White Oaks Weekly - September 15, 2019

From the Principal

Dear Families,

Our August/September Book of the Month is Flight School, by Lita Judge.

Book of the Month

This is a story about a penguin who has the soul of an eagle and is determined to fly. With a growth mindset and some support from his buddies, he is able to accomplish his dream and soar! 

To kick off the year, we opened our Makerspace and created our own flying objects using the Engineering Design Process as a guide. Last week, students met with their buddy classes to share their designs and discuss how they used a mindset for learning to make their objects fly, even if it did not work the first time. It was amazing to hear conversations where our “older kid” buddies explained to our “little kid” buddies that it is important not to give up when things get hard.

Sincerely,

Leah Scholer, Principal
[email protected]

 

School News and Events

Join Us this Week for Welcome Wednesday
Thank you to all the parents who joined us for our first Welcome Wednesday of the year. And big thanks to our students, teachers, and our very special guest, former principal, Betty Casey, who kicked off our new tradition with such heart and school spirit!

Every other Wednesday, our school will gather together to celebrate school-wide events, honor student achievements, and show our school spirit. All parents are welcome to join us on the playground from 8:30-8:45. The kids are excited to show you their classroom cheers and sing our school song:

“There’s a place for us all.
Whether big or small
A life live, a gift to give
There’s a place for us all.”

We can’t wait to see you there.

Food Truck and Family Movie Night Coming Up!
We hope you can join us on Friday, September 20th to kick off the new school year at our first PTA-sponsored event of the fall - the White Oaks Food Truck and Family Movie Night. This year's movie is Ratatouille. Bring a picnic dinner or purchase a meal from one of the Food Trucks and dessert from local favorite Mister Softee. Come with your White Oaks friends and family for a night of fun! Food trucks start at 5:30 pm, followed by the movie at sundown. Please, no wheels on campus. Park your bikes, scooter and skateboards in the bike racks. Check out the Common Sense Media review to learn more about this year's movie title.

Volunteers Needed for White Oaks Picture Day
We are in need of 3 volunteers for White Oaks Picture Day on September 23, 2019. It's a great opportunity for parents to become helpers and to ensure picture day runs smoothly and efficiently.

Volunteers will help with the following:
-Organization: Parents assist with getting kids to the photograph room in an orderly fashion.
-Clothing: Make sure shoes are tied, buttons are buttoned and collars lie flat.
-Accessories: Straighten hair clips and make sure jewelry clasps are behind the neck.
-Hair and face: Check that hair is neat and noses and faces are clean.
-Keep kids busy and quiet while they wait in line.

As a thank you for helping, each volunteer will get a package-A for each child they have in White Oaks from Lifetouch for helping.

Please click on the link to review the available time slots needed. Thank you!

White Oaks Day of Service - October 6th
We are doing our White Oaks Day of Service on Sunday, October 6th. We will be looking for volunteers to help us with campus clean up projects and gardening as well as anyone who can bring gardening tools for the day. Stay for the whole time or drop in for as much time as you can. Please look for a sign up in next week's WOW. Any help is greatly appreciated!

The Walk-a-Thon (Sunday, October 20) Needs Corporate Sponsors!
If you own a business or know someone who would make a great sponsor, please let us know! The generosity of our corporate sponsors funds the event, which means every dollar your kids fundraise goes straight to our school. Email us today at [email protected] to earn some great advertising for your business while sponsoring a fabulous cause.

White Oaks Holiday Store
The White Oaks Holiday Store is a cherished tradition brought to you by the White Oaks PTA that takes place on Saturday, December 14th this year.

We are looking for volunteers with sewing skills to share! For those new to this event, you take home a kit that has all materials and instructions necessary to assemble a certain number of gifts. When they are ready, you bring them back. Then on the day of the event, your gifts are sold to the White Oaks students to give to family members for the holidays!

Please contact Kirsten Kell if you have sewing abilities to share! Look for more info and details in future WOWs.

Help Us Reach 100% PTA Membership - Every Voice Counts!
Our goal this year is 100% PTA membership, and we are happy to announce that we already have over 100 PTA members. Thank you to those who have already joined. Each membership helps make our voices heard in Sacramento for our kids on a local, state, and national level. 

