School District News
Parcel Tax Message from Superintendent
Dear San Carlos Parents and Neighbors,
San Carlos School District provides the highest quality education for our children, keeps our community strong and strengthens our property values.
In order to continue to provide an excellent, well rounded education, we have been seeking community input on the need to renew and increase Measure P. This local parcel tax supports students’ in grades K-8 and maintains high-quality educational programs, including math, reading, and writing, and hands-on science instruction; attracts and retains qualified and experienced teachers; and supports art, music, libraries, and a well-rounded education.
Without Measure P, some existing local school funding will expire and disappear from SCSD school budgets. This will require SCSD to make drastic cuts to academic programs, increase class sizes, and maintain only basics.
Your time and participation were critical as the San Carlos School District Board set fiscal priorities. Accordingly, at its November 21st meeting, the San Carlos School District Board unanimously voted to place a parcel tax measure (renewal of Measure P with an $88 per/parcel increase for 8 years) on the March 3, 2020 ballot.
Thank you for your interest. Please feel free to contact me if you have any additional comments or questions. We are always listening.
Sincerely,
Michelle Harmeier
Superintendent
[email protected]
(650) 590-5935
Principal's Message
December 2, 2019
Message from the Principal
In my last newsletter before Thanksgiving Break, I wrote an article asking for a larger conversation around screen time and cell phone usage. I received more responses from Central parents than in any topic discussed in the past. This reaffirms the need and the desire of our community to engage in this topic.
One thing that kept emerging from my conversations with parents is the need for this to be a conversation that the entire community is having. I know parents hear, “I am the only one without a …..” This is a common tactic that children use to get what they want. But in the case of smartphones, being the only one without carries additional weight. Most parents communicated to me that they had every intention of waiting as long as possible to give their child a cellphone, but ultimately caved and ended up giving their child a phone way sooner that they wanted. The reason is that their children were, in fact, missing out on social events because they were not part of a group text or a social media invitation. Parents shared that they feared they were inadvertently contributing to their child’s social isolation be denying them a cellphone. (Paradoxically, research shows that social media is actually exacerbating social isolation). This is precisely why this needs to be a community effort. Think of it this way: If very few 6th graders had a smartphone, then the children in 6th grade would have to rely on human interaction in order to plan a get togethers. This would lead to better social skills, which in turn, would lead to better emotional intelligence. This would also alleviate the problem of children missing out because they did not have a phone to begin with.
Many parents also shared how conflicted they are in the amount of privacy they should be allowing for their children. Too much is too much and not enough is not enough--how much is appropriate? There are no guidelines out there that instruct parents in what is the acceptable amount of supervision - highlighting the fact that we are conducting an experiment on our children. There is a way that parents can see, read, and listen to, every interaction their child has on their phone. Should we really be monitoring everything our children do? And do we really want to? This might actually stiffel growth, because children need to make mistakes with their friends in order to learn from them.
In my last communication I wanted to stress how important it is for all of us in our community to tackle this issue collectively. I understand how difficult it is for parents to navigate the many challenges screen time and smartphones pose for families. I also want to stress that it is equally important for schools to address this issue. It is our job as educators to teach our students to be responsible citizens, which includes teaching online etiquette and digital citizenship.
At Central, alongside our Second Step social emotional learning curriculum, we teach Digital Citizenship. In a subsequent newsletter, I will share some of the lessons we teach so that you have a better understanding of how we are teaching this at school. For now, I have included a link to an article that will help guide you in the conversations you are having with your family around how to be safe online.
The Top 3 Elements of Student Digital Citizenship
Tom Domer
Principal
_________________________________________________
Congratulations to the record-breaking 222 students who received Pride Cards this month.
- 6th Grade winners: Brandon Ackerhalt, James Eva
- 7th Grade winners: Riya Harihan, Sam Van Wert
- 8th Grade winners: Alison Wang, Eli Schlager
Small prize winners: Hannah McDonald, Matteo Navarro, Emily Chan, Francisco Garcia, Jaden Chen, Hank Brown, Anjali Govani, Maya Clark, Landon Murphy, Carl Crum
______________________________________
Our Mural is complete. Below is a picture of the artist who painted it, Florence deBretagne, and the Central students whose designs inspired the images.
