WELCOME FROM TONY CIFRA

Dear Lower School (LS) families:

It is with great excitement that I welcome you to Redwood Day's 64th school year! Our campus is buzzing with anticipation as faculty and staff prepare to welcome students back, and I can't wait to see our hallways filled once again with curiosity, laughter, and joyful learning. I hope your summer has included opportunities to rest, reconnect with loved ones, explore new places, and create lasting memories together.

This summer, I had the joy of visiting family in New York and New Jersey (continuing the momentum of my Dad’s 80th birthday this past May!) and traveling to visit friends and family in Germany. Some of my favorite moments were the simplest ones - sharing meals, wandering neighborhoods, discovering new places, and laughing late into the evening with loved ones. Those experiences reminded me of the importance of connection, curiosity, and belonging - the very qualities we strive to cultivate every day at Redwood Day. Below are a few photos from my summer adventures!

As I begin my third year at Redwood Day (and my 15th year as a senior school leader), I feel deeply grateful to be part of our extraordinary community. Over the past year, I have had the privilege of deepening connections with students, families, and faculty, and I continue to be inspired by the warmth, partnership, and sense of purpose that define our school. I am especially excited for the year ahead as we continue strengthening the Lower School experience together, supporting every child's growth while fostering a community where each student feels known, challenged, and deeply connected.

I look forward to seeing many of you in the coming weeks and to beginning another wonderful year together!

A number of items will be bundled with this letter to propel our collaboration for the 2026-2027 School Year. Please read carefully and continue to reach out with any questions or concerns you might have. 

• The week before school begins, expect a welcome letter from your classroom teachers with finer details on how to prepare your child for the first week of school.
• Please be sure to complete all forms via the Portal. If your child is prescribed a specific medication, please make sure that it is stored with Jill at the Front Desk, along with the prescription medication authorization form found on the Portal
• Please note the following school day start and dismissal times
  • Students can arrive as early as 7:45 a.m. for early care (typically in the Library). Starting on the first day of school, staff supervision during morning drop-off will begin at 8:00 a.m. If you arrive between 7:45 and 8:00 a.m., please note that there will be no outdoor adult supervision or curbside support during that time. If your child needs assistance exiting the vehicle before 8:00 a.m., please pull forward to the end of the white zone and assist them out of the car, or park in the school lot and walk your child to the entrance.
  • Students are considered tardy after the start time listed below. Please plan accordingly:

• This year, we will continue to host Orientation for all new K-5 Families (new students and parents/guardians are welcome!). Please join us on Tuesday, August 25th. We have planned a fun and engaging morning as follows:
  • 9:15 a.m. Arrival (15 min)
  • 9:30 a.m. Students join their teachers; Parents/guardians join School Leadership (45 min)
  • 10:15 a.m. Students and parents/guardians reunite on LS yard (15 min)
  • 10:30 a.m. End of orientation
• Our Kindergarten Flexible Start helps our youngest learners transition smoothly into school. All kindergarten students begin the year by experiencing both kindergarten classrooms and teaching teams. At the end of this flexible start period, the kindergarten teams and admin teammates meet to finalize class placements. Below is this year’s flexible start sequence:
  • Wed, Aug 26 – Day 1 of 4
  • Thu, Aug 27 – Day 2 of 4
  • Fri, Aug 28 – Day 3 of 4 (students switch classrooms and join the alternate K team)
  • Mon, Aug 31 – Day 4 of 4 (K families receive final class placement notifications via email)
  • Tue, Sept 1 – Students join their finalized classrooms
• Mini-Conferences provide an opportunity for families to share their child(ren)’s strengths and areas for growth, along with any information to help build and strengthen the home/school partnership. All mini-conferences are slotted for 15 minutes. Below are specific details regarding mini-conferences across the K-5 span:
  • Kindergarten mini-conferences will be held in mid-September after the Kindergarten flexible start. Families will receive a separate communication in September about signing up.
  • 1st-3rd Grade mini-conferences are highly encouraged and hosted in person on campus OR via Zoom on Monday, August 24, and Tuesday, August 25. Instructions on how to sign up for Mini-Conferences can be found here. If you have any trouble signing up, please contact your classroom teachers.
  • 4th-5th mini-conference slots are limited, and families with new students or those who have new/important updates are asked to sign up. These mini-conferences are hosted in person only on Monday, August 25. Instructions on how to sign up for Mini-Conferences can be found here. If you have any trouble signing up, please contact your classroom teachers.
• All school supplies will be provided for Lower School students. Students will need to bring a backpack (K families, please ensure that backpacks can fit a large picture book), lunch box, and a reusable water bottle to school.
  • Exception for 5th: Students should bring a strong 2”, 3-ring zippered binder where the zipper closes up the binder completely
  • We recommend labeling all of your child(ren)’s belongings - including lunch boxes, reusable water bottles, shirts, and hoodies - with their name, using permanent ink or a label maker. Throughout the year, please check the Lost & Found (located outside between 1A and the Library) to help limit accumulation. Clearly labeled items are much easier to return, and your efforts greatly support the management of our Lost & Found.
• In LS, personal items like stuffed animals, toys, trading cards, sports equipment, smart watches, and cell phones should not be brought to school. While we understand how special these items can be to children, they can also cause distractions or unintended feelings of exclusion. To keep our classroom spaces focused, we ask that these items stay at home. Books and non-Internet Kindles are welcome on campus, as they help nurture your child’s love of reading.
• I look forward to seeing you all in person very soon! If you’re interested in scheduling a meeting with me, you’re welcome to reach out to Linda Manzur, Assistant to LS Director, via email (lmanzur@rdschool.org).
• Lastly, throughout the school year, please do take some time to read the Redwood Day Weekly (distributed Sundays) and regularly distributed faculty newsletters. Colleagues invest much care into these communications so that information is prioritized and streamlined. We appreciate you as partners along this shared journey, and being up-to-date on important school details supports the ever-important home-school connection.

I am very much looking forward to our year together and stewarding our Lower School community. Please do not hesitate to be in touch with wonderings, feedback, and/or fun stories about our young learners!

In community,

Tony Cifra
Lower School Director