Greetings Kent Families,

As the first days of school continue to unfold this week at Kent, teachers and students work together to build their classroom communities and to spark curiosity and intrigue for the learning ahead. Mrs. Walsh and I visited classrooms on the first days of school to greet our returning Falcons and to welcome our newest students, and we consistently observed teachers and students alike sharing a sense of excitement and optimism for the year ahead. It’s a great time to be a Falcon!

Part of the magic of the first days of school comes from the fresh start for each and every child. Each year students surprise their teachers and staff with the growth, both physically and intellectually, achieved over the summer. Surrounded by a new group of peers, a new setting, and led by new teachers, this year is a fresh opportunity for all of our students to redefine themselves as learners, thinkers, and community members.

Goal setting is an important exercise for our students to experience, and our children will have various opportunities this year to articulate their personal, academic, and social goals. It’s also important that as parents, we discuss our children’s goals, aspirations, and desires with them outside of the school setting, whether those goals relate to academics or to another area of life. What new skill do you hope to develop this year? What do you want to know more about? What kind of friend do you want to be? How do you want to respond when something is really difficult? These questions serve as effective discussion starters with your child about learning, goal setting, and personal growth. While typical middle school students may resist this type of conversation with parents, it’s a powerful dialogue to engage in while you both name aspirations for the year.

Do you take the time to set personal and professional goals for yourself? Have you shared any of your personal or professional goals with your child? Personally, I have some big goals for the year ahead, and I’m energized to grow and try some new things. While I won’t share all of them with my own children, I will try to be vulnerable, let them watch me struggle, and hopefully grow in the process! Join me! Consider taking some time to name goals you may have for yourself, and to share those goals with your children and your family.

I look forward to hearing about your own goals and aspirations, as well as those for your children, at some point soon. I trust that Back to School night this Thursday evening proved helpful to learn about your child’s teachers’ goals for the year. Let’s work together to make it the best yet at Kent!

Let’s Go Green!

Hello Families,

I hope your first week of school has gone well for your children. By now, we a’re all pretty used to the unpredictability that comes with building new structures and renovating our Kentfield campuses. If you’ve lived in Marin for a few years, you are also used to the County transportation projects that always seem to coincide with the start of the school year. Last month at our first Safe Routes to School community meeting, we learned from the Larkspur Director of Public Works that the construction of the Bon Air bridge is expected to last four years. Four year. At the same time, the Bacich parking lot is truncated, making for some potentially hectic mornings and traffic issues.

Last year, I decided to ride my bike to school for the majority of the school year, since I was already losing my on campus parking spot to construction vehicles. I hope you will consider greening your transportation to school this year. Walking if you live close to Kent. Creating carpools. Riding a bike. Even if you live up in the hills, I encourage you to drop your child off and pick him or her up a bit further from campus. The College of Marin parking lot #13 (the unpaved lot furthest from the athletic building) is free and allows you to avoid the congestion of our school lot.

• Safe Routes to School Safety tips in English and Spanish.
• Kent Map for parking and "Park & Walk locations.

Growing pains are sure worth it when I look around this campus at our beautiful new classrooms. Thank you for your continued support of the Kentfield School District!