From the Principal
Dear White Oaks Families,
Connecting with our community continues to be our mission. Now that Fall is in full swing, we have a lot of exciting events and activities planned that will continue to engage our students and families:
Lunch Bunch
White Oaks’ Lunch Bunch got off to a great start last week for grades TK-3. Students can take a break together with Mrs. Scholer and eat their lunch, chat, and socialize a bit before returning to their lessons. Keep an eye out for grade-level specific emails regarding the “themes” and interest clubs offered for each session in the coming weeks. The link for Lunch Bunch is the same as Welcome Wednesday.
Lunch Bunch Schedule:
TK/Kindergarten: Wednesdays, 1-1:30pm
Grade 1: Mondays, 12-12:30pm
Grade 2: Tuesdays, 12:30-1pm
Grade 3: Thursdays, 12:30-1pm
Principal Coffee Chats
I will be offering informal Principal Coffee Chats, via Zoom. This will be a time when anyone can join and chat with me and each other about topics of interest. In order to find out the best times for most parents, please fill out this brief survey. We will host our first Coffee Chat in early October. Stay tuned for more details.
Parent Education & Resources
We are proud to be partnering with the Parent Venture Series, an extension of the Parent Education Series, to bring high-quality, engaging speakers and programs to our community. This year, all events will be online and free!
Several websites have been designed to support families in distance learning. Wide Open School has a variety of tools for social-emotional learning and digital citizenship, plus resources on racial justice and equity and for kids with learning and thinking differences, English-language learners, and Spanish-speaking families.
Calming Break Rooms
We have two Calming Rooms developed and are being made available to our students and families with activities for opportunities for kids to take a break, unwind, relax their brains and emotions. One was developed by Melissa Sandlin, our district behavior therapist. Since DL, she noticed a need in our current learning community that inspired her to create a Virtual Calming Room. I have found my personal favorite in the glitter tunnel and cannot wait to explore more options for breaks, calming moments, and games that can be used to celebrate.
The SCSD counselors have also developed a virtual Calming Room, to help kids Stop, Name their Feelings, and Calm Down. They have included breathing and visual relaxation activities, yoga & mindfulness, relaxation music and more! Take a look at these two resources and see where this might fit into your distance learning routine.
October Makerspace Challenge!
Is your child ready to take on the October Makerspace Challenge? Hop on over to our Virtual Makerspace and take a look at our very first Distance Learning Challenge (The Spooky Bridge Challenge). Review the rules and requirements and get ready to build! Please submit your write-up and a picture and/or video (or two!) of your child(ren)’s creation to [email protected] no later than October 31, 2020. We will be showcasing the submissions at our Welcome Wednesday in November. We are so excited to see what they’ll come up with!
‘Name Our Pop-up Library’ Contest!
Starting in October, students will have a chance to stop by the back of the library outside on White Oak Way to browse and borrow books from our PTA-sponsored pop-up library in the afternoon. This will take place every other Wednesday. We need a cool, catchy name for this book distribution and we’re calling all kids to send in their ideas! If your child has a great name in mind, email it to [email protected] by Tuesday, 9/29. We will vote on the name at the 9/30 Welcome Wednesday.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held the week of October 5. Because teachers will be meeting with families in the afternoons, students will be on a minimum day schedule Monday-Friday (10/5-10/9), starting school at 8:30am and being “dismissed” at 12:30pm. Teachers will also be scheduling an hour of prep time during the instructional day to prepare for both conferences and lessons. They will share their modified schedule with you in advance. Keep an eye out for a sign-up sheet from your teacher to schedule your time to meet with them. Here is a more detailed explanation of what to expect during Parent/Teacher conferences and why we believe it is crucial to meet early in the year. This chart is also helpful in explaining what to expect during Fall conferences vs. report cards.
SCSD Parent Website
We hope you will check out our new SCSD Pandemic Care & Support website that specifically addresses resources for our school community during the Pandemic. We've created a Parent Education Calendar and will keep that updated with new events. Check out tomorrow's offering from the Parent Venture Series at noon focused on Strengthening Communication with your Child with Eran Magen, PhD, founder of the Center for Supportive Relationships. Note: we will be adding new events to this calendar regularly, so you may wish to link the calendar to your own. The site also houses pages for Counseling & Mental Health where you will find links to make appointments with your school counselors, along with information such as the Green Folder which details an action plan to help during a mental health crisis. We added a page about Meals & Groceries just to make sure everyone knows how to order weekly meal boxes and get support from the PTA if you need groceries. Finally, you'll find our newly-released guidelines for families about the process we are following if a student is ill. Each time those processes are revised, we will let you know. Today you can see it hot off the press! Bookmark this website and please let me know if you have any suggestions as we continue to keep it updated.
Sincerely,
Leah Scholer, Principal
[email protected]
School News and Events
SUPPORT WHITE OAKS BY JOINING TEAM KID!
The White Oaks PTA and SCEF are working together to fulfill the needs of our students and bridge the gap left by CA state school funding. With 25% percent of San Carlos School District's budget made up by community fundraising, donations to your school PTA and the San Carlos Education Foundation are critical to our schools' success.
