October 23, 2022
IN THIS ISSUE
- Principal’s Message: Safety Month
- Spirit Wear & Yearbook Orders
- Plus SCEF, District and Community News
IMPORTANT DATES
Sun 10/23: White Oaks Walk-a-Thon, 1 p.m.
Sun 10/23: Read-a-Thon Kickoff Event at The Reading Bug, 2 p.m.
Mon 10/24: Makeup picture day
Fri 10/28: SCEF Read-a-Thon starts
Tue-Thu 11/1-11/3: Halloween candy buyback
Wed 11/9: Author visit and assembly
Fri 11/18: United Against Hate Poetry Slam
Sat 12/10: White Oaks Holiday Store opens
Principal’s Message
Dear White Oaks families,
Walk-a-Thon is Today!
I hope to see you all at White Oaks THIS afternoon at 1 p.m. for our annual Walk-a-Thon! From 2-4 p.m. will be our Family Fun Day. It’s not too late to sign up to volunteer for this afternoon. See you there!
October is Safety Month
White Oaks participated in the “Great California Shakeout” earthquake drill this past Thursday. Our students practiced “drop, cover, and hold,” and then evacuated to our assembly areas.
We are utilizing 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 attached Big Five One-Pager. If you want to dig a little deeper, take a look at the Big Five Community Packet. We do not practice Secure Campus or Lockdown/Barricade as these types of drills can cause anxiety in children. The Big Five is made engaging and easy to understand through the children's book, Think on Your Feet Peet. This book acts as a great entry-point to the Big Five in classroom settings and encourages situational awareness and “thinking on your feet.”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 at the student release station, which parents will be informed of upon entering campus. Parents will be directed to park off-site, 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. During an emergency:
No one will be allowed to come on to campus; please park in the surrounding neighborhoods and walk to the school entrance. Parents may pick up students from Fairmont Avenue. Please follow posted signs and/or staff/volunteer directions showing which table to go to.
Ensure you have an ID or other identifying information with you.
Please do not text or call your child to come to the front during this time. We need to account for all students and ensure our process is followed.
Students will be released to emergency contacts only.
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 both the school and your child) 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 calm and 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 state of our buildings aren’t usable. 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, familiarize your children with the plan, and teach them how to call 911.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
With Halloween right around the corner, White Oaks is supporting the Teal Pumpkin Project, raising awareness for food allergies and promoting inclusion of all trick-or-treaters. Parents can go onto the Teal Pumpkin Project site and log your home as a "Teal Pumpkin" home so trick-or-treaters know where to go.
Sincerely,
Leah Scholer, PrincipalPTA News
Local Author Visit at White Oaks (and How to Order Her Book)! - Nov. 9
Assemblies are back! On Nov. 9, local San Carlos author (and mom) Jodie Antypas will visit White Oaks to share her new book Just Like an Astronaut and talk to our students about how she wrote the book.
Just Like An Astronaut is a story about a girl who loves outer space, but more than that, it is a book for any child who has made a mistake, felt embarrassed or worried about something they said or did. Jodie wrote this story to help normalize feelings of embarrassment and shame and encourage kids to recognize that something positive can result from an imperfect situation. You can pre-order a signed copy of her book through the Reading Bug here by Nov. 1 and it will be delivered to your child's teacher on the day of the assembly.
Order your White Oaks Yearbook TODAY!
Your time at White Oaks will fly by fast, so order your child’s yearbook HERE. Ensure their 2022-2023 special memories will last a lifetime! Deadline to order is Dec. 15.
It's the Season for Spirit Wear
Autumn is here and so is our latest White Oaks Spirit Wear! New zip-up hoodies, long-sleeved tees for the kids, and heathered green tees for the entire family. Show your school spirit and order your family some stylish White Oaks attire. The store is open through Sunday, Nov. 6.
Final Stretch for the PTA Membership Drive
The White Oaks PTA membership drive is in its final stretch, and we need you to help reach our goal! We currently have 69% of our families signed up. If we reach our goal of 85%, Mrs. Scholer will wear a green wig for the first Welcome Wednesday of November. Please join here.
White Oaks Holiday Store - Opens Dec. 10
The White Oaks Holiday Store is a cherished tradition and will be open on Saturday, Dec. 10th this year! We are looking for volunteers with sewing skills to share. For those new to this event, you take home a kit that has all materials and instructions necessary to assemble a certain number of gifts. When they are ready, you bring them back. Then on the day of the event, your gifts are sold to the White Oaks students to give to family members on the holidays! Please contact Sara Ting if you have sewing abilities to share, and look for more information in future WOWs.
SCEF News
The 3rd Annual SCEF Read-a-Thon Starts This Friday, Oct. 28!
Register here. This is a community-based event to celebrate and encourage the love of books and reading. Our goal is 100% participation (registration).
It is FREE to register, participate, and read! Donations are welcome, but students do not have to donate to participate. Just register, read, and then log your reading minutes with the improved Minute Tracker.
A HUGE thank you to our presenting sponsor, Christie’s International Real Estate~Sereno, where they believe in giving back to the places we live and love. Thank you Bob Bredel, Laura Bertolacci, Tatum Clarke, Alana Corso, and Joyce Romeo for your commitment to our community and our schools!
