White Oaks Weekly - October 25, 2026 | White Oaks Elementary School

October 25, 2026

IN THIS ISSUE

Principal’s Message
Breakfast/Lunch Menu
School News: AIA, SEDAC, Author Visit, Chess Wizards
SCEF News: Learn more about SCEF, Candy Buy Back
PTA News: Join the PTA
Community News: Measure K Parcel Tax Information, Parent Education Opportunities

IMPORTANT DATES

Fri, Oct 30: Halloween Parade 8:25 a.m. on blacktop

Mon, Nov 2-Thur, Nov 5: SCEF Candy Buy Back

Tues, Nov 4: Author Visit - Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Tues, Nov 3: Election Day

Wed, Nov 11: Veterans' Day (No School)

AIA Website & Sign Ups

Principal’s Message

Dear White Oaks Families,

As you know, on Friday, October 16, White Oaks received a suspicious phone call. We treated this hoax threat seriously and appropriately called law enforcement. Following our established emergency procedures after calling 911, staff and students safely evacuated to nearby Burton Park. Thank you to our parents and caregivers for your timely pickup of students, patience, and support as we navigated this unexpected situation. We are grateful for the way our community came together, worked collaboratively, and cared for one another.

Our Helpers and Our Protocols

At this past Welcome Wednesday, we reminded our students and community that White Oaks is a safe place and that we have many helpers who work together to keep us safe. Whether preparing for the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill or evacuating to Burton Park, our staff followed our Comprehensive Safety Plan and prioritized the safety and social-emotional well-being of every child.

ALL White Oaks staff are GOLDEN when it comes to caring for our students! We also celebrated our students with Owl Bucks and golden beaded necklaces for being safe, listening, and following directions. We are proud of our entire community for working together, supporting one another, and keeping our students at the center of everything we do.

Together we implement and practice our protocols to support student and school community safety:

We conduct an Annual Safety Walk in August with our School Resource Officer and our Facilities staff.
We review our Comprehensive Safety Plan every year as a staff and School Site Council.
We conduct monthly fire drills and Big Five Safety Drills with all our students, including preschool.

Our Learning

We learned from last week's experience that we have a solid safety plan in place and that staff does an outstanding job following it. We also believe in continuous improvement. Our teachers have already met to reflect on the experience and identify ways to strengthen our procedures, including:

Strengthening communication protocols.
Creating a checklist of essential items to take during an evacuation, such as emergency backpacks and walkie-talkies.
Ensuring necessary student medications, such as inhalers, are readily accessible during an evacuation.

Families have also received a survey from their room parents to share feedback. Our Safety Committee will review this input alongside staff reflections as we continue to strengthen our safety protocols. We appreciate your partnership and the thoughtful feedback that helps us learn and improve together.

Our Collective Responsibility

Keeping our campus safe is a shared responsibility, and we appreciate everyone's help with a few important reminders:

Check in at the office: If you visit campus between 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., please sign in and wear a visitor sticker.
Look out for one another: If you see someone on campus during school hours without a visitor sticker, please offer a friendly hello and direct them to the office to check in.

At White Oaks, our Three Be's—Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe—are for all of us, not just our students. Small actions like these help us care for one another and maintain a welcoming and secure campus.

Our Resources

Throughout the evacuation, students did a wonderful job listening to directions and staying together. Staff worked to keep students focused on the adults helping them and shielded them from the situation on campus as much as possible. On the following school day, teachers checked in with students and reinforced a few reassuring messages:

🩷 Our school is a safe place.

🩷 Adults are here to help and protect us.

🩷 We listen, stay together, and follow directions.

🩷 It's always okay to ask questions or share our feelings.

Our counseling and mental health team are available to support students as needed. Our counselors and mental health trainees continue to visit classrooms, share stories, check in with students, and maintain familiar routines to help children feel safe, connected, and supported.

How families can support children at home:

Reassure your child that school is a safe place and that adults work together to help keep everyone safe.
Listen to your child's questions and feelings without adding unnecessary details that may cause worry.
Let your child know it's okay to feel unsettled, ask questions, or talk about what happened.
Maintain familiar routines and offer extra reassurance, connection, and comfort as needed.

Every child responds differently to unexpected events. Your calm presence, reassurance, and willingness to listen can make a meaningful difference.

The following books can also open the door to gentle conversations about feelings and help children feel connected and supported. These were also shared with the teachers.

The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld — A gentle story about listening, making space for feelings, and being present for someone who is upset.
Once I Was Very, Very Scared by Chandra Ghosh Ippen — A story about how young children may respond to stressful experiences and how caring adults can help them feel supported.
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst — A reassuring story about the connections of love that keep us close to the important people in our lives, even when we are apart.

