We have changed the format of our newsletter to better communicate RCS online distance learning announcements and recaps. On that note...
THANK YOU for your encouragement, feedback, and sharing your concerns! Please continue to communicate with us in the way that works best for you (new options below). While we don't 100% know when we will be back on campus together, we know we will at some point, and the camaraderie we are building online in the meantime has been amazing!
Parents, you are doing amazing. Teachers, you are even more amazing than usual. Thank you, RCS, for partnering together to offer the best online distance learning in the Bay Area to our students!
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In this Newsletter
- RCS Celebrate and Connect
- Celebrate RCS! Student Spotlight with Daniel Chu, RCS c/o '20
- Celebrate RCS! Online Distance Learning Kick Off Recap
- Celebrate Learning! With our Faculty
- Connect: Contact Us - New Website Form
- Connect: RCS LIVE on Facebook on Monday, 3/30!
- Note: You don't need Facebook to tune in, see below
- Connect: Service Project Opportunity - Letters to Nursing Homes
- Connect: Moms in Prayer - how to join our Moms in Prayer Group
- Connect: Help for RCS families experiencing need
- Online Distance Learning - Zoom Tips
- RCE Zoom Meetings - Reminders & Links
- MSHS Zoom Meetings - Resources & MS Theme Days
- New - please use earbuds/headphones during Zoom calls!
- RCE Tech Support - Mrs. Wo is Available to Help
- Online Distance Learning - Parent Resources
- Contact Us - New Website Form
- Request a Device - iPad Check-Out Form
- Student Vision Protection - Take Screen Time Breaks!
- Student Mental Health When Staying at Home - A Resource for Parents
- RCE Resources - Fun/Educational Kid-Appropriate Activity Ideas at Home
- MSHS Resources - Fun/Educational Tween/Teen At-Home Resource Ideas
- Support RCS: Last chance to Nominate RCS for the Best of the Bay Contest
- Last Day to Nominate- March 31st
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Special note:
If you are reading this from a desktop computer, look for the link at the bottom of the email to view all of the newsletter:
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[Message clipped] View entire message
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Celebrate RCS!
Student Spotlight with Daniel Chu, RCS Class of 2020
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One of the RCS goals to #CelebrateRCS for our 50th anniversary is to connect with current RCS students and see what God has been doing in their lives and what they believe God is calling them toward in their future. Dr. Hearne recently interviewed, Daniel Chu who has been at RCS since Kindergarten! Daniel is an athlete, coder, and 2019-20 Senior Class president!
This month’s theme verse is
Hebrews 12:1-2,
Dr. Hearne asked Daniel to share what these verses mean. Daniel shared, “These verses remind us that in the midst of chaos or jubilation, we need to remember to set these burdens aside and focus on Jesus. We need to trust Him through our ups and downs because He endured the worst sacrifice on the cross.”
About RCS, Daniel says, "
With a plethora of AP classes and sports teams, students will not be bored and...most importantly, the faculty teaches their students Christ-glorifying, moral concepts that help them become more responsible and respectful citizens."
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Celebrate RCS!
Online Distance Learning Kick Off
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Celebrate Learning!
With Our Faculty
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Mrs. Hearne, one of our parents, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, came on Monday and shared with all 1st-3rd grades about how to help their brain stay calm and function better! We should now be set for better success in the days to come!
Mrs. Wodetzki
Elementary Science
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Miss Huemoeller and I are making a Distance Learning PE playlist on YouTube for you to continue PE everyday! One of our ideas was to do a trick shot! We started practicing, thinking it could take several hours to pull off, but within the first 10 shots Miss H made a swish, and I happen to be recording! Check out how awesome it was!!
Mrs. Moog
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And RCS is still praying... Praying with my second graders online in our Zoom classroom this week has been an incredible blessing!
Mrs. Benefiel
2nd Grade
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Check out an assignment submitted via Schoology:
Geometry students made emblems out of a polygon made with their name as coordinates! The TEP project was several pages of transformation practice culminating in their creative creation
Miss Sierra
Geometry
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Check out
#RCSOnline (to search our social sites)!
This is (7 min) of the first day of a high school class in their Zoom Classroom. See how teachers established first day Zoom procedures (and still introduced new learning as well)!
Mr. Barnhart
11th U.S. History
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It was Bring Your Pet Day at RCMS!
RCMS is sharing daily themes to show some school spirit while on their daily Zoom call!
See below for next week's daily themes!
Mr. Wilcox (& Mrs. Tilly)
Middle School
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Connect:
Online Distance Learning Web Pages
The RCS Online Distance Learning web pages will be updated often to better meet the communication and technology-access needs of families. We thank you for your feedback.
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Communication is Key!
Look for this button on any of our Online Distance Learning web pages. You can input a question/ comment/ concern, etc. and an RCS Administrator will respond within 24 hours.
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Having tech issues? Hear something in the news? Question about tuition? Use this form to get these questions and more answered directly from the RCS Administration.
You can still call our office at 510-889-7526 as well, if preferred.
RCS has three online distance learning websites:
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School-Wide Announcements about COVID-19 and Online Distance Learning School-wide Objectives/ Expectations.
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RCE Campus-Specific Information is being updated to be more user-friendly as much as possible: including software and help desks, campus schedule and Zoom links, additional resources, and calendar changes.
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MSHS Campus-Specific Information is being updated to be more user-friendly as much as possible: including software and help desks, campus schedule and Zoom links, additional resources, and calendar changes.
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Connect:
Connect with us on Facebook
Join Us on Facebook for our LIVE Meeting #2:
Monday, 3/30 at 4 pm!!
