SCEF Day at Bianchini’s Market, San Carlos: May 16, 2012.

Benefit for San Carlos Schools.

For the entire day tomorrow, May 16th, the nice folks at Bianchini’s Market at 810 Laurel Street in San Carlos will donate 5% of their day’s sales to the San Carlos Education Foundation (SCEF).  In addition, Bianchini’s has designated May as “SCEF Month”, and has set up donation jars throughout the store for people to donate to the Foundation throughout the month of May.

On the same day, enjoy a complimentary wine tasting with Spann Vineyards poured by Susana Lerner, Wine Rep & SCEF Parent. Susana will be pouring 5 Spann Vineyards wines, paired with some fantastic cheeses.  Tasting is from 4:30-7 PM.

So do your shopping Wednesday at Bianchini’s — support this generous San Carlos merchant and help our schools in the process!
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An Evening at Town: Fundraiser to Support SCEF – Sunday, June 3.

Tickets on Sale Monday.

The great folks at the Avenir Restaurant Group have announced the date for this year’s premier fundraising event: “An Evening at Town”.   For one night, San Carlos’ premier dining destination will close its doors to the public and host a private fundraising event to benefit San Carlos schools through the San Carlos Education Foundation.    In addition to Town’s outstanding food and drinks, there will also be a silent auction.

Tickets go on sale starting Monday April 23 at 9AM.  They can be purchased online at the following link:  “Tickets for An Evening At Town.”     If you plan on going this year, buy your tickets early because there are only a limited number of seats, and this popular event usually sells out quickly.

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San Carlos School District Likely to Move Forward With School Bond Measure.

$52M for School Improvement.

According to Bonnie Eslinger’s article in the San Jose Mercury news last week, the San Carlos School District Board is leaning toward putting a bond measure on November’s ballot that will raise approximately $52M for San Carlos schools.   The District got positive feedback from the majority of the 400+ registered voters that were polled would said they would vote favorably for an additional assessment of about $26 per $100,000 of the assessed value of their property.   This money would be used to upgrade the facilities and classroom equipment, as well as add capacity to handle the increasing number of students the district expects in the coming years.

In that respect, the characteristics that make San Carlos such a desirable place to live have become the district’s biggest problem to solve.    As California continues to slash education budgets, home buyers with school-age children are forced to push the quality of the school district to the top of their priority list when selecting where they will buy a home.    This factor, combined with the other great attributes of San Carlos — such as location, downtown and weather — has resulted in a significant uptick in number of families buying homes in San Carlos, and the number of children slated to attend school here in the coming years.  The impact is already being felt, as nearly every school in the district is grappling with over-enrollment issues.

How Will You Vote?

If the School Board proceeds with a bond measure in the November election, as many believe they will do, how will you vote?  This isn’t the first time that San Carlos residents have been down this path — there are already two separate assessments for the school district that are attached to every property in San Carlos right now.   And every time the topic of a school bond measure is tabled, there’s certainly spirited debate to follow.

There’s a new poll at the top of the site — be sure to vote which direction you’ll go in November if the measure becomes a reality, and feel free to weigh in with any comments…
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Bringing West San Carlos Back into the San Carlos School District?

“One San Carlos.”

For as long as I’ve lived in San Carlos, which is nearing 24 years,  the Alameda has served as a dividing line between the San Carlos School and Redwood City School Districts between Eaton and Brittan Avenues — even though that stretch of road does not serve as the boundary between the two cities.  So in other words, there’s a sizable chunk of the western side of San Carlos that falls inside the Redwood City School District Boundary, and not the San Carlos School District.  

This phenomenon is not unique to San Carlos. A significant part of Mountain View falls under the Los Altos School District, and even parts of northern San Carlos are zoned for the Belmont Redwood Shores School District.

For those who live in western part of San Carlos, their primary school is Clifford School.     Here’s a map which approximates the area in question:

View SC/Clifford Boundary in a larger map

But if one San Carlos resident has his way, he’d like to use the upcoming talk of a new school bond measure as a springboard to annex the western portion of San Carlos back into the San Carlos School District.  Gabriel Brenner has started a movement called “One San Carlos“, and he’s hoping to unite other homeowners in his quest to make San Carlos Schools available to all San Carlos residents.

As the San Carlos School District considers yet another bond measure to fund the additional capacity necessary to accommodate the growing enrollment in the city, Brenner feels that this is the right time to look at the bigger picture of the future of the San Carlos School District.  For more details, check out the One San Carlos page on Facebook that he has started.

An Uphill Battle.

Whether one agrees with this idea or not, it goes without saying that it faces a strong uphill battle.   First, money and land are two precious commodities that the school district desperately needs to handle its projected growth.    More of both will be required to handle the additional surge of enrollment that would result from this type of annexation.

The other hurdle is public sentiment.   There are quite a few west San Carlos families who are delighted with Clifford School and may not support an initiative to change the school boundaries.    It will be interesting to see what kind of public support this initiative garners.

