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District News
Dear Kentfield Community,
Tonight the Board of Trustees appointed David Riedel for the seat vacated last month by Juli Kauffman. David is the president and founder of Riedel Research Group, a parent of two district students, and a Board member of the Kentfield Schools Foundation - kik. The Board also interviewed Sharra Weasler and Renato Beltran for the appointment. Board President Heather McPhail Sridharan spoke for all Trustees by appreciating the effort made by the three applicants and recognizing their impressive credentials. The District is truly fortunate to have such a qualified pool to choose from, even if that made the decision more difficult. David will be sworn in at Tuesday's regular meeting of the Board at 5:00 p.m.
Starting that same Board meeting at a special time - 4:00 p.m. - will be a presentation on technology and innovation in our District. Teachers, staff and administrators will update the Board on the status of all things tech in our instructional practices. Students will be on hand as well to demonstrate uses of technology and to talk to the Board about their experiences. Time will be available at the end for questions from the audience. We hope you can attend.
Liz Schott
Superintendent
Budget Information Meetings
| Meetings Open to the Public | March 4, 2019 8:30 a.m. KSPTA Meeting, Kent Library |
March 5, 2019 3:30 p.m., Kent Site Council Meeting, Kent Office Conference Room |
March 14, 2019 3:45 p.m. Finance Committee Meeting, District Office |
March 21, 2019 6 p.m. ELAC/DELAC Meeting, District Office |
May 1, 2019 6 p.m. kik Meeting, District Office |
The Budget Information presentation was featured at the Bacich Site Council meeting on February 4, 2019.
School Board
School Board Information
Next Meeting: February 12, 2019
Technology and Innovation Programs highlighted at February 12 Board Meeting - 4:00-5:00 p.m.
- Join the Board of Trustees to learn more about technology and innovation in our district
- Regular meeting: 5 p.m. in the District Office.
- The Agenda will be posted by 5 p.m. the Friday before the meeting.
District Committees
Communications Committee Meeting
- Monday, February 11, 2019, 1-2 p.m., District Office
English Language Learners
March 21, 2019: DELAC meeting, 5:45-7 p.m., District Office. We will cover topics such as roles of DELAC and ELAC, next year's meeting dates, and agenda items.
English Language Learner Resources and English Learners Website
Bacich News
Dear Parents,
Last month our fourth grade students shared in the most amazing learning experience through a visit from a wonderful organization, A Touch of Understanding (ATOU).
ATOU is an award-winning character-building and disability-awareness non-profit organization. They are a dedicated group of individuals, many of whom have disabilities themselves. They came to Bacich to share their stories and their physical challenges with our fourth graders.
Our children met Dwight, Byron, and K.P., who shared stories about how their worlds changed dramatically after they experienced misfortune in their lives. One guest was paralyzed from the waist down after an unsuccessful surgery. Another guest developed blindness as a child when hit in the eye with an object. Our third guest was a double amputee after a racecar driving accident. Yet, through it all, these individuals continue to set high goals for themselves. They all have achieved and accomplished their personal goals through hard work, personal fortitude, and perseverance.
In addition to meeting these three brave survivors, each student participated in several hands-on activities to increase their understanding and ability to relate to people with disabilities. Students experienced what it would be like to be confined to a wheelchair, how challenging it would be to attach a prosthetic arm to one’s body each morning, or how to eat without being able to see the food on your plate.
The goal in bringing ATOU to Bacich is to help our young people understand the challenges that may be experienced by people with disabilities and to learn the importance of accepting and respecting people different than themselves. I am confident that this unique experience has provided our fourth graders with a perspective that they will never forget.
We have already booked an ATOU visit for our fourth grade class of 2019-2020!
Thank you,
Sally Peck
Bacich Principal
Bacich Library Update
During the month of January, the Bacich Library celebrated the winter season, and the Martin Luther King, Jr.
- In TK, we read some wonderful winter books and discussed what we can during winter. In Kindergarten, we read books about animals in winter to accompany their classroom study of hibernation, migration, and adaptation.
- In first grade, we learned how to find a “just right book” by using the Five Finger and Goldilocks rules. Ask your child about these helpful tools. First graders will now be allowed to check out two books every week. One is a free choice and the other book has to be a beginning chapter book that is “just right.” We continue to cover the Information Literacy benchmarks.
- In second grade, we finished learning about the atlas and are beginning to learn about plagiarism and genres.
- Third and fourth grade classes are completing a unit on genres. We will continue learning research skills through learning about the dictionary and thesaurus. We discovered the winners of the Caldecott, Newbery, Coretta Scott King, and Theodor Seuss Geisel book awards this month. Sarah Butts, from the Corte Madera Library, visited our fourth graders to discuss upcoming events and hold a Newbery Award contest.
