Upcoming Dates:

September 29th:  Picture Day! 

October 16th: NO SCHOOL/Staff Development Day

November 9th: End of First Trimester

November 10th: NO SCHOOL/Veteran's Day 

November 20th-24th: NO SCHOOL/Thanksgiving Break

December 25th-January 8th: NO SCHOOL/Winter Break
 

Principal's Message
 

Families,
 
The end of September means we are fully into the normalcy of the school year, where one can get a full sense of the feeling on campus. Each new year brings a different dynamic, a different feeling. One word I would use to describe this school year is “calm.” Our students have come to school with positive attitudes, ready to learn. With that, one can feel the calmness when walking around campus which is just the culture we wish to achieve. Our goal moving forward is to maintain this culture of calmness.

We had our first Spirit Day of the year last week - Neon Day. It was great to see so many staff (see pictures below) and students dressed for the occasion! Please remind your student to listen to/watch/read the weekly Student Bulletin and to participate in future spirit days - it’s fun!

Middle school is a time of change and growth for students- a time for self-discovery. As our students go through this growth, please encourage them to be understanding of what their friends and peers are also going through. This is not a time to judge each other, but rather a time to support their peers. As parents, please help remind our students to try to see the best in those around them. This will help maintain the positive culture we are currently seeing on campus. 

 

Thanks,

Chad Stuart (he/him)
Principal
 

Mid-Trimester Progress Alerts
 

We have approached the midpoint of our first trimester for the school year. In lieu of progress alerts, our teaching staff is updating their gradebooks and providing specific feedback with regard to each student's habits of learning. All progress will be updated in ALMA by October 6th next week. Please review this short video on how to access and review your student's progress in ALMA. Should you need help accessing ALMA, please visit this site: https://help.reedschools.org/
 

International Walk to School Day - 
  Wednesday, October 4th
 

Parents, please encourage your students to Put Their Best Foot Forward by Walking or Biking to School on Wednesday, Oct. 4th. Every walker or roller can enter a raffle for prizes - Tommy Breeze hats and Sports Basement gift cards! If you live too far, drive part way, PARK and let them WALK 10 minutes to campus. Walking and Biking is good for their health, it instills independence, and it reduces pollution and traffic. Event sponsored by Safe Routes to Schools.
 

Parent Education: Drugs / Alcohol
 

On October 4th at 7:00 PM, Parents are invited to attend a Zoom meeting, presented by the Marin County Office of Education, discussing what to know about and what is being done about today's current drug trends among local youth with special focus on fentanyl, psychedelics and Delta 8 THC products. We will also include information and training on Narcan, the opioid reversal medication for fentanyl and opioid overdose/poisoning. Speakers include: Dr. Matt Willis (Marin County Public Health Officer), Laurie Dubin (Marin Healthy Youth Partners) and Jessica Mendieta (high school student). For more information and to register to attend, click HERE.
 

Reminders
 

Cold Weather: As we flip the page to Fall and the temperature drops, please remind your student to be prepared by wearing warm clothes. Many of our teachers keep their classroom windows and doors open to mitigate possible COVID transmission, and we are finding that some students, who are not prepared with a sweatshirt or other, are getting cold. 

 

Snacks: Please remember to send your child with a snack that they can eat during our mid-morning break period. They are also welcome to pick up one of our breakfast items before school or during the first break, or purchase a snack at the DelMarket on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays during morning breaks.
 
 

National Suicide Prevention Month
 

From the Marin County Office of Education:

September is recognized as National Suicide Prevention Month. One of the primary reasons for a month-long recognition is to raise awareness about suicide.  Through awareness, we - individually and as a community - are more equipped to help prevent this tragedy with our youth. 
 
Suicide is a complex public health issue that can be prevented. Knowing the risk factors, where and how to access resources, and eliminating the stigma of mental health needs are effective prevention strategies. The Marin County Office of Education in partnership with our school and community partners are committed to keep our youth safe.    
 
Please find the below resources to share far and wide with your community. The more we all know about suicide, the more lives we can save.
 
