June 4, 2020
Diane Prystas, Principal
Kristy Jackson, Assistant Principal
Principal's Message
Dear Roy Cloud Families,

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your collaboration and support as we navigated this unique school year together. When I returned to school last week to meet with teachers and prepare for student departures, it was a very surreal feeling for me. I felt like an entire trimester of school had been removed from my life and I was returning to a long lost location. 

It was heartwarming to see students being driven through the parking lot to gather their belongings, their faces brightening as they saw their teachers waiting to greet them. The teachers were equally excited to see the children. They had prepared pinwheels and tablecloths, bubbles, and music. If hugs had been allowed, I know there would have been those to share, as well.  

This week all staff members have been attending professional development gathering ideas on how to better serve our students and families when we return in August. Some of the topics include Social Emotional Learning and Relationship Building; Elements of Effective Online Instruction; SeeSaw; Digital Citizenship; Effective Online Math Instruction; Nearpod; Small Group Reading Instruction; DreamBox, Newsela; iReady; Creating Your Virtual Classroom; Google Drawing; Google Meets and Google Voice; Purposeful People; Character Strong Advisory. Our heads are spinning and yet the conversations and exchange of ideas is in high energy mode. We are tired, and excited, all at the same time. 

We still do not know what the structure of the school year will be for 2020-2021, however we are working in district committees, gathering feedback from you, and will be bringing you more information as we move into summer. Please keep looking at the district website for up to date news from Superintendent Baker. 

Today, as we share eighth grade photos of those who are leaving us, we also include a welcome to our incoming kindergarteners. Endings and beginnings and our community continues. On behalf of the staff and myself, we wish you a relaxing summer and an opportunity for a change of scenery, somewhere - even if close to home. 

Take good care,
Diane
Calendar
This Week
  • Thur, June 4 - Tue, June 9 - Report cards mailed home (RCSD grading policy)
  • Fri, June 5 - Deadline to Provide Input on Boundary Change, 2pm

Upcoming
This is the last Weekly Thunderbolt of the 2019-20 School Year. Over the summer break, special editions for important updates will be sent as necessary. Have a great summer!
School News
Leaving Roy Cloud? Unsubscribe
If you are leaving, please unsubscribe using the link at the very bottom of this email. Best wishes and we will miss you!
Mark Your Calendars
RCSD Planning for Reopening in August
Last night at the school board meeting, Dr. Baker reviewed the district's planning work to date for reopening in August 2020. View the slides here.
Social Emotional Well Being this Summer
We are excited to be strengthening the social and emotional well being of our community as we begin our work with Todd Armstrong of EQ Vehicle ( http://eqvehicle.org ) and the Character Strong program ( characterstrong.com ). To support healthy relationships and communication in the family as you begin the summer, try this Family Challenge from Character Strong. 
Welcome Incoming Kindergarten Families
We are so happy to share this virtual presentation with you to welcome you and your kindergartner to Roy Cloud. Due to COVID, we are not able to hold our usual Kindergarten Information Night, so we hope you find this presentation helpful and informative as it provides information and guidance for incoming kindergarten families in preparation for the new school year.
Although we are all eager to begin planning for the 2020-2021 school year, we still have not been given all of the information we need to know exactly what the school day will look like. Once we do, we will be in contact with you with information about daily school schedules for students and possible variations in the school days/times.
Garden Corner
Hi Nature Lovers!

Congratulations to all those who are graduating, you did it! 🎉  
Let's celebrate with a walk around  our garden !
It's been such a wild and wonderful school year. Through all this weirdness, I've learned Roy Cloud is as resilient as Mother Nature. 🌱We have such an awesome community, filled with limitless support and love.

