From the Principal
Dear White Oaks Families,
It is hard to believe we only have four weeks left of school. May is Mental Health Awareness month, which encourages us to ensure that we are creating an oasis of calm in this chaos. Mindy Hill, our SCSD Health and Wellness coordinator, has compiled numerous resources to support your family through this crisis. I especially found this curated collection of links useful from the San Mateo County Health Office. This article from NPR also shares some wonderful tips for parents as we continue to navigate this tumultuous time.
We recognize the uncertainty of the future. We don’t know yet what school will look like in the fall and this can create a lot of anxiety. Just as we have pivoted with distance learning, together, we will tackle whatever comes our way in August. In general, children are much more resilient and flexible than adults, and they will adjust to these changes as we continue to focus on core academics and the social-emotional well-being of our students in the 2020-21 school year.
This week also brought a reality check in realizing that we would not be going back to school this year. Teachers began the process of clearing out their classrooms for deep cleaning and packing bags of student materials for parents to begin picking up. There is a lot of sadness that we have to end our year this way and we miss the hugs, handshakes, and high-fives from our students.
When the weight of the world is upon us, helping others and reaching out with acts of kindness can heal the soul. Neighbors Helping Neighbors is running a project called Gratifying Greetings. They are asking people to create greeting cards both for first responders and also for seniors/disabled people who are homebound. You can read more about the project here.
The cards for seniors will be delivered by Peninsula Volunteers. They have a few restrictions on the cards for their group that are in the PDF in the link above (no names, no mention of religion, no jokes, and no macaroni or glitter). Cards for first responders can be anything.
Cards can be dropped at any of the locations below. We are hoping this will be fun and uplifting for both the participants and recipients.
Current drop-off locations:
- San Carlos
- Cordes South: 279 Vine St (white box on the green bench to the left of the front door)
- Devonshire Canyon: 251 Coronado Ave San Carlos (box outside front door)
- North Portage: 6 Camborne Ave.
- White Oaks: 124 Garnet Avenue
Warmly,
Leah Scholer, Principal
[email protected]
Come Join our Virtual Founder’s Day Celebration!
For the past SEVENTY years, White Oaks PTA has hosted an annual evening celebrating the amazing contributions of volunteers and staff who make our school an amazing place to learn and thrive!
Please join us on May 20 from 7:30-8:30pm for this special 70th-anniversary celebration of our Honorary Service Awards at Founder's Day where we will recognize those who have made a long-standing impact on our school community.
This year, we will honor several long-time White Oaks parents: Alana Corso, Veronica Dils, Kirsten Kell and Krista Morey. All the exceptional White Oaks Faculty & Staff with a special Continuing Service Award to recognize their incredible work during this unprecedented time.
We've taken our award presentations virtual! This event will take place via a Zoom conference during which we will share a 45-minute video produced for the occasion. You can access the Zoom link and Evite invitation here. We hope to see you there!
School News and Events
2020 Walk-a-Thon Design Contest
Calling all Artists!!!!
● Create a simple, one color line drawing
● Use a black pen (like a sharpie) on white paper
● Current TK through 2nd graders eligible to participate
● Email your scanned artwork to [email protected]
DEADLINE: Friday, June 12
The winning artwork will be our featured design for the 2020 Walk-a-Thon
Note: the event date has not yet been set; we will share as soon as possible.
Questions: please contact [email protected]
Help us Collect Library Books
You can still bring your library books back anytime to the Blucher residence that is located around the corner from the library at: 1550 Cedar Street, San Carlos. Please drop your books off in the the bright yellow library bin is on the front porch. Our hope is to have all library books returned by the end of May.
SCEF News
Your help is needed to Make it Happen in May
California public school funding is taking a hit as a result of COVID-19. Please read about the most recent budget update here. These cuts make SCEF’s role imperative to maintain the well-rounded, whole child education we expect in San Carlos. If you have the capacity to donate now, we ask for your help to raise the final $350,000 needed to fulfill our grant to the District and help fund educator positions and programs for next school year.
PLEASE go online NOW to make a donation.
District News and Events
Board Study Session - Budget Discussion May 21, 7pm via Zoom
The COVID-19 crisis is negatively impacting the SCSD budget, requiring reductions in staffing and programming next year. You are invited to attend the next school board meeting on Thursday, May 21, 7pm to learn more about the Governor’s May Budget, hear about possible reductions in SCSD, and provide input to the school board.
Community News and Events
Virtual Parent Education Events
The Parent Education Series is a leading provider of high-quality education for parents, students, educators, and community members. The organization has reached over 70,000 attendees on critical issues-mental health, substance use, social media, and more-that impact the health, safety, and well-being of children and teens.
Check out the Parent Education Series video library of parent education workshops and presentations. Learn more - https://www.seq.org/STUDENTS--PARENTS/Parent-Resources/Parent-Education-Series/index.html
Census 2020
The 2020 Census is here and you still have time to complete it. Even if you misplaced it you can still complete it online at my2020census.gov, or by phone at 844-330-2020. #EveryoneCounts #SmcCounts.