(The following is a message from the Redwood City – San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce)
One of the most important and impactful elements of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act package is the Payroll Protection Program (PPP). Continue reading
(The following message is from the Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce)
The Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce and San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA) invite you to participate in a Q&A discussion about your current operating situation, how you are being impacted, and what you need in the short-term and long-term for your business to survive.
Please join us for a video conference meeting on:
Monday, March 30, 2020 at 10:00am Continue reading
(The following is a message from Redwood City Mayor Diane Howard addressing local business owners, with advice of resources and services available to assist them.)
Dear Redwood City Business Owner,
The City of Redwood City recognizes that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is not only a public health crisis, but also an economic crisis. We want to support and inform our local businesses, and provide local and regional business resources to help. The City’s Economic Development team has been actively coordinating with our regional partners and governmental agencies on a daily basis to identify assistance for our local businesses. It is our goal to provide every Redwood City business with information on business assistance programs to help your business get through this challenging time.
There are several resources available to assist businesses, including the following:
Additionally, the City is actively exploring local business assistance measures. Please regularly check the City Council upcoming tentative meeting agenda calendar for updates.
The City of Redwood City values every business large and small, and we will continue to share information to help our businesses. Working together, we will navigate this unprecedented public health and economic crisis.
If you need additional information or assistance please contact Economic Development Manager, Don Burrus at 650-780-7204 or at .
In community spirit,
Diane Howard
Mayor of Redwood City
(The following is a message from the Redwood City Improvement Association)
We are all in this together, and together we can make a difference for small businesses.
While Redwood City is under strict orders to shelter in place, many of the community’s favorite eateries have switched their operations from sit-down restaurants to takeout, delivery, or both.
Follow the link below to see an up-to-date list of open restaurants … We’re sure there is something to satisfy your craving!
*Please note this list is updated as we receive more information.
OPEN RESTAURANTS IN REDWOOD CITY
COVID-19 Business Resource Links & Survey
Special thanks to SAMCEDA, as their team is collecting more information on business assistance programs as well as other resources as soon as they become available. Please visit their website frequently for updates, including:
Additionally, in partnership with our Chambers of Commerce and communities, SAMCEDA has launched a survey to gather data on how COVID-19 has affected the business community in order to develop financial assistance programs that can offer immediate relief.
Calling for Volunteers
When faced with challenging times, each person has the power to make a difference.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the County of San Mateo needs volunteers to help serve vulnerable members of our community. You may be asked to deliver food or provide other services.
(The following is a message from the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District.)
Hello BRSSD Community,
This message will address an extension to the dismissal of students until May 1 and a clarification regarding my previous message on teacher-student videoconferencing.
Dismissal of Students Extended to May 1
Earlier today, we received this press release from the San Mateo County Office of Education. The dismissal of students from public schools throughout the Bay Area has been extended until May 1, 2020.
This makes BRSSD’s planning for the return from Spring Break on April 6 all the more important. Additionally, we are developing optional resources for families to help engage students academically over the break, given the current Shelter in Place order for San Mateo County. We will share more information at the end of the week.
Clarification Regarding this Morning’s Message
This morning, I sent you a message stating that a class’s morning meeting was recorded and put on the local news and social media. It was actually a still photograph of a student participating in a morning meeting via videoconference, with other classroom participants on the computer screen. I apologize for giving the misimpression that the meeting/lesson was video recorded when it was not. Nevertheless, this incident raises the importance of student and staff privacy, and we are committed to putting safeguards in place before resuming videoconferencing on April 6.
Thanks for your support and patience on both of these topics. We will continue to work on providing the best educational program possible for your student and improving week to week.
Sincerely,
Michael Milliken
Superintendent
The Fair Oaks Community Center is providing essential human services, including food distribution, homeless support services, safety net information, rental assistance and referral services to the entire County community. The Community Center is one of the County’s CORE human services agencies.
Rental assistance funds are available for all Redwood City residents who meet certain criteria. Residents can reach the community hotline at the Fair Oaks Community Center by dialing (650) 780-7500.
(The following is a message from the San Mateo County Health Officer.)
As I write this, I am both immensely grateful and exceedingly disappointed. We are in a grave crisis. I believe the virus is growing at an exponential rate in our county. Unless everyone does their part and follows the County’s Shelter-in-Place order and the Governor’s Safer at Home order, we will be facing an Italy-type catastrophe very soon. These orders are not recommendations, they are rules to be followed. My disappointment stems from the fact that many people just aren’t taking this seriously and going about their business as if nothing has changed. Our world has profoundly changed in an instant. It is now up to you all, the community, to decide what you want your future to be. If you decide you want to do your own thing and follow your own rules, you disrespect us all. You spit in our face, and you will contribute to the death toll that will follow. For those of you who say: “nobody tells me what to do,” now is a time to make an exception. You can go back to being ornery in the future.
Keeping humans apart from other humans is the only tool we currently have to slow this virus’ spread. This is a particularly fraught dilemma, as humans are social animals and they need each other, but we need to make every possible effort to avoid contact with each other.
For families in different households, do not mix your households at this time. As hard as this is, do not gather in any way outside of immediate households. As for outdoor exercise, people certainly need to get out, but do this in your own immediate neighborhoods. Do not drive except to provide or obtain an essential service. Do not go into other neighborhoods for recreation. This increases the risk of virus spread. Always maintain social distance. Wash your hands frequently and follow all the other recommended actions.
I’m grateful for the enormous amount of activity and the enormous amount of resources, from both the public and private sectors, going into protecting us and going into our healthcare system surge capacity. I am grateful that many people are taking this seriously and are doing everything they can to slow the spread of this virus. You are heroes for doing this.