As we move forward, we will continue to learn, reflect, and strengthen our practices while maintaining the caring routines and relationships that make White Oaks a place of belonging for our children.

Thank you for your trust, partnership, and the kindness you have shown our staff and one another. We appreciated all the treats that were shared this past week. We are grateful for everyone’s collaboration and know that White Oaks is a joyful and safe school for students.

Walkathon

Much gratitude to our parent leaders for an AMAZING walkathon!

We had a fantastic walkathon event last week. Families had a delicious lunch, played games and walked. Such a great community builder. Thank you, PTA, for this fun-filled event. There was much joy at White Oaks!

Halloween

We can’t wait to celebrate Halloween together on Friday, October 30! All students, including our preschoolers, are encouraged to wear costumes over their regular clothes. During the parade, classes will gather together on the blacktop, and families are invited to join in the fun by standing behind the students!

After the parade, each class will continue the celebration with classroom activities during the course of the day. Please remember to send your child with a bag for storing their costume, since costumes typically come off once the parade and classroom festivities wrap up.

Parking:
This is one of our most popular events, so parking can be tricky! Please plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time to find a parking spot or walk to school if possible. We ask that you do not park in the White Oaks cul-de-sac or in any neighbor’s driveway.

Costume Guidelines:
To keep things safe and joyful for everyone, please keep these reminders in mind:

No weapons of any kind for costumes
Please skip scary costumes (fake blood, frightening clowns, etc.).

Candy:

We know that candy is a core component of Halloween celebration. We ask that families keep the candy at home for students to enjoy on Halloween day and the weeks after the trick or treating fun!

We want our celebration to be fun, positive, and safe for every student. Thank you for helping us make it that way!

SCEF Halloween Candy Buy back

For those of you who will be trick-or-treating, SCEF is sponsoring the annual Halloween buy-back program. Families can drop off their Halloween candy at the front office from November 2-5. The candy will be shipped to our troops overseas. More information here.

In community,

Rosina Tong
White Oaks Principal

School Menus

School News

Additional Volunteers Needed for Art in Action!

We need help from YOU in the classroom for Art in Action! We are in need of additional Class Coordinators, Docents and Helpers for our scheduled classroom art lessons to continue.

If you have not already done so, please visit aia.whiteoakspta.org to sign up to volunteer. Training and support is available and no experience is needed!

-Questions? Talk to your child’s teacher or contact the AIA team (Judy, Sandy and Shelley.) Thank you for your partnership in making this a year of creativity and learning through art!

Does Your Child Have Additional Support Needs? If So, Read On!

Para español, haga clic aquí.

I’m Barbara Taylor, WO’s SEDAC parent representative and co-chair of the Culture & Belonging PTA Committee. If your child needs or receives special education or additional support services, SEDAC is relevant to you!

WHAT IS SEDAC?

SEDAC is the Special Education District Advisory Council for SCSD. It comprises volunteer parent reps, some school principals and the Director of Special Education. WHAT DOES SEDAC DO AND HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE?

The focus of our work is to help SCSD best serve students with additional support needs through the initiatives below. You have a voice! Please share any ideas or feedback about SCSD’s special education services that you would like me to raise at our SEDAC meetings.

Here’s an overview of our work:

- Providing input on district programs, policies, and procedures.

- Sharing key issues, feedback, and successful initiatives to strengthen and expand programs across all campuses.

- Organizing the annual Ability Awareness Week each March to promote understanding and inclusion.

- The reps run a parent support group which meets monthly (no SCSD staff attend). Please note, I can’t assist with your child’s individual SST, 504, or IEP matters. You should contact Principal Tong with any concerns or assistance for these.

PARENT SUPPORT RESOURCES

You’ll find a wealth of helpful info relating to parenting kids with additional support needs in this parent resource document. We’d love to make this bigger and better, so please send me any relevant links or recommendations you might have to add.

You’re also welcome to email me with any feedback on how our PTA can be more accessible for you and your kid(s) in the work we do, and in the activities and events we provide.

Excited to hear from you!

Barbara

[email protected]

Chess Class Winter Session at White Oaks Starting in January!

