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Dear KSD Community,

As we approach the mid-winter break and the timely tradition of Valentine's Day, I want to take a moment to extend appreciation for the community’s ongoing commitment to our Kentfield students.

Over the last number of months KIK, our local foundation, has continued to champion the message of investing in our kids through local fundraisers, virtual gatherings and direct outreach to our community of donors. Thank You to the KIK Board for their tenacity and perseverance. And a very special Thank You to our Donor Families for giving and supporting our students and schools.

In addition to Enrichment Programs, donations that help support our students and schools this year include:

• Site Safety equipment, such as Air Purifiers in every classroom and Outside Tents
• Grants to enhance learning and offerings for our children (science kits, books, art kits, learning supports, etc.)
• Literacy and Numeracy programs (such as Eureka Math, Big Ideas)

KSD acknowledges and appreciates the enormous effort it takes to raise the dollars through Family Giving and Spring Auction. KIK's efforts have not only helped to raise meaningful dollars but also provided much needed community spirit. We can't do any of this without our Community!

Additional district updates are below.

Take Good Care,

Raquel Rose
Superintendent
rrose@kentfieldschools.org

Technology Wellness

Over the course of this year students have been highly reliant on technology through the use of Zoom and various learning applications. The increased student screen time has led to research on ways to reduce the risk of eye problems that may be caused by overexposure. Andrew Korff, KSD Technology Director, has put together two Help Desk documents to support parents/guardians in turning on the built-in blue light filters on our KSD devices. Thank you Andrew for putting together these resources and thank you to our parents for assisting us in researching these wellness tools for our students. Blue Light Reduction for Chromebooks and Blue Light Reduction for iPads.

COVID-19 Testing

The KSD will offer COVID-19 Testing at Kent MS on Monday, February 22. 2021 from 8:30-3 p.m. Testing is available for our community and highly encouraged if you have engaged in any high risk behavior (gather with three (3) or more households or traveling outside of the state/country).

• Please be sure to sign up by February 16, 2021. Here is the Testing Sign Up and COVID-19 Testing Paperwork.

Marin has Minimized Virus’ Spread in Schools

Since some campuses reopened in September, only 10 cases recorded

As the Center for Disease Control provides new data supporting the reopening of classrooms across the nation, schools across Marin County have already demonstrated how it can be done safely for both students and staff. One bright spot during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the success of Marin schools in preventing the spread among students, teachers, and campus staff after the partial return to in-person learning almost six months ago.

According to figures maintained by Marin County Public Health and the Marin County Office of Education (MCOE), there have been only 10 cases of suspected in-school transmission of COVID-19 as of February 5. Of those, five were student-to-student, three were adult-to-adult, and two were adult-to-student. There have been no student-to-adult transmissions in school. Read more.

KSD COVID-19 Dashboard

In an effort to keep the KSD community informed a KSD COVID-19 Dashboard has been developed to display levels of exposure notification in alignment with Marin County Public Health Exposure protocols. The KSD COVID-19 Dashboard will be updated regularly. See our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more details about this Dashboard.

Instructional Schedule: February 22-26, 2021

Based on Marin county being in the Purple Tier and knowing that much of our school community will be traveling during the mid-winter break, the KSD will maintain the past practice of offering Distance Learning only following an extended holiday break. Hybrid Instruction will resume on Monday, March 1 serving Cohort B and alternating to Cohort A the subsequent week.

2021-2022 District Calendar

2021-2022 Kindergarten/New Student Registration Now Open

*For security, Zoom links and passwords for events are not posted on the District website, and are sent through ParentSquare.

Daily: Virtual Crossing Guard with Ms. Stephens, 7:55-8:30 a.m., Zoom

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

• School Board meeting, 5 p.m., agenda

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

• Strategic Plan Advisory Committee meeting (LCAP) meeting, 4 p.m., agenda
• KIK board meeting, 7:30-9 p.m.
• Bacich Principal Chat, 8:45 a.m., Zoom

Friday, February 12, 2021

• Bacich Talent Show sign ups close.
• Kent Principal Chat, 9:15 a.m., Zoom

February 15-19, 2021: Presidents' Day Recess - No School

February 16, 2021

• Registration deadline for on-campus COVID-19 testing on February 22, 2021.
  • Testing Sign Up and COVID-19 Testing Paperwork.
• Distance Learning for all learners

February 22, 2021

• On-Site COVID-19 Testing - participants must be registered in advance

March 1-5, 2021: Cohort B Resumes In-Person Instruction

• Board Meeting Highlights: February 9, 2021
• Board Meeting Video Archive
• Board Statements and Community Letters
• Next Monthly School Board meeting: Tuesday, March 9, 2020, 5 p.m., Zoom
  • All are welcome and encouraged to attend via Zoom.
  • Addressing the Board

Strategic Plan Advisory Committee meeting (LCAP) meeting, Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 4 p.m., agenda

Learn how to get to school safely with these tips for Hybrid Instruction. (English | Spanish)

Discover local case rates, trends, demographics, and resources to stay up to date with the status of COVID-19 in Marin at the Marin Recovers and Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Surveillance Update websites.