Superintendent's Newsletter

Dear RCSD Community,

As we get our February Break underway, I’d like to wish our community a joyous time while also keeping in mind the need to remain cautious.

As you know, January was a very challenging month for all of us as we saw many of our students and employees test positive with COVID-19 after returning from Winter Break. We cared for each other, advising members of our learning community who tested positive while also executing current and new systems to maintain safety for others who were learning and working on our school campuses. In the past several weeks, we saw a decrease of positive cases at school as we all became acclimated to following the systems that are meant to protect us.

This coming week is a time we all deserve as we take a break from school and work. It’s a time to decompress, to focus on our well-being, and to safely enjoy the company of those we treasure. As we enjoy this time, we remember it is important not only to take care of each other but also to take care of ourselves.

Please take good care of yourself.

We will be waiting for our students and staff on Monday, February 28.

In appreciation,

John Baker
Superintendent

The Redwood City School District (RCSD) School Board Policy that allows families to transfer to and from programs and schools within RCSD will continue as is for the time being. During the Wednesday, February 16 public School Board meeting, the Board of Trustees reached consensus to pause and not make any changes at this time.

The School Board was scheduled to formally adopt revisions to Board Policy 5116.1: Intradistrict Open Enrollment. At the center of the revisions was the proposal to formalize what has always been an unwritten rule in RCSD--families who choose a School of Choice specialized program are agreeing to commit for the remainder of the program.

During the Board meeting, Superintendent Baker asked the Board of Trustees to “pull” the item from the agenda and the Trustees agreed for the following reasons:

• A different process, the work of the North Star Forward Committee, is currently underway. The recommendations from this committee may impact the School of Choice policy.

• School of Choice staff is currently notifying families of placement for the 2022-23 school year.

• After listening to the community, the School Board would like to explore comments and any possible unintended consequences.

The School Board directed staff to bring the policy back to the dais at a later time and with additional data.

Knowing the Covid -19 vaccination status can inform important school practices around testing, contact tracing, quarantine, and isolation. Read More.

RCSD families can access My School Menu by visiting the Child Nutrition Services section on the district website. The tool is also available as a mobile app in the iTunes App Store and Google Play. The app makes the same information available 24 hours a day. My School Menu is interactive, accessible, and easy to use. Read More.

The first day of school and other important dates during the upcoming 2022-23 school year are now set. The Redwood City School District (RCSD) Board of Trustees approved the 2022-23 school year calendars during its February 16 public meeting.

The approval includes three different calendars--the 185 Day Calendar for Preschool, the 208 Day Calendar for Preschool, and the calendar for all TK-8 students. Key dates in the 2022-23 Instructional/Student Calendars include:

California State Preschool (CSPS) 185 Day Calendar:

• Thursday, August 18: CSPS Staff Professional Development Day

• Friday, August 19: First Day of School for CSPS Students

• Monday, November 21 - Friday, November 25: Thanksgiving Break - No School

• Monday, December 19 - Monday, January 2: Winter Break - No School

• Tuesday, January 3: CSPS Students Return from Winter Break

• Monday, February 20 - February 24: February Break - No School

• Monday, April 10 - Friday, April 14: Spring Break - No School

• Friday, June 16: Last Day of School for CSPS Students

California State Preschool (CSPS) 208 Day Calendar:

• Thursday, August 18: CSPS Staff Professional Development Day

• Friday, August 19: First Day of School for CSPS Students

• Thursday, November 24 & Friday, November 25: Thanksgiving Break - No School

• Friday, December 23 - Monday, January 2: Winter Break - No School

• Tuesday, January 3: CSPS Students Return from Winter Break

• Friday, June 30: Last Day of School for CSPS Students

TK-8th Grade Calendar:

• Thursday, August 11: First Day - New TK-8 Teachers

• Friday, August 12: TK-8 Teacher Work Day

• Wednesday, August 17: First Day of School for TK-8 Students

• Monday and Tuesday, August 15 & 16: Planning/Development Days

• Monday and Tuesday, Nov 21 & 22: Parent Teacher Conferences - No School for TK -8 Students

• Wednesday - Friday, November 23 & 25: No School for TK-8 Students

• Monday, December 19 - Monday, January 2: Winter Break - No School for TK-8 Students

• Tuesday, January 3: Planning/Development Day - No School for TK-8 Students

• Wednesday, January 4: TK-8 Students Return from Winter Break

• Monday, February 20 - February 24: February Break - No School for TK-8 Students

• Monday, April 10 - Friday, April 14: Spring Break - No School for TK-8 Students

• Friday, June 9: Last Day of School for TK-8 Students

• Monday, June 12: TK-8 Teacher Work Day

All three calendars, which include additional dates in observance of holidays, are attached below.

The RCSD community may follow upcoming events on their school’s website. Additional district wide events are also posted on the district website.

Ms. Le’s illustrative presentation featured research she did at the Stanford University Luthy Lab as part of the Ignited Summer Fellowship Program, as well as how she has integrated findings from Re-Inventing the Nation’s Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt) project into her Redwood City classroom. Ms. Le’s students used their math saavy for practical applications such as analyzing local and national water data, converting measurements, comparing prices, and creating graphs. Read More.

RCSD is an award-winning PreK-8 district serving Redwood City and portions of Atherton, Menlo Park, San Carlos, and Woodside.

Website: https://www.rcsdk8.net
Phone: 650.482.2200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedwoodCitySchoolDistrict
Twitter: @RWCSchools