From the Principal
Dear White Oaks Families,
Get excited!! Ability Awareness Week starts next Monday, March 8 and goes through the week.
What is Ability Awareness week?
Ability Awareness week (AAW) promotes understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of differences in individual learning and ability. During the week fun, experiential activities and events are held throughout the San Carlos School District, in partnership with District staff and the Special Education District Advisory Council (SEDAC). AAW strives to educate and focus on what a person IS, not what a person HAS. The emphasis is on abilities not limitations.
Spirit Activities:
- Monday - Hats on for Inclusion. Wear a hat to school or on your zoom.
- Tuesday - Be comfortable, be you! Wear pajamas to school and zoom.
- Wednesday - Be a hero for Inclusion! Dress as a superhero or a personal hero.
- Thursday - Be unique! Wear mismatched, funky, or your favorite colors.
- Friday - It’s Kaleidoscope Day! Wear tie dye or bright colors. Visualize a kaleidoscope reflecting the idea of different colors, patterns, and shapes working together to make a beautiful picture.
Ability Awareness Events:
- SEDAC sponsored Parent Education night. Two of our wonderful Speech Pathologists will be speaking on various topics related to speech. Look for the Flyer.
- San Carlos Children’s Theatre skit on inclusion. We are happy to partner with the San Carlos Theatre staff who will be recording a skit based on inclusion for us to share with our students during AAW. Principals will share the link with staff.
- PE/Legarza
- For Middle School students:
- Scott Green (APE) will be putting together a recording for teachers to share with students on competition, inclusivity, and appreciation of ability.
- For Elementary School students:
- Legarza will have two of their most experienced coaches lead PE activities during this week. They will have special activities focusing on all abilities.
- For Middle School students:
Word Cloud:
As part of AAW, students will be given a list of age-appropriate movies, show, activities, and books to watch and read where there is a storyline or a character who has different Abilities. At the end of the week, students will be asked to share a few words describing what they have learned. These words will be put into a word cloud that can be shared at each school.
Movie Suggestions for AAW:
- Elementary - Dolphin Tale and Finding Nemo
- Upper Elementary - Anything is Possible
- Middle School - The Theory of Everything
Phase 3 Reminders:
- Complete the FeverFree app in the morning prior to your students’ arrival on campus.
- Do not park in the White Oak Way cul de sacs or on Fairmont in front of the school to ensure traffic flow.
- Remember to walk on the sidewalks and use the crosswalks to ensure everyone’s safety.
Thank you everyone for your promptness when dropping off and picking up your children! Keep up the great work!
Sincerely,
Leah Scholer, Principal
[email protected]
School News and Events
Call for Founders' Day Award Nominations
Every year, for the past several decades, the White Oaks community celebrates Founders' Day -- a time-honored tradition at White Oaks to recognize and thank volunteers who have gone above and beyond to help build our school community. We need your help in nominating some of these very special people. Please use this link to review the award categories and to submit your nominations. Nominations are due Thursday, April 1.
On Thursday, May 6, we will hold our annual PTA Founders' Day to celebrate and recognize the contributions of our award winners. Mark your calendars for the 71st anniversary of this special White Oaks event! Please direct questions to Britta Ellis or Jennie Romeo.
Your PTA Needs You!
We are already recruiting the PTA board for the 2021-22 school year. There is are several board positions as well as committee chair roles needed to fill so that we can continue the awesome work of the WO PTA next school year. Most of these roles can suit any amount of time you have to donate to the school and most can be home-based or shared with another person.
We are actively looking for someone to serve as a Treasurer or Auditor as well as Communication Director for the upcoming school year. If you are interested or know someone who might be a good fit for any of these roles, please get in touch with Diana Herman at [email protected]. Thank you for considering volunteering your time at your child’s school!
Yearbook – Final Call for Photos – Deadline Friday, 3/12
Thank you to everyone who submitted photos for the earlier deadlines. The book is nearly complete. However, there are few more pages to fill and we need your help one last time. Please collect and submit photos for the following pages by Friday, 3/12:
- 100th Day of School
- Lunar New Year
- Return to School
- Clubs (Acorn Press, Green Team, Running Club, Scouts, etc.)
Instructions for uploading:
- 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.”
- Complete the Description portion of the form when submitting.
Please limit your uploads to two or three of your best photos per category.
SCEF News and Events
SCEF News
For the seventh year running, Oracle has generously supported SCEF with a $30,000 computational thinking and technology grant. Thank you, Oracle, for helping us provide STEM programs and devices for K-8 San Carlos public schools!
Our virtual cooking and baking classes are getting rave reviews. Baking with Caitlynn is coming up in March and April, and it looks delicious! Check out the menu of classes here: https://scefkids.org/upcoming-events/. On 3/14, Caitlynn is offering classes in cream puffs and churros, and on 3/21, whoopie pies and hand pies are on the menu! These classes can be purchased together or separately.
Save the Date - April 25 is the Virtual SCEF Gala!
District News and Events
Student and Community Testing to Keep our Kids On Campus
Please take advantage of the no cost surveillance COVID-19 testing provided by the San Mateo County Health Department.
Please sign up for weekly testing for yourself and your child. Contact your health provider for a test if you have symptoms or know you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Keeping COVID cases off of our campuses will keep our in person learning possible. As a reminder, if a student or or teacher tests positive for COVID, we will need to transition that cohort back to distance learning for at least two weeks to avoid spreading the virus.
