NEWSFLASH 8.11.2025 

Upcoming Dates:

August 20th: Orientation for ALL 6th Graders and New to the School 7th and 8th Graders.

Del May GYM: 9 am SHARP (arrive by 8:55)-12:30 pm. 

Brief Parent Presentation in Quad: 9-9:20 am. 

August 21st: First Day of school! Warning bell: 8:15 am, First Period bell: 8:20 am, with *early release at 2:05 pm*

For special schedules the first two days of school see HERE

August 28th:  Back To School Night for Parents/Guardians. 5:00 am-6:45 pm

September 1st: Labor Day (NO SCHOOL)

October 6th: Staff Development Day (NO SCHOOL)

November 11th: Veteran's Day (NO SCHOOL)

November 14th: End of First Trimester

Principal's Message

Dear Del Mar Middle School Families:

On behalf of Assistant Principal Michael Song and the staff at Del Mar Middle School, I am happy to welcome you to the 2025-2026 school year!

I hope you all had a wonderful summer. I was able to spend some quality time with my family and rejuvenate myself for this school year.

Del Mar will provide daily opportunities for us all to learn and grow, and to appreciate what is around us with a positive light. Our theme for this school year is: “Nice Vibes Only.” We went with a catchy, fun phrase that will hopefully grow legs. The main idea is for us all to focus on kindness and valuing our individual differences. We want each and every student to feel a sense of belonging at Del Mar - and this starts with being nice and not making fun of others or making jokes at others’ expense. 

At Del Mar, I am committed to creating and maintaining a safe environment for all students on our campus where each student can feel like they belong. We will continue our work in recognizing and respecting diversity to create a more equitable school environment. I believe that all students can be successful when they feel safe, included and connected to their school. 

The Del Mar staff is looking forward to a productive school year and partnership with you to ensure our children can achieve their highest potential. As partners, we want you to know that we will do our very best to carry out our responsibilities to help your child grow academically, emotionally and socially. In return, we ask that you guide and support your children’s learning by ensuring that they:

• Attend school daily and arrive on time, ready for the day’s learning experience.
• Share school experiences with you so that you are aware of their school life.
• Inform you when they need additional support in any area or subject.

Please know that we value parents and guardians at our school. We want to include and involve you as much as possible. We understand the very important role you play in your child’s life. I believe that if parents and the school are on the same page, this can be extremely valuable for the success of the student. 

Below is a compilation of important information and procedures regarding Del Mar that will help you have a smooth transition from summer to the new school year, including information about Orientation (see below) for our 6th graders and new students. Please note that the first day of school is an early release day at 2:05 pm. HERE is the modified bell schedule for the first week of school. HERE is the regular bell schedule for 2025-26 year.

I am extremely excited to get started. I recognize the trust you put in us, as educators, to both teach your children, but also to keep them physically and emotionally safe. With that, I am committed to making this the best possible school for your children. 

Sincerely,

Chad Stuart (he/him)
Del Mar Principal

Orientation for all 6th Graders and new 7th/8th graders: Wednesday, August 20th at 9 am SHARP (arrive by 8:55)

ALL 6th Graders PLUS new-to-the-school 7th and 8th graders are expected to attend Orientation on Wednesday, August 20th from 9:00 am - 12:30 pm. Orientation will be a spirited, inclusive event where all students will participate in activities and tours led by our 8th grade WEB leaders (WEB stands for "Where Everybody Belongs"). WEB students will also be attempting to make a welcome phone call to your child a few days before Orientation.

STUDENTS ARE TO HEAD DOWN THE PARKING LOT RAMP TO GATHER OUTSIDE THE GYM BY 8:55 am. Students will enter the gym altogether at 9, so please don’t be late! If your child cannot make this event please let us know.

Parents/Guardians are invited to stay for a quick "meet and greet" from 9-9:20 am. The parent "meet and greet" will be in the quad area by our upper classrooms (PARENTS GO RIGHT AT THE FLAGPOLE TO THE QUAD, AND STUDENTS GO LEFT TO THE GYM).

