Principal's Message
Dear Arroyo Families,
One of the highlights of the start of a new school year is watching students make new friends. That’s particularly true this year, since most of the students' interactions last year were over Zoom or with a small group of neighbors or close friends. Their delight in being in-person with friends -- both new and old -- is evident across the campus.
With friendship can come conflict. One of the developmental hallmarks of friendship in 4th and 5th grade is learning to resolve conflict in a way that ultimately strengthens relationships. That takes time and can feel uncomfortable while in the middle of the process, but working through it is important. Throughout the year, we’ll be working to build these skills with students and support them through the process. If you find your child in a conflict with a peer, please encourage them to talk to an adult at school so we can help facilitate a respectful conversation and resolution.
We know that our Arroyo parents need opportunities to build relationships, too! This will be your school community for the next four to five years, as your child continues at Arroyo and then transitions to Central. As the mom of two teenagers, I can tell you that having a strong parent network will be helpful as you parent through the tweens and into the middle school years. Because of this, I’ll be working with our PTA to create more opportunities for you all to connect with each other and build new relationships, regardless of whether your family came from Brittan Acres, White Oaks, or you’re new to San Carlos. Our greatest limitation right now is not being able to host school wide events on campus due to COVID restrictions, so if you have ideas for other ways we can bring parents together and help families get to know each other, I’d love to hear them!
One great way to get to know each other is by participating in PTA activities. We’d love for you to join us for our PTA meeting Wednesday night at 7:00 pm. See the PTA section below for more details. Next week we’ll be reaching out with ways you can be a part of our Halloween celebration and other school activities. Keep an eye on the Volunteer Opportunities page of our website for ways you can get involved and requirements for volunteering.
It was wonderful to see so many families on campus last week for our student-led conferences and our book fair. Thank you to the many parents who volunteered to make the book fair a success, especially chairs Jenny Goines, Lena Grodin, and Andrea Mardesich, along with our fantastic librarian, Katie Hultgren. Teachers really enjoyed the time getting to know you and talking about your child’s goals for the year.
Enjoy the long weekend with your family! We look forward to seeing our Eagles back on Tuesday.
Warmly,
Mindy Shelton
Principal
[email protected]
PTA News
BOOK FAIR THANK YOU!!
The PTA would like to thank all families who purchased books at our Book Fair last week. A significant portion of sales are rewarded back to our school library and to our PTA to support valuable programs throughout the year. If you were not able to join us, our online book fair is running through October 14. Orders will ship directly to your home, and sales will still be rewarded back to our school. Shop now!
We also wish to thank the incredible volunteers who helped out at the fair throughout the week: Alin Gedikian, Kristy Ettinger, Jigna Sangani, Trinity Murphy, Julie Ledford, Stephanie Brill, Gesara Tyler, Lori Low, Cleo Salsbury, Michelle Nayfack, Rina Vignola, Shveta Kulkarni, Adrianne Aguilar, Christine Levenson, Kirsten Kell, Jackie Ghio-Bisbiglia, Stephanie Glass, Jennifer Fischer, Sakhbinder Balch, Andrea Roberts, Leslie Steinway, Kate Kassab, Jennifer Liao, Julie Moronez, Mary Lunneborg, Vanessa Poon, Velma Velazquez, Amy Ihde. Events cannot happen without your support and we appreciate you!
Many thanks,
Katie Hultgren, Lena Grodin, Andrea Mardesich & Jenny Goines
PTA Meeting, Wednesday October 13, 2021 at 7pm via Zoom
Please join us for our second PTA meeting of the year Wednesday, October 13 at 7pm via Zoom. These meetings are attended by both Tom Domer and Mindy Shelton and are a great way to stay informed. Also, mark your calendars for upcoming PTA meetings in 2021/22. We would love to see you!
Be sure to check out the Agenda before the meeting to see what will be discussed! PTA Meeting Dates & Agenda – PTA – Central Middle School (scsdk8.org)
**Please note, the meetings will rotate between in person and Zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86068332717
Meeting ID: 860 6833 2717 Passcode: 011360
Please Donate to Our Fall Fundraiser!
THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to our PTA Partner campaign. Without you, many of our school's wonderful programs would not be possible. Please click here to donate today!
Are You a Business Owner?
Get the word out about your business AND help provide enriching activities for Central and Arroyo students by being one of our local business sponsors! Sponsors reach the families of 700+ students in the San Carlos community. Please help us provide engaging and enriching activities for our students by becoming a sponsor. For more information, email Fundraising Chair Angie Wu at [email protected].
