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

Monday, April 4
Reclassification ceremony for students that will be reclassified from English Language Learning to English Proficient.  26 Roosevelt students will be participating in the reclassification ceremony at the MIT Auditorium at 6:30pm.

Wednesday, April 6
Superintendent Jan Christensen will be meeting with the 5th grade parents at 2:30pm in the Faculty Lounge (Room 14) to discuss plans for next year.  Expansion Committee members, SIte Council , ELAC and PTA board members are also invited to attend.

ELAC Meeting at 5:00pm in the Faculty Lounge (Room 14)

Upcoming Dates to Remember…
Thursday, April 14 – American Heart Association Assembly and Multiplication Marathon
Friday, April 15 –  Last Day before Spring Break – Minimum Day
April 18 – April 22 – Spring Break – No School
Friday, May 13 – Gary Lapow Teasing/Anti-bullying Assemblies

This week on the Parent Blog!
After Wednesday’s meeting with Superintendent Christensen, I should be posting an update about our expansion proposal.  I’ll also be visiting the 2nd grade classrooms on Thursday when the students are visited by a bee keeper for their PBL Science unit on bees.  Thanks to Dora Bejarano for sending pictures from Friday night’s BINGO night!  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

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 Courney-Rodriguez or attend the April 26 PTA meeting.

Did You Know?…
68% of our Kindergarteners are Advanced or Proficient in English Language Arts and 84% are Advanced or Proficient in Math!

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!

Trish Taylor