There is no parking or drop off in the staff lot, so please allow time to park out on the street. 

Each student will receive a quad lock at Orientation, which they will take home to practice. They will also receive a paper copy of their schedule that day.

Students or parents may drop off supply donation checks or cash to the office that day  (see details below in Supply section).

Students will be offered a slice of pizza at the end of the Orientation program. Please be sure to pick up your child after the event, at 12:30 pm (please do NOT pull into the parking lot!)

School Bell Schedule and Student Class Schedules

Here is a link to the BELL SCHEDULE. Every morning the “warning” bell is at 8:15 and school starts promptly at 8:20 am. Dismissal is at 3:10 pm every day except Wednesdays when students are dismissed at 2:05.

Please note: the first day of school, August 21st, is an EARLY DISMISSAL DAY (2:05 pm dismissal) with a modified bell schedule. Please note that all students should go to their 1st period class to start the day on the 21st.

Friday August 22nd is a regular dismissal day (3:10 pm). 

Accessing Student Schedules:
 
Returning 7th and 8th grade parents/students: You will be able to access class schedules on ALMA after 4:00 pm on Monday, August 18th. Please print out your child’s schedule at home if possible. If you have forgotten how to access ALMA, please check out THIS LINK.
 
6th graders and new students: Your student will get their schedule at Orientation.
 
All students: We will also have printed schedules available in the office, beginning at 7:45 am on Thursday, August 21st. 
 

Regarding class schedules, we are busy making final preparations for the start of the year. Our main priority is to minimize and balance class size in all classes. Should your child be mistakenly placed in the altogether wrong class or level, please contact Laurie in the office at lkristy@reedschools.org or 415- 435-1468 ext 3. All students have been placed into one of their elective choices, but not necessarily their top choices. We do not guarantee students receive their first choices of electives due to the necessity to balance all classes. This process is “random” in that the computer selects the classes (we do not give specific student priority of electives). 

Supplies, Locks and PE Uniforms

6th Graders and NEW 7th/8th graders ONLY (see below for returning 7th/8th graders):

All 6th graders and new 7th/8th graders will be provided with 2 new locks (black for their PE locker and blue for their quad locker), plus PE uniforms and school supplies. 6th graders and new 7th/8th graders will receive their blue quad lock at Orientation, but other supplies (pencil cases, binders, notebooks, planners, pens, pencils, colored pencils, highlighters, Sharpies, erasers, binder paper, dividers, books, PE Uniforms and PE locks) will be handed out once school starts. Many students prefer to have a different binder, pencil case, pens or other supplies, and you are welcome to purchase them on your own if you prefer. Some students prefer large zip-up binders rather than our school issued plastic binders, just fyi. There is plenty of time to practice locker combinations, and the office staff is always happy to help any student who has issues with lockers or supplies! It is expected that your child will bring a backpack each day which will stay in their quad locker once it is assigned. Please consider sending snacks and a water bottle with your child every day. See below for lunch information.

While state law does not allow school districts to charge fees to students for educational activities, we would appreciate a donation to help support supply expenditures. All contributions are voluntary and all students will be given supplies whether you donate or not. A voluntary donation of up to $35.00 is appreciated but not required, to help defray costs of the supplies. The donation can be paid in cash or a check made out to “RUSD” at Orientation or any time at the school office, or use this SchoolPay link if you’d like to donate on-line.

Returning 7th/8th Graders: Locks, PE Uniforms and Supplies

Returning 7th and 8th graders: PLEASE locate your PE lock, Quad lock and PE uniform. If any 7th or 8th grader lost their school-issued lock and needs a replacement quad lock (BLUE), or replacement PE lock (BLACK), the student can purchase them in the office for $8.00 (cash or check to “RUSD” or use this SchoolPay link and send us  the emailed receipt). Locks must be school-issued, so please do NOT buy your own lock!

If your child lost their PE uniform, they can purchase new shorts for $20.00 and a new shirt for $20.00 (cash or check to “RUSD” or use this SchoolPay link and send us the emailed receipt). If they need a different size, they can bring in their old uniform and do an exchange with their PE teacher on Tuesday, August 26th.

