Dear Taft Families,
I hope you had a great three-day weekend. Happy Veteran's Day and thank you to all members of our armed forces who have served during war and peacetime. Let's us never forget them as many of them sacrificed their lives upon the altar of freedom.
Trimester 1 ended on Friday, November 8 and report cards will be sent home in the upcoming weeks. Once we have them ready, we will let you know so that you look out for them. Thank you to all parents for their hard work and dedication to their child's education.
It's getting colder in the mornings with temperatures dropping to the 40s. Please be sure to send your child with a coat. Also, please remind students to keep track of their coats and lunchboxes. We continuously find them scattered around campus and place them in the lost and found box. We eventually donate those coats that are never claimed.
Lastly, some of you will receive a call, text and email regarding your child's attendance for Trimester 1. As you know, school attendance is a vital part of the learning process and we need students to attend school every day. When a child misses school regularly, they fall behind and this can have negative effects on a child such as low academic performance, loss of self-esteem, and mental health concerns. Additionally their chances of graduating high school drop significantly. Trimester 2 starts now and everyone has the chance to start over. 🙂
Sincerely,
David Camarena
Principal
Taft Community School
650-482-2416 ext 3755
Principal's Coffee November 2024.pptx
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.
*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.
Project Cornerstone returns to Taft on November 13 from 8:30-10 am. The topic for this upcoming parent workshop is: 8 Keys to Success. Learn specific strategies to support and encourage kids to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. This workshop uses the research-based Developmental Assets framework to help adults ensure that children and teens have the positive values, relationships, skills, and experiences that will help them grow up to be healthy, caring, and responsible.
The parent workshop is free of charge and is presented in Spanish. Highly recommended! Sign up here
Additionally, RCSD is offering online family counseling through Daybreak Health. They will also be holding six parenting classes beginning in November through Spring 2025. The topics are as follows:
- December 2 (Holidays and Youth Mental Health)
- February 3 (Social Media and Technology)
- March 3 (Parenting Your Anxious Child)
- April 14 (Healthy Relationships)
- May 12 (Understanding Changes in Behavior in Your Child)
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.
If you would like to order pictures, please visit https://shop.jostenspix.com/login. The event code is FE72024. You will also need your student's six-digit ID number. Please call the office to obtain it. The makeup session for pictures will be on Tuesday, November 12.
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:
Kindergarten: 20-30 minutes
1st-2nd grades: 30-45 minutes
3rd-5th grades: 60 minutes
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.
Actual registration will occur later at a later date. We will have a virtual and informational evening meeting about Outdoor Education on November 12, 2024 at 6 pm. Click here to access Google Meet link
Families are also invited e visit San Mateo Outdoor Education, located at YMCA Camp Jones Gulch in La Honda (Map Here). Bring your families and share in the magic of Outdoor Education. The event runs from 2-4pm on Sunday, November 17th. RSVP here: https://forms.gle/fFHooopzATsFe5Pb6
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.
The Taft Family Resource Center has created a WhatApp group for families aimed at improving communication between the school and parents. Taft parents are encouraged to join. Updates regarding events and pertinent information will be shared. Please note that this group will not be used to report student absences. Lastly, please take a look at the attached flyers for upcoming events for families. If you have any questions, please contact Jocelyne Arriaga- Community School Coordinator, jarriaga@rcsdk8.net or call (650) 482-2847
Join SEPTAR's Association Meeting on November 19 at 7pm on Zoom. We will have a representative from AbilityPath Family Resource Center to talk about the services they provide. There will also be an Open Forum Discussion for participants to talk about special education and disability related issues and topics. Register: bit.ly/SEPTAR1119
The 2024-2025 school year has started and we want to encourage all students and families that attendance matters every day! Coming to school every day and on time is crucial for our students. It's very important for students to attend every day and we remind parents to bring students on time. We know traffic can be a concern but please make an attempt to get your student to school on time.
To report an absence, please follow the instructions on the link below. This is the new method of reporting your student's absence. The link below can be found on our Taft website under the Parent Hub.
https://taft.rcsdk8.net/parent-hub/report-an-absence
Also, click below to read the Illness Letter issued by The RCSD nursing team. The letter details when to keep your child at home when ill.
If you have any questions, please call the school at 650-482-2416.
- Monday, Nov 11: Veteran's Day, No School
- Tuesday, Nov 12: Picture Day Makeup
- Wednesday, Nov 13: Project Cornerstone, 8 Keys to Success. Register here
- Wednesday, Nov 13: Second Harvest Food Distribution, 2:30-4 pm
- Monday, Nov 18: School Site Council, 6-7 pm
- Tuesday, Nov 19: ELAC, 8:30-9:30 am
- Tuesday, Nov 19: Advisory Board Meeting, 3-4 pm
- Thursday, Nov 21: Reclassification Ceremony at MIT, 6:30-7:30 pm
- Monday, Nov 25: Super Minimum Day, dismissal at 11:45 am
- Tuesday, Nov 26: Minimum Day
- Nov 27-29: Thanksgiving Break
- 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
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.
- Please do not park in the staff parking lot in the morning and afternoon. The lot is reserved for staff.
- Please do not block our neighbors’ driveways at any time.
- 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.
- 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.
- Please review Taft's Cell Phone Policy for Students. Students bringing a cell phone to school must check it in at the front office.
Taft Community School
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