Principal's Newsletter
January 10, 2022
Principal's Message
Dear Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion families,
Welcome back and ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! to all Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion families and community! I look forward to continue working with you in 2022 building community and providing your child with the best Spanish immersion education possible.
Obviously, the spike in COVID cases in the community this past week has been challenging and concerning for everyone. I urge all parents to please continue to closely monitor your child's health and complete the Daily Wellness Check accurately. Keep your child home if they display any symptoms and contact our office. Also, if a family or household member tests positive for COVID, your child should also stay home as they have an ongoing exposure, and contact our office for the protocol about when they can safely return to school. We want to minimize as many positive cases coming on campus to limit the exposure for everyone here so it is important to follow our protocols. I would also recommend taking advantage of our weekly Antigen testing for students at our school on Tuesdays and Thursdays (see paragraph below for the details). Recently, be aware that there has been information regarding the ineffectiveness of cloth masks protection with the Omicron variant in particular and recommending the three layer nylon disposable masks as being more effective for your protection. Finally, please reinforce with your child the importance of wearing the masks appropriately and washing hands. We do expect the case count in our community to go down eventually, but right now everyone should be very vigilant and doing the best they can for the safety of all. Here is the link for "The Roadmap to Learning Safely During My New School Year" from the School District that was sent out on Friday, January 7th with the latest information regarding protocols, testing, and vaccination opportunities.
A preliminary review of the iReady Reading results showed some good gains overall with a larger percentage of students getting into the Green category (at or above grade level) and fewer in the Red category(below grade level). There are also a number of students in the Yellow category(close to grade level), but in most cases are not doing as well with answering reading comprehension questions in order to get to grade level. One of the best ways to improve reading comprehension and reading fluency is encouraging your child to read at home minimally 30 minutes daily. Students should read a "just right book" that is not too difficult for them to be able to read independently(or an adult or sibling can read a harder book aloud with them). Students have take home reading books in book bags in K-3rd grades, and 4th-5th graders have library books. Parents/Guardians should help facilitate student reading at home daily making sure they read in a quiet area, asking comprehension questions during the reading, and filling out the Home Reading Chart the teacher provides. Some good reading strategies questions to help with students reading comprehension involve:
- Predicting--"I think___will happen next because____"
- Visualizing: " I was able to picture in my mind_____ while reading"
- Making Connections: "Are there any characters in the story that remind you of yourself?"
- Summarizing: "The story was mostly about _____"
- Monitoring Comprehension: "What is the setting of the story?", What was the main problem of the story and how was it resolved?, "Who are the main characters of the story?"
- Critical Thinking: "Why do you think the author wrote the story?", "What's your favorite part of the story and why?"
English only speaking parents it is OK if a student is reading in Spanish and you ask them reading comprehension questions in English because the skills transfer between both languages. Please help us reach our reading goal this year by helping support your child at home.
Optional Weekly COVID-19 Testing Available at our School Site Tuesdays and Thursdays:
The school district has contracted with Bay PLS to help out with Redwood City School District students/staff COVID-19 Antigen Rapid testing at ALL school sites. We have testing available here at Adelante Selby for our students and staff on Tuesdays: 1:30-4:30pm or Thursdays 10:15-12:15. The School District will send out a Google Survey to parents who have registered with Primary Health every Friday afternoon to give consent for their child(ren) to be tested the following week (we will get the students from class or REACH/YMCA for testing). We will only test students if the District Appointment Google form is filled out on Fridays. In addition, testing continues to be available districtwide on Thursdays from 1:30-4:15pm at Hoover and Kennedy schools. Please complete the Primary Health registration form so that your child may be tested(this only needs to be completed once):
- To test in our School District: One time Registration and Consent for COVID-19 Antigen Testing with https://primary.health/
This is in addition to the testing options available throughout the San Mateo County community.
COVID-19 Resources:
TK/Kindergarten 2022/23 Registration/School of Choice January 19th DEADLINE
We have been recruiting for our incoming Kindergarten and Transitional Kindergarten classes for the 2022 school year. We are holding weekly Orientation meetings via Zoom on Fridays at 9:00am for interested new families. A reminder that the district does give preference and priority to siblings of our current students(or siblings of current Kennedy Spanish Immersion students). If you have a TK or Kinder child that is going to attend our school in August, 2022 please fill out the K Sibling Form by January 11th so you can get priority in the selection process. However, remember you still need to fill out the Registration and School of Choice Forms by the deadline. 2022-23 School year TK/K registration and School of Choice are open until January 19th.
For more information about our Immersion program and school, we are hosting virtual Orientations/Tours every Friday at 9:00am via Zoom through January--Details on our slideshow!
5th grade Parent Information Night for Kennedy Middle School
For current 5th grade parents, your child will attend Kennedy Middle School in 6th grade in the Spanish Immersion strand next year. Kennedy is hosting a Parent Information Night on Thursday, January 27th English: 6:00-7:00pm Español 7:00-8:00pm. I would encourage incoming families to attend the Kennedy Information night to find out what they have to offer. Additionally, Principal Nick Fanourgiakas will come over and do an orientation assembly for our 5th graders in the Spring.
Parent Education Series
The Parent Venture, a local organization that sponsors parent education workshops, has shared information about some upcoming events. Workshops are available in Spanish and English. Click the links below to register:
Parent Forum #16 (Spanish) – New Year’s Goals to Improve Family Relationships
Edwin Fernández, LCSW, One Life Counseling Center & Iris Fernández, MFT, Puente
Tuesday, January 11, 2022, 5:30pm - 6:30pm PST, Online Event (Live)
Register: https://parentforum16spanish2022.eventbrite.com
Every December on New Year’s eve, many people around the world set their goals for the new year; lose weight, drink less, visit family, and so on. However, we rarely set goals to be a better parent or caregiver. In this talk, we will talk about three simple goals that can help you reduce stress with your children, make them obey you more, and have a more united family. At the end of the talk, we will have time to answer your questions. Let's go! Start the year with good energy!
Parents and caregivers welcome! Free admission. The Parent Forum is an initiative of Sequoia Healthcare District, in partnership with The Parent Venture.
Visible and Invisible Differences: Promoting Kindness, Empathy, Inclusion and Disability Awareness
Sam Drazin, Founder and Executive Director, Changing Perspectives
Thursday, January 27, 2022, 5:30pm – 6:30pm PST, Online Event (Live)
Register: https://samdrazin2022rcsd.eventbrite.com
Have you ever heard of the term "disability awareness"? Join nationally recognized educator Sam Drazin, founder and executive director of Changing Perspectives, for an enlightening discussion on disability awareness.This workshop will define the concepts around disability awareness and provide parents with practical strategies they can use to engage their children in authentic ways to promote disability awareness.
Parents/caregivers, educators, mental health professionals, and community members welcome! Free admission. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be available.
This presentation is sponsored by Redwood City School District, Sequoia Union High School District, Sequoia Healthcare District, Peninsula Health Care District, and The Parent Venture.
UNIDOS/PTO BINGO NIGHT!!
Please join us next Friday night, January 21, from 6:30-8:00pm for a REALLY FUN virtual Bingo activity for families. You will need two devices for this evening--computer for the Zoom live meet and cell phone/tablet to download the app and play Bingo.
We will be using www.bingomaker.com: To play: Click on Join a Game: Adelante Selby
Password: Bingotime.
We will be on a live Zoom Meeting: ZOOM Meeting ID: 872 4743 7749 Passcode: BINGO!
Director Warren will share his screen with the game card you follow along and play on your device. We will play "Regular" (Diagonal/Vertical/Horizontal columns) , "4 corners", and "Blackout" Bingo games. There will be prizes for the winners! Yes, kids can be in their pijamas!
Office Hours
Our school office is now open and the office hours are 8:00-4:00pm. Entering the office, all visitors must:
- wear a mask
- have your temperature screened at the kiosk
- use hand disinfectant when entering the office also at the kiosk
Please visit our school website , Adelante Selby Facebook Page and our PTO/Unidos webpage and social media accounts: unidospto.org, Facebook and Instagram for more information.
Regards,
Director Warren
Toy Drive Distribution Photos: THANK YOU to the Atherton Police Department and Atherton Community!!
Luminaria Photos!!
Important January Dates
1/11 Celia's Dine Out Day, 1850 El Camino, Take Out/Dine in--10% goes to our school.
1/11 Unidos PTO Parent Meeting, 7:00-9:00pm: meet.google.com/xni-bioy-ynv
1/13 Food Distribution, 2:30-5:00pm, Front Parking Lot: ALL WELCOME
1/17 Martin Luther King Jr Holiday: NO SCHOOL
1/19 Last Day for TK/K Registration and School of Choice Applications for 2022/'23.
1/21 Spirit Dress Day--Students come in Spirit Theme Dress or follow regular Dress Code.
1/21 Virtual Family BINGO night, 6:30-8:00pm: ZOOM Meeting ID: 872 4743 7749 Passcode: BINGO! On a different device, go to www.bingomaker.com: To play: Click on Join a Game: Adelante Selby
Password: Bingotime.
1/24 ELAC Meeting, 4:00pm, ZOOM Meeting ID: 842 6822 5238 Passcode: 155445
1/26 School Site Council Meeting, 3:00pm, ZOOM Meeting ID: 898 6491 2604 Passcode: Warren
1/27 Food Distribution, 2:30-5:00pm, Front Parking Lot: ALL WELCOME
1/27 5th grade Parent Kennedy Information Night English: 6-7:00pm, Español 7:00-8:00pm
1/28 Free Dress Day (Last Friday school day of the month)