Moms & Margaritas

Soon it will be the merry month of May!

And it’s about time we celebrated the end of the school year and our accomplishments. So mark your calendars for the ultimate ladies’ night out, organized by the Clifford PTO: Señoritas ‘n’ Margaritas.

On Saturday evening, May 5, come out to enjoy unlimited margaritas, non-alcoholic beverages, and an authentic dinner feast.

Grab a friend (or three), meet new moms, and soak up the fun at a fiesta you won’t want to miss!

Sat., May 5
6-10PM
Casa de Chad
953 Edgewood Road in Redwood City

$50 per person

There are still a number of tickets available (with a 50-person maximum); pay via PayPal below:


Guest Name 1
Guest Name 2


PTO Meeting Minutes – April 12 Meeting

  • Mr. Lind requested an increase in the funding for Outdoor Ed for this year. There was a need for more scholarships. The PTO agreed to increase the amount from $1000 to $2276.
  • Mr. Lind addressed the need for an additional middle school teacher. He is asking the PTO to fund half the salary and Clifford will pay the other half. Budget cuts eliminated the Explorative position (art, drama, Spanish) many years ago and it also effects the scheduling of students since there are only 6 periods instead of 7. The PTO has enough in its reserve to cover the $40,000 cost. It was approved.
  • Kim Faus gave us an update on the budget. Total Income is budgeted to be $113,450 and actual is $99,270. Total Expenses is budgeted to be $110,167 and actual is $103,170. We still have 2 fundraisers that will be happening in May (Lap-a-thon and Multicultural Day) which will bring in additional income.
  • If you are interested in helping with Measure W (Parcel Tax) you can go to the website (www.betterrwcschools.org). You can volunteer to help with the phone banks, or order a lawn sign that says “Yes on Measure W”. Click on the Get Involved link.
  •  Bunnie Morrow – The auction raised $21K.
  •  Multi-cultural Day. Had 31 auditions for 10 spots. Are trying to group some of the same acts together so more students can perform. This years event will include: carnival games, dunk tank, bull riding, bouncy house, obstacle course, pie eating contest. Will set up “Volunteer Spot” website so parents can sign up to help. Need 60 volunteers for interactive games. Mrs. Torres will try to get some ELAC parents as volunteers.
  • The cooking class for 7th & 8th graders was a great success. It is free to students and offered after school. Being brought to Clifford by Common Roots, a non-profit organization that helps with our garden. There will be school garden classes being offered soon for Kindergarten through 6th grade. Sign up sheets are in the office.
  • The lap-a-thon is May 18th. This year’s theme is LOL (Laughing Out Loud). Each participant that gets at least 1 pledge will receive a free ice cream from Young’s. Need volunteers. Contact Claire Cosentino.
  • Elections were held for the new PTO board. President: Christina Sullivan, Vice President: Tia Knuedler, Secretary: Gail Blomstrom, co-Treasurers: Barbara Larson & Heather Maire
  • Dates: May 10th – Come Out & Play
  • May 15th – next PTO meeting at Canyon Inn
  • May 22nd – Middle School Parent Workshop

Traffic Appreciation: Week of April 16

In case you missed the visuals, Monday, April 16, kicked off a week of  gratitude devoted to a stellar team of volunteers: Clifford’s crossing guards. Thank you, thank you, thank you for keeping our kids safe and for easing the flow of traffic––usually with big grins on your faces! We thank Nanette Silverman, Bunnie Morrow, Tia Knuedler, Sam Faus, Maria Moreno,  Maria Martin, and Billy James. Parents and teachers are devising ways to thank these team members all week––with adorable signs, freshly-baked scones, other goodies, letters, and more.

May the (traffic-calming) force always be with you.

Site Council Reps Needed for 2012-13!

Site Council is a committee made up of representatives from the staff and the parent community; six representatives from each of these two groups make up Clifford’s Site Council. Clifford’s Site Council meets the second Tuesday of each month, 6:30pm in the Clifford Library. It is a two year commitment. Site Council oversees implementation of the SPSA (a document guiding program at Clifford School) and votes on allocation of site funding.

The end of this school year finds us with four open parent positions. If you are interested in representing the parent community, please contact Shannon Cody, Phil Lind, and/or Carla Torres.

The parent community will be asked to vote on the reps via the next Communicator. Keep an eye out for candidate bios and your chance to vote.

Thank you,
Shannon Cody
Site Council

Thank you to our current parent reps, Kathy Goodin and Tara Weissmann, who will continue to serve, to Laura Bauer for serving this past school year, and a HUGE thank you to both John Simpson and Craig Silverman for their many, many dedicated and effective years of Site Council service.