Dolphin News

Dear Taft Families,

On behalf of the faculty and staff of Taft Community School, I would like to welcome everyone to the 2024-25 school year! I cannot believe it’s already August! Summer went by so fast! I hope you and your student(s) had time to relax, enjoy each other’s company and have fun. My family and I went camping with friends in the El Dorado National Forest, visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, had multiple gatherings with friends and family at home, swam and played on splash pad, played baseball, rode bikes, worked around the house, and enjoyed time with each other. I can surely state that this summer was refreshing and restful for me and most importantly, I was able to spend it with my family. I made a concerted effort to disconnect from work and relax. It is now time to get back to work.

I am very excited to continue the work we started last year and look forward to seeing everyone again. As we finish our summer, we are excited to welcome all our new and returning families. Our staff is getting ready to start the year, and we all look forward to seeing our vibrant school community. As we begin this school year, communicating with you will be necessary. Similar to last year, I will send e-newsletter messages biweekly to update you on school events and news. This newsletter will continue to be available on our Taft website. We have a new Assistant Principal, Veronica Chavez, whose biography is below. Please take a moment to read it so that you familiarize yourself with her. Our amazing Family Center Coordinator, Jocelyne Arriaga, is returning and available to support you and our students. Luckily for us, the vast majority of our staff is coming back and they’re looking forward to seeing and meeting our students.

Maze Day is quickly approaching. All Maze Day information will be emailed to families but hard copies will be available upon request. Please see the information on On Maze Day below. If you have any questions, please let me know via email or phone call. Also, important dates have been posted on our electronic sign located in front of the main entrance.

A reminder that the first day of school is Wednesday, August 14, 2024 and it is a Minimum Day schedule with dismissal from 1-1:35 pm depending on grade level.

*Please note that parents will be allowed to accompany students onto campus the first three days of school, Aug 14-16. Parents must leave campus through the front gate once the bell rings. Please do not exit the campus through the side or back entrances.

Starting Monday, August 19, parents will drop students off at the front gate and students will make their way to the blacktop or designated waiting area. Parents will only be allowed on campus for a school-related event or appointment with a teacher or administrator.

Lastly, I highly encourage you to read this entire newsletter as it has important information needed for a smooth start of the school year. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Sincerely,

David Camarena

Principal

Taft Community School

650-482-2416 ext 3755

dcamarena@rcsdk8.net

As mentioned above, our Maze Days are quickly approaching. Our two dates are:

1. Tuesday, August 6

• 9 am - 1 pm for families whose last names start with A - M
• 2 pm - 7 pm for families whose last names start with N - Z

• 9 am - 12 pm (everyone)
• 1 - 3 pm (everyone)

The Maze Day packet is found linked below. Please take a moment to read it.

Maze Day Packet (PDF version)

• Welcome Letter
• Taft School Calendar 24-25 (Written Version)
• Taft Bell Schedule for 24-25
• Student and Family Handbook (English and Spanish Versions)
• Uniform Policy on pgs 11-13 in English version
• Uniform Policy on pgs 13-15 in Spanish version
• Cell Phone policy
• Reporting an Absence and Attendance Matters
• Emergency Card 24-25
• 5th grade walk home permission
• Family Resource Center Information
• After School Partner Information
• Special Education Parent Teacher Association of Redwood City (SEPTAR) Information

On Maze Day, students and families can receive hard copy of the Maze Day packet or it's contents upon request. We highly recommend that you attend. This will be a good opportunity for you and your student to familiarize yourselves with our campus and meet our staff.

Veronica Chávez joins RCSD as an assistant principal who will support both Roosevelt and Taft schools. She is an accomplished administrator with more than three decades of experience leading and managing culturally and linguistically diverse communities within educational settings. Fluent in Spanish and English, she has experience in communication, team building, and bilingual language acquisition pedagogy.

Ms. Chávez’s leadership experience includes her role as Assistant Superintendent at San Francisco Unified School District, where she established the Professional Learning and Leadership Development Office, recruited and coached principals, and worked to improve school performance metrics. Her administrative roles span from principalships at various schools, where she successfully implemented programs and increased student performance, to supervising and administering multilingual programs that introduced district-wide initiatives and dual language programs.

We are very excited to have such an accomplished and seasoned educator join us at Taft! Ms. Chavez will be at Taft on Mondays, Tuesdays, and every other Thursday.

Education:

• Master of Arts in Educational Administration--San Francisco State University

• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration--University of California, Berkeley

Please complete the First Day of School Packet if you have not done so yet. Failure to complete it will limit the possibility of your student being enrolled and accepted into an after school program. Check your email for the Snapcode that was sent to you by both the school and district in June and over the summer. The link for the First Day of School Packet for both English and Spanish is found below.

https://www.rcsdk8.net/our-programs-and-services/enrollment/first-day-of-school-packet

Please click on the link below to get a list of recommended school supplies for grades K-5.

Taft School Recommended School Supply List

To see our most recent list of teachers and staff, please click on the link below. Please note that we will continue updating our staff directory as needed.

https://taft.rcsdk8.net/our-school/our-teachers-and-staff

• Tuesday, August 6: Maze Day, 9 am - 1 pm and 2-7 pm
• Wednesday, August 7: Maze Day, 9 am - 12 pm and 1-3 pm
• Wednesday, August 14: First Day of School, Minimum Day schedule with dismissal from 1-1:35 pm depending on grade level. See Taft Bell Schedule 24-25 for exact times.
• Aug 5-9, 12-13: Teacher Professional Development and setting up of classrooms
• Thursday, August 29: Back to School Night, 5:30-6:30 pm
• Monday, Sept 2: Labor Day, No School
• Wednesday, Sept 11: Second Harvest Food Distribution, 2:30-4 pm
• Monday, Sept 16:School Site Council 6-7 pm
• Monday, Sept 30: Teacher Professional Development and Goal-Setting Parent Teacher Conference, No School
• Oct 1-4: Goal-Setting Parent Teacher Conferences, Super Minimum Day, dismissal at 11:45 am for all grades

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 updates/reminders via text, email or newsletter between now and the first day of 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