Crocker

Upcoming Dates

JANUARY 2025

Jan 10: Spelling Bee at Crocker Library @ Lunch

Jan 13: 6th Grade Cotillion at MPR @ 7pm

Jan 15: HCSD Board Meeting at Crocker Lecture Hall @ 6pm

Jan 16: Math Counts Competition (School Round)

Jan 20: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday - No School

Jan 23: AMC 8 Math Competition @ 2:30 pm

Jan 27-Jan 31: Kindness Week

Jan 27: 6th Grade Cotillion at MPR @ 7pm

Jan 28: HREC 8th Grade Basketball Championships @ 5pm

Jan 31: Lunar New Year Celebration

February

Feb 3: Community Meeting - Crocker construction plans at Crocker Lecture Hall @ 6pm

Feb 3 - Feb 7: Conference Week - Early Dismissal All Week

Feb 3: 6th Grade Cotillion at MPR @ 7pm

• Bell Schedule
  
• Crocker Calendar - Month at a Glance
• 2024-2025 Academic Year at a Glance
• Crocker Parent Group Website
• Crocker HCSD Main Website
• PowerSchool
• Crocker Remote HTV

Dear Crocker Middle School Parents, Guardians, and Staff,

We are excited to announce upcoming improvements at Crocker Middle School starting in the summer of 2025. These improvements include a new state-of-the-art Multi-purpose Room (MPR), a new Administrative Office, and an upgraded Entrance/ Parking Lot, alongside a new roofing and HVAC installation, all funded by the Measure H School Bond.

Upcoming Community Meeting:

Please join us on Monday, February 3rd in the Crocker Lecture Hall at 6PM to learn more about these projects. Our architects from QKA and the Measure H Facilities Team will be available to answer any questions. If you're unable to attend, please visit our website for detailed updates. We will also share a detailed FAQ document post-meeting.

Please complete this Google Form if you would be interested in receiving project updates via email. If you live close to the Crocker Middle School Campus, you may also be receiving a postcard with the same information shared here - no need to fill out the Google Form twice.

We look forward to seeing you on February 3rd!

In partnership,

Keith J. Rocha, Principal and Proud Crocker Viking

Dear Crocker Families,

With the first trimester behind us, we are officially a THIRD of the way done with the school year and time is flying by. We hope that your kiddos are enjoying their second trimester electives and have had fun getting involved with student life activities like class competitions, our annual Holiday Toy Drive, and our super fun Crocker dances. Bravo to Crocker’s choir, which performed at Hillsborough’s “Light Up the Town” event and congrats to the band, which had a successful winter concert.

Thank you to everyone who donated or pledged to HSF on Giving Tuesday, last week. HSF raised nearly $200,000 that day and we are all so thankful for your support! We hope that Crocker has been able to reach 70% participation in HSF giving before the holidays, so that we can unlock $100,000 for HCSD, along with $10,000 just for Crocker! Fingers crossed.

Prior to the break, the Crocker Parent Group had so much fun organizing a “Cozy Viking Lodge” themed holiday luncheon for our wonderful teachers and staff, to send them off for the break in style. Complete with a hot cocoa station and candy bar, we hope everyone felt the love. Huge thank you to everyone who has paid your parent group dues, the holiday luncheon we provided for the staff is just one of the ways your dues help us appreciate our dedicated teachers. Our goal is to achieve 100% participation so if you haven’t paid yours yet, you can click here to pay them now.

Thank you, friends!

Bonnie Feldman and Nahall Fells

CPG Co-Presidents

Dear Parents / Guardians,

If your child will be out of school for 1 to 15 days, parents/guardians may choose for their child to keep up with classroom learning through Independent Study.

Through independent study, students will have the opportunity to have their absences excused and counted as “present” if the expected work is completed while the student is on independent study. In accordance with HCSD School Board Policy on Independent Study (BP 6158), the requirements include:

• The minimum period of time for the independent study shall be 1 school day and the maximum period shall be 15 cumulative school days per academic year.

• Student participation in independent study shall be voluntary and a Master Agreement needs to be signed by the parent/guardian and teacher.

• Students will be expected to participate in independent study activities for 180 minutes per day for TK/K and 240 minutes per day for Grades 1-8.

• Independent study assignments shall be completed no more than one week after the assigned due date.

• Students will be provided with content aligned to grade level standards at a level of quality and intellectual challenge substantially equivalent to in-person instruction.

Please contact the school office and your child’s teacher(s) in advance of any planned absence to ensure there is enough time for the teacher(s) to gather work and set up a meeting. Crocker Middle School requests a minimum of 10 day notice in advance for independent study requests. If you have any questions, please contact Maureen Sullivan, Director of Technology at msullivan@hcsdk8.org.

