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IN THIS ISSUE
- Principal’s Message: Report Cards, COVID Testing, Meal Ordering
- PTA Holiday Gift Card Drive
- PTA Thanks
- Each Green Corner Opportunities
- Yearbook Ordering
- DEIB: Native American Heritage Month
- Plus SCEF, District and Community News
IMPORTANT DATES
Wed 11/30: SCEF Day
Fri 12/2: Deadline to Register for ROPES
Sat 12/10: Each Green Corner Living Campus Work Day
Thu 12/15: School Board meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Thu 12/22: Minimum day
Fri 12/23-Mon 1/9: Winter Break
Dear Arroyo families,
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed some quality family time over the past week. You should have received an email with a link to your child’s report card last Tuesday. Please take the time to download it, as the link is only active for a limited time.
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. (I sent home this message before the break with some tips for having that conversation.) This week we’ll be spending some time setting goals for the winter trimester.
I want to remind you that students and staff are encouraged to use the free COVID-19 test kits that went home before the break to test themselves before returning to school tomorrow. Regardless of what the test says, please keep your child home if they aren’t feeling well. If your child tests positive for COVID, please keep your child home and email their teacher as well as the office ([email protected]) and the district nurses ([email protected]). If your child tests negative, you do NOT need to share the results with us. If you need additional test kits, please contact Tracey Olazar in the office, and she will be happy to provide them. Please note, the FDA has extended the expiration dates of the CareStart Home Test to March 31, 2023.
If you haven’t already ordered breakfast and/or lunch for your child for this week, please plan on preparing meals for your child. You have until 9 a.m. on Tuesday to place orders for the week of Dec. 5 and beyond. If you have ordered meals, please be sure your child knows to pick them up.
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.
We look forward to seeing our Eagles back at school healthy and rested tomorrow. It will be especially great to have our 5th graders back after a great week at Outdoor Ed just before the break.
Warmly,
Mindy Shelton
Principal
[email protected]
Holiday Gift Card Drive
The Central/Arroyo PTA is collecting grocery gift cards to support our fellow San Carlos School District families who are experiencing food insecurity this holiday season. If you’d like to contribute to Arroyo/Central families in need, please consider donating a gift card in digital or physical form. Gift cards in denominations of $25 are preferred and can be from Safeway or any local grocery store. It’s helpful to label the amount of the gift card.
You can send digital cards to [email protected] addressed to Arroyo School or bring physical cards to the office and leave them with Tracey Olazar. We appreciate your support for our community. (Note that these donations are not tax-deductible.)
Thanks for Coming Out
It was great to see everyone who came out to the Stand United Against Hate Poetry Slam at Devil’s Canyon on Nov. 18. The poetry was inspiring, and we got a chance to know one another better. If you’re interested in more activities for parents, please let the PTA know by emailing [email protected].
Dec. 10: Living Campus Work Day
After a bountiful autumn harvest (benefiting Samaritan House and Second Harvest of Silicon Valley), the Central/Arroyo garden is transitioning to winter. At the last work day, three families volunteered to remove the leggy tomatillos, spread soil conditioner, and plant beets and radishes. Before fall break, two dozen 4th graders were very excited to help harvest marigold pods and plant snap peas in starter trays.
More students can have access to the garden if we get more parent support. Here’s how you can make a difference right now:
- Every Wednesday (10-11 a.m.): Volunteer to supervise the garden during morning recess. Gardening experience is helpful but not required. Contact [email protected] for details.
- Second Saturdays (9 a.m.-noon): Volunteer your family to participate in a hands-on work day! Tasks vary with the season, and no gardening experience is required. Guarantee your spot by registering for the next Living Campus Work Day (Dec. 10) on Each Green Corner’s website.
- Any time: Volunteer to foster planted flats of seeds at home until they’re ready to plant in our garden! Sign up for the Seedling Starter Program on EGC’s website.
Yearbook Ordering Info
Capture your child’s memories by buying a 2022-23 Arroyo School yearbook, which includes 2 free custom pages printed in their copy only. These pages let your child be the shining star in their yearbook. If you don’t want to customize pages, you can still receive the regular yearbook featuring class pages and schoolwide events. Order from TreeRing here. To create a TreeRing account, go to tr5.treering.com/validate and use the Arroyo passcode: 1014628525232886. Find more info on the TreeRing flier.
