From the Principal
Dear White Oaks Families,
This past Wednesday, we had our first virtual Founder’s Day celebration. This marked the 70th anniversary of White Oaks’ Founder’s Day and provided a welcome flood of positive emotions. I would like to thank Jennifer Rudy for putting together a beautiful ceremony. With her care and attention to detail, she was able to transcend digital boundaries and bring a sense of connectedness to us all. If you were not able to join us on Wednesday, I encourage you to take some time to view this amazing video that honors some of our dedicated parents as well as the staff and teachers of White Oaks. This is a wonderful reminder of what a special place White Oaks is and reinforces the strength we have as a community.
Resources
I have heard from many parents that distance learning is getting harder. The grit and tenacity that our staff, teachers, parents, and students have exhibited during this time are admirable. This was not something that we ever imagined happening but our community came together to make it as successful as possible. Our school counselor, Ms. Arasato, has been busy not only working 1:1 or in small groups with students but also compiling resources to help all families. Social-Emotional lessons are hosted on our distance learning portal: SCSD Distance Learning Portal - WO Specialists’ Page. Ms. Arasato has also been working on creating a website with additional resources: Ms. Arasato’s Website. Her most recent addition is this PowerPoint presentation that has some ideas on how to keep your kids connected when they are feeling lonely. I encourage you to take advantage of these resources as our students’ social-emotional health is our top priority during this difficult time.
Closure
This time of year is always difficult for many of our students as the last few weeks of school bring out a variety of emotions. Because of physical distancing measures, students and teachers are missing many of the activities and rituals that usually mark the end of the school year, such as field trips, grade level celebrations, and reflections activities. Students are also missing the opportunity to say goodbye to friends and teachers in person. These end of year activities are important to provide closure and are often a rite of passage before moving on to the next grade. This is especially true for our third graders as they make their transition to Arroyo.
It is important to us that students have an opportunity to feel a sense of closure before heading off for the summer. Starting next week, teachers will begin to slow down on assignments and direct instruction. They will, instead, begin to focus on activities to help students reflect on the past school year and celebrate their class and school community. Teachers will communicate with you directly about specific activities and events happening in their classrooms. We are also planning a modified Clap Out for our third graders on the last day of school. Teachers and Staff will be lined up (6 feet apart) on Fairmont street cheering third-grade students on as they drive past with their families in a car parade. Specific details and safety guidelines will be shared with third-grade families this coming week.
I will also be communicating with you details about classroom materials drop off (such as classroom books, whiteboards, etc.) next week. Be prepared to deliver these materials back to school during the first week of June.
Many of you borrowed Chromebooks to help with distance learning and these will need to be returned on Friday, June 12th. I will share time slots with specific families next week. If you know in advance that this day will not work for you, please contact me and we will arrange for another time.
Looking towards 20-21
San Carlos School District does not yet have a specific plan for the return to school in the fall but we are working on gathering all relevant information from county and state health and government offices. As Dr. Harmeier discussed previously in her email to the community, we will use the San Mateo County Office of Education “Return to School Framework” to provide us with health and policy guidance. Some important aspects of opening up school include:
- Schedules and facility use/cleaning
- Teaching and learning in and out of school
- Technology support for every student and teacher
- Social, emotional and mental health of students
- Health and hygiene
- Mitigating learning loss and meeting students where they are
- Preschool and Before / After school programs
The district put together an “Opening Up Schools” working group, composed of parents and staff that will meet weekly and will help research and contribute to answering essential questions about how our community would like our schools to work for us starting in August so that we can open up and keep all students and teachers safe.
I am hopeful that we can get back to seeing students on our campus in August!
Take care and stay well,
Leah Scholer, Principal
School News and Events
PTA Meeting - May 27 at 7:30pm
Please join us for our May ZOOM PTA Meeting. We will be discussing the White Oaks PTA budget for next year, reviewing the White Oaks PTA Google Survey, hearing from Ms. Scholer, and other topics as well. There will be lots to talk about so we hope you can join us!
Join the Zoom Meeting here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85110938574?pwd=aWRVNXdtWTJUQW55eUlJRXlOMVFWZz09
Meeting ID: 851 1093 8574
Password: 643032
PTA Appreciation
Thank you to everyone who joined us this year at our very special Founders’ Day. It was so incredibly heartwarming to see over 70 of you celebrating our amazing community and extraordinary volunteers. Big thanks to Jen Rudy, the ultimate culture keeper, for making sure this 70-year-old tradition continued with so much love and heart.
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]
SCEF News
Your help is needed to Make it Happen in May
With our schools facing state budget cuts, your gift to SCEF is more important than ever before. SCEF is $250,000 away from our $2.8 million fundraising goal - that’s fewer than 200 gifts at the per student ask! If you have the capacity to donate now, please help us fund educator positions and whole-child programs for next school year. While our request is $1,500 per student, any and all gifts make a difference!
Donate today online at https://www.scefkids.org/donate/.
Learn more about budget cuts to California public school funding at http://www.scefkids.org/news/.
District News and Events
Pandemic Food Assistance Available
COVID-19 Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) benefits will be available soon. Children who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals can get up to $365 in food benefits in addition to community ‘to-go” meals. Learn more about these P-EBT food benefits.
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.