Principal's Message
Hello CMS Families,
Last week, a parent, who also works for the school district as a school psychologist, wrote an article and shared it with the Heather community. They received a lot of positive feedback so I thought I would share it this week in our newsletter. Trying to keep things in perspective has been difficult for all of us because none of us has had to parent or teach under these circumstances. Take a few minutes to read this, it is both poignant and humbling. Thank you Annie Tronnes for sharing such a personal story.
Hi Parents,
A few weeks ago, Mrs. Jasso and I were discussing ways that I could help our community and parents with making distance learning successful. I had planned on writing a funny, light-hearted but helpful article on ideas about non-educational ways to get your kids engaged, behavior charts, etc.... Then, I sat down for dinner with my family and this conversation happened. I am putting this out there somewhat reluctantly (as it is pretty personal) but my hope is that this “conversation” helps to give you perspective as it gave me perspective as both an educator and a parent. Remember - you are doing it!
******
These past few weeks (at least that is what the calendar says) have been challenging for all of us. FULL STOP. Yep, just stay here. Breathe in and out. Own it. Feel it.
Tonight, at a dinner of leftovers and fries (which was the vegetable), I asked my 8-year-old son, “What will you remember about the coronavirus? When you are forty and someone asks you what do you remember, what will it be?” He immediately said, “We did a lot of Zoom, like never before.” Now, the lesson that I should take away from this conversation is to just stop when your innocent 8-year-old boy says something sweet. But no, the therapist and constant questioner said, “Tell me more. What else?” He looked up and said, “You were not doing well.”
FULL STOP. Yep, just stay here. Breathe in and out. Own it. Feel it. I said defensively in full therapeutic mode, “Can we reframe that? Can we say that Momma just had a lot going on? Can we say that I turned 40 without my friends and my family? Can we say it is hard to be a mom, a short-order cook, to work, to be a teacher, and provide all.the.meals?” He smiled and said, “Ok, but you are still not doing well.” I questioned further (because I am glutton for punishment). He said, “You seem stressed.”
We finished dinner (and there were no more questions from me at least) and I walked away with his words in my head, “You seem stressed.” Well, the joke was on him and he was absolutely wrong in his statement. I am stressed. FULL STOP. Yep, just stay here. Breathe in and out. Own it. Feel it.
My kids know about the coronavirus but they DON’T KNOW about the coronavirus. They don’t know about the trillion other worries going on in the world as their parents do. They can’t fathom death, recession/depression, bankruptcy, unemployment, lack of PPE and ventilators, and an uncertain future with so much ambiguity and lack of answers and control that it is mind-boggling. Developmentally, it is hard for them to “understand” what the future will look like in 1 month, 3 months, or 1 year typically, let alone what might happen in this strange new world.
What is odd, is that some days/hours/minutes I feel like I have this “stress” under control. I feel like this ship is upright, the wind is at my back, we are learning and grooving, and it will be ok. It will be fine. Just keep swimming. Don’t look down. Don’t cry. You got this. We are laughing. I feel in control. We love each other. There is good in the world. These are my peaks.
However, I am amazed at how unprepared I am for the valleys that come right after the peaks. I am shocked and frustrated that the happiness and contentment that I felt one day, one hour, or one minute ago is gone. I am frustrated that I can’t get it together. That I can’t run three zoom meetings at a time or I don’t have the right ingredient for that meal or that I can’t make plans for the summer. I am scared that I am so far away from my parents and family. I am angry that there is no DATE or relief in sight. I am sad that so many of my friends, family, my school, and my fellow Americans are struggling financially. These are my valleys filled with frustration, anger, shock, worry, and sadness.
And I am feeling all of these positive and negative emotions within 24 hours (at least once if not 1000 times). So, yeah, I am stressed.
As I put my 8-year-old to bed that night, I admitted, “You are right. Somedays, I am not doing well.” FULL STOP. Yep, just stay here. Breathe in and out. Own it. Feel it.