A child should not be in school when he/she has:

• Nausea or vomiting, or has vomited during the night
• Diarrhea
• Frequent coughing or sneezing
• Evidence of a communicable disease such as a rash, fever or unusual sores
• A temperature of 99.5 degrees or above. If a child has had a fever, he/she may not return to school until she/he has been fever-free for 24 hours (without taking fever-reducing medication)
• Sore throat
• Strep throat – must be on an antibiotic for 24 hours and be symptom-free
• A new cold or generally feels bad
• Unusual watery, burning or red, crusted eyes

Always report absences to: crockerabsence@hcsdk8.org

We have a lot of cars coming in and out of Crocker during pick up and drop off. Pick up takes 10-15 minutes max. Please be patient and kind to one another throughout the process. Families are highly encouraged to carpool and/or encourage students to walk or bike to school.

Thank you for continuing to following the procedures below and as a reminder please:

• Do not drop off/pick up on Chateau Drive, Ralston Ave, or at the crosswalks on campus or Ralston
• Do not drop off/ pick up at the North loop
• Do not cross over the lined middle area of the blacktop

JOIN KONSTELLA NOW! We are really hoping to foster connection and improve communication. One significant way to achieve this is with the adoption of Konstella. If you haven't already joined, please click to Request to Join Crocker’s Konstella channel. Through this platform, you can elect to receive news and reminders for all things Crocker and sign-up to participate in the Crocker experience.

Please do not drop off fast food for your students (or their friends). While we understand it can be difficult to balance all the things required to even get out of the house in the morning, having a nutritious lunch helps students stay focused for the rest of the day. A high sugar, carb, or otherwise food, often creates an energy crash for middle schoolers which makes it hard for students to remain focused on their learning after lunch. To help, we do offer healthy and free lunch for all students.

For all student medications, epi-pens, or the like please be sure to check in with the front office to ensure any necessary paperwork is complete. You can reach out directly to Marianne Saucedo at: msaucedo@hcsdk8.org

This is a rare opportunity to peek into your child's world and see your child in action on campus! Please join Crocker's team of dedicated parent volunteers who serve lunch to our hungry, growing students! Join the Hot Lunch Committee on Konstella, or click on the links below. You can sign up for just one lunch shift or many. No experience required & simple training provided.

Here are the sign up links for

Regular lunch days

Early lunch days

If you have any questions, please reach out to the lunch chairs:

Sue Choi (sue@suechoiphotography.com)

Eric Sarbib (esarbib@yahoo.com)

Crocker will be hosting 3 prestigious national math competitions this winter. Mark your calendars if you have a student who loves a challenge and wants to improve their problem solving skills!

• MathCounts, School Round (qualifier for Chapter Round): Jan 16th, 5th & 6th period (sign up with Mr. Kittredge, room 4)
• AMC 8: Jan 23rd, 2:30pm (sign up with Mr. Kittredge, room 4)
• Math Kangaroo: March 20, 2:30pm (register using this link and invitation code: CAHILLS0001001@2025MK; registration = $35 before 2/1)

Questions or want to learn how best to prepare? Join Math Club students in the Lecture hall on Wednesdays at Lunch Recess.

Spelling Bee News- Classroom spelling bees were held the week of 12/9 in English classes. Each classroom winner will compete in the school-wide spelling bee on Jan. 10th to determine our Crocker champ.

Congratulations to our class winners: Annabelle, Andrew, Audrey, Brandon, Claire, Colin, Daniel, Ellen, Emma, Ethan S., Ethan W., Giada, Isabelle, Jackson, Kyle, Luke, Michael, Nathan, Octavia, Pavinoor, Scarlett, Tansen, & Yuka.

Adopt a Book News - Thank you to the Glaser family, who recently donated to our Adopt a Book program. My apologies for misspelling their name in the last newsletter. This is our only library fundraiser, and it helps keep our shelves stocked with new books. If you would like to participate in adopting a book, please click here.

Winter Reading at the Burlingame Public Library runs from December 1, 2024-January 31, 2025. Reading logs can be picked up any day at the Burlingame Main Library or Easton Branch Library. Open to all ages.

We hope your student is excited to join us this winter for the 6th Grade Crocker Cotillion! Like the Yosemite Trip, The Turkey Trot, and Class Competitions, Cotillion is a time-honored Crocker tradition that your student will remember forever! The purpose of Cotillion is to expose 6th graders to social dance, modern etiquette, and thoughtfulness toward others in a fun and comfortable environment. Cotillion occurs in 6th grade to make students feel comfortable with social dance before they attend Crocker Dances, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and the many fun opportunities for dancing and socializing in the future!

Cotillion will take place from 7-8 pm in the Crocker MPR beginning on Monday, January 13th, and it will culminate on February 10th from 6-8 pm with a final dinner and dance. Parents will be invited to attend the end of this final session. The cost of Cotillion is included in your CPG dues. Cotillion is taught by our own Ms. Mendelson and Mr. Bowie! They design the curriculum to make it fun and relevant and to give our students confidence as they learn a variety of dances and etiquette lessons along the way.

