Dear Bolinas-Stinson Community,
TOUR TO LEARN, THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2023, 5:00-6:30 PM, BOLINAS CAMPUS (DINNER SERVED AT 5:00)
We hope you can join us for a fun-filled family evening! The BSUSD Tour to Lean is a hands-on adventure for families to tour the Bolinas Campus, meet our amazing staff, and experience a little bit of hands-on learning Pre-K-8th grade. There will be live music, free pizza and salad (from 5:00-5:30 PM). At 5:30 we will send families to their child’s classroom to pick up a map and see all the amazing things we do here at the Bolinas-Stinson School. Your child will be your personal tour guide as they take you on a treasure hunt, where discovery and laughter is the prize. See you there!
TEACHER PLACEMENTS FOR THE 2023-24 SCHOOL YEAR
After careful consideration and in depth discussion, our BSUSD Trustees approved the 2023-24 and 2024-25 Class Configurations at the last board meeting. The approval of this model gives teachers more stability and time to prepare for next year and the following school year. We are hopeful that there will be no impactful events or significant enrollment changes that affect this plan. We would like to share the following placements before the Tour to Learn so that families may visit classrooms and meet next year’s teacher during the upcoming event. Below are the instructional staff placements for next year:
Pre-K & TK ~ Julie Hartman, Pre-K Director & TK Teacher; Omar Rifkin, Pre-K Instructor & TK Support; Nicole Amanson, Pre-K Instructor & TK Support
Kindergarten ~ Karen Buckenmeyer, Teacher & Joy Von Thaer, Paraeducator
1st Grade ~ Lauren Pollak, Teacher & Kathy Oakander, Paraeducator
2nd & 3rd Grade ~ Rachael Dressler, Teacher & Colin Schlitt, Paraeducator
4th & 5th Grade ~ Anna Tosick, Teacher & Charlie Lopez-Alvarado, Paraeducator
6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Math & Science ~ Zach Metz & Ilie Watterson supporting math
6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Humanities ~ ML Bryan
Teacher on Special Assignment supporting Grades 2-5, Willow Regnery
Bi-literacy Teacher, English Language Development Teacher, and Family Liaison ~ Gabriela Fuentes
Performing Arts Teacher ~ Julia Chanin
Physical Education Teacher ~ To be determined
Art Shop Specialists ~ Multimedia, Nuria Lee; Painting & Drawing, Janis Yerington; Ceramics, Charlie Lopez Alvarado; Steam Enhanced Wood Shop, Oliver Whitcroft
Library & Counseling ~ Grace Godino
2022-23 GOLDEN BELL RECIPIENTS
Congratulations to this year’s Golden Bell Recipients ~ Gabriela Fuentes, Bi-literacy Teacher, and Kelly Onorato, PE Specialist! This honor is extra special because they were chosen by other staff members as exemplifying outstanding dedication to our students and having a positive impact on our school community each and every day. They will be recognized in a countywide ceremony on Thursday, May 25, at 4:30 PM at Dominican University’s Angelico Hall. Well done Gabriela and Kelly!
ALL STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK ~MAY 15-19TH ~ SHOW THE LOVE!
We will be acknowledging our fantastic classified and certificated staff together during the week of May 15-19th. This is an important time to recognize the people who work so hard to create an amazing learning environment for our students! Every small gesture of gratitude is appreciated by our teachers, paraeducators, specialists, bus drivers, and support staff. I see firsthand how hard our staff works every day and it brings me so much joy to witness the outpouring of love and support from our parent community. Please reach out to your child’s classroom room parent to see how you can help make this week extra special.
CALLING ALL GARDENERS ~ COME JOIN THE FUN AND GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY!
We have big plans for our school gardens and would love some additional parent volunteers willing to get their hands dirty. If you are interested in lending a hand or a green thumb, please reach out to our wonderful parent, Courtney Barend, who is helping to bring our school gardening program to life at cbarend@bolinas-stinson.org.
8th GRADE GRADUATION VOLUNTEERS
Are you interested in helping make our 8th Grade Graduation something special for our graduates to remember? Please reach out to Ilie Watterson at iwatterson@bolinas-stinson.org for ways you can get involved and support this special event.
PRE-K & KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION NIGHT, MAY 10TH, ON THE STINSON CAMPUS, 5:00-6:00 PM
If you have an incoming Pre-K, TK, or Kindergarten student, please join us at the upcoming Pre-K & Kindergarten Registration Information Night. Teachers will be sharing information about their programs, classrooms, and registration packets will be available. Hope to see you there!
CAASPP TESTING ~ DURING THE MONTH OF MAY, GRADES 3-8
Third through eighth grade students will be participating in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) during the month of May. They will begin by becoming comfortable with taking practice tests the first week of May, then will complete the English Language Arts and Math Assessments.
You can help prepare your child by making sure they get plenty of rest and eat a good breakfast. Please try to get your child to school on time and schedule appointments outside of school hours. Please contact your child’s teacher if you are interested in sending in a nutritious snack for your child’s class. This treat is always appreciated by the students!
Please let me know if you have any questions about how we administer the CAASPP test at our school. You can get more information about CAASPP testing by going to CAASPP.org.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Michelle