New National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988
Crisis Text Line: Text MARIN to 741-741
The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ Young People): 1-866-488-7386
Friendship Line (for Older Adults): 1-800-971-0016
Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860
Teen Line:  Call 1-800-852-8336 (from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. PST)
Know the Signs website, a statewide suicide prevention social marketing campaign:https://www.suicideispreventable.org/.
National Association of School Psychologists Prevention Youth Suicide Materials 

 

If you or someone you know needs help, please know that you are not alone. Crisis lines, counselors, intervention programs, and more are available to you, whether you are in crisis yourself or concerned about someone else
 
 

Breakfast/Lunch/Water/Food Delivery
 

Breakfast and Lunch: Our breakfast and lunch program are in full swing! Please go to THIS LINK to see allergen lists, and see our October menu below.

 

Water: Please send your student to school with a filled, LABELED water bottle every day! It can get very hot at Del Mar, and the students seem to prefer water bottles to water fountains. We have a bottle filling station near our locker rooms.

 

No GrubHub, DoorDash, Uber Eats etc.: Please do NOT have delivery services come to Del Mar. 
 

Picture Day is this FRIDAY!
 

Picture Day is Friday (9/29). Your child will be photographed during their PE class. You can pre-purchase photos now from Dorian Photography, or wait until you see the photo on your child's ID card that they will bring home Friday, and order then.

 

To order, go to THIS LINK. Type in Del Mar Middle School into the white box.

 

After Picture Day the link will only be opened for 4 days-until Tuesday at 5 pm!

You will get reminders on Friday, Monday and Tuesday to order. If you don't order before Tuesday at 5 you will have another chance to order from Dorian Photography in about 6 weeks.
 
 
 
 

The PTWAY!
The first month of school is in the books and it is amazing how much the PTA has already accomplished. Thank you to all who have joined and paid your annual dues. We are currently at 42% for parent participation and 95% participation by teachers. I know we can get these parent numbers up. Strong interaction, teamwork, and partnership between families and teachers creates the optimal environment for student success. If you forgot to pay your dues, HERE'S an easy link. Every month, I will highlight what’s been going on at each site and where your PTA dues have been spent. This is your PTA, I want to respect your time and contributions and serve with transparency.

 

Del Mar - 97 Paid Members

  • 6th grade: pizza and popsicle lunch provided by PTA
  • 7th + 8th grade: PTA provided drinks, pizza, and popsicles for the new student social
  • 6th grade/new family orientation: PTA provided snacks for students and coffee for parents, and PTA volunteers organized the distribution of locks and PE uniforms
  • Ongoing: Safe Routes to School parent volunteers and Tiburon Police have been attempting to educate parents of the NEW suggested route for student drop off and pick up  
  • Back To School Night: PTA provided dinner from Comforts for all staff
  •  Lunch Volunteering: PTA gave 88 hours of lunch service
  • Picture Day: PTA volunteers will be on hand to help this Friday

 

Bel Aire - 121 Paid Members

  • Bel Aire Play: Hot off the presses! 2 new play producers were named: Jennifer Feldmen and Anne Ciranni!
  • Room Parents: in place
  • Picture day success: PTA volunteers were on hand to help
  • Lunch Volunteering: PTA gave 88 hours of lunch service
  • Back to School Night: PTA provided dinner from Grilly’s for the staff

 

Reed - 161 Paid Members

  • Pre-K / Kindergarten Playdate: on Saturday, August 26th, PTA sponsored a playdate with a huge turn out
    Lunch and car line: PTA volunteers covered both for the first 3 1/2 weeks of school, totaling 110 hours of service
  • Room Parents and Class Coordinators: in place 
  • Volunteer community:  an amazing 140 responses for call for volunteers
  • Picture Day: a team of 11 PTA Volunteers helped with playground duty and shuttling students in for their photos
  • Coffee & Nibbles: PTA sponsored the monthly breakfast for the staff 
  • Back to School Night: PTA provided a taco bar dinner for the staff

There are many PTA sponsored events coming up…check your school site’s calendar to join in the fun. There is no right or wrong way to PTA! Let’s keep up the great work. 

