Dear Marin Families,

Thank you to all of our families for making the time to attend Parent - Teacher Conferences this week. We know it can be challenging to adjust work and family schedules, and we truly appreciate your effort to ensure these conversations are protected and meaningful. These individual meetings are an important part of building strong partnerships between home and school, and these partnerships help every child grow and thrive.

You may also be interested in information shared at this week’s Board meeting about our WIN (What I Need) time. This dedicated time allows us to provide differentiated instruction and targeted support so each student receives what they need to succeed. In addition, our district is working hard on piloting new English Language Arts instructional materials that will further strengthen learning opportunities and achievement for all students. Please see this link (starting at 1:10) to watch the AUSD Vital Signs presentation at this week’s board meeting. The information shared here helps explain our context and how we are moving forward with WIN time and curriculum in our district.

We have an academic calendar for the 2026-27 school year! Please see the attached pdf calendar as well as a link below in the Quick Links section of this newsletter. This calendar was adopted at this week’s Board meeting.

Wishing all of our students and families a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving break. We hope you enjoy the time with loved ones, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back soon!

Melisa Pfohl, Principal

This Giving Tuesday, Make an Impact at Marin!
Giving Tuesday is December 2, and we invite you to consider supporting Marin Elementary PTA. Our PTA plays a vital role in uniting families, teachers and staff to support our children’s success and build a strong, inclusive school community.

We're raising funds for in-class enrichment and support like classroom supplies, assemblies, PE equipment, emergency supplies, and field trips. We also fund community-building events such as our talent show, movie nights, the 5th-grade picnic, international potluck, STEM Day, and more.

These programs fall outside the school district’s budget, so your contribution really matters.

How to give:

Join the PTA as a member, or simply make a donation, at www.marinschoolpta.org. 

Many employers offer corporate matching—check with your company to see if your donation can be matched and make an even bigger impact.

Committees to Get Involved In

We’re looking for a parent and/or community member to participate in the AUSD Facilities Steering Committee. This committee will take a look at how space is used in our district, and specifically at Marin. This committee will also help prioritize site improvement projects at our school.

We’re also looking for more people to join our School Site Council. This committee plays a vital role in shaping our school’s goals, reviewing academic data, allocating certain school funds, and helping to guide programs that support student learning and well-being. 

If you’re interested in either of these opportunities, please email Principal Pfohl at mpfohl@ausdk12.org.

Food Bank Donations

Thanks to Ms. Dunigan and her 2nd grade class for organizing our Holiday Gift of Food Drive! It's a wonderful opportunity to discuss kindness and helping others in addition to giving the children a chance to participate. We just ask that it's non-perishable - no fresh fruit, veggies, milk products etc. If your child would like to bring something, they may drop it off before school or during recess in the box outside of the office. 

Free Weather Station Science Event The Science Olympiad Team is running another great science event: Weather Stations! SciOly will have Interactive lab stations on clouds, rain, useful tools for measuring weather, and more! If your child is interested in attending the event, sign up here. If you are interested in volunteering to bring snacks or drinks for the kids, sign up here (no allergens, please!) Sunday, November 23, 10am–1pm at Albany Middle School. Please arrive at 10am, and stay as long as you like! If anything changes, we will contact registrants via email. Questions? Email the SciOly Div A Leadership Team at scioly.div.a@gmail.com. AEF First Mondays at Little Star Pizza Little Star Pizza will donate 10% of all sales — take-out and dine-in — to Albany Education Foundation on Monday, Dec. 1st, and every first Monday of the month. Warm up with some delicious food from Little Star! AEF funds grants for teachers. Thank you for supporting Little Star Pizza and Albany Education Foundation! Making College Affordable: FAFSA & Early Financial Planning  Join the Asian Pacific Islander Parent Engagement Group (API-PEG) on Thursday, December 11 at 7pm via Zoom for valuable insights and an interactive discussion (a Q&A section will be included) with the expert, Mike Nie. Mike specializes in family-centered tax and real-estate strategies, with deep expertise in college cost planning. You may join API-PEG Google Group by filling out this form. Join API-PEG Group email by filling out this form.  You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram. If you have any questions, please email AlbanyAPIparents@gmail.com. Superintendent's Community Update Click here for the Superintendent's Community Update.