Dolphin Weekly
9/13/2019
Upcoming Events
Friday, September 13- Movie Night at 6:00 P.M. in the MUB (PTO Fundraiser for 7th-grade outdoor education). Flyer attached!
Friday, September 13- Welcome New Families Potluck in front of Room 18, @ 6:00 P.M. Flyer attached!
Tuesday, September 17- Fire Drill at 10:25 A.M.
Thursday, September 19 – PTO Meeting, School in MUB/Gym @ 7:00 pm, we welcome all families ---new and returning!
Tuesday, September 24 - School Site Council (SSC) Meeting in Room 16 @ 3:00 P.M.
Picture Day/Re Takes/Class Pictures- September 27th
Friday, September 27th - 8:30 AM -9:30 AM- Donuts with Deputies- Room 16 (for all interested families to attend. Will be a monthly event!
Monday, September 30- 5:30-6:30 ELAC Meeting in room 16 (translation provided)
Clifford School 2019-2020 Events Schedule
9/27- 8:30 AM -9:30 AM- Donuts with Deputies- Room 16
10/3, 2/6, 6/5 Super Minimum Days all classes end at 11:45
10/14- No school
10/21-10/25 Scholastic Book Fair
10/21-10/25 Reading Challenge Fundraiser
11/9 Clifford PTO Auction (more info to come)
11/11 No School Veterans Day
11/13/19 End of 1st Trimester
11/25 & 11/26 Parent/Teacher Conferences (No School for Students)
11/25-11/29 Thanksgiving Week No School
12/6 Winter Family Night
12/20-1/7- Winter Break No School (Students return on 1/8/20)
1/20/20- No School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
2/7/20-2/9/20 Clifford School Play
2/24/20-2/28/20- 7th Grade Yosemite Trip!
3/20/20- Lincoln's Day- No School
3/27/20- Family Dance
4/6-4/10- Spring Break- No School
Clifford School Site Council
School Site Council (SSC) at Clifford! Families welcome to attend!
The Clifford School Site Council (SSC) discusses various aspects of our school programs, gives input to planning and votes on the school plan and categorical budgets. Council meetings last one hour and are generally held once a month from September to May. Our first meeting will occur on September 24th at 3:00 PM, location is in room 16. We hope to see a lot of parents at our first meeting later this month!
Clifford ELAC Meeting
We will have our first ELAC meeting of the year on 9/30/19 at 5:30 PM in room 16
The purpose of the ELAC Committee is to advise the principal and school staff on programs and services for English learners and the SSC on the development of the Single School Plan for Student Achievement.
Project Cornerstone
Read a Book - Change a Life
Project Cornerstone
Project Cornerstone’s Asset Building Champions (ABCs) are caring adults who read books, lead discussions and facilitate activities with students in class. Through the messages of select stories, we help build a school-wide language for handling social-emotional and relationship matters and empower students to make good choices. ABC readers connect with students and make a difference in their lives all year long. To learn more, please visit www.projectcornerstone.org.
We are recruiting caring adult volunteers who would like to engage with students once a month in class. Become an ABC volunteer (reader/docent) for Clifford School! Training for this role, called ABC Assets 101, may be in-person or online.
For more information or to sign up, please contact Shabnam Moon at shabnam.moon@gmail.com.
Parent Volunteers
A message about parking lot safety from our Deputy!
1. Please be mindful of drop off and pick up procedures. Only enter and exit through the appropriate areas. Do not drop off students at the stop sign by the upper lot & Scenic and Clifford, as many cars are pulling out of the lot and it could potentially cause a serious accident- additionally, it causes a traffic backup.
2. Please do not park in any space labeled as a handicap space. Starting next week, there will be an officer here to ticket cars that are illegally parked without the correct placard.
Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) program
Our school is proud to be participating in the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) program. SEAL is a preschool through third grade model that provides children with enriched and powerful language and literacy education. The SEAL model includes several components:
- Language-rich instruction with an emphasis on oral language development and high-level vocabulary
- High value placed on bilingualism (proficiency in both English and the home language)
- A text-rich curriculum and classroom environment that leads to appreciation and love of reading and writing
- An active, engaging and affirming learning environment
- A full curriculum (including science, social studies, arts, math and literacy) that teaches the new rigorous standards preparing children for college and career
- Teachers and parents working together to support strong language and literacy development at home and at school.
