Principal's Message
Dear Arroyo Families,
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed some quality family time over the past week. If you haven’t already done so, today would be a great day to make time for a conversation with your child about their first trimester report card. It’s important for 4th and 5th grade students to have a sense of their strengths and areas for growth. This week we’ll be spending some time setting goals for the winter trimester.
If you traveled over the fall break (or plan to travel this winter), we encourage you to follow the current travel recommendations which can be found on the county health department's page Safety Recommendation for Holiday Travel and in the chart below.
If your child does need to quarantine, we have an at-home study plan for them to follow while at home which allows the absence during quarantine to be considered present for attendance purposes. Please contact Tracey Olazar ([email protected]) if you need to enroll your child in this program. We are very close to getting many of our students fully vaccinated and want everyone to have a safe, healthy and happy holiday season.
We have several members of our Arroyo community in need of some extra assistance this holiday season. If you’re able to help please consider donating a gift card during the holiday season. Gift cards in denominations of $25 are preferred and can be to any local grocery store, Target, Amazon, etc. Please drop off donations in the Arroyo office to the attention of Mindy Shelton. It’s helpful to label the amount of the gift card. If your family is in need this year, we want to support you. Please complete this form and I will help to make the requested items available to you.
5th Grade families should have received an email before the break about Outdoor Education. We hope you’ll join us on Zoom this Thursday evening at 6:30pm to learn more about the program and safety precautions in place. Please refer to the email sent on November 18 for the Zoom information. If you haven’t already done so, please complete this form to help us plan our presentation.
Calling all siblings, neighbors and friends! Cabin leaders needed! We are looking for high school students to join us for our upcoming Outdoor Education, at Camp Jones Gulch, Monday, January 31 - Friday, February 4. Applications are available here. Please contact Angela Naughton ([email protected]) with questions!
Warmly,
Mindy Shelton
Principal
[email protected]
PTA News
Fall Fundraiser: 4th-Grade Wins November Grade-Level Challenge!
THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to our PTA Partner campaign. Congratulations to the 4th-grade families, who led ALL GRADES from 4th through 8th with 35 PTA Partner families.
As we head into December, we are in our final weeks of PTA fundraising for the school year. If you haven’t donated, it’s not too late! Any amount that works for your family will make a big difference to our students and teachers. 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 our students by becoming a local business sponsor! When you join your fellow Central-Arroyo parents/business owners as a PTA sponsor, your business’s name will be featured on a banner during the PTA’s marquee spring event, the Stampede and Soar. Through your sponsorship, you have the opportunity to reach the families of 700+ students in the San Carlos community. Here’s the link to become a sponsor. For more information, email Fundraising Chair Angie Wu at [email protected].
Thank You to Our 2021-22 Sponsors!
- PLATINUM LEVEL: San Carlos Orthodontics
- GOLD LEVEL: Andrews Orthodontics; Chang Orthodontics; County Consumer Plumbing Group; Kirsten Kell, Marriage and Family Therapist
- SILVER LEVEL: Alana Corso, Sereno; Joyce & Tatum Real Estate Team; and Matt Grodin CPA.
The CMS Library Could Use Your Help!
Our school librarian is looking for parent volunteers to help with shelving books and/or lunchtime library supervision. Ideally volunteers could commit to one hour every week or two, but once a month would work too! Times and days are flexible.
For more information, please contact CMS/Arroyo Librarian: Katie Hultgren at [email protected].
Arroyo/Central Living Campus Workday
Come help care for Each Green Corner’s Living Campus Garden at Arroyo and Central! Lots of impressive volunteer work has gone into the garden so far and Saturday, December 11 is the next workday. The work will start at 9am and end around 1pm. It’s going to be a fun and rewarding day.
See the event page for more details and COVID instructions. To register for the event click here! If you have any questions or concerns please email [email protected].
To be a Volunteer Garden Lead or Coordinator sign up here!
Neighborhood Harvest Day Description
Each Green Corner's Neighborhood Harvest Day allows residents of the San Carlos area who have more produce than they can use to donate that excess to the community through local food banks. It is an opportunity for the community to come together and help combat food insecurity. Our next Neighborhood Harvest Day is Saturday, December 11.
Produce Donation
San Carlos! We have volunteers ready and able to harvest or pick-up your backyard produce. If you or your neighbors have excess produce from your home gardens and are interested in donating it you can fill out this form!
Harvest Volunteers
Volunteers can join others in harvesting excess backyard produce in San Carlos! Volunteers will be provided with all necessary instructions and materials. Driving is required for this event. Volunteers for harvest teams can register here.
If you have any questions please email us at [email protected].
Calling all White Oaks Big Kid Buddy Alumni, We Need You!
Volunteer to help White Oaks Elementary students shop for holiday gifts in the White Oaks Elementary Holiday Store (Multi Purpose Room), Saturday, December 11 from 8:30am-12pm. As a Big Kid Buddy you will help White Oaks students shop for gifts listed on their gift list, help them stay within their budget, and help them count their money to pay for gifts.
Volunteers will need to either be fully vaccinated (i.e. the volunteers second dose was provided no later than November 27) OR submit a negative covid test 48 hours prior to the event. Send pictures of your vaccination card and/or screen shot of your negative covid test to Britta Ellis ([email protected]) before 6pm on Friday, December 10. For those submitting a negative covid test, tests are to be completed on December 9 or 10th and submitted to Britta. Britta must receive either your covid vaccination or negative covid test to participate.
