January 7, 2024
IN THIS ISSUE
- Principal’s Message: Important Dates
- PTA and SCEF: January Meeting, Playpod Volunteers Needed, Mini Musical, Read-a-Thon
- District: 2024-2025 Calendar, New Student Registration, Transitional Kindergarten
- Community News
IMPORTANT DATES
Mon 1/8: Professional development day (no school)
Tue 1/9: School resumes
Tue 1/9: New student priority registration opens
Wed 1/10: Walk to School Wednesday
Wed 1/10: PTA Meeting and Social, 5-7 p.m.
Wed-Wed 1/17-1/31: SCEF Read-a-Thon
Thu 1/18: SCSD Board meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Mon-Fri 2/19-2/23: Midwinter Break, no school
Mon-Fri 4/8-4/12: Spring Break, no school
Principal’s Message
Dear White Oaks families,
Happy New Year! This is the time of year that is filled with aspirations and optimism. Classes will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 9 and we are all refreshed and ready to welcome our students back to school.
Monday, Jan. 8 is a Professional Development Day for teachers where they will attend a district-wide Teacher Learning Conference. This special learning day will provide an opportunity for staff to engage in activities to hone their craft in small group reading and phonics instructions and work on tailoring lessons to meet the needs of all of their learners.
We are looking forward to a wonderful 2024!
All the best,
Leah Scholer
Principal
This Week's Menus
PTA News
PTA Meeting and Winter Social on Wednesday, Jan. 10
The White Oaks PTA invites all parents to the next meeting and winter social. Come mingle and find out more about PTA events and programs happening in the new year. There will be snacks and drinks-- we hope to see you there!
Walk to School Wednesday This Week
Please join us for Walk to School Wednesday on Jan. 10. 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 for Winter and Spring
We're looking for volunteers to help run the Playpod for two shifts on Tuesdays (12:10-2:40 p.m. and 12:40-1:10 p.m.), and if there's enough interest, we'll expand to add Thursdays. 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!
Pre-Register for the White Oaks Mini Musical -- Coming this Spring!
To help us finalize the details for this year's mini musical, please complete this pre-registration form if your student is interested in joining the fun. The mini musical is open to K-3rd graders. Rehearsals will be Mondays after school on campus from March to early May for 2 hours each. In addition, there will be 2 performances-- one during school hours and one evening performance. Cost is estimated to be around $375-$400 per student. Final pricing will depend on the number of students who enroll but will not be more than $400. Official registration (with finalized pricing) will open soon. Financial support is available for those in the Family Support Program. Reach out to Caroline Gorham if you have any questions.
Happy New Year!
We hope 2024 will be a great year for you and your family. Thanks to everyone who has made a donation this school year.
PTA-SCEF Read-A-Thon is coming!
Register here and watch your mailbox this week for more information. Then, from Jan. 17-31, students win prizes for registering and reading and sending pledge requests. Just think, if every student received $100 in pledges and donations, we would raise over $260,000 for our PTAs! Sign up here.
Are you a Leadership Circle donor?
Watch your email for an invitation to a Leadership Circle Appreciation Party on Friday, Jan. 26 at La Honda Winery. Donors who were at the Leadership Circle level last school year and anyone who has joined the Leadership Circle this year will receive an invitation.
District News
2024-2025 SCSD Calendar Approved
The SCSD Calendar is the official calendar for the school year for all schools and includes all start and end dates, official holidays, and in-service teacher workdays. The 2024-2025 school year calendar is now available for download.
Subscribing to School and District Calendars
Never miss a school event again! You can subscribe to your school's and the SCSD calendar so that the events will load onto your favorite supported calendar program (iCal/Outlook, Google, or Download ICS).
- Go to the SCSD Events page
- Check the boxes for the calendars you want to subscribe to (school(s)/district)
- Click on Subscribe on the top right of the page and choose your preferred calendar program
New CDPH Guidance: When A Child has Symptoms of Illness
The California Department of Public Health suggestions for when to keep your child home when they are not feeling well. Contact a health care provider if your child needs medical care. A doctor’s note is generally not required to return to school or child care. For more information, please visit the CDPH guidance page.
It’s Time to Enroll Your New TK Student in the TK Extended Learning Program (TKELP)
The SCSD Transitional Kindergarten Extended Learning Program (TKELP) is now accepting registrations for the 2024-25 school year.
TKELP is dedicated to enriching our littlest learners’ lives after school. We provide a fun, safe, and welcoming place for our TK students to spend time each day. Through daily physical activity, Legarza sports, JamaRoo Kids Dance, and STEAM enrichment, TKers will explore, invent, and discover new ways to create. We provide a developmentally appropriate space with enriching activities where students can thrive. Visit our TKELP website to learn more about our program and meet our staff!
The program is available to TK students at all four elementary schools — Arundel, Brittan Acres, Heather, White Oaks — and students are given priority into the ACE enrichment program in their Kindergarten year!
Enrollment for the 2024-2025 year is open! Register here.
New Student Priority Registration Opens Tuesday, Jan. 9
Happy New Year San Carlos Families!
SCSD New Student Priority Registration for the 2024-25 School Year opens this Tuesday, Jan. 9 and closes on Feb. 9. If you have a future student joining us, secure their spot by registering during this priority window. Visit our How to Register for the 2024-25 School Year page for all the details. Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page or email us if you have any questions.
Current TK-7th grade families, please note: New Student 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-- they will automatically matriculate into the next grade level or feeder school through 8th grade. In Feb., a Google survey will be sent out to all current families regarding plans for fall, and in April, parents will fill out their Back-to-School Forms for 2024-25. However, if your child is in one of our SCSD preschool classes, they do need to register as a new student.
Attention Parents of 4-Year-Olds: Transitional Kindergarten is Expanding!
If your child turns five on or between Sept. 2, 2024 and June 2, 2025, they can attend TK beginning this Aug. 2024. Priority Registration for the 2024-25 school year opens on Jan. 9, 2024.
For all incoming TK and Kindergarten families who will be NEW in the 2024-25 school year, attend your school's TK/K Parent Information Meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 31:
- 8:00-8:45 a.m. at White Oaks
- 8:45-9:45 a.m. at Arundel (note new time)
- 4:00-4:30 p.m. at Brittan Acres & Heather
Visit your school's website in January for more information. Information is also available on the SCSD website (TK, New Student Registration, and FAQs).
Community News
Parent Education Opportunities
Want to start 2024 on a reflective note? Carin Winter, CEO, and Corinne Cortez, mindful educators, Mission Be, present Cultivate Mindful Routines for the New Year in English (Jan. 17) and Spanish (Jan. 18).
On Jan. 25, we welcome bestselling author and journalist Dashka Slater in discussion of her new book, Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives it Changed. Don't miss this one!
Just added! On Jan. 30, we're delighted to host Louis Newman, Ph.D., former Dean of Academic Advising at Stanford University, to discuss his new book, Thinking Critically in College: Essential Tools for Student Success.
Visit the Parent Venture Series of Upcoming Events page for more information.
PTA CORNER
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A percentage of your purchases will automatically be donated to the White Oaks PTA — at no cost to you!
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