Our Arroyo Yearbook Team Needs You!
We’re ramping up for the new Arroyo 2021-22 yearbook and are recruiting parent volunteers:
- We’ll be using Treering again, which requires no prior experience!
- Volunteering is easy and can be conveniently done from home.
- We need 2 types of volunteers:
- Classroom Yearbook Representative (1 per class) to help us collect photos for their class’s montage page. Go to the PTA Volunteer Opportunities page on the Arroyo website and click on your class’s signup site to volunteer.
- Yearbook Committee where we split up tasks like working with Treering, communicating to parents and students, developing the plan for gathering photos, organizing online photo folders, yearbook layout & design, portrait pages, class volunteer coordinator. Please email our PTA president Alana Corso to join the committee.
District News
COVID Reminders - Stay Home When Sick and Get Tested
Staying home when sick and getting tested for COVID-19 are two of the most effective ways to keep our community safe. Click here for more information.
If you have any of the symptoms listed above, call your school office to report an illness, stay home, and take a COVID test. If you need to report a COVID case, please call our District Nurse - Page Pollack at 650-632-8300 (Arroyo Office) or Human Resources at 650-590-5922 if the nurse is unavailable.
For additional information, visit our COVID-19 Resources page and review the SCSD Health & Safety Plan.
Schedule Your Appointment at the Curative COVID-19 Testing Van
Please take advantage of the no-cost COVID-19 testing provided by the San Mateo County Health Department.
Click on the 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)
- Other Community Based Testing sites in San Mateo County Here
Community Partner News
Healthy Cities Tutoring Fall Tutor Orientation and Training - 10/13
Don’t miss our upcoming New Tutor Orientation and Training! (Attend only one session)
Join other new tutors and learn more about HCT and our program, meet our staff and have all your questions answered! Following the orientation session is our Fall Training led by HCT staff and teachers from our schools. Learn valuable techniques for engaging and supporting your students. We hope to see you there!
10am – Join us for our in-person Tutor Orientation and Training held at the San Carlos Library, 610 Elm Street, San Carlos.
7pm – Join us on Zoom for our remote Tutor Orientation and Training - Zoom link will be emailed to participants via the evite (see below).
10–10:35am OR 7–7:35pm New Tutor Orientation: If you have not tutored with us, this session covers everything you need to know to get started with a student!
10:45–11:30am OR 7:45–8:30pm Tutor Tips Training: Interactive and fun training on how to make the most out of your tutoring sessions in person or over Zoom. Chance to ask questions following the meeting.
Orientación y capacitación de tutores de otoño : 13 de octubre, 10am. O 7pm.
No se pierda nuestra próxima orientación y capacitación para nuevos tutores. Asiste solo a una sesión.
¡Únase a otros tutores nuevos y aprenda más sobre HCT y nuestro programa, conozca a nuestro personal y obtenga respuestas a todas sus preguntas! Después de la sesión de orientación está nuestro entrenamiento de otoño dirigido por el personal de HCT y los maestros de nuestras escuelas. Aprenda técnicas valiosas para involucrar y apoyar a su estudiante. ¡Esperamos verte ahí!
10am - Únase a nosotros para nuestra orientación y capacitación de tutores en persona, que se llevará a cabo en la biblioteca de San Carlos, 610 Elm Street, San Carlos.
7pm. M. - Únase a nosotros en Zoom para nuestra orientación y capacitación de tutores remotos. El enlace de Zoom se enviará por correo electrónico a los participantes a través de evite (ver más abajo).
10-10:35am O 7-7:35pm Orientación para nuevos tutores : si no ha sido tutor con nosotros, ¡esta sesión cubre todo lo que necesita saber para comenzar con un estudiante!
10:45-11:30am O 7:45-8:30pm Consejos de tutores Capacitación: Capacitación interactiva y divertida sobre cómo aprovechar al máximo sus sesiones de tutoría en persona o con Zoom. Posibilidad de hacer preguntas después de la reunión.
Parent Education Series
Worried about substance use at school? Join Eduardo Torres, Senior Prevention Specialist at Prevention Solutions (Hazeldon Betty Ford), for Supporting Your Child’s Healthy Decisions in the Transition Back to School (October 12, Online).
On October 13, the San Mateo County Office of Education and SUHSD offer Part 2 of the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)®, a free, two part mental health training open to parents, guardians, and community members (Online).
Are your kids safe online? Join Pamela Estes, San Mateo Human Trafficking Program Coordinator, for a conversation about digital safety, Are My Kids Safe? What Parents Should Know About the Online Environment (October 14, Online).