Dear Families,

At our school, creating an environment where every student gets the exact academic, emotional, and social support they need to thrive is my highest priority. I want to share how our team is enhancing our support systems to better serve our students, along with ways you can get involved in our school community.

Aligning Our Support Systems (MTSS & COST) We are actively refining our Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), which is the framework we use to coordinate academic, behavioral, and social-emotional care. Our greatest strength is our multidisciplinary team of specialists, including:

Through our collaborative Coordination of Services Team (COST) process, these specialists meet regularly to analyze student data, triage needs, and deliver targeted interventions so every student gets the right support at the right time.

Get Involved: SSC, ELAC, and PBIS Strong family partnership is vital to our students' success, and I invite you to collaborate with us. Many of our MTSS processes, system updates, and student progress data are shared directly during our School Site Council (SSC) and English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) meetings. I encourage all parents to attend, review data with us, and share your perspective.

Additionally, I am actively looking for parent representatives to join our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team. PBIS is our school-wide framework for defining, teaching, and reinforcing positive behaviors, and having parents on this team ensures that our school climate reflects our shared community values.

Operational Updates to Campus Resources As part of our broader system updates, we are also making structural improvements to specific student resources. Currently, the Eagle’s Nest is temporarily under construction as we transition its function into a more systematic resource. While the Eagle’s Nest will continue to serve as a quiet, supportive alternative space during recess for mental health, problem-solving, and positive peer connection, we are establishing structured entry criteria and systematic tracking. Our Wellness Coach will document attendance and progress during these visits to ensure alternative recess opportunities directly support each student's growth goals.

I deeply appreciate your continued trust, partnership, and engagement as we build stronger, data-informed systems for all our students. 

Warmly,

AnnaMaria Young

Principal

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be visiting our 3rd and 4th grade classrooms to teach practical strategies for preventing and handling bullying situations.

Here is a quick overview of what we’ll be covering together:

What exactly is bullying?

Bullying is formally defined as behavior consisting of:

(1) repeated actions or threats

(2) a power imbalance, and

(3) intention to cause harm

*For behavior to be considered bullying, all three components must be present.

What bullying is not:

If you suspect bullying: 

This year's Art and Garden classes kicked off in September with K-5 and Rancho’s Special Day classes. Our first lessons covered lines and color and their importance in art. Ms. Amelia and Ms Stephanie talked about the color wheel and color mixing with the 3-5th graders. For the younger grades we read the picture book, “Mixed: A Colorful Story” by Arree Chung, then the students created their own unique thumbprint stamp portraits. We explored the Rancho garden as the season changes to Fall. Next month, we’ll discuss the artist Yayoi Kusama and explore some of her artwork. 

We are looking forward to another fantastic year with our budding Rancho artists.

-Ms. Amelia and Ms. Stephanie.

We've noticed an uptick in tardies and absences lately. Everyday counts, and every minute matters! Thank you for helping your student arrive at school on time and ready to learn. We truly appreciate your students' regular attendance. We love having our Rancho Eagles here! 

Also, looking ahead, please take a moment to review our official Novato Unified School District Calendar and work to plan family vacations during scheduled school breaks, which include November 23 - 27, 2026, December 21, 2026 - January 4, 2027, February 15 - 19, 2027 and April 5 - 9, 2027. NUSD School Calendar 2026-2027

Having your students here each day makes a big difference. We love seeing them learning and growing with us. Thank you for being here and for your continued support!

If your student will be absent, please let us know each day by using one of the following options:

You can find a lot of information on Parent Square, include our school directory. You will find it among other helpful links. Pic attached to indicate the links you can find.