Dolphin Newsletter
9.2.22
The Dolphin Promise
To teach students, not subjects or textbooks
To make learning joyful
To be proactive rather than reactive
To teach in ways that respond to our students' needs
To meet students where they are
To keep in mind that learning is a process that takes time and commitment
To keep relationships at the core of how we work together
To help each student feel valued, seen, and heard
To create an atmosphere that welcomes every student to belong
To dream big, have perseverance and grit
To challenge all students to learn at high levels
To inspire and motivate students
To include academic challenges so that all students can explore their potential
To love, protect, and care for our community
To be proud of who we are no matter what adversity we face
To be dependable and reliable
To be an upstander
To be Dolphin proud
Dolphin Awards! Celebrated Monthly TK-8th Grade
Dolphin Character- Students earning this award show concern and/or sympathy for others, are sensitive to the needs of others, offer support & give their time, talents, and resources to help others, talking positively about others, considering the needs of others, not just their own. They show understanding of others by treating them with compassion, generosity, and a forgiving spirit. These students exemplify the Core Value of Care!
Dolphin Respect—Students earning this award have demonstrated respect for self, others, learning environment and learning. They have good behavior, good attitude, and participate in class on a daily basis. Students earning this award are the most improved students. These students exemplify the Core Values of RESPECT
Dolphin Empathy - Students earning this award have demonstrated care and concern towards other Dolphins. They consistently reach out to others and help them feel cared for. These students exemplify the Core Value of EMPATHY!
Dolphin Eager—Students earning this award exhibit leadership among their peers, earn high grades in all content areas, and are considered a positive role model for their peers. These students are also asking for extra credit and go above and beyond when working on projects and/or special assignments. These students are never tardy between classes and are always ready to learn from bell to bell. These students exemplify the Core Value of being EAGER!
Dolphin Dreamer—Students earning this award are helpful to others, consistent with their work ethic, and are students who try hard in classes. These students set goals and are always looking to the future. These Dolphin Dreamers are not only creative, but they are resourceful and inspire others to think outside the box. The Dolphin Dreamer is gentle by nature and loyal. These students live above their background and don’t let hard times change their course. Even in adversity, they believe they will still be successful! These students exemplify the Core Value of DREAMER!
Message from the principal...
Hello Clifford Families,
What an honor it has been to start this school year with you and your children. It has been a busy and exciting first couple of weeks of school. We are so grateful to our staff, our families and our students for such a positive start to our year. We know that the beginning of the year is always busy and learning new routines can be challenging, but so many of you have made the beginning of this year so positive and encouraging. It makes such a difference when our community works together towards the same goal, and we thank you so much for such a strong start to this year!
We are excited to welcome our families to Back to School Night on Tuesday 9/6, so please make sure to read the information below for more details. There are details about different upcoming events in our first newsletter of the year, so please make sure to read through all the information. To our new Dolphin families, school wide newsletters usually get sent out every two weeks with important news and school wide updates! Keep a look out every other Friday for an updated newsletter.
Together, there is no doubt that #Cliffordistheplacetobe.
With Gratitude,
Jude Noyes and Tiffany Parrish
Upcoming Events...
Every Friday Music Played during Middle School Lunch!
Monday 9/5- No School- Labor Day
Tuesday 9/6- Student Body Elections/Speeches/Good luck to our candidates!
Tuesday 9/6- In person back to school night (TK-5 6-7, 6-8 7-8) (Minimum Day/Thursday Schedule)
Friday 9/9- SBAC/Parent Portal Letters (4th-8th) begin to be sent home with students. Families can create accounts beginning 9/9.
Sept. 7-28 Kindergarten Brigance Window
September 8- Clifford GSA Begins
Thursday 9/8- 6-8 Cross Country 1st after school 1 hr practice. Interested in joining? See or email Mr. Rogers at drogers@rcsdk8.net
Friday, 9/23 Fall Picture Day
Mon 9/12-9/30 iReady Assessment Window Opens 1st-8th Grade
Thursday 9/15 Clifford Fire Drill
Thursday 9/15 7PM- Hybrid PTO meeting in room 27 and online. (link sent out closer to event)
Thursday 9/15-10/15- Hispanic Heritage Month!