Other supplies (pencil cases, binders, notebooks, planners, pens, pencils, erasers, binder paper, colored pencils, Sharpies, highlighters, dividers, books etc) will be handed out once school starts. Many students prefer to have a different binder (example-a large, zip-up binder), pencil case, pens or other supplies, and you are welcome to purchase them on your own if you prefer. It is expected that your child will bring a backpack every day that will stay in their quad locker once lockers are issued. Please send snacks with your child and please send a water bottle. See lunch information below.

While state law does not allow school districts to charge fees to students for educational activities, we would appreciate a donation to help support supply expenditures. All contributions are voluntary and all students will be given supplies whether you donate or not. A voluntary donation of up to $35.00 is appreciated but not required, to help defray costs of the supplies. The donation can be paid in cash or a check made out to “RUSD” at any time at the school office, or this SchoolPay link if you’d like to donate on-line.

Welcome New Staff: 

This school year, we are fortunate to welcome the following highly qualified faculty and staff to Del Mar:

Ms. Laurie Hailer-Math Teacher (Algebra and Math 8)

Ms. Hailer, a Marin local, is an experienced public-school educator who spent eleven years teaching high school math in the Tamalpais Union High School District and three years at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael. Ms. Hailer began her teaching career at San Domenico in San Anselmo and has periodically taught part-time in the business department College of Marin. She has served the mathematics communities on both a state and national level, volunteering with the California Mathematics Council northern conferences and the National Teachers of Mathematics national and regional conferences.

Ms. Hailer holds an MS in Education from Dominican University and an MA in Economics from San Francisco State University. She is coming to us from UCSF where she worked on statistical analyses for research projects and is very excited about her return to teaching here at Del Mar Middle School! Outside of the classroom, Ms. Hailer enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, baking, and sewing.

Ms. Emma Jamie -  Educational Specialist

Ms. Jaime is excited to join the special education team this year as an Educational Specialist. She said she is looking forward to a year of growth, learning, and collaboration.

Before coming to Del Mar, Ms. Jaime taught a special day class in San Rafael for two and a half years, where she completed her student teaching.  Ms. Jaime’s career in special education began right after high school as a paraeducator, and she’s loved supporting diverse learners ever since. She said that she is thrilled to continue that work in a new capacity this year.

Ms. Jaime is a Marin native, from a family of educators—her mother has been a Social Studies teacher at Redwood High School for many years, and her father has worked at Dominican University since she was a child—so Marin schools hold a special place in her heart!

Outside of the classroom, Ms. Jaime said that she loves spending time outdoors (near the water), finding new restaurants, and exploring the Bay Area music scene.

She said that she is thrilled to be part of the Del Mar community and can’t wait for a great year together!

Karyn McKay - 6th Grade Humanities  and Art

Ms. McKay comes to Del Mar from our feeder school, Bel Aire. She is thrilled to be teaching 6th grade Humanities and art this year. Ms. McKay was born in San Diego, moved to Marin County when she was one and grew up in San Rafael. She studied History at UC Santa Cruz and later earned her teaching credential at Dominican College. Karyn began her career at Glenwood Elementary, teaching both 3rd grade and Kindergarten, and later spent a year in Vail, Colorado, teaching middle school art.

For the past 23 years, she’s been teaching at Bel Aire—most recently 5th grade, following many years in 3rd and 4th. Ms. McKay says that she’s always loved Social Studies and art, and that she’s excited to bring both together in her new role. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Evan McKay (head of our district’s IT department), and their two children—Charlotte, who is in 10th grade, and Connor, who is in 8th. She loves hiking, paddle boarding, snowboarding with her family in the winter, traveling, and being out in nature. Ms. McKay said: “I’m looking forward to a great year in middle school and the beginning of an exciting new chapter in my teaching career.”

Back To School Night Coming Up SOON!

Thursday, August 28th 5:00-6:45 pm

Mark your calendars for our Back-to-School Night, which will take place August 28th from 5:00 - 6:45 pm, beginning in the outdoor amphitheater. This is an opportunity for parents and guardians to go to all of your child’s classes and hear brief presentations from each teacher. It is an adult-only event.
More details will be sent next week!

