SCC Weekly Newsletter: December 2 - 8, 2019
Yes We CAN! Charter Food Drive starts this week. See below for info.

Executive Director Search: Community input wanted. Upcoming meeting opportunities this week. See BOD section for more information.
Director's Spotlight On... Progress Reports
Whether you love them or hate them, understand them or find them baffling, I think we can agree that SCC progress reports are not like the report cards that most of us brought home as children. 
 
SCC progress reports are sent home three times a year (one week after the end of each trimester). These reports are an opportunity for educators to formally communicate learners' progress to date. While there are many informal opportunities throughout the year (parent emails, check-ins, impromptu meetings, for example), progress reports seem to take a special weight because of the formal, written format. I also think that most parents are anxious to get a summary of their child's individual academic, social, and emotional progress. 
 
Educators use both qualitative and quantitative data to understand and document your child's progress in their reports. They are assessing learners throughout the trimester using a variety of tools (in-class work and projects, content-area assessments, observations, etc.). The end of the trimester is not the only time assessments are used or reviewed; it is just a designated landmark to look at growth over time. Educators work hard to create reports that are informative, helpful, and insightful. Progress reports take a tremendous amount of time and energy, and educators take this responsibility very seriously. 
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While our progress reports probably do not look like report cards that you are used to, we believe that our reporting system provides you with higher-level insight and information about your child as a learner. In traditional report cards, children receive one grade for each subject area. With standards-based report cards, you see the key concepts and skills that your child is learning and their level of mastery of each area. Additionally, we feel that in approaching progress reporting in this way, we are emphasizing learning over achievement. While these two things are certainly not mutually exclusive, we are trying to shift the focus from getting the "best grades" to being a strong, deep thinker.
 
Progress reports were placed in your family folders before we left for Thanksgiving break. Middle school learners may have been handed their progress reports in class to be taken home. (It is possible that some grade levels opted for electronic copies only, and they should have notified you via class email lists.) If you need any help interpreting your child's progress report after you receive it, I encourage you to talk with your child's educator. I am happy to discuss them as well.
Board of Directors Update
Executive Director Search Update
The Board of Directors and the Executive Search Committee have begun working with Edgility to look for our next Executive Director. Edgility was on-site last week for a tour of the campus and to get a sense of our learning community on a typical school day. They then met with small groups of educators, staff and learners in focus groups to gain a better understanding of differing perspectives and needs of the Executive Director. 

We are asking for the community to provide input into this process in a variety of ways at this time.  

Survey: Please fill out this survey from Edgility to utilize in their preparation for the search.

Q&A: The BOD has currently scheduled 3 opportunities for the community to come and ask questions, provide input and discuss the process of the Executive Director search.  
  • Dec 3rd: 8:30-10am with Board Members at Melissa Riccio's house 
  • Dec 3rd: 5:30-7pm with Board Members at SCC
  • Dec 4th: 7:30-9pm with Edgility at SCC
Please RSVP for any of the above dates with this link. Depending on interest, future dates will be added.

Contact: If you have a question, concern or comment specifically regarding the Executive Director search, we have set up an anonymous survey to help gather information. A summary of the Survey Monkey results will be reviewed by the Executive Search committee and reported to the BOD during open session. The next scheduled Board meeting is Wednesday, December 11th at 7:30pm.

The BOD will continue to update the community as this process continues. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email the Board at board@scclc.net
Volunteer Corner
Melissa May , Volunteer Coordinator
Volunteer Help Wanted
Returning to SCC: The Variety Show -- where our students showcase their talents. This will be an amazing opportunity to bring our K-8 community together as an annual event again. This will be held in March - everything from singing, dancing, stand-up comedians, magicians and every talent in between. We will also have "grade" acts where students can perform with friends in a large group. All of these performances are voluntary. 

We will need lots of parent support to help the kids prepare acts and run the performance the night of the show. We will need sound engineering support, stage crew support, and parents in each grade level to team up and help teach a routine. The requirements are not huge, although a little creativity and patience come in handy! 

If anyone is interested and would like to join our Variety Show Team, please contact Christina DiLauro More details to come in January. 
Food Drive
Charter Food Drive -- Yes we CAN!
In December, Charter is once again hosting a food drive with Second Harvest Food Bank to help local families in need. For 2 weeks, Wednesday 12/4 through Wednesday 12/18, we will have 2 donation barrels in the front office and 1 in Educare. 

