Principal's Message
Hello CMS,
I read a post about the circumstances we all find ourselves in right now that made me think about school. Throughout this ordeal, we have all heard the aphorism, “We are all in the same boat.” While we are all experiencing similar things, in truth, we are not all in the same boat; we are all in the same storm, but not the same boat. I thought this is the perfect analogy because each of us have our own circumstances in which we are trying to weather this storm. I have repeatedly stated that every family is faced with its own unique set of challenges. While we are all in this together, we all have different resources at our disposal and we all have our own limitations. Having said all this, I am amazed at how well we seem to be holding it together. I am particularly touched by the way the San Carlos community has come together to support one another.
I have spoken and written to many people over the last month and there is something I feel I need to say. You are all doing a great job. You are all trying your best and working your hardest to give your children the best experience you can under these circumstances. Being a parent is hard enough, but now you are asked to be educators - experts in every subject. Counselor - supporting the emotional needs of children and teenagers. Day care, food service provider, entertainer, time manager, house cleaner, best friend and the list goes on and on. Parents - you have all stepped up and it has not been easy.
My hope is that we will all try to give ourselves a break. Let’s all step back and take some perspective. We are dealing with an unprecedented situation. Please do not worry if an assignment is missed; we will give you time to make it up or let it go. I personally think that staying connected is equally as important as getting the work done. I know it is a lot to keep track of, but if you can, try to have your child attend the zoom meeting times our teachers, counselor and para-educators are offering. We have found that students are benefiting greatly from attending these meetings.
I have a few other ideas that might help alleviate some of the pressure Distance Learning is placing on families.
- Make sure your student takes the time to read the directions. We are noticing that some students are doing extra work, or having to redo assignments because he/she has not read the directions. This is a good habit to get into anyway, so please stress to your kids how important it is to take a few seconds to read the directions.
- Have your children check their email. Teach them how to organize their inbox and to delete old messages. Have your child email their teachers regularly. This is also a very important habit for students to get into. Research demonstrates that students who communicate with their teachers and professors, both in person and through email, do significantly better in school. I have included a link to a few websites that can help teach your children why email is important and how to send an appropriate email.
- I mentioned this earlier, but it is worth repeating. Make sure your child is participating in Zoom meetings with teachers. This is an important way to stay connected and stay motivated. Students who do not feel personally connected with their teachers and classmates do not maintain the kind of intrinsic motivation it takes to be successful in school. Help them stay connected.
- Make sure that you are monitoring your children’s online time and activities. The internet offers an unlimited amount of distractions. Students may be at the computer but not actually doing school work. Also try to make sure that your child has turned in their work when they say they have. Let’s call this: Trust but verify.
These ideas may seem like additional work for you as parents, but I think these tips can help save your family some time and frustration in the long run.
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I have a few more reminders:
Please make sure to review and fill out the Elective Form with your student if she/he is returning to Central next year.
Yearbook Sales Deadline
The CMS Yearbook team will be working with the administration team to decide what distribution will look like this year, and we will let you know as soon as possible. If you have not bought a yearbook, buy one now before they sell out! Once the online sales close on May 9th, we will NOT be selling yearbooks for cash or check as we have in previous years. If you are unsure whether you have bought a yearbook or not, email yearbook advisor Nick Lamb - [email protected]. If you are in need of financial assistance for a free or reduced price book, contact Principal Tom Domer - [email protected].
To buy a yearbook, go to www.cmsyearbook.com and you will be redirected to the secure Herff-Jones sales website.
As always, please stay safe, healthy and engaged.
Tom Domer
Principal
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Message from the PTA Promotion Committee
Dear 8th grade families,
We know that sheltering in place is not how you envisioned the ending of your CMS experience! Please know that your teachers, staff and PTA leaders are looking for ways to create special moments and memories for your students.
We are watching SIP guidelines over the next few weeks, but are working on some graduation events that we want to share. Stay tuned for details and schedule in the weeks to come. Some of the ideas we are working on are listed below. If you have any other suggestions that fellow the SIP guidelines, please let Mr. Domer know ([email protected])
- Virtual Promotion Ceremony including speeches from Principal Tom Domer, ASB President Jake Frix, and two other 8th graders winners of the Promotion Speech Essay Contest.
- Slideshow Tribute consisting of pictures of special events throughout your students time at Central.
