March 17, 2024
IN THIS ISSUE
- Principal’s Message: Ability Awareness Week
- PTA: Playpod Volunteers Needed, Garden Installation, Founders' Day
- SCEF: Starlight Raffle, Online Auction
- Community News
IMPORTANT DATES
Wed 3/20: White Oaks Heritage Day, 8:30 a.m.
Mon 3/25- Tue 4/2: SCEF Online Silent Auction
Fri 3/29: InfoSnap forms due for school registration
Sat 3/30: Living Campus Garden Installation, 9 a.m. or 1 p.m.
Mon-Fri 4/8-4/12: Spring Break, no school
Sat 5/4: Revel@Devil's Community Dance Party
Principal’s Message
Ability Awareness Week: March 13-17, 2023
Dear White Oaks Families,
Every year we look forward to celebrating Ability Awareness Week with our White Oaks community and greater San Carlos School District. This year’s Ability Awareness Week (AAW) starts this week, Mar.13-17.
The mission of Ability Awareness week throughout the San Carlos School District is to promote understanding, acceptance and appreciation of individual learning and ability differences through fun, experiential activities. The Special Education District Advisory Council (SEDAC) strives to instill in our children that everyone is different and can do different things. It is common to say what a person HAS, but we choose to educate and focus on what a person IS. We emphasize abilities not limitations.
Students will be engaging in various activities throughout the week giving them a chance to experience what it is like to complete a basic task while having a learning or developmental difference. Students will all have a set of common experiences through activities already taking place on campus to spark discussion, increased understanding and compassion.
Some of the highlights of what will be happening in our school this week are:
-
An Ability Awareness section in our school library
-
Librarian, Mrs. Gallagher, will be reading aloud relevant books.
-
Legarza P.E. coaches will be adapting PE into “Ability Stations”.
-
Classroom lessons and activities taught by teachers on what it is like to have a learning or developmental difference
If you would like to participate at home, here is some helpful information:
-
To learn more about different abilities please click here.
-
To watch a Kelly Clarkson music video with American Sign Language click here.
Thank you to our SCSD Special Education District Advisory Council and PTA Coordinating Council for putting together this week for our students.
Warmly,
Leah Scholer
Principal
This Week's Menus
PTA News
PTA Appreciation for Bingo & Pizza Night
It was great to see so many families at Bingo & Pizza Night last Friday! White Oaks PTA sends a special shout-out to thank Tiffany Day and Kristen Domingo for organizing this fun-filled evening! Events like these are made possible by PTA volunteers and funding from SCEF.
Playpod Volunteer Signups Available Through End of School Year
We're looking for volunteers to help run the Playpod for two shifts on Tuesdays and Thursdays (12:10-12:40 and 12:40-1:10 p.m.). 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 then clean up a few minutes before the post-lunch recess period ends. Please sign up!
Call for Founders’ Day Award Nominations and Volunteers!
For 74 years, the White Oaks community has celebrated Founders’ Day— a tradition that recognizes volunteers who have gone above and beyond to help build our wonderful school community. We need your help in nominating some of these very special people. Please review the award categories and submit your nominations. Nominations are due Friday, Mar. 29.
On Wednesday, May 8, we will hold our our 74th PTA Founders’ Day to celebrate the contributions of our award winners. Mark your calendars, you are all invited! We are also seeking volunteers to help plan and organize this special event. Please contact Jennie Romeo for more info.
White Oaks Living Campus Garden Installation- Mar. 30
Come join the White Oaks community and Each Green Corner as we build the new Living Campus school garden!
- Morning Session: 9 a.m.-Noon
- Afternoon Session: 1-4 p.m.
- Register here
Tasks are appropriate for volunteers ages 5 and up. We especially need volunteers who are handy with power tools and light carpentry work! Please sign up for the appropriate volunteer session (general tasks or light carpentry). Bring work gloves and a water bottle. We will proceed rain or shine!
White Oaks Yearbook: Final Order and Customize Two FREE pages
This is the last chance to order your 2023-2024 White Oaks yearbook! Yearbooks will be distributed the last week of school and there will NOT be extra copies for purchase in the White Oaks office. Order your copy TODAY! If you're not sure if you already ordered, contact Taylor Simon.
Already have a Treering account? Log in → in My Stuff select Kids → select Settings and Add Kid → select Add New School/Year → enter Passcode for White Oaks (1016947994291205). Customize your two FREE pages before Apr. 18. The two custom pages are free and printed ONLY in your book. Have multiple children? You can create two pages in each yearbook.
