January 26, 2025
IN THIS ISSUE
- Principal’s Message
- Breakfast/Lunch Menu
- School News: Heritage Day
- PTA News: Join the PTA Green Team, Wellness Committee
- SCEF News: Read-A-Thon
- Community News: Lunar New Year, San Carlos Centennial
IMPORTANT DATES
Wed, 1/8 - Fri 1/31: SCSD New Student Priority Registration
Thur, 1/16- Fri 1/31: SCEF Read-A-Thon
Mon,1/27-Fri, 1/31: Kindness Week
Wed, 1/29: School Tour for New and Prospective Families
Thur, 2/27: Heritage Day Zoom info session @ 7:30 p.m.
Wed, 3/19: Save the Date - Heritage Day
Principal’s Message
Dear White Oaks Families,
Kindness is a powerful tool that brightens our school, community, and world. That’s why I’m thrilled to invite everyone to join us in celebrating Kindness Week and participating in the Great Kindness Challenge from January 27-31. This special week is about fostering a culture of kindness, helping students understand the impact of their actions, and spreading positivity in every corner of our school.
We have a theme each day. Our activities are designed to be simple, fun, and impactful, encouraging students to see how small acts of kindness can make a big difference.
At home, you can join the celebration by completing the Kindness Checklist with your family. This is a wonderful way to extend the message of kindness beyond the classroom and into your homes and community.
Here’s a glimpse of our daily themes and activities:
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Monday: Be Kind to Yourself – Wear something bright or shiny and watch a kindness video in class. Write a kindness letter to yourself or smile in the mirror and tell yourself, "I am kind!"
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Tuesday: Color Your World with Kindness – Wear a rainbow of colors and give as many smiles as you can to brighten someone’s day.
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Wednesday: Cozy Up With Kindness – Wear pajamas or cozy clothes and compliment others to spread kindness.
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Thursday: Team Up for Kindness. Wear a team jersey or school T-shirt and do something kind for your school or community.
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Friday: Kindness Ties Things Together – Wear ribbons, ties, or bows and thank your teachers or school staff for their kindness.
I look forward to seeing the creativity, collaboration, and compassion that will flourish during Kindness Week. Thank you for supporting this meaningful initiative and helping our students learn that kindness makes the world better!
Read-A-Thon News: White Oaks’s student participation is over 81%! Thank you for supporting this fantastic learning opportunity.
Warm regards,
Leah Scholer, Principal
Weekly Menu
School News
New Student Priority Registration Ends Jan 31
SCSD New Student Priority Registration for the 2025-26 school year ends on Friday, Jan 31! Be sure to register future students during this window to secure their spot. For detailed information, visit our How to Register for the 2025-26 School Year page and review our 2025-26 Enrollment Guide | 2025-26 Guía de Inscripción. If you have questions, refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or email [email protected]. Important: Current TK–7th grade students are already registered and do not need to re-register. This process applies only to NEW students. For Parents of 4-year-olds: Transitional Kindergarten is expanding! Children born between September 2, 2020 and September 1, 2021 are eligible to start TK in August 2025. Be sure to register during the Priority Registration period to help us plan for the appropriate number of classrooms. For NEW Incoming TK/K Families (2025-26): Attend your school's Parent Information Meeting on Wed, January 29, 2025. More details will be available on your school’s website in January.
Lunchtime Playpod Volunteers Needed for Winter and Spring
We're looking for volunteers to help run the Playpod for two shifts on Tuesdays or Thursdays (11:50am-12:20 p.m. and 12:20-12:45pm 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 clean up a few minutes before the post-lunch recess period ends. Please sign up!
Welcome New and Prospective Families!
Welcome to White Oaks School and thank you for your interest in attending our school in the 2024-2025 school year! This year's tour will take place on Wednesday, January 29th from 8:45 a.m - 9:45 a.m. RSVP HERE.
Save the Date for Heritage Day!
Our 3rd Annual White Oaks’ Heritage Day is on Wednesday, Mar. 19! Families from TK-3rd Grade are invited to share their heritage with students from 8.25-12.25 in the MU. Interested in participating? You can learn more at our information session on 2/27 @ 7.30 p.m. More details coming soon!
Know any taiko drummers, bagpipers, mariachi bands or other musicians?! We’re hoping to feature some live music this year, if you happen to play an instrument that’s culturally significant, or know someone who does - please drop an email to Barbara Taylor ([email protected])
Capture the Memories: Order Your Yearbook Today!