 

Warmly,
Mickey Hubbell 
PTA District President
 
 
 
 

Club News
 

Clubs at Del Mar

 

Here is a list of the current clubs:

 

Anime/Art Club: Hosted by Mr. Snyder (Room 15 on Thursdays)

 

Craft Club: Hosted by the Ranch Staff (Amphitheater Stage on Wednesdays)


D&D Club (Dungeons & Dragons): Hosted by Ms. Baker (Room 22 on Tuesdays) - Del Mar Dragons, join our Dungeons & Dragon campaign! Maybe you are a Dungeon Master, or maybe you have never played before - we welcome all players of any skill level. D&D is a heroic fantasy game that is a combination of board game and storytelling. D&D is not only fun, but can help with skills of storytelling, math, and strategy. Bring your lunch at the start of the lunch period to play the Game.


Del Mar Book Club: Hosted by Mr. Sonneville (Library on Tuesdays)


Design Lab Club: Hosted by Mr. MacDonald (Room 25 on Fridays) - Please be sure to have your iPads with you, eat lunch first, and head to Room 25 (The Design Lab)


Garden Club: Hosted by Mrs. O'Brien (Del Mar Garden: Next to Room 3 on Thursdays) - Please bring your lunch and meet Ms. O’Brien in the Del Mar Garden!


GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance): Hosted by Dr. Kover (Room 12 on Mondays)


SKILLzz Club (8th Grade ONLY): Hosted by Ms. Kristy (PE Classroom on Thursdays) - Snacks, guest speakers and skillzz from careers to credit cards, health, budgeting, food, entrepreneurship, economics and travel…and how to make it all happen.

 

TEA Club (Teaching Equity and Acceptance): Hosted by Dr. Kover (Room 9 on Fridays) - Join us every Friday, for a serving a social justice with a side of Oreo cookies.  We discuss how people are different - things like gender, religion, and race - and how we can make sure everyone is treated fairly in society and here at school. 
 

Visitor Protocol
 
As per district policy, all visitors on campus must submit their ID through our SchoolPass system. Please have your ID ready when you first come to Del Mar. After going through SchoolPass the first time you will be given a PIN number that makes the system quicker to use thereafter.
 
 

Student Bulletin and Handbook
 

Check out our weekly Student Bulletin, where students (and parents) can keep up with student news, sports updates, Advisory Challenges, Club News, etc. The Bulletin is read live on Del Mar TV on Monday afternoons, and emailed to parents and students. Here is a LINK to the Bulletin.

 

Our student handbook is linked HERE.
 

Del Mar Athletics- See Our Website

 
 

Bell Schedule

Our 2023-24 regular bell schedule can be found HERE.

 

Attendance Instructions
 
Please keep sick children home and please call the office on the day of your child's absence by 8:00 a.m. (415-435-1468, ext. 4) or email delmar@reedschools.org. This will eliminate the need for a call from the office. We expect students to attend school unless there is an excused absence-for illness, injury, a medical/dental appointment or a religious holiday. All other absences are marked "unexcused." Unexcused absences do not excuse a student from classroom assignments.
Arriving Late? Leaving Early? Follow these instructions:
Students arriving late to school must sign in with the office and get a tardy slip before going to class. If you need to pick your child up in the middle of the day, please try to do so between classes, and be sure to remind your child to come to the office to meet you there, without needing a call from the office. If they must leave in the middle of a class, please send them with a note to give to that teacher so they can excuse themselves. We do not ever want to call into a classroom unless there is an emergency, so please plan accordingly! 
 

We Are Here For You!
 

To locate teacher emails, click HERE, to call the front office dial 415-435-1468 ext. 2. For the office managers contact Laurie Kristy at lkristy@reedschools.org or Lisa Grinnell lgrinnell@reedschools.org, If you or your child needs tech help, go to: https://help.reedschools.org/

 

Follow us on Instagram! You can find us in three places:

@rusdpta  

@delmar.middleschool.dragons

@reedschools

 

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.

 

Chad Stuart, Principal

 

Del Mar Middle School