Mustang Gazette
December 2021
Message from the Principal
Dear Henry Ford Families,
I hope you were able to spend time relaxing with family and friends over Thanksgiving break. I appreciated having all three of my children home for the holiday. Thanksgiving break also gave me time to reflect on Henry Ford and how much I have grown to love the staff, students and their families. I feel very blessed to be a part of this community.
Climate Survey
Thank you to all the families who completed the Climate Survey. This survey is given every school year in the fall across the district. It will be sent out again in the spring for the first time. We value feedback and use the results of the surveys to make decisions, changes and policies. Once we receive the results, our school Leadership Team and the School Site Council will analyze the data and share our findings and recommendations.
What I Need (WIN)
Henry Ford dedicates thirty minutes a day, three days a week, to provide small group, targeted instruction. This block of time is called WIN, which stands for What I Need. Every staff member that is not a classroom teacher (aides, administration, resource teachers...) provides research based reading intervention to students who are performing below grade level during WIN. Currently, close to 100 students are receiving small group support. Progress is monitored regularly and students are regrouped as needed every eight weeks.
Students who are not pulled for reading intervention are placed into groups based on data. These students receive targeted instruction or enrichment from classroom teachers. The topics range from STEM, Writing, Math Games, Social Skills, Impulse Control to Leadership Skills. As volunteers are cleared to be on campus, more intervention and enrichment will be offered and class sizes will continue to be reduced. Once WIN is fully up and running, classes will be multi-aged.
READ, READ, READ!
Reading for pleasure, including fiction, is far more important than we have ever imagined. In fact, research is showing that the best predictor of future educational achievement and life success is one's reading ability - or, more significantly, one's ability to engage in what they are reading. To help your child develop a love of reading, set aside 30 minutes every evening to read. Whether you read to your child or they read to you, help them engage in the text by asking higher level thinking questions. Some example are listed below:
Make Connections:
Does this text remind you of something else you have read or experienced? Explain.
What do you think will happen next? Why?
Why do you think the author wrote this?
- Did the author write this text to Inform (teach reader something), Persuade (get reader to buy or believe something) or Entertain (make reader laugh, worry)?
- Find a sentence in the text to support your answer?
- Is this Fiction (pretend) or Nonfiction (real)? How do you know?
Compare and Contrast:
Who are the main characters?
How are they the same?
How are they different?
What is the setting or where does story take place?
Analyze:
Did you like this story?
What was your favorite part?
Do you agree with the author? Why or why not?
What would you change?
- What is a good title for this text?
Summarize the text in one or two sentences.
What is the main idea?
What are the important details?
Briefly describe what happened in the beginning, the middle, and end of the text.
Virtual Meetings
Friday 12/3: 9:00
Coffee w/ Principals
Wednesday 12/14: 7:00
PTA Meeting
Thursday 12/15: 9:00 & 6:00
Incoming Kinder Tours
Early Dismissal
Friday 12/17: 11:30 Dismissal K-5th
Winter Break
Monday 12/20 - Monday 1/3 No School for Students
Tuesday. 1/4:
Students Return
Important Information
VOLUNTEERS ON CAMPUS
Starting Monday, November 29th, all cleared volunteers will be permitted to work on campus! To apply, visit the following website: https://www.rcsdk8.net/Page/9629 or stop by the office to get a paper copy of the application.
Once you are cleared, please reach out to the teacher, office or principal to make arrangements. PTA is also looking for volunteers to help with Art in Action and our Makerspace.
The district put together a detailed presentation of the volunteer process. A copy of the presentation is attached at the end of the newsletter for your convenience.
LIVE VIRTUAL KINDER TOURS
Virtual kinder tours are being held for incoming kinder families twice a month. The presentations will be recorded and posted on our website for those who cannot attend.
- Wednesday, 12/15 at 9:00 am and 6:00 pm
- Wednesday, 1/12 at 9:00 am and 6:00 pm
Meeting Link: https://meet.google.com/put-jqje-rxm?authuser=0
AFTER SCHOOL DISMISSAL
Parents/Guardians of 4th and 5th Grade Students: Do not arrive early and sit in the pick up zone. It causes traffic to back up. If you are in the pickup zone before 2:45, please move your car when asked. Our yard duty is struggling with parents who refuse to cooperate. In order for Henry Ford to be a true community, we need to look out for every student, not just our own.
COVID-19 POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Daily Wellness Survey: https://bit.ly/38osxsw
COVID-19 Vaccination and Booster Appointments https://myturn.ca.gov/
COVID-19 Guidelines for Children
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UiU0MKNpPPOCp_v1N8rdvrlEJkFr2iJ9eBpLLrprQXU/edit?usp=sharing
Traveling Over the Holidays? See info sheet below
Onsite BayPal Covid-19 Weekly Testing
BayPal will be at Henry Ford every Monday from 10:15 to 12:15 and Thursday from 7:15 - 9:45 to administer the Covid-19 rapid antigen test. BayPal will only test students whose parents/guardians request testing.
Covid-19 Antigen Test Consent Form
All students must have parental consent to be eligible for testing and to receive an invitation to participate in weekly testing. Please find the Primary Health consent link below:
https://my.primary.health/r/redwoodcity?registration_type=student
RESOURCES
Digital Wellbeing
Join our community conversation about how to better manage our time on devices. These resources are compiled by the Digital Wellbeing Task Force- a joint venture between RCSD, SUHSD, Common Sense Media and Kaiser Permanente. There are resources for students, teachers, and parents to help foster a community dialogue across all ages.
Link: https://digitalwellbeing.seq.org/november/november-parent
Parent Education Events
The Parent Venture offers timely parent and community education on issues that impact student success, safety, and well-being.
Henry Ford School
Henry Ford is a neighborhood school that celebrates the diversity of its kindergarten through fifth grade students. Our commitment is to ensure every student makes growth and develops a love of learning by providing a positive, supportive and enriching learning environment.
Email: jknopf@rcsdk8.net
Website: https://www.rcsdk8.net/henryford
Location: 2498 Massachusetts Avenue, Redwood City, CA 94061, USA
Phone: 650.482.2404
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HenryFordSchool