Dolphin News

Dear Taft Families,

Happy New Year! I hope that you had a great Winter Break and enjoyed your time with family and friends. We are excited to get back to work and see your students. School resumes this Tuesday, January 7. I am certain that all of us are off our normal routine and it'll take a few days to get back in the swing of things. As a reminder, please be sure your students are get a good night sleep every night and have breakfast in the morning. This is essential for them as they return to learning. Also, all students are to return to school in full uniform.

As we start the new year, I invite and encourage all of our families to revisit their student's goals and make new ones for 2025. With all of our students off their normal schedule, it's important to re-establish expectations at home so that learning is easier for them. Here are some recommendations.

1. If your student had a lot of screen time during the last few days, encourage them to work on puzzles, word searches, coloring, arts and crafts or Legos. All these activities help build cognitive and fine motor skills, but it can also be a time to build social, emotional, and language skills.
2. Spend time outside (weather permitting). No matter what the weather brings, playing outside is good for kids in so many ways. There is scientific evidence that playing outside improves health, and children of all ages love it.
3. Reading and writing are very important to do at home. Visit the library when possible and have your child read out loud to you. Reading together creates a sense of enjoyment, wonder, and a passion for reading.

Lastly, we have an upcoming Project Cornerstone workshop for parents on Wednesday, February 5 titled Creating Caring Relationships. These workshops are free of charge and highly recommended! Please sign up here.

We look forward to seeing everyone this week.

Sincerely,

David Camarena

Principal

Taft Community School

650-482-2416 ext 3755

dcamarena@rcsdk8.net

Mark your calendars! The 5th grade Pancake Breakfast will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2025, from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM in the Taft Cafeteria. This is the largest fundraiser for our Outdoor Education program.

Students will actively participate by setting up, serving, and cleaning, gaining valuable experience. Tickets are $12 and include:

• 3 pancakes with syrups/toppings
• 2 sausages
• Coffee, juice, and milk

Pre-order flyers will be distributed this month. We encourage everyone to join us! It's a fun time for the whole family.

We’d love your support! If you’re available to assist, please reach out to Mr. Camarena. We need help with:

• Ticket sales at the entrance

• Supervising students

• Setup/cleanup

• Serving

Exciting Updates on Our School Modernization and Construction Program

Planning for our school’s modernization and construction projects under the Measure S Bond Program is well underway! Our school’s Master Plan Committee is working closely with the district’s Bond team to ensure thoughtful and impactful improvements for our students and staff.

Thank you to the voters who made this possible—your support is building the future of our school and community!

Stay up to date by periodically visiting our Measure S Bond Blog

Below is the link for Mrs. Leonardo's newsletter:

• https://secure.smore.com/n/gzjkc-kennedy-info-session-for-2025-26

Below is a link to the Google Document with all of the links

• Kennedy Information for Incoming Families

Each link includes links for the presentation (English/Spanish), the recording (English/Spanish), the signup link for tours, and the link for shadowing.

If you have any questions about Kennedy, please call their office at 650-482-2409

Do you have a child who will be school-aged by the 2025-26 school year? The Redwood City School District (RCSD) invites you to plan ahead! Families are encouraged to complete their enrollment application during the District’s priority window. The enrollment and School of Choice application priority window is scheduled for Friday, November 15, 2024 - Friday, January 17, 2025. For complete details, please visit the link below.

• Enrollment and School of Choice Timeline

*Please note that current students from grade TK-5 do not need to register. 5th graders from Taft move on to Kennedy without having to register. Those wanting to go to MIT must submit a School of Choice application.

Per school policy and the parent handbook, students are to be in full uniform everyday unless it's a free dress day. We have noticed that many are coming in free dress regularly and this is not allowed. Students may wear any of the following in different combinations. Acceptable clothing is:

• Pants/skirts: pants, leggings (no-see-thru), shorts, skirts, skorts, and jumpers in navy blue. NO jeans.
• Shirts/Blouses: any collared white or navy blue shirt or blouse with no writing or pictures
• Sweaters/Sweatshirts/Hoodies: any navy blue or white sweater or sweatshirt with no writing or pictures or a school sweatshirt in the school color(s) with only the school name and/or logo imprinted.
• Coats/Jackets: any style or color coat or jacket (no sports jerseys).
• Shoes: all students must wear closed-toed, rubber-soled shoes with no heel. Students need to be able to run and play at recess and during PE without limitations due to shoes. Sandals, slides, and or Crocs are not allowed.