You’re invited to enter the Starlight Raffle. You could win a Private Dinner for 20 at TOWN, dinner for four at the iconic French Laundry or Chez Panisse, a Mexico vacation, tickets to Dead & Company at the Sphere in Las Vegas, or more. Visit our website for a full list of eligible Starlight Raffle prizes; the winning ticket holder gets to choose one! You need not be present to win.
The winning ticket will be drawn and announced during the Mar. 22 Starlight Gala. Only 300 tickets will be sold. Consider buying raffle tickets for your teachers and other staff members. Raffle ticket sales will be accepted through noon on Mar. 22 or until they sell out. Order Starlight Raffle tickets HERE. Raffle tickets purchases are not tax-deductible but do count toward your level on the SCEF donor roll.
San Carlos Day at the Giants tickets available now
Join other San Carlos families at San Carlos Day at the Giants, Saturday, Apr. 20. Tickets available here. Spots for your child to sing the national anthem before the game (a great family memory maker) will be included in our online auction which opens on Mar. 25.
Don’t miss out on the SCEF Annual Online Silent Auction beginning next week, Mar. 25-Apr. 2!
Support your school and bid on entertainment, travel, dining, wine and spirits, museum, concerts, attraction tickets and more. Great way to shop and and support your schools at the same time. A link to the auction will be available when the it opens at https://www.scefkids.org/
Community News
Gear Up for the No Foolin' Foot Race – Where Every Stride Counts!
Attention all students, faculty, and families! Get ready to put your best foot forward in the most exciting event of the school year – the No Foolin' Foot Race!
- Date: Apr. 6
- Time: 9:00 a.m. (8:15 a.m. for kids 6-12 years old)
- Location: Crestview Park, San Carlos
Join us for a day filled with fun, fitness, and friendly competition as we race to support the Parks & Recreation Foundation of San Carlos in their mission to improve San Carlos parks and trails! Whether you're a sprinter, jogger, or walker, there's a race for everyone – from the speedy 5K/10K to the spirited kids course for our younger participants.
Register online now and let's show everyone what our school community is made of! See you at the finish line!
San Carlos Belmont Afterschool Program Spring Break & Summer Camp Registration
Spring Break Program
Monday, Apr. 8-Friday, Apr. 12
7:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Available in San Carlos and Belmont
Our Spring Break Program is a full-day program designed with the theme, “Spring Garden” in mind, and includes indoor and outdoor activities (weather permitting) such as bath crystals, coffee filter flowers, staff vs. kids baseball game, building a fairy house, nature hikes, ice cube tray sushi, and Crayon football. Please go to www.afterschoolkids.net for information or to sign up. All are welcome!
Kamparama Summer Camp
Registration is now open. We will have lots of fun daily arts and crafts, games and sports, also Magicians, Happy Birds, a Game Truck , the Bubble Lady, a Balloon Guy and fun weekly field trips! We serve lunch 4 days a week and offer a stay back option during all field trips. Please go to https://www.kamparama.com/ for registration.
Join Lando's New Clay Class!
In Lando's Creative Clay class, students explore basic techniques such as shaping balls, ovals, cylinders, teardrops, and cubes, alongside understanding primary and secondary color mixing. Expert instructors offer guidance, hints, and core concept explanations, promoting early exposure to complex ideas and mental resilience. Through practice, students refine fine motor skills and creativity, fostering a creative problem-solving mindset. Emphasis on personal exploration cultivates not only skilled sculptors but also resilient, innovative artists.
Join Hummingbird Music School - Spring Piano Classes Begin in April
Does your child want to learn how to play piano in a fun group environment? Hummingbird Music School's super popular after-school piano class runs 2:30-3:40 p.m. on Thursdays in the Makerspace. Spring Session begins in April! More info here.
Parent Education Opportunities
How can we support introverts in a noisy world? Heidi Kasevich, PhD, founding director of Kase Leadership Method, presents The Power of Quiet: Rescuing Solitude in a Distracted, Extroverted World (Mar. 21).
NEW! The second event in the all-new Neurodiversity Speaker Series features Sam Drazin, Executive Director, Changing Perspectives, for Changing Perspectives: Understanding Inclusion, Ableism, and Neurodiversity (Mar. 26).
NEW! We welcome Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, founder of the Halpern-Felsher REACH Lab, Stanford Medicine, for Safety First and Mental Health: Empowering Teens to Prevent and Reduce Drug Use (Mar. 27).
NEW! How can you find a college that's right for your budget? Lynn O'Shaughnessy, college financial expert, presents The College Solution: Winning Strategies for Finding the Right School at the Right Price (Mar. 28).
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.
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.