Make sure to mark your calendars for the following events at Roosevelt this week:

Monday, April 11
Site Council Meeting at 6:30 in the Faculty Lounge (Room 14).  Topics discussed include Expansion Committee update, district news, school safety and the principal’s report.  All are welcome to attend and Spanish translation is available.

Budget Forum at the District Office at 7:00pm.  (There is a district PTA/PTO meeting afterwards, but all parents are welcome to attend the budget discussion)

Tuesday, April 12
Restaurant Fundraiser at Chuck E Cheese!  Come and join us at Chuck E Cheese anytime between 3:00pm and 9:00pm and Chuck E Cheese will donate 15% of sales back to Roosevelt!

Thursday, April 14
American Heart Association Assembly and Multiplication Marathon

Friday, April 15
Minimum Day schedule!  (Kindergarten classes all have Early Bird schedule – start at 8:00am with 12:10 dismissal time)

April 18 – April 22
Spring Break!  No classes this week.  Classes resume on Monday, April 25

Upcoming Dates to Remember…
Tuesday, April 12  at 7:00pm- Open Gate Nursery School is hosting a talk by Jim Lobdell of Challange Success.  He will be speaking about The Well-Balanced Child:  Avoiding Stress in a Fast Paced World.  The community is invited to attend.  The cost is $10 at the door.  Download a flyer at http://www.ogns.org/pdfs/jim_lobdell_CS_presentation.pdf .

This week on the Parent Blog!
I was able to tag along with Ms. Dragan’s 2nd grade class and Ms. Northen’s 3rd grade class when they had Jiji Math in the computer lab this week and I blogged about what I saw.  I also visited the 2nd grade classrooms this week and recorded a talk by beekeeper Wayne Pitts.  I’m currently editing the video, so look for that to be posted soon.  Our 3rd grade classes are beginning their Social Studies PBL unit and they had a field trip to the San Mateo History Museum to learn about the local Native American tribe of the Ohlone.  And, I also posted another TED Talk.  This one is from a middle school teacher in Philadelphia and she teaches using project based learning.   If you have pictures from the classroom or a school event that you would like to have posted, let me know. Also, if there’s ever anything you’d like to see on the blog, let me know and I’ll be happy to post it.  www.rooseveltparents.com

Expansion Committee Update…
Our 5th grade parents met with Superintendent Jan Christensen last Wednesday to discuss plans for next year.  At this time, there is no guarantee that we will be granted our request for expansion.  However, the Expansion Committee will be meeting with the district’s Chief Business Officer on Monday afternoon to go over our campus’ available space.  After that meeting, we’re hopeful that the Superintendent will recommend to the board that we add 6th grade for the 2011/2012 school year at the April 27 board meeting.

PTA Pledges…
Many of you chose the option to pledge money every month to pay for our P.E. program. Unfortunately, sending out reminder bills has proven difficult. The PTA still needs your donations to support our P.E. program. Please stop by the office or send your pledge money in an envelope to school with your child. Thank you for supporting the extra curricular programs here at Roosevelt!

PTA Nominations…
Do you want to get more involved? Do you want to meet more parents and feel part of something? The PTA needs you! They are actively seeking volunteers for next year’s PTA. If you’re interested, or want more information, please feel free to contact Aurora Gallardo or Bonnie Courtney-Rodriguez or attend the April 26 PTA meeting.

District Budget News…
Next year’s school budget is still unknown at this time. For those who would like to learn more about the effect of the state budget on the Redwood City School district, community budget forums have been scheduled:

Monday, April 11, PTA/PTO Roundtable with Superintendent Christensen and Chief Business Official Parungao (all parents welcome to come for budget discussion), 7-9 p.m., District Office, 750 Bradford St.
Monday, May 2, Community Budget Forum, 6:30-8:30 p.m.: John Gill, 555 Avenue del Ora
Tuesday, May 10, Community Budget Forum, 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Clifford School, 225 Clifford Ave

The budget update that was posted on the District website last month summarizes the three scenarios the district is considering. Plan A was dependent on a June election. Plans B and C provide a rough outline of what the district may have to cut if the governor now proposes closing the entire $24 billion deficit with spending cuts alone (e.g. an “all-cuts” budget).

Most of the cuts under plans B and C will be in the form of eliminating teacher work days (and corresponding pay) and reducing teacher salaries, based on the agreements that were reached with the union representing teachers last year. Under both plans, the school year would be reduced by 5 days for students. Additional budget cuts will also have to be made that have not yet been determined. The district issued 4 pink slips this year and notified 36 temporary teachers that their contracts would not be renewed next year due to the budget cuts.

The district would like to encourage you to attend one of the upcoming budget forums so that your questions can be answered. In addition, budget updates are given at each school board meeting.

Have a great week!