Dear Marin Families,

I want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to our wonderful families for your generous food donations to the food bank and for your thoughtfulness in helping make our Teacher Appreciation lunch so special on Tuesday! Your kindness and support mean so much to our staff and truly reflect the caring spirit of our school community. 

In the new year, our counseling intern, Malia White, is hoping to offer a 6-week support group for students whose families are or have experienced divorce or separation. The proposed group will focus on helping students build coping skills, express their feelings in healthy ways, and connect with peers who may be going through similar experiences. Decisions about the number of groups and the grade levels served will depend on overall interest. If you would like to learn more or express interest, please submit this Google Form. *Please note that submitting interest does not guarantee a space in the group as availability is limited. 

As we head into the holiday break, I wish you and your loved ones a restful, joyful holiday season and a very happy New Year. There will be no Marin Morning in January, but we look forward to seeing you again in February. Until then, enjoy the break and stay well!

Have a great winter break!

Melisa Pfohl, Principal

Online Moonlight Auction for Summer Camps!

The PTA's Summer Camp Auction is this January 9th January 16th! Bid on the incredible summer camps generously donated by businesses in our community. This is part of Marin's annual Moonlight Auction, which is the PTA's biggest fundraiser. Please bid generously and early, as 100% of the proceeds go towards supporting Marin school! 

Marin's Got Talent

Next Year’s Academic Calendar

We have an academic calendar for the 2026-27 school year! You can also find the calendar via a link below in the Quick Links section of this newsletter. This calendar was adopted at the Nov. 18 Board meeting.

Committee 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.

If you’re interested in this opportunity, please email Principal Pfohl at mpfohl@ausdk12.org.

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, Jan. 5th, and every first Monday of the month. Celebrate the first day back to school with some delicious food from Little Star! AEF funds grants for teachers. Thank you for supporting Little Star Pizza and Albany Education Foundation! Be A Writer Coach! WriterCoach is recruiting parent volunteers for the Thursday and Friday I-Search coaching sessions January 15 through March 13, 2026. We are looking for new volunteers to join WriterCoach Connection to work with AMS 8th graders to provide support as they work on their I-Search, a major research project. The coaching time commitment is one two-hour block per week, either Thursday or Friday, during school hours, for eight weeks. (Some four-week-only options are available.) You indicate your availability, and we put you on a team that fits your schedule. Coaches meet sequentially one-on-one with three students at each session. WriterCoach Connection is a wonderful opportunity for “word people” to share their love of writing with students — you don’t need to be a teacher, writer, or editor to coach. You’ll be joining a group of experienced coaches and a site coordinator, who can all mentor you as you learn the ropes. Contact Jane at jane@writercoachconnection.org.  Superintendent's Community Update Click here for the Superintendent's Community Update.