Rise up, gather round, and rock this place to the ground. It’s a flashback to the 80’s, so look for your leg warmers and trim your mullet! Sliders will be served, along with cheese logs, pretzels, and more. Enjoy music from the 80’s and 90’s, along with horseshoes, billiards, and corn hole. Rock On! Rock on!
Host: Julie Ulrich
Date: Saturday, May 17, 2014
Time: 7:30PM – 10:30PM
Cost: $30/person.
Spots available! All proceeds going to the Clifford PTO.
Bianchini’s Market has contributed $588,876.12 to the community through their eScrip program over the last 10 years.
Clifford School was invited to participate in a very special event in honor of their generosity and community support. Clifford representatives were Susan Alley, PTO eScrip Chairman, and Christina Sullivan, PTO President.
The reception was hosted by eScrip. Jean Wilkie, eScrip representative, and her team hosted refreshments, which included a variety of sandwiches, fruits, and drinks. They gave local schools the opportunity to thank Kevin and Chris Bianchini for their support — as well as a chance to sign a huge banner with their personal thank-you message! This banner will be hung in the Bianchini’s Market for all shoppers to see.
A giant check was presented to Kevin and Chris on behalf of eScrip, and guests learned that Bianchini’s Market was the first company in the Bay Area to move from “paper-scrip” to eScrip ten years ago. This makes Bianchini’s Market a true pioneer for businesses to donate to the community — in an easy way.
Bianchini’s Market is starting a new way to donate this June, by coordinating eScrip donations through their rewards card. Not only will this attract those who are unsure of having their credit cards registered online, it will alleviate the need to sign up your debit or credit card annually. Those who already have Bianchini’s Market rewards cards can simply sign up using their phone number as well.
For more information on eScrip and the local businesses that support eScrip, please log on to eScrip.com.
Spring has sprung at Peet’s on Laurel Street in San Carlos, thanks to the new art show, courtesy of our very own Clifford students. Through the PTO’s Art in Action program, 1st Graders created their own paintings inspired by Monet’s “Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies.”
Thank you to all the parent volunteers who taught the Monet art lesson — and assisted in class — and thank you to the parent volunteers who made the time to hang the new artwork at Peet’s (and take down the old artwork!)
For more visuals of previous artwork, check out this post.
May 2nd, Friday: It’s our annual Lap-a-thon FUNraiser, DASH FOR CA$H. The students start their laps, class by class, at 8:30AM, and things wrap up at roughly 2:20PM. Scroll down towards the end of this posting for the complete schedule!
Click here for the Pledge Form.
Note: Printed copies are also available in the school office (on the flyer display case, near the door).
This year, we want to highlight that May is “National Physical Fitness and Sports Month” – an opportune time to get our K-8 students to dash while raising ca$h. The money raised will help pay for the various PTO-sponsored programs in our school, such as Rhythm and Moves (K-5 PE), Marine Science Institute Program, and Art-in-Action. Last year we raised almost $14,000, and our goal is to beat that amount this year!
Got 30 minutes to spare on the day? We need volunteers, and there are various shifts available. We need parents to help with setup, first aid, lap markers, escorting individual classes, cleanup, and more.
This is a super-fun way to get involved, while you cheer on and watch your student complete laps. Learn more and sign up for a spot here.
Have questions? Email our committee:
Parents, teachers, and staff:
Please join us for our April gathering on Thursday, 4/3, at 7PM in the library.
Learn about all the fun events coming up — Father-Daughter Dance and the rockin’ Lap-A-Thon, for instance — among other things. Find out about all the great positions that are open on the PTO Board and as part of other committees.
A light dinner and drinks will be served, and your kids are most welcome to come, too. (Note: On-site babysitting is not available, but your kiddos can enjoy reading books in the library, for example.)
PTO meetings typically run for about an hour — sometimes less. So come on down.
For our archive of past Meeting Minutes, view the PDFs here (scroll down quite a bit on the page until you see the heading When We Meet).
Clifford parents find ways to thank our teachers and staff frequently during the school year.
During the recent school conference week, a team of parents hosted a brunch.
On Wednesday, March 12th, the upper and lower Staff Lounges were stocked with breakfast and lunch treats, kindly provided by the parents.
The whole arrangement was wonderfully coordinated by parent Anjanette Lundell.
