Dear Novato Community,
COM Indian Valley Campus
Jen Larson, Ross Millerick, and I had a fabulous tour of the Indian Valley Campus! There is so much potential there, I am hoping we can make more connections, including summer school location! Jen and I are meeting with Anna Pilloton from College of Marin to discuss options. Can’t wait to learn about more partnering to support our middle school and high school students. The auto shop, machine workshop, Olympic Pool, garden/culinary and science classrooms, and the facility and grounds, in general, are absolutely beautiful. We are hoping to encourage co-enrollment and transportation for classes on the campus.
Modeling the Way on January 14, 2022
Honoring colleagues is always great fun, January was not exception! Keep the nominations coming! You can find the form to nominate here https://nusd.org/modeling-the-way/.
Michelle LeMieux – SMHS View Michelle’s video here https://youtu.be/Mg0zze-Pd90
A colleague of Michelle’s nominated her for Modeling the Way. Michelle has an outstanding work ethic, enjoys the work and the students, and is willing to take a
leadership role to support the Social Studies Department at SMHS.
Michelle LeMieux provides a variety of leadership roles.
- Serves as Co-Department Chair
- Brings the team together to share ideas, engage in honest and constructive dialogue
- Demonstrates courage to address challenging issues
- Believes in her colleagues and their abilities
- Brings the team together for the common good for students and colleagues alike
- Serves as a curriculum specialist and recreated the World History Course of Study
Above all, Michelle is a collaborator, excellent communicator, a curriculum developer extraordinaire, models respect for all, possess exceptional integrity and values, and can be counted on to lead.
Congratulations Michelle!
Alex Perez and TJ Joyce – Instructional Technology View Alex and TJ’s video here https://youtu.be/wGoAErqzDiE
Sometimes there are people who work behind the scenes and do not ever get recognized for their tremendous contributions. Alex and TJ are two such individuals that “saved the day” and restored internet at SMHS on Saturday, December 11.
Alex and TJ received a call from their Instructional Technology Director asking if they could help at SMHS. The internet was down, and the State Championship Football game was just hours away.
Alex and TJ put their skills to work at the Head End at SMHS and began to analyze the problem and get to work on restoring the internet. Rodents had eaten through the fiber optics, and they had to develop a back-up plan. There was a backup, because many years ago, Ross Millerick had designed a secondary system just in case the first system failed. Thanks Ross.
It was 2 pm in the afternoon and time was of the essence. 3000 fans would soon start converging on SMHS by 4 pm with electronic tickets that needed to be processed. Greg Irish was getting ready to live stream and filming the game, and Tom Gorman was getting ready to announce on the public address system. None of these things could have occurred were it not for the talent of Alex and TJ.
- They worked under extreme pressure
- They collaborated on resolving the issue
- They were concise, collaborative, and creative
Congratulations to Alex and TJ for their incredible character and skill set to save the day for the SMHS State Championship football game!
Trustees Approved SRO Committee Recommendations for Services
The School Resource Officer Committee worked for three months developing agreements for SRO services on our campuses. Trustees approved the recommendations as developed by the district and community partners. Captain D’Amico, former SRO herself, and I are working on an MOU between NPD and NUSD. We are delighted NPD is funding two resource officers for NUSD. Laura and Antonio will continue their work and expand as well. Agreements include the following:
- Increase services to elementary and middle schools in addition to current high school support.
- Participate in school safety planning and emergency drills.
- Assist with referrals to local providers tailored to the need of the student.
- Update SRO information on services for student, parent, and family use
- Provide services for special events, specialized programs, dances, sports, and graduation
SROs will continue to investigate criminal cases and investigations, conduct threat assessments, and support mental health crisis. They will continue to be trained to implement support for child abuse, active shooter, threat assessment, and human trafficking. SROs will be provided a confidential location on campus for interviews with students and parents to ensure privacy. You can review the January 11, 2022, Board Report and Recommendations Item 14.c. here.
We are delighted to have the security of our SROs on campus and the funding source that NPD was able to access for a 2-year period. We appreciate Trustees for approving the SRO Committee recommendations and NPD for funding two SROs to serve NUSD.
We Continue PTA Budget Meetings So Rewarding and Informational
Trustees, Leslie Benjamin, and I continue to enjoy meeting with each school’s PTA to discuss NUSD’s funding sources and priorities. The PTA leadership is stellar and the parent commitment to helping is deeply appreciated.We have been asked, “How can parents help?” We are delighted with this tremendous response.
There are several ways to support NUSD, the students, and the programs.
- Get involved at your school site through PTA and Site based Parcel Tax Committee
- Get involved in the district by applying for the Parcel Tax Oversight Committee
- Get involved as an ambassador for your school to share the assets of NUSD in your community and beyond.
- Join the district Communications Committee with Leslie Benjamin.
You may wish to participate in a Zoom Annual School Funding Forum on January 20, 2022, from 5-6:30 pm to hear from Michael Fine, Chief Executive Officer of Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) and Brooks Allen, Executive Director of the California State Board of Education.
Here is the Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81153319799?pwd=Tzl0dkF3ak8xRHVUbnpDbGsyWXBSZz09#success Webinar ID: 811 5331 9799 with this passcode – 371944. To call in, dial: 1. 408.638.0968
PTA Meetings for Budget Overview
San Jose 1/20/22 6 pm
Sinaloa 1/20/22 7 pm
Novato High 2/3/22 7 pm
Pleasant Valley 2/9/22 6 pm
San Marin TBD
Already held: Olive, Hamilton, Rancho, Lu Sutton, San Ramon, Loma Verde, Lynwood
Looking forward to our time together to discuss the budget. Your input is appreciated.
Respectfully,
Jan La Torre-Derby, Ed.D.
Superintendent