In February, we will continue to read the newly announced Caldecott, Newbery, Coretta Scott King, and Theodor Seuss Geisel award-winning books
Chinese New Year
Celebrate the Year of the Pig by reading, The Year of the Pig by Oliver Clyde Chin, Why Rat Comes First, A Tale of The Chinese Zodiac retold by Clara Yen, and Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn.
Black History Month
In second grade, we will read Henry’s Freedom Box, by Ellen Levine, the story of Henry “Box” Brown, who mailed himself to freedom, and A Good Night for Freedom by Barbara Olenyik Morrow. This is the story of Levi Coffin, “President of the Underground Railroad,” who with the help of young Hallie manages to save two young slave girls from slave catchers.
In third and fourth grade, we will read Patricia Polacco’s Mr. Lincoln’s Way, the story of a principal who helps his students overcome intolerance and we will also read Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles, which tells a wonderful story about friendship and introduces the experience of prejudice.
Parent Volunteers
A warm thank you to my Library Volunteer Coordinators, Chrissy Green, Kerry Hecht, Vicki Sonu Song, and Crystal Vargas for helping so consistently each week in the library. Thank you to all the new and “experienced” volunteers who have come back this year to help the library run smoothly.
The library can always use your help, so if you like arts and crafts or scrap booking, you might enjoy repairing books, Crystal Vargas would be happy to show you how if you are interested. Vicki Sonu Song would be happy to show you how to cover books. The dedication of our library volunteers is awesome!
The generosity of the parents in our school district continues to overwhelm me with gratitude. Thank you to everyone who donated a book to the library during our book fair. On behalf of all the students who will enjoy these books for years to come, I thank you so much.
See you in the library!
Susan Warnick
Bacich Librarian
Bacich Announcements
Bacich Bear Broadcast
Lost and Found items will be donated on Friday, February 8, 2019.
- Please check the bin to see if your child if your child is missing anything.
Current Fourth Grade Families: 5th Grade Registration Event at Kent
- Wednesday, February 27 2019, 1:30-3 p.m., Kent Office
- Proof of residency for registration event for fifth grade registration.
- Please download and complete this Proof of Residency (POR) Affidavit before the registration event.
- Bring the form and your supporting documents with you to the registration event.
- As described on the Affidavit, you must submit two items from the Category 1 (the first column) and one item from Category 2 (the second column).
Bacich Events
- Friday, February 15, 2019: Rancho Day for fourth grade students.
- Thursday, February 28, 2019: Third Grade Concert, 6:30–7:30 p.m., Bacich Community Center
New Student Registration
- Kindergarten registration opened on Friday, February 1, 2019
Bacich 2018-2019 Yearbooks Now on Sale
- Click here to order a Bacich Yearbook. Order by April 19, 2019.
Bacich Site Council
Next Meeting: March 4, 2019, 3-4 p.m., Bacich Library. All parents are welcome to attend.
- Please visit our Site Council page for meeting dates, agendas, and minutes.
Bacich Resources
Please visit our Bacich Families page for information such as the Bell Schedule, Parent Handbook, and other important resources and forms.
Follow Bacich on Instagram
Bacich Elementary School @bacichelementary
Bacich STEAM Projects @bacichsteam
Bacich Library @bacichlibrary
Bacich Construction
Kent News
Greetings Kent Community,
Since we’ve launched Together We Can, our new collective impact community service initiative, over 140 Kent falcons have signed up to participate. The purpose behind Together We Can is simple: to create a positive impact through meaningful service in our community, and to make community service accessible to any child who wants to get involved.
Students can sign up to participate in the project for the day of service, or students can sign up to lead this work. Student leaders will be identifying areas of need that can be addressed through our help, and designing a project for their grade level peers to complete. Parent volunteers at each grade level will be facilitating the process and offering support to the student leaders. By the culmination of the 2018-2019 school year, we will quantify and celebrate the collective impact we were able to achieve through this effort. Given the response and ideas shared so far, I am confident we’ll have a lot to celebrate!
While Together We Can is voluntary and outside of daily school responsibilities, we would love for your child to participate. Please encourage your child to sign up through this link, also available on the Kent home page under Announcements. I’m looking forward to working closely with our student leaders and participants, and to seeing our collective impact improve our community.
All my best,
Grant Althouse
Kent Principal
Together We Can
- Sign Up Here to participate in the new community service initiative.
Kent Announcements
View Kent Daily Announcement on Kent website.
Yearbook Are Now On Sale!
- Don't miss out on this important memento for your Falcon! Just go to this link: www.yearbookordercenter.com. Our school code is 7587.
February 14 2019: Have A Heart Event
Please encourage your student to walk, bike, bus or carpool to school on Valentine's Day. The Kent Eco-Action club is holding an event called "HAVE A HEART."
