Del Mar NewsFlash 4.16.25

Del Mar Open House Coming Up-April 17th 5:30-7 PM

We are excited to invite you to our upcoming Open House event! This is a wonderful opportunity to visit our school, meet our faculty, and learn about the exceptional programs we offer. Our Open House will take place tomorrow from 5:30 - 7:00 PM. Our band will be performing in the amphitheater at the beginning, so be sure to stop by and enjoy. During your visit, you will have the chance to tour our campus, see our classrooms, and learn about our school. Our dedicated teachers and staff will be available to answer any questions you may have and provide information. We look forward to seeing you and your family at our Open House event! More information can be found in this LINK, which was emailed earlier today.

Recent Field Trips

Our 8th graders took a trip prior to Spring Break to the Chabot Space & Science Center. It was a terrific experiential learning opportunity for our students. Thank you to our 8th grade team of teachers for facilitating this trip.

Our Del Mar Skillzz Club took a trip to downtown Tiburon to learn about how the town operates both in governance and business. They visited: Town Hall with Town Manager Gregory Chanis and Police Chief’s Michelle Jean, Malibu Farm, Sam’s Anchor Cafe and Hadley Construction. Thank you to Ms. Laurie Kristy, who leads the Skillzz Club, for her work in organizing this trip for the students.

Walk and Roll Day Coming Up!

Del Mar Walk and Roll - May 7th

PTA will have a table with snacks and prizes on the morning of May 7th for those who walk or roll to school. Safe Routes to School Marin has donated two high stakes prizes of $50 gift cards to Sports Basement for lucky students who commute to school on bike or foot.

Staff Spotlight- Señor Harrington

By Leadership students: Tala, Jack and Anna

This week's staff spotlight is Del Mar’s very own Spanish teacher, Señor Harrington! Señor Harrington grew up in Santa Rosa, California. Raised in a multicultural family, he often traveled to and from his family's hometown in Peru. He takes great pride in being raised in a bicultural household, as it has given him a unique perspective on the cultural and lifestyle differences between Peru and the United States. While constantly visiting Peru, Señor Harrington experienced firsthand the growth and development of Peru and its economy. Señor Harrington has an older sister and a younger sister. Additionally, he has a deep passion for sports, especially soccer and volleyball. If he weren’t teaching Spanish, he would choose to be a P.E. teacher. Growing up, school wasn’t always easy for Señor Harrington; he often faced challenges with bullying and had trouble fitting in. However, in eighth grade, Señor Harrington grew his love for education when a teacher took him under his wing, making school a more enjoyable experience. This teacher ultimately inspired him to pursue a career in education. Señor Harrington attended Sonoma State University, where he received his teaching credentials, following the path his eighth-grade teacher had inspired. Señor Harrington wanted to become a teacher to connect with and build relationships with his students. Before his teaching career, he worked as a park ranger at Safari West. He also worked as a foster youth counselor, helping children find homes and get their lives on track. After working in various roles related to education and youth support, Señor Harrington was offered a position as a staff member in the Del Mar community. Without hesitation, he accepted the job and hasn’t looked back since.

Señor Harrington quickly became a key figure in the Del Mar community and came to appreciate the welcoming and kind staff members in the school district. He strives to make all of his lessons fun, interesting, and factual. His strong passion for teaching has created one of the most positive learning environments in his seventh-grade Spanish class at Del Mar. Señor Harrington especially loves interacting with students and learning about them on a daily basis. To give his students a first hand experience of differing lifestyles, in 2019, Señor Harrington took a group of students on a trip to Costa Rica. He states that this trip opened the eyes of his students and allowed them to appreciate how lucky they are to live in such a thriving world. Additionally, one piece of advice he would like to give to his current, past, and future students is that if you have the opportunity, you should travel and experience new places and cultures as much as possible. Señor Harrington loves traveling and has been to over forty countries in his lifetime. One thing Señor Harrington would change about Del Mar is the diversity of the student population. Overall, Señor Harrington comes to school each day with the goal of making his students feel appreciated and excited to attend his class. He is without a doubt one of the most influential and kind teachers at Del Mar. One thing that makes him so special is the fact that he teaches from his heart, giving students every ounce of love and support he can offer. One challenge of Señor Harrington’s job is that it requires a lot of energy. Given that, he says that to make his job a little easier, he would love to see students be extra respectful to their peers, which would help strengthen the school environment around them. So, if you see Señor Harrington around, don’t hesitate to say “hola” and show your appreciation for all he does to improve the Del Mar community!

For 8th Grade Families-Graduation Information

The Class of 2025 will be graduating in a few months! Attached HERE is an outline of upcoming graduation activities. This information has been emailed as well.

Parent Ed Opportunity Coming Up ~ May 7th

Free Teen Class through our Neighbors at Strawberry Rec

Lunches for the Month of April

PTA Executive Board Slate

The 2025 Nominating Committee has completed its work to develop a slate of nominees for the 2025-2027 PTA Executive Board. The slate will be presented to the PTA membership for election into office during the District PTA meeting on May 21st. Congratulations to the following individuals for their nomination:

RUSD District PTA President: Jessica Etchevers
RUSD District Secretary: Julie Stewart
RUSD District Assistant Treasurer: Marc Matoba
Del Mar Assistant Site Chair: Chenin Malloy
Del Mar Site Treasurer: Adriana Mason
VP Bel Aire Site Chair: Rebecca Hermanski
Bel Aire Site Treasurer: Emily Chiswick-Patterson
VP Reed Site Chair: Dawn Garrison
Reed Site Assistant Treasurer: Stephanie Olmo

Big thanks to our wonderful Nominating Committee: Amy Kaufman, Chelsea Schlunt, Heather Miller, Lindsey Burmeister, Rebecca Hermanski and Principal Advisor Mary Niesyn for all of their hard work in bringing this to fruition.

A special shoutout to Anne Ciranni for year #2 as the Play Producer. Anne worked to onboard our new Director and production team for our Bel Aire play. Thank you to Anne for her incredible dedication and hard work in bringing Willy Wonka Jr to life. The Bel Aire community benefited from Anne's leadership, unbelievable creativity, and countless hours behind the scenes making this show an unforgettable experience. A second shout out to the leads - Julie Courtney and Sarah Bruni on Concessions, Michelle Wilson and Amie Stanley on hair/make-up and Afsaneh Zolfaghari on volunteers.

A special shoutout to our fabulous 8th Grade Graduation Leads, Petra Sundstrom and Jennifer Wang, for spearheading all things graduation this year! From the sweatshirts, to the epic Six Flags trip, and the event of the year—the boat cruise and FNOM celebration—we are beyond thankful for your passion, dedication, and hard work.

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