Our History
Sandpiper School, built in the summer of 1997, sits on eleven acres of the shoreline of a tiny inlet in the master-planned community of Redwood Shores, California, a suburb 26 miles south of San Francisco, in San Mateo County. Eleven years ago, our school opened its doors to 200 students and now there are 500 students. The 19 classrooms are staffed by fully credentialed teachers and supported by a principal, administrative secretaries, specialists, and support staff who enjoy working together to support student achievement. This neighborhood school reflects a composition of approximately 36% Asian, 2% African-American, 4% Hispanic, 41% White, and 13% multiple race students. Within this student body, our students speak more than 21 languages and represent 20 countries. Nearly 11% of the students are receiving special education services. All staff members are actively involved in the decision-making process and sharing leadership to support our students. Teachers spend a significant amount of time outside of their regular work hours to prepare instructional materials and support students in their academic and extra-curricular activities.
When you enter the campus, you feel as if you have been transported back in time to a New England style waterfront community. There is a grass filled center courtyard with an outdoor stage surrounded by classroom buildings and the administration building. Just beyond this area you will find the Library/Computer Lab, more classroom buildings and the playground. The City of Redwood City and the Belmont-Redwood Shores School District entered a joint-use agreement to share the adjacent Sandpiper Community Center facility and baseball field with the school. This strong partnership is evident through the collaboration of facility use for programs during the school day and after school.
Parents are an integral part of our school community, providing considerable volunteer and financial support. They help organize special events that bring us together as a school such as the Fall Carnival, Book Fairs, Multicultural Night, parent education events, and a school dance. They support cultural arts, field trips, community outreach, and staff appreciation; produce communications such as the yearbook, the Sandpiper Gazette which is a fifth grade student newspaper, and telephone directory; and raise funds with a direct appeal, an annual auction, and spirit wear. All Pro Dads Breakfast meetings will be held to encourage more fathers and single mothers to become involved at school. Volunteering over 15,000 hours annually, from weekly Art in Action instructors to supporting teachers in the classroom and with take-home projects, parents truly enrich and support every aspect of life at Sandpiper School.
We are a community of students, teachers, support staff, and parents who work together to create a rich and stimulating learning environment for every child. The academic success of our students is evident with the consistent improvement in the API from 884 in 2005, 906 in 2006, 923 in 2007, 928 in 2008, 935 in 2009, to 947 in 2010. This consistent growth is due to staff participation in team meetings and staff development focused on the instructional program. Our teachers work to create child-centered classrooms where children work collaboratively and independently. We are a committed staff, with exceptional services to support the instructional program, and a strong parent community working together as we strive to inspire students to be life-long learners.