Your student will have a chance to win one of 15 Three Twins gift cards. Also, if they bring in a waste free lunch they can enter an additional raffle ticket to win.
Go Green on Valentine's Day!
Kent Athletics
Kent Golf Sign-ups for 5th-8th grades are now open.
- Sign-ups will be posted in the boys' and girls' locker rooms for the next two weeks.
- Students should listen to the broadcast for tryout information.
- Tryouts will be held in late February at McInnis Golf Course.
Go Falcons! Bring home another pennant!
Ryan Palmer
Athletic Director
Kent Events
- Wednesday, February 13, 2019: 8th Grade Graduation Fundraiser Bake Sale, 9:45-10:15 a.m. and 1:15-1:45 p.m.
- Please consider volunteering to help the bake sale: www.signupgenius.com/go/4090A45A9AB2B0-2019
- Wednesday, February 27, 2019: Incoming 5th Grade Registration Event, 1:30-3 p.m., Kent Office, download Proof of Residency Affidavit
Kent Site Council
Next Meeting: March 5, 2019, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Main Office Conference Room
- All Kent parents are welcome to attend Site Council meetings. Please visit our Site Council page for meeting dates, agendas, and minutes.
8th Grade Announcements
High School Registration
- Redwood High School Tours, Online Registration Instructions, and parent letter
- Drake High School Tours
Eighth Grade Graduation Information
- Check this page for graduation fundraising events, committee meeting dates, volunteer sign-ups, graduation events, and forms. Volunteer sign up now open!
Keep up with all that is happening here:
Graduation Fundraiser Raffle:
We are looking for gifts appealing to parents and/or kids. Suggestions: theatre or sporting event tickets, restaurant gift cards, headphones or other electronics.
- To donate contact Erika McGrath at erikabmcgrath@yahoo.com or (415) 378-5972.
- Don't have any items to donate? We can help! Click here to donate cash for the purchase of raffle prizes.
Kent Resources
Please visit our Kent Families page for information such as the Bell Schedule, Parent Handbook, and other important resources and forms.
Follow the Kent Library on Instagram
Safe Routes News
Upcoming Walk & Roll Wednesdays
| February 13, 2019: Walk to School Umbrella Day | February 20, 2019 |
Walk to School Umbrella Day
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
View Flyer to learn more about this fun Walk & Roll Wednesday!
- Walk & Roll Wednesday Welcome Table Volunteers Needed - Please sign up to host the table and hand out “trinkets” to the kids who walk or carpool to school. The kids really love getting these. This is a great way to encourage foot and bike travel to and from school. It’s an easy volunteer job and does wonders for awareness of the importance of carpooling, walking and rolling to school.
The Kentfield School District encourages all families to actively participate in our nationally-recognized KSD Safe Routes to School Program, a neighborhood-focused initiative to advocate green travel alternatives, and address traffic safety at our schools.
A team of Neighborhood Parent Captains provide suggested safe route maps and carpooling options, all customized by neighborhood. We also advocate for traffic safety concerns on behalf of the families in our district's neighborhoods.
- Locate "Safe Routes," "Park and Walk" spots, visitor parking, bike/scooter racks for Bacich and Kent. Note in particular that the designated parking lot for your neighborhood at Bacich. Determine your neighborhood and contacts with our zone map, then visit the neighborhood map for Berens Route Plan, Greenbrae Route Plan, Kent Woodlands Route Plan, Laurel Grove Route Plan, Murray Park Route Plan, and SFD Firehouse Route Plan.
- Public bus option for middle school students: The Marin Transit Bus 29 has a morning route that can work for Kent Middle School students. The bus picks up on SFD and Eliseo at 8:12 a.m. and drops off at College of Marin at 8:17 a.m. It's a short walk to the crosswalk and then to Kent. It costs $1 per child.
- Safe Routes to School Safety tips in English and Spanish.
kik News
Save The Date: Saturday, May 11th.
kik Auction | Dinner | Dancing
Would you like to help host a sign up party for the auction? We have lots of fun ideas for parties for parents like a Trivia Night and golf tournament or host a sign up party for kids like a Movie Night or Laser Tag! Or come up with your own fun idea and recruit your friends!
Contact us if you can help:
Any contribution at any level makes an impact on our schools.
Help us reach 100% participation for our schools.
kik Speaker Series
KSPTA News
Next KSPTA Meeting
March 4, 2019, 8:30-10 a.m., Kent Library
RESCHEDULED: Parent Education Free Event, Now February 8, 2019
High: Everything You Want to Know About Drugs, Alcohol, and Addiction.
- Date/Time: February 8, 2019, 7-8:30 p.m.