Friday 10/28- TK-5 Halloween Parade/6-8 Carnival More info to come later...
March 6 - 10, 2023- Scholastic Book Fair
Message from the Jedi Team! Hispanic Heritage Month!
Jedi Team will be sharing information daily about notable Hispanic Americans during the first 15 minutes of each day. Classes will be provided with grade level activities and banners to complete and decorate for their classrooms, halls, etc. Some of the Hispanic Americans we will be recognizing are:
Luis W. Álvarez, Sonia Sotomayor, Rita Moreno, Ellen Ochoa, Franklin Chang-Díaz, Nydia Velázquez, Hilda Solís, Dennis Chávez, Severo Ochoa, Dolores Huerta, Sandra Cisneros, Elizabeth Acevedo, Carlos Santana, Selena Quintanilla, Mario Molina, Óscar Hijuelos, Roberto Clemente, Laurie Hernández, Edward James Olmos, Celia Cruz, César Chávez, Antonia Novello, Desi Arnaz
We are excited to celebrate the culture and leaders of the Hispanic American community!
Clifford Absence Reporting Form
We have added an absent reporting form to the Clifford website so you can report your student's absence. You can find this form in the Parent Hub section at clifford.rcsdk8.net/parent-hub/report-an-absence. Please bookmark this form for use during this school year. You are not required to use this form, and you can always call the office to report an absence.
Back to School Night 2022-2023
We are looking forward to seeing families at our Back to School Night on September 6th! Please arrive no earlier than 5:45 to mingle with families on the blacktop, stop by the PTO table and grab some gear!
- TK-5 classroom doors will open at 6:00 PM please do not go to the classrooms until 6:00 PM. At 6:05 you will hear a message from me through the speakers. After which, your child's teacher will begin their presentations. Back to school night will end at 6:45 for TK-5. Please be mindful of exiting the classrooms promptly as the teachers have had a long day and have to return to teach the following day.
- 6-8th grade back to school night will begin at 7:00 PM. Please do not head to the upper school until 6:55 and enter classrooms only after 7pm. You will follow your child's daily bell schedule. Have your child share their schedule with you before you arrive so you are best prepared. Each period will be approximately 10 minutes long. You will hear a bell ring between each period to alert you to go to the next classroom. Back to school night will end at 8:00. Teachers need to be able to go home to get rested for teaching on Wednesday!
In the 6th-8th grade hallways there will be a long blank butcher paper on the wall for you to write a message to your child if you wish. We would love for them to see it upon their return on Wednesday!! Please be sure to stop by and write a message for your child!
Please Note: Back-to-School Night is not the time to individually conference with teachers. If you wish to discuss concerns about your child, please schedule a private appointment.
Some Middle School Student Council Members Getting Ready to Open the Depot
The Dolphin Depot Opens Thursday for grades 6-8 and Friday for TK-5!
What is iReady
i-Ready allows your teacher(s) to meet your student exactly where they are and provides data to increase your student’s learning gains. i-Ready consists of two parts: Diagnostic and Personalized Instruction. The i-Ready Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your student’s needs. Each item a student sees is individualized based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier questions. i-Ready Personalized Instruction provides students with lessons based on their individual skill level and needs, so your student can learn at a pace that is just right for them. These lessons are fun and interactive to keep your student engaged as they learn.
Upper Parking Lot Pick Up Proceedure
Message from SamTrans
What are theCommittees ELAC Clifford and DELAC District?
- Children with their native language other than English are considered English Learners in the Redwood City School District.
- Each year, children take an ELPAC to see their progress and recognition in reading and language. This is the opportunity for our children to enter the reclassification process. Demonstrating a level of command of the language similar to a native speaker.