Dates:

Jan 13 7-8pm
Jan 27 7-8pm
Feb 3 7-8pm ~ Western Night (dress jeans/festive western encouraged)
Feb 10 6-8pm ~ Dinner will be served to the students and parents are invited to join the last 30 mins of class.

Dress Code:
Special occasion or semi-formal: slacks, suit jacket, sports coat, button-down shirt, tie/bowtie, dress/skirt, dance-appropriate shoes, or flats. No athletic shoes. White gloves are encouraged for girls.

We are so excited to see your students in January! Please RSVP to the invitation emailed to all 6th-grade families. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Stephanie Cantwell at stephanieramsay31@gmail.com or Carolyn Lorber at carolynlorber@gmail.com

Happy Holidays and We Will See you in the New Year!!

Alan Canas, Stephanie Cantwell, Marc Korody, Carolyn Lorber

After being vaccinated for the Tdap and two doses of Varicella, please email your immunization records to Tracey Shenker, tshenker@hcsdk8.org. Refer to the image for the "Parents' Guide to Immunizations Required for School Entry." Click to see.

For those families that have not notified the office regarding immunization records, a letter will be mailed shortly as a reminder of vaccine(s) that are required for 7th-grade entry.

Any questions, please contact:

Tracey Shenker

650.342.6331

tshenker@hcsdk8.org

Just a friendly reminder for those of you making plans for next spring: the 7th grade field trip to Southern California will take place from March 10th to March 14th. If you'd like to review the details, please view this video: 7th-grade Field trip Presentation

Dear 8th Grade Parent/Guardian,

The due date for 8th grade spotlight photos is quickly approaching. Thank you to everyone who has submitted photos already, it is greatly appreciated.

PLEASE submit photos of your 8th grader by Friday, December 20th (or notify us that you wish for your 8th grader to be omitted from this section of the yearbook).

Click the LINK HERE to upload photos & share your child 8th grade quote.

DO: Share 5-7 of the types of photos of your 8th grader as listed below.

**These can be photos of/but not limited to: hobbies, baby photos, travel/family photos, etc.

DO: Keep in mind that these photos will be memorialized in the Crocker Yearbook.

DO: Rename each file to indicate your child's name prior to uploading.

DO: Upload full or ‘ACTUAL’ sized photos (as opposed to reducing to small, medium or large).

DON'T: Reduce image sizes or submit low-resolution images or screenshots, which will result in poor quality for printing, and will not be used.

If you have any questions, contact Sarah Norris (snorris@hcsdk8.org)

-Crocker Yearbook

Open Enrollment starts this week for San Mateo Unified High School District. Important to note that you do not need to send transcripts for the public high schools, Crocker will send them on your behalf at the end of the school year.

Please review the slide show here for information regarding high schools.

Crocker is just 15 families away from reaching our 70% participation goal. If we, along with West, North and Crocker, can reach out goal before we head off for Winter Break we unlock $100,000 for HCSD along with $10,000 for each school site.

If you have not yet donated, please pledge or give at hsf.org TODAY.

Thank you to the many families who have already participated in this year's HSF Annual Giving campaign. We are deeply appreciative of your generosity! Wishing you all a joyful and healthy holiday season! We look forward to an exciting 2025, filled with new opportunities to support our students, strengthen our community, and create lasting memories together.

Mark your calendars for HSF’s signature event! This year’s Dinner Dance, Palm Royale: Where 1969 High Society Meets Timeless Glamour, promises an unforgettable evening of fun and sophistication—all in support of the Hillsborough Schools Foundation. Prepare to be transported as we transform the historic Palace Hotel into the cheeky yet opulent world of Palm Royale.

Stay tuned for exciting updates and details—we can’t wait to see you all there!

Millbrae, Burlingame, Hillsborough, Foster City, San Mateo area

Do you have a 6th grade daughter? Empower your relationship with her while giving back to your community! Join the National Charity League, Inc - Crystal Springs Chapter. NCL is a unique organization for mothers and daughters to bond while making a meaningful impact by engaging in a variety of community service activities and developing leadership skills. Visit the Crystal Springs Chapter website to learn more and to complete the inquiry form.

Burlingame, Millbrae, Hillsborough, or San Bruno area

Membership drive is opening soon! Join this national organization of mothers and daughters doing volunteer work in our community. Interested members for the Class of 2031 (current 6th grade daughters), Class of 2030, Class of 2029 should go to the Chapter Website for more information and complete a Membership Inquiry Form. Please contact membership@skylinencl.org with any questions.

Email: crockervikingnews@gmail.com
Website: http://crocker.hcsd.info/
Location: 2600 Ralston Avenue
Phone: 650-342-6331