PTA News
Join the Special Projects Committee!
At our November PTA meeting, we discussed creating a committee to research special projects for the PTA to fund at Central and Arroyo. If you are interested in joining this team, please e-mail Megan Miller at [email protected]. We would love your help!
SCEF
Honey Bear Trees supports San Carlos public schools by donating 15% of tree, wreath and garland sales to SCEF. Find detailed info online and don’t forget to download the flyer to take with you!
Sports Basement is committed to our community. Sign up to be a Basementeer and select San Carlos Education Foundation as your charity. You get 10% off every item, every time you shop, and 10% of profits go to SCEF.
When you are out and about in San Carlos shopping this holiday season, please take a moment to thank our amazing local businesses for supporting SCEF and our schools.
Community Partners
Parent Education - Using a Positive, Strength-Based Approach for Effective Parenting - Dec 11
Using a Positive, Strength-Based Approach for Effective Parenting with Charlie Appelstein
WHEN: Wednesday, December 11, 2019 6:30pm-8:00pm
RSVP: http://evite.me/5HBJJnbwsd
Back by popular demand, Charlie Appelstein, M.S.W. will be sharing his humor and practical strategies to create family environments that are focused on strength-building rather than flaw-fixing. These exceptionally positive and inspiring strategies focus on guiding all children (and especially those with emotional or behavioral challenges) with an approach that focuses on how to help your kids develop positive mindsets; how to create self-management tools in your home; relationship-based limit setting; and the effect of positive emotions on the brain. You're guaranteed to come away with a smile on your face, fresh ideas in your pocket, and a new hope in your heart for dealing with your most challenging parenting situations.
This event is made possible thanks to funding from our SCSD PTA Coordinating Council.
FREE Emergency Preparedness Class - Dec 6
On Dec 6 the Sequoia Healthcare District will host a FREE one-to-two hour class covers the basics of what to do before, during, and after a major emergency -
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/are-you-ready-disaster-preparedness-class-tickets-78091603087
Sequoia Healthcare District Newsletter
Check out the latest newsletter from Sequoia Healthcare District to learn more about how you can prevent youth vaping. Included are links to resources and parents education events - https://issuu.com/seqhd/docs/2019_hsi_fall_scsd
San Carlos Youth Softball
Sign Up for San Carlos Youth Softball
Interested in playing softball this spring? San Carlos Youth Softball is a great way for girls to have some fun, develop skills and build friendships. The 2020 spring rec program is now open for registration.
Our program is for girls ages 4+ (as of January 2020) at all skill levels. Teams are formed in January so please sign up soon! Refer a friend new to SCYSA and both of you can get $25 off your registration!
Questions? More information online at www.sancarlosyouthsoftball.com or email [email protected].
San Carlos Little League
We are excited to announce that registration for the 2020 San Carlos Little League season is open. Established in 1953, San Carlos Little League provides a positive youth baseball experience to children of all abilities in the San Carlos community, by developing the qualities of leadership, citizenship, discipline, character and teamwork. The program is for children ages 4 through 14. Registration will be open through December 20.
For registration and information please visit www.sancarlosll.org. If you have any questions please contact Jon Ackerhalt, [email protected].
High School Happenings
Sequoia High School
8th graders and their families can learn all about Sequoia HS through Group or Individual Shadowing, Info Nights, Forums and Newsletters. To learn more, click HERE
Carlmont High School
8th graders and their families can learn all about Carlmont HS through Group or Individual Shadowing, Info Nights, Forums and Newsletters. To learn more, click HERE.
Summit Public High School
8th graders and their families can learn about the Summit Public School experience HERE.
Design Tech High School
8th graders and their families can learn about the Design Tech Charter High School experience HERE.