Sign up at one of the following locations to begin your regular weekly testing:
- Central Middle School - Thursdays, 1-7pm Register Here
- Other Community Based Testing sites in San Mateo County Here
SMARTE Afterschool Program Registration for 2021-22 Now Open!
We are excited to announce registration for the SMARTE Afterschool Clubhouse for the 2021-22 school year is about to begin!
We are are hopeful our program will return to a regular schedule in the fall and are moving forward with registration for families. Programs will be available to students at all four elementary schools - Arundel, Brittan Acres, Heather and White Oaks. Families new to the program will be able to register starting Feb 22 by going to our SMARTE Clubhouse Registration site.
There is a $75 non-refundable registration fee and once your registration is received, your spot will be secured in the program and an email confirmation will follow.
See our SMARTE Afterschool Clubhouse website for more information or if you have questions, please email [email protected].
Afterschool Care Enrichment (ACE) is Now Enrolling at Arroyo and Mariposa for the 2021-22 School Year
Attention Families of Incoming 4th and 5th Grade Students!
ACE is currently enrolling Full Time, Part Time and Morning Care Options at both Arroyo and Mariposa. While we do not have complete clarity as to what next year will look like, we are hopeful our program will be able to phase into our normal After School Enrichment Program by fall of 2021. If there are alternative school schedules we will structure our program options accordingly to best support the needs of our families enrolled. Register here.
Please visit our website for more information: www.acesancarlos.com. You can contact ACE by phone: (650) 931-4007 or email: [email protected]
Check Out Parent Education Offerings
Remember to check out our Pandemic Care & Support website for parent education events and resources, mental health support, and more! You can also add the SCSD Parent Education Calendar to your phone.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Remember to Order Lunch Meal Kits
We have weekly meal boxes available for pick up each Monday (including delivery to Menlo Park and East Palo Alto). Each box includes five meals - an assortment of hot and cold entrees and a variety of fruits, veggies, and milk. Simply order online and safely pick-up your box for the week. To order your student’s Weekly Lunch Box, please log onto LunchIsServed and place your order. You must place your order by 9am on Sunday before the following week.
Community News and Events
San Carlos Climate Action Survey
The City of San Carlos is developing a new plan to address climate change in San Carlos called the Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Plan (CMAP). The CMAP will include strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.
If you were unable to attend our most recent Climate Action Workshop on February 9, consider taking a moment to fill out our online survey before March 19. Your feedback on preliminary strategies to meet climate goals will help provide direction to our project team to focus its efforts.
Take the Climate Action Survey
For more information on the CMAP watch the most recent Climate Action Workshop recording or visit www.cityofsancarlos.org/climate.
El Parent Project
¿Desea construir mejores relaciones con sus hijos?
El Parent Project® es un curso de12 semanas,que le da a los padres, abuelos y guardianes las herramientas para construir familias unidas y saludables. ¡Todas las clases son gratuitas! La duración y la ubicación de las clases se han modificado debido a COVID-19.
Asian Americans for Community Involvement Contest
Hosted by AACI and in partnership with NBC Bay Area, Growing Up Asian in America (GUAA) is an annual art contest, including video and essay, that reaches thousands of Bay Area students, grades Kindergarten to 12. Founded 26 years ago, GUAA encourages young Asian Americans to take pride in their identities, and helps others understand the varied experiences of our youth growing up in the Bay Area’s diverse communities.
This year’s theme is: This is My Time - Exploring the challenges and dreams of a post-pandemic world. Here are the prize offerings:
- One (1) $1,000 Grand Prize winner
- Nine (9) $500 Best in Class winners
Entries are due on Friday, April 2, 2021 by 5pm. and rules and submission instructions are included in the guidelines. To conserve resources, AACI is going paperless. Please look for the PDF guidelines on our website.
We appreciate your assistance in outreaching to students and look forward to receiving their entries. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].
Poetry, Art and Music Competition
As a part of our Affordable Housing Month in May 2021, the Housing Leadership Council and Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto are hosting a poetry, art, and music competition for eligible students (grade 12 and below) in San Mateo County! Students can submit their poem, or musical/art piece to [email protected] by the April 30 deadline! All submissions should be inspired by or touch upon the notion of home in the area.
Sunday San Carlos Farmers Market is Back!
The Chamber of Commerce is excited to bring the San Carlos Farmers Market back to our location at Bayport and Varian in the Industrial Arts District on March 7. The market will be open 9am-1pm every Sunday.
Please come out and support the vendors that have long supported our market. More vendors will be added every week. And don't forget that San Carlos Bikes will be there to watch over your bicycles while you shop!
COVID rules will apply, such as masks required for all, social distancing, and no sampling. No pets, please.
With awesome support from the City of San Carlos, let's celebrate the return of the San Carlos Farmers' Market together. We hope to see you there!
Storytime with Safe Routes to School
Join the Safe Routes to School team every Wednesday at 1pm until May 12 for our second round of Storytime! We will read books about pedestrian safety, play fun games that get us moving, and celebrate important dates, such as bike to school day, together! These stories will be read on zoom, please register here. We look forward to seeing you there!
¡Únete a la Hora de Cuentos de Rutas Seguras a la Escuela! Todos los miércoles a 1:00pm entre el 24 de Febrero y el 12 de Mayo, leeremos libros sobre seguridad para peatones, jugaremos juegos divertidos que nos mueven, y celebraremos fechas importantes, como el día de ir en bicicleta a la escuela (¡o donde sea!), juntos. Estas historias se leerán en inglés por zoom, por favor regístrate aquí. ¡Estamos deseando verte allí!