We talked about how there may be some days that he sees me cry, some days will be filled with laughter, some days we will have dance parties, and others we will trudge to bed. Some days we may be able to get all the work done on the daily plan and some days we will barely get any done. Some days there will be movies and popcorn and some days we will all go to bed early. Some days mommy and daddy will hug and laugh at each other, other days not so much. Some days we will do all the Facebook activities and have the most beautifully colored sidewalks and other days you will stare blankly at your iPad. Some days you and your brother will have folded and put the laundry away without complaint and some days it will serve as an obstacle course for the hallway. Some days my voice will be neutral and calm and other days it will be high pitched, nervous, impatient, and loud.
My hope is that when he is 40, he does not say that “My mom handled the coronavirus well.” My hope is that he says, “My mom did it. She handled it. She cried. She laughed. She got back up. I felt loved. I felt safe.” My hope is that through these peaks and valleys he recognizes the resilience I wish to see in him. Not that I smiled every day and acted as if everything was fine. Instead, I kept going even when it was hard, even when it was scary, even when nothing got done. I kept going for him, our family, our school, our neighbors, our old life, our new life, and our community. I am not doing it well but I am doing it.
Annie Tronnes
Heather Parent
Heather School Psychologist
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A few other reminders:
- If you have not submitted your elective forms, please do so.
- We will be holding a Pride Card Drawing to honor our students who continue to do amazing things. I will report winners next week.
A Note rom The Teachers:
- Students - remember that your teachers are writing private comments to you in Google Classroom. Make sure to take the time to read them.
- Watch the videos that your teachers are posting.
- All of your teachers miss you and want to see you. Consider joining our Zoom conferences. It seems to lift everybodies spirits to see and be seen.
Tom Domer
Principal
District News
Enrollment Confirmation for 2020-21 - Please Complete the Intent to Attend Form
Each spring, we ask families for assistance in completing an Intent to Attend Form regarding your child's enrollment for the next 2020-2021 school year. Please look for an email from the school your child will attend next year. If your child is currently in 3rd or 5th grade, they should have received an email from their new upper elementary or middle school. The email will contain the link for your school's form.
Your timely completion of this form will assist SCSD in having the most accurate numbers for returning students for the 2020-2021 school year, which is directly tied to the SCSD budget and will allow the District in planning for staffing needs more effectively.
Please fill out one form for each child by Monday, May 4 (deadline extended).
- Central: https://forms.gle/odq3C3wLC6vazGpw5
After completing this form, you will receive an email from [email protected] in early May that will provide you with specific directions on how to complete the registration process online including a link to access the InfoSnap portal, as well as a special ID number for your student, referred to as the “Infosnap Code."
Thank you for your assistance with this important process.
SCEF
SCEF is grateful to the teachers, educators, administrators and support staff who nimbly responded to the impact of Covid-19 on our schools. We salute you on Teacher Appreciation Week!
Make it Happen in May
SCEF is working to raise the final $600,000 needed to reach our $2.8M goal. Your continued support makes it possible to provide our schools with grants that will help fund educator positions and programs that benefit every child in every classroom. Reaching the goal in May allows us to assure our school district and school board that our grant will be in place for next school year before they finalize the budget in mid-June.
DONATE by going online now: https://www.scefkids.org/donate/. If you donate through workplace giving please let us know ([email protected]) as it can take 8 to 10 weeks for us to receive word of your donation.
Have your own SCEF Day! Brighten up your front door/yard and celebrate our schools with bright green decorations! Color a “flat Ed” https://www.scefkids.org/flat-ed/ and place it in your window. Take a picture of your decoration celebration and email to [email protected]
Community Partners
San Carlos Youth Advisory Council (YAC) Diaper Drive
Looking to help out during COVID-19? The San Carlos Youth Advisory Council (YAC) is organizing a Diaper Drive to help local families in need. We are in need of the following supplies: diapers and wipes in original packaging, all sizes welcome. You can donate one of two ways:
1. ONLINE VIA AMAZON: Visit - https://a.co/8khEMT1 Our Amazon Wish List is stocked with different diaper and wipe options. All items ship Prime directly to our donation center - please select One Life Counseling (1033 Laurel Street, San Carlos, CA 94070) as the shipping location.
2. IN PERSON: Contact-free drop-off will be available from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 9th. A drop off bin will be located at the front of the San Carlos Youth Center (1001 Chestnut Street).
For more information, visit: bit.ly/yacdiaperdrive. If you have questions, please contact Caitlyn Matoso or Lora Simakova
San Carlos Youth Center Zoom Tuesdays
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].
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