January 29, 2026 RCSD Educator Digest
Business Services
Printing Your 2025 W-2's
2025 W-2’s are available for printing on your Escape Employee Portal.Contact: Payroll Department
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!
Educational Services
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
2026 Summative ELPAC Testing
All students who are classified as an English Learner will participate in ELPAC testing at some point between February 3rd and April 10th. Please reach out to your EL Site Leader if you have any questions about ELPAC testing at your school. In addition, please be sure to check out the Benchmark Express Unit and Interim e-Assessments that can provide valuable data to guide instruction and help students build the skills needed for ELPAC success.
Contact: Jennie Ruvalcaba
Scholarship Opportunity
The Roseville Beta Eta chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa has a scholarship opportunity available for teachers who are new or switched to their grade level/subject within the last three years. Applications are available until February 26th. For more information, click here.
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:
To keep strengthening our cybersecurity culture, we will be moving forward with:
Contact: Laura Assem
2026 Summative ELPAC Testing
All students who are classified as an English Learner will participate in ELPAC testing at some point between February 3rd and April 10th. Please reach out to your EL Site Leader if you have any questions about ELPAC testing at your school. In addition, please be sure to check out the Benchmark Express Unit and Interim e-Assessments that can provide valuable data to guide instruction and help students build the skills needed for ELPAC success.
Contact: Jennie Ruvalcaba
Personnel Services
The Roseville Beta Eta chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa has a scholarship opportunity available for teachers who are new or switched to their grade level/subject within the last three years. Applications are available until February 26th. For more information, click here.
Technology Services
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...)
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.”
Contact: Laura Assem
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