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Teaching positions open in Portola Valley and Ravenswood school districts
The Portola Valley School District is hiring educators for the 2024-25 school year. Certified positions are open for kindergarten, first grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, sixth through eighth grade science, social studies and English language arts for sixth through eighth grade, TK-8 substitute teacher and employment for the summer program.
More information on staffing can be found at pvsd.net/staff/employment-opportunities. Applications can be found on edjoin.org/pvsd.
Ravenswoods School District has opened their early hiring window for teaching positions ranging from science, math and drama as well as custodian and bus driver roles.
Interested applicants can visit edjoin.org/ravenswoodschools.
Design a playground at Flood County Park
San Mateo County Parks invites community members to share their ideas for a new design of the playground at Menlo Park’s Flood County Park on Saturday, March 16, from 2-4 p.m. near the Manzanita picnic area.
The design team is looking for ideas and preferences on equipment, color schemes, playground themes and more. Children are also welcome to share their ideas with materials provided. The community event will also have a food truck selling popcorn, drinks, popsicles, hot dogs and cotton candy.
Currently, the Flood Park playground does not meet safety standards and is closed to the public. The design and construction of a new playground is part of the Realize Flood Park improvement plans, an initiative to rebuild the park with community input.
Local basketball team wins National Championship Title
The Redwood National Junior Basketball seventh grade All Net team won the National Title in Garden Grove. The team qualified for the championship after reaching the finals in the Silicon Valley Sectional playoffs in February. For the National Title, players face Corona Norco from Riverside County and won their game with a score of 48-40.
The team of players from Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Woodside, Atherton, Emerald Hills and Redwood City was coached by Phillip Trinidad and Ken Morgan, who collected their second title in three years.
Spanish webinar on gender, love and family in early childhood
Community Equity Collaborative is hosting a 90-minute webinar on gender, love and family for Spanish-speaking childcare workers, parents, educators, community members and child-supporting professionals.
At 4 p.m. on March 21, April 17 and April 24, the webinar will offer information, strategies and resources for adults to support young children as they explore their identity, who they can love and navigate their understanding around these concepts.
The webinar will discuss topics around LGBTQ+ identities, pronouns and inclusive language, the power of affirmation and managing messages about gender, love and family.
Register for a webinar on communityequitycollaborative.org.
San Mateo County Office of Education honored for joint youth climate program
The Youth Climate Ambassadors (YCA) Leadership Program was honored by a Sustainable San Mateo County Sustainability Award, according to a San Mateo County Office of Education March 6 press release.
The program is joint with the county’s Sustainability Department and Office of Education that works to empower high school students to become leaders in climate action and sustainability. The award was presented in acknowledgement of the county’s unique approach to get students involved in sustainability.
The program has been active for over five years and has had a total of 273 students participate since its inception. Students in the program learn about research methods, environmental justice and participate in community building activities while gaining skills in public speaking and event organizing. Students also design and implement community projects by collaborating with local organizations such as Peninsula Clean Energy.
The YCA Leadership Program is currently hosting a cohort of 49 students representing more than 20 local high schools in the county.
Learn more about the program at smsustainability.org.
Former Portola Valley town manager joins library board
On March 7, the Foundations for San Mateo County Libraries welcomed Jeremy Dennis, former Portola Valley Town Manager, to the board of directors in an Instagram post. The Foundations board works to enhance awareness of county libraries, expand equitable access and encourage San Mateo County Libraries to better serve the community.
The post writes, “Jeremy loves to read non-fiction history and science books. His favorite book, ‘The Discoverers’ inspired him to always be learning and absorbing. You can often find Jeremy at both the downtown and Schaberg Redwood City Libraries.”
Sequoia district receives highest bond rating
On March 6, the Sequoia Union High School District, SUHSD, began issuing its first series of Measure W bonds and also received an upgrade to the highest bond rating, Aaa, from credit rating agency Moody’s, according to a press release by the school district.
Measure W passed with 63% voter approval in November 2022, authorizing a $591 million bond to repair and upgrade SUHSD classrooms and infrastructure.
The district’s bond rating upgrade was received due to its strong economic base, sound reserves and liquidity and community-funded status, according to the release. The Aaa rating is judged to be of “highest quality with minimal risk,” according to Moody’s rating scale and definitions chart. This will allow the district to borrow money at a lower interest rate, saving taxpayer dollars.
SUHSD states that it received more than $605 million in orders, which is over four times the amount of bonds the district was offering. The high demand of both bonds allowed Superintendent Crystal Leach and Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Christine Gong to negotiate lower borrowing rates.
The initial rate of 4.37% for the 2022 Series 2024 Bonds is now at just under an interest cost of 4%. The district was also able to secure $5,395,087 in taxpayer savings for the 2024 Refunding Bonds over time, which exceeds the initial minimum saving threshold of $2,000,000.
“We’re excited to share this news with the community as it showcases the fiscal strength and responsibility of the district,” Leach said in the release. “This rating signals we’re one of the top school districts in the state from a financial standpoint, and it means we can get the most value out of our bonds for our students.”
SUHSD is one of nine K-12 school districts in the state to receive the Aaa bond rating from Moody’s.
Currently, the district is looking for applicants to serve on the Measure W Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee. Applications are due on Wednesday, March 13, and more information can be found at seq.org/cboc. Updates on Measure W projects will be regularly posted through the district website, newsletters and on social media.
— Jennifer Yoshikoshi
Caltrain says electric train tests between Redwood City, Mountain View successful
Caltrain successfully tested its electric trains and overhead wires between Redwood City and Mountain View for the first time over the weekend of March 9, the agency’s officials said.
According to Caltrain, live run tests of the electric trains began at 5 mph to ensure the overhead wire and train are properly connected. The trains then were tested using the corridor’s 79 mph maximum limit, finishing 25 such test runs over the weekend.
“With this live run, testing can now take place from San Jose to Redwood City, further accelerating the process and keeping the launch of service on schedule for fall 2024,” Caltrain officials said.
The rail line aims to complete 1,000 miles of testing before each electric train set is allowed to carry passengers. Caltrain officials said initial tests were conducted between the Santa Clara and College Park stations on the Santa Clara Drill Track.
— Bay City News Service
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