Kentfield School District

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Dear Kentfield School Community,

On Friday, October 16, the KTA negotiators, KSD Administrators and the Board’s labor representatives, Sarah Killingsworth and Quoc Tran, worked together to devise an agreeable action plan to support the Kentfield School District in moving forward to prepare our campuses for a return to in-person instruction for students and staff. We affirmed our joint commitment to maintaining strong relationships while working together in the best interest of our students, staff and community at large. As we continue to prepare for a transition to Hybrid Instruction we want to offer additional clarification about our instructional approach and planning for student placement.

The simultaneous approach to our instructional design allows us to maintain a continuity of learning by keeping students with their current teacher/s and only changing assignments if absolutely necessary. We recognize parents/guardians are choosing an approach based on what is best for their families, and our goal will be to ensure all students get a high quality and meaningful program no matter which approach they choose. As we plan forward we want to maximize student learning when on site, while also being sure our students who are learning remotely will receive a quality experience, which may look different than the current Distance Learning only program. Our instructional teams are using feedback from the recent pilots and their instructional expertise to formulate how this new design can work effectively for students and where we may need to adjust as we learn more. The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed how we operate our schools, which directly affects the instructional program design. This is all new to us, and we are committed to doing the very best we can for our students – whether that is in a remote, hybrid, or in-person learning program.

Our site principals will be offering virtual principal chats to answer questions and offer more details about the Hybrid program and how our sites are being prepared to welcome students on to campus. Our teams are continuing to work through cohort design and classroom set-up, and we will continue site preparations in alignment with our School Site Specific Protection Plans (Bacich | Kent). This transition process is truly a community effort, and will take time – but we are moving forward with a common goal of doing what is best for students and staff.

I want to close, by extending my sincere appreciation to our students, staff, and parents/guardians who have been patient and flexible as we have navigated this very turbulent situation. This has been a trying time for all of us and although we may have differing opinions, we all have the same goal and focus – our KSD students. I was reminded of the quote “we are better together,” which I wholeheartedly believe is necessary in order for us to overcome the obstacles that may come our way and provide the very best we can for the Kentfield School District community.

Take Good Care,

Raquel Rose
Superintendent
rrose@kentfieldschools.org

*For security, Zoom links and passwords for events are not posted on the District website, and are sent through ParentSquare.

Daily: Virtual Crossing Guard with Ms. Stephens, 7:55-8:30 a.m., Zoom

Tuesday, October 20, 2002

• Parent Partners meeting, 4-5 p.m., Zoom

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

• Intent to Return Form Due

Thursday, October 22, 2020

• Equity & Inclusion Committee Meeting, 1:30-3 p.m., Zoom, agenda

Saturday & Sunday, October 24-25, 2020

• Cans for Candy, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Bacich

Monday, November 2, 2020

• KSPTA meeting, 7 p.m., Zoom

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

• Kent Site Council meeting, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Zoom

Distance Learning and Transition to In-Person Instruction Planning

Reminder: Intent to Return forms due Wednesday, October 21

Please complete an intent to participate form indicating if your child(ren) will participate in KSD’s Hybrid Instructional program or Distance Learning only program, a form shall be completed for each child in the District. The information gathered will support the district in planning for a transition to Hybrid Instruction. Either option chosen by parents/guardians/students – Hybrid or Distance Learning only, will align to your child(ren)’s trimester calendar, and not be a commitment for the remainder of the school year.

Please submit your preference by Wednesday, October 21st. If we do not hear back from you, we will count on your student/s participating in the Hybrid Program. Based on the data received we may need to adjust class assignments, but will do this with as minimal disruption as possible.

Local - COVID-19 Update

Marin Health and Human Services website – Marin Recovers provides access to a breadth of resources to help the community stay up to date with the status of COVID-19 in our county. The website offers access to local case rate through the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Surveillance Update website that provides summary data, daily trends, demographics, other measures of COVID-19 Impacts and the State Blueprint Tiered system. Here is a glimpse of the current status of case rate for the Kentfield community.

• Community Conversation with Local Physicians & Administrators, Video Recording and Presentation, A Perspective of In-Person Instruction in a COVID-19 Environment, October 15, 2020
• Site Specific Safety Protection Plan Training Module Orientation, October 12, 2020
• Site Specific Safety Protection Plan Training Module Orientation, October 8, 2020
• Site-Specific Safety Protection Plan Training Module Presentation
• Student/Family In-Person Safety Pledge
• Bacich School Site-Specific Protection Plan
• Kent School Site-Specific Protection Plan

Announcing Cans for Candy – a can food drive to help stamp out hunger, led by the Kentfield Teachers. Click here for a list of needed items. Donations can be left between 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on October 24th and 25th at Bacich School. Thank you in advance for your participation.

• Board Meeting Highlights: October 13, 2020
• Board Meeting Video Archive
• Next Monthly School Board meeting: November 10, 2020, 5 p.m., All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
  • Addressing the Board