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Superintendent's Letter - November 2016

Dear SMFCSD Community,

Traditionally, this is a time when we pause to consider all that we are thankful for and

to spend special moments with our family and friends. I know that I continue to be

thankful for the supportive communities that I serve as your Superintendent. Every

day I appreciate hearing stories of generosity of spirit and genuine caring for one

another.

We are excited about the acquisition of property and the new elementary school in

Foster City! We appreciate the generous support of our community and are excited

to move on to the next stage of planning and engagement for the design of the new

school. We invite you to join us for our upcoming Community Information Meetings,

see dates below.

School measures were well supported throughout California during this recent

election. Propositions 51 and 55 will positively impact our district.

At the same time, I know that following the election many of you expressed concern

about the future of our country. Whether we disagree with the outcome of the

election or support it, we are fortunate to live in a democracy where we can have

these conversations. And…it is through education that we can better understand our

past and address the issues of today and the future.

I also know that some of our children expressed fear about their future to the staff in

our schools. Please know that our staff will continue to assure our students that we

care for all of our families. In fact, we teach our students how to understand each

other, how to solve conflicts and how to live with diverse and sometimes conflicting

ideologies every day. We will continue to work together to ensure that our students

are safe and welcome at school.

Even though we cannot always control what is going on in the larger world around

us, we can define our own school and our own community. We have always been a

special, caring district and we will continue this proud tradition.

With best wishes this Thanksgiving,

Joan Rosas, Ed.D. Superintendent

New Foster City Elementary School Community Information Meetings

The San Mateo-Foster City School District is

pleased to announce that at its Thursday,

November 3, 2016 meeting the School Board of

Trustees unanimously approved an agreement to

purchase a fourth elementary school in Foster City

on the Charter Square Shopping Center site.

The District will hold Community Information Meetings to engage community members, parents

Upcoming Events

November 16

New FC School

Community Meeting

7:00 pm - Audubon

November 17

Board Meeting 7:00

pm - District Office

November 23-25

Thanksgiving Holiday

and staff in the design of the new school. These

meetings will be held from 7:00-8:00 pm on the

following dates:

Wednesday, November 16

Audubon Elementary School

841 Gull Avenue, Foster City

Tuesday, November 29

Foster City Elementary School

461 Beach Park Blvd, Foster City

Wednesday, November 30

SMFCSD District Office

1170 Chess Drive, Foster City

- No School

November 29

New FC School

Community Info

Meeting 7:00 pm -

Foster City Elem.

November 30

New FC School

Community Info

Meeting 7:00 pm -

District Office

December 1

Kindergarten/TK Info

Meetings 9:00 am,

12:00 pm & 6:00 pm -

Bayside Performing

Arts Center

December 8

Board Meeting 7:00

pm - District Office

December 19-January 9

Winter Break - No

School

It's Time to Register for Kindergarten, Are You Ready?

The SMFCSD will hold Kindergarten & Transitional Kindergarten Information Meetings on Thursday, December 1st at the Bayside Performing Arts Center -

2025 Kehoe Drive, San Mateo. Three sessions will be offered from 9:00-10:30 am,

12:00-1:30 pm or 6:00-7:30 pm. Parents of incoming Kindergarten and Transitional

Kindergarten (TK) students will learn more about new student registration, our

Magnet Schools/Programs, and school transfer options.

For the 2017-2018 school year, students are eligible to enter:

• Kindergarten if they have reached 5 years of age on or before September 1,

2017

• Transitional Kindergarten if they have reached 5 years of age on or

between September 2 – December 2, 2017

• Students who do not turn 5 by December 2, 2017 are not eligible to enroll in

school for the 2016-2017 school year

For more information see the Student Registration & Enrollment pages of the SMFCSD

website. To learn more about our District Magnet Schools & Programs, please see

the Student Transfers & School Choice page for more information.

Too Stressed to Think? Raising Kind, Resilient Kids in the Digital Age:

Parent Workshop for Parents of Students 5th – 8th Grades

Wednesday, November 30th • 6:00 PM, Bayside Theater, 2025 Kehoe Ave, San Mateo, CA

Through sponsorship of the Peninsula Health Care District, award-winning author

and educator, Annie Fox, will lead a workshop for parents of SMFCSD 5th–8th grade

students on Wednesday, November 30th, at 6:00 pm at the Bayside Theater in San

Mateo. Annie Fox helps parents clarify their goals for their children to support

healthy social/emotional development in this age of technology and pressure to

succeed. This event is a great opportunity for parents and guardians to:

• Better understand the psychological/ emotional needs of youth

• Explore the role that pressure and stress plays students’ academic and social

success

• Learn to parent more calmly and effectively

• Refine long-range parenting objectives

• Help kids in ways that best support good choices, online and off

Simultaneous Spanish language translation will be provided.

Annie Fox is sharing strategies for dealing with stress and

making good choices with middle school students and their

parents/guardians throughout the district. STEM students

will attend assemblies during the school day on November 30th. Abbott Middle School stress assemblies and parent

workshop were held on October 17th and dates for

assemblies/workshops for Borel and Bowditch will be

announced. Annie Fox’s books include Teaching Kids to Be Good People, the Middle School Confidential™ book and app series, and The Girls’ Q&A Book on Friendship. Learn more about Annie at www.anniefox.com.

Head Lice - Get the Facts!

