Principal's Newsletter
December 6, 2021
Principal's Message
Dear Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion families,
I would like to congratulate all of the students for participating in this year's Student Council Elections. Youth Leadership opportunities are provided at our school through Student Council thanks to Maestra Elanor. 4th and 5th grade students campaigned for Student Council by talking to fellow students, putting up posters, and giving live speeches to the entire 3-5th grade student body via Zoom. We are proud of everyone! The winners were: President: Susana Saldana, Vice President: Olive Osborn, Treasurer: Sabian Paul, and Secretary: Cassandra Williams.
Incredibly, in a few weeks we will be on Winter Break and so I want to wish a very Happy Holidays to all of our Adelante Selby students, families, staff, and community! Enjoy this fun card from our Office Staff: Happy Holidays
Recently, the school district has decided to test all 2nd graders district wide in an effort to make North Star Academy a more diverse school. I understand the desire to integrate North Star, but I also want to remind our Spanish Immersion community that our program needs ALL families commitment to stay here through 5th grade. If families start leaving prior to 5th grade, that can cause issues like class combinations which are not what we want. Also, to gain the full cognitive benefits of being completely bilingual and biliterate, students should stay until 5th grade. As you know, we provide a number of enrichment programs and opportunities to educate the whole child as well as ANY other school and we provide the core vision of becoming bilingual and biliterate in a positive community school atmosphere. We also have a very dedicated and talented staff. According to research (Howard & Christian, Thomas & Collier, Lindholm and Leary) there are three major advantages for students in two way immersion programs such as ours here at Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion school. The first advantage is that students develop full verbal, reading, and writing proficiency in two languages. This allows them to see their first language in a comparative perspective, which in turn helps them analyze and refine their language use. A second advantage is that students not only achieve at levels that are similar to or higher than those of their peers enrolled in English only programs on standardized assessments in Reading and Math, but in addition they are able to read and write at grade level in another language. This in turn positively affects academic performance and cognitive ability. The third advantage is more attitudinal in that students in dual language programs develop positive attitudes about students of other language and cultural backgrounds as well as positive attitudes about themselves as learners. For example, researchers have found dual language students showed a great deal of diversity in friendship choices and they are more comfortable interacting with members of other ethnocultural groups. In a very real sense, students in dual language programs become more self-confident because they are better prepared to engage in a global society that values multiculturalism and bilingualism. As one parent noted to me recently, "My child has the opportunity to be bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural. There are social and cognitive benefits to bilingualism. He gains a second language, a broader vocabulary, and multiple views of the world."
School Musical : Disney's "FROZEN Kids"
The FROZEN Kids musical was a wonderful event where our students had the opportunity to develop their talents after school leading up to the live performances this past weekend on a stage in front of a live audience at MIT auditorium. Since September, the students worked hard learning their parts and rehearsing in preparation for the performances. Parents and community members were very much involved in supporting the effort with incredible set and costume designs which were remarkable! Parents also helped with make up, selling tickets, making the program, and taking photos. This year due to Covid restrictions, there was a lot of uncertainty whether or not we would be able to do a live, in person performance at all so the fact that parents kept working on the sets et al. in good faith was even more remarkable! We are also fortunate to have teachers who are willing to help like Maestra Elanor with the sound crew (which included some Adelante alumni), Maestra Nell who was the House Director, Maestras Yesenia and Lili, and of course Maestra Rita, the Producer. We had Danny Giray, our Dance instructor, as the Choreographer and Vocal Music teacher Maestra Lidia as the Ensemble director. Finally, the partnership with the San Carlos Children's Theater and Director Lisa Bock has been very successful! Lisa is very gifted in how she works to bring out the best in our students. I want to thank everyone involved for supporting FROZEN Kids and the students who participated--Bravo!! Finally, a very special THANK YOU to Superintendent Baker and the Facilities Department for allowing us to use and have a safe and successful live and in person event at MIT Auditorium!
Check out our wonderful cast who "melted" our hearts: here!
Check out a few photos and videos from Friday's performance: FROZEN kids Friday Night
TK/Kindergarten 2022/23 Registration/School of Choice is open!
We are already 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 now 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!
Walk-A-Thon: BETTER TOGETHER!
The Adelante Selby Unidos PTO Walk-A-Thon is a fundraiser that supports Art, Garden, Music, and Dance for all students! Every child was provided a 2021 Walk-A-Thon T-shirt and water bottle! Congratulations to Maestra Elizabeth's 1st grade class for raising the most money and winning the class party! Thank you to all the students and community members who contributed to the Walk-a-Thon fundraiser. It was a huge success! We raised $33,789! Students had a fun day out walking to support our school. A Special SHOUT OUT! and THANK YOU! to parent volunteers Ann Hynecek and Jenny Morrow for organizing and facilitating this successful event! Enjoy this Digital Album of photos/videos of the Walk-a-Thon 2021.