- Location: Book Passage in Corte Madera
- RSVP: highbooktalk.eventbrite.com
Join KSPTA and Book Passage for a book talk by bestselling father/son team David and Nic Sheff discussing High: Everything You Want to Know About Drugs, Alcohol, and Addiction. David Sheff is the author of Beautiful Boy (2008), and Nic Sheff is the author of Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines (2008), and their latest book is the ultimate resource for learning about the realities of drugs, alcohol, and addiction for middle grade readers and draws on their experiences.
Your KSPTA needs you!
We are in the process of putting together our 2019/20 Executive Board. Interested in being a part of this amazing team? Find out more HERE
Parent Education: Film Screening
Like – A documentary about the impact of social media on our lives.
- March 11, 2019, 6:45-8 p.m., The Lark Theater
- Tickets are free but an RSVP is required at likemoviemarin.eventbrite.com
We’re all aware social media has an impact on our lives, and especially the lives of younger generations, but to what extent? Join us for a screening of the brand new IndieFlix documentary Like, which covers this important topic.
We are excited to bring our community together for this screening and a panel discussion.
Bacich Yearbooks Now On Sale
See your kids smile in pictures, then see them smile at your in real life because you ordered one.
- Order deadline: March 25, 2019
- Cost: $28.00 Order here.
Connect with KSPTA!
Community News
These programs are not sponsored by the Kentfield School District. Distributing flyers and information is a community service and does not imply endorsement.
2019 Raising Healthy Families Community Education Series
The Marin County Office of Education, in collaboration with Raising Healthy Families and the Community Institute for Psychotherapy, invites you to attend a series of informative, educational presentations that will examine important issues facing today’s families. The presentations will be led by noted Bay Area experts, and will offer tools and strategies to empower caregivers to raise children who are curious, compassionate, and resilient. Please see details below.
Admissions is free, and attendees must register in advance at www.cipmarin.org or by calling (415) 459-5999, ext. 101.
Suggested donations, sliding scale, $75, $50, $25. All event proceeds go directly to support Community Institute for Psychotherapy’s safety-net programs.
Teen Cannabis and Alcohol Use: What Parents Can Do
Presented by Adam Nelson, MD
Saturday, March 2, 2019, 9-11 a.m.
Marin County Office of Education, 1111 Las Gallinas Avenue, San Rafael
Raising Boys to be Heroes in an Age of Villains
Presented by Mark Edwards, LMFT
Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 6-8 p.m.
San Rafael Community Center, 618 B Street, San Rafael
Embodied Resilience: Mindfulness for Challenging Times
Presented by Shai Lavie, LMFT
Thursday, March 28, 2019, 6:00 pm-8:00 pm
San Rafael Community Center, 618 B Street, San Rafael, CA
Inviting all kid-loving dogs to apply for a job!
Kent Librarian Rebecca Jelen is working with 4Paws, a local organization that brings dogs to libraries to be reading buddies. 4Paws offers workshops to train your family dog become a reading buddy.
Incoming Kindergarten Families: Sign up for Kinder Camp!
This class has been specially designed by Marin County Kindergarten teachers to help your child make a smoother transition into kindergarten. The two week class's curriculum is based on what students will experience in the upcoming year. This gentle, stress-free introduction occurs as they have fun in the actual kindergarten classrooms with experienced teachers. The ratio is 1:15 maximum, plus each class will have an incredible teen aide to ensure your children have a fun, positive experience. The students will enjoy a lively, sunny experience with tactile projects in arts, crafts, listening, nature, building, and laughter. We even try to put them in a class with a buddy of their choosing!
Dates:
- Session I June 17- June 28, register here: larkspur.recdesk.com/Community/Program/Detail?programId=1606
- Session II July 1 -July 12 (no school on July 4,) register here: larkspur.recdesk.com/Community/Program/Detail?programId=1607
- Both sessions run from 8:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Last Weekend to Enter the Prius Raffle to Support Special Education in Marin
This is the last weekend that the parent organization Dedication to Special Education will sell tickets for their 14th Annual Prius Raffle. This organization funds supports that special education students need in the classroom throughout Marin’s public schools. Look for our volunteers at The Village Shopping Center and at shopping centers and farmers markets around town selling chances to win. Special Education families at your school should have tickets available.
Jenny Novack at (415) 812-5366 can provide more information or get tickets to you. Go to specialed.org for more details.
Camp Galileo Kentfield Financial Assistance Applications Open!
We believe in camp — and innovation — for all Marin kids. That’s why we award thousands of weeks of specially priced summer camp through our financial assistance program every year. In 2018, we awarded over 175 scholarships to Marin families and want to increase our impact in 2019.
How to Apply:
- Fill out an application on our website (galileo-camps.com/scholarships).
- Check your inbox. Scholarships will be awarded at the end of each month, while space lasts.
More details:
- Submit one application for each child applying.
- All awards include at least one session of camp and include both AM and PM extended care
We try our best to honor your preferences, but can’t always guarantee first choice locations, session dates, majors, or classes.