Marin School Newsletter: October 8, 2026

Dear Marin Families,

Thank you to all who joined for our celebration of Rick Santos on Wednesday! Rick, who is retiring after 28 &1/2 years at Marin, was moved and grateful for all the love. We were grateful to have our last two Marin Principals (Alexia Ritchie and Melisa Pfohl) to mark the occasion. Rick has been a central part of our school since 1998 and we will miss him once he retires at the end of this month. 

Help us find a fabulous 4th grade teacher 

Mr. Andrew will not be returning to Marin this year. Yana Brewsala, who is already a valued member of our Marin staff and also a parent in our Marin community, has agreed to serve as Room 21’s long-term substitute while we recruit for a fourth-grade teacher for the remainder of the school year.

Please share the posting for our fourth-grade position with anyone you think may be a good fit for our Marin community. https://www.edjoin.org/Home/JobPosting/2282298

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 - 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. So far we have one parent and need at least a few more. Thank you for considering!

Picture Days – next Thursday and Friday, 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

​ 

I hope you have a fabulous long weekend and we look forward to seeing you again next Tuesday. 

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!  LAST TWO DAYS! 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. ​

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. ​

Yonsei Fundraiser Wednesday, November 4th from 11:30-3 and 5-9:30, Yonsei Handrolls will donate 20% of sales to Marin Elementary!  Join your fellow Marin families for a delicious lunch or dinner out and support a local business and our PTA too! ​

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!

Emergency Forms - Last Call

If you get a reminder message from ParentSquare, 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. 

SWANA Diwali Celebration Southwest Asian and North African Parent Engagement Group is hosting a Diwali celebration on Nov. 1, 4:30 - 6:30pm in the Ocean View MPR. ​ AUSD & Community Events & Announcements The AUSD Events & Announcements page features districtwide events and opportunities for AUSD students and families.  ​ Superintendent's Community Update Community Update from the Superintendent – September - October 2026 ​