January 21, 2024
IN THIS ISSUE
- Principal’s Message: Kindness Challenge
- PTA: New Volunteer Positions Open
- SCEF: Read-a-Thon
- District: Nutrition Corner, 2024-2025 Calendar
- Community News: Bike Ride and Fair, After School Classes and Camps
IMPORTANT DATES
Wed-Wed 1/17-1/31: SCEF Read-a-Thon
Thu 1/18: SCSD Board meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Mon-Fri 1/22-26: Kindness Week
Mon-Fri 2/19-2/23: Midwinter Break, no school
Fri 3/8: Disco Bingo Night
Wed 3/20: White Oaks Heritage Day
Mon-Fri 4/8-4/12: Spring Break, no school
Principal’s Message
Dear White Oaks families,
San Carlos Elementary Schools will celebrate The Great Kindness Challenge on Jan. 22-26. The Great Kindness Challenge encourages students to do as many acts of kindness as possible throughout Kindness Week. Students from pre-K through high school the world over observe Kindness Week in an effort to demonstrate the importance of treating others, and ourselves, with kindness. Our school communities will work to prove that kindness is a strength that is more powerful than bullying, meanness and intolerance. By working together, we have the power to change the world for GOOD!
All SCSD elementary schools will celebrate this week together and spread kindness throughout our community. We have specific themes, spirit days, and challenges each day throughout the week. Please encourage your children to help make Kindness Week memorable and a worthy learning experience by dressing for the spirit days and challenge them to do each daily challenge. Ask them what they did each day of Kindness Week and how it made them feel.
If you would like to enhance this experience with home activities, some ideas might be to create a kindness rainbow poster or share bedtime stories about empathy. There is also the Great Kindness Challenge Checklist for Home (English, Spanish, French, Mandarin). See how many your family can complete!
We are looking forward to a fantastic week of Kindness! Let's nurture a kind, caring environment in our school and homes together!
Warmly,
Leah Scholer
Principal
This Week's Menus
PTA News
Save the Date for Heritage Day!
Please save the date for White Oaks’ Heritage Day on Wednesday, Mar. 20. Families are invited to come celebrate the diversity of our school by sharing their heritage with students during the school day in the MU. More details coming soon.
PTA Open Volunteer Positions
Happy New Year! The PTA has several open volunteer positions to fill right now-- this is your chance to jump in and help out! Each role can be filled by one or more people. Please reach out to Sara Ting or Amy Kim if you are interested or if you would like more information.
1. Makerspace Liaison: On an ongoing basis, check in on Makerspace to take inventory, organize and manage materials, and solicit supplies as needed. [Hours: 1-1.5 hours per month]
2. Disco Bingo: We are looking for 1-2 parents to help Tiffany Day plan this fun family event on Mar. 8 in the MU. Contact Tiffany if you are interested. [Hours: 5-6 hours in planning and event itself]
3. Running Club Chair: Plan and supervise 2nd/3rd grade running club. [Hours: 5 hours in the beginning to set up and 1-2 hours a week managing volunteers and weekly supervision at lunch from Feb to May]
4. Spring Dance: We would like a committee of 3-6 people to divide tasks and coordinate vendors for this event. The Spring Dance includes all students plus their parent/adult for an evening party from 6-8 p.m. on Apr. 26 in the MU and outside patio space. There will be decorations, a DJ, snacks, and a photo booth. [Hours: 5-10 hours per person including pre-event coordination and set up and break down on event day]
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!
Participate in the PTA-SCEF Read-A-Thon
The Read-A-Thon is here! Over 2,200 students have already signed up. Sign up now.
The Read-a-Thon goes through Jan 31. Students can win prizes for reading and sending pledge requests. Just think, if every student received $100 in pledges/donations, we would raise over $300,000 for key programs, staff and our school PTAs!
District News
New SCSD Nutrition Corner
Hello Parents! Welcome to our newest addition to the SCSD newsletter, The Nutrition Corner by Dr. Lisa Nadiv. As part of our San Carlos Health and Wellness Council’s update of the SCSD Student Wellness policy, Dr. Lisa will be providing resources on the topic of child nutrition as it is her area of expertise.
Did you know that currently, American children derive at least 67% of their calories from ultra-processed foods? This dietary choice increases their risk of developing chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
What exactly are ultra-processed foods (UPF)? The fast-paced nature of our lives and the widespread availability of UPFs make them a quick and convenient option. However, there are practical ways to reduce our dependence on UPFs. Start by engaging in a conversation with your children about why nutrition matters. Emphasize that healthy foods serve as the best fuel for optimal brain and body function. You can explain to your kids that trying something new might not only benefit their overall health but could also enhance their performance in activities such as basketball or improve their grades in math. Consider incorporating health-focused series or documentaries into your family time or taking your kids to a local farmer’s market and explore the joy of cooking together at home.
At San Carlos School District, our goal is for students to learn and practice healthy habits. This includes nutrition. The food that we choose to fuel our bodies directly impacts our physical and mental health which, in turn, impacts our ability to learn. Therefore, as part of our Wellness Plan, we will include opportunities to meet regularly throughout the school year to discuss all areas of wellness. Please let us know if you are interested in joining our Wellness Committee!
Our next Wellness Meeting is in Jan. 31 at 2:00 p.m. Please reach out to Jennifer Gaboury if you would like to join the group. Questions and comments are welcome at [email protected].
Community News
Calling All Superheroes!
After School’s Mid-Winter President’s Week Program registration is now open. Program runs Tuesday, Feb. 20-Friday Feb. 23 from 7:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Sign up or get more information here. All are welcome!
Additionally, our Kamparama Summer Camp registration will be opening up this month! Keep an eye out in this newsletter for information about the registration date. We will have lots of fun daily arts and crafts, games and sports, also magicians, Happy Birds, the Bubble Lady, a Balloon Guy, and fun weekly field trips! Lunch is served 4 days a week and we offer a stay back option during all field trips. Don't miss out on the fun! More information will be available on our website.
San Carlos Week of the Family & Bike Safety Event and Community Fun Ride at Central
San Carlos Week of the Family started last Friday, Jan. 19. Please take a look at all of the events available and consider participating. It’s a great way to spend time together as a family. Whether at those activities or elsewhere, we hope you’ll set aside a little extra time to spend as a family throughout that week.
The Bike Fair & Fun Ride has been RESCHEDULED to next Saturday, Jan. 27 due to rain. Find more info & register here.
Parent Education Opportunities
We welcome NYT 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 (Jan. 25).
What do students need to succeed in college? Louis Newman, PhD, former Dean of Academic Advising at Stanford, will discuss his new book, Thinking Critically in College: Essential Tools for Student Success (Jan. 30).
We're proud to join a consortium of Silicon Valley nonprofits to launch the all-new Neurodiversity Speaker Series. The series begins with Barbara Pape, EdM, in A Strength-Based Approach to Learner Variability and Neurodiversity (Feb. 7).
Visit the Parent Venture Series of Upcoming Events page for more information.
PTA CORNER
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