BA Blast Newsletter
 March 29, 2026 In this issue:
Mark Your CalendarMar. 23 - 30: SCEF Online Auction Mar. 30 - Apr. 2: Book Fair Thurs, Apr. 2: Book Fair Family Night, 5:00 p.m. (see below) Apr. 6 - 10: Spring Break, no school Weds, Apr. 15: Fire Drill at 9:45; SSC Meeting Fri, Apr. 17: Hearing/Vision screening for K & 2nd Weds, Apr. 22: TK assembly - Worm Guy; PTA meeting, BA Library, 6:30 p.m. Sun, Apr. 26: BA Walk-a-Jog, 10:00 a.m. Principal's Message Hi BA Families, We’re wrapping up March, and you can really feel the shift on campus. The days are getting longer, students are full of energy, and there’s a growing sense of excitement as we move closer to spring break and the final stretch of the school year. It’s a fun time of year, and also an important one as we continue to build strong routines and meaningful learning experiences right up to the break. As we head into April, our focus turns to neurodiversity and inclusivity. This is such an important part of who we are as a school community. We want our students to understand that everyone thinks, learns, and experiences the world in different ways and that those differences are not just okay, they are something we value and learn from. These conversations help our students grow as kind citizens and self-aware learners, and they continue to shape a school where every child feels a sense of belonging. Our Books of the Month will help guide this work across classrooms:
In addition, our character education read-alouds,Too Much: An Overwhelming Day and Hey, Little Ant, will support discussions around empathy, understanding others’ experiences, and making thoughtful, inclusive choices. Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership. We’re looking forward to a strong and meaningful April, and we hope you all enjoy some well-deserved rest and time together over spring break. The SCEF Online Auction is Live Bid Now! The SCEF Online Auction is officially live, and bidding is in full swing! This is a fantastic opportunity to support our schools while scoring amazing items, from entertainment and travel to museum passes, dining experiences, sporting event tickets, memorabilia, and much more. There are some unique items to Brittan Acres that are still available: 1). Marquee (10 spots available) The auction closes Wednesday, March 30th at 9:00 pm for Elementary Schools. Bid on the above and browse more on the SCEF Auction site. In partnership, Sights around Brittan Acres    Announcements & Reminders  Caring for Living Things on Campus…🐛“Let’s look, not touch” “Observe, don’t take” 🐞 Lately, we’ve noticed a lot of excitement around the caterpillars, worms, and other small creatures on our campus, especially among our younger students. It’s been wonderful to see their curiosity and interest in nature. At the same time, we’ve had a few instances where caterpillars have been squished or worms have been picked up and carried around or even put into pockets. We’ve been reinforcing at school that all living things deserve care and respect, and teachers have been reading books and having conversations about how to treat animals gently. We would really appreciate your support in continuing this message at home. A simple reminder that we can observe bugs, but not touch or take them, can go a long way. Helping children understand that even the smallest creatures are part of our environment helps build empathy and responsibility. Thank you for partnering with us to support kindness in all forms, both toward one another and the world around us.  3rd Grade Wax Museum ProjectOur 3rd graders truly shined during their Wax Museum presentations! Students were incredibly prepared, fully engaged, and so impressive in the way they shared their learning. It was clear how much effort and pride went into their work.   We were also thrilled to have so many families join us, along with our 2nd grade students, who had the chance to experience the museum and learn from their peers. It was such a special and memorable event for our community. A big thank you to our 3rd grade teachers for organizing and supporting this meaningful learning experience!  Attendance ReportBelow are BA’s attendance rates by grade level since the first day of school (8/20/25):
School-wide Average: 96.46% Our school-wide goal is a 97.5% attendance rate. As we strive to improve attendance, we are here to support your family in identifying and overcoming any obstacles to daily attendance. If your child has missed more than 12 days of school for any reason (excused or unexcused), please review the some tips from Attendance Works. Here is some additional information regarding illness with guidelines about when to stay home. If your child is absent, please email our administrative assistant, at [email protected], and cc your child’s teacher, or call (650) 508-7307. Be sure to include your child’s full name, teacher’s name, and the reason for the absence. If you are planning trips for the remainder of the 2025-2026 school year, please consider the school calendar when making arrangements. (Here is the 2026-2027 calendar for your reference.) Thank you for partnering with us to ensure our BA Bruins attend school every day! Also, we have a monthly attendance raffle where we select a random name of a student and if they are here they get an amazing prize!  April Character Education Focus: Neurodiversity & InclusionThis month at Brittan Acres, we are focusing on Neurodiversity and Inclusion. Students will be learning that everyone thinks, learns, and experiences the world in their own unique way, and that these differences are something to understand, respect, and celebrate. Through classroom conversations, read-alouds, and activities, we’ll help students build awareness, empathy, and appreciation for others. We will also connect this work to our Learner Profile by encouraging students to be Kind Citizens who value differences and Self-Aware Learners who recognize their own strengths. You can support this at home by talking with your child about how people may learn or think differently, and why those differences make our community stronger. Together, we are continuing to build a school where every student feels seen, valued, and included.  