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No images? Click here  December 11, 2022 IN THIS ISSUE
IMPORTANT DATESThrough Wed 12/14: SCEF Holiday Shopping at Sports BasementTue 12/13: SCSD Strategic Planning Engagement Meeting, 6 p.m. at ArundelWed 12/14: SCSD Community Gathering in East Palo AltoWed 12/14: New Deadline to Complete SCSD Strategic Planning SurveyThu 12/15: School Board meeting, 6:30 p.m.Thu 12/22: Minimum dayFri 12/23-Mon 1/9: Winter BreakPrincipal’s MessageDear Arroyo families, December is a busy time full of celebrations, traditions, and community building, and we look forward to celebrating together as a community over the next couple of weeks. We know that Arroyo families celebrate a variety of holidays around this time of the year and would love to share your holiday traditions with the community. Please see the PTA section below for more information about ways to share. SCSD will also be hosting a community-building event in East Palo Alto on Dec. 14 (see District News section below for details). We would love to see a great turnout from Arroyo families at that event. All are welcome! While there is much to celebrate, it’s also important to remember that this can be a stressful time for kids as well as adults. The extra activities and changes in routine affect kids a lot, and we often see the results of that at school. This article from Harvard Health Publishing has great tips to help prevent (or at least minimize) holiday stress for kids.  As you think about your holiday shopping this year, I know that smartphones are high on the list of things many Arroyo students are hoping to receive. I’d like to encourage you to consider NOT buying a smartphone for your child. The San Carlos parent community has engaged in great discussions around the Wait Until 8th Campaign. If you feel strongly about them needing a phone, please consider a flip phone or smartwatch that doesn’t have all of the power and capability of a smartphone. Regardless of what kind of cellphone they have, the research on the use of social media is clear. As parenting expert and author of Parenting With Patience Judy Arnall says, “It’s an added stress in their lives that isn’t age appropriate.” For more information, please read “An age-by-age guide to kids and smartphones.” You will likely hear from your child something to the effect of: “Everyone has a cellphone (or TikTok or Instagram account, etc). I’m the only one who doesn’t.” I can assure you that’s not true and that your child will be just fine without it. Thank you to the families who donated gift cards to help families in need during the holiday season. One of my favorite things about the Arroyo community is the way we come together and care for one another. I’ll be reaching out to families in need to distribute the gift cards by the end of this week. If you are in need and haven’t let me know yet, please fill out this form, and I will be in touch with you as soon as possible. Eagle Council has planned a spirit week for the last week before break:  Our student-led clubs started this week, and it was great to see our Eagles connecting with students they may not have had an opportunity to meet yet and finding common interests. This week the club members took some time to get to know one another. Next week and after the break they will begin digging into their activities. While we have adults supervising clubs, they are entirely student led. This is a great leadership opportunity for students, but also an important learning opportunity for both leaders and members. Some clubs will successfully meet regularly throughout the rest of the year, and others will fizzle out over time — that’s all part of the process for our student leaders. If you hear of any issues arising from the clubs, please let me know so we can address it right away. Our Lost and Found is overflowing with jackets, sweatshirts, and water bottles. Please stop by the school office to take a look. Anything not picked up before the winter break will be donated. Warmly,  PTA NewsAppreciation for Safe Routes to SchoolThe City of San Carlos has dedicated time and resources to ensure our students have a safe commute to and from school. You may have noticed the ongoing safety improvements to sidewalks and bike lanes or the new 15 mph speed limits in school zones across the city. The City Council also allocated funds for crossing guards at 11 intersections in San Carlos. The PTA would like to formally thank the City of San Carlos for making our students’ safety a priority.  Membership and FundraisingThis year we are going for 100% PTA membership. As a member of the Central Arroyo PTA, you are a voice for our kids and part of the largest child advocacy program in the country. We invite everyone to learn more here. This year, the Central Arroyo PTA is partnering with the San Carlos Education Foundation (SCEF) to streamline and simplify fundraising across the district. Your donation will fund vital district programs as well as support our PTA. Find more information on our Membership and Fundraising page.  Share Your Winter Holiday Traditions!Whether your family hosts a tree-trimming party, spins the dreidel, assembles a special display for Kwanzaa or bakes holiday treats together, we’d love to hear about it and share it in an upcoming Arroyo Eagle Eye and weekly student assembly! Please submit a short write-up about your winter holiday tradition (a couple of sentences is fine), the names of your family members, and a photo of the tradition if you have one available. We will do our best to include as many submissions as space will allow. Deadline to submit is Thursday, Dec. 15. Send submissions to [email protected]. We can’t wait to see how our Eagles celebrate the winter holidays!  SCEF News Annual Report + Shopping SupportEvery donation helps SCEF meet our fundraising goal of $3.7M and our mission of supporting every child, every day, in every classroom. We appreciate your donations whenever it is best for your family. Check out our website for more information and the many ways to give. Still curious about what we fund and interested in reading more about how we are doing? The SCEF annual report has been delivered to your mailbox! We are all SCEF! Support SCEF while you shop:
 District News 14 de dic.: ¡Evento comunitario de SCSD en East Palo Alto!Únase a nosotros el miércoles 14 de diciembre, de 5:30 a 7:30 p.m., para comida gratis, actividades y un espectáculo de marionetas en Lewis & Joan Platt YMCA, 550 Bell St. en East Palo Alto. Venga a conocer a las familias en East Palo Alto que asisten a las escuelas de SCSD. ¡Los niños de todas las edades son bienvenidos! Confirma tu asistencia aquí.  Dec. 14: SCSD Community Event in East Palo Alto!Join us on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 5:30-7:30 p.m. for free food, activities, and a puppet show at the Lewis & Joan Platt YMCA, 550 Bell St. in East Palo Alto. Come meet families in East Palo Alto who attend SCSD schools. Kids of all ages are welcome! Please RSVP here.  Jan 9.: Virtual TK/Kindergarten Welcome Night
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