Reed Newsletter • August 27, 2025

Deadline to submit interest form for classroom volunteer positions 

Friday, August 29

12:00pm

Labor Day Holiday (NO SCHOOL)

Monday, September 1

Reed School Spirit Day (wear Reed Red!)

Wednesday, September 3

Walk & Roll Back to School (details below)

Wednesday, September 10 

Reed PTA Meeting

Wednesday, September 10 

9:00 - 10:00am in Room 10

Back to School Night
Thursday, September 11
5:30-7:00pm
Parent/caregiver only event

Towntastic - Save the Date!
Thursday, September 18
4:30 - 6:30pm

Reed Picture Day - date change!
Wednesday, September 23 (first round)

(Second round & class photos will be taken on November 5)

2025-2026 Reed School Calendar

For planning purposes, please refer to the school calendar so that travels fall during school holidays and students are in attendance on school days.

Dear Reed Families and Caregivers,

Thank you, Reed Community, for such a great first week of school! I have loved greeting all the smiling students and families in the mornings. This quiet summer campus has once again become a place for learning and is bursting with joy and action!
 
These first few days have been packed with learning new routines, making new friends, and participating in a wide array of new activities. Reed Raccoons have jumped right into lessons with our specialists thanks to the support of our generous Foundation for Reed Schools . Each week, every Reed student participates in music, PE, library and art, in addition to the incredible learning taking place in their grade level classrooms. More information about all of our educational programming will be shared at our annual Back to School Night on September 11 from 5:30-7:00pm. Save the date!
 
Lastly, on behalf of the entire Reed staff, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our families and caregivers for your patience and understanding as we support students in learning afternoon pickup routines. Each afternoon we work collaboratively to ensure that each one of our 390 Reed Raccoons is reunited with family and/or transitioned safely to after school care and activities. You can support our collective effort by reviewing the procedures below:
 
Red Bus or Blue?
With over 150 bus riders every afternoon, and close to 100 of them under 6 years old, safety MUST be our number one priority. Please help us by ensuring your PreK or K student is using their school-provided tote bag (this helps us easily spot them in the yard). For all students, please ensure their bus tag is attached securely on the outside of their tote or 1st/2nd grade backpack. Please help your child memorize if they are on the blue bus or red bus for the afternoon to streamline the check-in process and keep us running on time.

This week our PreK bus riders practiced lining up, checking in, sharing their full name with the bus supervisor, boarding the bus, and buckling up - all by themselves! Please practice these important skills at home to build independence and help us ensure an efficient and safe boarding procedure. 

Afternoon Carline

Please have your name placard in a highly visible spot on your dashboard. Remain in your car and a staff member will assist your child into your car. Please make certain that carseats are located on the right side of your car. Please look for an opportunity to teach your child how to buckle up their seatbelt. This will save time in the loading up process. 

Blacktop Pick Up 

Please have your blue Reed ID tag ready to show the staff member at the gate and proceed to your child’s classroom # spot painted on the playground (alongside the field). Please do not wait for your child in the breezeway as our PreK and K students are using this pathway to get to the carline.

Appointments
If you need to pick your child up for an appointment, please come to the front office and we will call the classroom for your child. We do not pull children ahead of time, so please allow extra time for us to find them. As a courtesy to the teacher, please email them so they know your child will be leaving early that day. 

Thank you for your patience as we all learn and reinforce new school procedures.
Warmly,
Aubrey O’Connor & Staff

Information from New Family Orientation

During last Thursday's orientation, we shared two slides with lots of important details. As promised, here is the information once again: First, The Top 10 Tips for Reed Parents and Caregivers. Second, our wonderful PTA Welcome Wagon committee if you are new to Reed and have questions:

Jenni Marshall (jenniedw@gmail.com); Lena Lionetti ( lenamlionetti@gmail.com); Kristin Kemnitzer

(Kristin.Kemnitzer@gmail.com)

Meet Mrs. O'Connor & Expectations Assemblies

All grade levels will participate in a "Meet Mrs. O'Connor & Community Time Expectations" assembly this week. We're practicing what whole body listening looks like, feels like, and sounds like when you are an audience member.