If you are reading this on Sunday morning, join us Sunday, Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. at The Reading Bug for the SCEF Read-a-Thon Kickoff. Enjoy story time, giveaways, a scavenger hunt and more. Don't forget to pick up your SCEF bookmark!
Participate in our 12th annual Halloween Candy Buy-Back
Drop off extra candy Nov. 1-3, 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 a dollar per pound of wrapped candy to SCEF.District News
State-Subsidized Preschool Spaces Now Available at Arundel Elementary
The San Carlos Early Learning Center has space available in our new, part-day, California State Preschool Program (CSPP) class at Arundel from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Student tuition may be covered for families that qualify, based on income.
Visit our San Carlos Early Learning Center website for more information, or contact ELC Director Sue Dawley.Free COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic
SMCOE and San Mateo County Health are hosting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Anne Campbell Center located at 65 Tower Road in San Mateo. Vaccinations are available for children 3 and older and adults. Learn more.
- Nov. 18, 1-4 p.m.
What’s Next for SCSD Schools? Share Your Ideas to Inform Our Strategic Plan Refresh
Your input will be invaluable to co-create a resulting roadmap to inform next steps for our learners. We want to hear from you, so here are upcoming opportunities to share your feedback:
Complete our new strategic planning survey online before Nov. 30. The survey takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and is available in Spanish and English.
Attend one of our October or November in-person community meetings to learn more about the strategic planning process, receive an update on recently collected input, and join us for a real-time brainstorm as we think together about future opportunities for SCSD and our students. Light refreshments will be served. To join us for a live session, please click here to RSVP and select from the following:
- Wed., Oct. 26, 4:00-5:30 p.m. at Arroyo Upper Elementary Learning Commons
- Thu., Nov. 3, 8:45-10:15 a.m. at Tierra Linda Middle School Multi-Use Room
- (New) Tues., Dec. 13, 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Arundel Elementary Multi-Use Room
- Date TBD: Ravenswood YMCA
All feedback will be brought back and considered by a design team to represent the thinking across all interested groups, identify themes, and revise the objectives and directions regarding Teaching and Learning, Social Emotional Learning and Learning Spaces. For more information on our Strategic Plan and process, please visit our website.
COVID Reminders and Testing Options
If your child is experiencing symptoms, please keep them home and give them a rapid antigen test. Staying home when sick can lower the risk of spreading infectious diseases to other people and testing remains a key mitigation layer to detect and curb transmission of COVID-19. If your child tests positive for COVID-19 or your household is in need of additional test kits, please contact your school site as soon as possible.
Testing Resources
- Curative - Central Middle School parking lot - Sign up
- Curative - Tierra Linda Middle School parking lot - Sign up
- Other Community-Based Testing Sites in San Mateo County
COVID-19 Testing for Schools and Students - Find up-to-date resources on testing in districts and schools as well as at home.
Community News
Stand United Against Hate Poetry Slam - Nov. 18
In celebration of United Against Hate Week (Nov. 13-19), the Community Foundation of San Carlos and Devil's Canyon Brewing Co. are throwing its second annual Stand United Against Hate' Poetry Slam on Friday, Nov. 18 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Devil's Canyon.
Please come and watch our talented community members bring their craft and whole selves to share their stories of what it means to stand united against hate. The deadline for poetry submission is Tuesday, Nov. 1 via this link, or refer to the attached flyer for more information. Stand in solidarity for UAH and download a San Carlos Stands United Against Hate poster here.
San Carlos United Soccer Club Tryouts
San Carlos United will be holding tryouts in November for AYSO players and players not currently playing competitive club soccer for the upcoming Spring 2023 season.
Please register online. A representative from the respective age group will contact you regarding a tryout. We look forward to seeing you at the San Carlos United tryouts!Join the Kindergarten Daisy Girl Scout Troop at White Oaks
If you would like to join the new White Oaks Girl Scout troop for kindergarten girls, please follow these steps to reserve your place today.
We’re a co-op troop where everyone helps, so be sure to register yourself too! Use this link to find Troop 61920.
- Click the + sign to add a girl and adult space (please register at least one adult per family as a Troop Helper or another role that may interest you).
Click LOG IN and Don't have an account? Sign up now to create your account.
Annual Girl fee is $40 and Adults fee is $25, plus $11.50 every three years for an online background check. Financial aid is available. Email Lauren if you have any questions.
Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day Poster Contest!
Students in all grades are encouraged to submit their original artwork inspired by Ruby Bridges, the six year-old who became a symbol of courage, bravery, and social justice during the civil rights movement.
Submit your poster by Oct. 25. Winning entries will be shared with schools countywide to promote Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on Nov. 14!
Learn more about Ruby Bridges. Contest details are available in English and Spanish.
#RBWTSD #RubyBridges #WalkwithRubyParent Education Opportunities
How can you raise a well-balanced student? Denise Pope, PhD, co-founder of Challenge Success, Stanford Graduate School of Education, presents Raising a Well-Balanced Student: Avoiding a Culture of Stress (Oct. 26, online).
This month's Parent Forums feature is Eran Magen, PhD, in Building Trust and Goodwill with Your Child/Teen (October 28, Online).
NEW! How can we help kids find friendship in the age of digital media? Devorah Heither, PhD, author of Screenwise, offers Friends vs Followers: Friendship Dynamics in the Age of Social Media (November 3, Online).Visit the Parent Venture Series of Upcoming Events page for more information.
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