Headline News - Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Dear Reed District Families:

During the past few weeks I have attended numerous PTA and Reed Foundation events, including the foundation gala and staff appreciation activities. It seems to me that we are still reweaving our community connections. During the Gala I was struck by how joyous people were to be back together, in person, enjoying each other's company while enriching the educational experience of their student, and every student.

Today we recognized RUSD staff for their amazing work here in the district at the annual Celebration of Education. Please join me in congratulating them.

Tiburon-Belvedere Rotary Club Award

Ryan Sonneville - Del Mar Middle School

Christine M. Carter Award

Nate MacDonald - Del Mar Middle School

Phoebe Hearst Award

Paul Devoto - Reed Elementary School

Dr. Nancy Lynch Award

Melissa Jewell - Del Mar Middle School

Teacher of the Year Award

Amy Smith - Del Mar Middle School

Golden Bell Winners

Angela Geiger - Reed Elementary School

Juli Tantum - Reed Elementary School

James Sievert - Bel Aire Elementary School

Alejandra Powell - Bel Aire Elementary School

Christine Childress - Del Mar Middle School

LaDale McDaniel - Del Mar Middle School

Overall Golden Bell Winner

Eduardo Munoz - Director of Maintenance & Operations

Retirees

Dr. Allan Gold - District Psychologist

Marc Ciolino - Bel Aire Elementary Custodian

Jeff Toepfer - Maintenance & Operations

You have a special community with assets one does not find in many places. This doesn't happen by accident, but is driven in part by those committed to creating, as the Irish Proverb says, "The Shelter of Each Other." Reed students are the great beneficiaries of your collective, community-building activities. This is a hallmark of the best public educational systems. Keep it up!

On you go!

Kevin

P.S. Below are some thoughts on the importance of being needed for your consideration....

I Need You

Many years ago my youngest son was playing 3-on-3 basketball with his older sisters against some neighborhood kids. He got pushed to the ground by the local tough guy and started to cry. I rushed on the court to console him. He cried grievously until his sister yelled, "get up, we need you." Up he jumped, and on they played. This feeling of being needed was repeated often in our family whenever we wanted to play cards, organize a board game, or get out the door to an event on time. We depended on our children to make our family run reasonably smoothly.

We have lots of needs in life, but after you get past the basics of food, water, sleep, and physical safety, a sense of being needed is about the most important and satisfying. In this realm I think the life of this generation of young people can be tough. There are few chores to be done, fewer younger siblings to mind, and jobs after school seem to be more of a thing of the past. Many families today can function in almost every dimension with nary a physical contribution from its younger members. While some kids thrive with independence and a focus on pursuing one's own dreams, this journey can often feel pretty empty when it's rooted just in oneself.

I've seen many students over the years who lacked a sense of purpose until they were offered an opportunity that was bigger than themselves. It may have been taking care of a pet, a job or volunteer experience, or perhaps their family fell on hard times and they needed to work to contribute to the family's income. These life experiences, even those that were perceived as setbacks, became a catalyst for a young person to feel genuine meaning and purpose in life.

I'm not sure why this generation of young people seems less happy across multiple dimensions (sadly the uptick in the number of teens reporting feeling sad and disconnected is a world-wide trend in rich countries). Perhaps our society needs to think a bit less about its young people's accomplishments and more about how they are woven into our families, our schools, and our communities. Because that's where their strength - and ours, will come from.

We are at our best when we tell our kids that they matter - that we enjoy their company, that we relish time with them. They need to know that their family's collective health and happiness depends upon their membership and participation. Above almost everything else, it may be that the most important thing we can say to a family member is "I need you."

SMART, Marin Transit, Sonoma County Transit, Santa Rosa City Bus, and Petaluma Transit and their Youth Ride Free Campaign in June, July and August.

At the RUSD Board Meeting on 5/16, the following topics were reviewed:

Belvedere Tiburon Library Update – Ms. Crystal Duran, Belvedere Tiburon Library Director, provided an annual update on the programs and activities underway at the library including the Belvedere read with a dog program, reading buddies, coding and robotics programs, as well as new initiatives including a new tween space, library pop ups in the community, digi lab, children and teens patio gardens, book clubs in the Fall for K-2 and 3-5 graders, and a new library strategic plan.
Reports from the Foundation and PTA – PTA President, Jen Riley, announced the new slate for the PTA will be approved this week. Also, the PTA sponsored Celebration of Education will be held Wednesday, May 17th at St. Stephens Church. She also provided updates on end of year activities, teacher appreciation gifts, and the successful Reed and Bel Aire book drives that collected over 4000 books for the Global Book Exchange. Foundation Director, Annie Defesche, provided an update on the successful fundraising Boutique and Gala events from last week. The Foundation successfully reached its $2M goal for family giving this year and the Gala brought in an additional $60K+ in funding to support the STEM programs across all three schools.
Board of Trustees Update – Board President, Jacqueline Jaffe, thanked Mr. Carlos Estrella, RUSD Chief Business Official and the negotiations team for their time and commitment to the negotiations process. The Board of Trustees also provided updates from activities they have engaged in this month including county committee meetings, staff appreciation breakfasts, open houses, county track meets, the Read a Poem at Bel Aire Day, and the Foundation Boutique and Gala events.
Superintendent Update – RUSD Interim Superintendent, Dr. Kevin Skelly, shared his perspective on negotiations and thanked the Board for its commitment to shared values, listening to stakeholders, caring about the needs of the staff and being responsible stewards of the District.
Report from Del Mar on Math 7c – Mr. Chad Stewart, Del Mar Principal and Ms. Amy Smith, Del Mar Math Teacher, Math Department Lead, and 8th Grade GLC presented a progress update on Math 7c implementation and professional development. The Del Mar Math teachers have engaged over 578 hours of professional development for in-class adjustments including MCOE county wide training, IXL Live PD, Desmos training, catching up students who have fallen behind, on-site PD with Fawn Nguyen, Illustrative Math PD, and Summer 2022 and 2023 departmental training. For the detailed Math 7c update, click here.
Independent Audit for Fiscal 2022 and CBO Contract – The Board approved the Independent Audit Report for the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2022 and also approved the contract renewal for District Chief Business Official, Mr. Carlos Estrella.

The next Regular Board meeting is scheduled for June 6, 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.

Kevin Skelly, Ph.D.
Interim Superintendent

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.

Kevin Skelly, Ph.D.Interim Superintendent

Kevin Skelly, Ph.D.
Interim Superintendent