Cell Phones/Smart Watches-Stay in LOCKERS!

If your student has a phone or smart watch, it will need to be powered off and left in their locker during school hours. Smart watches and cell phones are not allowed in any classroom.

Lockers will be assigned to students by Advisors during the first few days of school.

PLEASE HELP YOUR CHILD LABEL EVERYTHING!! YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE HOW MANY UNLABELED LOST AND FOUND ITEMS WE ACCUMULATE OVER THE YEAR!

Universal Breakfast/Lunch Program..Plus

Water Bottle Reminder!

The Reed Union School District is pleased to announce its partnership with Dee's Organics, a Marin County-based company, to provide student meals for the 2025/26 academic year. This decision was made after a selection process designed to ensure the best possible options for our students. Key factors included iterative feedback from our community via the District's Food Service Advisory Task Force, a competitive bidding process, and a taste testing event. During the tasting, students, parents, and staff representatives lauded the quality of the sample breakfast and lunch options and their associated packaging, underscoring Dee's Organics as the proposed vendor. Dee's Organics Website

The Reed Union School District participates in the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program where all students are offered nutritious meals free of charge every school day. The Program is supported by federal and state reimbursements that are further determined by household income and eligibility. You may also qualify for additional services or benefits if your household income falls at or below certain federal income thresholds. This income eligibility is determined through an application for Free and Reduced Price Meals which may be referenced via the following LINK.

Students may choose to take advantage of the provided meal or not. Please remind your student that whenever they take a meal, they must write down (or check off) their name neatly, and then dispose of their trash properly. Breakfasts are served out of the office before school, and at the first break only if anything is leftover. Lunch is served out of the gym’s kitchen windows, starting at the beginning of lunchtime. Look for the grade level window right at the beginning of lunchtime.

Breakfasts will vary -sandwiches, breads, burritos, yogurts, milk and fruit and below are the August lunches:

Allergens: Dee's sent us a list of allergens for the first few weeks, which may help planning:

8/20 
Breakfast: Bread, Milk, Eggs, cinnamon, sugar, turkey sausage, apples
Lunch: Sliced turkey, lettuce, cheddar cheese, tomato, baby carrots

8/21
Breakfast Flour Tortilla, eggs, cheese,  potatoes, 
Lunch: Broccoli, chicken, pasta noodles, heavy whipping cream, 

8/22 
Breakfast Eggs, spinach, cheese,milk Sausage
Lunch: Romaine lettuce, chicken, croutons, 

8/25 
Breakfast: Yogurt,Oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, honey blueberries, raspberries
Lunch: Tofu, brown rice, broccoli, Chicken, teriyaki sauce- 

8/26 
Breakfast: Eggs, cheese, croissant- 
Lunch: beyond meat, pinto beans, ground beef, raw carrots, 

8/27
Breakfast: Bread, milk, eggs, cinnamon, sugar, turkey sausage, apples

8/28
Breakfast: Flour tortilla, eggs, cheese, potatoes 

8/29
Breakfast: Eggs, spinach, cheese, milk, sausage 

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 and in the quad area near the office.

Snacks: Please send your child with snacks if they need a pick-me-up during break times. The DelMarket will open up during break times after a few weeks, at which point some snack items will be for sale for $1.00 cash.

**Calling all volunteers!!!*** Volunteers are  needed to make the distribution of lunches run smoothly! Please go to THIS LINK if you are willing to help us distribute lunches. This link is only for the first two weeks of school. We will be re-sending the link to sign up for the remainder of the school year.

No GrubHub, UberEats or DoorDash : Please do not have GrubHub, UberEats, DoorDash or other food deliveries sent to our campus. This became problematic in the past, with unregistered people walking on campus, and it also created distractions to our students and staff.

