White Oaks Weekly - May 2, 2021

Leah Scholer, Principal
[email protected]

School News and Events

Reminder - Founders' Day This Thursday, May 6!
Please join your White Oaks community as we celebrate Founders' Day virtually this Thursday, May 6th at 7:30pm. This time-honored tradition will honor and thank volunteers and staff who have gone above and beyond to help build our school community, and we hope you can make it!

This year we will celebrate the following award recipients: Andrea Anderson, Melissa Brenner, Amy Ihde, Trinity Murphy and Jennifer Rudy. Click here to RSVP. Any questions? Please email Britta Ellis or Jennie Romeo.

May 12 - Last PTA Meeting of the Year!
It is hard to believe, but this month will be our last PTA meeting of the year. Please join us to vote on next year's PTA board and proposed budget as well as share any hopes you have for next year. There will be lots to talk about so we hope you can join us!

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81521890000?pwd=TlQzNVJXOFNYaXZDamlpTkc1YnRoQT09

Meeting ID: 815 2189 0000
Passcode: 825481

Calling All 3rd grade parents - Arroyo PTA Programs Needs Your Help!
It is time already to be preparing for next year.  At Arroyo some parent volunteer opportunities are:

• Welcome Week - following the latest county health guidelines, coordinate with Welcome Week leaders for both schools to plan wonderful ways to welcome all of our students to campus.
• PTA Reflections Coordinator - promote this artistic expression contest at the school level to our students, recruit judges, pass the winning entries along to the 17th district.  This program is very well supported at the district level with lots of guidance on how to do this role.
• School Beautification/Day of Service - in coordination with the Arroyo team, Principal Domer, and possibly the San Carlos Day of Service, identify beautification opportunities on the CMS campus, coordinate supplies and volunteers to complete projects in the fall or spring.
• Each Green Corner Garden Support - work with Each Green Corner staff to recruit and coordinate volunteers to maintain the Central Arroyo Garden and outdoor education spaces especially during monthly work days.
• Honorary Service Chair - inform our community of the categories of awards and solicit nominations, coordinate a selection committee including principals to review nominations, lead the organization of Awards presentation ceremony and recognition tokens presented to recipients.
• Event Coordinator - plan events for the 2021-22 school year, continue events from previous years or create new ones. Coordinator organizes and recruits volunteers to plan and run the events.

If you’re interested please email Kirsten Kell, [email protected].

SCEF News and Events

SCEF News
The San Carlos Education Foundation’s Virtual Starlight Gala last weekend was amazing and certainly one of the highlights of the year. Thank you for your enthusiastic participation in the gala, live and on-line auctions, teacher outings, Starlight Raffle and generous contributions to the Fund-the-Future campaign. We are still crunching the numbers, and all indications are that our community knocked this one out of the park.

We appreciate the many SCEF sponsors, and business & individual auction donors who make this type of event possible. A special thank you to:

• Diamond Gala Sponsors - the Partners at Dwell Realtors--Laura Bertolacci, Bob Bredel, Tatum Clarke, Alana Corso, and Joyce Romeo
• Premia Capital and Prince Street Properties for their lead Fund-The-Future donation
• Chang Orthodontics as our online bidding sponsor
• Alexandria Real Estate Equities as Benefactor sponsor
• Wendy Wood Design for her graphic design talents
• Moquin Press for printing our invitations and program

We are grateful for our intrepid volunteer chairs-Debbie Blucher, Stephanie Brill and Roberta Marks, our “fast and fun” auctioneer Chad Carvey and as always, our SCEF staff-Christopher Kashap, Scott Cleaveland, Joanne Chow and Kathy Parmer-Lohan.

District News and Events

PowerSchool Registration / Intent to Return Confirmation Process for 2021-2022
We are happy to announce that the San Carlos School District is planning for a full return to school next year, 5 full-days of on-campus instruction with minimum days on Wednesdays! We are working hard to ensure that next year is an enriching experience for all students as we return to campus for full-time learning.

Each spring, we ask families for assistance in confirming their enrollment for the next school year by completing the PowerSchool registration process online. Your timely completion of this process will assist us in having the most accurate numbers for returning students for the 2021-2022 school year, which is directly tied to the SCSD budget and will allow the District in planning for staffing needs more effectively.

In May, you will receive an email from [email protected] that will provide you with specific directions on how to complete the registration process online, including a link to access the InfoSnap portal, as well as a special ID number for your student, referred to as the “Infosnap Code."

If you are not planning to return to our district next year, please notify your school office as soon as possible.

Thank you for your assistance with this important process.

Distance Learning/Virtual Option for Fall
Last week we surveyed our Connections Distance Learning families about their preference for continuing with a distance learning/virtual option for next school year. About 40 families expressed interest in continuing with a distance learning model. SB 98, the law that allows distance learning and provides guidance to districts, is expiring in June. There may be another bill considered to guide this program for next year. While we wait for the State to make a decision if they will support these options, we will continue to explore an Independent Study program option for these families. SCSD may provide this program or a regional Independent Study Program may be offered to support several of our neighboring districts. Our hope is that we maintain enrollment for all of our San Carlos families who would like to be part of SCSD.

