Kentfield School District

December 19th, 2019

Don't Miss These Announcements

Enjoy Winter Break – school resumes Monday, January 6, 2020

Report Cards

Good news! Bacich now offers morning supervision starting at 7:30 a.m. for our school families who may need it.

Parents/Guardians of Sixth Graders

New Parking Regulations on Acacia Avenue

To make this busy thoroughfare more walker and biker friendly, new parking restrictions will be put into place on the south side of Acacia (Lilac to McAllister) and north side of Acacia (Lilac to Rosebank) from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. on school days.

2020-2021 School Calendar Released

Important Emergency Preparation Resources, Tips, and Checklists

Upcoming Events

Friday, December 20, 2019

Winter Break: December 23, 2019 to January 3, 2020 (school resumes Monday, January 6, 2020)

Monday, January 6, 2020

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Save The Date

Monday, January 13, 2020

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Saturday, January 25, 2020

  • Lunar New Year Celebration hosted by KSPTA -more details coming soon!

District News

I wish you and your families a very joyful holiday season and a rejuvenating winter break. I look forward to seeing all of you in 2020!

Superintendent Liz Schott

School Board

School Board Information

Board Meeting Highlights - December 10, 2019

Next Regular Board Meeting:

  • Tuesday, January 14, 2020, 5-9 p.m., District Office, all are welcome to attend
  • The agenda will be posted by 5 p.m. the Friday before the meeting.

Special Board Meeting:

Ad Hoc Finance Committee Meetings

The first interim budget report was presented by District Business Official Kirsten Starsiak at the December 12, 2019 School Board meeting. The district was able to certify to the county that we can meet our financial obligations for the next three years only after reducing $1 million in expenditures in next year’s projected budget.

The board has requested that an ad hoc Finance Committee meet through the month of January to produce a menu of possible expenditure reductions in time to produce a balanced 2020-21 budget.

  • All meetings are from 4-5:30 p.m. in the District Office

Monday, January 6, 2020

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Monday, February 3, 2020

Monday, February 10, 2020

English Language Learners

English Language Learner Resources and English Learners Website

Bacich ELAC Meeting: Wednesday, January 8, 2020, 8:30-9:30am, Bacich Room 12

Bacich News





Methinee Bozeman

Hello Bacich Families,

On Friday, December 20th, all 650 Bacich students will be dismissed at noon. That's a lot of kids and potentially a lot of cars! While we always encourage green travel when possible, we hope you can walk, bike, carpool, or scoot to and from school that day.

Walk Bike Scooter Carpool

Wishing you a safe holiday and happy new year!

Methinee Bozeman

Bacich Announcements

Bacich Garden volunteers are needed on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Bacich now offers morning supervision starting at 7:30 a.m. for our school families who may need it.

Bacich report cards will be posted on Aeries on Friday, December 20, 2019.

2019-2020 School-Wide Volunteer Opportunities

  • These volunteer roles are school-wide. For classroom-specific opportunities, please contact your lead room parent.

2019-2020 Bacich Parent-Student Handbook

2019-2020 Bacich Bell Schedule

Bacich Site Council Meeting

  • Monday, January 6, 2020, 3-4 p.m., Bacich Office Conference Room
  • All are welcome to attend.

Bacich ELAC Meeting

  • Wednesday, January 8, 2020, 8:30-9:30am, Bacich Room 12

Follow Bacich on Instagram

Bacich Elementary School @bacichelementary

Bacich STEAM Projects @bacichsteam

Bacich Library @bacichlibrary

Kent News



















Kent Library

Rebecca Jelen Kent Librarian



Thank you to everyone who donated to our Project Night Night Drive!



It was a great success... here are the numbers:

  • 52 blankets
  • 44 stuffed animals
  • 90 books
  • $95!

Thank you so much for giving the gift of reading and comfort to a child in a Bay Area homeless shelter.

The winter break is a great time to listen to an audiobook with your family!

You can use the free Libby app if you have a Marin library card. Many of our students already have accounts after a visit from the librarians from Corte Madera. You can also gift someone a subscription to Audible for a monthly listening credit. Shared family listening makes car rides feel shorter!

