From the Principal
Dear White Oaks families,
October Is Safety MonthWe will be participating in the “Great California Shakeout” earthquake drill this Thursday, Oct. 21, at 10:30 a.m. Our students will practice “Drop, Cover, Hold,” and then be evacuated to our assembly areas, practicing what we’d do in an emergency. White Oaks staff have updated the school’s Emergency Plan that describes how our teams work together for our overall safety in an emergency. We are using protocols developed by the Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities in San Mateo County, called “The Big Five.” Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Big Five Protocols by reading over the Big Five Parent Flyer. If you would like to dig a little deeper, take a look at the Big Five Community Packet.
Our emergency plan includes communication with the district and parents. Teachers are assigned to various emergency response roles, including student assembly leaders who stay and supervise students in grade-level teams when other teachers are “deployed” to their duty. Our plan also includes entrance security, with staff at each of our entrance and exit areas directing emergency response vehicles and personnel as well as parents, and it includes a student release protocol. Students will be released individually to parents or authorized guardians and adults on your emergency contact list at the student release station, which parents will be informed of upon entering campus. If you need to update this list at any time, please contact our school secretary ([email protected]).
Depending on the type of emergency, this station will be at the Fairmont Avenue entrance gate or farther down by the large gate near our larger opening near the dumpsters. Parents will be directed to park away from these entrances, allowing for emergency vehicles to have priority. It is critical that parents follow our student release protocol so we can make sure all students are safe and accounted for.
In the event of a true emergency, the best thing you can do as a parent is to stay away from the school (and refrain from calling, keeping phone lines open for emergency personnel) until you are notified to come pick up your student. We understand that this is extremely difficult, but it’s important for us to focus on students in an emergency. While keeping parents informed is critical, student safety will be our highest priority, and it’s best if we can avoid anything that distracts from that.
None of us want to be involved in a real emergency, but practicing and being prepared will be key in keeping our kids and staff safe and reuniting with parents if the building becomes unusable. Please be assured, the safety of our students is a top priority.
We encourage parents to review these safety conversations with their own families. Have a family plan in the event of an emergency, helping your children know the plan and know how to call 911 in their homes.
Sincerely,
Kim Norgaard, Interim Principal
[email protected]
White Oaks Buddy Bench
At White Oaks, we created a place where all students can find a friend, meet a friend or talk out a problem. Students made posters during our third-grade small group time to help our classmates understand the benefits of using the White Oaks Buddy Bench. Teachers and students participated in painting and enhancing the bench with our school colors and whimsical designs. At Welcome Wednesday, all students learned about how the bench is a way to help them practice better communication and show support for one another.
Dates to Remember
Thursday, Oct. 21: Great California ShakeOut
Thursday, Oct. 21: School Site Council meeting, 3 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 21: School Board Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 22: PTA Pumpkin Patch Movie Night 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 29: School Halloween Parade (students only)
Sunday, Oct. 31: Halloween
Thursday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day, no school
Friday, Nov. 12: End of 1st Trimester
Friday, Nov. 19: Report card day
Nov. 22-26: Fall Break
School News and Events
PTA Pumpkin Patch Movie Night Is THIS Friday, Oct. 22
5:30-7:30 p.m.
We hope you can join us for this family event!
The PTA is asking for your help to fill our Pumpkin Patch by dropping off a pumpkin at the MU any day THIS week. Interesting shapes, sizes, and colors encouraged! Students can pick a pumpkin at Movie Night to bring home.
On Friday, Oct. 22, at 5:30 p.m., bring your blankets, chairs, and warm clothes for a night of fun with our school community! Come just for the Pumpkin Patch and play time, or stay for the movie. We’ll have an area set up for fall family photos at the pumpkin patch. Kids are welcome to come in costumes!
The movie will be Pixar’s “Toy Story of Terror!” on the lawn and will start at sundown, 6:30 p.m. This short movie has a run time of 22 minutes. For health and safety, masks are required for everyone on campus, and there will be no food allowed, so please plan to have dinner beforehand or afterward. Please, no wheels on campus. Park your bikes, scooters, or skateboards in the bike racks. Please note, the PTA recognizes that every family makes their own decisions about which movies are appropriate for their children’s age, temperament and maturity. If you are looking for information to help you decide whether to attend the movie portion, consider reading the review provided by Common Sense Media.
We are excited for this community-building event and look forward to seeing you!
October PTA Membership Drive
We are happy to announce that our membership continues to grow, and we now have 55% PTA membership! Thank you to those who have joined. Our goal this year is 100% membership. If we reach 85% membership by the end of October, Mrs. Norgaard will greet the kids wearing a green wig! The details:
- How do I join? Sign up online via Totem.
- What is the cost? $20 per family (plus $1 fee).
- Why is your membership important? Members play a role in decision-making at our monthly White Oaks PTA meetings. Higher membership gives our PTA a powerful voice in advocating for our children in the California Legislature. 100% membership sends a message that our district is made up of voters who are concerned and involved.
2021-22 White Oaks Yearbooks for Sale!You can buy this school year’s yearbook directly from Jostens here. Yearbooks are $26 each, and the sales deadline is Friday, Dec. 24. They will be distributed the last week of school by your student’s teacher. Most teachers give the students time to sign yearbooks, so don’t let your child be left out!
We won’t have a lot of extras to sell at the end of the school year, so buy your yearbook now to reserve your copy. Please contact Teresa Williams with questions.
