.com defines these principles as follows:

Black families: “We are committed to making our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We are committed to dismantling the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work ‘double shifts’ that require them to mother in private even as they participate in justice work.”

Black villages: “We are committed to disrupting the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and ‘villages’ that collectively care for one another, and especially ‘our’ children to the degree that mothers, parents and children are comfortable.”

It’s the JEDI Committee’s hope that the following resources support you with bringing this work home.

For adults: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (novel) – This historical fiction novel follows seven generations of a family from the beginnings of the transatlantic slave trade in West Africa up through the 21st century in both the U.S. and Ghana. You might also enjoy this interview with the author.

For students and adults to watch together: Enjoy this 1 minute video called #BlackLoveLetters of Black parents reading love letters to their children. 

And as February is also Black History Month, here’s a video called “Kids Talk Black History” where kids explain Black History Month.

For grades K-2: Watch Motown Magic, Season 1, Episode 7, “Dancing in the Street,” where Ben rallies his friends in the neighborhood to save a historical landmark that is a part of his grandparents’ history and his friend, Dancing Machine’s, home. (available on Netflix)
Read: Yesterday I had the Blues by Jeron Ashford Frame. (You can also watch the read along here.) 

 For grades 2-5: Watch Karma’s World, Season 1, Episode 4, “Major Disaster” – Karma brings the neighborhood together to help find her brother’s dog. (available on Netflix)

For all grades: Read Milo’s Museum by Zetta Elliott. The story of how a young girl is empowered to create a museum that reflects her culture and history. Visit this web page for a read along and reading curriculum, including questions to ask before reading the book and ​​resources to support you with guiding an exploration of group identities with your student. 

Older students and parents can also watch this interview with author Zetta Elliot about her inspiration for writing Milo’s Museum and her relationship to her own family history.

Affinity Groups at Aurora provide a chance for families and students who share a common connection to get together along with their allies to share stories, resources, fun and support.

There are currently active Affinity Groups for:

• families of adopted children
• families of color
• LGBTQ families
• non-nuclear families
• parents of children with learning differences
• single parent families

Aurora strives to reflect the diversity of the Bay Area with its staff, student, and family population. At Aurora, we celebrate all types of diversity. Our families share the common goal of providing their children with a progressive and academically engaging education.

We believe that effective learning and independent thinking can only take place in an engaging, respectful environment that makes everyone feel safe and included. That’s why we strive to give students and adults alike many different opportunities to get know themselves and each other as learners, contributing community members, and empowered and authentic human beings.

Aurora strives to reflect the diversity of the Bay Area with its staff, student, and family population. At Aurora, we celebrate all types of diversity. Our families share the common goal of providing their children with a progressive and academically engaging education.

We believe that effective learning and independent thinking can only take place in an engaging, respectful environment that makes everyone feel safe and included. That’s why we strive to give students and adults alike many different opportunities to get know themselves and each other as learners, contributing community members, and empowered and authentic human beings.