Luminarias:
Adelante Selby Unidos PTO will keep the Luminaria tradition going again this year! Luminaria Night will be on the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, December 21st. Families are encouraged to put their Luminarias out that evening at 5:00pm, and then enjoy a walk or drive around Redwood City to see how many others you can spot.
You can purchase your Luminaria kits for $10 for six kits this year at this link: https://www.unidospto.org/luminarias! You will pick up your kits on Saturday, December 5th 10:00-12:00 at the Adelante Selby Front Parking lot.
Parent Volunteers:Welcome Back to our School!!
Parent/Community Volunteers will need to follow this process with the district’s Department of Human Resources. This includes both returning and new volunteers. The department of Human Resources will contact each volunteer once they are cleared to start volunteering. If you’re not able to fill out the documents online, come by our office as we have print copies available. A new requirement is that all volunteers will need to be fully vaccinated(as well as a TB test and background check which were the existing requirements prior to COVID). We already have over 25 parent volunteers that have been cleared by HR and we know there will be more to help support Art in Action, Project Cornerstone, and more...We know that it’s been a bit of a wait, but we appreciate the understanding as our district was working to keep all of us safe following public health guidelines.
We’re excited to have you back!
COVID 19 Vaccination Events:
A large number of our students have already received the first vaccination. RCSD families have several options for vaccinating their children in San Mateo County, which include healthcare providers, pharmacies, and other county and community clinics. Families are also encouraged to visit the San Mateo County Health website for vaccination events throughout the County. The San Mateo County Office of Education has also compiled this list of upcoming vaccination opportunities. The San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) hosted a webinar with San Mateo County Health addressing the latest COVID-19 community trends, strategies for safe schools, and vaccination updates. The event helped parents with answers to questions they may have had about the vaccination. Other resources for parents include tips from Johns Hopkins Medicine and a series of flyers from the San Mateo County Office of Education that share some of the reasons for children and youth to be vaccinated as well as myths and facts about the vaccine.
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:
Hunt, Gather, Parent: A Conversation with Michaeleen Doucleff & Ned Johnson Wednesday, December 8, 2021, 5:30pm – 6:30pm, Online Event with National bestselling authors, Michaeleen Doucleff and Ned Johnson discuss how parents can raise happy, helpful, and well-adjusted children. Filled with practical takeaways that parents can implement immediately they describe a way of raising confident, generous children, that families all over the world have turned to for centuries. Parents/caregivers, students, educators, mental health professionals, and community members welcome! Free admission. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be available.We include this information here so that you can be aware of what is available for our parent community. Parents please go to the Parent Venture website if you are interested in learning more.
Optional Weekly COVID-19 Testing Now Available at our School Site Tuesdays and Thursdays:
The school district has contracted with Bay PLS to help out with student/staff COVID-19 Antigen Rapid testing at ALL school sites. We will have testing available here at Adelante Selby for 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. 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/
Holiday Break Testing Schedule
Hoover and Kennedy will be providing testing to all students and employees. Any student and employee from any of RCSD’s 12 schools can visit Hoover or Kennedy.:
Mon. Dec. 20:
Open testing at Kennedy School
1:30-4:15 p.m.
Tues. Dec. 21:
Open Testing at Hoover School
1:30-4:15 p.m.
Mon. Dec. 27:
Open testing at Kennedy School
1:30-4:15 p.m.
Tues. Dec. 28:
Open testing at Hoover School
1:30-4:15 p.m.
Tues. Jan 4, 2022
Testing returns to its regular schedule at all RCSD school sites.
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
Important December Dates
12/6 ELAC Parent Meeting, 4:00pm: Meeting ID: 824 3884 2572 Passcode: 174134
12/7 Unidos PTO Parent Meeting, 7:00-9:00pm: meet.google.com/xni-bioy-ynv
12/8 School Site Council Meeting, 3:00pm,Meeting ID: 812 7055 8503 Passcode: Warren
12/9 Food Distribution, 2:45-5:00pm
12/10 "Holiday Sweater"Spirit Dress Day: Students in Spirit Theme clothes OR regular school dress code.
12/13 "Luminaria" Pick Up(if you purchased one) 4:30-6:30pm Front Lot
12/16 Toy Drive Distribution at Library Drop Off area 2:00-4:00pm(for designated families)
12/17 Early Dismissal Time 1:25 for K-5 and 12:45 for TK
12/17 Free Dress Day (Last Friday school day of the month)
12/20-Jan 3 Winter Holiday Break: No School
12/21 "Luminaria" Night!! 5:00pm Set out your "Luminarias" and take some photos!!
1/4/2022 Classes Resume