Principal's Message
June 1st, 2020
I have spoken to many of our students these past few weeks, and one thing that has come through in all of these conversations is that our kids are getting used to disappointment. It always surprises me how resilient kids can be. While there is sadness and some discouragement, there is also acceptance of our current situation.
There has been a great deal of conversation around events at school being cancelled, and now that summer break is on the horizon, now summer plans are in jeopardy. Plans may change or get cancelled completely. I worry about the amount of grief our kids can take.
I thought I should share some resources about how to talk to your children about the disappointments that have come with Coronavirus. Like with everything else, honesty is the best policy; at the same time, we cannot be harsh. These articles help to map out how to strike a balance with our children, letting them know exactly what is going on in their world while providing them the kind of support they need.
I have found these articles helpful in managing my own sense of loss throughout all of this. As parents and educators, we need to model to our children how to deal with a world changing beneath our feet. My hope is that these articles will at the very least, give us some direction in which way to turn.
https://reformjudaism.org/blog/2020/04/30/how-talk-your-kids-about-canceled-summer-plans
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/parenting/coronavirus-kids-events-cancelled.html
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HLcfKiiXQg9bQb4iMl-NVR1qYlhK3555IAFvl6YJP5E/edit?usp=sharing
On another note:
One of our former students, looking back at his time at Central, wanted to highlight how impressive our teachers are, and how formative they have been his development. Andrew Mancini, now a Junior at Sequoia HS, created this podcast in which he interviews teachers who have made a lasting impression on their students. His first installation is with music teachers. Andrew does an amazing job asking questions that get at the heart of what makes a great teacher. This is worth a listen, if for nothing else, to bear witness to how lucky San Carlos is to have such amazing educators.
Tom Domer
Principal
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From Your Teachers - One to Grow On
As the year winds down, make sure to say thank you to your teachers for everything they have done for you this year. Teachers had to pivot to Distance Learning with no time to prepare, no training and with no past experience. They also miss their students tremendously. Our teachers enjoy seeing their students everyday. Teaching without contact with students has been difficult. Please try to acknowledge all they have done.
Keep in mind, school is still in session until June 11th, 2020. Please use the week of June 8th-11th to contact you teachers, check Google Classroom and check email. We still have a lot to do to wrap up the school year before summer break begins.
8th graders who purchased 3 non-fiction novels this year; we are taking book donations. If you would like to donate books, please bring them to school during your assigned times.
District News
Upcoming School Board Meetings - Honoring Retirees and Budget
The SCSD Board of Trustees will be honoring our retiring staff members at the next Board meeting Thursday, June 4, 7:00 pm. This long standing tradition is especially important this year, given that traditional celebrations are an impossibility at this point.
The Board had a presentation on the District's third interim budget at their May 28 meeting - view the presentation here. On June 4, the Board will also be discussing the draft budget for next school year which will include staffing and program reductions of approximately $2,000,000 ($2M) due to the COVID-19 crisis and revenue losses from this year and next. Even with those reductions, the draft budget will likely not meet the necessary State reserve requirements due to a need to address an approximate $3,000,000 ($3M) million shortfall due to additional State funding cuts of 10%. You can watch the meeting via YouTube here. You can share a public comment by sending an email to [email protected].
SCEF
Thank you to everyone who has helped to Make it Happen in May! We are getting close to meeting our $2.8M fundraising goal for the 2020-21 school year. In these unprecedented times with looming budget challenges, SCEF is committed to continuing it’s fundraising efforts to help our schools. The anticipated reductions in California State Funding will be deeply and swiftly felt without the financial support of our community. Every donation will make a difference in the lives of our students.
Let’s see how far we can go together.
Please donate today online at https://www.scefkids.org/donate/.
Learn more about budget cuts to California public school funding at http://www.scefkids.org/news/.
Community Partners
In Celebration of Pride Month, Parks and Recreation is challenging the San Carlos community to "Spread the Rainbow" for the month of June!
Create a rainbow and place it in your front window, take a photo and use the hashtag #spreadtherainbow to celebrate the diversity of San Carlos and the pride we have for our community.
How to participate:
- Create or print out a rainbow and hang it in the front window of your home or business for the month of June.
- Encourage your neighbors to join in on the fun!
- Explore your neighborhood, while practicing social distancing, and count how many rainbows you can find.
- Use our rainbow tracker to keep track of how many rainbows you spot.
- Make sure to take photos during your hunt, use #spreadtherainbow and tag us @scparksandrec.
- For a rainbow template and more info, visit cityofsancarlos.org/spreadtherainbow.
Thanks for helping to celebrate diversity in the City of Good Living!
Parent Education Series - Virtual Parent Education Events
The Parent Education Series is a leading provider of high-quality education for parents, students, educators, and community members. The organization has reached over 70,000 attendees on critical issues-mental health, substance use, social media, and more-that impact the health, safety, and well-being of children and teens.
Check out the Parent Education Series video library of parent education workshops and presentations here
Learn more on the Sequoia High School Website
Census 2020
Our county is unique in that we have 20 incorporated cities + lots of unincorporated areas as well. Together in @sanmateoco #EveryoneCounts on the #2020Census
Family Resources
Safe Routes to School Resources
The San Mateo County Office of Education Safe Routes to School has put together a resource page for families. Visit the page to find ideas for kids to remain safe and active when walking and rolling.
Free Live Stream Access to View ANGST Documentary
Sequoia Healthcare District is offering free live streaming access to the documentary ANGST: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety. ANGST features candid interviews with kids and young adults who suffer, or have suffered, from anxiety and what they’ve learned about it. The film includes discussions with mental health experts about the causes of anxiety and its sociological effects, as well as help, resources, and tools. More information can be found here.