PTA News
Calling All Earth-Loving Parents: Join the PTA Green Team
Unleash Your Child's Inner Captain Planet! Our sustainability committee aims to nurture environmental stewardship in our little ones. We're tackling three quests:
1. Operation BYOU: Bring Your Own Utensils and ditch the single-use plastics as part of a "Reuse in Action” initiative
2. Rescue Mission: Divert hard-to-recycle materials from landfills and deploy TerraCycle efforts
3. Earth Day Extravaganza: Celebrate Our Planet in April
Join us and help shape your child's green future! Email Elsa Ng at [email protected] for more info.
Join our new PTA Wellness Committee!
Join the PTA’s new Wellness Committee at White Oaks! We will work to communicate and promote initiatives from the District’s Wellness Council and create and implement our own Wellness projects at White Oaks.
Click here for more information on the Wellness Council.
Please contact Shelley Petrie at [email protected] if you are interested.
SCEF News
Read-A-Thon ends Friday, Jan 31, 2025
Send your pledge requests, earn some prizes! WOW! Over 2600 students have registered for the Read-A-Thon (Jan. 16-31) -- and so far over 950 students have earned prizes including Mini Rubik’s Cube, Mini Lego Set, Toot Sweet Gift Card, Paris Baguette Gift Card -- for sending out 1 or more pledge requests. AND all students who register for the Read-A-Thon are automatically entered into a prize drawing for Principal for the Day at their school. Register HERE!
Visit our Read-A-Thon Website to see how your school is doing and check out the Online Honor Roll: If students read enough minutes from Jan. 16-31 and enters them in the Online Reading Log they will earn an Animal Puzzle Eraser AND see their name in the Honor Roll (Remember to enter all your minutes by Feb. 3 to be eligible). Check out our Spotlight Page where we share quotes and photos from current Read-A-Thon participants.
Want to learn more about SCEF parent parties?
Consider hosting an activity or parent party to support SCEF. Reach out to board member Debbie Blucher to learn more. In the past, parents have hosted HoeDown parties, Whisky or Wine Tastings, Tea Party, Taco Party, Glow party, Backyard Movie Nights and more.
Community News
LET'S CELEBRATE LUNAR NEW YEAR!
We are proud to have many families who celebrate Lunar New Year in our White Oaks school community. Your DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging) PTA Committee wanted to share some FREE resources to help your family honor this celebration which begins on Jan 29th. We’re currently looking for volunteers for Black History Month in February - contact Barbara or Mariel (emails below) if you can help.
Lunar New Year is one of the most important annual celebrations for many East and Southeast Asian countries, including China (known as Chūnjié - the Spring Festival), Vietnam (known as Tết), Taiwan, Korea (known as Seollal), among others. In many cultures, each year is also associated with an animal from the zodiac. 2025 is the Year of the Snake. Snakes are considered a symbol of wisdom, knowledge, intelligence, intuition and creativity. You can learn more about the celebration in different countries here and here.
We've curated a list of FREE local events and resources to help your family celebrate Lunar New Year!
If you are available to help with our Lunar New Year lunch recess activities on Wed, Jan 29, please contact Barbara Taylor ([email protected]) or Mariel Valezzi ([email protected]). Also reach out if you 're interested in helping with our Black History Month initiatives for February.
Share Your San Carlos Story for the Centennial!
StoryCorps to record an archive of stories about San Carlos as told by community members. Our goal is to honor the City's past, document the present moment, and celebrate the City's future. Want to learn more about Story Corps? Check out their website HERE.
Do you or someone you know have a great story to tell about San Carlos? Click HERE to register or nominate someone you think would be great for an interview. Nominating someone does not obligate them to an interview.
2025 Bike Safety Fair & Fun Ride - Feb 2
On Sunday, Feb 2 at 9:30 a.m. the community is invited on bikes to Central Middle School for free bike repair, safety checks, fun ride, new rider learning clinic, e-bike safety information & more. Details and register at https://tinyurl.com/
Parent Education Opportunities
Mark your calendars for these terrific events coming up in January/February!
Mario De Anda, Director, Scholarships, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and Alice Kleeman, College Advisor (Retired), offer Free Money for College? Facts and Myths About Scholarships and Grants (January 28).
Kelly Bhatnagar, PhD, FAED, international expert on eating disorders and disordered eating, joins us for Understanding Eating Disorders: What Parents/Caregivers Need to Know (January 31).
The first Parent Forum (English) of 2025 features Eran Magen, PhD, Founder of Parenting for Humans, in How to Give Advice Your Child (Might) Listen To (February 7).
Visit the Parent Venture Series of Upcoming Events page for more information.
- Parent Venture Series Events
PTA CORNER
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