Hello Rancho Families,

Happy Friday! Here are this week’s updates and reminders as we wrap up another great week at Rancho Elementary.

Whole School Updates

Across all grade levels, we are working on learning and practicing traditional playground games. We’ve noticed many of our students don't know how to play games like tetherball, handball, two-touch soccer, wall ball, or four square. Explicitly teaching these rules and sportsmanship builds positive social connections, keeps everyone included, and improves play overall on the yard.

Safety continues to be our top priority every single day. Here is a reminder of the daily protocols we have in place:

There is no school for students this coming Monday, October 12th. Our teachers will be participating in a Professional Development day, focused on Benchmark ELA curriculum 

1st Grade Updates

Starting next week, we are making a change to our 1st grade schedule. Students will now play first and eat their snack/ lunch afterward. This gives them full time to play, plenty of time to sit and finish eating, and will help improve overall expectations and behavior on the yard.

Please note that the grass is now off-limits to 1st grade during recess to support safer supervision and structured play.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Have a wonderful long weekend!

Warmly,

AnnaMaria Young

Principal

Deborah Robles has been part of the Rancho community for an incredible 30 years and has worked in education for 32 years. Currently teaching 4th grade, Deborah loves making a difference in the lives of her students. Originally from Berkeley, she is married with two grown children and has two sisters. Outside of school, Deborah enjoys cooking, reading, and taking vacations with her family. One of her favorite ways to relax is enjoying a weekend coffee in her backyard by the fire pit. She also loves watching Dancing with the Stars and American Idol!

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.