Peet’s Coffee & Tea (2600 Broadway, Redwood City) generously donated all the coffee along with all the necessary fixins.
Thank you, Peet’s.
And speaking of Peet’s, if you haven’t yet, check out the artwork on view at the Peet’s location on Laurel Street in San Carlos. The masterpieces, decking the café’s walls, were all created by our very own students through the PTO’s Art in Action program.
Greetings Clifford students, family members, teachers, and staff.
It’s time to get your dancing shoes on again!
You are all invited to a free Irish Dancing class on Monday, March 17, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It’s all happening at the Clifford MUB, from 2:40PM to 3.40PM.
Come have fun learning some basics of Irish set dancing, which includes participating in a beginner-level dance called “The Walls of Limerick.” You will be doing social dancing–– not the step dancing of Michael Flatley and Jean Butler of Riverdance fame!
Here’s what you need to know:
When: St.Patrick’s Day, Monday, March 17, 2:40PM to 3.40PM
Where: The MUB/gym
What to wear: Sensible footwear for dancing. No flip-flops for safety reasons. Anything green, optional!
What to bring, part one: A signed waiver for each student (grab the English version of the waiver here, and the Spanish version here). Waiver forms are also available in the school office.
What to bring, part two: Water and a wish to learn and enjoy yourself!
What to fear: Nothing. Warmth, energy, curiosity, and a community spirit will prevail in the MUB––an “embarrassment-free zone” on St. Patrick’s Day!
Note: Parents of Kinders through 4th Graders need to accompany their students––and you need to bring a signed waiver for each student, as well, regardless of age. See link above to print a waiver.
Who to contact: Please e-mail Helen, 4suiochan@yahoo.com, to RSVP. Please indicate any prior experience of Irish set dancing.
Want to see a preview? Here’s a short clip showing “The Walls of Limerick” in action.
Info about the instructor: Helen has taught English in Europe, Japan, and here in the Bay Area. And Irish dancing has always been a great hit with her students. She looks forward to introducing the Clifford community to Irish set dancing, a fun and wholesome aspect of Irish culture.
Teachers, you are especially welcome so you can have fun––and teach some basics to your students, too!
Clifford community:
Please join us at the library for our PTO meeting tonight at 7PM.
Hear all about the success & fun with Feb’s school play Aladdin. Find out about Moms’ March Mingle, April’s Father-Daughter Dance, open Board and non-Board positions, and much more.
A light dinner will be served, along with beverages. Children are always welcome with your supervision!
See you there.
We had a great turnout on February 27, 2014: 40 parents and teachers tuned into the inspiring presentation “Resilience in The Classroom” by Dr. Lisa Medoff at the district office.
How does Dr. Medoff define “resilience” in the classroom? She views it as a strength to reset yourself, wanting to go to school the next day, regardless of the challenges Special Needs students face daily at school.
In one encouraging note, Dr. Medoff mentioned that students with Special Needs have already been learning to be resilient at school early on, and this very thing could be a great advantage later in their lives.
Practical advice was given to parents whose children do not shine in the classroom; Dr. Medoff offered ideas about alternative ways to shine, including volunteering at an animal shelter or participating in mixed-age community groups, where students can feel they are needed and appreciated.
In addition, Dr. Medoff highly recommends swimming and Karate, as a choice of sports for those who struggle with self-regulation and who do not thrive in team sports.
SEPTAR (Special Education PTA of Redwood City) is a non-profit organization with the mission of bringing families and educators together to meet the special education needs of children in Redwood City. SEPTAR offers monthly educational events, IEP resources, support groups, mini-grants for parents and teachers in Special Education. Recently, SEPTAR provided 10 iPads to classrooms via mini-grants.
–Kay Rim
Dads out there:
Grab your daughter/s by the hand/s, and plan for a fabulous night out on Friday, April 4th 2014.
The annual Father-Daughter Dance is happening from 6:30PM to 8:30PM in the Clifford MUB.
It will be a grand evening, full of fun things: music, food, photos, crafts, and raffle prizes!
Tickets are $15 per person, and can be purchased below (via PayPal) or at the door.
Note: If you use PayPal to buy your tickets, please make sure to update the quantity of tickets you need, so you are charged correctly.
If you would like to volunteer to help with the dance (before, during or after)–and/or if you wish to donate an appetizer/finger food, please contact Crystal Meyer at cmeyer1343@gmail.com.