One thing is for sure, it should make for a lively discussion.    What are your thoughts on this?
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Central Middle School Hosts Pizza Bingo Night: February 15

Free Pizza.

Pizza and Bingo Family Night is coming February 15th from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. in Mustang Hall at Central Middle School in San Carlos. Come enjoy a pizza dinner & have some family fun playing BINGO!  This is a community event for NO CHARGE if you RSVP in advance.   Dinner includes Nino’s pizza, salad, dessert and a drink.

Have some fun and get to know your Central Middle School Community! Prizes for all Bingo winners, including iTunes cards, Starbucks cards, Tutti Frutti cards, and more!

To RSVP, please email Kelly Rubingh at  by February 13 with how many people in your family are attending so they know how much food to prepare. If there is enough pizza, you can pay at the door if you don’t RSVP, or just come for Bingo fun.
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Support the San Carlos Education Foundation on SCEF Day.

Thursday, December 1.

In an effort to focus donations to the San Carlos Education Foundation toward the earlier part of the school year rather than relying on a big push at the end of the campaign, the San Carlos School District has designated Thursday December 1 as SCEF Day in San Carlos.   With the challenges that face the school district with the impending state budget cuts, it greatly helps the district to have visibility to their available funds earlier in the school year rather than later, so they’re asking for those who plan to donate to the foundation to submit their donation on this day.    Here’s a note from Superintendent Dr. Craig Baker:

Dear San Carlos School District Community:

Please join me for “SCEF Day,” on Thursday, December 1st, in support of the San Carlos Education Foundation!

SCEF Day is a district-wide event to encourage your participation in SCEF’s Annual Giving Campaign. The San Carlos Education Foundation helps us maintain programs that support our overall mission to educate the whole child. Last year, thanks in great part to SCEF, we were able to pass a budget without significant cuts to programs or staff.  We are incredibly fortunate to live in a city where schools are highly valued and where continued support from the community allows us to provide an excellent education for all our students, despite these difficult times of diminishing funds from the state!

Our District can better forecast and plan for the future if SCEF donations are submitted sooner rather than later. Donating now versus in the spring is even more essential this year, as mid-year state education budget cuts are almost a certainty.

I sincerely hope you will support your San Carlos Education Foundation’s “SCEF Day” on December 1.

I thank you for your numerous and ongoing contributions to our schools.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Regards,

Craig Baker, Superintendent

For more information on the San Carlos Education Foundation, or to donate directly to the Foundation, please visit their website.  The link to donate online can be found here.
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Trinity Presbyterian Nursery School in San Carlos Has Openings.

Space Available!

Now those are two words I thought I’d never see associated with this educational institution.  In the 22 years that we’ve lived in San Carlos, I can’t recall the last time that there wasn’t a wait list to get into Trinity Presbyterian’s very popular nursery school program — and for good reason.  We have known many families whose children have attended this program, and have had nothing but rave reviews about this school.   It’s located on the grounds of the Trinity Presbyterian Church on the corner of Brittan Avenue and Alameda, and has been providing play-based education for San Carlos toddlers for more than 50 years.  It’s a safe bet that many of their early graduates now have their own children attending this school.

Trinity is a little bit different than other pre-schools in that it’s a co-operative school, which means that parents are required to volunteer some time at the school during school hours.   Depending on the class size, that usually equates to one or two days per month — certainly doable, even for working parents.   But because this year several families moved out of the area, and a few other moms had to go back to work full-time, there are a few openings in the following classes:

• Tuesday/Thursday 9:00 – 11:30 AM class for 3-year olds.
• Tuesday/Friday 12:45 – 3:15PM class for 4-year olds.

Interested?

This is a great opportunity to get one of the toughest pre-school tickets in town, since there’s almost always a waiting list to get in.  For more information, email the school at tpsnursery@aol.com, or you can call directly at (650) 593-0770.
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May is “SCEF Month” at Bianchini’s Market in San Carlos.

Spare Change for Big Change.

The great folks at Bianchini’s Market in San Carlos have declared that the month of May will be “SCEF Month” at their popular neighborhood market.   During the month of May, you’ll find San Carlos Educational Foundation collection jars located throughout the store.   Just a little spare change here and there adds up to a whole bunch of goodness for San Carlos Schools, especially with all of the anticipated cuts in the State of California budget.   All donations in the jars go directly to SCEF.    But that’s not all they’re doing in May…

May 11 =  5% Day.

Circle Wednesday, May 11 on your calendar.  On that day, Bianchini’s will donate 5% of their total sales for that day to the San Carlos Educational Foundation!  That is a fantastic gesture on their behalf, and is just one of many ways that Bianchini’s has given back to the community in the two short years that they’ve been part of the San Carlos downtown.  (By the way, Happy 2nd Anniversary to Bianchini’s in San Carlos.)

So make May 11th your big grocery shopping day, and shop local at Bianchini’s.   You’ll be supporting your local neighborhood market AND your local schools at the same time!

 
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