Dear RUSD,

I hope everyone had a nice and relaxing spring break. We have lots of great upcoming school activities including open houses, music concerts, and The Foundation for Reed Schools events.

Nominate an amazing teacher for the Phoebe Hearst Award by Friday, April 28.
So proud of our academic growth and achievement! Incredible results are seen in state testing and our local measurements!
Check out our new website button to report safety concerns.
Welcome to our 8 new East Corte Madera families.
Playground update - Coming this summer… 2 new playgrounds for Reed and 1 new playground for Bel Aire. Watch for dates for groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremonies.
Remember: Every Child. Every Day. We need every child attending everyday. Amazing things happen for your child when they attend consistently!

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

Phoebe Hearst 2023 Outstanding Educator Award

Each year PTAs in school districts across the country each honor one outstanding teacher with the Phoebe Apperson Hearst Outstanding Educator Award. We would like to give parents the opportunity to nominate a favorite teacher for this award. On this survey please tell us about the wonderful qualities that you and your child appreciate about his/her favorite teacher this year. All the notes of appreciation will be confidentially shared with the teacher you choose to recognize. We are thankful and fortunate to have such a wonderful staff. Responses must be received by Friday, April 28, 2023. Thank you for recognizing our fabulous teachers!

Academic Growth and Achievement

You’ll remember that when our state test results were published, the students of Reed Union scored within the top 3% in the entire state and the highest in Marin County in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. When analyzing our local assessments, we are also seeing incredible growth. So much to celebrate! Huge congratulations to everyone!

Safety
As safety continues to be our number one priority for students and staff, we have accomplished many additional steps this year. One additional step we’ve taken is the implementation of a link on our website, shown below, where a safety concern can be reported. This link is available for students, staff, parents, and the community. If you see something, say something!

Best regards,

Dr. Kimberly McGrath

Superintendent

Reed Union School District

"We are even stronger together!"

From Brian Lynch, Director of Student Services: Importance of Attendance

Once again, we are excited to welcome our students back to school after our Spring Break. Keep in mind that consistent attendance is of the utmost importance.

As indicated in prior communication, RUSD has seen an increase in student absenteeism that began prior to the Pandemic and continues today. We remain concerned that some of our students are unable to fully access all that we have to offer due to missing school. We are looking to our community for insight into improving student attendance to ensure each student has optimal opportunities to reach their highest potential. These last eight weeks of school are critical for our students and community. Our teachers have planned engaging and critical learning experiences along with valuable classroom and schoolwide activities which enrich our students’ social, emotional and academic development.

I remind you, when students are not in school, they miss strategic instruction and social learning experiences with their teachers and peers that can create gaps in learning. While some academic skills can be recouped at home, the social and emotional components of learning are not replicable in the home setting.

Public Health encourages students to attend school in support of positive connections with staff and their peers, as well as to continue to access their education. Public Health officials have acknowledged that maintained connections in school cannot be replicated virtually and are essential to supporting mental health and wellness. As such, Public Health reminds schools that students who do not have a communicable disease or evidence of significant illness (fever, vomit, diarrhea, etc.) can, and should, be at school.

RUSD echoes the desire and encouragement for students to be with us and their peers in-person at school for full-days. While we understand that students will need to be home when sick, we seek the help of families in assessing the degree of illness and testing for COVID-19 so that healthy students remain in school for optimal access to learning, fostering of positive connections and continued social-emotional growth in a safe, structured environment.

We celebrate the time we spend with your children and thank you for your continued dedication to their development. We work in education because we care about children and are invested in their success. We know you share in the commitment to students’ health, safety, wellness and knowledge. Please do reach out if your family needs support in addressing any barriers to your child attending school.

Thank you for supporting RUSD!

Sincerely,

Brian Lynch

At the RUSD Board Meeting on 4/18, the following topics were reviewed:

1. Del Mar – Leadership, Equity and Athletics – Student representatives from Del Mar’s Leadership Team shared the exciting activities they have accomplished this year from hosting pep rallies, dances, spirit days, and influential speakers on campus, to fostering a culture of inclusion, kindness and giving back to our schools and the local community. Del Mar Principal, Mr. Chad Stewart, also provided an update on Del Mar’s focus on equity and inclusion led by Equity GLC, Ms. Melissa Jewell, and his commitment to creating a positive, safe and strong athletic program led by Del Mar Athletic Director, Mr. Jason Silva.

2. Reports from the Foundation and PTA – Foundation Director, Allison Hart, shared progress and preparation for the upcoming Boutique and Gala events on April 28^th and May 6^th. PTA President Jen Riley congratulated the performers, directors and volunteers for the PTA production of The Little Mermaid. She also announced the PTA leadership slate has been posted and progress for the yearbook, book drive, 5^th grade promotion and 8^th grade graduation is underway.

3. Board of Trustees Update – The Board of Trustees provided updates from meetings and events they have attended this month including the Read Across Reed Day with RUSD staff, students and local community leaders, the Equity Committee, The Ranch, site visits, and a heartfelt congratulations to all that made The Little Mermaid a huge success.

4. Superintendent Update – RUSD Superintendent, Dr. Kimberly McGrath, is excited to be back on campuses and she shared updates on District wide safety drills and communication, a new “Safety Reporting” button on the website for all to access, master facilities planning, and welcoming our new East Corte Madera Families to RUSD.

5. RDTA Presentation – Mr. Shea O’Brien, representing The Reed District Teacher Association (RDTA), presented information for the Board to hear related the current economic environment and collective bargaining negotiations.

6. LCAP Update – Coordinator of Special Projects Ms. Ashley Williams, provided a progress update on the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) for 2022-23, including MAP growth data and opportunities to support student academic and social emotional growth.

7. Week of the School Employee (May 1^st – May 5^th) – The Board approved a resolution to designate the week of May 1^st – May 5^th for The Week of the School Employee to honor and thank the outstanding administrative, certificated and classified staff that support our wonderful District.

The next Regular Board meeting is scheduled for May 16, 2023.

From Brian Lynch, Director of Student Services: Importance of Attendance

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.