In this school year, your child’s teacher will receive special professional development and opportunities to plan with other teachers to implement this more enriched curriculum. Our TK-1st grade teachers are in year 2 and our 2-3rd grade teachers are beginning their training this year. You will be hearing more about this, and will be offered many opportunities to be involved in your child’s schooling and to learn what you can do to support your child’s education. If you have any questions, please let us know!
Rules of the Road for Bikes
A lot of students have been following safety rules when riding their bikes to and from school. However, we have some students who have come very close to being hit by cars, and running over staff who are walking across campus. Students must not ride their bikes while on campus. Here are some rules of the road and some bike safety tips to share with your children.
Ride on the Right
- Always ride with the flow of traffic
- Do not ride on the sidewalk
- Allow yourself room to maneuver around roadway hazards
Yield to traffic in busier lanes
- Roads with higher traffic volumes should be given right-of-way
- Always use signals to indicate your intentions to switch lanes
- Look behind you to indicate your desire to move and to make sure that you can
Yield to traffic in destination lane
- Traffic in your destination lane has the right of way
- Making eye contact with drivers lets them know that you see them
- Signal and make your lane change early, before you need to.
Directional Positioning
- Position yourself in the right most lane that goes in the direction of your destination.
- Ride in the right third of the lane.
- Avoid being overtaken in narrow lane situations by riding in the right third of the lane.
Speed Positioning
- Position yourself relative to the speed of other traffic.
- Left most lane is for fastest moving traffic, right most lane for slower traffic.
- Yield to faster moving vehicles by staying to the right in the lane.
- A bike helmet is designed to be worn a certain way. When it is used correctly, it will protect your head!
- A helmet should be level on the head, (not tilted up, back, or sideways), with the side and chin straps properly adjusted and fastened securely. If you wear a helmet every time you ride, you will protect your brain.
- Start with the smallest size helmet that fits your head. It should cover the majority of your forehead so you can see the front edge. Even without the straps fastened or the pads in place, there should be little movement when you move your head from side to side.
- If you need a snugger fit, put in the foam pads that come with the helmet or adjust the strap at the back of the helmet. Your goal is to have the helmet snug enough that I will not fall off when you bend over.
- When adjusted correctly, each ear strap should meet at a point directly below your ear lobe, with no loose play in the straps. Only after these straps are adjusted should you try adjusting the chinstrap. The chinstrap should be tight enough so the helmet moves when you open your mouth widely.
Teaching Kids to Bicycle Safely
One of the best ways for kids to learn how to be safe and responsible bicyclists is for them to ride with their parents. Parents who bike can be great role models for kids who are developing their own biking skills. In order to lead by example, however, parents themselves need to be comfortable bicyclists, and the best way to do that is to practice. Most car trips are less than two miles—an easy distance for even an inexperienced bicyclist—and our perfect climate allows year-round riding. No excuses!
Bicycle Resources
The League of American Bicyclist website provides loads of helpful information on becoming a better bicyclist. Local bicycle organizations, such as the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition and The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, offer training courses for bicyclists of all ages and skill levels.
Donuts & Coffee with the Deputies at Clifford! 9/27 @ 8:30 in room 16!
Our wonderful sheriffs will be joining us monthly and will be available to discuss concerns you may have with the community/safety concerns and or to ask questions of our resource officers! They will be bringing coffee and pastries for each meeting!! The meeting will be in room16! 8:30-9:30 on 9/27!
Parent Portal Letters
Message from the Principal
Happy Friday Dolphin Families!
I hope to see you tonight at the movie night and potluck at Clifford at 6:00PM. Your children are such a joy and it’s so fun to watch them grow and learn each and every day. It was wonderful to meet so many families last night at Back to School Night. It really is a night for you as parents/guardians to learn about schedules, meet the teachers, and a chance to meet other families whose children are in the same classes. I was impressed at the caliber of our teaching staff. Our staff-- whether working independently or in concert, their deep commitment to our school is palpable, it's real and abiding and awe inspiring.
In Community,
Jude Noyes
Principal
Clifford School
Principal: Jude Noyes
Vice Principal: Tiffany Parrish
Office Manager: Mayra Guerra
Office Assistant: Maria Stockton
Email: jnoyes@rcsdk8.net
Website: https://www.rcsdk8.net/clifford
Location: 225 Clifford Avenue, Redwood City, CA, USA
Phone: 650-482-2402
Facebook: facebook.com/CliffordElementary