SCEF Day Is THIS Wednesday, Nov. 30
Thank you to those who have invested in our schools to ensure a well-rounded education for every student. If you are still looking to make your plan to give, there are so many ways to contribute: Workplace Giving, Donor Advised Funds, Give Every Month, Donations of Appreciated Stock, and more!
Honey Bear Trees Are Here!
The annual tradition of scouting the Honey Bear lot for the perfect Christmas tree continues! When you visit the lot at 1579 El Camino Real in San Carlos, don’t forget to bring the flier and mention SCEF. They will donate 15% back! Download the flier here.
Giving Gifts to Those Who Love the Outdoors?
Sports Basement’s Basementeer Program gives back 10% to the charity of your choice. Register, assign SCEF as your charity of choice, and shop year-round. Last year Sports Basement gave over $10,000 to SCEF!
Local Merchants Are Ready for the Holiday Season
We are grateful to the businesses who have demonstrated their steadfast commitment to San Carlos public schools. Support our business partners by shopping with them.
Every little bit helps SCEF meet our fundraising goal of $3.7M to meet our mission of supporting every child, every day, in every classroom.
Focus on Diversity, Equity,
Inclusion, and Belonging
November Is Native American Heritage Month
November is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the significant contributions of Native people. Below are some ways you and your family can observe Native American Heritage Month.
Discover more about the Ramaytush Ohlone, the tribe that is indigenous to the Peninsula, here.
Explore Native Land Digital, an interactive map that allows you to identify which tribes live or lived in regions around the world.
Visit a museum or another local spot to learn more about the local Indigenous people.
Expanded Transitional Kindergarten (TK) + Virtual TK/Kindergarten Welcome Night + New Student Registration Info
Transitional Kindergarten Eligibility Expansion
For the 2023-24 school year, students who turn 5 on or between Sept. 2, 2023, and April 2, 2024, are eligible to register for Transitional Kindergarten (TK). Previously, only students who turned 5 by Feb. 2 qualified. Visit SCSD’s Transitional Kindergarten page to learn more about our TK program.
Virtual TK/Kindergarten Welcome Night for New Families
Do you have friends or neighbors who have an incoming TK or Kindergarten student who are new to the District? If so, please invite them to join us for our Virtual TK/Kindergarten Welcome Night on Monday, Jan. 9, 6:30-7:30 p.m. via Zoom (link to come)! The virtual presentation is designed to provide families with information about the San Carlos School District, its community partners and programs, and to provide an overview of how to register for school.
San Carlos School District New Student Registration is about to begin! Mark your calendars for these key dates:
- Monday, Jan. 9: Virtual TK/Kindergarten Welcome Night for new families, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Jan. 10: New Student Priority Registration opens in PowerSchool at noon
- Wednesday, Feb. 1: Virtual Elementary School Tours for incoming TK/Kindergarten families, 4-4:30 p.m.
- Friday, Feb. 10: New student priority registration deadline, 4 p.m.
Important Note for Current TK-7th Grade Families
Students currently registered in SCSD do not need to re-register; they will automatically matriculate into the next grade level or feeder school through 8th grade. In February, a Google survey will be sent out to families regarding plans for fall, and parents will fill out their Back-to-School Forms for 2023-24 in April.
Deadline Is Dec. 2 to Register for ROPES
ROPES is the Rite Of Passage ExperienceS program that is designed as an optional enrichment activity as students complete a cycle of their education. ROPES provides students in 4th, 6th, and 8th grade an opportunity to participate in an academic ritual by way of real-life learning experiences.
Participating students choose a self-directed project that incorporates the 21st-century learning skills of initiative, inquiry, creativity, communication, cooperation, and leadership. To learn more about ROPES projects and guidelines, please visit our ROPES website. Students can register here by Friday, Dec. 2 at 5 p.m.
COVID-19 Reminders and Testing Options
If your child is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, please keep them home and give them a rapid antigen test. Staying home when sick can lower the risk of spreading infectious diseases to other people, and testing remains a key mitigation layer to detect and curb transmission of the coronavirus. If your child tests positive for the virus or your household is in need of additional test kits, please contact your school as soon as possible.
TESTING RESOURCES
Find up-to-date resources on the San Mateo County Office of Education’s COVID-19 Testing for Schools and Students page.
