Principal's Message
January 14, 2019
I have been reading Angela Duckworth’s book Grit - The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Her research around grit is very inspiring. I like the idea that success is predicated more on perseverance than any innate talents we may possess. What emerged from her research was something she calls the “Grit Scale” which measures the extent to which a person approaches life with grit. It is not surprising that people who scored the highest on the grit scale were also some of the most successful people in their chosen fields.
As parents and educators, it is our job is help foster grit, passion and perseverance among our children. Angela Duckworth states that the most common question she gets is, “What can I do to encourage grit in the people I care for?” I took a look into Psychology Today to see what they say about how to strengthening grit among children. They recommend 12 things we can do for our children, listed below. If you would like to read further, I have included a link to the article, 12 Ways to Raise a Competent, Confident Child with Grit.
1. Stop controlling and start coaching.
2. Remember that perfection is not the goal.
3. Let him try to do it himself from the earliest age.
4. Help her build confidence by tackling manageable challenges.
5. Don’t set him up for failure.
6. Encourage, Encourage, Encourage. And teach self-encouragement.
7. Instead of evaluating, describe and empathize.
8. Focus on effort, not results.
9. Model positive self-talk.
10. Don't be afraid of your child's feelings
11. Don't set your child up for extra frustration.
12. Affirm your child’s ability to impact the world.
I have written a lot about the ways in which we can work towards excellence. There are a lot of recurring themes in the ways in which we accomplish difficult things and the way in which we can teach our children how to do the same. We all make mistakes and we all fail. We have also seen our children give up easily when things get hard. Maybe there is something we can do about that when it happens. I am reminded of the Growth Mindset that we have worked hard to instill in our students. Growth Mindset and Grit have many of the same ideas and strategies. If you have a few minutes listen to Angela Duckworth’s Ted talk on Grit.
Tom Domer
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Lunch Time Help:
Thanks so much to those parents who have volunteered to help supervise during lunch. It's great to have extra adult eyes on campus and we've heard a lot of feedback from them about how much they enjoy seeing what goes on during lunch. If you'd like to volunteer to come in (you're welcome to come just once or as often as you'd like), please sign up. Fall trimester sign-ups can be found here. Winter trimester sign-ups can be found here. We'll send out a new list for spring in 2019.
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Parent Support Group
We are pleased to announce this great opportunity to hone your parenting skills and to share your parenting wisdom with fellow parent. Please click this link for more details.
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Mustang Roundup
Science Fair Registration and Workshop
Interested in participating in this year’s Science Fair. It’s not too late. Registration is still open at https://goo.gl/forms/sBvkJKPA42JUdpuh1. The 23rd Annual Science fair will be held January 26th. More information can be found here
The final workshop to receive feedback and suggestions on projects will be held at the CMS/Arroyo Library at 7:00pm on January 16th. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
ROPES Presentations are Coming and Judges Are Needed
We are looking for parents and community member that would like to serve as a judge for the ROPES (Rite of Passage Experiences). ROPES are challenging projects that 4th, 6th and 8th grade students have completed which allow them to learn about their world and themselves in deeper but fun way.
There are 3 opportunities to judge:
- Monday, February 4th, 6:00PM – 8:30PM (arrive at 5:30PM)
- Tuesday, February 5th, 6:00PM – 8:30PM (arrive at 5:30PM)
- Wednesday, February 6th, 6:00PM – 8:30PM (arrive at 5:30PM)
We would not be able to maintain this valuable program without the support of our community. We are asking for you to join district staff and other community members by volunteering to serve as a judge on one of our judges panels. Typically we have two to three judges per room and they judge four to six student presentations in an evening.
I hope that you will be able to join us in this worthwhile event. If you are able to judge on any of those times, please contact Christina Carrier either via email at [email protected] or by phone at 650-590-5935.
Great Parent Education Opportunities for YOU!
We have arranged several outstanding opportunities for parent education in 2019, some beginning next week! All SCSD events are free, thanks to funding from our PTA Coordinating Council and support from SCEF and the Sequoia Healthcare District, so please share this with your friends who may also be interested.
