In addition to all of the events at Roosevelt this week, the PTA of California, the Association of California School Administrators, California School Board Association and the California Teachers Association have declared this week a week of action to highlight the budgetary impasse in Sacramento. Redwood City schools will lose another $4 million in funding ($800 per student) in the next school year unless the current tax structure is extended. I’ve listed ways that we’ve been asked to help this week:

Monday – Tues
STAR Testing for grade 5 and makeups for other grades. Please make sure your child gets plenty of sleep, eats a good breakfast and arrives on time!

Monday, May 9
Contact our legislators and thank them for their support of the tax extension:
Senator Joe Simitian – www.senatorsimitian.com/contact
Assemblyman Rich Gordon – www.lcmspubcontact.lc.ca.gov

Tuesday, May 10
Community Budget Forum at Clifford– 6:30 – 8:30pm. All are encouraged to attend and Spanish translation is available.

Reach out to another parent or community member and let them know about the serious funding situation the RCSD is facing.

Wednesday, May 11
School Board Meeting at 7:00pm. Our request to add 6th grade for the 2011/2012 school year is an agenda item for the Wednesday night meeting. The school board will be voting to approve or deny our request. Please attend to show your support. Here’s a link to the agenda item memo Click on item number 11 – i to read the memo.

Friday, May 13
Crazy Hair Day!

Anti-Bullying / Teasing Assemblies

Perseverence Pizza Party for students in Grades 2-5 for completing the STAR test!

Potluck Dinner Dance at 5:00pm in the cafeteria! Come and join the fun and celebrate another great year at Roosevelt! Please bring a dish to share.

A rally will be held in San Francisco to support education funding between 4:00 and 6:00pm. Transportation details will follow later this week.

BoxTops Contest!
Start collecting those BoxTops again! There is one more contest, and this time it’s school wide. If the the students bring in 2000 BoxTops by the end of May, EVERY student will win an ice cream party! BoxTops can be turned in to the office.

Upcoming Events…
There’s a lot coming up as the school year winds down:
May 19 – PBL Fair / Open House Night
May 24 – Last PTA meeting of the year
May 27 – Backwards Day and Student of the Month Assemblies
May 30 – Memorial Day (No School)
June 3 – Hat Day, Outdoor Movie Night
June 9 – Last Day of School!

I try to keep the calendar on the Yahoo group as up to date as possible, so if you need to take a look, go to the Yahoo calendar

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 have great ideas for Roosevelt? Do you want to get more involved? Do you want to meet more parents and feel part of something? The PTA needs you! There are still some positions available for next year’s PTA. If you’re interested, or want more information, please feel free to contact Aurora Gallardo or Bonnie Courtney-Rodriguez

Rally to Support Education Funding…
Educate Our State, a grassroots organization started here in Redwood City, will be hosting statewide rallies on May 24 to show that parents and citizens support quality education and to draw attention to the budget crisis affecting our schools. There will be a rally at the Redwood City Courthouse Square at 7:30am on the 24th. Please come and show your support. For more information, go to the Educate Our State website www.educateourstate.org

RCEF…
The RCEF is once again trying to raise money to keep music education in our schools. The RCEF will be hosting Grooving in the Grove on Saturday, May 28 at Woodside High School and the July 4 Fun Run in downtown Redwood City. For more information, or to make a donation, go to www.rcef.org

Have a great week!