February 5, 2023
IN THIS ISSUE
- Principal’s Message: Black History Month
- Plus SCEF, District, and Community News
Principal’s Message
Dear White Oaks families,
January came and went very quickly and we are excited to enter a new month that will be busy with lots of activities. During the month of February, we continue to celebrate Lunar New Year and are excited to celebrate Black History Month, Valentine’s Day, and for our younger students, 100th Day of School. Please continue to read through your communication from teachers as they share important information about events happening in your child’s classroom.
February is Black History Month and a time to celebrate the achievements of Black Americans and recognize their central role in U.S. history. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history. For more on how Black History Month began, click here.
If you’d like to dive a little deeper into Black history with your family, here are some ideas:
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Learn a little more about Black scientists such as Katharine Johnson and Mae Jemison.
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Are your kids getting ready for baseball season? Watch this read-aloud about Jackie Robinson.
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Watch Amanda Gorman’s Inaugural Poem “The Hill We Climb”.
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Create a portrait of MLK Jr. or do a directed draw of Rosa Parks.
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Consider attending an event celebrating Black history in the Bay Area or a virtual event such as “Joyful Fridays” from the Smithsonian.
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Watch Disney/Pixar’s Oscar-winning film “Soul” starring Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey and explore the history of jazz (recommended for older kids).
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Prepare a special dinner with your family highlighting traditional cuisines from predominantly Black countries. For inspiration, check out this great list of essential Nigerian recipes from NY Times contributor Yewande Komolafe. Kids can even help pick out a recipe and shop for ingredients!
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Visit Parents.com for more ideas and resources.
We are also excited to share our February Book of the Month: I Walk with Vanessa. It is a beautifully illustrated, wordless picture book about a girl who stands up for what is right. Upon seeing a classmate being bullied, she feels sorry for the girl and makes a decision to fix it the next day. This story illustrates how a single act of kindness can lead to an entire community joining in to help.
Thank you for your wonderful participation in our Kindness Week! As I explained to our students, Kindness should be something we use everyday but it was nice to showcase it through a week of activities.
Warmly,
Leah Scholer
Principal
PTA News
White Oaks PTA Meeting - Feb 8, 6 p.m. in the MU
Join us for the next PTA meeting on Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. We will be meeting in person this month in the White Oaks MU. Everyone is welcome and we would love to see you there! Agenda is available here.
Join us for the 21 Day Social and Racial Equity Challenge!
It's not too late to join the White Oaks community members uniting to learn, grown and build community together. The 21-Day Equity Challenge is a powerful opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of how inequity and racism affect our lives and our community. Click here to join us! Scroll down to see the Daily Calendar where you can find a daily link to an article or video to read or watch and reflect on. (Please disregard the Oct. 2022 start date; we started on Jan. 22 but you can jump in now and catch up!) A chat session will be scheduled after our challenge to discuss, with the date to be determined.
Walk to School for the 100th day!
Please join us for a special Walk to School Wednesday to celebrate the 100th day of school! 100 day charms will be given to students who walk, roll, ride, or scoot to school.
White Oaks Running Club
On your MARK… GET SET… GO!
The White Oaks Running Club is back starting this month! The White Oaks Running Club is a non-competitive and FUN way for students to get their wiggles out! The goal is simple: to get students excited about running and moving their bodies.
This activity is open to all 2nd and 3rd grade students-- no sign up required. Running Club will be held every Thursday during the 2nd/3rd grade lunchtime recess. Students will be invited to run as many laps around the blacktop track as they would like while music plays and their friends cheer them on. They will record their laps by marking them on a banner, working toward a goal of a 5K, 10K or even half marathon! Everyone will be celebrated, no matter how fast they run or how far they choose to go. We are looking for parent volunteers to help monitor the course and cheer on the runners as they go. It is a great way to be involved during a fun time of day-- recess! If you would like to help supervise the course (no running required), please sign up. Please reach out to Nicole Ketterman or Joanna Levitan with any questions.
SCEF News
SCEF Online Auction Feb. 6-13: Summer Camps & Teacher Outings
Bid early, bid often, mark your favorites, and set your maximum bids. Browse the auction and Buy-It-Now items here.