Dues are just $20/family or $10/individual. 
Submit your PTA membership dues online today by visiting: https://jointotem.com/ca/san-carlos/white-oaks-elementary-pta

 

SCEF News and Events

Town Raffle
Evening at TOWN tickets sold out in record time! You still have a chance to participate by joining in the TOWN Raffle. The winner will choose from a grand prize of (1) 7-night accommodations at a luxury resort in Mexico or (2) a beautiful diamond necklace donated by Geoffrey’s Diamonds and Goldsmith.

Only 200 tickets will be sold. If you would like to purchase raffle tickets send an email to[email protected] noting how many you would like and which item you would choose if you are the lucky winner. Tickets are $50; 3 for $125 or 6 for $250.

Workplace Giving - Corporate Matching - Double Your Donation
Many Bay Area businesses support their employees through Workplace Giving programs. These companies give back by offering corporate matching programs for non-profit donations and opportunities for YOU to give back to your community via time, talent and money. Explore how your Workplace Giving program supports non-profits. Google, Genentech, Gilead and other major corporations will match your cash donation to SCEF. Many companies designate months where they double or triple your giving!  In September, Wells Fargo employees can secure a match for their donations. Not sure if your workplace offers matching? Check now.

Recurring Gifts
Would you like to spread your contributions to SCEF throughout the year? Please consider signing up for our monthly donation program. A $1,500 donation can be given as a $125 gift each month. Sign up for SCEF’s recurring gift program at SCEFKids/Donate.

 

District News and Events

Join the SCSD School Board!
The San Carlos School District School Board will have a vacancy due to a lack of candidates registered for the November 5 election. Therefore, there will not be an election but instead a Candidate Appointment process. The School Board approved the appointment process at their September 12 meeting.

Interested candidates may attend any of the Candidate Information Sessions to be held on Tuesday, Sep 17 - 7:00-8:00pm, Wednesday, Sep 25 - 7:00-8:00pm, Friday, Sep 27 - 9:00-10:00am and Thursday, October 3, 7:00-8:00pm in the District Office Board Room - 1200 Industrial Road, Unit 9B, San Carlos. 

Please check the website for more information.

If you have additional questions, please contact Cathy Eitel, Executive Assistant to the Superintendent, at [email protected].

Playground Supervisors Needed!
Attention Parents! We are looking to hire additional noon supervisors at our schools for lunch & playground support for 1.5 to 3 hours per day, $17.23/hour. If interested, please see the job posting and apply online at EdJoin. 

For site specific questions, please speak with your school principal.

Volunteers Needed for 7-11 Committee
Members of the San Carlos community, parents, and SCSD staff members interested in serving on the 7-11 Surplus Property Advisory Committee to determine the future facility needs for the District are encouraged to contact Cathy Eitel, Assistant to the Superintendent, at [email protected] to express interest or learn more about the goals and objectives of the committee. Contact Mindy Hill at [email protected] for inquiries related to SCSD events.

 

Community News and Events

Sign Up for San Carlos Day of Service 9/29
Save-the-Date: San Carlos Day of Service is Sunday, September 29, 2019 from 9:00am-2:00pm. San Carlos Day of Service is a one-day celebration of our wonderful city through acts of community service. The Day of Service grows our sense of community through one day dedicated to giving back.

Learn about projects and sign up here - https://www.sancarlosdayofservice.org

San Carlos Chickens' Ball
Celebrating 80 years of fundraising for our schools, Chickens’ Ball is the oldest PTA fundraiser in the nation. Our unique 2018 show raised over $40,000 for our schools through hilarious skits, song and dance. And we’re at it again! Join us to help plan our next Chickens’ Ball variety show. We need representatives from each school to participate as a liaison on our Steering Committee, enhancing communication and collaboration for this district wide event.

Steering Committee meetings are held once a month, typically the first week of each month. Our next meeting is Sunday, October 6. This is a special meeting that includes the tradition of reviewing the skit entries for the show.

Auditions to be a part of the show are October 24 (6:00pm) & 26 (10:00am) at Heather School.  

Show dates are March 13, 14, 15 (matinee) and 20, 21 (two shows), 22 (matinee) at Central Middle School. 

Thank you for helping us celebrate 80 years of fundraising for our kids by promoting and attending the Chickens' Ball.  

For more information, contact your PTA or Julie Engberg at [email protected].