White Oaks Weekly - October 1, 2023 | White Oaks Elementary School

October 1, 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

Principal’s Message: SCSD Strategic Plan, Play Pod, and Kelso's Choice
Lunch Menu
PTA News: Day of Service, STEM Festival
Plus District, SCEF, and Community News

IMPORTANT DATES

Mon-Fri, 10/2-10/6: Parent-teacher conferences, dismissal at 12:25 p.m.
Wed, 10/4: Walk to School Wednesday
Sun, 10/8: White Oaks Day of Service, 10 a.m.
Mon, 10/9: Indigenous Peoples' Day, no school
Thu 10/12: SCSD Board meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Tue, 10/17: STEM Festival, volunteers needed

PTA EVENTS

SCSD 2023-24 Calendar

Principal’s Message

Dear White Oaks families,

Join us as we take you on a journey through the core of our new SCSD Strategic Plan.

Week 2 is Kind Citizens
Welcome to the second installment of our new Strategic Plan video series! This week, we're shining a spotlight on a crucial piece of the puzzle: Kind Citizens.

At SCSD, we take immense pride in nurturing learners who embody kindness, empathy, and compassion in all their interactions. Our students are not just academically proficient; they are also outstanding collaborators, responsible citizens, and effective communicators.

In this video, we'll explore how SCSD learners actively engage in collaboration, sharing their ideas, skills, and perspectives in both academic and non-academic settings to foster knowledge and build a strong sense of community. Additionally, we'll delve into the vital aspect of communication, where SCSD learners emerge as active listeners and effective communicators, capable of expressing themselves with clarity and confidence across various academic and social contexts.

Join us in celebrating the essence of Kind Citizens and discover how their interpersonal skills are shaping a brighter future for our students and the world they touch.

Play Pod
Our Play Pod is now open! Every Tuesday at lunch recess, our loose parts play is available to all students. It was so fun seeing the creativity, collaboration, and communication coming from students as they used their imagination. Phrases like, “Hey, let’s try this!” and “What if we…” were heard among “Let’s combine our work!” and “Do you want to join us?”

We need YOUR help to keep our Play Pod running! Consider signing up for a slot (or two) to help run this station during lunchtime. If we are able to have enough consistent parent volunteers, we may be able to open up the Play Pod more days during the week. We are also always looking for more materials to add to our students’ creations. Please email Leah Scholer if you have items you think would work for this activity.

Kelso's Choice
As we gather on campus daily to learn and enjoy some recess moments together, it is inevitable that conflict amongst peers will emerge. At White Oaks, our compassionate and skilled teaching staff address many of these opportunities to grow skills that can be applied to the next situation that may arise. In addition to their expertise, we have Ms. Kim Arasato, our school counselor, and our mental health associate, Xibin, help to support our Owls and their families

Students at every grade level have been attending weekly lessons with the school counselor. Over the past few weeks, we have been using the Kelso's choice program to teach students several positive ways to address small arguments and problems that can naturally occur in both unstructured and classroom settings. Kelso’s Choice is a conflict management curriculum designed for elementary age students that helps students identify which “small problems” can be solved without adult intervention, and offers a wheel of 9 choices to provide easy problem solving steps.

By using this plan, we believe that our students will develop effective problem-solving skills that they can use again and again. It will help them to address conflict in a positive manner and make appropriate decisions. Knowing what to do will help students reduce the stress and number of conflicts they have at school and in their neighborhood. Kelso's Choice is one program we use on campus as part of our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) network.

Colorful charts illustrating ways to deal with conflict will be posted at school so all children will know their choices. We encourage you to become familiar with this program and use it in your home. By working together, we can develop healthy life skills for young people to use at home and at school. Families who are interested in more information about Kelso’s choice can explore the online resources for parents and families.

Here are some great ways to connect with the resources offered by our Mental Health Team at White Oaks:

Warmly,
Leah Scholer
Principal

This Week's Menus

PTA News

Walk to School Wednesday This Week

Please join us for Walk to School Wednesday on Oct. 4. Charms will be given to students who walk, roll, ride or scoot to school! Walk to School Wednesday takes place the first Wednesday of every month.

Lunchtime PlayPod Volunteers Needed!