Click HERE to join TeamKid and play a part in this joint effort to provide the best experience possible for our hard-working students and teachers at White Oaks. Our ask is $125 per student to PTA and $1500 per student to SCEF, but any amount is appreciated. Join the TeamKid movement by making your PTA donation this fall and planning your SCEF donation at a time that works best for your family. Thank you for supporting TeamKid!
White Oaks Yearbook
Yes, there will be a yearbook! This is our chance to create a book that captures this historic year for our children and school. This year your photo contributions will be instrumental in the yearbook’s success.
Please photograph your students throughout the year and submit your photos online.
- LOG ON TO: images.jostens.com
- Enter our school ID: 415473954
- Browse to select the photo(s) you wish to upload, click on “Select My Images.”
- Click “Upload Chosen Images.”
Some Photo Ideas:
- First Day of School
- Candid moments of your student learning virtually
- Music – student at home play instruments
- Virtual Events – Welcome Wednesdays, etc.
- Sports – martial arts, dance, BMX, equestrian, etc.
- Outside Play – water games, sidewalk chalk, hiking
- Celebrations – birthdays, traditions, cultural events, holidays
- Science/Math – home experiments, favorite STEM toys, LEGO creations
We also need Yearbook Class Rep volunteers. It’s a fun and creative way to get involved. No previous experience in necessary. Click this link and sign up today!
Pop-Up Library Name Contest
We’re happy to announce the White Oaks pop-up library will launch the first week of October. We’re searching for a fun name that will get everyone excited about this new venture. Please ask your students to email their ideas to Mrs. Scholer by September 29. The school will vote for the final name at Welcome Wednesday the following morning.
Advocacy Team
One of the roles of the PTA is to advocate for our schools. We are creating a team that is focused on this advocacy role. If you have interest or expertise in this area, we'd love to hear from you! Please email [email protected].
SCEF News and Events
Thank You for Supporting Our Schools!
Autumn is here, and the school year is well on its way! We want to appreciate YOU--the parents. You are partnering with our teachers and staff in a very different way this year to make school happen. We want to say THANK YOU to our amazing and resilient teachers, staff and administrators. They could not do what they are doing without YOUR support. SCEF is constantly exploring ways we can impact and support the students and families in our schools.
We know that our fundraising makes a huge difference in what we are able to help our district provide for the children of San Carlos public schools. Your donations to SCEF last year will enable us to grant over $3.3 million to support San Carlos public schools. These grants enable the School District to purchase hundreds of new devices for students making progress to the goal of achieving a 1:1 device to student ratio. Grants will also support Ed-tech applications for online learning and management systems, smaller K-3 class sizes, professional development in distance learning for teachers, music programs including an instrument replacement fund, middle school electives, mental health/social emotional learning staff, principal funds to support individual school site needs and more. Your contributions make a real difference for our students during this challenging school year. Thank you!
Community News and Events
Proposition 15 - Schools & Community First
The San Carlos School District unanimously approved a resolution in support of Prop 15 Schools and Communities First on the ballot in November. The District would receive an estimated $1,896,397 and the City of San Carlos $4,112,000 in additional funding if the initiative passes. According to the measure's sponsors, The California Schools & Local Communities Funding Act would raise an estimated $12 billion annually statewide for schools and local communities including $830 million for San Mateo County.
For details, go to the California PTA's website.
Parent Education - Starts Sep 30
CONNECTED CONVERSATIONS
WELLNESS SERIES: Restore & Refill Your Tank
Join the San Mateo County School Wellness Alliance Advisory Group (SWAAG) in a wellness series aimed at providing support to the broader education community through engaging conversations, mindfulness practices, and artistic experiences. The series will run for one hour every Wednesday for 8 consecutive weeks. You are welcome to attend any, or all, of the sessions. Anyone connected to the broader education community (teachers, administrators, counselors, parents/guardians, support staff, etc.) is welcome to attend. Join us as we support one another and work to restore and refill our tanks!
Series Starts on:
Sep. 30, 2020
3:30-4:30pm
Register at:
bit.ly/SWAAGfall2020
San Carlos Park & Recreation
Looking to get your child engaged in in-person and virtual programs at a low cost? A Fee Assistance Program, funded in partnership with the Parks & Rec Foundation and City of San Carlos is available to help San Carlos residents participate in Parks & Rec classes and programs. All San Carlos youth and residents to have fair access to Park & Rec programs and services. To learn more, visit: cityofsancarlos.org/pr and search “Fee Assistance” or call 650-802-4382.
Caring Cupboard is a free and confidential food support program, run by San Carlos Service Clubs, in partnership with the City of San Carlos Adult Community Center. If you’re recently unemployed or need help, please visit: cityofsancarlos.org/pr and search “Caring Cupboard” or call 650-802-4382.
San Carlos Parks & Rec is hosting our first annual Howl-O-Ween Pet Costume Contest!
How it works:
1. Dress your pet in costume and snap a photo.
2. Send your photo to us by email: [email protected].
Prizes will be awarded to the best Little Dog (under 35 lbs.) in costume, best Big Dog (over 35 lbs.) in costume, best Couple (human and dog) in costume, and best Overall costume. A special thank you to our sponsors Parks & Rec Foundation and Bow Wow Meow who will award a $25.00 gift certificate to the winner in each category.
For more information on how you can enter your furry friend, visit our Facebook: @scparksandrec or call 650-802-4382.