I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for your active involvement and support of the Student Goal-Setting Conferences. This year marked a significant milestone, as it was the first time we introduced this researched-based practice, and I am pleased to report that the conferences have been a resounding success. Your commitment to our students’ success has been truly inspiring.

In 2023-24, we continue our critical work of addressing the challenges brought about by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Our district embarked on a journey of Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) professional development sessions last year, aiming to equip all of us with the tools and strategies necessary to support our students. We recognize that the effects of the pandemic have had a significant impact on our students' academic progress and well-being, and this series of professional development sessions help ensure that we are better equipped to address these challenges.

On Thursday, September 7, we had a scheduled early dismissal known as a "super minimum day" in RCSD. On this day, all RCSD students left school early as planned, while teachers remained on campus to engage in professional development activities.

This school year, we welcome 1,280 new students to RCSD, many of whom are Kindergartners (661) and Transitional Kindergartners (209). We also welcome our 144 new certificated employees (teachers who teach in the classroom as well as educators who support them), 47 classified staff (support staff who work behind the scenes making sure the district is running smoothly), 10 assistant principals, and five principals.

Our 8th grade graduates are a strong group of students who reinvented the school experience by starting their middle school years in a virtual format. It was exactly three years ago, in 2020-21, that they started 6th grade in an online classroom with their classmates and teachers. As difficult as that year was for them, they kept going and worked hard to get through those challenging times.

As we’ve recently seen, California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) test results show that many California children, including our students, fell behind academically during the pandemic. We saw learning loss and we now need to work twice as hard to help our students get back on track. 

As such, we will we be renewing our focus on the teaching of foundational reading skills— phonics (connecting letters to sounds), phonemic awareness (identifying distinct units of sound), fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Because of our partnership with Stanford, close to 80% of our students now know where to go for counseling support and they feel comfortable sharing their feelings with their counselor.

If you’re not familiar with the term “reclassification,” this is a term in education that causes great pride and a sense of accomplishment. It means that a student, who learns another language or languages at home before English, is formally reclassified as English language proficient. They have proven that they now master the English language, in addition to their native language(s), at the same level as their counterparts whose first language is English.