Headline News - Wednesday, December 14, 2022

At last night's Board Meeting the Honorable Geoffrey Howard presided over the swearing-in ceremony for our returning Board Members, Sherry Wangenheim and Afsaneh Zolfaghari, and our new Board Member, Shelby Pasarell Tsai.

TERRITORY TRANSFER PETITION MEETING

Join us at 6:00 PM in Del Mar’s gym on Thursday, the 15th if you wish to express your opinion to the County Committee regarding the territory transfer petition. Our School Board unanimously voted in opposition to the East Corte Madera territory transfer.

ROBOTICS IS ROCKING IT!

Congratulations to The Robotics teams of Del Mar and to Mr. MacDonald! 8th grade students are competing in high school level robotics competitions and doing a good job!

SAFETY

Our large Safety Committee Meeting including a wide range of representation (including police, fire, emergency services, etc.) was successful!

2nd district-wide drill complete with more learning opportunities
3rd district-wide drill will be an age-appropriate lockdown drill and will take place on March 16th

NEED HELP NAVIGATING MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORTS?

If you need support navigating mental health services, please access Care Solace. Call 888-515-0595. Support is available 24/7/365 in over 200 languages.

SPREADING KINDNESS AND CHEER

Thanks to so many that participated in events over the last couple of weeks like Adopt a Family and Reed Elementary’s new Sing Along.

COVID TESTS COMING HOME

School sites will be sending home COVID tests for your use. If you travel over the break, testing before returning to school is a good use.

PERSONAL UPDATE

Personal Update - Thank you so much for your support and kindness through my cancer diagnosis! You are an incredibly kind group of parents and educators! It feels great to be in RUSD. I have a 3rd surgery scheduled for January 20th, and I will need to step away for about 2 months. An interim superintendent will be needed during that time. We are reviewing candidates, and you’ll hear back as an interim is selected. We can do hard things!

If you are interested in more detailed information, please see below:

COVID UPDATE & HEALTH INFORMATION

The health and safety of our staff and students is our priority. RUSD continues to follow the guidance of our Public Health experts and monitor the presence of illness in our community, including but not limited to COVID-19. Marin Public Health has informed us that the Marin County CDC Community Level for COVID-19 has increased to “Medium” and that hospitals across the state have reported impact from increased cases of other illnesses, such as RSV. In consultation with our Public Health experts, we are taking steps to ensure that your family has access to resources that support a healthy return to school from Winter Break.

RUSD is providing COVID-19 at-home test kits to every student and staff member this week. Public Health encourages every student and staff test the day before returning from Winter Break and again three days later. If you or your student develops symptoms of illness, Public Health recommends isolating from others and testing immediately and a couple days later. Test results can be confidentially shared on Primary.Health. Students and staff who test positive should contact their school. Public Health information for return from Winter Break testing is available HERE. RUSD provides free access to at-home tests upon request in our front offices. Community test sites and Test to Treat locations are available at the Marin County Public Health website. Public Health encourages anyone who is eligible to seek treatment if positive for COVID-19.

We can all take steps to stay healthy in school and while at home. Many of the mitigation measures we have come to know from the COVID-19 Pandemic protect us from other illnesses as well. Public Health recommends the use of high quality masks indoors when community levels are medium and high. RUSD provides multi-ply masks in our front offices upon request at no cost. Public Health advocates for frequent hand washing and covering sneezes and coughs as simple and effective measures for the prevention of many illnesses. Fresh air circulation minimizes aerosol illness transmission. RUSD utilizes improved ventilation for fresh air circulation with our filtered ventilation systems and opening windows and doors as feasible. Remembering to improve indoor ventilation during holiday gatherings by incorporating fresh and filtered air can support the health of your family and friends. More information about RUSD’s prevention efforts can be found in our COVID-19 Safety Plan.

Thank you for joining us in our commitment to preserving the health and safety of our community. We wish you happy holidays over the Winter Break and look forward to welcoming our students and staff in 2023.

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

Mental Health Support - With winter break upon us, we encourage you to relax, unwind, and settle into a safe and restful break. The holiday season is a time for togetherness and joy, but it can sometimes bring unwelcome guests, like stress and grief. Some of us may be experiencing the holidays without a loved one. Some of us may be balancing endless to-do lists from shopping to entertaining. While we each celebrate this season’s joys, it’s important to stay mindful, acknowledge our feelings, and reach out for help if needed.

To help keep your holidays bright, below are helpful resources. We encourage you to save these resources so you can easily reference them should you or a family member need help.

Reed Union School District partnered with Care Solace to support the well-being of our community. If you or a family member are looking for help with mental health or substance use, Care Solace can help you quickly find treatment options matched to your needs, regardless of the circumstance. This is a complimentary and confidential care coordination service provided by Reed Union School District. If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a mental health care provider:

Call 888-515-0595. Support is available 24/7/365 in over 200 languages.

Visit www.caresolace.com/reedusd and either search on your own or click “Book Appointment” for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.

CELEBRATE ROBOTICS!

The Del Mar robotics teams competed against juniors and seniors in high school at the Google FTC Robotics Competition. The girls robotics team, called Marie Curie Labs, won the prestigious Judges Choice Award and placed 10th out of 16 teams. The boys team, called Quantum Labs, excelled with their robot nicknamed the Whole Enchilada because it had 5 degrees of movement, and placed 8th against high school teams that had been building robots for over 10 years. Congratulations to both teams for their huge success as rookie teams with just 10 weeks to build their robots!

May you enjoy your break and return rested and reinvigorated for a fantastic new year!

Dr. Kimberly McGrath

Superintendent

Reed Union School District

"We are even stronger together!"

At the RUSD Board Meeting on Tuesday, 12/13, the following topics were reviewed:

Superintendent Update - Dr. McGrath updated the board on multiple topics including safety drills at schools, the conclusion of the math tasks force, mental health support for the community, and the return of RUSD celebrations and events. She thanked the team for coverage during her medical leave and mentioned that health issues would cause her to be out again beginning January 18, 2023.

Trustee Updates - Trustees reported on their activities over the past month including attendance at the CSBA conference, Marin County Committee on School Organization meetings, and the district math and equity task force committee meetings. All trustees expressed gratitude for our community and wished everyone a joyous holiday season. The trustees also set board organization for 2023. Congrats to Jacqueline Jaffe as President, Afsaneh Zolfaghari as Vice President and Sherry Wangenheim as Clerk.

East Corte Madera (ECM) Petition- RUSD Legal counsel from Lorenzo Smith gave an overview of the petition that is in front of the Marin County Committee on School Organization to move a portion of ECM to the Larkspur Corte Madera school district. The attorneys highlighted the criteria the committee will review and the timeline of the process. Lorenzo Smith also gave their opinion on the petition meeting all nine necessary criteria. The presentation can be found HERE. The board also unanimously passed resolution No. 07-2022-23 Opposing the Petition to Transfer.

Business Office - Mr. Carlos Estrella, Chief Business Officer, presented the 1st interim budget for 2022-23 and received unanimous approval. Negotiations with organized labor groups begin in 2023, and both RDTA and the District sunshined their interests during the meeting.

The next board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 10. 2023.

RUSD Mission & Vision: Each student will be challenged and inspired to reach their fullest intellectual, social-emotional and creative potential to positively impact the world.

Dr. Kimberly McGrath, Superintendent

Tel: 415-381-1112

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