Community News
Healthy Cities Tutoring Is Recruiting Volunteers
Become a Healthy Cities Tutor and join our community of volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring and mentoring to a public school student to improve their academic performance, engagement in learning, and self-esteem. Tutoring sessions are held in-person, once a week for 45 minutes to an hour, on school campus or at a public library.
For 25 years Healthy Cities Tutoring has provided tutoring services to thousands of students in need. Following two years of pandemic, students are falling further and further behind in school. We need volunteers more than ever!
We hope you or someone you know will get involved in this rewarding volunteer experience. No tutoring experience is required; we can provide training. Eighth grade and high school students are welcome to tutor with us. Students can receive community service hours and use the experience for resume building and college applications. Adult tutors are always welcome!
It only takes one hour a week to make a positive impact on a child’s life.
Please check out our website for the volunteer application contact Janelle Gibson, HCT Program Coordinator, at 415-793-1064 or [email protected].
San Carlos Little League Registration Is Now Open
SCLL was established in 1953 and provides a positive youth baseball experience to children of all abilities in the San Carlos community. We focus on developing
the qualities of leadership, citizenship, discipline, character, and teamwork.
The 2023 Little League season kicks off the weekend of Saturday, March 11, and runs approximately through the school year. We offer several divisions of
play based on Little League Baseball age charts and evaluations in the upper divisions (AA up). Learn more and sign up here.
Dec. 1: Growing Mindful Adult Education Class
Join Jaclyn Grayson and Ashley McManus, parents in our community and founders of Growing Mindful, in an interactive workshop, all about building resilience through mindfulness into your home with tangible, realistic strategies. The session is Thursday, Dec. 1, from 7-8 p.m. at the SCSD office or via Zoom. Register here, and email [email protected] with any questions. If you cannot attend, you can receive a summary of this content afterward in both English and Spanish. La sesión será en inglés, pero estaremos traduciendo el resumen al español.
Dec. 2: Carlmont Choirs Holiday Singalong
The Carlmont Choirs Holiday Singalong returns after three long years! This is a great event for the whole family, from youngsters to 8th graders considering attending Carlmont High School. Guests are given the lyrics to well-known holiday classics and sing along with the Carlmont Choirs. There is even a visit from the Sugar Plum Fairy, and kids can take photos with Santa!
This is a one-hour event designed for families with kids, so get your tickets and join us for an afternoon of family fun and music: Saturday, Dec. 3, 2-3 p.m., at Carlmont High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $5.
Parent Education Opportunities
How can parents help their teens and tweens get more sleep? Join Lisa L. Lewis, MS, author of The Sleep-Deprived Teen, for Why Teen and Tween Sleep Matters, and How Parents and Schools Can Help (Nov. 30, online).
What are teens actually doing on their smartphones? Harvard researchers Emily Weinstein, PhD, and Carrie James, PhD, discuss their new book, Behind Their Screens: What Teens Are Facing (and Adults Are Missing) (Dec. 2, online).
NEW! We all want our children to form healthy relationships, but talking about it can be hard. Vanessa Kellam of Health Connected, presents Relationship Resilience: Preparing Young People for Healthy Relationships (Dec. 7, online).
NEW! How can we help our kids tame their inner voice? Best-selling author and psychologist Ethan Kross, PhD, joins us to discuss his book, Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It (Dec. 8, online).
December's Parent Forum (English) features Eran Magen, PhD, the founder of Parenting for Humans, in Sustainable Parenting: Realistic Self-Care for Parents. The Parent Forums are an initiative of the Sequoia Healthcare District (Dec. 9, online).
Care Solace for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Service Referrals
Care Solace is a free, confidential service that connects students, families, and staff from the San Carlos School District to mental health or substance abuse services. Visit the website or call 888-515-0595 to get started.
MANY WAYS TO VOLUNTEER AT ARROYO
SHARE YOUR STUDENT’S ACHIEVEMENTS
We want to honor students who are doing great things outside of school and have two ways parents can help.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
As part of our Arroyo School program, we offer assistance to families as needed. The support can be a yearbook, grocery gift cards, or scholarships for school trips and PTA events. The recipients are kept confidential, and the principal is the only one who will know. Please complete this form to make a request.
REWARDS PROGRAMS
Participate in our rewards programs and a percentage of your purchases will automatically be donated to the Central Arroyo PTA — at no cost to you!
FOLLOW @ARROYOSCHOOL
Follow us on Facebook for up-to-date info on events and issues.
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