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Principal's Message

Posted Date: 08/21/26 (02:35 PM)
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Dear Families,


We have had a wonderful first three days of school. Students and teachers have been excited to connect with each other as we start the year. You can literally feel the enthusiasm in the air! Students have spent time getting to know one another and have started to develop their classroom communities. Fostering a caring classroom community where all students feel welcome, have a sense of belonging, a connection to others and feel valued, empowers them to be active participants in their learning and ultimately thrive. At Strawberry Point, we put great emphasis on building community.


Traffic Duty

Many thanks to the PTA for covering traffic duty each morning and afternoon for the first three days of school. 


I would like to remind families of our guidelines and procedures regarding drop off:


“DROP, DON’T STOP” (Mornings only)

  • Before you leave home, make sure that children have their bags with them in the car, not in the trunk 

  • The DROP OFF LANE is located in the front of the school

    • To ensure student safety, and facilitate traffic flow, drop off ONLY at the CURB ZONE

    • Do not leave your vehicle unattended in the DROP OFF ZONE during DROP OFF AND PICK UP times 

Please adhere to the "Follow the Leader" plan during drop-off in the morning:

  • Drive your vehicle single file to the drop-off lane 

  • The traffic volunteers will direct you to move down the curb as far as possible

  • Once you have moved as far down as possible, stop directly behind the car in front of you. Traffic volunteers will be on the curb to assist your children.

  • Have your child open the door ON THE PASSENGER SIDE ONLY and exit the vehicle onto the curb.  PLEASE DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR TO ASSIST THEM. This is a safety issue, as you will be exiting your vehicle into moving traffic.  

  • Once your passengers have safely exited your vehicle, carefully pull away from the curb into the drive lane and exit the parking area, giving right of way to pedestrians and vehicles pulling out in front of you.


Also, please use the designated crosswalks when walking through the school parking lot. 


Thank you for your attention and for keeping our parking lot and crosswalks safe.


Thank you PTA!

A big THANK YOU to the PTA for organizing and providing lunch for the staff today!

Back to School Night Update

We’re excited to welcome families to our upcoming Back to School Night on Thursday, September 3rd at 6:00pm. To accommodate families who have students in 1st–5th grade at other elementary schools in the district, we will be hosting a separate TK Back to School Night from 5:00pm to 5:45pm.


A Message from Safe Routes to School

Welcome to a new school year! This fall, Marin Safe Routes to Schools is bringing all of our activities together under one theme: Community & Consistency.


Community means inviting friends, neighbors, or classmates to walk, roll, bike, park and walk, or carpool to school together. Consistency means making active and shared transportation part of your weekly routine and not just something you do on event days. Together, these simple choices help build healthier habits, reduce traffic around campus, contribute to green travel with less pollution, and create stronger school communities.


To support those habits, we are also excited to introduce new Suggested Route Maps for 36 public schools. Developed over the past year with input from traffic engineers, school staff, parents, and local agencies, these maps suggest walking and rolling routes to campus. We encourage families to practice your child’s route together and review important safety habits, including using safe crossings, wearing a properly fitted helmet, and following local traffic laws.


Throughout the fall, we will celebrate active transportation with four countywide activities:

• September 16 – Walk & Roll Back to School Day

• October 7 – International Walk to School Day

• November 18 – Ruby Bridges Walk & Roll to School Day

• Submit by Nov 1 – Buddy Up Contest


As always, safety comes first. In Marin, students must be 16 years or older to ride a Class 2 throttle e-bike or an e-scooter. Please help keep younger students safe by choosing age-appropriate ways to travel that are in compliance with local law. Learn more here.


Let’s set the tone for the year by making active and shared travel part of our school culture. Whether you walk with your child, encourage them to bike, or team up with other families for carpools, you are helping create a safer, stronger community.

Raising the Bar

We are proud to partner with Raising the Bar, a county-wide initiative committed to keeping youth events substance-free through policy that prohibits adult drinking or drug use at youth-centered events.