Parents, please check your child's homework and make sure they are completing it as indicated by their teacher. Reading is an essential part of your child's education. Set some time every evening for your child to do homework and or read. If your student is still learning to read, please read with them as much as possible. The recommended time for reading and homework for each grade are below:

Calling all 5th grade families,

If you're interested in signing up your son/daughter for Outdoor Education from April 14-17, 2025, please complete the survey below. This is gather information on how many students may attend. This is not a registration form.

• Taft Outdoor Education Survey 24-25

• Application

Counseling services are available at school to support your child’s emotional wellbeing. To submit a referral for counseling, please fill out the counseling referral form. The counselors will begin processing new referrals on September 3rd.

Lunch Bunch is a special recess opportunity that is designed to help students make friends through counselor-facilitated games and activities. Students are able to participate by nominating themselves or receiving a nomination from a teacher. All participation is entirely voluntary by the student. Lunch bunch is offered every other week during lunch recess. If you have any questions or would like to opt-out, please contact Lauren Abrahams at labrahams@rcsdk8.net or 650-482-2416 ext 3745.

• Tuesday, Jan 7: Students Return to Class
• Wednesday, Jan 8: Second Harvest Food Distribution, 2:30-4 pm
• Wednesday, Jan 8: Taft Board Meeting Report, 7 pm
• Tuesday, Jan 15: ELAC with Ms. Chavez, 8:30 - 9:30 am
• Wednesday, Jan 16: Principal's Coffee, 8:30 - 9:15 am
• Monday, Jan 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No School
• Monday, Jan 27: School Site Council, 6-7 pm
• Tuesday, Jan 28: Community School Advisory Meeting, 3-4 pm
• Saturday, Feb 8: Pancake Breakfast in the Cafeteria, 8:30-11:30 am
• Wednesday, Feb 12: Second Harvest Food Distribution, 2:30-4 pm
• Friday, Feb 14: Lincoln's Day, No School
• Monday, Feb 17: President's Day, No School
• Feb 18-21: February Break, No School
• Monday, Feb 24: School Site Council, 6-7 pm
• Wednesday, Feb 26: Community School Advisory Meeting, 3-4 pm

• School Calendar: Please schedule family vacations around our school vacations.
• Bell Schedule : Please review so your child is dropped off and picked up on time.
• Student and Parent Handbook (English and Spanish): Please review our handbook and and try your best to have your child follow our dress code daily.
• Student Absence Reporting Form/School Messenger: Please use this in lieu of calling the office.
  
• School Lunch Menu ; School Brunch Menu Link

Our School Office Hours for the 2024-25 school year are as follows:

• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm

• Thursdays and minimum days: 8:00-2:30

Please pick up your student at the appropriate dismissal time listed in our Bell Schedules. As mentioned above, our office closes at 3 pm and our office staff end their shift at that time as well. We have no staff available after 3 pm. Students who are picked up after 3 pm will have to wait inside the gated area without supervision.

1. Please do not park in the staff parking lot in the morning and afternoon. The lot is reserved for staff.
2. Please do not block our neighbors’ driveways at any time.
3. Please drop off your students in the front drop-off zone. No parking is allowed along the curb. If you are going to park and walk your child to the gate, please park on Bay Rd and walk to the main gate. The RCPD will periodically patrol mornings and afternoons. Administration will be there to receive your students. Once students are dropped off at the main gate, students will be directed to go to their designated area which will be supervised by a staff member. All visitors must check into the front office.
4. All students need to be in full uniform and wear appropriate shoes every day unless it's a Free Day dress (last Friday of the month). Sandals and Crocs are not allowed on any day. Please refer to the Parent & Student Handbook for complete guidelines. If you need help with uniforms, please contact our Family Center.
   
5. Please review Taft's Cell Phone Policy for Students. Students bringing a cell phone to school must check it in at the front office.

Thank you for taking the time to read my updates. I will send my next newsletter by Monday, January 20, 2025.

Email: dcamarena@rcsdk8.net
Website: taft.rcsdk8.net
Location: 903 10th Ave, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA
Phone: 650-482-2416
Facebook: www.facebook.com/taftcommunityschool