I am deeply grateful for and everyone should thank God for our first responders and our front line medical and public health personnel. They are taking on personal risk to take care of you. They are heroes for doing this.
As for the supply shock, please lower your expectations of what you can get and when you can get it. Be grateful for anything that you can get. The capacity to deliver instant gratification is over.
As for the demand shock, look around and determine which small businesses you’d like to see still in your community when this is over. Then patronize them. Even if they are not open and you can’t get goods and services from them, you may want to consider paying them for services you might have received from them or they will be gone.
VOLUNTEER. Your community needs you now. There are many, many things that need to be done. This is the link to the survey for folks that want to volunteer: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WSXH6PZ
This is the email for non-profits and organizations needing volunteers: .
DONATE. There are critical shortages of supplies, especially some medical supplies. Please donate personal protective equipment (PPE). The email to donate PPE is . There will be an SMCStrong fund set up shortly to support individuals, small businesses and non-profits in the County. Donate to this if you can, or to your charity of choice.
Now more than ever, what I need for you to do is fully follow my recommendations’ advice and orders, unite as a community, come to each other’s aid, and let kindness, compassion, and gratitude guide your actions.
Scott Morrow, MD, MPH
San Mateo County Health Officer
March 23, 2020
(The following is a message from the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District.)
Hello Belmont-Redwood Shores Community,
What a week that was…. I want to begin with the recognition that this novel coronavirus phenomenon and the subsequent governmental orders have created an unprecedented challenge for all of us. First and foremost, I ask that you follow the Shelter in Place guidelines for the health benefit of the greater community.
Thank you for your understanding and patience as our teachers and support staff have transitioned to At-Home Learning. We have made it through Week One. Looking ahead, please know that we are committed to improving the At-Home Learning program week by week.
This message update will cover:
State Orders and County Orders
Last week’s state-level shelter in place order is consistent with the County order that BRSSD is currently following. We expect County and State guidance to become more aligned over time, and I expect the existing orders to extend beyond April 7. I do not have inside information on this. However, as educators, we are planning for our school facilities to be closed to students for the foreseeable future.
Looking Beyond Spring Break
As it becomes clear that the dismissal of students from school likely will be longer than the two weeks initially ordered by the County Health Officer, our staff is working on what the next phase of our At-Home Learning program will look like. If the dismissal of students is extended, we will aim to provide more of a simulated school experience for our students beginning April 6, after Spring Break. Our goal is to provide all BRSSD students with routine, social connections, a sense of normalcy, and most importantly, an education.
At-Home Learning
Our At-Home Learning resources for families have been shared via email to date (listed here). This is impractical for the long-term. We are developing a dedicated BRSSD webpage with organized and consolidated resources to support At-Home Learning. We expect to have that established by the end of the week, March 27.
After Spring Break, as we shift to a long-term approach to At-Home Learning, more students may need to use computers with greater frequency to access the educational program. Later this week, we will send out another tech survey to families to lend out devices as needed. Similarly, we will continue to share resources for internet access, like Comcast’s program.
Last week, my direction to teachers was to continue the educational program and keep students busy. For some families, this worked well, but for others it was quite stressful. If your student is falling behind or feeling negatively stressed or overwhelmed, you have permission to excuse your student from assignments. Student wellness comes first. Please communicate this directly with your teacher. If your teacher has not indicated the relative prioritization of activities/lessons, reach out to them for guidance regarding how best to adjust the workload.
Counseling Support
If you or your child are in need of social-emotional support during the school closure, our amazing network of BRSSD counselors are here to assist you or your child. Please use this form to request support for either you or your child. All support will be conducted remotely: over the phone, via email or virtually (Google Hangout or Zoom). We will respond to your request Monday through Friday, within 24 hours.
In addition, you can also receive support from One Life Counseling through their school-based support hotline at 650-394-5224. Therapists will be on-call weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm. One Life counselors will be available virtually for those in need of emotional support or ideas for social-emotional learning projects at home.
Thursday’s Board Meeting
The BRSSD Board of Trustees has its next meeting scheduled for this Thursday at 6:15pm. We plan to conduct it remotely with access to the public and the opportunity for public comment. Details for accessing the meeting will be made available on our homepage, brssd.org.
Mr. M’s Problem of the Week
Need a break from reality to work on a puzzle? Have a student that needs a challenge? Here’s a fun 3-dimensional tic-tac-toe problem (designed for ages 11 and up). Note that “noughts and crosses” is what they call tic-tac-toe in the United Kingdom. Different solution strategies and an extension to the problem can be found here.
We appreciate your partnership in your child’s education, now more than ever. Do not hesitate to write to me with feedback and questions.
Sincerely,
Michael Milliken
Superintendent
The City of Redwood City and the Redwood Shores Community Association have been in talks over concerns for our senior citizens who are particularly vulnerable in this Shelter in Place period.
The Redwood City Veterans Memorial Senior Center will be offering to-go lunches from 11AM to 1PM, Monday through Friday, for those aged 60 and over. Lunches can be picked up at a curbside spot at the Redwood City Veterans Memorial Senior Center (1455 Madison Avenue in Redwood City) or a delivery can be arranged.
Please call 650-780-7259 for more information or to enroll in lunch service. You must call by 9PM the previous day in order to enroll that day, and you must call back to enroll every day you need service.
More details about the program are available on the phone line’s recorded message, which will then lead to an answering machine. Please leave the following information on the answering machine recording:
(The following is a message from the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District.)
Hello Belmont-Redwood Shores Community,
In an effort to keep you up to date and support the At-Home Learning effort, this email will cover:
