Hello BRSSD Community,

We have a number of important events coming up, beginning with a parent education event at Ralston Middle School this Thursday, then Save the Music this Sunday, and the Waterdog Run on October 12. There's no school on Monday, October 14, and please "opt in" to receive emergency text messages from the school district if you haven't yet. Additional events and details below. Thanks!

Ralston PTA Parent Ed Night
On October 3rd, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, the Ralston PTA will be hosting a showing of "LIKE," a documentary about the impact of social media on our lives (a Common Sense Media production). A panel discussion and Q & A session will follow the movie. More information on this event can be found here . 

Save the Music Festival this Sunday
The Save the Music Festival takes place Sunday, October 6, from 11 am to 5 pm at Twin Pines Park in Belmont. This is a fun community event for all ages with outstanding music (on three stages), food, and drink. Please join the party and support the music programs in our local schools. We look forward to seeing you there! See schoolforce.org for details.  
 
Waterdog Run on Oct 12
Mark your calendars for the second annual Belmont Waterdog Run on October 12th, 2019! Runners (and walkers) can once again select from four distances: 5K, 10K, the Kids' Mile and Fido's Mile (for dogs who want to run with their people!). Proceeds from the race will benefit local schools, and space is limited, so sign up today at https://belmontwaterdogrun.com .

No School October 14
Monday, October 14th is Professional Learning Day for all Belmont-Redwood Shores School District staff. All teachers will be involved in professional learning and collaboration to improve classroom instruction for all students. We recognize that the long weekend poses difficulties for families, and appreciate the community support that allows our teachers to engage in professional growth. 

Text Message Opt-in Process
The District and our schools use SMS/text notifications as a form of communication to relay time sensitive information and to communicate in the event of an emergency. If you wish to receive messages from the District you should text “Y” or “Yes” (do not include quotations) to 67587 from your mobile device . Our communication service requires consent for us to send messages. Please visit this link for more information on SMS/text notifications. Thank you for doing this for all adult contacts in your family!

Ralston Middle School Conferences
Ralston Middle School will have parent conferences on October 29, 31 and November 1st. Students will be dismissed at 12:30. Unfortunately, SamTrans cannot adjust its afternoon bus schedule for Ralston’s minimum days for parent conferences (Oct 29, 31, and Nov 1). We apologize for the inconvenience and ask that you please plan ahead. Belmont’s drop-in teen center at Barrett, The Hideout , will be open from 1 pm to 5 pm each of these days as a safe, supervised place for middle school students to spend all or part of the afternoon. Note that The Hideout is an after-school option five days a week throughout the year.  

More Parent Education Events
The San Mateo County Office of Education is hosting two free parent education events featuring prominent youth care expert Charlie Applestein, MSW . His acclaimed book, No Such Thing as a Bad Kid , is packed with positive principles and techniques to help families develop powerful and transforming relationships with their children and teens. The events will be held at Mills High School on October 23 and Menlo-Atherton High School on October 24 .

As always, thank you for your support, and do not hesitate to contact me with questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Michael Milliken
Superintendent