Dear Families,
It was wonderful seeing everybody at Back-to-School Night. We are off to a great start of the year.
This year, one of the things that I would like to focus on in my communications home is digital citizenship, screen time and online etiquette. New Education Code laws have placed a large part of monitoring children’s online behavior on school officials. This is because so much of our children’s online behavior spills over into all other aspects of their lives. At school we are seeing more and more incidents of inappropriate online behavior.
This year, we would like to focus on digital citizenship. We will be teaching skills using resources from Common Sense Media. The goal is to teach students how to use their digital devices in productive ways that set limits and help develop positive habits. Students are using technology in a variety of ways to support critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration including authoring e-books, creating their own movies to communicate a point of view, drafting essays using Google Docs, researching science and social studies topics, and collaborating during project-based learning units - just to highlight a few. Along the way, they are learning how to search safely, protect privacy, give proper credit to authors, share workload responsibilities, and model kindness and caring in all communications – on and offline.
From research and reading online to playing games and exploring social media, our kids truly are living in the digital age. With our support, children learn that the guidelines of “online life” closely mirror those of life “offline”. During the elementary school years, children are learning how to self-regulate. As they reach new physical, social and emotional milestones, children begin to balance active time with rest time, time with friends with quiet time alone, and healthy eating with the occasional sweet treat. With our guidance, they also are learning how to manage their “digital diets” to balance both quality and quantity of media consumption.
Here are a few guidelines you may want to draw from as you consider how technology functions in your family:
- Get involved: Engage with your child and find out what he/she enjoys online.
- Set an example: Model positive behavior about when, where and how it is acceptable to be “on” a device. Check out this 45 second video about taming device time.
- Make dinner time device free.
- Set clear limits: Together, create a schedule that shows when media will be used and how screen time fits into the larger picture of the day or week. Institute a “device bedtime” so that devices are put away in advance of your child’s bedtime. Ensure that devices are used and charged in public areas, not in children’s bedrooms. Create a Family Media Plan.
Already, our children are learning to leverage technology to fuel learning in exciting ways. Together, we’ll help them take the next steps to becoming powerful digital citizens!
___________________________________
7th Grade Yosemite Information Night
Join us this Wednesday, September 4th at 6:30pm in the gym to learn more about the annual 7th Grade Yosemite trip. Here you'll learn what the trip is like, important dates, cost, and parent chaperone opportunities. This meeting is not mandatory to go on the trip. Students are welcome to come with other families, or parents may attend without their child. If you have any questions regarding this meeting, please contact Ms. Banfield at [email protected].
8th Grade DC/NY Trip
Each Spring, 8th grade students are invited to attend the annual Washington DC and New York City trip. This year, the trip will take place from June 14, 2019 - June 19, 2019. Interested in learning more about this incredible opportunity? Join us for an info meeting on Wednesday, September 18th at 6:30pm in room 204. Stay tuned for more details coming next week.
The DC/NY trip is not school sponsored or affiliated with the San Carlos School District, but led by an individual through EF Explore America. If you have any questions about this trip, please contact Jennifer Williams at [email protected].
SCEF
San Carlos Students Love Our Libraries!
Because of the generous donations to SCEF in the 2018-19 school year, the goal of $2.5 million was exceeded by enough to support an increase in library hours in elementary schools from 16 hours to 24 hours a week for THIS school year. WELL DONE!
Recurring Gifts
Would you like to spread your contributions to SCEF throughout the year? Please consider signing up for monthly donations. A $1,500 donation can be given as a $125 gift each month. Sign up for SCEF’s recurring gift program at SCEFKids/Donate.
Corporate Matching - Double Your Donation
Many Bay Area businesses encourage employees to give back to their communities by offering corporate matching programs for non-profit donations. Remember to ask your employer about donation-matching and double or triple giving months! Google, Genentech, Gilead and other major corporations will match your cash donation to SCEF. In September, Wells Fargo employees can secure a match for their donations. Not sure if your workplace offers matching? Check now.
School Board:
There is a vacancy on the San Carlos School Board due to a lack of candidates registered for the November 5 election. Therefore, there will not be an election for the San Carlos School District School Board in November. If you are interested in applying to serve on the School Board, there will be an appointment process led by the School Board over the next several months. More information with details of the application process will be shared in the next few weeks through district email and public notifications.
Volunteers Needed:
Members of the San Carlos community, parents, and SCSD staff members interested in serving on the 7-11 Surplus Property Advisory Committee to determine the future facility needs for the District are encouraged to contact Cathy Eitel, Assistant to the Superintendent at [email protected] to express interest or learn more about the goals and objectives of the committee.
Block Party:
Inaugural San Carlos Block Party - SAVE THE DATE On September 8th, the Chamber of Commerce, with the support of the City of San Carlos, is bringing a new event to downtown next month! Join the community for an outdoor dining event on the 600 & 700 blocks of Laurel Street from 4:00-8:00pm. Following the Sunday Farmer’s Market and Public Safety Faire, the street will be transformed into an outdoor dining area where the community can grab takeout from downtown restaurants and dine in the street with family, friends, and neighbors. The Chamber will be selling beer and wine and there will be a kids zone for play. For more information, visit https://sancarloschamber.org/.
Movie in the Park:
Join the City of San Carlos for a special Movie in the Park screening of Love, Simon - on Friday, September 6, at Burton Park. Love Simon is a teen comedy-drama that follows gay student Simon Pier as he navigates high-school and the challenge of coming out, and finds that everyone deserves a great love story.
The movie (rated PG-13) will begin at sundown (approx. 7:30 pm), and is free! Our popcorn machine will be fired-up and ready to go, so grab a blanket or lawn chair and join your friends and neighbors for this funny and heartwarming flick.
Questions about this Movie in the Park special event? Please contact Brian Cary at [email protected] or (650) 802-4218.