Some of my favorite audiobooks of late include:

  • The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Dicamillo (great for ages 7 and up)
  • Sadie by Courtney Summers (young adult for 8th grade and up)
  • Tight by Torrey Maldanado (ages 11 and up)
  • The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown (ages 6 and up)

I hope your break is filled with books and relaxing holiday times with friends and family!

Rebecca Jelen
Kent Librarian


Kent Announcements

Grades are available on Aeries

6th Grade Families: Tdap Booster Requirement

Your child will need the Tdap booster vaccine to enter the seventh grade in the fall. If your child has not had this vaccine, please make an appointment with your health care provider as soon as possible and bring the updated vaccine record to the Kent Office. If your child has had this vaccine, please bring the updated vaccine record to the Kent Office.

Thank you,

Laurel Yrun, RN Credentialed School Nurse

5th - 7th Grade Only: Private School Application Instructions:

  • Please contact Lisa Sandberg at lsandberg@kentfieldschools.org.
  • Please do not send teacher requests for teacher recommendations directly to teachers. All transcript and teacher recommendations need to go through Lisa Sandberg.

Yearbooks are on Sale Now

Be sure to order one of these amazing mementos to cap off your child's year! To order, go here:

www.yearbookordercenter.com - code 7587

Yearbook Order Code: 7587

For ordering help, call The Yearbook Order Center toll free at 866-287-3096 or email us at yearbookordercenter@herffjones.com. The Yearbook Order Center is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (CST).

Llama al 866-287-3096 si necesitas un operador en español.

8th Grade Families

2020-2021 High School Registration Begins Soon

Most families choose to attend their school of residence. Please refer to your high school website for registration/enrollment information.

If you would like to enroll at Tamalpais, Redwood, or Drake High School and this is not your school of residence, please read the information posted on the District website for “Open Enrollment.”

As a first step in the registration process, incoming freshmen may apply now for an Open Enrollment transfer. Please see the application on the district website. The initial deadline for transfer requests is on January 17. After January 17, students will be contacted individually to confirm their school of choice. Once approved, students will be able to register directly with your school of choice.

“Open Enrollment” applies only to students who are TUHSD residents who wish to attend a district high school other than their school of residence. The January transfer request deadline allows entering ninth grade students to register at the group registration days at your school of choice. Although you may register at any time at your school of residence, the final deadline to request an Open Enrollment transfer is June 30 (or until the maximum of 50 spots per site are filled).

If you have read the information posted on the website and have a question, please email moleary@tamdistrict.org.

Thank you,
Mary O’Leary
Executive Assistant to the Superintendent
Tamalpais Union High School District

Kent Schoolwide Volunteer Opportunities

On this sign-up link, you will find all Kent volunteer opportunities. Please join us and volunteer for one or more of these roles. Please email info@kspta.org if you have any questions on role and/or time commitments. Thank you for all you do for our school!

Kent Site Council Meeting

  • Tuesday, January 7, 2020, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Kent Conference Room
  • All are welcome to attend.

Follow the Kent Library on Instagram

KSPTA News

Next General KSPTA Meeting: Monday, January 27, 2020, 7-8:30 p.m., Kent Library

  • In response to community feedback, the January meeting will be held in the evening.
  • Officer Josie Sanguinetti, our School Resource Officer, will speak about student safety — both physical and emotional — and what parents need to know to protect our kids.

Sign Up for Good Earth Lunch Session 2

Session 2 has started but you can still sign up!

  • Ordering deadline is Monday, January 13, 2020

Order today! goodearthlunch.com

Families in our community and across the country are pledging to delay giving their young kids a smartphone.

Curious? Learn more at Wait Until 8th.

Bacich Garden Volunteers

We are looking for a team of parents to help staff the garden during lunch recess on Tuesdays (1st/3rd) and Thursdays (2nd/4th) from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

We are blessed with a beautiful garden space at Bacich, but currently the only time the garden is able to be open at lunch recess is on Mondays during Garden Club. More than one adult is needed to supervise the garden, and because staff supervises other areas at that time, parent volunteers working alongside staff is the only way the school can safely open the garden for free play.

