White Oaks Weekly - October 19, 2025

October 19, 2025

Principal’s Message

Dear White Oaks Families,

We believe that students learn best in a caring, supportive environment where they feel safe, respected, and valued. One of the ways we nurture this kind of community is through Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies (PBIS), a schoolwide approach to helping students build strong social and emotional skills while making positive choices.

PBIS focuses on teaching and reinforcing positive behavior rather than simply responding to misbehavior. You might hear your child talk about our school expectations: be respectful, responsible, and safe. These expectations are taught in every area of the school from the classroom to the playground.  Students are recognized with Owl Bucks when they demonstrate being respectful, responsible and safe. On Welcome Wednesdays (our all school gathering at 8:25 AM on Wednesdays), we recognize some of the Owl Bucks recipients. Students who are recognized go into the office at recess to select a prize from the treasure box. Owl Bucks are a way to receive an intrinsic reward (recognition) and extrinsic reward (prize)! 

Our goal is to help every student understand what positive behavior looks like and feels like, and to celebrate their successes along the way. When students make mistakes (as all learners do), we use those moments as opportunities to teach problem-solving, empathy, and self-regulation.

In addition to the teachers teaching about the school wide expectations, our school counselor, Mrs. Garlick goes into all the classrooms to teach about the Zones of Regulation (emotional regulation)  and Kelso’s Choice (problem solving). 

We invite families to join us in reinforcing these same values at home by noticing and naming positive behavior,  for example, saying, “I appreciate how you solved that problem calmly” or “Thank you for being respectful.” When home and school work together, our students thrive.

Thank you for your continued partnership in helping our children grow into kind and confident learners.

California Great Shakeout

On Thursday (10/16), we participated in the “Great California Shakeout”. Our students practiced the essential “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” drill, followed by evacuation to our designated assembly areas. All the pre-school- third Grade students did a fabulous job practicing in the event of an earthquake. A UTK student said to me at lunch time, “I didn’t feel the shaking!” My response:  “It's practice in case the earth shakes!” 

We follow safety protocols developed by the Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities in San Mateo County, known as “The Big Five.” Please take a moment to review the Big Five Safety Protocols Flyer and, if interested, the Big Five School Safety for Families for more detailed information.

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at the Walk-A-Thon! 

In community, 

Rosina Tong

Principal 

Weekly Menu

School News

Do you have an incoming TK student next year? Need afternoon care? If so, TKELP is for you!

Enrollment for the 2026–2027 School Year is NOW OPEN!
The Transitional Kindergarten Extended Learning Program (TKELP) offers a warm, nurturing environment where our youngest learners can explore, play, and grow beyond the regular school day. Designed to support the unique developmental needs of TK students, TKELP combines hands-on learning, social-emotional growth, creative activities, and structured play led by trained, caring staff.

Each day is filled with engaging experiences—from physical activities and STEAM projects to our exciting Spanish Language Enrichment program that introduces children to a new language through fun, interactive lessons.

TKELP is available at Arundel, Brittan Acres, Heather, and White Oaks Elementary Schools.

Give your child the perfect start to their school journey—enroll today!

PTA News

FREE RESOURCES FOR CELEBRATING DIWALI / RECURSOS GRATUITOS PARA CELEBRAR DIWALI

Para la versión en español haga clic aquí y desplácese hacia abajo

We are proud to have many families whose cultures celebrate Diwali (the “festival of lights”) in our White Oaks school community. Your Culture & Belonging PTA Committee wanted to share some FREE RESOURCES for you to celebrate Diwali at home. This includes details of local events, recipes, reading lists for you to enjoy!

Diwali is celebrated by multiple religions across the Indian subcontinent over 5 days between mid-Oct and mid-Nov. Diwali is a festival of new beginnings and symbolizes the "victory of light over darkness.” This year, Diwali is on Oct 20th but celebrations take place between Oct 18th - 22nd and many local events are happening now. Learn more about Diwali here and here 

 SCEF News

 Community News