P.S. You don't need a Facebook Account to view our live feed! Go to www.facebook.com, in the search bar search Redwood Christian Schools, scroll to find the live stream... In the meantime it will ask you to create an account, but you can skip this by clicking outside of the pop up.
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Our most active social media page. Like, Share, and Comment on posts from our administrators and faculty!
This is where you can join our Live stream on Monday, 3/30 at 4 pm
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For RCS families only - a place where YOU can post photos, comments, and questions.
Also a place to engage /comment on posts.
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Connect:
School-Wide Service Project Opportunity
We have a service project opportunity for all RCS students TK - 12th!
An RCS family shared this service opportunity with us, and we want to give you the chance to help! This is completely optional and not a school assignment, rather a way to serve others from home.
Click here for more details
(a link will also be on our campus Distance Learning web pages for future reference)!
*Note the Bilbao family is facilitating in order to facilitate a safe delivery of
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The RCS Moms in Prayer group’s COVID-19 response is to
keep on praying
.
We are meeting virtually for the time-being. To find out more info, contact Becki Burckin by emailing
momsinprayer@rcs.edu
We would love to have you join us as we pray for the RCS community.
To watch an inspiring, timely message, and to find out more about the ministry of Moms in Prayer International, go to
www.momsinprayer.org.
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Connect:
Help for RCS Families Experiencing Need
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If you are a RCS family who has been economically or in other ways impacted by the shelter in place, please contact Dr. Hearne directly -
AlHearne@rcs.edu
- whether it is resources/basic necessities, etc. the RCS community would like to help in ways we can!
Should we need to gather a team for resources/to help with donations of necessities or to serve, we will communicate right away via email & Facebook Connect. We have been working on a way to implement safely and privately - an alumni parent has volunteered to implement our support system, only she & Dr. Hearne will know if a family has requested support (but we will ask for help that is needed as requests are made).
Thanks to Mrs. Wadsworth for sharing this on Facebook Connect:
"Hi RCS family! 3Crosses Church in Castro Valley has long-operated a food pantry, serving those in need in our community...The church is looking to provide about 30,000 meals a week to those in our very own community. There are opportunities to both serve (in a safe way - gloves, social distancing & no-contact distribution) and donate!"
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RCE Zoom Meetings Reminders and Links
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RCE would like to continue to encourage students to attend BOTH their 9 am Morning Meeting and 2:30 pm Afternoon Meeting on Zoom with their teacher(s). If you cannot make Zoom, please let your teacher know asap!
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MSHS Zoom Meetings Resources & MS Themes
Zoom best practices - be on time, mute your microphone unless the teacher says it is ok to unmute,
use earbuds
for best audio quality (both to hear and be heard)!
Middle School
- 8:30 am with your Bible Teacher and 2:30 pm (choose any of your teachers). Show your RCMS Spirit! The daily dress themes for Middle School students next week (3/30 - 4/1) are:
Monday: Bad Hair Day
Tuesday: Wear Your Favorite Color Day
Wednesday: Superhero Day
Thursday: Flannel Day
Friday: Zoom Outside Day
Need the High School
schedule? Click
here
.
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RCE Tech Support
Mrs. Wo, K-3 Science Teacher is available to help elementary families with technology problems either via Zoom or over the phone.
Click here
for instructions on how to contact Mrs. Wo if she can be of help.
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How to Contact Us When You Have Questions, Comments, or Concerns
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Having tech issues? Hear something in the news? Question about tuition?
For class-specific questions, please email your teacher(s), but for other questions/comments/concerns, we have two ways to get a hold of RCS:
- Use this new link (found on our online distance learning web pages) at any hour to get these questions and more answered directly from the RCS Administration.
- Call our district office at 510-889-7526 between the hours of 8 am - 4:30 pm.
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Device Request - Check out an iPad
RCS has a limited supply of iPads available if you need another device at home.
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Student Vision Protection - Screen Time Breaks
School online = more screen time. Take Frequent Breaks! The American Optometric Association recommends the
20/20/20 rule
: look away from the screen every 20 minutes, focus on an object at least 20 feet away, for at least 20 seconds. In addition, children should walk away from the screen for at least 10 minutes every hour. A simple timer can help your child remember, and there are even software programs can help by turning off the screen in regular intervals.
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Student Mental Health When Staying at Home
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Children, especially, often hold in how they are feeling during times of grief, separation and major life changes (such as transitioning to online distance learning).
For parents, remember:
- Be proud of what you're doing - it is not easy!
- Get and stay organized - find a daily routine that works for your family and stick with it!
- Make relationship a priority - call/video chat with people you are close with at least once per day.
- Make time for yourself - boundaries are even more important when you can't leave the house. Carve some time to pray, reflect, and take a breath! (Source)
Here are 21 easy suggestions (
Source) on how to nurture a child's mental health that we hope will help equip you with ways to communicate, structure the day, and support how your child might be feeling.
Feel free to save this info graphic or contact us with questions!
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RCE Resources for Fun/Educational Activities at Home
Click here for MKE with Kids - This is a very length resource list! It is a Google doc by
mkewithkids.com (
Source) containing resources by subject. Looking for more Math ideas? Check the red column. Music/Arts? Check the teal or purple columns. Etc.
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RCE Resources for Fun/Educational Activities at Home
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Is RCS the Best?
Nominate Us Here!
Help nominate all three RCS campuses to compete in the Best of the Bay Area for Private Schools!
You can vote once per week from any email address during nominations until March 31st. The official ballot will be published in mid-April for daily voting through May!
Click each campus below to vote:
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The mission of Redwood Christian Schools is
to provide a Christ-centered education which is able to equip students for daily living and eternal life.
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