Principal's Message
Dear Arroyo Families,
It’s great to see everyone getting into the groove of school and adapting to new routines. Don’t be surprised if your child has some meltdowns. It’s very common this time of year, even in a “normal” year, but especially this year as we adapt to being back in school. We all need time to rebuild our stamina and adjust to being on a busier schedule. Listening with empathy and sharing times when you have felt the same way helps to reassure your child that they are not alone and shows them that you are listening and care about them.
Take a few minutes to watch this video from our Arroyo mental health team about healthy vs. unhealthy stress and how to manage it. It’s a great video to watch as a family and practice the strategies together.
We are looking forward to our virtual Back to School Night this Thursday at 7pm. Teachers will be sharing Zoom links with you. There will not be a whole-school session as we did that on August 16 (if you missed it you can watch the video here). You will go directly to your child’s classroom Zoom session and teachers will include a bit of general information in their sessions. We will be sharing information from elective & PE teachers later in the week. Most will be sending a recorded video sharing information about their class.
If you find yourself with even an extra 20 minutes a week, we would love your help at Arroyo! We are very much in need of additional volunteers to help during drop-off and pick-up. Shifts are from 8:20-8:40am or 3-3:20pm and you can do as little as one day a week. No experience or special training needed. If you have a bit more time, we also need additional lunch supervisors to help from 11:50am-12:50pm. lease complete this form if you can help.
If you’re not able to help with drop-off, pick-up or lunch, we need volunteers for PTA activities as well. Please go to our Sign-up.com page to see the opportunities available. Sign up to be a room parent, Art in Action docent, committee chair, event planner, and more. All volunteers coming on campus this year will be required to sign our District Volunteer Form and submit proof of Covid vaccination or negative Covid tests. More information can be found here. If you plan to do any volunteering at Arroyo this year, please go ahead and submit the volunteer form now. Our HR department will then follow up with additional information.
Please remember to follow the guidelines laid out in our Getting to School and Drop Off/Pick Up Procedures. Safety is especially important during these busy times of day. Our students are doing a great job of following our guidelines but sometimes have parents encouraging them to do something different than the school is asking. It’s important that we work together and share consistent messages.
- Students leaving through the front of the school on Arroyo Avenue should use only our pedestrian gate, not the driveway, and should not cross in the middle of the street.
- If you are picking up your child on the other side of the street, please park near the crosswalk on Woodland and encourage your child to cross with the crossing guard.
- Parents driving into the parking lot need to turn right upon entering and only use the striped area by the orange pylons for dropping off and picking up.
- Please also remember to take it slow in school zones and be particularly careful and patient when driving near intersections where a lot of students are crossing (ie. Arroyo & Cedar, Brittan & Cedar, etc.).
Along the lines of keeping students safe, please keep your child home and call the office if they are experiencing any kind of symptoms. If your child is absent for any reason it is critical that you contract Tracey Olazar ([email protected] or 650-632-8300). Tracey can walk you through any protocols that need to be followed or information needed before your child can return to school.
Please remember to send a reusable water bottle to school every day. Our drinking fountains are turned off due to Covid but we want students to stay hydrated throughout the day.
Finally, some scheduling reminders:
- Friday, September 3 is a minimum day with dismissal at 12:50pm.
- There is no school on Monday, September 6 for Labor Day.
Have a wonderful week and enjoy the extra long weekend.
Warmly,
Mindy Shelton
Principal
[email protected]
PTA News
Walk to School Bus
Are you walking/biking/scooting to school and looking for other Arroyo students to form a group? Feel free to enter your information in our Arroyo Walk to School Bus Database to coordinate groups that live nearby each other!
PTA Open Positions
The PTA is looking to fill a few more volunteer roles for this year. There are a number of positions we are hoping to fill immediately as well as many more opportunities throughout the year. We can't do it without you! Sign up here to volunteer.
Here are some open positions needed ASAP:
- Room Parent Coordinator - Help get our Room Parents get the year off to a great start to support our teachers and kids! This role acts as a liaison between PTA, SCEF, Arroyo Admin Team and our Room Parents to provide structure/oversight to Room Parents, distribute messages throughout the school year and ensure Room Parents give status updates. Time commitment is 3-5 hours first month of school and then 1 hour/month for the remainder of the school year. Sign-up here!
- Stampede & Soar Volunteers - Our Stampede & Soar team needs your help! We are looking for volunteers to help plan our Fall Stampede & Soar community event. This is our only business sponsor opportunity of the year and a fun-filled community event! It's a great chance to get involved. Volunteer here!