Research shows that parents and caregivers play a powerful role in shaping young people’s attitudes and decisions around alcohol and other substance use. By working together, we can make a lasting impact on the health and well-being of our youth – reducing the short- and long-term consequences of underage substance use for adolescents, families, and our broader community.


Raising the Bar, a program of Marin Healthy Youth Partnerships works in collaboration with Marin Prevention Network, Marin County Office of Education, Marin Health and Human Services, Marin schools, youth sports teams and organizations and other local community based organizations. Together, we aim to shift norms around substance use and encourage healthy choices by promoting positive adult role modeling.


We request that all adults abstain from using alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other substances at youth-centered events, during youth sports competitions, and at team celebrations. By collectively promoting healthy behaviors, we can support a safer, healthier environment for all youth.


To learn more, please visit rtbmarin.org or email lisa@mhyp.org.


Thank you for your support in helping our young people thrive.


Back to School Picnic

Just a quick reminder that our Back to School Picnic is happening this evening! We hope you can join us at the Strawberry Recreation Center from 4:30pm–8:00pm.

Looking forward to seeing you there!


Have a wonderful weekend!


Sincerely,

Kimberley


Superintendent's Message

Dear Mill Valley School District Families,

Please accept my warm and enthusiastic welcome to the Mill Valley School District, whether you’re returning for another year or joining the Mill Valley school community for the first time.

Our teachers, staff, and administrators have been working diligently to prepare for the year ahead. We are committed to providing every student with a safe, inclusive, and engaging environment where they can learn, grow, and thrive.

This year brings many exciting opportunities across our schools. Following facility improvements at Strawberry Point and Tam Valley last year, we are pleased to continue investing in our schools with facility improvements at Old Mill and Park Elementary Schools this year. There have been infrastructural improvements as well as beautiful new playground equipment for our littlest students to enjoy.

At our elementary schools, we are excited to launch a pilot program for a potential new elementary mathematics curriculum adoption. This pilot will give our teachers an opportunity to explore and evaluate new instructional materials while helping us determine what will best support student learning in mathematics.

At Mill Valley Middle School, our administrative team is beginning its second year together, following a strong first year focused on building a stronger sense of community and belonging. We look forward to continuing that important work and further strengthening the Panther Proud culture across the school as we navigate this exciting period of transition and growth.

We are also excited to share that work on the Mill Valley Middle School project has begun, and construction of the interim campus is underway. We anticipate that students will move into the interim campus after winter break, marking an important milestone as we move forward with the renovation of the current campus.

As part of the relocation of middle school students and staff, the District Office will also be making a temporary move. Between August 25 and August 28, portions of the District Office team will relocate to Building F at Edna Maguire Elementary School. Beginning August 31, the following staff will work from the Edna Maguire site:

  • Human Resources & Special Education: Erin Conklin

  • Human Resources Specialists: Cyd Amaral and Annette Gamboa

  • Business Services: Sue Murphy

  • Accounts Payable/Receivable: Dietrich Carver

  • Payroll & Benefits: Patty Martinez

  • Educational Services: Jennifer Ramsey

I will remain at the current office located at 411 Sycamore with my Executive Assistant, the Assistant Superintendent and her Executive Assistant, the Director of Educational Services, and the Registrar, until the Middle School has been relocated into interim housing.

During the transition, staff will be packing and unpacking their offices while continuing to manage their regular responsibilities. Please use email to contact the staff listed above regarding any urgent matters between August 25 and September 4. 

You, our parents and caregivers, play a vital role in creating and maintaining strong partnerships between home and school. These partnerships are essential to student success. We invite you to stay connected, get involved, and reach out with questions, ideas, or feedback throughout the year.

Above all, our goal is to ensure that every student, and every adult who works with our students,  finishes each day feeling happy and proud of something they’ve achieved, no matter how big or small.

Thank you for your continued trust, partnership, and support.