January 29, 2026 RCSD Leadership Digest

Business Services

Good Governance Restroom Notice
Access the restroom notice for your site on the M/F Drive, then print two copies and laminate them. Please give them to your site lead custodian. Over the next couple of weeks, the Maintenance Department will work with lead custodians to post them properly.
Contact: Lucy Alexander

Printing Your 2025 W-2's
2025 W-2 are available for printing on your Escape Employee Portal.
Contact: Payroll Department

Educational Services

Elementary- i-Ready For Families Report
Please work with your State and District Assessment Leader to share guidance with teachers on how to send home the i-Ready For Families Report after the completion of the second Diagnostic.
Contact: Kelly Yusim

i-Ready/IXL Window 2
The Diagnostic window 2 closes on February 6th. Thank you for all your work ensuring that all assessments are completed within the window!
Contact: Kelly Yusim

Interpreter/Translator EdJoin Posting
A new posting is out on EdJoin looking to add to our pool of in-house interpreters. In the past, the best references come from sites. If you have a parent or guardian that has expressed interest and/or has already been volunteering to help you, this is a chance for them to become an official interpreter for RCSD.
Contact: Rachael Peck

February DELAC Meeting
All DELAC representatives have been invited to our February DELAC meeting. It is not too late to add a representative to the team! If you find a representative at any point throughout the year, please email Jennie Ruvalcaba and she will reach out. If you would like to join our February meeting, please click HERE on February 10th at 5:00. Thanks so much!
Contact: Jennie Ruvalcaba

English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC)
Thank you for continuing to host your site ELAC meetings. Please remember to share your ELAC minutes and presentation slides with Jennie Ruvalcaba after each ELAC meeting. If you are looking for additional information about ELAC, please reach out or review the resources in the RCSD ELAC Folder. Thanks!
Contact: Jennie Ruvalcaba

Personnel Services

Evaluations for Probationary/Temporary Certificated Staff
Friendly reminder that all F4’s for probationary and temporary certificated staff are due on Friday, February 6th.
Contact: Katherine Goldman

Technology Services

District-Wide Phishing Simulation: January Results & What’s Next
On January 14th and 15th, all staff participated in a district-wide phishing simulation designed to strengthen our cybersecurity awareness and reinforce safe email practices. This exercise was not about catching anyone off guard; it was a learning opportunity to help everyone recognize modern phishing tactics that closely resemble real workplace emails.
The simulation included one scenario: Payroll / Electronic W-2 Access Notification
Staff received an email that appeared to be a routine payroll message, referencing Frontline Education and IRS security requirements and prompting recipients to “Sign in with Google” to access tax documents. This scenario reflected today’s phishing landscape: polished, familiar messages aligned with everyday workflows, making them harder to spot.
Results
Most staff recognized the email as suspicious and did not engage. However, 20.55% of staff entered their district Google credentials on the simulated page and were immediately redirected to our Phishing Awareness informational page.
No credentials were captured; this was a safe learning exercise.
Even a single compromised account can put district systems and sensitive student/staff information at risk, which is why continued awareness is important.
What gave the email away
This simulation required slowing down and verifying details, not just looking for typos. Key red flags included:
  • Sender Address: The email originated from phishing@rcsdk8.org.
  • Inconsistent tax year references: The subject referenced a 2026 W-2, while the message body referenced a 2022 W-2, neither of which aligns with the current 2025 tax season.
  • The body of the message referred to the Redwood City School District.
  • The email instructed recipients to complete the process by January 31, 2027. In reality, W-2-related actions are typically completed before April 15.
  • The Google sign-in page linked in the email was not formatted correctly and did not match the standard Google login experience.
  • The URL/link shown in the browser did not point to a legitimate Google domain. Legitimate Google sign-in pages always use a google.com address (not https://redherring.sdcoe.net...)
Next Steps
To keep strengthening our cybersecurity culture, we will be moving forward with:
  • Targeted refresher training for staff who interacted with the simulation (assigned through Public School Works)
  • Continued best-practice reminders for spotting phishing attempts
  • A spring phishing simulation with more role-specific scenarios to increase relevance
  • Ongoing reinforcement of “Pause. Verify. Report.”
Thank you for your participation and commitment to protecting our students, staff, and district systems!
Contact: Laura Assem

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