6th Grade Basketball Tryouts Coming Jan 22 and Jan 23
Participating in school sports is a great way to get exercise, build new skills and make good friends. Our Athletic Directors and coaches are all trained and experienced employees of Legarza Sports. If your child is interested in participating, log on to https://www.scsdsports.org/winter and click on the appropriate button for your child's school and gender, then follow the links to register and find tryout times.
Central Middle School Tryouts- All tryouts will take place in the Main Gym at Central.
- Tuesday, January 22 - Girls will tryout 3:30-4:15pm and boys will tryout from 4:15-5:00pm.
- Wednesday, January 23 - Boys will tryout 2:00-2:45pm and girls will tryout 2:45-3:30pm.
SCSD Athletics
Please use the DISTRICT LINK https://www.scsdsports.org for information on SCSD Athletics. Call 415-334-3333 or email [email protected] with any questions.
SCEF
You Are Invited to the Party of the Year!
Join parents across the district and support the amazing programs that SCEF funds!
SCEF Starlight Gala is a fabulous night of dinner and dancing on March 9, 2019 at the Sharon Heights Country Club.
Tickets are available now! Don’t miss out, get yours at: www.scefkids.org/events
Thank You Dr. Hsu!
A BIG shout out to Dr. Frank Hsu, DDS who has joined SCEF to support our schools as our exclusive general dentistry sponsor.
Community Partners
Don't Miss SCCT/San Carlos School District's Mary Poppins Jr.!
Treat the family to two hours of magical delight this month with a performance of MARY POPPINS JR.! Featuring a talented cast of 4th-8th graders from the San Carlos School District, this shortened version of the delightful Broadway hit runs January 24-27 in Mustang Hall on the Central Middle School Campus. The annual SCSD musical is always a sell-out so reserve your seats early at www.SanCarlosChildrensTheater.com. You're going to love it!
Production: Mary Poppins JR.
Showtimes: January 24-27 7 pm Thurs-Sat / 1 pm Sat & Sun.
Venue: Mustang Hall, 828 Chestnut St., San Carlos
Ticket link: https://www.sancarloschildrenstheater.com/tickets
High School Happenings
Sequoia High School
International Baccalaureate (IB) Informational Meeting
January 15, 2018 - 6:00 PM - Carrington Hall (Spanish Presentation @ College Career Center)
Presentation from IB Program Coordinator about IB: an honors program that challenges students to reach their fullest academic potential, while developing both as students and global citizens
See sample course loads for 9th-12th grades
Campus Tours
November 10, 2018 and January 26, 2019, Front of School
Approximately 30 minute tours led by current Sequoia Leadership students
Tours will depart between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM. No advanced sign-ups necessary
Highlights points of interest on campus and provides answers to frequently asked questions
Performing Arts
Fall Musical The Drowsy Chaperone: November 10, 11, 16 and 17 @ Carrington Hall
Spring Play The Children's Hour: March 8, 9, & 10, 2019 @ Carrington Hall
Fall Concert: October 23 @ Carrington Hall (7:00 pm)
Open House
Thursday, March 28, 2019 -7:00-8:30 PM
Open to Current and Prospective Students
Sequoia Day/Sequoia Stampede
Saturday, April 13, 2019 (9:00 AM)
Freshman Welcome Night
Wednesday, April 25 @ MPR 6:30-8:30 PM
Also, for more information about Sequoia and all of our programs, please visit our website at http://www.sequoiahs.org/index.html
Carlmont High School
Attached please find the October Carlmont Corner & a detailed flyer about Shadowing at Carlmont. Shadow registration will be available through our website beginning on October 8th.
http://www.carlmonths.org/Parents/8th-Grade-Transition/index.html
INFORMATION
• Carlmont High School website: http://carlmonths.org/
• Sequoia Union High School District website: http://www.seq.org/
MIDDLE SCHOOL LIAISONS
• Central, Charter, & Tierra Linda: Chris Cook [email protected]
• Nesbit, Ralston & Non-Feeder: Carol Castro [email protected]
• For non-feeder school ONLY: email [email protected] to join mailing list
Summit/Everest High School
For more information go to summitps.org
Design Tech High School
http://www.designtechhighschool.org/