Blue Oaks Families,
What a great response to the Blue Oaks Community Survey! Thank you for taking the time to fill it out. I have read each and every comment and I value your feedback. Your comments will provide me baseline data so I can create goals that will improve areas such as school safety, communication and extracurricular actives.
As a reminder, yearbooks are now on sale! Make sure to order yours now and mark your calendars for our Pancake Breakfast (3/26) and open house (3/30).
We had so much happening this weekend. We had the pleasure of having Boy Scout Troop 1 come and paint a map of the USA on the upper playground. They did such a wonderful job and it will be a great addition to our playground. We also had the PTC come and spruce up the student bathroom stalls. Take a look at the pictures below.
During our monthly Walk to School Wednesdays, our PTC will be in the front of the school to recruit for next year. Coffee and donuts will be available so please come by and say hi!
I wanted to remind you that California will be transitioning its mask mandate from required to strongly recommended after March 11. This means that beginning on Monday, March 14, students and staff will no longer be required to wear a mask indoors while at school.
With this change, it is important for parents and students to discuss their family’s expectations for mask-wearing at school. We ask for your partnership in also reminding students to respect the choices of others, even when they differ from their own. No student or staff member should endure criticism or mistreatment for their choice to wear or not wear a mask at school.
In addition, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has updated its quarantine, isolation, and positive case tracking recommendations to reflect this update in masking.
We will continue to track reported positive cases and provide daily updates to our COVID-19 Dashboard.
If your student exhibits COVID-related symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, please continue to have them stay home and follow current isolation protocols.
Regardless of vaccination status, students exposed to a COVID-positive person at school may continue attending in-person learning and participate in extracurricular activities unless they develop symptoms or test positive for COVID-19.
It is strongly recommended that individuals exposed to COVID-19 in a school setting test 3-5 days after the last exposure and wear a well-fitting mask, especially indoors, for ten days.
Please refer to our updated Frequently Asked Questions for further details regarding this change and all other current COVID protocols.
Thank you,
Mrs. Cumbra
School Beautification Project
Thank you to those of you that came and participated in the school beautification project. I can’t wait to see the students’ faces on Monday. A huge shout out to our PTC to make this event happen! The bathrooms look beautiful!
Eagle Scout Project lead by Nick Campbell:
The end of the school year is steadily approaching, and we are looking forward to celebrating the end of elementary school, with the class of 2022, in a very special way... The Annual Blue Oaks Fifth-Grade Slideshow! As you can imagine, this tradition requires a lot of work and we need your help! Luckily, your job is relatively easy, but requires close attention to the dates and details listed below. Thank you in advance for your efforts.
We are requesting from 5th grade students only:
Kindergarten AND fifth grade photo from each student by tomorrow Monday, MARCH 14th. Please e-mail these photos to Mr. O'Connor at doconnor@rcsdk8.org. The pictures can be school photos, sport shots, or candids of your child. We'd like the pictures to be solely of your child (no family/friend photos).
Be sure to include the student’s full name and teacher’s name in your e-mail.
If you do not have digital photos, simply snap a shot of a physical portrait with your smartphone, attach it to an email, and, viola! Please DO NOT send in actual photographs; digital photos only.
Please make sure the file that you attach to the email is a high quality (large file) JPEG not a PDF. It is best if you name your files with the following format...
"KinderSamSmith.jpg" & "5SamSmith.jpg" (grade Kinder or 5, first and last name of student).
Thank you for your help in honoring our big Bears! If you have any questions, please e-mail Mr. O'Connor at the e-mail address above.
Bears on the Run
We have had a great turn out and I hope the students are enjoying their time being active and having fun.
What: Afterschool Supervision
When: Tuesday and Thursday
Where: Tuesday at the primary parking lot entrance
Thursday at the upper parking lot crosswalk
Time: 2:50- 3:05 pm (15 minutes)
If you are interested, please contact myself ncumbra@rcsdk8.org or Susan Wells swells@rcsdk8.org or Tessa D’Angelo tdangelo@rcsdk8.org
WATCH DOGS
Watch DOG this week!
If you are NOT vaccinated and you would like to continue to volunteer as a Category I or Category II volunteer, you MUST show proof of a negative COVID test within 6 days of being on campus. Our school secretaries will ask for proof of this requirement upon you signing in.
Volunteer Online Link: https://www.rcsdk8.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/volunteer_application_-_category_ii_-_fillable._1.pdf
Volunteer Live Scan Link: https://www.rcsdk8.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/request_for_live_scan_form_-_4.2019.pdf
Current TB clearance, (good for four years from the date issued), can be submitted to the school site.