It’s that time of year where, once again, we are seeing increasing numbers of students with lice and nits. Please remember that this is not a health issue so much as a nuisance issue. Please examine your child’s head, as well as all members of your household, using the information given below to help identify lice. Anyone can get head lice. They are most common in young school-age children, but teens and adults can have it as well. What to Look For:

• Nits on the hair shaft. Nits are the eggs which are oval, whitish-gray objects glued to the side of the hair shaft. Nits are most often found near the nape of the neck, behind the ears, and at the crown.

• Lice in the hair. Lice are usually brown, but can vary in color. They are the size of a sesame seed. They move quickly and keep out of the light.

ALL NITS MUST BE REMOVED BEFORE A CHILD RETURNS TO SCHOOL For more information regarding lice please visit the links below: A Parents Guide to Head Lice A Parents Guide to Head Lice - Spanish

Polite Pirates at LEAD

With a focus on Literacy, LEAD Elementary scholars in Ms. Twomey’s first grade

class held a poster contest based on the book Are Pirates Polite? by David

Catrow. Scholastic Magazine sponsored the contest which asked primary classes in

schools across the country to create a poster featuring students’ favorite “polite”

words and illustrations of good manners in action.

Upon beginning the project, Ms. Twomey could never have imagined what a

POSITIVE affect it would have on her students. The 25 first grade POLITE

PIRATES learned so much more than just how to be polite. They learned the craft of

an amazing author and illustrator, the importance of trying ones’ best, and the power

of teamwork. They celebrated with a Pirate Themed Party at the end with special

guests and readings from their poster and the book.

No matter what the outcome of the contest is, Ms. Twomey’s first graders are

WINNERS! Thank you Ms. Twomey, PTA Moms, and David Catrow for inspiring a

class of literate and well informed and polite pirates!

United Nations Meet at the Foster City Children's Annex

On Friday, October 21st, the Foster City Children’s Annex presented their version

of United Nations Day. Students worked in groups and shared 4-5 facts about a

country they collectively chose that is a member of the United Nations (UN). Groups

chose to do a dance, sing part of a song, wear ethnic clothing, speak a short phrase

in a country’s native tongue, or show an item or souvenir that came from their

selected country. Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten students were the

special guests of the day.

This performance/activity initiated the Foster City Annex's launch into other

scheduled performances that will follow in upcoming months of the school

year. After the performance, ethnic foods were shared from some of the countries

presented. Lots of fun and learning was had by all!

International Walk-to-School Day Many SMFCSD schools celebrated International Walk to School Day on October 5th

to promote the environmental, health, and safety benefits of students walking to

school. Congratulations to Ms. Lovelady’s 2nd grade class at Audubon Elementary for being the District’s overall Walk and Roll Champion Class, with 79%

of the students walking or biking to school!

Overall, over 4,500 students in San Mateo County chose an active mode of

transportation to school on International Walk to School Day. If your family needs to

drive to school due to scheduling or distance, please consider parking several blocks

from school and having some quality time walking with your child. It is an opportunity

to get you and your child moving, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and make the

route to school safer for all by reducing traffic near schools.

Samaritan House Holiday Program During the holidays, Samaritan House goes the extra mile to make sure every family

can enjoy quality family meals together. Last Saturday, Samaritan House kicked off

the holidays with their first Holiday Program Food Distribution of the year. They gave

out fresh food, including turkeys, to hundreds of families – and they have many more

Holiday Program Events to come!

If you’d like to help make the holidays extra special for those in need,

visit http://volunteer.samaritanhousesanmateo.org/samaritan-house-holiday-program/ to find

out how you can help too. If your family is in need of assistance, please call 650-

347-3648 to sign up for the Holiday Program today!

Be An Agent of Change

Make your end-of-year donation to the San Mateo-Foster City Education Foundation

at smfcedfund.org. Willing to volunteer? We have many opportunities for you to get

involved!

Do you miss teaching the Art in Action Van Gogh Sunflower lesson? Would you like

the chance to work with 3rd graders as they create their own Joan Miro inspired

collage? The Education Foundation needs docents to teach Art in Action lessons in

a couple district classrooms. Interested in finding out

more? Email volunteer@smfcedfund.org for general or AiA docent volunteering

opportunities.

Congratulations to our 6th, 7th and 8th grade cross country, golf, flag football and

volleyball athletes! Thank you to all of the coaches, parents and staff who made this

possible. Look for 7th and 8th grade basketball games beginning in late

November. Cheer on your favorite team!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Colleen Sullivan

president@smfcedfund.org

School Board Meeting Agenda and Summaries

Review upcoming Board of Trustee Meeting agendas and previous meeting

summaries - Read More... All Board Meetings are open to the public and held at the

San Mateo-Foster City School District Office - 1170 Chess Drive, Foster

City. Meetings begin at 7:00 pm and Community members are encouraged to

attend.

2016-2017 San Mateo-Foster City School District Calendar

• August 17 - First Day of School

• September 5 - Labor Day Holiday

• October 24-31 - Fall Break

• November 11 - Veteran's Day Holiday

• November 23-25 - Thanksgiving Break

• December 19-January 9 - Winter Break

• January 16 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday

• February 20-21 - President's Day Holiday

• April 3-7 - Spring Break

• May 29 - Memorial Day Holiday

• June 14 - Last Day of School

2016-2017 SMFCSD Student Calendar - pdf version

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Our mailing address is: San Mateo-Foster City School District

1170 Chess Drive

Foster City, CA 94404

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