White Oaks Weekly - November 13, 2022

November 13, 2022 IN THIS ISSUE Principal’s Message: Walk to School Day, Kindness, Gratitude Tree DEIB Committee Plus SCEF, District and Community News  IMPORTANT DATES Mon-Thu 11/14-11/17: Book Fair (volunteers still needed!) Thu 11/17: School Board meeting, 6:30 p.m. Mon-Fri 11/21-25: Fall Break Wed 11/30: SCEF Day Sat 12/10: White Oaks Holiday Store opens   PTA EVENTS SCSD 2022-23 Calendar   Principal’s Message Dear White Oaks families, Walk to School - Ruby Bridges This week we will be participating in Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on Nov. 14 sponsored by the SMCOE Safe Routes to School Program. We will be handing out bracelets, stickers, beanies and buttons to those students who walk on this historic day. Ruby Bridges became a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement at age six, when she was the youngest of a group of African American students designated to integrate schools in the American South. On Nov. 14, 1960, her first day of school at William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Ruby was escorted to school by four federal marshals and spent the entire day in the principal’s office as irate parents marched into the school to remove their children.  The inaugural Walk to School Day in San Mateo County was in 2018. Students from Martin Elementary School in South San Francisco were learning about Ruby Bridges and wanted to celebrate her courage. They advocated to their school board to make Nov. 14 Ruby Bridges Day and were invited to do the same at an SMCOE Board meeting. Their passion caught on and fourteen schools across the county participated in 2018. Several districts also passed resolutions. Since then the movement has grown. You can learn more about Ruby Bridges and the Walk to School Day initiative on the website. We are excited to participate and join many other schools around the county in walking to school. Please join us — we will meet at Madsen Field near Burton Park at 8 a.m. to walk to school together.  Promoting Kindness Imagine if our community promoted kindness every single day. We are prioritizing this at White Oaks this year and have started a “Caught Being Kind” program where students are peer-nominated for acts of kindness and then honored at our weekly Welcome Wednesday assembly. These students then join our “Spotlight on Kindness” bulletin board outside the office and our goal is to have every child recognized at least once this year. We have taught the students that acts of kindness can be as simple as helping someone clean up a mess or getting an adult to help if someone is hurt.  I also held “Be Kind” assemblies for our students. TK and first grade focused on being “includers” and inviting each other to play at recess while second and third grade focused on being “upstanders” or standing up for people when they see something inappropriate happening (the opposite of bystander).  We are encouraging parents to use this language at home to create a strong home to school connection and catch each other in acts of kindness out in the community and home. A little bit of kindness can go a long way!  White Oaks Gratitude Tree Our annual Gratitude Tree is now up in front of the office! Students, siblings, and adults are welcome to add a leaf to the tree with something you are grateful for. I am looking forward to watching our tree bloom! Sincerely, Leah Scholer, Principal     PTA News Book Fair The Scholastic Book Fair is here, and we are still in need of volunteers! We are so excited to have the Book Fair in person at White Oaks. Come shop before school, after school and on Family Fun Night. It's fun and easy to help out — please take a look at the many roles and shifts to fit your schedule and sign up here. We are also looking for co-chairs for next year's Book Fair.  It is a great event to help run, and Scholastic does a lot of the work. Ideally three co-chairs works best, but two can run it easily, so ask your friends. If you love books, this is the event for you! Mon 11/14: 8:00-8:45 a.m., 2:30-3:15 p.m. Tue 11/15: 8:00-8:45 a.m., 2:30-3:15 p.m., 5:00-6:30 p.m.  Wed 11/16: 8:00-8:45 a.m., 12:30-1:15 p.m., with Family Fun Night* 5:00-7:30 p.m.  Thu 11/17: 8:00-8:45 a.m., 2:30-3:15 p.m. Join the PTA DEIB Committee The PTA is looking for volunteers to join our new DEIB committee. If you're interested, please email Andrea Roberts. If you don’t want to join a committee but have ideas about what you would like to see the PTA do in this space, please send us your thoughts! Our goal is to create a school community that feels welcoming and inclusive for all groups.    SCEF News We Are Thankful for You As we enter the season of thanksgiving, we want to express our gratitude to the San Carlos community. Without our spirited volunteers, enthusiastic educators, and generous donors, SCEF could not do what we do year after year. We are grateful for YOU! Honey Bear Trees Are Comin’ to Town … The annual tradition of scouting the Honey Bear lot for the perfect Christmas tree continues! When you visit the lot at 1579 El Camino Real in San Carlos, don’t forget to bring the flier and mention SCEF. They will donate 15% back! Download the flier here. Local Merchants Are Ready for the Holiday Season We are grateful to the businesses who have demonstrated their steadfast commitment to San Carlos public schools. Support our business partners by shopping with them. Does Your Employer Offer a Workplace Giving Program? Many employers will match your donation to SCEF, and some are offering end-of-year matching at 2:1. Some companies also give their employees cash to donate to a charity of their choiceandreapalliosroberts@gmail.comconsider SCEF! SCEF Day Is Coming Nov. 30: Make your plan to give. Every little bit helps SCEF meet our fundraising goal of $3.7M to meet our mission of supporting every child, every day, in every classroom.   