The Goal: Our school goal is to donate 500 pounds of food for local families in need! We're going to do this by asking families to donate ( 3 cans per kid suggested) non-perishable nutritious food items. So line up the kids, stick a few cans in their backpacks, and let's do this! Any questions, please email Jen Berman.
Learner Services Update
Laura McNabb , Director of Learner Services and Assistant Director
Thinking strategically about how we identify learners who need additional support is as important as the support we provide. The Learner Services (LS) Team came together early in the year to collaborate about how to streamline the process, and created a Learner Support Team Intake Form

This form allows for educators to communicate about a variety of concerns that may be impacting a learner’s ability to access his/her education. The form prompts educators to identify areas of concern and duration/outcomes for classroom interventions they have tried. Educators are also asked to provide pertinent academic and behavioral data. 

After a form is received and reviewed, relevant collaborators are identified. Sometimes I consult directly with a Specialist and other times we review the concerns as a team during our biweekly meetings. Regardless of how the request is reviewed, a plan is drafted with specific interventions, duration of intervention and expected outcomes. The plan is conveyed to all necessary stakeholders, including parents. After a set duration passes, the team determines if the interventions alleviated the concerns or if the level of intervention support needs to be escalated. 

As with all new systems, ironing out the kinks is part of R&D.  We appreciate and value feedback and the grace to make changes as we learn from experience. 
Educare Happenings
Katie Hall & Desi Smith , Co-Directors of Educare
Winter Afterschool Enrichments Registration is Open!
Classes begin January 13th and spots are filling up fast. For further information, click here.

January Special Days
Educare is open for a Music and Dance day on Thursday, January 2nd. On Friday, January 3rd, we will be taking a trip to Laurel Street Arts with a limit of 20 learners. Early Bird pricing is $85/learner. The price will go up to $100/learner Friday (Dec 20th) at 12:01 PM. For more information please click HERE. Registration for both Special Days is via the Flex Plan calendar on EZChildTrack. Space is limited for January 3rd, so get your registrations in before it's too late!

Flex Plan Reminders
For families that regularly use Flex Plan care, please be sure to check your Calendars ASAP. Most registrations only went out as far as Thanksgiving Break and need to be updated. On a similar note, the Flex Plan Calendar has now been opened through Conference Week! 
Parent Education
Lorea Martinez , Parent Ed Liaison
Fights among siblings is probably the focus of many parenting conversations: “Why do they bicker all the time? Can’t they just get along?” According to Jennifer Miller, Family SEL Consultant, there are many small things that parents can do to reduce the fighting and encourage siblings to be kind to one another. It starts with noticing when they are getting along and playing well together, and making a point to tell them what you saw. It also requires that you regularly discuss gratitude to develop a grateful mindset in your children. For more tips to help siblings get along, read Jennifer’s great article .

Coming up this week, you can learn about how to respond to your teen (is it depression or just moodiness?) on Tuesday. On Wednesday, find out about strength-based parenting strategies at a parent ed night hosted by SCSD/PTACC. For details and more parent ed events, click on the button below. Happy Parenting!
Hot Lunch Information
Akash Bijlani , Hot Lunch Coordinator
The ChoiceLunch calendar is open through the holiday break! There are many new entree and salad options including: 
  • Mini pancakes 
  • Meatless chik’n nuggets 
  • Chicken pesto pizza pocket
  • BBQ chicken pizza pocket
  • Buttered tortellini
  • Gluten-free bacon, egg, and cheese burrito
Don’t forget about favorites including Jamba Juice and New York Pizza. Don’t wait - get your orders in. 

Just another reminder that we are well below our ordering average this year compared to last. If we don’t get our volumes up, ChoiceLunch may decide to drop us as a customer next year. So, please, make the holiday season a bit easier and order hot lunch!
Please click on the link to order.
SCEF Update
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. 

Cheers and a big congratulations to our 2019 Honorary Service Award recipients: Karsten and Carolyn Iwers, Joe Murphy, Mary Wong and SCC’s Rachel Cotton. Read more about their longstanding commitment to SCEF here.
Greater San Carlos Community Information
Click the BLUE button below to read about the Parcel Tax, Sequoia Healthcare District's Fall Newsletter, Girl Scout Toy Drive, Nutcracker Performances, & more!
Appreciations
  • Thanks to Kate Stromberg, Katherine Sherman, Kira Sabot, Melissa Riccio, Paige Scott-Sarmiento, Shibani Joshi, Shira Ross and Yuriko Hazlehurst for chaperoning our field trip to the Sanchez Adobe. We appreciate your willingness to jump in and lead the activities!
  • Thanks to the Radack, Freudenthal, Mitchell, and Riccio families who volunteered to care for our guinea pigs and chickens over the break.
  • Thank you to Becky Cook and the Cook Family for hosting the PRT meeting!
  • Thank you to all who attended the PRT Meeting. Great updates and dialogue! We appreciate everyone’s involvement.
Quick Links
Have a great week!
-The Newsletter Team at newsletter@scclc.net