Here is the link to purchase your shirt: https://dadsofgreatstudents.com/general/cotton-short-sleeve-t-shirt.html
As a Reminder- Pick Up/Drop Off
Traffic in and around Blue Oaks School presents the number one
safety hazard to children and adults!
We request your cooperation.
Speed Limit- It is very important to drive slow when picking up or dropping off your student. Many families are driving fast through the crosswalks, causing students and families to be alarmed. Please be respectful of all our students and community and drive slow!
SUPERVISION- Supervision doesn't start until 8:25. We ask that you do not drop off you student before 8:25. We have recently had a few student being dropped off before 8:25 which is not safe. Please plan accordingly so that your child can be at school at 8:25.
The WEST PARKING LOT - in front of the Kindergarten wing - is designated for drop-off and pick-up of transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, first and second grade students by private vehicle, only. Watch for children! Children may not go into parking lots unless they are with an adult. All students entering the west side parking lot must use the crosswalk on Halesworth. DO NOT stop or park your vehicle except in a designated parking spot. Remain in your car when at the yellow curb and pull all the way up to the end of the yellow curb.
The DROP-OFF/PICK-UP AREA in front of the Multi-Use Room is for school buses and daycare agencies only. Please do not drop off or pick up students on Horncastle Ave. There is no supervision.
The EAST PARKING LOT – in front of the Adventure Club and the upper grades playground is designated for drop-off and pick-up of third, fourth and fifth grade students by private vehicle, only. There is no crosswalk in this parking lot. Children may not cross or enter the parking lot unless accompanied by an adult. DO NOT stop or park your vehicle except in a designated parking spot. Remain in your car when at the yellow curb.
NEVER LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE UNATTENDED IN THE DROP-OFF/PICK-UP ZONES.
If you wish to park your car, kindly pull into a designated parking space.
Thank you for respecting the privacy and property rights of residents on streets adjacent to school.
We request that you walk your child/children to school whenever possible to cut down on traffic and pollution, promote healthy life habits and enhance the safety of all.
PTC
Blue Oaks School has a FANTASTIC Parent-Teacher Club (PTC) that supports our students in a variety of ways. We hope you will join the PTC and play an active role in making this your child’s best school year ever! PTC meetings are held monthly and last approximately 60 minutes. Meetings are scheduled on Thursday nights. Watch the school and PTC bulletins for meeting dates and times and for information about exciting, PTC sponsored events.
Join us for our 12th Annual Pancake Breakfast on March 26th where there will be teachers flipping pancakes, free prizes, a silent auction and more! Purchase tickets at http://www.blueoaksptc.com/pancakes/
Pancake Breakfast cannot happen without our wonderful volunteers. Please sign up here to pitch in: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D4CA8AD28A4FE3-pancake
Yearbooks and dedications are on sale! Purchase them at http://www.blueoaksptc.com/yearbook/
The Spring Book Fair will be 3/28-4/1. Check out the details here: http://www.blueoaksptc.com/bookfair/
We will be in great need of parents to fill important PTC board and committee positions next year. Please read here for position descriptions. If you are interested, please email Erin Poppelreiter at president@blueoaksptc.com.
WALK TO SCHOOL WEDNESDAY!
*Next Walk to School: WEDNESDAY March. 16th*
If you live too far to walk, we encourage you to park in the surrounding neighborhood and walk in from there. Two student council representatives will be manning each gate to pass out stickers to those students who participated in Walk to School Wednesday. We look forward to seeing our Bears put on their walking shoes and help to create a cleaner environment.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
Each month, we review our school data to focus on areas of improvement. Currently, physical aggression is a major area of concern and many students have physical altercations at recess. Many times students get upset with others during games such as basketball, soccer and just on the blacktop in general. I have noticed that students forget to use their words, name their feelings, and calm down but instead some of them become physical with each other, resulting in an office visit and parents being contacted.
Please remind your student that school and recess should be fun! And they have learned many strategies through our Second Step curriculum that can be used during times of frustration. We also have many yard duties (pictured below) outside and students need to go to them if they are struggling with a peer. Please remind your student to use strategies they have learned when they become frustrated.
Did you know we have 11 areas around our school with specific
expectations on how to be safe, be respectful and be responsible? Take a moment to review these expectations with your student.
Second Step
Second Step is our evidence-based social emotional curriculum that all our classes use on a daily basis to help teach empathy and problem-solving skills in a holistic integrated way. For the next 10 weeks, all our students will be focusing on problem solving. Please check in with your student and be sure to ask them what they are learning and help them role play and practice. The more practice they get, the better they will be. Here is a video that you can watch and review.