Note from our School Nurse:
We are excited for the start of a new school year!  Please be mindful of the following tips to keep your child, and our schools, healthy this fall:

• Keep your child home if they are feeling unwell. Please follow these helpful guidelines and note that students must be without fever, vomiting and diarrhea for over 24 hours (without any medication) before returning to school.
• COVID-19 rates are beginning to increase in California. If your child shows symptoms of COVID-19, please test them at home before returning to school; if they test positive, keep them home until they’ve been fever-free for at least 24 hours and other symptoms are mild and improving.
• Help your child eat a healthy diet and get plenty of sleep each night (10-12 hours).
• Keep your child and family up-to-date on recommended vaccinations.

Wishing everyone a healthy and joyful start to the year!

– Nurse Mankin

Classroom Volunteer Opportunities
Are you interested in volunteering in your child’s classroom or the school library? Get more involved at Reed and help create a sense of community in your class by volunteering as a Room Parent, Car Line Coordinator, Yearbook Photo Coordinator or Class Celebration Assistant for your child's classroom! We’re also rolling out a Library Coordinator position this year, supporting our amazing school librarian Mrs. Smith. These are important and rewarding volunteer positions that help make Reed such a special place.
 
If interested, please complete the Reed PTA Volunteer Interest Form 2025-2026 by Friday, August 29th at noon. Volunteers will be contacted with further details the following week. Please see the detailed job descriptions HERE. Thank you for volunteering your time!

If you have any questions, please contact your Grade Level Coordinator:

• For Pre-K, contact Erica Wehrs (ericawehrs@gmail.com)
• For Kindergarten, contact Kelly McCoy (kmmccoy923@gmail.com)
• For 1st grade, contact Alison Bean (alisonbean26@gmail.com)
• For 2nd grade, contact Leigh Nile (leigh@leighnile.com)

Reed PTA Volunteer Opportunities

We’re looking for more volunteers on our Towntastic team! For more information, please contact Reed PTA Site Chair, Dawn Garrison at dawncgarrison@gmail.com

Walk & Roll Back to School

EVERY WEDNESDAY is Walk and Roll to School Day! Join thousands of Marin families who walk, park-and-walk, bike, carpool, or take the bus to school.

On four special Wednesdays this Fall - September 10th, October 8th, November 14th and December 3rd - we will have:

• A bike train from Blackie’s Pasture to Reed School! Meet at 8am at the Blackie's Pasture bike repair station (near the restrooms), or join the train on the Old Rail Trail!
• A welcome table in front of Reed School where the children will receive prizes for walking and rolling to school!

Parents, we need your help!

• Click HERE to help lead our bike train
• Click HERE to help distribute prizes at our welcome table

Lost & Found

Please remember to label *everything* possible that your child brings to school with his / her full name. Misplaced items will be stored in the lost & found rack near the front entry gates and are donated at the end of every month, beginning in September.

BE PART OF THE MAGIC —
SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY!

Join us in directly enriching our children’s education and building a stronger, more connected school community. Your annual dues support:

-Community-building events that bring families together
-Parent education workshops and valuable resources
-Staff appreciation celebrations to recognize our amazing educators
-Inspiring performing arts programs for our kids

Every contribution counts — whether it’s $50 or more, your support truly makes a difference. Let’s aim high and make this our best year yet with 100% family participation!

Join today — and help create something magical for our children!

Reporting a Reed School Absence 

All students are expected to attend school on a consistent and on-time basis. If your child is going to be tardy, absent, or leave school early for any reason, please be sure to email OR call and notify the office:

reedattendance@reedschools.org

(415) 435-7840  extension #1

Please Provide the Following Information:

• First and last name of your child
• Your relationship to the child
• Teacher's name
• The reason for the absence or tardy

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.