Sad News

For those of us in the Clifford Community who have not yet heard, yesterday was an extremely difficult day for all of us.

Tragically, Val, who works in day care, lost her husband Wednesday morning when his motorcycle was struck by a car that was being chased by police. It is very sad that someone who devotes her life to helping others would be struck by such a terrible event. Our thoughts and prayers are with Val and her family during this period of mourning. If you would like to support Val in her time of need, please contact Ruth Brosius at the Clifford Alliance for Resources and Emergency Support (CARES) at ruthbrosius@earthlink.net.

In addition, Vice Principal Torres lost her beloved dogs – Jordan and Bella – on Monday. Those of us who love animals and/or who have pets know how much joy they bring to the entire family – particularly young children.

Let’s hope for better days ahead.

– Phil Lind, Principal & Marilyn Ezrin, PTO Co-president

What’s Up with the Snack Shack?

As many of you are aware, we have closed the Snack Shack until further notice. State law requires that schools and school related organizations wait until 30 minutes after final dismissal of students to sell food items. This would mean that the Snack Shack would open at 3:05.

However, most of the volunteers who operate the store are not able to be on campus that late. Further, we encourage students to leave campus by 3:00 because we do not have after-school yard coverage that late.

The purpose of the law is to protect the food service program from federal sanctions. The major sanction would be the loss of federal funds to support the food service program. Simply put, there is to be no competition for sales with the School Food Service Program. Students with lunch money are to use the funds for school breakfast or lunch instead of using it on snack items.

However, there is no ban on the sale of non-food items such as school supplies, logo wear, and items that promote school spirit. This idea of opening a student store will be discussed at the next PTO meeting on Oct. 12. We will also be exploring the issue with our Student Council.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

–Phil Lind, Principal  & Marilyn Ezrin, PTO Co-President

Update on the Kindergarten Rooms and Status of Investigation

I try to anticipate where problems and concerns my arise and occasionally find myself blind-sided. Such was the case when 30 or so of our Kindergarten students, suddenly, came down with what appears to be insect bites. The problem was of such significance that we closed the kindergarten classrooms and brought in a professional property restoration company to make sure that all porous materials and free of insect infestation. It turns out that this company plans to take all of the material in the classroom to a facility in the East Bay that will “Freeze-dry” the contents and kill all bugs and eggs. Thus we will not have to use chemicals to eradicate the problem.

Thus far we have ruled out Bed Bugs as the culprit. We hired a company called Scenttek in Millbrae to bring in a dog who can detect bed bugs. All was negative in the classrooms, which in this case, is a good thing. We know that it is not bed bugs. I didn’t know that there were bed bug smelling dogs out there. At this point, we do not know what caused the recent outbreak. There are lots of suggestions about the source of the bites but nothing  that we can be certain about. What we do know is that since moving the students out of the classrooms and off of the kindergarten play structure,  there have been no new reports of bites.

In addition to the Dog searching for bed bugs, we also hired a Professor of Entomology from U.C. Davis to investigate what insects are around campus that could have caused the problem. He took numerous samples on adhesive paper and samples of the wood chips in the play structure area. The district also sent samples to an independent lab for analysis. We are waiting for results from these sources.

–Phil Lind, Principal

 

Curly Visits Clifford

Yesterday Clifford got a visit from Curly.  He was a bed bug sniffing dog who luckily did not find any bed bugs.  The hunt for the culprit continues!

As for the kindergartners, they enjoyed Curly’s visit.  While doing a demonstration in one classroom, his handler hid a salt shaker with a bed bug in it.  Curly came in the room, smelled the bug and put his paw where it was hidden.  After Curly left the room, one little boy asked, “why do we need a dog to find salt in our room?”  Oh, the innocence of youth!  A bright story in the midst of it all.

Thank you to Curly for all of his hard work!

Special Thanks to Clifford School Staff!

We are just halfway through September and the school year has been a little dramatic for us kindergarten parents. After rumors of chicken pox and bug infestations, it seems that bugs are the culprits. My daughter had the bites and honestly they weren’t any worse than a few mosquito bites. They were itchy, but went away quickly.

Don’t get me wrong,  I’m the first to cringe at the lice notices and am getting a little itchy just writing about bugs, but my daughter will be okay.  Her bites will heal and she has probably already forgotten about them.  What will take a little longer to get out of our memories are the chain link fences surrounding her classroom and the kinder play structure.  It will be hard to forget the stressed looks on the teachers faces as they are trying to help all of these little children adjust to strange rooms without all of the cute, familiar pictures on the walls.

I am thankful that our school administration took this issue seriously and are doing everything possible to insure our children’s safety while at school.  I appreciate the information that we have been given and I applaud the response.  What I hope is that everyone will remember to show the kindergarten teachers some extra love and appreciation.  They were just getting all of these little children settled into a routine when they lost their classrooms and have been moved around. They are all in a new space and teaching our children with the exceptional skill, patience and love that they have always been known for.

Soon the bugs will be gone and the fences will be down but our teachers will remain and lets remember what is important: to appreciate what they’ve done for all of the kindergarteners during this time.

Thank You Mrs. Overbey, Mrs. Strombom, Mrs. Edelstein and Mrs. Wilkerson!

– Lisa Chad

Come Out and Play Night! (Fri. Sept. 23)

The Fall Come Out and Play night will be held on Friday Sept. 23 from 4-8pm (grades K-5). Do not miss out on this great family event! It is a chance to play tetherball with your children, watch their monkey bar skills and of course the ever popular dodge ball game.

Is there anything more exciting for a child than to play at school – but after school hours? It is also a great way to connect with friends and get acquainted with new ones. No need to worry about dinner, pizza and drinks will be sold. Come join us for a great casual night of fun.

Clifford Father’s Club Info

Greetings Clifford School Dads! My name is Thomas Sperow (dad to kinder Lulu); I have volunteered to chair the Clifford Father’s Club for 2011-2012.

The purpose of this club is to get more involved with your kids, their school’s functions and activities and make it all our own. Let’s show the moms that we can make a difference in fundraising and socializing with our kids too!

I also invite any dads who would like to co-chair and help organize dad-centric events for the coming year!

Please get on my dad’s it-list by sending an email to: greco_granite@msn.com.

Thanks!

Notes from the Sept. 7 Meeting

Thank you to all the parents, family members, teachers and staff who attended our first PTO meeting of the school year. (See meeting minutes.) We are proud to say it was a huge success. The PTO is striving to create an organization built on a foundation of teamwork that enriches and enhances your child’s experience here at Clifford.

Some of the highlights from this week’s meeting:

  • The approval of a new K-8 theater program to be run by the San Carlos Children’s Theater
  • The introduction and explanation of the Clifford CARE program (Clifford Alliance for Resources and Emergency Support)
  • The Fall Come Out and Play night will be on Sept. 23 from 4-8pm
  • Information about the new Clifford Father’s Group and upcoming events and activities.

More information and the minutes from the meeting are now available online! If you enjoyed this meeting, grab a friend, teacher or even your spouse and join us again on October 12 at 7pm. Remember, children are always welcome.

– Marilyn & Alpa

Fall Semester Enrichment Schedule

The Fall semester schedule for after-school enrichment is now online! From yoga, to math, to chess, to science, to Tae Kwon Do, classes are available at convenient times for students of all ages and interests.

Whether you pay class tuition directly to the provider or via the school office, be sure to fill out and sign a permission form for each student being enrolled.

Let us know if you have other ideas or suggestions for after-school enrichment – or even better, if you want to get involved – in comments!