Thank you all for supporting the garden and showering us with kindness! I'm overflowing with gratitude.
We appreciate you 🌞

Stay happy and healthy,
Ms. Yolanda 
STEAM End-of-Year Memories
Hi Makers, 
What a great year! It's been so long since we've seen each other, and I miss you all. Enjoy the STEAM memories and have a fantastic summer! 
With love,
Ms. Kwa
Celebrating 27 Years at Roy Cloud
The Tyson family's youngest daughter Gianna was promoted from Roy Cloud this year, culminating their family's 27 years at Roy Cloud. Tye graduated in 1975, Tierra in 2009, Sienna in 2016 and Gianna in 2020. The Tyson family would like to express their sincere thankfulness to the staff and teachers at Roy Cloud. Best wishes Tysons!
Summer Meal Program
RCSD will continue to serve meals to area children throughout the summer. Details here.
Leaving RCSD? Google Takeout
Google Takeout is a service that Google offers its users to make it easy to export your data. 

If you're leaving the district (congratulations to our 8th graders!), RCSD will deactivate your Google accounts. Before they do, you can use Google Takeout to save and download any work you have in Google Drive, Classroom, and more. 

Note that anyone can download their Google data at any time, not just for those who are leaving.

To access Takeout, have your student(s) log into their RCSD email, then Google search Takeout or click this link.

Select what you'd like to keep and choose the destination. 
PTO News
🎓 Best Wishes Roy Cloud Class of 2020 🎓
Thank you to Diane Prystas, Kristy Jackson, Charlene VanderMartin, and all of the middle school teachers for their help and support in planning this year's unusual 8th grade promotion activities. The drive through celebration was a fun way to mark the end of our 8th graders' time at Roy Cloud. A huge thank you to Oak Barrett for the virtual ceremony video , personalized car signs, and program formatting; to Lisa Furtado for the memories slideshow ; to Stephanie Chen for the amazing yard signs; to Vickie Vutam for the meaningful souvenir programs; to Trisha and Oak Barrett and Vickie Vutam for the festive drive through decor; and to Anna and Rick Shade for the 2020 photo shoots. Thank you to the countless other volunteers who helped spread the work load. Congratulations to the Class of 2020! #FocusedontheFuture
This 2020 prop, which was covered with photos of 8th graders throughout their years at Cloud, was available off-campus to all families for photo shoots.
School Supplies for 2020-21
PTO has partnered with 1st Day School Supplies again this year to offer parents the convenience of pre-ordering school supplies for 2020-21. Orders must be placed by July 1st. Click here for more details. New this year - Wish Lists for the Makery and Garden!
⚡️ Auction Co-Chair Needed ⚡️
We have one volunteer (with auction experience!) that would like to split up duties and share the role. Maybe you could take on 1/2 the auction chair duties? This large fundraising event can be in-person or virtual, is currently being scheduled for late February, and raises appx $150,000 for Roy Cloud programs. A committee of volunteers do work such as donation solicitation, event planning, data entry, invoicing, and decorating. For questions, please contact Tushar Barrak.
Community News
Fridays For Future #36: Summer Resources to Learn about Environmental Topics
School’s out for summer!!! But of course learning never stops! Many of us watched last weekend how 2 astronauts boarded a rocket and left our planet . We however are here for good. There is no planet B. So let’s use the summer to learn how we can protect this planet's beauty. Here are some resources for older and younger learners:

Books

Documentaries

Movies

Classes

….And for our wonderful Roy Cloud Students:

Environmental activities

...have a great summer everyone and see you in the new school year!!!
Chalk Full of Fun @ Home Edition
The  Redwood City Parks & Arts Foundation invites you to participate in the annual  Chalk Full of Fun festival but with a Virtual twist! Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we are having to come up with new ways to come together and celebrate. The @Home Edition of our annual chalk festival will allow all those who register for a Chalk Kit to join in the fun and celebrate the 4th of July with our community at large. The Chalk Kit includes a colorful 24-pack of chalk pastels and 4th of July swag - you create your masterpieces on your driveway, sidewalk or street and share your creations virtually!

Rising WHS Freshman - Get Connected
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