Dolphin Digest
February 12, 2024
Monday, February 12
- Spirit Dress Day - Sports Day!
Tuesday, February 13
- Spirit Dress Day - Parent's Closet Day!
- SSC Meeting, 4:00 p.m. - Library & Virtual
Wednesday, February 14
- Spirit Dress Day - Valentine's Colors Day!
- Valentine's Day!
Thursday, February 15
- Spirit Dress Day - PJ Day!
- Fire Drill, 10:45 a.m.
- PTO Meeting - Cancelled
Friday, February 16
- Spirit Dress Day - Disney Day!
- Principal's Coffee - Rescheduled
- Regular Minimum Day before February Break
Monday, February 19 - 23
- February Break - No School
Hello Clifford Dolphins,
I wanted to remind folks of a few things that we are continuing into next week and a new bike train initiative. Below I listed our weekly updates:
Bike Train
I am thrilled to share some exciting news with you all! As we look ahead to the warmer months and brighter days, I am delighted to announce that we will be starting a Bike Train initiative at our school later this spring.
The Bike Train is aimed at promoting safe and enjoyable bicycling to school for our students. As part of this initiative, I have volunteered to lead the effort, but I can't do it alone. We are in need of enthusiastic volunteers to help make this initiative a success! If you are interested in volunteering please email Mark Waldrop at borealsoils@gmail.com.
Bread and Bag Wednesdays
As we continue to provide this service and support our fellow Clifford families, please consider donating dried goods to our pantry. You can click here to see a list of items of dried goods/essentials that we are in need of. We appreciate all the donations that have been coming in from this week!
If you would like to request dry goods, fruits, vegetables, or feminine hygiene products please complete this google form every Monday.
Clothing Distribution
If you are interested in coming to the Family Center to pick out clothing please feel out this form to schedule an appointment. The form opens up every Monday and you are allowed to schedule a meeting on designated days/times.
Child Nutrition Services is interested in gaining more insights into the students' perspectives of the new menu options offered during Lunch and Breakfast service. This will help better align our cafeteria offerings and practices to better promote a healthy and balanced diet. The input from our students is very instrumental in ensuring that our food services cater to everyone's needs and preferences.
We kindly ask for your support by filling out this survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdXykiqHhLGPGLoUb9dd55XWQuGhdUXUS8mURNm6Dq51WTSow/viewform
The survey is designed to be comprehensive yet easy to complete and should take no longer than 10 minutes of the respondents' time. The feedback received will be vital in shaping the future of our school's Menu. Results will be tallied at the end of February.
Thank you!
This Month's Curriculum
During this month’s PE module, students in K-2nd will be participating in hockey!
The inclusion of hockey in our PE+ program offers various benefits for students. Here are some reasons why it can be important:
Cardiovascular Fitness: Hockey is a physically demanding sport that involves continuous movement, helping students improve their cardiovascular fitness and endurance.
Motor Skills Development: The sport involves handling a stick, controlling a puck, and maneuvering on the blacktop. Practicing these skills contributes to the development of fine and gross motor skills.
Cultural Exposure: Hockey is a popular sport in many regions, and including it in our program allows students to be exposed to different cultural and sporting traditions.
Teamwork and Cooperation: Hockey is a team sport that encourages collaboration and teamwork. Students learn how to work together, communicate effectively, and understand the importance of their individual roles within a team.
Upcoming Events
Join us this February Break for our fun-packed PE+ camp! Our PE+ coaches invite you to join them for 5 days at PCC for games, crafts, and lots of fun!
We can’t wait to welcome your children for a memorable time filled with laughter, exercise, creativity, and new friendships. Reserve their spots now for an unforgettable experience!
We love our parent volunteers! Clifford and Redwood City School District (RCSD) welcomes volunteers and partners in a systematic process to ensure the health and safety of our students. Over many years, volunteers have provided assistance to our school programs and our collective efforts to educate our students in academic, social, and emotional opportunities. School campuses and the Department of Human Resources have an established and thorough process to ensure safety and communicate expectations to our volunteers.
Depending on your volunteer level, you will be required to submit/complete the following items:
- Volunteer Application
- TB Test Result or TB Risk Assessment
- Driver’s License/Government ID
- Livescan Fingerprints- only required for volunteers who will be alone with students
Here are the levels of volunteerism and the level of clearance they require:
Level 1 - Volunteers working under constant direct supervision of an RCSD employee - this includes classroom support or supervision or supervised school event support.
Level 1 Requirements: complete the volunteer application, proof of a valid CA drivers license or US issued ID card, and proof of TB test result/assessment.
Level 2 - Volunteers working under the supervision of an RCSD employee, but may occasionally be unsupervised while working with students - this includes tutoring partners, field trip volunteers on the bus or chaperoning a field trip.