Thank you for considering volunteering. Sign up link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/bacichgardenplayvolunteers

Save the Date: Lunar New Year Celebration

  • Saturday, January 25, 2020, 10-11:30 a.m.
  • Kent Multipurpose Room

More details coming soon!

Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee meets to identify, recruit, and nominate the slate for the Executive Board for the next school year. The Committee also recruits coordinators for the various programs KSPTA runs in the schools.

The Nominating Committee will be elected at the January 27 general meeting and will begin work in February 2020. If you are interested in sitting on the committee or learning more, please email our Parliamentarian Stefanie Weinstein at stefage00@yahoo.com.

Connect with KSPTA!

Twitter: @KentfieldPTA

Instagram: kentfieldschoolspta

Facebook: Kentfield Schools PTA

Please join the KSPTA today to support our community events and programs and lend your voice to our state and national PTA’s advocacy on behalf of children.

Safe Routes News

Become Your Neighborhood Captain!

Find Your Safe Route to School

Visit Safe Routes to School for Walk & Roll information, safety tips in English and Spanish, updated neighborhood safe route maps, and public bus to Kent information.

If you are interested in becoming a SRTS Neighborhood Captain, please contact tanya.vernitsky@gmail.com.

Thanks everyone for coming to our brief-but-spectacular Holiday Go-Green Event!

Let's Go-Green again this Friday and avoid traffic at pickup on this short day.

Driver Alert!

New Parking Signs on Acacia Avenue Should Be Installed Next Week.

After a brief delay due to rain, we expect the signs to be installed next week and enforcement to start the second week back from the break in January. The new parking restrictions will be put into place on the south side of Acacia Avenue (Lilac to McAllister) and north side of Acacia Avenue (Lilac to Rosebank) from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. on school days. Please plan for parking alternatives to avoid unpleasant fines!

Community News

These programs are not sponsored by the Kentfield School District. Distributing flyers and information is a community service and does not imply endorsement.

No Bully! Workshops

Workshops for Parents & Guardians: How to Bully-Proof Children in their Lives and the digital world. Tools to use at home and in partnership with the school community.

  • Wednesday, February 5, 2020: How to Stop Cyberbullying with focus on Grades 3-8
  • Thursday, March 15, 2020: Stop Cyberbullying & Navigating the Social Media Landscape with focus on Grades 6-12

All workshops are 6-7:30 p.m. at Marin County Office of Education, 1111 Las Gallinas Avenue, San Rafael

TidalWaves Swim Team Registration Opens January 9, 2020

Tidalwaves Swim Team is a community-based swim team organized and run by parent volunteers dedicated to providing access to high-quality competitive swimming in a nurturing and fun environment. Swim practices, meets and spirit events all promote not just improved swimming skills and physical fitness but also healthy self-esteem, sportsmanship, and a strong team spirit and achievement.

  • Open to boys and girls of all abilities ages 5-18.
  • New family registration opens January 9, 2020.

More details about the 2020 Spring/Summer season, as well as winter swim programs, are available online at www.gowaves.com. Head Coach Marie McSweeney is also available to answer questions about your child's readiness for the team at mariemcswim@yahoo.com or 415-453-9563.

View flyer

We teach kids to code!

Members learn coding through robotics, JavaScript Minecraft plugins, web and game development, and programming fundamental lessons.

  • MVCode clubs are located in Kentfield, Mill Valley
  • Summer camps also available

You can register your child for a free trial class at www.mvcode.com

Scholarships are available for families with financial need.

Youth Sports Training Program

Elevation Fitness promotes a healthy, positive lifestyle by focusing on training, mental strength, and exercise as stress relief. Main areas of improvement are strength, speed, agility, sportsmanship, and confidence.

View flyer

Eighth Grade Washington D.C. & Boston Trip

The deadline to register for the 2020 Washington, DC & Boston Trip (4/4- 4/9/2020) is Friday, February 14, 2020. Have your 8th grader check with Mr. Palmer for a registration envelope.

Questions? Contact Ryan Palmer at rpalmer@kentfieldschools.org.