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RCSD Corner: News From the Redwood City School District
Dear Redwood City Community,
As 2012 draws to a close, I want to take the opportunity to thank the
Redwood City community for your strong support of our schools. So many of
you volunteer at our schools, donate money to the Redwood City Education
Foundation and support initiatives that bring more resources to our students.
We are celebrating great gains in academic achievement in the last few years.
Students, parents, teachers, school staff, our local partners and supportive
community members all played a role in making these gains possible!
We have weathered several difficult years, but I am feeling optimistic
about the future. Measure W was approved by local voters last spring and
will bring about $1.5 million directly to our schools to be spent on voterapproved
priorities. The board recently approved Measure W expenditures
approved by each school’s site council. Schools are spending money to
hire reading teachers, expand school library hours, fund hands-on science
activities, purchase library books and purchase iPads to be used for small
group instruction, among other things. The Measure W Citizen’s Advisory
Committee, appointed by the school board in October, will provide oversight
to ensure that moneys raised under this measure are spent only for the
purposes described in this measure.
• Roy Cloud was awarded $10,000 as part of the NFL PLAY 60 contest.
Several Roy Cloud parents applied for this grant, and Roy Cloud was the
school selected for the honor! 49ers offensive guard Alex Boone visited
Roy Cloud School to present the check and inspire students with a talk
about the importance of fitness and exercise. The district will also receive
$10,000 to spend on health and wellness as part of the PLAY 60 Award.
• Giants catcher Hector Sanchez visited Kennedy Middle School. Giants
catcher Hector Sanchez and radio announcer Erwin Higueros visited Kennedy
Middle School students to talk about teamwork, perseverance and the
importance of health and fitness. This visit was a result of our partnership
with the Sequoia Health & Wellness Center.
• Roosevelt School won a visit from San Jose Earthquakes player Shea
Salinas and the team mascot. Shea held an assembly and talked to students
about health and fitness and demonstrated soccer moves for them.
• A number of RCSD students won awards in the Redwood City Water
Conservation Poster Contest. We are proud of Ryan B., Kelsey E. and
Mia A. at Roosevelt; Louise H. at North Star Academy; and Kiara R. and
Dara C. at Henry Ford.
Sincerely,
Jan Christensen
Superintendent
Superintendent Christensen and 49ers player Alex Boone celebrate with Roy Cloud
students that the school won the NFL PLAY 60 contest
The 2012–13 school year is off to a great start,
with a lot to celebrate:
• Redwood City School District made the largest gain in API scores
since 2003. The district’s API score increased 24 points, with Kennedy
Middle School up 81 points and Roosevelt School up 62 points. Redwood
City School District students showed the highest academic gains in nine
years according to data released by the California Department of Education
in October. The district’s Academic Performance Index (API) growth
score is now 789, up 131 points over its 2002 base score of 658 — the first
districtwide score recorded for the district.
• Roosevelt sixth-grade teacher Sarah Coyle was named 2013 San Mateo
County Teacher of the Year for elementary schools.
• North Star Academy was honored at a National Blue Ribbon Award
ceremony in Washington, D.C. Blue Ribbon North Star Academy
Principal Leslie Crane, former Principal Wendy Kelly and fourth-grade
teacher Karen Gaffney accepted a National Blue Ribbon Award at a
ceremony on Nov. 13 in Washington, D.C., hosted by U.S. Secretary
of Education Arne Duncan for the winners. The award honors public
and private elementary, middle and high schools based on their overall
academic excellence or for their progress toward significantly improving
student academic achievement levels. The schools — 264 public and 50
private — are among more than 7,000 that have received the coveted award
over the past 30 years.
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