Sign-up to be a Big Kid Buddy Volunteer using your name (name of volunteer) and a parent guardian’s email address: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F094FA9AC29A0F85-white
SCEF News
Register Now for the SCEF Read-A-Thon!
The 2nd annual Read-A-Thon starts in January 2022. Visit www.scefkids.org/read2022 to learn more and register before December 15 to be entered into our early-bird registration prize raffle!
Honey Bear Trees Are Comin’ to Town!
The annual tradition of scouting the Honey Bear lot for the perfect Christmas tree continues! Visit the San Carlos or Redwood City location and don’t forget to mention SCEF, they donate 15% back! Details here.
Ways to Donate Before Year-End
Appreciated Stock - A gift of appreciated stock (that you have held for more than 1 year) is better than selling the stock and donating the proceeds. If you itemize, you may take a charitable deduction for the total donation amount while avoiding capital gains taxes. Learn more here.
Workplace Giving - Many employers will match your donation to SCEF and some are offering end-of-year matching at 2:1.
Give Every Month Program - Start now and spread your contributions across the school year.
Every little bit helps SCEF meet our fundraising goal of $3.2M to meet our mission of supporting every child, every day, in every classroom.
District News
Did You Know that California is Expanding Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Making all 4 year olds Eligible by the 2025-26 School Year?
For the upcoming 2022-23 school year, students who turn 5 between September 2 and February 1, 2023 are now eligible to register for Transitional Kindergarten (TK). Previously, only students who turned 5 by December 2nd qualified. Additionally, knowing some families will need afternoon care for their TK student, plans for an enriching, extended-day program are in the works for these littlest students, so stay tuned! Visit our Transitional Kindergarten page to learn more about the SCSD TK program.
Here are some important Key Dates coming up for New Student Registration:
- Monday, January 10 - Virtual TK/Kindergarten Welcome Night for New Families from 6:30-7:30pm
- Tuesday, January 11 - PowerSchool Priority Registration Opens for All New Students at 12pm
- Wednesday, January 26 - Schools hold Virtual Elementary School Tours for Incoming TK/Kindergarten Families from 4-4:30pm
- Friday, February 11 - PowerSchool Priority Registration Deadline 4pm
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)
- NEW Mondays 11am-5pm
- Tuesdays & Wednesdays 9am-3pm
- Thursdays 1pm-7pm
- Fridays 11am-5pm
- Sign-up for testing at Central here
NEW LOCATION OPENING NOV 3!
Tierra Linda Middle School (parking lot)
- Wednesday & Friday 11am-5pm
- Saturday 8am-3pm
- Sign-up for testing at Tierra Linda here
- Other Community Based Testing sites in San Mateo County Here
Community Partner News
San Carlos Park & Rec Presents Night of Holiday Lights - Dec 3
Join the City of San Carlos for a night of live music and entertainment, holiday lights and snowfall, family fun, games and rides on Friday, Dec 3 from 5-8:30pm. For more information, visit www.cityofcancarlos.org/pr.
ACE 2021-22 Holiday Programs
As schools close throughout the year for Holiday Breaks, ACE remains open at our Arroyo site for a fun-filled action packed time!
ACE offers full day Holiday Camp programming from 8am-6pm daily that includes lunch and afternoon snack. Each Holiday program has its own creative theme attached with daily enrichment programming that includes STEAM, Outdoor Athletic Activities, Indoor games, cooking, and of course, FUN FOR EVERYONE!
ACE welcomes all children between the ages of 4.5-12 years to join in the fun! Please visit our website www.acesancarlos.com for more information and see our Holiday Program Page.
Parent Education Opportunities
Parent Venture Series - https://www.parentventure.org/events
San Mateo County Reads Fireside Chat: Voting Rights Discussion with Champions of the Civil Rights Movement (November 30)
The County Office of Education invites community members and educators to discuss voting rights with champions of the Civil Rights movement. Among the speakers are Reena Evers-Everette, Executive Director of the Medgar and Mylie Evers Institute; Lisa McNair, Civil Rights Activist; and Jerry Mitchell, founder of the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting and author of Race Against Time. Learn more here.
San Carlos United Tryouts - For Boys & Girls Born Between 2013-14
San Carlos United is now holding tryouts for AYSO players and players not currently playing competitive soccer. Tryouts for the upcoming 2014 teams will be held Dec 4 and 5. For more information on all age groups and to register online, go to https://www.sancarlosunited.org/opensessions/. We look forward to seeing you at the San Carlos United tryouts!
San Carlos Little League is Open for Registration for the 2022 season!
We’re excited to announce that registration for the 2022 Little League season is officially OPEN for all divisions, from T-Ball (born before September 1, 2018) and Seniors (born after August 31, 2005).
To help us plan, we are asking families to register their players and for coaches to sign up to volunteer by December 17. Unlike previous years, we will be conducting player evaluations in the January time-frame for Farm to Majors divisions.
Please go to https://www.sancarlosll.org to start the process. If you have any questions, please reach out to Danielle Van Wert at [email protected].