Level 2 Requirements: complete the volunteer application, proof of a valid CA drivers license or US issued ID card, and proof of TB test result/assessment AND LiveScan fingerprinting. If you need assistance with paying the Livescan fee ($45 + Gov. fee) our PTO is able to reimburse you. LiveScan is available at most Redwood City UPS stores.
Level 3 - Volunteers who will be alone working with or mentoring students. The student may be transported by the volunteer. - this includes tutoring partners, overnight field trip volunteers, certain school events, and contracted partners.
Level 3 Requirements: complete the volunteer application, proof of a valid CA drivers license or US issued ID card, and proof of TB test result/assessment AND LiveScan fingerprinting. If you need assistance with paying the Livescan fee ($45 + Gov. fee) our PTO is able to reimburse you. LiveScan is available at most Redwood City UPS stores.
Volunteer clearance is processed through our district office - we are not allowed to clear parents here at school. The process of becoming a cleared volunteer can take a few weeks, therefore, please submit your paperwork several weeks in advance of when you'd like to volunteer. Once you are cleared as a parent volunteer, you do not have to renew your application each year.
Starting in the new year, we will be using a new Absence Reporting Link for parents to use if they need to report a student absence. Please bookmark this link to use when reporting absences starting January 9, 2024. Families can also still call the school office to report absences at (650) 482-2402.
Student Absence Reporting Link: https://forms.gle/7CmFsVZ9eET4jeZg6
What is Independent Study (IS)?
When a family knows in advance that a child will miss 5 or more days of school due to vacation
or travel, family responsibilities or a long-term illness, parents and guardians have the option of
requesting an Independent Study packet so that they do not fall behind in work. Completing an
Independent Study packet also prevents your school from losing funding, since the state
provides money to our schools based on student attendance.
What is an Independent Study Packet?
Independent Study Packets are prepared by your student’s teacher and provide students with
work to complete. Independent Study packets are designed to prevent your student from falling
behind. They may contain reading assignments, worksheets, or a writing assignment. Your
child’s teacher decides what to include in the packet based on work being completed in class.
Are Independent Study Packets required if your child is going to miss school for 5 days or
more?
Independent Study Packets are completely voluntary, but we strongly encourage parents to
request and sign contracts for Independent Study packets when they know at least 10 days in
advance that their students will miss school. Students, parent/guardian, teacher and principal all
must sign the contract in advance for the Independent Study packet to be valid.
Why is it important for students to complete Independent Study Packets when they must
miss school for personal reasons?
Keeping up with school work is important for academic success. Teachers report
that every day a student misses class puts him or her about two days behind. This is
because students must make up missed work and complete new assignments in a
shorter amount of time.
How do we arrange for an Independent Study?
1. Request a Master Agreement for Independent Study from your school office.
2. Fill out the Master Agreement, which must be signed by the student, parent, teacher
and principal, and turn it in to your school office at least 10 days before the first day
of absence.
What are the rules for Independent Study?
According to Education Code 46300(e):
• The Independent Study Master Agreement must be completely filled out and signed by
the student, parent, teacher and principal with beginning and ending dates completed
before the work begins.
• A pupil's work must be reviewed by a certificated teacher upon return from the student’s
absence. The teacher, in some reasonable manner, must document: the assignments made;
the manner, time and due date of the work; and, the time value of academic work
performed.
• The work must be turned in on the first school day after the contract ends or it is invalid.
If, for example, the student is ill the first day he/she is expected to return to school, the
parent or guardian must still return the completed packet or it will not count.
Is there a minimum # of days absent required to complete an Independent Study
Contract?
The student must be absent for 5 consecutive days. Previously, the district believed that packets
could be completed for less than 5 days, but further research has shown that a minimum of 5
days absence is required.
Can the child be placed on Independent Study if the parent notifies the school that the
student is already out of town or out of the country?
No, an IS contract must be signed by the student, parent and teacher BEFORE the
child can be placed on Independent Study. Without a signed Master Agreement, the district
loses ADA for the student for the time that he/she is not in school.
Can a contract be extended if the absence is longer than expected?
The contract can be extended only if the family has access to a FAX machine or Fed Ex delivery
so that documents can be signed by the student, parent, teacher and principal.
Please consider taking part in some of these parent volunteer opportunities:
Before & After School Crossing Guard - We are looking for parent volunteers who would be interested in helping us keep the crosswalks on Clifford Avenue safe before and after school. If you are interested, please sign up here. Crossing guard volunteers do not need to have district clearance since they are working before the school day and outside of campus.
Lunch Supervision - We can always use an extra pair of hands and eyes during students' lunch times. If you are interested in volunteering during lunch, please email Vice Principal, Casey Nosky @ cnosky@rcsdk8.net. Lunch volunteers will need Level 2 clearance.
For more information on how to become a cleared volunteer and what the different levels entail, please go to the volunteers page on the district website. Please note: volunteer clearance can take a few weeks. To check if you are a cleared volunteer, please visit or call the school office.
