Dear Taft Families,
I hope you had a restful weekend. I can't believe that we are halfway through September! My two sons started soccer season and they both had a good time. Each one scored a goal! We are very proud of them! Before we know it, it will be fall and Halloween! Fall is one of my favorite seasons. What is your favorite season?
The school year is moving right along. As mentioned in my previous newsletter, we will have our goal-setting conferences on Sept 30 and Oct 1-4 from 12:15 - 3 pm. Teachers will reach out to parents to organize these conferences. We request that parents bring their Taft student to the conference so that goals can be set together with the teacher. Because this is an important time for you and your student, we request that siblings not attend, if possible.
School Site Council (SSC) starts on Monday, Sept 16. You can find the link to the virtual meeting in the events section below. Our School Site Council (SSC) is currently full but the community members can join the meeting as an observer. We do have openings for parents in the Facilities Master Plan Site Committee, so if you're interested, please email me. You can find specific details below in the Parent Committees section.
We also have a Bullying Prevention Workshop for Parents from Project Cornerstone this Wednesday from 8:30-10 am on campus. If you're interested, please sign up by clicking here. Our workshops are free of charge and highly recommended.
Sincerely,
David Camarena
Principal
Taft Community School
650-482-2416 ext 3755
Click below to view my principal's coffee presentation from Sept 4. Please take a moment to read it.
Taft Principal's Coffee - September 4, 2024
Our librarian, Elisa Cooper, has created a website for our library. Please take a moment to explore it.
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
SEPTAR invites you to their first association meeting of the school year on Tuesday, September 17 at 7pm on Zoom. They will have RCSD's Special Education Department joining them o discuss their roles, services, and to answer questions. Spanish interpretation is provided. Register online at bit.ly/SEPTAR917 Thank you and see you then!
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.
Parent Project classes will begin next week in the evenings via Zoom (flyer in English, Spanish). This is a great opportunity to learn strategies to strengthen your relationship with your child and practice skills for communication, positive discipline practices, and school success. To sign up, please contact Joselyn Bautista at joselyn.bautista@star-vista.org or (650) 208-2257. Please see the flyers attached for details.
We are looking for parents to join our Facilities Master Plan Site Committee to gather diverse perspectives from across our school community. The committee will have a maximum of nine participants that includes staff and parents, plus the site principal. The Facility Master Planning process will involve at least two Site Committee meetings. These meetings will serve as key opportunities for committee members to provide input, discuss priorities, and review preliminary plans.
If interested in joining this committee, please email me at dcamarena@rcsdk8.net
Redwood City School District (RCSD) is also launching its Budget Renewal Initiative this fall, and parents, staff, and community members are encouraged to take an active role by applying to join the committee. This initiative aims to shape the district’s financial future as it transitions back to pre-pandemic operations, focusing on long-term financial stability while maintaining high-quality education for RCSD students.
The Budget Renewal Initiative prioritizes transparency, community engagement, and strategic planning. It comes at a critical time as one-time federal and state grants, which were vital in supporting all public schools during COVID-19 recovery efforts, are set to expire. With a second set of funds scheduled to end in 2026, the district is taking proactive steps to address future financial challenges. More complete details, please view Dr. Baker's newsletter.
The Taft Family Resource Center is dedicated to supporting you and your child throughout the school year. Whether you need help with academic resources, after-school programs, food resources or community resources, we're here for you. Stop by our center anytime—we look forward to working with you and your family! Scan on the image or click on this link to know more about the following:
- Family Center Information and Flyers
- Second Harvest Food Distribution Dates
- Uniform & Backpack Information
- Mental Health (more information to follow)
- After School Partners: Casa Círculo, Boys and Girls Club Program (BCGP) and PAL Center
Jocelyne Arriaga- Community School Coordinator, jarriaga@rcsdk8.net
Julissa Gaytan Sanchez- Family Center Admin Assistant, jgaytansanchez@rcsdk8.net
(650) 482-2847
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, Sept 16: School Site Council 6-7 pm
- Tuesday, Sept 24: ELAC with Ms. Chavez 8:30-9:30 am
- Friday, Sept 27: Minimum Day, dismissal 1-1:35 pm
- Monday, Sept 30: Teacher Professional Development in the morning and Goal-Setting Parent Teacher Conferences from 1-4 pm, No School
- Oct 1-4: Goal-Setting Parent Teacher Conferences, Super Minimum Day, dismissal at 11:45 am for all grades. 1-4 pm conferences
- Oct 8: Picture Day. All students must be in full uniform.
- 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