Join Chess Wizards this semester for tons of challenging chess lessons, exciting games, and cool prizes. You'll improve your chess skills, and work out your most powerful muscle - your brain! Our classes are geared to suit children of all skill levels; from chessling to checkmate artist, students will build upon their knowledge through lessons, variation games and more! More than just a game of winning and losing, we make learning chess fun! Class meets weekly on Tuesdays from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. from Jan 19-Apr 6. Cost is $374. Read more and register at www.chesswizards.com

Author Visit with Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Author Maggie Tokuda-Hall will be visiting White Oaks on November 4th to talk about her new book Bathtime for Snow Monkeys. Order signed copies and support our local San Carlos bookstore, The Reading Bug! Your purchase helps makes this event possible for our students! All orders must be placed by October 26th.

Order Here.

PTA News

Become a PTA Member

Join the PTA! Support our students and strengthen our school community by joining the PTA for just $11/year! Scan the QR code to sign up in minutes.

Your membership helps support PTA programs, resources, advocacy, and opportunities for students and families at the local, state, and national levels.

No volunteering required—simply joining makes a difference!

Thank you for supporting White Oaks Elementary and our PTA!

SCEF News

Help Fuel Every Student’s Potential

Art. Music. Science. Small-group support. Social-emotional learning. These aren’t extras. They’re what make San Carlos schools exceptional, and state funding doesn’t cover them. Your Annual Fund gift does. Give today and help every student thrive, inside and outside the classroom. Our 2026–2027 goal is $3.7 million, and every gift brings us closer. Watch our video to see your support at work, then choose the giving option that works best for you:
– G.E.M. (Give Every Month): Set up a recurring gift and reach your goal over the year.
– Workplace Giving: Matching gifts raised over $720,000 for SCEF last year. Double or triple your impact today.
– Appreciated Stock: Stock held more than a year can stretch your gift even further than cash!
– Online: scefkids.org/donate
Questions? Contact [email protected]. Give today and help bridge the gap for every San Carlos student!

16th Annual Halloween Candy Buy-Back!
Too much candy in the house after Halloween? Turn it into support for SCEF! For the 16th year in a row, local dentists Dr. Mike Chang, Dr. Urmi Amin, and Dr. Nancy Kaher will donate $1 per pound of candy to SCEF and send the treats to U.S. troops serving overseas.

Drop off your extra candy at your school office Monday, November 2 – Thursday, November 5.
Healthier teeth, support for our schools, and a sweet thank-you to our troops: it’s a win-win-win!

Community News

Measure K Parcel Tax Information

Why Local Funding Matters to San Carlos Schools
Did you know that state funding alone does not cover the full cost of the educational programs and services provided by San Carlos School District? SCSD relies on a combination of state funding and locally generated revenue to support nearly 3,000 students across our TK–8 schools.

Locally controlled funding helps support:
- Teachers and classroom instruction
- Core academic programs
- Student support services
- Educational programs and learning opportunities

Unlike state funding, locally controlled revenue stays in our community and is used to support San Carlos schools.
Parcel Taxes = People + Programs

Learn more about local school funding and Measure K on the November 3 ballot: https://tinyurl.com/2026ParcelTax

Transitional Kindergarten Extended Learning Program (TKELP) Open for Enrollment!

Designed specifically for Transitional Kindergarten students, TKELP offers a nurturing environment where children build friendships, confidence, and independence through hands-on learning, creative activities, and play.

Children enjoy Spanish, Cooking, JAMaROO, STEM, Art, and Outdoor Play,with consistent routines and caring staff supporting their growth beyond the school day.

Available at Arundel, Brittan Acres, Heather, and White Oaks Elementary Schools.

LEARN MORE & REGISTER TODAY

ACE Before and After School Program K-6 Grade

Afterschool Care Enrichment, also known as ACE offers a flexible, innovative, California State licensed child care program focused on enrichment and youth development to challenge our Lower & Upper Elementary students.

Each day includes a healthy afternoon snack, our homework lab with staff assisted support, STEAM activities, and active outdoor enrichment programming.

REGISTER HERE - www.acesancarlos.com

Parent Education Opportunities

👻 Mark your calendars for terrific events coming up this fall!

Special hybrid event (in-person and virtual)! Bestselling authors Bill Stixrud, PhD, and Ned Johnson join us for The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives (October 29).

Stanford professor Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, founder and director of REACH Lab, presents Risks, Facts, and What’s New: Opioids and Opioid-Like Substances (Fentanyl, Cychlorphine, Kratom/7-OH) (November 3).

NEW! The Neurodiversity Education Series welcomes Christina Cipriano, PhD, professor of education at UMass Amherst, for Building Belonging: Social-Emotional Learning and Learning Differences (November 4).

Visit the Parent Venture Series of Upcoming Events page for more information.
- Parent Venture Series Events

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!