Wildcat Word: January 25, 2024
WILDCAT WORD
January 25, 2024
From Dr. Nolan
Our first full week of school, yay! Over the past three weeks, teachers have been assessing students' growth in literacy, math, and social-emotional learning with the Fastbridge screener. Teachers are meeting in their grade level bands (TK-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8) to analyze the data and plan instruction. Fun Fact: The teachers meet weekly in grade-level bands to collaborate, analyze data, and plan instruction. In addition, we have weekly staff meetings. At our staff meetings, we plan, collaborate, and participate in professional development.
As we near the end of January, I want to provide a reminder about attendance and an update on West Marin-Inverness food service.
Attendance
We want our students in school every day! Regular attendance is vital to a student's success in school. The student who is frequently absent misses social interaction and direct instruction from his/her teachers even though written work can be made up. Any day or hour absent is a missed learning opportunity. Attendance is a key predictor of academic achievement. If your student is absent for any reason please inform Kasandra. Student absences can be cleared by:
Written note, or email the site’s Administrative Secretary from parent/guardian or parent representative before 8 AM on the day of the absence.
Conversation, in person or by telephone, between the Administrative Secretary and the student's parent/guardian or parent representative. The parent or guardian should give the following information:
After three consecutive days, if the school is not informed of a student's absence, contacts on the child's emergency form will be called to inquire about the child's whereabouts.
Please make every attempt to schedule appointments outside of the school day. We request that you provide the office with a note if your child was absent for any medical, dental, optometrical, or chiropractic services.
You are strongly encouraged to make your vacation plans to coincide with the vacations scheduled on the school calendar. If your child must go out of town for five or more days, you may request that your child be signed up for an Extended Absence Agreement. Please note that teachers need at least 10 school days of notice to prepare materials without interrupting their instructional time. An Extended Absence Agreement can only be granted once per semester and cannot occur during the last two weeks of the school year.
Food Service
I had the pleasure of interviewing Aracely, our Food Service Lead, about the updated menus.
Since June, Aracely has attended 3 trainings with the Alice Waters Institute. At these trainings, she learned new recipes that include more organic vegetables and less canned ingredients. Here are some examples of our new recipes:
Burritos
Organic veggie and steak with a side of oven-roasted potatoes
Chicken with taco seasoning
Rice and Homemade Beans
Three Sisters Stew
Beef Stew
Ziti with meat, parmesan, mozzarella, and organic vegetables
Squash Macaroni and Cheese
Tacos with flour tortillas with ground beef lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese
Taco salad with ground beef, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and cheese
Mexican Nachos with homemade beans, shredded cheese, guacamole, and sour cream
Balsamic Chicken
Teriyaki Chicken
Organic greens supplemented by our gardens
Be on the lookout for more updates! Thank you, Aracely and Clara!
Want to SEE more of what's happening at our sites?
Having Fun Solving Equations in Math
Green Teams: We Help Students Sort Waste
The Peer Solutions Team
Collaborative Professional Development
Wildcat Buck Winners
SAVE THE DATES
February 19-February 23 No School: Late Winter Break
March 20-22 Minimum Days
March 28 Spaghetti Bingo
April 5 ***Emergency Day- if not needed-No School
April 8-12 Spring Break
May 24 **Emergency Day- if not needed- No School
May 27 Memorial Day: No School
May 30 Open House PK-1 at Inverness 5:00-6:00
May 30 Open House 2-5 at West Marin 6:15-7:15
June 4 Field Day
June 4-6 Minimum Days
June 6 LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
June 6 8th Grade Graduation 7:00pm
June 7 THS Graduation
Reminder
The 8th-grade students are fundraising for their end-of-the-year trip to Westminster Woods. Please support our 8th grade by purchasing concessions at our CYO basketball games:
Sat. 2/3/24 10:30-3:30
Sat. 3/2/24 10:30-3:30
In addition, please save the date, March 28, 2024, for Spaghetti Bingo!
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me through ParentSquare, email: beth.nolan@shorelineunified.org, or by phone at 415-663-1014 or 415- 598-9703.
Go Wildcats!
All the best,
Beth