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Woodside School seeks community input for its new strategic plan By Renee Batti
K-8 school, said Superintendent Beth Polito, who also is the school’s principal. The survey can be taken by going to the district website, woodside.k12.ca.us, by Monday, March 12. There are also copies available in the school office. On Friday, March 9, interested participants can drop by the district office dur-
intendent Polito said. There will be “refinement” sessions at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April oodside Elementary 26; and Friday, April 27, at 8:30 School consistently a.m. At these meetings, the district scores high in academic will present an overview of the testing, and has a curriculum rich survey findings, and gather more in programs that many of the state’s specific input on themes identified school districts have had to jettison during the process to date, accordbecause of budget cuts. But there’s ing to the flier. always room for improvement. Ms. Polito said Beginning this month, the the information and one-school Woodside Elemen- District wants to know: What are the comments gathered tary School District will hold a the procommunity’s hopes and dreams for the throughout series of meetings to gather ideas cess will help the future of the school? from parents, staff, students and school board and members of the community staff develop an about the direction they’d like effective strategic to see the district go in. ing student pickup and drop-off plan to improve the school proThe first step for people inter- hours for coffee and a laptop on gram over the next five years. ested in participating is an online which to take the survey. To spearhead the process, the survey, available until March 12. Focus group meetings designed district has hired a consultant and “This is a quick survey with open- to encourage parents and the com- formed a 10-member task force ended questions about your hopes munity to share and brainstorm that includes Ms. Polito, school and dreams for the future of the ideas are scheduled for Thursday, board members Rudy Driscoll school,” according to a flier dis- March 15, at 6:30 p.m.; and Friday, and Kevin Johnson, teachers and tributed by the district. March 16, at 8:30 a.m. Both meet- parents. The survey and meetings are the ings are in the school’s Wildcat Questions and ideas regarding lead-up to the creation of a five- Room. the process can be directed to the year, comprehensive strategic plan Middle school students also will task force by emailing vision@ for teaching and learning at the participate in a focus group, Super- woodsideschool.us.
Almanac News Editor
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Supervisor recovering from cancer surgery By Renee Batti Almanac News Editor
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upervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson, who represents San Mateo County District 4, is recovering well from breast cancer surgery she underwent on Feb. 24, and is out on medical leave from her duties with the county, according to a spokeswoman from her office. The supervisor was diagnosed with stage-one cancer, and because it was caught so early, is “expecting a full recovery,” said Rebecca Irwin, a legislative aide. Because Supervisor Jacobs Gib-
son was unable to attend the Feb. 28 meeting, the Board of Supervisors postponed a vote originally scheduled for Rose Jacobs that meeting Gibson on whether to appoint a replacement for county Controller Tom Huening, who is retiring March 31, or to hold an election. “They delayed the vote until she got back, and we’re hoping that she will be back” by March 13, the
rescheduled date, Ms. Irwin said. But even if she attends that meeting, it’s likely she won’t be working a full schedule at that point, she added. Regarding the supervisor’s recovery, “she’s just really thankful that she caught it early,” and encourages women to get mammograms, Ms. Irwin said. Ms. Jacobs Gibson represents county residents of Menlo Park, Redwood City, East Palo Alto, and the unincorporated areas of North Fair Oaks and Oak Knoll. She will be termed out of office at the end of the year. A
Caltrans joins spraying moratorium By Barbara Wood Special to the Almanac
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esidents of rural San Mateo County have one less thing to worry about this spring, since the California Department of Transportation has joined the county in agreeing on a moratorium on all broadcast roadside spraying of herbicides along Highway 84/ Woodside-La Honda Road until at least March 13. Ray Kwan, Caltrans roadside vegetation manager, said in an email that “no spraying will be done before March 13th” on Highway 84. “As of now,” he wrote, “no decision has been made whether to spray
after March 13th.” The decision comes after Caltrans sparked public ire in November when it broadcast sprayed herbicide along a 15-mile swath of Highway 84, despite protests from nearby residents and county and Bay Area officials who were worried that the herbicides could get into the local water supply. San Mateo County imposed a moratorium on spraying in July 2012, when supervisors Dave Pine and Don Horsley, the two members of the supervisors’ Environmental Quality Committee, asked for consultants to report on how to better manage roadside vegetation. The Vegetation Management
8 N The Almanac N March 7, 2012
Report was presented in January to the environmental committee and will go to the full Board of Supervisors at its March 13 meeting. In the meantime, rural county residents have formed a group, Just Say Mow, which hopes to convince the county to mow roadside weeds instead of spraying them with herbicides. Patty Mayall, a La Honda area resident who has led the fight against spraying, said the group is gathering signatures “to encourage the Board of Supervisors to end broadcast roadside spraying, and to mow the roads as they do now -- just once a year with the existing budget.”
Photo courtesy Filoli
The Bubblesmith is a favorite among children at Filoli’s Spring Fling.
Spring Fling at Filoli Visitors will get the rare chance to see three historic greenhouses containing plants that have been in Filoli’s collection since 1920 during the annual Spring Fling at the Woodside estate from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 31. The family-focused event will feature live music groups, a magic show, puppet shows, the Bubblesmith (who creates giant bubbles), arts and crafts for children, and nature walks. The Fortis Agility Sports Training Group will entertain with dogs navigating challenging obstacles and Guide Dogs for the Blind will
have puppies in training on hand for petting. Children may take home pots they have planted and decorated. Tickets are $20 for members, $25 for non-members, $5 for children ages 5 to 17, and free for children 4 and younger. Box lunches, at $18 for adults and $10 for children, must be ordered in advance. Visit www.Filoli.org or call Filoli weekdays at 364-8300, ext. 508, for more information and tickets. Filoli is located at 86 Canada Road in Woodside.
Grants enable seniors to recover at home Sequoia Hospital has given $100,000 in grants to four agencies in San Mateo County that collaborate in administering the Sequoia Hospital Homecoming Project, designed to bridge the gap between an older patient’s discharge from the hospital and that patient’s recovery. The four agencies are Peninsula Volunteers Inc., Peninsula Family Service Inc., Samaritan House and the San Mateo County Fall Prevention Task
Force. The goal is to help seniors leaving the hospital avoid going to a skilled nursing facility or being re-admitted to the hospital, according to the Feb. 6 announcement by Sequoia Hospital. In 2011, the program served 70 seniors, enabling them to recuperate at home. Services provided by Peninsula Volunteers include home-delivered meals (Meals on Wheels).
The group is gathering signatures at www.change.org. In June 2010, the Board of Supervisors voted to try to reduce the use of pesticides (herbicides are considered a pesticide as the plants they kill are unwanted) by using integrated pest management techniques in all county operations. They cited concerns about water quality and the effects on wildlife, including some endangered species. Among the 315-miles of county-
maintained roads that were viewed and analyzed as part of the Vegetation Management Report are many in the Almanac circulation area, including Alpine Road, Sand Hill Road, Whiskey Hill Road, La Honda Road, Old La Honda Road, Kings Mountain Road, Canada Road and Skyline Boulevard. Half of the county roads are currently mowed only with no herbicide spraying; the other half are sprayed, with some sprayed and mowed. A