At this time, we encourage all families to remain enrolled in their home school for next year to ensure consistent communication. When we have more information we will communicate directly with the families that have expressed interest. If you are interested in having your child attend a virtual program next year, please complete this survey if you have not done so already - SCSD Virtual Program Interest for 2021-2022. Please complete one survey per child.

Nursing Notes - COVID-19 Protocol Reminders for All Families
Please keep your child and all siblings home if anyone in your household is sick.

Please remember to contact your school site if someone in your household tests positive for COVID-19 or if your child has been in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. Our district nurses are here to help support you in understanding quarantine lengths and ways for getting your student back to school as quickly as possible within the county health guidelines.

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

Community News and Events

Healthy Cities Tutoring at the San Carlos Farmers Market – May 2
Swing by our booth at the SC Farmers Market the first Sunday in May and win a prize! We’ll be there raising awareness about our program, recruiting volunteers and raising funds for our Give Where You Live campaign. Visit our website to learn more.

Free Mental Health & Wellness Workshops for Youth
The San Carlos Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is hosting a series of free mental health workshops for middle school-age students. The workshop topics include an overview of mental health in COVID, coping skills for teens during the pandemic, and destigmatizing mental health treatment. Workshops will be virtual and led by counselors from One Life Counseling Center on April 20 and May 18 at 5pm. Registration is required. For more information and to register, visit: www.cityofsancarlos.org/yac.

City of San Carlos Summer Camps
Registration is open to residents and non-residents for San Carlos Parks & Recreation summer camps! We are excited to offer a variety of camps including Adventure Camps, Club Ed, and Sports Camps. Additional safety measures will include face coverings for staff and campers, daily wellness screenings and temperature checks. A Fee Assistance Program, funded in partnership with the Parks & Recreation Foundation of San Carlos and the City of San Carlos, is available to help San Carlos residents and students enrolled in a San Carlos-based school participate in Parks & Recreation summer camps. For more information and to register, visit www.cityofsancarlos.org/camps or call (650) 802-4382.

Steve & Kate's Summer Camp
At Steve & Kate’s Camp, kids take chances and take charge, shaping their day, their way. More choices and fewer expectations creates more possibilities, more self-trust, and less self-doubt.

Campers will choose an interest-based, pod-like group, called a Squad. At camp, children will gather with their fellow enthusiasts to immerse themselves in activities, or pursue projects with an emphasis that speaks to their tastes. Squad specialties include sewing, building, performing arts, coding and gaming, sports & recreation, or a mix of everything!

Within squads, campers decide what they want to do, with whom, and for and how long. Whether one is spending the day sampling all activities, or honing in on sewing skills to redesign their entire wardrobe, one thing is for sure: kids are in control.

Campers will also have the opportunity to enjoy outdoor classes, socially distanced indoor and outdoor recreation, performances, fan-favorites like Gameshow, gaga, and wacky or wet inflatables, and a circuit of rotating activities featuring arcade games, clay, sewing, and more.

We’ve also got plenty of perks for parents. Lunch and snacks are included daily, and there’s no risk if your plans change. At the end of the summer, if you have any leftover purchased Day Passes, we’ll refund them in full, automatically.

Dates: June 14 - July 30 - Summer 2021
Ages: Ages 4-12
Location: Arundel Elementary School

Learn more at https://steveandkatescamp.com/san-carlos/.

REDISCOVER SUMMER FUN - Camp Galileo for PK – 8th Grade
Galileo's award-winning camps engage kids in the perfect mix of hands-on learning and unforgettable fun, thoughtfully redesigned for 2021. Small groups and safety protocols keep every Galilean safe. Engaging art, science and outdoor challenges deliver the innovation-igniting experiences kids love. Flexible enrollment policies make planning stress free. It all comes together for a joyful summer.

Limited enrollment—sign up now!
Save $25 per week before May 3rd! When you book for 3 weeks you’ll save $175, that’s $25 per week, plus $50 savings for weeks two and three.
Optional extended care. Learn more at  www.galileo-camps.

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. Check out our flyer and submission details here.

SamTrans Survey on School Routes
SamTrans is proposing changes to their bus routes and they need YOUR feedback, especially regarding Route 61 and Route 95 which serve San Carlos. Please take a moment to fill out their survey. This is your chance to be heard! You can also learn more about Reimagine SamTrans by visiting their website and/or joining a regional meeting.

City of San Carlos Pedestrian Enhancements
The city’s Pedestrian Enhancement at Arroyo-Cedar and Hemlock-Orange Pathway Project requires roadway resurfacing at the intersections to provide a safe path of travel for pedestrians between the curb ramps.

The intersections require significant grading. Allowing vehicles to travel through the intersection with large drops between the existing and proposed roadway surface can be dangerous. Also, the contractor will use heavy equipment and machinery to resurface the intersection, which requires narrowing of lanes and adding more danger for vehicles travelling through the intersections. Therefore, we are planning the closures of the intersection of Arroyo Ave-Cedar St as well as Hemlock-Orange during the work to keep everyone safe. The closures will also expedite the schedule so the contractor can finish in one week as opposed to two weeks.

The closure of the Hemlock St-Orange Ave intersection will occur during the week of April 26 while the closure of the Arroyo Ave-Cedar St intersection will occur on May 3.