Superintendent's Newsletter
July 24, 2020
Message from Superintendent Dr. John Baker:
Dear RCSD Community,
The Redwood City School District (RCSD) Board of Trustees formally adopted the Distance Learning Model to start the 2020-21 school year. The Board’s vote took place this week at the public School Board meeting on Wednesday, July 22. The Distance Learning Model will be used until at least the end of the first trimester, which is right before Thanksgiving break. At the meeting each Trustee expressed how they prioritized safety for our students, teachers, staff, and the community at-large due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in San Mateo County and California.
As I’ve shared with you in the past, district administrators, teachers, and staff have been working since May developing our Roadmap to Reopening my School plan. This plan included two models - Full Distance Learning and a Hybrid Model consisting of two days in class and three days of distance learning. Our intention was to provide the option to choose between the two models to parents. Ultimately, concern due to the recent increase in cases caused the School Board to shift to Full Distance Learning to start the new school year.
I know there is some disappointment about this decision in our community. Our students, who have been at home since March, were looking forward to coming back to school and seeing their friends. I know some parents are hesitant due to the mixed reviews we received last spring. However, we feel the work we have done and the investment we have made in professional development, has helped us prepare for excellent distance teaching and learning in 2020-21.
We have created several plans and processes we will implement to make the first trimester successful. For example, there will be a clear understanding of the role each one of us plays in the process of high-quality teaching and learning - our students, our teachers and staff, and our parents as our partners at home. We also plan to check in with parents on the learning process and to understand and answer any questions they may have.
Our teachers participated in professional development opportunities in early June, throughout the summer with the County Office of Education and other organizations, and will also receive additional support and training when they return in early August.
The spring of 2020 was an anomaly as we had never been trained in online instruction. We became educators in part because of the rewarding “Aha!” moments that happen every day in our classrooms. The current health crisis may have caused us to become online instructors, but this school year we feel better prepared and we will do our absolute best to serve our students with a positive and enriching learning experience!
I’m grateful to each of you in the RCSD community for your support as we continue to work together.
John Baker
Superintendent
District to Hold Meeting for Parents Interested in Independent Study or Homeschooling
Parents and guardians who are interested in an Independent Study or Homeschooling format for their child in 2020-21 should notify the district about their interest.
Independent Study is a self-paced program facilitated by a credentialed teacher with the parent turning in assignments. Homeschooling means the student will unenroll from the district with the student and parent working on their own.
Interested parents should fill out this form. District staff will contact them for a meeting scheduled on Thursday, July 30, at 4:30 pm. Parents who may have questions between now and next Thursday should contact Deputy Superintendent Wendy Kelly at wkelly@rcsdk8.net.
Do You Need Help Filling Out the Back to School Update?
On an annual basis, returning Redwood City School District (RCSD) parents and guardians review and provide new information to their child's Back to School Update. While the Board of Trustees has agreed that the district will operate under the Distance Learning Model for at least the first trimester, the Back to School Update continues to be important for parents as it:
Provides any medical information about their child to their child's school,
Provides emergency contact information to their child’s school, and
Provides access to any new and/or updated Board of Trustees policies.
District staff will be available next week to help parents and guardians who are not able to fill it out electronically. Click here for the full schedule when staff will be available.
The deadline to fill out the Back to School Update for the 2020-21 school year is August 14.
TK, Kindergarten, and 7th Grade Parents to Submit Immunizations for 2020-21 School Year
As RCSD families get ready to start the 2020-21 school year, the district’s Health and Wellness team reminds TK, Kindergarten, and 7th Grade parents and guardians to submit their immunization records prior to the first day of school on August 19. Immunization requirements for all California students remain in place for 2020-21.
RCSD Health and Wellness will contact TK, Kindergarten, and 7th Grade parents directly to remind them to submit their student’s immunization records.
Click here for the specific requirements for each grade level.
Board of Trustees Scheduled to Adopt Final Map with New Boundaries for Neighborhood Schools
The RCSD Board of Trustees is scheduled to adopt a final map next week with the new boundaries for the school district’s seven neighborhood schools. The vote is scheduled to take place during a Special Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday, July 29, at 6 pm.
The school district’s Neighborhood Schools Boundary Change Study is for all RCSD families to have an assigned neighborhood school. Families in the former Fair Oaks, John Gill, Hawes, and Selby Lane neighborhoods are in need of a neighborhood school after the program moves, mergers, and school consolidations of late 2018.
The new boundaries will take effect for new families who register for the 2021-22 school year.
The agenda and instructions on how to join the virtual meeting will be posted here.
Redwood City School District
Website: https://www.rcsdk8.net
Phone: 650.482.2200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RedwoodCitySchoolDistrict
Twitter: @RWCSchools