Auction bidding will open at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 6. Bidding will close Monday, Feb. 13 with staggered closing times for:
- Elementary Schools - 9:00 p.m.
- Upper Elementary - 9:15 p.m.
- Middle Schools & Charter - 9:30 p.m.
- Summer Camps - 9:30 p.m.
Buy-It-Now
- Warriors' Tickets: Mar. 3 and Mar. 28 games!
- 8th Grade Promotion and Band Concert Seats
Have questions? Need bidding Help? Contact [email protected]. Your donation to SCEF also supports your PTA and their ability to fund teacher grants, assemblies, supplies and materials, library books and more.
*Note date change* Sunday, Mar. 19, Virtual Live Auction: Salute to Educators
SCEF’s annual virtual gala featuring a live auction with Chad Carvey, Fund-A-Need, and a tribute to San Carlos educators
Check out our website for more information.
District News
Priority Registration for NEW Students Ends Soon
If you have a student who will be NEW to the district next year, be sure to register them for school during by Friday, Feb. 10.
Registration is ONLY for students who are not currently attending our schools. Students who are in TK-8th grade now do not need to re-register; however, if your child is in one of our SCSD preschool classes, they do need to register as a new student.
Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page or email us if you have any questions.
This Week is Counselor Appreciation Week
While our community appreciates the hard work our counselors do every day of the year, this week we want to call special attention to all they do for our students, families, and teachers. Our counselors teach social-emotional learning lessons, meet individually and in groups with students, plan awareness events, train staff, and work with families. We are so grateful to our counselors for helping to make San Carlos Schools such a positive and supportive environment for all.
Please send them a note of appreciation if you've had the pleasure of working with any of these lovely staff. Our White Oaks counseling team includes Kim Arasato (School Counselor), Xibin Wu (MFT intern), and Matt Steinborn (School Psychologist)-- thank you for supporting our students!
School Well-Being and Safety Talk- Feb. 10
"What Does Health, Wellness & Safety Look Like at SCSD? Join Ilana Yakubovic, Wellness Director, and Kiersten, Mental Health Lead, to learn about resources available and ask any questions about school well-being and safety. If you can't make it, don't fret-- we will send out notes!
Friday, Feb. 10, 12:00-12:45 p.m., register here.
Community News
Mythbusting Diet Culture & Eating Disorders and How Caregivers Can Help - Feb. 7
For National Eating Disorders Awareness Month, Kindful Body will discuss the factors that contribute to the development of eating disorders, cultural and societal beliefs that reinforce the eating disorder, and how caregivers can push back against harmful messages to support your child with an eating disorder or reduce the likelihood of an eating disorder.
Tuesday, Feb. 7, 7-8 p.m. on Zoom (Register)
Black History Month
Each February, Black History Month serves as both a celebration and a powerful reminder that Black history is American history.
In celebration and reflection of Black History Month, the Community Foundation of San Carlos (CFSC) has curated a list of resources to honor and recognize the achievements of Black Americans as well as a list of Black-owned businesses and organizations to support. If you want to learn more about CFSC, please reach out!
Parent Education Opportunities
On Feb. 9, we host Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, the first female African American judge in Northern California, for a conversation on her debut book, Her Honor: My Life on the Bench ... (Feb. 9, online). Don’t miss it!
What should parents know about the emerging cannabis industry? Lynn Silver, MD, MPH, Senior Advisor at the Public Health Institute (PHI), presents Health Impacts and Legalities of Cannabis Use in Youth (Feb. 15, Online).
NEW! February is Heart Health Month! Join Sequoia Healthcare District for a Town Hall meeting, Understanding Heart Health, featuring cardiologist Henry Huang, MD, and Liz Lazar-Johnson, founder of Via Heart Health (Feb. 16, Online).
Upcoming Parent Forums feature Edwin Fernandez, LCSW, One Life Counseling Center, for Padres que se adaptan (español) (Feb. 7, Online), and Eran Magen, PhD, Parenting for Humans, in How to Be Your Child's Favorite Conversation Partner (English) (Feb. 17, Online).
Visit the Parent Venture Series of Upcoming Events page for more information.
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