SCEF News and Events
Golden State Warriors Games
Gather your family and friends and join SCEF at Chase Center for a Golden State Warriors game!
- Oct. 30 and Dec. 23: 75 participants will be invited to sit in the lower level before the game to watch the players’ warm-up!
- Jan. 25: The first 10,000 fans will receive a Curry/Chamberlain Duo Bobblehead.
Discounted tickets are available for select dates, and a portion of each ticket sale benefits SCEF. More information is available at scefkids.org/events.
11th Annual Halloween Candy Buy-Back
Halloween is happening! And so is our 11th annual Candy Buy-Back! Drop extra candy Nov. 1-4 at your school’s office and it will be donated to Operation Gratitude and sent to our troops. Drs. Chang, Amin, and Kaher will donate $1 per pound of wrapped candy to SCEF.
District News and Events
Meet Our New Director of Health & Wellness
Hi there, families of San Carlos! My name is Ilana Yakubovich (she/her), and I am the new Director of Health and Wellness for the San Carlos School District. I recently moved here from Boston and am excited for sunny days and redwood trees. I come to the district with years of experience in mental health counseling, health promotion, and yoga teaching with young folks ages 3-25. It is important to me that our entire community is well taken care of and well supported, and I look forward to meeting and talking to you to ensure you have the resources to take care of your families, and yourselves. I am starting to plan the Walk Audits at each school site — please reach out if you would like to volunteer to help out at one!
Please email me at [email protected] with any ideas or questions, and I am thrilled to connect with you soon.
COVID Reminders: Stay Home When Sick and Get Tested
Staying home when sick and getting tested for COVID-19 are two of the most effective ways to keep our community safe. Find details from the SCSD Health & Safety Plan in this document.
If you have any of the symptoms listed above, call your school office to report an illness, stay home, and take a COVID test.
If you need to report a COVID case, please call District Nurse Page Pollack at 650-632-8300 (Arroyo office) or Human Resources at 650-590-5922 if the nurse is unavailable.
For more information, visit our COVID-19 Resources page and review the SCSD Health & Safety Plan.
Schedule Your Appointment at the Curative COVID-19 Testing Van
Please take advantage of the no-cost COVID-19 testing provided by the San Mateo County Health Department. Sign up online to begin your regular weekly testing at the Central Middle School parking lot, under the solar structure (757 Cedar St., San Carlos).
- Tuesdays and Wednesdays 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
- Thursdays 1-7 p.m.
- Fridays 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Find other community testing sites in San Mateo County here.
Community News and Events
City of San Carlos Events
Halloween Movie in the Park: Parks & Recreation is hosting a free Halloween movie night at Burton Park on Friday, Oct. 22. Join us for a showing of “The Addams Family” (2019), 7-8:45 p.m. The night will also include free Mister Softee, field games, and a haunted house from 6 to 7 behind the Youth Center at Les Mundell Grove. For more information, call 650-802-4471. FACE MASKS ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.
Goblin Walk: San Carlos Parks & Recreation is excited for the return of Goblin Walk on Friday, Oct. 29, 4-5:30 p.m. Children 7 years and younger, accompanied by an adult, are invited to trick-or-treat down Laurel Street in their costumes and visit the businesses displaying the Goblin Walk sign. The first 1,000 trick-or-treaters can pick up a Goblin Walk trick-or-treat bag at Harrington Park or from any Goblin Walk volunteer. For more information, call 650-802-4382. Planning on going? Let us know on our Facebook Event Page!
VolunTEEN: Laurel Street Clean-Up: Calling all “VolunTEENs” ages 12-18: Lend a hand to help your community! Join the Youth Advisory Council and Key Club on Saturday, Oct. 30, 9-10:30 a.m., for a Laurel Street Clean-Up. We will provide gloves, pickers, and buckets. Your time, effort, and presence will make a difference in your community. Registration required at cityofsancarlos.org/
Junior Chef Stars is Back! CREATE - COOK - LEARN
Looking for a hands-on, tasty activity for your Junior Chef? We provide junior chefs with the tools necessary to create, cook, and learn. Join us as we celebrate the bounty of fall. Your junior chef will expand their cooking knowledge with our curriculum, which covers nutrition, seasonal cooking, knife skills, the purpose of core ingredients, and the many cultural aspects of food — all while having a blast and making new friends.
Dates: Oct. 14 to Dec. 9
When: Thursdays 2:30-3:45 p.m.
Where: Multipurpose Room
Register today at juniorchefstars.com/
Parent Education Series from The Parent Venture
NEW! In their book When You Wonder, You’re Learning: Mr. Rogers’ Enduring Lessons for Kids, authors Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski examine the science behind Fred Rogers’ essential “tools for learning” (Oct. 19, online).
NEW! How can we create safe, respectful, and inclusive communities? Join Samantha Brown, M.Ed., Director of Education, Anti-Defamation League (ADL), for Fighting Hate for Good: An Anti-Bias Community Training (Oct. 20, online).
San Mateo County Office of Education Vaccination Discussion: COVID-19 Safe Schools and Vaccinations for Youth, Oct. 27, 6:30-7:45 p.m. Vaccinations for children ages 5-11 are expected to be available in November. Educators and families are invited to join the San Mateo County Office of Education and representatives from San Mateo County Health for a discussion about vaccinations for youth, including research on the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations for this age group. Learn more | Spanish flyer