Dropping off Lunches: Parents are welcome to drop off forgotten lunches for their students outside the office. Please note that we offer free lunch every day on campus, so if your child forgets to bring lunch, they are welcome to have a school lunch.  If you are dropping lunch off for your child, please use the blue shelves outside the office and be sure the lunch is well labeled. Also remind your child to look there for lunch. We do not call into classrooms about dropped off lunches. Please tell your child to check on their own!

iPad Distribution

Del Mar Spiritwear is Available for Purchase

until September 3rd only!

Please go to THIS LINK shop for all kinds of fun Del Mar logo-wear! This online store is only opened through September 3rd, so buy now! Logo wear will be available again before the holidays.

eBike & eScooter UPDATE for 2025

Transportation

Bikes & eBikes: Many students walk or ride bikes to school. We have plenty of bike racks, and students should be sure to lock their bike at all times while at school. Please be sure your child knows proper bike safety protocol, follows all traffic rules and wears a helmet at all times. Once on school grounds, bikes must be walked.

Only proper eBikes may be ridden to school, which only include class 1 eBikes. Class 2 and 3 eBikes, as well as eScooters, are not permitted on campus (see above).

Bus: Information about our school bus program can be found at the following site: www.buschallenge.org. 

Drive: Please NEVER pull into Del Mar's parking lot to drop off children, or to volunteer. The parking lot spots are needed for staff throughout the day. There is often heavy traffic on Tiburon Boulevard during the day, so please allow plenty of time if you are driving. Students may only cross streets in proper crosswalks (on Tiburon Blvd, Avenida Miraflores and in back, on Hilary Drive). Make sure you arrange with your child where to meet you at the end of the day as Del Mar has several entry/exit points.

If you need to quickly drop something off in the middle of the day, there is ONE 5-minute parking spot in the parking lot for a quick drop off.

Safe School Drop-Off & Pick-Up:
In the past, we have observed some unsafe situations with parents picking up their students from school. We truly need your help in following the protocol outlined here. Please remember that we have a lot of students leaving campus, in various means of transportation, all at the same time. With that, in collaborations with our friends at Safe Routes to School, we would like to detail two situations:

Picking up on Avenida Miraflores in front of school
Double parking in the bike lane is unsafe for kids and neighbors, makes it hard for the buses to leave campus and is a traffic violation.

DON’T DO THIS:

Options to Parking Illegally on Avenida Miraflores:

• Bike, walk, take bus
• Pick up on Hilary Drive or further up on Avenida Miraflores
• Pick up across the street
• Pick up 5 min after school ends, less traffic!
• Drop-off / Pick-up on Hilary Drive behind school. If choosing this, PLEASE follow the instructions below and ONLY drop or pick up your student on the school side of the street. This helps with the safety of students crossing the street and also with traffic flow: Left Hilary Dr., Right on Rowley Circle, Continue around, Left on Howard Drive, Left On Hilary Drive, Drop or pick up child on Hilary Drive, passenger door side. See photo:

Safety Reporting

A primary concern at our school is student safety. We encourage students to report any incident of physical or emotional safety related to themselves or other students. This helps us address the issues immediately. While we would like to speak with the reporting student in person regarding the details, we understand that not all students  feel comfortable reporting incidents. With that, we have a confidential reporting button on our school website. In addition, there is an anonymous tip box located outside the front office on campus. Please encourage your student to report any unsafe incidents they experience or witness this school year in the main office or by using the confidential reporting button on the website or the box outside the door of the main office. 

Visitor Protocol

CAASPP

2024-25 student CAASPP score results were made available at the end of last school year. They are viewable in ALMA. For more information, please refer to THIS letter which was sent out in the spring.

Student Bulletin

Keep a lookout for the Student Bulletin, so you can keep up with student news, sports updates, Advisory Challenges, Club News, etc. The Bulletin is generally read during Advisory on Monday afternoons, plus a written copy is emailed to all parents and students.

Del Mar Website Including Athletics- Click HERE

Bell Schedule

Our 2025-26 regular bell schedule can be found HERE.

Attendance Instructions

We Are Here For You!

To locate teacher info click HERE . Emails are first letter of first name along with full last name @reedschools.org.  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 need tech help, go to: help.reedschools.org/

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.