October 6, 2024
IN THIS ISSUE
- Principal’s Message
- Breakfast/Lunch Menu
- School News: Spirit Store, Conference Week
- PTA News: Walk-a-Thon, PTA Meeting
- Community News: Hispanic Heritage Month, Parent Education Series
IMPORTANT DATES
Sun, 10/6: Last Day to order from Spirit Store
Mon, 10/7 - Fri, 10/11: Conference Week ~ minimum day all week
Wed, 10/9: PTA Meeting
Sun, 10/20: Walk-a-thon/Family Fun Day
Principal’s Message
Dear White Oaks Families,
Digital Citizenship Month
October is Digital Citizenship Month, and our students use technology in various ways that support critical thinking, creativity, communication, curiosity, and collaboration. Some examples of digital projects your student may experience at White Oaks across TK-3rd grade are: authoring ebooks, producing videos to communicate a point of view, expressing learning using Google Docs and Slides presentations, researching science and social studies topics, engaging with learning apps via Class Link and collaborating during project-based learning units - just to highlight a few. Along the way, they are learning how to search safely, protect privacy, give proper credit to authors, share workload responsibilities, and model kindness and caring in all communications – on and offline.
Our kids are immersed in the digital age, from research and reading online to playing games and exploring social media. With our support, children learn that “online life” guidelines closely mirror those of life “offline.” During the elementary school years, children are learning how to self-regulate. As they reach new physical, social, and emotional milestones, children begin to balance active time with rest time, time with friends with quiet time alone, and healthy eating with the occasional sweet treat. With our guidance, they also are learning how to manage their “digital diets” to balance both quality and quantity of media consumption.
Here are a few guidelines you may want to draw from as you consider how technology functions in your family:
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Get involved: Engage with your child and find out what he/she enjoys online.
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Common Sense Media, a great source for movies, books, and technology reviews and tips.
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Set an example: Model positive behavior about when, where and how it is acceptable to be “on” a device. Check out this 45-second video about taming device time.
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Make dinner time device-free.
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Set clear limits: Together, create a schedule that shows when media will be used and how screen time fits into the larger picture of the day or week. Institute a “device bedtime” so that devices are put away in advance of your child’s bedtime. Ensure that devices are used and charged in public areas, not in children’s bedrooms. Create a Family Media Plan.
Already, our children are learning to leverage technology to fuel learning in exciting ways. Together, we’ll help them take the next steps to become powerful digital (and non-digital) citizens!
If you have an hour a week to spare and are looking for a volunteer opportunity (or know anyone over the age of 14 who is), Healthy Cities Tutoring is looking for volunteer tutors. San Carlos is so fortunate to have this program in our community and serving as a volunteer can be incredibly rewarding! Please see the community section below for additional information.
Reminder - Early Dismissal This Week
This week is conference week! Be sure to pick up your child at 12:25 p.m. every day this week!
Warmly,
Leah Scholer, Principal
This Week's Menu
School News
The Yearbook Needs Your Photos!
Our White Oaks Yearbook team needs your help creating an inclusive photo spread of the First Day of School. If you would like your child included in the 2024-2025 yearbook, simply add your First Day of School photos HERE.
ORDER your yearbook early and save!
SAVE 10% on yearbook orders through OCTOBER 31st. If you already have a Treering account, add White Oaks with passcode: 1016947994291205
Yard Duty Volunteers needed!
This year Legarza is not able to provide as much supervision for lunch time as previous years. Parent support to be Yard Duty Monitors would be greatly appreciated! Help is needed at lunchtime Mon, Tues, Thur, and Fri from 12 p.m. -1 p.m.! Sign up here.
White Oaks Spirit Store - LAST CHANCE!
Ready to show your school spirit with White Oaks attire? Now that school is in full swing, it’s time to order the latest White Oaks Spirit Wear! There are new pullover hoodies, tees for the kids, and heathered green tees for the entire family. Show your school spirit and order some stylish White Oaks attire. The online store is open now through today, Sunday, Oct. 6.
PTA News
Walk-a-Thon: Sign Up to Help
Join us for the Walk A Thon on Oct. 20th at 1:00 p.m. We truly can’t pull this off without your help – there’s a job for every family! Please browse the list and sign up for a spot. The shifts are short and a lot of fun!
Join us for our October PTA Meeting!
Our next PTA meeting will be on Wednesday, October 9th, at 6 p.m. on campus in the MU. Please join us to learn more about what's going on this fall at White Oaks! We'd love to see you all there.
SCEF News
Ready - Set - Bid!
The 2024 Fall Online Auction is now open. The top bidder on Oct 7th is the winner!!! Browse our auction full of fabulous experiences, memorabilia, vacation spots, dining opportunities and more. Bid early and often - It’s for the kids!!
SCEF Raffle: Win a dinner for 20 in the TOWN Board Room or a 7-day Mexico Beach Resort Family Getaway. Will you be the lucky winner? Order tickets for yourself and your teachers!
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. Make your plan TODAY!
Community News
Let’s Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!
As we move into the final week of Hispanic Heritage Month, you’ll find more resources below for ways your families can celebrate the cultures, histories and achievements of people with Hispanic and Latino heritage from areas such the Caribbean, Spain and Central and South America:
-Get crafty! Day of the Dead Learning Kit with information about the celebration and lots of activities to do at home
-Get reading! PBS recommended picture books and Pura Belpre award winning books
-Get dressed! Learn more about traditional clothing from Mexico
Spotlight: What is Day of the Dead / El Día de los Muertos? Find out here!
Enrich Your Life Through Tutoring
Healthy Cities Tutoring is recruiting volunteers to match with struggling students in grades K-8 in all San Carlos schools. Our tutors help students who need extra support to improve their academic performance, engagement in learning and self-esteem.
Volunteers:
- Tutor the same student 1:1 each week
- Meet once a week after school at the school site or on the weekend at the public library
- Commit to tutoring their student for the full school year (no summers)
- Tutor following the school calendar, no tutoring on days when school is closed
- Must be at least 14 years old
- Are provided training, resources and ongoing coaching/mentoring - we are committed to ensuring that both students and volunteers have a productive and rewarding experience
Join us and become part of a thriving community of volunteer tutors that have a positive impact on the lives of San Carlos students! Apply here.
Stanford Park Youth Sports challenges players both mentally and physically to help them grow on and off the court. Our 60-minute sessions, led by experienced coaches with collegiate and overseas playing experience, focus on shooting, footwork, ball-handling, defense, rebounding, and passing. We foster hard work, confidence, teamwork, and life skills through a positive approach. Off-court development is just as important as on-court, with soccer used as a tool to help kids succeed in school, college, and life. No matter their stage, we guide players to elevate their game. Register HERE
Mark your calendars for these great events coming up in October!
How can we help kids improve their executive function skills? Ana Homayoun, author, speaker, and academic advisor, offers Academic Success: How to Help Students Build Critical Foundational Skills (October 8).
Want more joy in your life? Join Kelly McGonigal, PhD, bestselling author (The Upside of Stress) and health psychologist at Stanford University, for Why Joy Matters and How to Choose Joy Every Day (October 9).
Students are experiencing acute levels of stress and anxiety. Bill Stixrud, PhD and Ned Johnson, bestselling authors of The Self-Driven Child, present A Sense of Control: Lowering Student Stress and Improving Academic Success (October 10).
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!
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