From the Principal
Dear White Oaks Families,
This week marks the end of our second trimester. Teachers have completed report cards which will be sent home via email on Tuesday, March 16th. Please look for an email from San Carlos School District. Just as with Trimester 1, you will be given a password which is time sensitive in order to ensure your child’s information is kept secure. We are so proud of the hard work our students have done this past trimester and very much appreciate your support in their learning.
I stumbled across this article from the Washington Post this past week that offered a very valuable perspective on what learning loss really is. One quote that stood out to me said, “Children will learn most and best where adults around them believe in their ability to learn, create reasons for learning and provide opportunities for meaningful practice.” Educators can benefit from this reminder as much as parents can at home. Our children are sponges and take our lead when it comes to our attitudes about what learning is, will be, and has been this past year.
This week marks another momentous occasion as it has now been a full year since we’ve left the White Oaks campus. It is hard to believe that a year ago today, we were thrown into a world of chaos and confusion. Although we are not out of the woods yet, we have come a long way and are moving in the right direction towards having our children back on campus. While last year at this time, we were filled with despair, we can now step forward with cautious optimism and hope for a brighter future.
These past few weeks have been the happiest we at White Oaks have felt since we closed our doors. The sound of children playing on the playground, chatting together and laughing has been a beautiful reminder of why we are here doing what we do. We could not be more excited about the prospect of coming back for Phase 4 in the next week. Once it is confirmed that we have moved into the Orange Tier this coming Tuesday, we can confidently say that we will see our student in person four days a week starting March 22!
While we are preparing to pivot, yet again, to more in-person instruction, I want to thank our parent community for their patience, understanding, and flexibility in moving to another schedule. In order for teachers to prepare for Phase 4, we will have a teacher planning day on Wednesday, March 17. Live instruction will end at 9:45 AM with the balance of the instructional minutes being asynchronous for the remainder of that Wednesday. We appreciate your willingness to work with us while we do our best to make this transition a successful one. I would also like to thank our parent volunteers for their help with pick up and drop off during Phase 3. We also have several parents joining our White Oaks team as Campus Supervisors for Phase 4. We could not be doing this without your time and support!
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. Thank you for considering volunteering your time at your child’s school!
In-N-Out Books – Wednesday
Please join us at the pop-up library this Wednesday between 1:30 and 2:30pm. We have plenty of books to choose from. White Oaks alumni (4th & 5th Graders) are welcome too.
We’re always looking for volunteers. If you’re able, please sign up here.
SCEF News and Events
Summer Camp Fair - Saturday, March 20
Meet summer camps at the Virtual Camp Fair on March 20. Join online to hear their plans for in-person summer camps. RSVP and you'll get a chance to win a free week of camp! Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1311271832568809
Save the Date: Sunday, April 25th @ 5pm is the Virtual SCEF Gala
Silent and Live Auction, Fund-A-Need, prize drawings and more! Stay tuned for more information as the date approaches. All of our upcoming events are always featured here: https://scefkids.org/upcoming-events/.
Congratulations to the Tom Mohr Champions of Education Honorees!
SCEF supporters Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Jan Kang and Jim Kirchner, and Harvest Furniture were recognized at the San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards and Recognition Luncheon earlier this month. Visit the SCEF website for the lovely tribute: https://scefkids.org/2021-chamber-awards/.
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
Come Join Your Friends in the SMARTE Clubhouse!
As we prepare for schools to enter into Phase 4, which could be as soon as Monday, March 22, the SMARTE Program is reaching out to see if your family is in need of childcare. We are currently serving our White Oaks students in our Brittan Acres SMARTE program and are considering bringing the program back to White Oaks if we have enough interest.
The SMARTE Program schedule will change to coincide with the new AM/PM school schedules and revert back to our 5-day, 3-day and 2-day program. We offer morning and afternoon care from 8:15am-4:30pm and students will be able to move between their classroom and SMARTE based on their AM/PM cohort schedule:
- PM Cohort students will attend SMARTE in the morning from 8:15am-12:20pm and then return to the program after school dismissal from 2:50pm-4:30pm
- AM Cohort students will attend SMARTE in the afternoon from dismissal at 10:50am-4:30pm
- (Times may vary at each school site.)
Our mornings are spent offering our students assistance with zooms and independent work while the afternoon is screen free and filled with outdoor games and fun activities.
If you are in need of childcare, please complete this SMARTE Phase 4 Survey indicating what schedule would work best for your family.
Please contact us if you have any questions about the program at [email protected].
Community News and Events
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].