- Gown Photo Opportunity if we can figure out a way to do this within the safety guidelines.
- Class of 2020 Yard Signs provided to all 8th grade students by PTA
- 8th Grade Class T-shirts designed by ASB and available for purchase on the PTAEZ online store (LINK) starting DATE
- Portfolio Pick-Up - teachers compiling projects that would have been sent home and/or displayed at Open House
- Yearbook delivery
This has been a special class of students and we will do our best to celebrate them safely.
Sincerely,
The PTA Promotion Committee
Photos for 8th Grade Slideshow
8th grade parents - your help is needed! Traditionally, at the end-of-the-year graduation breakfast, a slideshow is shown highlighting this year's graduates and their time at CMS over the last 3 years. This year, we are working on a slideshow that will be distributed to the students instead.
Please pick your favorite photos that can be shared with the school and place them in this folder link. Or you can email them to [email protected]. Include pertinent information about the photo in the filename, especially when and where it was taken. Some ideas are photos from field trips, science fairs, band/orchestra competitions, Halloween, after-school sports, Stampede & Soar, and other outside of school activities.
All photos are needed from their 6th, 7th and 8th grade years. Please contact Amy Kodl or Mr. Lamb , if you have any questions.
SCEF
SCEF knows that while fundraising earlier this school year has been strong, we still need to raise $700,000 to meet our $2.8MM goal. We are committed to working with the community to meet our 2019-20 goal and raise as much as we can to support public education in San Carlos.
We believe that raising funds to help protect jobs is the most important thing the parent community can do right now. The vast majority of SCEF's annual grant to SCSD funds people--teachers and other educators. The more money SCEF can raise this spring, the more impact we will have to help the district meet its budget obligations --including reducing possible layoffs.
If your employer has a workplace giving program, and you are able to give, please consider making a contribution now. Many large companies have recently increased the matching within their program. Or perhaps commit to a monthly amount that helps you achieve your desired annual gift, over time - https://www.scefkids.org/donate/
Community Partners
Youth Center Zoom
The San Carlos Youth Center will be hosting after school drop-in via Zoom on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:30-4:10 pm. Much like drop-in, the Youth Center staff will be running various games and activities during this time.
Zoom login information has been sent to all 2019-2020 Youth Center members' parents via email. If you have any questions or activity suggestions, please contact Caitlyn Matoso at [email protected].
San Carlos Hometown Days Rescheduled to August
After much thought and discussion, the San Carlos Hometown Days Committee has decided to reschedule Hometown Days 2020 from May 15-17 to August 28-30. We are sad that we have to postpone Hometown Days, but felt that this was a fitting decision due to the times and due to the fact that originally HTD was actually held in the fall.
We are committed to putting on a great celebration for our 40th Anniversary! We are looking forward to seeing you in the end of August!!
Cheers to 40 Years!!!
Emergency Childcare Survey
Many parents in our community are essential workers, and we want to connect you with organizations that are providing emergency childcare if that is a need you have. The Childcare Coordinating Council (4Cs) is centralizing the planning and sharing out of these resources. Please complete this short, 8-question online survey to be connected to 4Cs’ child care resource and referral staff who will help you find emergency child care. You may receive this survey more than once. Please complete one per family.
Link to the Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SMC_COVID19_childcare
For definitions of the essential workforce for each sector, please refer to the State Public Health Officer's designated list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers.” https://covid19.ca.gov/img/EssentialCriticalInfrastructureWorkers.pdf
For questions about this survey or emergency child care for essential workers, please email [email protected].
Census 2020
Completing the 2020 Census has never been easier! If you misplaced your 12-digit Census ID or don’t know how to start the process, you still have time.
Visit the County of San Mateo - Government's Census page for more information - https://cmo.smcgov.org/census-2020-san-mateo-county
Camp Galileo Anywhere
Galileo Camps is now offering Camp Galileo Anywhere—a week's worth of FREE activities delivered to inboxes each weekend for families to add to their routine. For an hour each day, kids can engage in engineering and art projects, energizing movement games and live experiences facilitated by expert educators. Plus, all weekly emails are bundled with support for parents and educators by including printable resources, follow-up questions and ideas for self-care.
Learn more and subscribe at - https://bit.ly/anywhere-host-subscribe