Marin School Newsletter: October 2, 2026

Special Marin Morning this Wednesday! Our beloved head custodian, Rick Santos, is retiring after 28 & ½ years here at Marin. You may have heard about this from your children, but we will be surprising him with signs, speeches, and thoughts from our students. In addition, because he loves reggae, we’ll be singing Three Little Birds together. Kinder will also be performing.  I hope you can join in the celebration and sing with us. And I look forward to coffee with any of you who would like to stay after.

Serve on Marin’s School Site Council!

Did you know that there is an elected group at our school that works with the principal and teachers to determine how state funds will be spent to improve the academic success of our students? It is called the School Site Council (SSC). The Site Council is the principal’s advisory group and is pivotal in determining actions and making budget decisions to help students. 

Meetings are held on Tuesdays from 4:00-5:30pm. This year, meetings will be Dec. 8th, Jan. 19th, March 2nd, and Apr. 20th, with an additional meeting added in May if needed to finalize the site plan and budget. Please complete this form if you are interested in serving on the School Site Council this year.

Thank you for all the ways you continue to support your children and our teachers. October is a busy month and we appreciate your care as they continue their hard work.

With appreciation,

Ginger

New to the Marin Community?

Wondering how to get involved, or what the PTA is? We're parents, teachers, and staff working together to support our students and build a strong Marin school community! There are two easy ways to get involved:

1. Become a PTA member. Membership makes up a significant portion of our funding, with no expectations or commitments attached. It often comes with perks too, like free movie night tickets! And it's tax-deductible as a non-profit donation.

2. Sign up to volunteer. We'll reach out throughout the year for both specific and general opportunities, big or small.  Right now we need folks to sign up here for a shift at the upcoming STEM Event on October 24th, more details below.

Mark your calendars and join us for these upcoming PTA events!

Tea Collection Fundraiser: NOW!  Get up to 20% off when you shop at the Tea Collection between Sept 30 - Oct. 10 with code SDF26MARIN. 15% of all sales will be donated to the PTA. ​

Ocean View’s Fall Festival THIS WEEKEND!  Ocean View School invites Marin and Cornell families to join their Fall Festival on Saturday, October 3rd, 11am – 3pm. This event brings students and families together from across the district for a day of games, activities, food, and fun!  New this year is live music, roving circus entertainment, and a storyteller! ​

Marin Gardening Meetup

Join us on the first Sunday of the month, October 4th, from 9 - 11am for a Marin Gardening meetup. We'll help plant, weed, and do general gardening support around the school. Everyone is welcome! Contact jordan.sapp@gmail.com with any questions.

—The Marin Gardening Committee

Lost & Found Donation: 

The PTA will be donating all items from the Lost & Found after Marin Morning Wednesday, October 7. Please stop by the hooks near the blue tables and see if anything there is yours before we donate it!

STEM Day, October 24th The PTA-sponsored STEM Day event is back by popular demand. Happening at Marin School on Saturday, October 24th, 11am - 1pm this is a FREE day full of learning and exploring for the whole family, including lunch!  We need a lot of volunteers to pull this off so please sign up here. ​

Community Partners

• Sports Basement: Sign up for a Sports Basement Basementeer Membership and select "Marin Elementary School" as your charity — 10% of your purchases go directly back to our school, all year long!

• Giants: $15 off Giants tickets AND $5 to Marin PTA with code MARIN

Useful Links

• About the PTA

• Join the PTA or donate here

• Volunteer with the PTA

From all of us on the Marin PTA, have a fantastic weekend!

Scholastic Book Fair

The book fair will be wrapping up soon! The last day to shop is Saturday from 12 - 4 pm. The 5th grade will also be hosting a bake sale from noon to 2pm to raise money for their camping field trip at the end of the year. We look forward to seeing you before we pack everything up and send it off to the next school!

5th grade Camp is On!

Last call! We’re waiting to hear from 15 more students. Here is the form. 

Join Our Team!

Are you interested in a part-time job at Marin School? Do you know someone else who would be a good fit? Do you know someone who might know someone who would be a good fit? We’re looking for a Yard Aide during our lunch time. Please see the attached job description and apply via EDJOIN.org. We appreciate you helping to spread the word!

Picture Days – Oct. 15 & 16

Picture Day is coming up and Blue Note Photography will be returning to Marin to take pictures on October 15th & 16th. As a reminder, the photographers will take multiple photos of each child and no order forms or payment are required on or before picture day. 

A few weeks after picture day, Blue Note will send gallery and ordering information directly to the email address you have on file in Aeries. If you expect to find an email and don’t see one, check your junk folder for anything from no-reply@gotphoto.com 

If you have any questions regarding your photos before or after picture day, you can visit blue.photo for more information or send Blue Note Photography an email at hello@blue.photo 

Help Needed For Marin's Wednesday Lunchtime Knitting Club

If you know how to do the basic knit stitch, we would love your help! Many, many students showed up to the first meeting of our new 4th/5th grade knitting club. Most of them have never knit before. If you are able to join us to help show students the basics from 12:20-12:45 on Wednesday Oct 7, please contact Julie Bussgang (jbussgang@ausdk12.org).

Lost and Found

Our lost and found is already full! Lost clothing items are hanging on the hooks outside the MPR near the blue tables. Water bottles, lunch boxes, and other lost items are on the metal shelf in the same area. Lost and found items will be cleared out and donated after the next Marin Morning (Oct. 7th). Please come by and take a look to see if your child has lost any treasures!

Emergency Forms - Last Call

If you get a reminder email, we don’t yet have your form!  These forms are critical in an emergency (like a major earthquake). We will be practicing our full-release emergency procedures in early November and it’s important to have a form for each student. Thank you for your partnership. 

Superintendent's Community Update Community Update from the Superintendent – September - October 2026 ​ Latino/x Heritage Month Celebration, October 3 Celebración Latina: Join the Latinas des Familias Saturday, Oct. 3rd from 1–4pm at Albany Middle School for a scavenger hunt and piñatas, followed by performances by students and community members. We will also raffle prizes to support our student scholarships. This event is open to all community members! ​ ​ Community Open House for AUSD's Facilities Master Plan October 7, 6-7:30pm Ocean View Elementary Library Over the past year, Albany USD has been developing a Facilities Master Plan that creates a long-term vision for upgrades to campuses throughout the district. Join District staff and the project architects at a Community Open House.  ​ AUSD & Community Events & Announcements The AUSD Events & Announcements page features districtwide events and opportunities for AUSD students and families.  ​