How can we support and collaborate with the District Committee (DELAC), which governs
services for children?- The DELAC director (Ms. Leslie Daniele), is promoting this year, collaboration with the children's families to ensure that the services they need at school and at home are available to them and to their parents.
- It is important that we have a committee with parents representing our students. All meetings will be in Spanish.
- When we form our school committee, parents have the opportunity to represent the school on the district's main committee with other parents from other schools.
What are the benefits of participating in the ELAC?
- As a parent, you have the recognition of the rights and services available to your children.
- Meet other parents going through the same process and hear about their experiences with our school and district. This is exactly what the DELAC director wants.
- Communicate any needs that your children do not have to overcome and reclassify in less time with the appropriate materials for ELPAC preparation.
How can you find out more about the program before our meeting in October?
- Send us your contact information to receive the meeting link to Scarlett Mineta Mendoza (650)804-1505 or scarlett_p78@yahoo.com
Cyberbullying & Internet Safety
As parents/guardians we want to ensure our children's safety in all that they do. In today's world our children have access to technology and with it comes great responsibility. Unfortunately, not all people on the other side of the screen are kind. Cyberbullying can take place in many different ways on the internet. Please use the tips and links below to learn more about how to keep your kids safe on the internet and to protect them from Cyberbullying.
Tips for your kids- 3 Things to Protect Yourself from Cyberbullying:
1. Make sure mom(s) and dad(s) /adult caregiver(s) know every time you are online
2. Only play games online or chat with friends you and your parents/caregivers know
3. Let your mom(s) and/or dad(s)/adult caregiver(s) know any time someone is mean, rude, or uses foul language with you online
Tip for Parents/guardians How to keep your kids safe Online:
1. Keep computer in common area and make rule about your kids not going online without your permission
2. Make it your business to know who they encounter or talk to online - be close by whenever they are online
3. Remind them to come and tell you when someone is being rude, or uses foul language with them. Most social sites have a way to report and that online behavior must be reported.
Internet Safety Sites that help teach kids and parent(s)/caregiver(s) how to protect against Cyberbullying:
Friends For Life If you would like to report Cyberbullying use this link
Netsmartz Videos for kids and information for parent(s)/caregiver(s) on Cyberbullying and Internet Safety
Common Sense Media Videos for parent(s)/caregiver(s) on Internet Safety
Why do we advocate for inclusion?
Clifford Uses Restorative Justice Framework
What is Restorative Justice?
What is Restorative Justice? Restorative Justice or "RJ" at minimum, allows us to address the harms and needs of those harmed, hold those causing harm accountable to "put right" those harms, and involve both of these parties as well as relevant communities in this process. "RJ" also places an emphasis on Community/ Relationship Building for all members of the community which include Students, Staff, and Parents/ Guardians in hopes of creating a safer and more positive environment that will better serve our students in their pursuit of a higher education.
Article - “Using Dialogue Circles” (one page, briefly covers: Check In Circles, Peace Making Circles, Academic Intervention Circles)
Restorative Circle in Elementary School
Helpful Links
- 2022-2023 Clifford Family Directory TK-5/6-8
- 2022-2023 Student Covid Reporting Form
- 2022-23 COVID Protocols in RCSD Schools
- RCSD Peachjar
- Ingenium Enrichment- After school program (picks up at Clifford)
- Clifford is an NUA school. Learn more about NUA here
- Parent Education Series Free Resources and Links:
The Parent Venture: https://www.parentventure.org/
Video Library (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/c/ParentEducationSeries
The Parent Education Newsletter (Register): http://bit.ly/ParentEdNewsletter
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/parenteducation
Clifford School
Principal: Jude Noyes- jnoyes@rcsdk8.net
Vice Principal: Tiffany Parrish- tparrish@rcsdk8.net
Office Manager: Mayra Guerra - mguerra@rcsdk8.net
We ARE the most incredible school in the Inner-Planetary Galactic Solar System!
Email: jnoyes@rcsdk8.net
Website: https://www.rcsdk8.net/clifford
Location: 225 Clifford Avenue, Redwood City, CA, USA
Phone: 650-482-2402