Dear RUSD Community,

Wishing all of our dedicated staff and wonderful families a joyous holiday season filled with relaxation and cherished memories. We hope this well-deserved break offers you time to recharge and connect with loved ones before we ring in the new year.

Large Safety Meeting
Thank you to the wide variety of emergency responders, Board members, and staff members who attended the large safety meeting. We productively heard suggestions for improving the safety plan and walked school sites for mutual understanding and further improvements.

New Food Service Provider When We Return
Thank you to all of the staff and parent volunteers who attended the training from Revolution Foods. We’ll begin with this new provider on January 6th.

Inclusion & Belonging - Inclusive Schools Week (Dec. 8-12)

This past week, our school proudly celebrated Inclusive Schools Week , a time to highlight what it means to create a community where every child feels seen, valued, and included. As part of this celebration, our librarians at Reed and Bel Aire shared meaningful, age-appropriate books with students, including Some Bodies, Strictly No Elephants, Everyone Belongs, Just Ask, We All Belong, Included, and A Kids Book About Equality.

Through these stories, students explored the many ways people think, learn, move, communicate, and show up in the world and why belonging, kindness, and respect matter for everyone. While we shined a spotlight on inclusion during the week, these are values we practice and celebrate every day in our school community.

At Del Mar, students began the week in advisory with a short video introducing the purpose of this work and the importance of building a community where everyone belongs. The library featured a book display highlighting authors and characters with a range of abilities and disabilities. In 6th grade science, students engaged in an inquiry-based lesson on scientists with different abilities, building on the research and reading skills they had developed earlier this year. Additionally, some of our humanities students read and discussed texts featuring individuals with diverse learning needs and physical abilities, expanding on their close-reading and analysis work. Here is a link to some ways to continue the conversation at home. Thank you for partnering with us to nurture kind, caring, and inclusive learners.

Thank you to Sherry Wangenheim
At the December Board meeting, Sherry announced that this is her last Board meeting as she is relocating. We are incredibly grateful for her dedicated 8+ years of service to our students and schools; her contributions will be deeply missed. Next, the Board will need to decide if they are appointing a new Board member or running an election. We will let you know the direction and next steps.

See you next year!
Staff will return on January 5th and we’ll be excited to see all of the students on Tuesday, January 6th.

Remember that attendance matters! Please keep consistent attendance for kids!

Happy Holidays,

Dr. Kimberly McGrath
Superintendent
Reed Union School District
"We are even stronger together!"

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The Board of Trustees reviewed the following items at the Regular Board Meeting on December 15th:

Report from Administrative Team
Del Mar Middle School Assistant Principal, Mr. Michael Song and Art Teacher, Mr. Aaron Snyder, reported on the Advisory classes at Del Mar that are designed to provide academic support, SEL, common ground lessons, and build community and relationships, with the goal of ensuring all students at Del Mar are entitled to an education in a positive environment that is safe and conducive to learning.

Board of Trustees Update
Trustees shared gratitude and wished everyone a very happy holiday season, as well as provided updates about the meetings they have attended including visiting the amazing bowling alley at Reed school, the creative Poetry Slam and the Redwood High School information night at Del Mar, the Winter Concert, JLAC meetings, Wellness & Belonging Committee Task Force, AI Task Force, Bond Survey review, PTA meetings, E2 Collaborative, SF2 meeting, and the CSBA AEC Conference and Golden Bell award ceremony.

Superintendent Update
Superintendent McGrath provided an update on the AI Task Force and Tech Committee meetings, CSBA Conference and Golden Bell Award for a positive and safe culture, and the Annual Safety Meeting and reminded all visitors to remember to check-in and check-out when visiting RUSD campuses.

Bond Survey Results & Long-Range Facility Plan Update

Mr. Jeffrey Small, Principal of Capital Public Finance Group, and Mr. Richard Bernard (via Zoom), with FM3 Research, presented an update on the Bond Survey results and Long-Range Facility Plan. The Board approved exploring further community outreach and communication related to pursuing a Bond Measure.

Election of 2026-27 Board Officers
In accordance with Board Bylaw 9100 and Ed Code section 35143, the Board held its annual organizational meeting during which the Board elected Shelby Tsai as the next Board President, Liz Webb as Vice President, and Sandeep Sahai as Clerk for the upcoming year. Also, the Board shares a heartfelt thanks to Sherry Wangenheim who has served as Board President 3 times during her 8+ year tenure as a Board Trustee. She is an amazing leader and she will be greatly missed.

Board Representatives & 2027 Board Meeting Calendar
The Board discussed Trustee roles as liaisons to District and Community Organizations and approved the 2026-2027 Governing Board Meeting Calendar.

Adoption of First Interim Financial Report for the 2025-26 School Year
Dr. Chris Kim, Chief Business Official, presented the First Interim Financial Report for the 2025-26 school year and the Board filed a positive certification of the financial condition of the District as part of the report.

Food Service Update and MOU with Revolution Foods
Dr. McGrath and Dr. Kim provided an update on RUSD's Food Service program and presented a proposal to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Revolution Foods. The Board approved the MOU.

The next Regular Board meeting is a study session scheduled for Saturday, January 10, 2026.

Let's Talk Parent Series

Community discussions take a deeper dive into the Let’s Talk topics on the website with guest facilitators and topic experts. Parents and caregivers have the opportunity to share their experiences and best practices in a safe, solution-oriented environment. Register for one of our community discussions here.

Hosted by the Marin County Office of Education Springtime Stress
Testing, Transitions, and the Road Ahead As students face testing season and end-of-year transitions, Dr. Levine will offer tools to help them manage performance-related stress and approach future planning with confidence and emotional balance. March 10, 2026 | 6:30–7:30 PM. Register here.

Strengthening Partnerships for Students with Disabilities
2025–26 Webinar Series Fourth Thursday of the Month from 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. The California Department of Education, Special Education Division, in partnership with the Seeds of Partnership project, invite you to join this engaging webinar series. Sign up here.

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.