Arroyo Eagle Eye - October 29, 2023

October 29, 2023

Principal’s Message

Dear Arroyo families,

As we continue our journey through our Strategic Plan video series, this week we focus on The School — a school that’s adaptable, welcoming, and ready to empower all learners, staff, families, and the community. Our success indicators speak volumes:

• Adaptive Infrastructure: Our schools are adaptive and robust to meet the evolving climate and learning needs, ensuring a safe and supportive environment.

• Community Embrace: We’re all about building partnerships and fostering inclusivity. We welcome families, communicate openly with parents and caregivers, and collaborate with our community.

• Innovation Hub: Our schools innovate and design to meet future-ready student needs, inside and outside the classroom. It’s all about innovation and preparing our learners for what’s ahead.

• Teacher Growth: Our dedicated educators have the support they need to grow and develop through professional learning and collaboration time.

• Integrated Learning: We blend academics, real-world experiences, and joy to create engaging and holistic learning experiences for our students.

• Whole Child Priority: We prioritize the comprehensive needs of each child, offering the support and interventions required for their well-being.

Next week will be a fun-filled week, and I have included a repost of our activities below. Please take a look at the PTA section below for opportunities to volunteer for a number of upcoming events, as well as a reminder about the early-bird deadline for yearbook orders. Thank you to the MANY parents who have already signed up to help make these special events possible for our students. 

Wishing you a fun and safe Halloween! Please make sure your child’s candy stays at home and does not come to school, unless of course you are donating it to the annual SCEF Candy Buyback (see below). For families who will also be trick-or-treating on Tuesday evening, I wanted to share these Halloween Pedestrian Safety Tips from Safe Routes to School. Lots of great tips in there!

Reminders for Halloween at Arroyo

Our Eagles are getting very excited for Halloween and a number of other fun events. Our staff, PTA, and Eagle Council have worked to create a fun-filled week of activities to celebrate Halloween and Día de los Muertos. Each class has selected a spooky name and will be collecting spirit points throughout the week. Here’s a handy table to help you keep track of everything going on:

On Tuesday afternoon (Oct. 31), we’ll have a school-wide costume parade after lunch, followed by carnival games and activities planned by our PTA, along with Arroyo’s favorite Halloween activity, a Haunted House! PE and electives will also happen that afternoon. We need parent volunteers to help make this possible. Please see the PTA section below for more information and to sign up. Parents are invited to join us for the parade, which will be on the blacktop at 12:50 p.m. Volunteer clearance is not required to watch the parade but is required for those staying to help with the activities. We’ll have photographers capturing the highlights to share with parents who aren’t able to attend.  

On Tuesday, students may wear their costumes to school or change during lunch. Here are some guidelines to follow:

• Costumes should be appropriate for 4th and 5th Grade students. Please refrain from “horror” costumes, as not all students are comfortable with these.

• No weapons of any kind will be allowed. Please do not bring plastic guns, swords, or other weapons.

• Halloween masks should be worn only for the party, not during class time or on the playground at lunch. This would be unsafe and distract from learning.

• Students should be able to walk safely around campus in their costumes.

• Leave props at home for the big Halloween event. We cannot be responsible for lost items.

Warmly,
Mindy Shelton
Principal
[email protected]

Breakfast and Lunch This Week

Please take time to review the menu for next week with your child. If they do not see a breakfast and/or lunch option that they will eat, then please plan to help them pack their own lunch from home (or a hearty snack on Wednesday), and please send your child with a snack for morning recess regardless.

PTA News

BECOME A MEMBER, VOLUNTEER, AND CONNECT!

SCEF News

13th Annual Halloween Candy Buyback

Drop extra candy Nov. 1-6, at Arroyo’s front office and it will be donated to Operation Gratitude and sent to our troops. Drs. Chang, Amin, and Kaher will donate $1 per pound of wrapped candy to SCEF. 

Do You Wonder Where Your Donations Go?

Watch your mailbox for the San Carlos Education Foundation’s annual report, which includes news about how your contributions are being put to work this school year. Your child’s school day is strengthened by your support. This includes funding for your school PTA and its many community-building activities, enhanced Art and Music programs, Library Services, Elementary PE, Middle School Band and Orchestra, materials for STEM and Project-Based Learning lessons, Technology tools, and applications and support for Social-Emotional Learning. Your donations make a difference every day.

Did you know you can donate your stock that has long-term capital gains and reduce your tax liability? A gift of appreciated stock you’ve held for more than a year is better than giving cash. If you donate stock that has increased in value since you’ve owned it for more than a year — and if you itemize deductions — you can take a charitable deduction for the stock’s fair-market value on the day you give it away. You’ll also avoid capital gains taxes on the increase in value over time, which you would have had to pay if you sold the stock and then gave the charity the cash proceeds. To learn how visit scefkids.org/stock-donations.

Focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Stop by the Central-Arroyo Library to see this ofrenda, put together by parent volunteers Beatriz Monjaras and Esther Wang.

Día de los Muertos Is Nov. 1-2

Also known as the Day of the Dead, El Día de los Muertos originated in Mexico but is celebrated throughout the world, especially by people of Mexican heritage. It is a holiday of joyful celebration and remembrance. The multiday holiday involves gathering with friends and family to pay respect to loved ones who have passed. These celebrations can take on a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about their loved ones.

Traditions connected with the holiday include using calaveras (sugar skulls) and Aztec marigold flowers as decorations, building home altars called ofrendas with the favorite food and drink of the departed, and visiting graves with these items as gifts. It is also common to give gifts to friends such as candy sugar skulls, share pan de muerto, and write lighthearted and often irreverent verses dedicated to living friends and acquaintances. To learn more about this holiday, check out this article. 

If you’re looking to learn more about this holiday, you could:

• Check out the Día de los Muertos celebration in downtown Redwood City on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 3:30-8:30 p.m.
• Explore one of these books (pictured below)
• Make papel picado or another decoration
• Build your own ofrenda
• Watch Coco or The Book of Life

School District News

Mark Your Calendar for a Community Outreach Event in East Palo Alto!

On Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 6:15 p.m., join SCSD for an outreach event with our families in East Palo Alto. We will take time to review our Strategic Plan, explain what the LCAP (Local Control and Accountability Plan) is, and empower families to be a part of our ongoing planning and community building. All caregivers are encouraged to attend. Adults only, please. RSVP here. We look forward to seeing you!

Community News

Parent Education Opportunities

This month’s Spanish events include El foro de padres #30 (español) ¡La salud dental importa! with Brenda Barrientos, a hygienist with Sonrisas Dental Health (Nov. 1).

NEW! Which factors make the most difference in college admission decisions? College admission experts Laura Stratton of Scripps College and Gabrielle McColgan of Castilleja School present College Admission: What Really Matters? (Nov. 2).

NEW! In this special presentation, renowned brain and trauma expert Bruce Perry, MD, PhD, joins us for What Happened to You? A Conversation on Trauma, Healing, and Resilience. Dr. Perry’s New York Times best-selling book was co-authored with Oprah Winfrey (Nov. 9).