Arroyo Spirit Wear
Want some Arroyo Spirit Gear? Check out our PTA store with some fun Arroyo Eagle items to show your school spirit! Special thanks to Sarah Kinahan and Jenny Goines for getting our Spirit Gear store set up.
Join the Central Arroyo PTA!
The Central Arroyo PTA is grateful to the school community for contributing to our efforts to raise funds to support our students. Our PTA focuses on advocating for our students, supporting our teachers and staff, as well as building a strong school community. Your PTA membership lends your voice to advocacy efforts on behalf of children and educators at the local, state, and national levels.
PTA Partner donations of $250 include a family PTA membership (Family membership dues are $20 and Teacher/Individual memberships are $10) and directly benefit Central and Arroyo schools and students by providing:
- Teacher Grants and Supplies
- Art in Action, Garden
- Library Books
- Staff Appreciation
- Healthy Cities Tutoring
- School Assemblies
- And much, much more!
Every donation amount makes a difference, and we thank you in advance for any support you can give the Central Arroyo students and teachers! JOIN AND DONATE TODAY!
SCEF News
Welcome Back to the Library!
SCEF is proud to partner in support of libraries at all San Carlos public schools this year. SCEF dollars and CARES Act money is being utilized to make this happen. We look forward to working with our school librarians for our second annual SCEF Read-A-Thon in January. Learn more about how your donations benefit all students at every school at https://scefkids.org.
Be a GEM: Give Every Month
Did you know that you can make your donation by setting up an ongoing, automated, recurring gift? When you Give Every Month, your support of SCEF is spread across the entire year. If you sign up NOW your donation will be given over 10 months (Sept-June)--now that makes giving easy! Learn more and join this campaign (at any dollar amount) at https://scefkids.org/gem.
Like our Facebook page and @scefkids on Instagram, too, for more upcoming details and all SCEF news.
District News
New Hours for Curative Van
Please take advantage of the no-cost COVID-19 testing provided by the San Mateo County Health Department. Click on this link to sign up at one of the following locations to begin your regular weekly testing:
- Central Middle School (parking lot, under solar structure)
- Tuesdays/Wednesdays 9am-3pm
- Thursdays 1-7pm
- Fridays 11am-5pm (effective August 17, 2021)
- Find other community-based testing sites in San Mateo County here
Community Partner News
Planning Commission Virtual Study Session Protected Tree Ordinance - Tuesday, September 7, 2021 7pm
On September 7, 2021 at 7pm, the San Carlos Planning Commission will hold a study session which will allow Staff to gather input from the Planning Commission and the San Carlos community for consideration as part of the new tree removal, trimming, and protection regulations. For more information and how to attend the meeting, as well as future updates, please visit www.cityofsancarlos.org/treeordinance.
City Council Virtual Study Session - September 8, 2021 5:30pm
The City of San Carlos has been working with the community and stakeholders to develop urban design strategies for the City’s east side industrial area from Holly Street to Brittan Avenue, known as the East Side Innovation District. At this City Council Study Session, "10 Big Moves”, or strategies will be presented. These strategies translate the community’s aspirations for the East Side into a holistic design framework that will inform future development and infrastructure improvements for the next 10 to 20 years. Please join us! To learn more and review materials from previous community workshops, please visit www.SanCarlosInnovation.org.
Parent Education Series from The Parent Venture
On August 31, Sequoia Healthcare District hosts a Town Hall with Sandra Firpo and Barbara Wood, Disaster Preparedness: Building Community Resilience. Please join us for this timely event! (Online).
We kick off the 2021-2022 season with Bill Stixrud, PhD, and Ned Johnson, bestselling authors of the new book, What Do You Say? How to Talk with Kids to Build Stress Tolerance, Motivation, and a Happy Home (September 1, Online).
Ready for some back-to-school self-care? On September 9, Mission Be offers a new "Mindful Parent" series featuring Madeleine Pizey in Mindful Parenting: Reducing Covid Stress and Anxiety (September 9, Online).
Keys: for Parenting is here! Keys is a new communication tool that puts parenting advice at your fingertips—literally, it's a keyboard!—developed by Charlene Margot and Bev Hartman, co-founders of The Parent Venture. Give Keys a try!
Want more great parenting advice? Follow the Parent Education Series on social media (Instagram and Facebook), or subscribe to our free Video Library (YouTube), a popular and trusted resource with over 21,000 views!