We're looking for volunteers to help run the PlayPod for two shifts on Tuesdays (12:10-12:40 and 12:40-1:10) -- if there's enough interest, we'll expand to add Thursdays as well. Our playpod is a large container of "loose parts" that learners convert into all kinds of amazing designs -- forts, restaurants, houses, endless ramps and more (learn more here). Parent volunteers will help for 30-minute shifts to set up signs and materials, invite kids to join and play respectfully, responsibly, and safely, and clean up a few minutes before the post-lunch recess period ends. Please sign up!

White Oaks Day of Service is Sunday, Oct. 8

Let's bring our wonderful community together and help refresh White Oaks for the new school year! Meet us on campus at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8 to pick a project (examples include weeding classroom gardens, planting flowers, removing tape on the walkways, and power-washing patios). The whole family is welcome to come and help! Please consider contributing donations of flowers, wall paint, tape, and potting or planting soil, or bringing gardening equipment like shovels, trowels, and paint rollers to share. Please sign up here for supply donations.

PTA Appreciation for Family Movie Night and Food Trucks

Thank you to our White Oaks families for coming to Movie Night and Food Trucks! It was a joy to see our community gather for such a fun evening. Special thanks to our organizers Laura Sleasman, Tiffany Day and Kelly Joost for making this event a success.

STEM Festival Volunteers Needed - Oct. 17

We are excited that Lawrence Hall of Science will be coming to our school on Tuesday, Oct. 17 to host a STEM Festival! Your student will get to step into the shoes of an engineer as they take on hands-on design challenges through the Build, Engineer and Invent! program. This festival requires lots of parent volunteers! Please sign up here for an hour time slot (or more) so we can make this exciting opportunity happen.

District News

EZMeal Application

With the introduction of universal meals for all children attending school in the state of California, you may feel that it is not necessary to fill out the EZ Meal Application to benefit your family, school, and community; However, completing this form every year helps your school receive more funding to support your child’s learning environment. The application is used to calculate school funding levels from the state and federal level, so a few minutes of your time may add to the resources available to our school district. In addition, families that qualify for assistance may be eligible for additional benefits.

Please visit the EZMeal Application website for more information.

SCSD Presents: Supporting Your Students' Mental & Behavioral Health - Oct. 17

Attention Parents/Guardians! Join us on Tuesday, Oct. 17 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Heather Elementary MUR for an exclusive Caregiver Session on "Supporting Your Students' Mental & Behavioral Health." Dive deep with a Mental Health Lead and the former Director of Student Services as they reveal essential strategies! To attend, please RSVP.

Struggling with bedtime routines?
Worried about your child's anxious thoughts?
Not sure how to handle meltdowns?

Discover actionable solutions and foster a supportive environment for your child's growth. Equip yourself with tools to ensure their well-being and success!

Save the date & empower your parenting journey. Your child deserves the best, and so do you. #ParentSupport #MentalHealthMatters

SCEF News

Fall is the Perfect Time to Plan Your Gift to SCEF

Visit scefkids.org/ways-to-give for all the ways to support San Carlos public education.

Workplace giving, recurring/monthly gifts, Donor-Advised Funds, appreciated stock, events and auctions– make your plan TODAY.

Are You the Winning Bidder???
The 2023 Fall On-line Auction closes tonight (Sunday, Oct 1)! The top bidder at 9 p.m. is the winner. Don’t miss out!

Community News

21 Day Equity Challenge Kick Off

The Community Foundation of San Carlos invites you to take a visible leadership role in joining the upcoming 21 Day Equity Challenge kicking off on Oct 1 and running throughout the entire month of October. We have kept the original 21 Day Equity Challenge but have also added two new tracks for learning: a 10 Day Equity Challenge for grades K-8 (great learning opportunity to embark with your family and friends) and a 4-part Equity Challenge for High Schoolers (extra credit option).

Come build community with us by participating in one of the three tracks! Submit your participation via this form and click here to learn more about the challenge.

#21dayequitychallengeSanCarlos

Parent Education Opportunities

All children need equitable and inclusive learning environments to be successful. Sam Drazin, educator and inclusion advocate, offers Changing Perspectives: Understanding Inclusion, Ableism, and Neurodiversity (Oct. 3).

What happened to kids' sports? And how can we make them fun again? Journalist and coach Linda Flanagan will discuss her new book, Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids' Sports, and Why It Matters (Oct. 4).

In this special event, David B. Feldman, PhD, Professor of Counseling Psychology, Santa Clara University, will discuss coping strategies in Fostering Youth Mental Health: Building Hope and Resilience in Uncertain Times (Oct. 5).

Visit the Parent Venture Series of Upcoming Events page for more information.

PTA CORNER

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