TK:Joining in with Play, Saying the Problem, Thinking of Solutions, Speaking Assertively
Transitioning to Kindergarten: Learning in K, Riding the K bus, Making New Friends in Kindergarten
K: Inviting to Play, Fair Ways to Play, Having Fun w/Our Friends Handling Having Things Taken Away, Handling Name-Calling, Reviewing Second Step Skills
1: Solving Prob, Part 1, Solving Prob, Part 2, Fair Ways to Play,20. Inviting to Join in, Handling Name-Calling, Reviewing SS Skills
2: Solving Prob, Part 1, Solving Prob, Part2, Taking Responsibility, Responding to Playground Exclusion, Playing Fairly on Playground, Reviewing SS Skills
3: Solving Prob, Part1, Solving Prob, Part2, Solving Classroom Problems,Solving Peer Exclusion Problems, Dealing with Neg. Peer Pressure, Reviewing SS Skills
4: Solving Prob, Part1, Solving Prob, Part2, Making a Plan,Solving Playground Problems, Taking Resp. for Your Actions, Dealing with Peer Pressure, Reviewing SS Skills
5: Solving Prob, Part1, Solving Prob, Part2, Making a Plan,Seeking Help, Dealing with Gossip, Dealing with Peer Pressure, Reviewing SS Skills
Here are some posters that are displayed in each classroom to help support and teach students emotional regulation.
Hannah Pierce works like crazy to meet the needs of her students. She runs math and reading groups constantly. She is constantly reflecting on her teaching practices and looking for new ways to engage her students! I am so glad she joined the Blue Oaks team this year :)
Blue Oaks 5th Grade Bucket Band
Performance Date:
March 26th at 9:30am. More information will be coming from Ms. Estep. We can’t wait to hear them play.
What's New in RCSD?
Each year, RCSD must submit to the state its Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), which lays out the priorities for our district and contributes to maximizing learning for every one of our students. This survey will be open from February 26 - March 8, 2022.
COVID Update:
Lost and Found
Please make sure that all clothing, playground balls, lunch boxes and other items brought to school are clearly marked with your child’s name. We accumulate a vast assortment of misplaced property during the school year. The Lost and Found is located in and behind the rear, west door to the multi-use room. You are welcome to check it during school hours. All abandoned items in the Lost and Found are donated to charitable organizations at various times during the school year.
Vaccine Verification and COVID Information
If you are vaccinated, please bring in your vaccine card and show it to our secretaries. They DO NOT need a copy or make a copy. They simply need to see it. This only needs to be done one time. We will mark you cleared in our system and you are not required to show this again.
If you are NOT vaccinated and you would like to continue to volunteer as a Category I or Category II volunteer, you MUST show proof of a negative COVID test within 6 days of being on campus. Our school secretaries will ask for proof of this requirement upon you signing in.
COVID Reminders: As more students are getting vaccinated, please know that you can show their vaccination card to the office ladies and they will enter the information into powerschool. You can either email a photocopy of the card or just come in.
Positive Case Isolation Changes
At this time this change only applies to individuals who are positive for COVID-19.
Per CDPH’s updated guidelines, positive cases can reduce the number of days they must isolate (both staff and students, regardless of vaccination status) from 10 days to 5 days if all the following are TRUE:
At least 24-hours have passed since the resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications; AND
They take and provide RCSD with a COVID-19 test (antigen recommended) on or after Day 5 and it comes back NEGATIVE; AND
They will continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days, especially in indoor settings.
Types of Tests Accepted
In light of recommendations from the state and CDC to use antigen tests and coupled with the difficulty finding tests, RCSD will also be moving to allow for at-home testing.
We will accept the at-home test results with attestation for the following situations:
A negative test to return early to work; or
A negative test to clear symptomatic illness that is not COVID-19; or
A positive test to utilize RCSD COVID leave.
Individuals will use the District-provided form to provide verification of a positive or negative medically supervised or self-attested at-home test. If an individual uses an at-home test, they will be asked to complete an attestation that indicates the test was taken by the isolated or quarantined individual.
March 21- No School
March 26th- Pancake Breakfast 8:30-11:00 and bucket band performance 9:30
March 30- Open House/Showcase Time- 5:30-6:30
April 11-18- Spring Break
April 25-May 9- CAASPP Testing
March Lunch Menu
2021-2022 Bell Schedule
RCSD Website
Blue Oaks Website
MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS/AGENCIES/RESOURCES
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