Dear Parents,

Next week, both Bacich and Kent will participate in our annual all-school Emergency Evacuation Drill. These comprehensive and carefully coordinated school drills provide students and staff with opportunities to practice emergency scenarios and procedures, while following detailed plans and practices. All KSD parents will receive a pre-recorded informational message on Thursday, October 18th, which is the day that this practice drill will take place.

Bacich and Kent have extensive and detailed Emergency Preparedness Plans in place, which the schools will follow in the event of a school evacuation or a school lockdown. These plans incorporate the Kentfield School District Board Policies and Administrative Regulations. Teachers are assigned to emergency teams and practice their safety responsibilities each fall.

Our schools work very closely with our local police and fire departments to evaluate our safety measures, and we update them as necessary. School procedures such as inside locking doors, bathroom buddies, blinds to cover classroom windows, and visitor sign-in/sign-out protocols are some of the safety routines in place.

The Kentfield Schools Safety Committee meets regularly to understand the current safety concerns within the schools and in the neighborhoods surrounding the schools. Additionally, a District team conducts annual Safety Walks to identify playground areas in need of repair on the campuses.

Every day, the Bacich office staff accounts for every student in our school. Our yard duty personnel are strategically placed on campus to monitor student safety. All gates with the exception of the main school entrance are locked during the school day.

We appreciate everyone’s efforts and attention to the rules and precautions that we have in place on our campus. Our work is never finished in trying to keep our campus secure and our children safe during our school day.

Dear Parents,

With school now in full swing and fall activities filling up the calendar, some of the themes running through my conversations with parents this past month are: A). how to find the time to prep and feed our kids healthy meals, and B). how to get them to eat nutritious food without a fight.

Trying to get ourselves and our children dressed, fed, on time, and relatively presentable in the morning is no small feat in and of itself. Throw in the packing of snacks/lunches, grocery store trips, and meal planning, and the concept of a “wholesome family meal around the table'” and you’ve got quite a full-plate (pun intended)! That’s what makes it all the more frustrating when lunches come home uneaten, or we get a cross-armed “yuck” in response to the dinner we’ve so painstakingly prepared at the end of a long day.

I recently read an article that I found thought provoking on parental “feeding styles.” While I don’t completely agree with everything the author says, I did think were some relevant takeaways. I particularly found helpful the tips on how to reduce the struggle between kids and parents surrounding food and eating, and I hope you will too.

• View article on parental feeding styles.