Lost & Found is Overflowing! Going to Donation Next Week!Our lost and found is getting very full, and we are running out of space to keep items. If your child is missing a jacket, sweatshirt, water bottle, or lunch container, there’s a good chance it’s here! We encourage you to stop by and take a look, or remind your child to check for any missing items. Labeling belongings with your child’s name can also help us return items more quickly. We will be donating any unclaimed items soon, so please check before they’re gone!  Bear Hug Winners of the WeekKindergarten: Ida, Bo, Stephanie, Rose 1st: Cathy, Sterling 2nd: Agastya, Gavin, Clara, Sebastian, Julia 3rd: Aavish, Briggs Congratulations to our Bears for showing kindness, perseverance, and responsibility across campus! This week's Breakfast & Lunch menuFree for all students, no pre-order needed. Weekly menus will be posted here in the Blast, in the entrance hallway to Brittan Acres and in the school office. Menu Update: School and PTA News Continued Multicultural Festival AppreciationSome of our volunteers were not listed in the names of those we thanked last week for their vital help making our Mulitcultural Night a huge success. We apologize for the oversight and would like to recognize these folks now: Aleli Crutchfield, David Crutchfield, Ramon Marquez, Christen Hanson, Christine Maxey, Puneeta Sharma, Siddharth Ojha, Michal Russ, Sharon Kritzer, Arpit Dhariwal, Sweta Anand, Jennifer Rustigian, Raheleh Salari, Nooshin Kiarashi, Nader Banki, Golbanou Naghshineh, Yawen Hsu, Ting Chen, Ruth Han, Yi Xiao, and Rachel Zetino. Additionally, we want to extend a huge thank you and appreciation for our Brittan Acres custodial staff: Sebastian Cisneros and Efren Melgoza Valencia. They played a critical role in efficiently helping us set up for and clean up after Multicultural Night. We appreciate all they do for the BA community.  BA Literati Book Fair Is Coming!Set yer course for the Literati “Treasured Tales” Book Fair, dockin’ in the MU — March 30 - April 2! Mark your calendars with a big X for Family Night on April 2nd from 5:00-6:30pm.  Walk-a-Jog Needs Your Help!The 37th BA Walk A Jog is coming up in just 2 weeks! On April 27th, from 10:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M., join the BA community for a carnival, prize booth, BBQ, desserts, and, of course, many exciting laps around the upper playground. This event needs your help to make it a success! Please consider signing up here for one or more of the many available roles such as these: Bag Packer: Meet on Monday 4/21 in the MU from 8:30 a.m. -10:30 a.m. to fill students’ WAJ bags. Lap Marker: Mark off the laps on the backs of student t-shirts. This role is best for kids in grades 4 and up, so get siblings involved! BBQ and Carnival Helper: Prep, cook, and/or wrap delicious BBQ food and hang out at the grills with a super fun BBQ team of volunteers. This role is great for high school students and BA parents. Or, be available to jump into any carnival attraction to run a game or monitor a bounce house. This role can be for kids in grades 6 and up, so get siblings involved! If a parent is willing to work the grill, please email [email protected] and you will be connected to the WAJ BBQ! Email Laura Blaich [email protected] with any questions and THANK YOU for your support!
 San Carlos Education Foundation News (SCEF) SCEF ONLINE AUCTION CLOSES MONDAY, MARCH 30thIMPORTANT! Please note that the auction will have a staggered closing times as follows: SCEF CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT, April 26thRegister now for the first annual SCEF Cornhole Tournament. Sunday afternoon, Apr 26, 2026 at Burton Park. Space is limited. Register here Inclusion and Belonging Women's History Month begins March 1Women’s History Month is a time to honor women’s contributions in American History. It grew out of a one-week celebration started in 1978 by the school district of Sonoma, California, and slowly spread across the country. In 1980, President Carter declared the week of March 8th as Women’s History Week and in 1987, it was expanded to a month-long focus on Women’s History. For more information about how Women’s History began, click here. If you’d like to dive a little deeper into Women’s History with your family, here are some ideas:
Afterschool Enrichment Building Resilience with Mindfulness (K-3rd grade)Growing Mindful’s after-school classes combine art, games, STEAM, and movement exercises with powerful evidence-based tools to equip students with the skills to boost their confidence, resilience, and discover their inner superpowers. Community Partner News Celebrate a District Legend: Honoring Vicci Mueller!After four decades of teaching and continued service as an SCSD substitute, Vicci Mueller is being honored as the 2025 San Carlan of the Year!  San Carlos Mayor's Water Conservation Challenge & San Carlos Earth Day Student Art CompetitionApril is Earth Month! Join Mayor Pranita Venkatesh in reducing San Carlos’ water consumption and sign up for the Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge being held from April 1 to April 30. This challenge encourages residents to take simple, measurable actions at home to protect water quality, reduce waste, and build greater resiliency in local water systems. Schools are also invited to participate through a dedicated Classroom Edition of the challenge for teachers and students.  Chess Wizards Camp at MariposaJoin Chess Wizards this semester for tons of challenging chess lessons, exciting games, and cool prizes. You'll improve your chess skills, and work out your most powerful muscle - your brain! Our classes are geared to suit children of all skill levels; from chessling to checkmate artist, students will build upon their knowledge through lessons, variation games and more! More than just a game of winning and losing, we make learning chess fun! Open to grades K-5. Cost is $290 per session.  Rock Band Summer Camp 2026Ready to let your child unleash their inner rock star? Whether they’re picking up an instrument for the first time or already jamming like a pro, Hummingbird Music School's Rock Band Summer Camp is the ultimate stage for young musicians!  🌈 Mark your calendars for great events coming up this spring! Have information to include in an upcoming issue? Submit it here. This newsletter is brought to you by the Brittan Acres PTA. Join the PTA.    |
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