What an exciting couple of weeks we are having!
We have been welcoming back our Kinder, and First grade students this past week and are looking forward to seeing our Second and Third graders this coming week! It’s been almost a year since we have gotten to experience the energy and joy of our students in person and it has been SUCH a positive step forward in reopening our campuses.
Take a look at our first week! (Click on Link and Read More)
It is so great seeing so many Heather students and staff at our virtual Monday Morning Assembly! Thank you, Ava, for being our helper this week. Click on the link to see the assembly presentation!
While we are still in distance learning, I wanted to share some helpful suggestions for our youngest students on how you can help your child with math at home. READ MORE
With today being a holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr., it is more relevant than ever to talk to our students about not only his legacy, but how we can apply his perspective, ambition, and perseverance to our lives today. Unfortunately, we have not come as far as I’m sure he would have hoped in the 51 years since his death. Read More
Happy New Year 2021 . . . . "Hello 2021, it is so good to see you!".
2021 is the start of a new year - filled with aspirations and optimism. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 5th and we are all refreshed and ready to meet our students on Zoom and hopefully in person on campus very soon. Read about Math Assessment, Staff P.D. and Library Resources . . .
I would like to highlight some of the good that has come out of this year at Heather School and hope that, as we close out this year, we can look back and actually smile a little. Enjoy this “Good of 2020” video!
2020 has thrown many different obstacles at us and yesterday we were given one more. San Mateo County has moved back to Tier 1, Purple status due to the rising case rate in the County. This means that our plans to start welcoming all students back to campus have been put on hold until we move back into the less restrictive Tier 2, Red status. . . . READ MORE
Thank you so much for your support during the beginning of this unusual and challenging school year. I want to take a moment to acknowledge your commitment and dedication and the time you are investing during Distance Learning. Your contributions last year to the nonprofit San Carlos Education Foundation are being put to work this year in many ways at Heather School, and have provided tools and training to address the current moment. Read More
During the month of November, Lori Herndon, librarian, would invite Heather kids to create gratitude leaves to dress our white wooden tree inside our school library with gratitude foliage. This year we are continuing the tradition and bringing the tree outside. We are inviting all Heather students and staff to make a leaf, with something they are grateful for this year to decorate our tree. READ MORE
I can’t believe November is upon us. Before you know it, we will be leaving 2020 behind us (can’t come soon enough!) and looking for normalcy as we head into 2021. November signals the end of Daylight Savings Time, shorter days, and also the end of the first trimester, which means teachers are preparing student report cards. Report cards will be sent to parents via email on November 23 . . . READ MORE
Here is Part 2 of my Principal’s Bulletin focusing on safety. I hope you find some valuable information and resources below. . . . October 19-23 marks Digital Citizenship Week . . . . With Halloween right around the corner, we are all wondering how we will celebrate the holidays while following safety and health guidelines . . . We tweet, we like, and we share— but what are the consequences of our growing dependence on social media? . . . READ MORE
Great California Shakeout - October 15
Each year we join other Californians in participating in the International Shakeout Day on the third Thursday of October, which this year is Thursday, October 15. There has been a lot of uncertainty over the past few months. Work environments are adapting and changing. Schools are considering how to operate. It seems like every day, we are confronting new challenges. All while earthquakes are still happening . . . Read more
We know that parents, more than ever, are deeply involved in math support with their children at home in distance learning. To help with the home-school partnership, I wanted to share some information on our math program here at Heather. . . . Read more
At Heather, we’re excited to continue to use Reader’s Workshop during distance learning to support literacy learning for each child. The reading workshop is one essential component of a balanced literacy program which also includes read alouds, shared reading, interactive writing, and shared writing. A workshop method blends direct teaching and carefully selected anchor texts with time for students to read and think about self-selected books . . . Read More
We are proud to be partnering with the Parent Venture Series, an extension of the Parent Education Series, to bring high-quality, engaging speakers and programs to our community. This year, all events will be online and free! Check our new SCSD Parent Education calendar which lists most events.
Now that we are heading into the second full week of school and you will soon have a chance to learn more about your child(ren)’s classroom(s) at tonight's Back to School Night, we are working hard to implement the routines and expectations that come with the new school year. Students are learning classroom rules, expected behaviors for live instruction, and how to transition into the “school” mindset. For some children, this settling-in process seems smooth, and for others, it takes longer and may require additional support and effort . . . READ MORE
Complimentary meals, breakfast and lunch, will be available for pick up at multiple sites in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park from 10:00 am-1:00 pm for children in the Ravenswood community, 18 years & younger. Find out more by clicking on the link above.
Heather School will be open to staff and certain limited services only. We are asking for your support in helping enforce social distancing protocols (such as these recommended by the WHO) for the good of our community. Read More
No Such Thing as a Bad Kid: Using a Positive, Strength-Based Approach for Effective Parenting, presented by Charlie Applestein, 12/11/19. See Parent Resources . . .
Dear Heather Parents,
As you know through your classroom communications, Heather students, grades 1-3, have taken or will be taking a math benchmark assessment at the end of the first trimester, in November or December. . . . read more
Welcome to Heather School. I have served as Principal at Heather for over 19 years. I am committed to partnering with teachers and parents to better know individual students and how best to meet their needs -- socially, emotionally, and academically. I deeply believe in the importance of teaching the 5Cs, Collaboration, Communication, Critical thinking, Creativity and Citizenship, as well as the Habit of Mind of Ownership in providing a 21st-century education, striving to team with teachers and parents as partners in the education of their students. I look forward to getting to know you and your children.