District News Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Expansion, Virtual TK/Kindergarten Welcome Night, & New Student Registration for 2023-24 Transitional Kindergarten Eligibility Expansion For the 2023-24 school year, students who turn five on or between Sept. 2, 2023, and Apr. 2, 2024, are eligible to register for Transitional Kindergarten (TK). Previously, only students who turned five by Feb. 2 qualified. Visit SCSD’s Transitional Kindergarten page to learn more about our TK program. Virtual TK/Kindergarten Welcome Night Do you have friends or neighbors who have an incoming TK or Kindergarten student who are new to the District? If so, please invite them to join us for our Virtual TK/Kindergarten Welcome Night on Monday, Jan. 9, 6:30-7:30 p.m. via Zoom (link to come)! The virtual presentation is designed to provide families with information about the San Carlos School District, its community partners and programs, and to provide an overview of how to register for school. San Carlos School District New Student Registration Begins in January Mark your calendars for these key dates: Monday, Jan. 9, 6:30-7:30 p.m.: Virtual TK/Kindergarten Welcome Night for new families Tuesday, Jan. 10, noon: PowerSchool priority registration opens for all new students Wednesday, Feb. 1, 4:00-4:30 p.m.: Virtual Elementary School Tours for incoming TK/Kindergarten families Friday, Feb. 10, 4 p.m.: PowerSchool priority registration deadline Important Note for Current TK-7th Grade Families Students currently registered in SCSD do not need to re-register; they will automatically matriculate into the next grade level or feeder school through eighth grade. In February, a Google survey will be sent out to all current families regarding plans for fall, and parents will fill out their Back-to-School Forms for 2023-24 in April. What’s Next for SCSD Schools? Share Your Ideas to Inform Our Strategic Plan Refresh Parents, we need you! The time is now to imagine what our strategic plan will look like. Your input will be invaluable to co-create a roadmap to inform next steps for our learners. We want to hear from you, so we invite you to participate in our upcoming in-person meetings and/or complete a survey. Complete our new strategic planning survey online before Nov. 30: To take the survey in English, click for survey link. Para realizar esta encuesta en español, haga clic aquí. Participate in a strategic planning community meeting. To join us for a live session, please click here to RSVP and select from the following: Wednesday, Nov. 30, 6:30-8 p.m., Ravenswood YMCA (550 Bell St., East Palo Alto) ** habrá traducción simultánea ** Tuesday, Dec. 13, 6-7:30 p.m., Arundel Elementary Multi-Use Room All feedback will be brought back and considered by a Design Team to represent 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. Follow @scsdschools Follow the San Carlos School District on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for up-to-date info on events and issues.   Community News Care Solace for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Service Referrals Care Solace is a free, confidential service that connects students, families, and staff from the San Carlos School District to mental health or substance abuse services. Visit the website or call 888-515-0595 to get started. Growing Mindful Adult Education Class -  Dec. 1 Join Jaclyn Grayson and Ashley McManus, parents in our community and founders of Growing Mindful, in an interactive workshop, all about building resilience through mindfulness into your home with tangible, realistic strategies. The session is Thursday, Dec. 1, from 7-8 p.m. at the SCSD office or via Zoom. Register here, and email with any questions. If you cannot attend, you can receive a summary of this content afterward in both English and Spanish. La sesión será en inglés, pero estaremos traduciendo el resumen al español. Free COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic - Nov. 18 Plan now for happy and healthy holidays! SMCOE and San Mateo County Health is hosting a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on Nov. 18, 1-4 p.m. at the Medical Therapy Unit Multipurpose Room (65 Tower Road, San Mateo). Vaccinations are available for adults and children 3 and older. Learn more (English and Spanish). Parent Education Opportunities College admission is a barrel of laughs, right? Join experts Gabrielle McColgan, Michael Elgarico, and Patrick Wilson for an inside-track chat about the college admission process, What's So Funny About College Admission? (Nov. 17, online). How can parents help their teens and tweens get more sleep? Join Lisa L. Lewis, MS, author of The Sleep-Deprived Teen, for Why Teen and Tween Sleep Matters, and How Parents and Schools Can Help (Nov. 30, online). NEW! What are teens actually doing on their smartphones? Harvard researchers Emily Weinstein, PhD, and Carrie James, PhD, discuss their new book, Behind Their Screens: What Teens Are Facing (and Adults Are Missing) (Dec. 2, online). Visit the Parent Venture Series of Upcoming Events page for more information.    PTA CORNER Join the White Oaks PTA. Your membership matters and helps support programs and events for our students and teachers. REWARDS PROGRAMS Participate in our rewards programs and a percentage of your purchases will automatically be donated to the White Oaks PTA — at no cost to you! FOLLOW @WHITE OAKS Follow us on Facebook for up-to-date info on events and issues.