Sausalito Marin City School District

We are excited to welcome all students, families and staff back to the second year of our unified school and the 22-23 school year. Our focus for this year is a positive school culture and climate, positive behavior, and improvement in academic and social emotional learning. We will focus on implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention Systems (PBIS) and Kimochis as our main strategies to realize this goal. Please carefully review the PBIS handbook in this packet as a family and sign and return
the acknowledgment page so that you and your children are clear on our behavior management system. We will continue to have small class sizes to support students in mitigating learning loss and continue to focus on project based learning, climate and social justice. Although last year presented several challenges we have a balanced budget with a larger financial reserve today than at our adopted budget in June. We were one of two school districts awarded a grant by Dedication to Special Education for staff training, development and coaching on inclusive practices by nationally recognized trainer Sam Drazin from Changing Perspectives. This intensive professional learning and coaching has launched on our elementary campus and will be ongoing over the next two years. We have contracted with Michaels Transportation to provide Bus service for the 22-23 school year
and will have a morning, afternoon, and 6pm runs at the same bus stops and times serviced last year. We have partnered with Bridge the Gap to support implementation of the PEACE Afterschool program for the 22-23 school year. Program will run before and after school from 7:30- 6pm every day school is in session, and from 8am-6pm everyday that is not a federal holiday, during Thanksgiving, Christmas, Midwinter, and Spring Breaks. The PEACE program will be free of charge for all students and there is enough space for all who wish to participate. The PEACE program will remain focused on enrichment with partnerships with The Peoples Conservatory, Arts Plus, Play Marin, Sausalito Park and Rec and the Bay Area Discovery Museum, Bridge the Gap will support program coordination, implementation, and communication and provide academic intervention and homework support. Organic free breakfast and lunch for all students will continue in the 22-23 school year. We will focus on building confidence in our day to day operations and ensuring we are providing multiple opportunities for our community to communicate with the district. We will regularly send updates after board meetings of board actions and the impacts of those actions in writing as well as launch the Sausalito Marin City News Network (SMCNN) to ensure clear reporting regarding the actions of the Board of Trustees. We are excited to get your feedback on the design of the new elementary school at our Nevada campus and to move forward into the construction phase on the new field at the Phillips campus. We still need your help as volunteers and your support of our district foundation Rise Up 94965! Thank you for choosing the Sausalito Marin City School District as the place to educate your children. Your commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will continue to be a defining element of our school district.

 

Sincereley,

 

 

Itoco Garcia, Ed.D.

Superintendent

At Dr. MLK Jr. Academy, the focus for the school year is on culture and climate and enhanced instruction. School climate speaks to creating positive relationships and engagement throughout the school campus and beyond.  MLK students are demonstrating PRIDE - Pride, Respect, Integrity, Determination and Excellence and the MLK Way!

Through Prevention and Early Intervention funding provided by the County of Marin, the school district is collaborating with Performing Stars/Phoenix Project. This partnership provides additional staff support and community collaboration to develop a shared vision for services that includes cultural competence by building the capacity of caregivers, administrators and teachers to respond to the social-emotional needs of their students through trainings, participation in coordination of services, and linkage to resources. Our community school manager, school based mental health clinicians, special education team, and our Student Success Coaches will all be integral resources in providing supports for students and families in order to systemically remove barriers to education and opportunity. All of our community school programs are accessible online at www.marincountycooperationteam.net

The school is also receiving funding from the Marin Community Foundation through a countywide P3 grant designed to address the achievement and opportunity gap, but also to ensure a successful pathway to college and other postsecondary opportunities. Key elements of the P3 grant include: shared vision, climate/cultural proficiency, high quality teaching and learning, instructional alignment, family engagement, and extended learning opportunities.  Bayside MLK is receiving an instructional coach to increase high quality teaching and learning and instructional alignment from class to class and grade to grade. Our commitment is to enhancing student engagement and improving student learning across the board through evidence-based instructional strategies and data-driven instruction. We have added to additional coaching intervention teachers to support academic instructiona and achievement. We will continue our partnerships with CalEd Partners in Math, and Partners in School Innovationi to support and develop our instructional leadership team and Professional Learning Communities to guide them through cycles of continuous academic improvement

We will continue to implement the Sausalito Marin City School Board approved strategic Arts Education Five Year Plan for MLK students. The Arts Education Plan was developed through a collaboration with community partners and is reflected in our LCAP and by the hiring of two Art teachers. The Strategic Arts Education Five Year Plan aligns with the district’s Local Control and Accountability Plan by laying out goals, strategies, and budgetary targets for providing BMLK students with arts education and tools intended to also spark excellence in the other core academic areas and, ultimately, instill a passion that will motivate students through high school and beyond. For the 2022-23 school year we are in the third year of the restoration plan and have made great progress!

Recognizing that schools are strengthened when they work together to share best practices, Bayside-Martin Luther King Jr. and Willow Creek Academies unified and have become one school on two campuses.  The school is now called Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy