Dear Roy Cloud Families,

I’d like to start our school year off with an expression of gratitude for our students who began their virtual learning journey yesterday with enthusiasm, eagerness, and excitement. I am grateful for our teachers and staff who have worked tirelessly over the summer, rewiring their brains to learn a whole new way of instruction, in order to connect with their students. I am grateful for our parents who have used their best creative thinking to support instruction while maintaining professional careers.

Most likely you are aware of the science behind gratitude and the effect it can have on one’s health and outlook on life. I invite you to view this video – What Good is Gratitude? – from Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center to learn more.

Mrs. Jackson and I are committed to practicing gratitude and to cultivating its practice personally and in the community. I have a gratitude journal and I commit to writing in it three times a week, morning or evening, to help keep me focused on whatever is “good” and “right” in my life. Curious?

And, since we’re back to school, I have an assignment for you below. It's a “Character Dare” which comes from Character Strong, a program built on the belief of building a more loving world through education and on the importance of strengthening relationships throughout our day.

I look forward to learning and sharing with you all for which we're grateful as we continue through the year.

Most Sincerely,

Diane

We know that there are and will be technical difficulties with devices as we start distance learning. Families who have questions about – or issues with – their recently-issued devices should do the following:

1) Call the district office at 650-482-2200. When leaving a message, be sure to include your contact information and a description of the tech issue.

2) Make an appointment to visit the district office for an exchange if your issue cannot be resolved over the phone, or if you have a device that does not function. The district office is located at 750 Bradford St. in Redwood City and is open Monday-Friday, 9 am to 4 pm.

3) Use the tech support forms below to request assistance if your device functions but is missing an app or extension, or if you need general technical support.

Ms. Kwa, Roy Cloud's STEAM TOSA, will be holding two introductory technology information sessions next week, especially for families new to RCSD.

In these sessions, Ms. Kwa will cover how to log into devices and basics about some of the programs students will be using. She'll also answer general questions like "what is Clever" and "what is Google Classroom" and "what are my students doing with them"? If you are interested in attending, please fill out this RSVP form.

While you probably have many questions about your child's specific case, to ensure student data privacy and that the sessions run smoothly, please refrain from sharing any student information. Thank you for your understanding.

It's that time of year where heat waves, fires, and unpredictable weather wreak havoc on the power grid. Please rest assured that if you lose power, your student will not be expected to attend their daily live meetings or turn in work. When you're able to get back online, simply reach out to your teachers, who will be understanding of the situation. Likewise, please be aware that teachers may lose connectivity if we lose power at the school campus or if they are working from home. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

To help support families with planning for distance learning, grade level teams have developed preliminary daily schedules. Visit the schedules page on the Roy Cloud website and navigate by grade to see your student schedules.

Please keep in mind that, given this new structure for learning, there will likely be a need to make adjustments to these preliminary schedules. Your teacher will be in contact with you about any changes. If you have questions about the schedule for your student, please reach out directly to your teacher.

The PTO is committed to supporting academic and enrichment activities and strengthening the relationship between home and school. Typically, the PTO funds programs like counseling services, physical education, STEAM education, art, science, music, garden, and so much more. We’ve sponsored popular events and funded campus enhancements and classroom technology. We also offer teacher grants for materials and training. The PTO’s contributions are vital to enhance the Roy Cloud community and enrich student learning.

This year, to meet the demands of distance learning, the PTO is focused on technology upgrades for students and teachers, increased counseling services, and asynchronous learning opportunities like PE, STEAM education, and science and garden lessons.

During the fall, the PTO relies on generous donations from our families to raise the funds necessary to continue providing educational and enrichment opportunities at Roy Cloud. Distance learning will pose new challenges and new needs to be met, but your donation will allow the PTO to be flexible and nimble in our support. Please donate today!

Remember, whether on campus or at home, we’re all in this together. In appreciation for your donation, you'll receive our annual car magnet to display your Roy Cloud pride.

For more information about PTO sponsored programs or the various ways to donate, please visit www.roycloudpto.com.

We love our Roy Cloud teachers and staff and know how hard they've been working to make the start of an unprecedented school year a success for our students. As a token of appreciation, the PTO welcomed them back to school with 60 lovely goody bags delivered to the office and classrooms. Thank you to Victoria Melamed, legendary parent volunteer, for working her magic to get these PTO gifts ready to nourish and energize our teachers!

Recommended by our Assistant Principal, Kristy Jackson, this article from Common Sense Media shares resources and suggestions to deal with myriad challenges of managing screen time and keeping your kids motivated for the weird world of distance learning. Enjoy!