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Community Cornerstone from Supt. Dr. Tracy Smith - May 8, 2025

Posted Date: 5/08/25 (9:00 PM)
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Community Cornerstone

from Supt. Dr. Tracy Smith

May 8, 2025
Let the celebrations continue!

Dear NUSD Community,

As we know, the end of the year celebrations have begun. The NISA (Novato Inspirational Student Achievement) Awards and the Reclassification Ceremony took place at the end of April.

Celebrating students is also honoring the incredible work and dedication to our school staff to support and elevate our youth! Included in our staff honorees this year are our Golden Bell Honorees:

Certificated

Hamilton TK-8 School - Brian McCoy.
Loma Verde Elementary - Leslie Robertson
Lu Sutton Elementary School - Mimi Ratto
Lynwood Elementary - Jasmin Amezquita Roque
Olive Elementary School - Karen Green
Rancho Elementary School - Catherine Falzon
Pleasant Valley Elementary School - Sandy O'Brien
San Ramon - Fiona Gilmartin
San Jose Middle School - Maria Krot
Sinaloa Middle School - Sue Halstead
Novato High School - Michelle Sanner
San Marin High School - Jennifer Carlomagno

Classified
Hamilton TK-8 School - Oralia Staton
 Loma Verde Elementary School - Saul Diaz Deleon
Lu Sutton Elementary School - Laura Rogers
Lynwood Elementary School - Sandra Guzman
Olive Elementary School - Emma Jimenez Gonzalez
Pleasant Valley Elementary School - Becca Tourn
San Ramon Elementary School - Mira Brownfield
San Jose Middle School - Karen Dugdale
Sinaloa Middle School - Mary O'Keeffe
Novato High School - Shannon Morgan Miller
San Marin High School - Veronica Escamilla
Hill Education Center - Tania Badias

Cheers to students and honorees!

In Partnership,
Dr. Tracy Smith
Superintendent
A group of students stand on a stage, holding certificates for the Novato Inspirational Student Achievement Awards (NISA).
 

Chromebook Safety Alert

We want to make families aware of a concerning trend involving intentional damage to district-issued Chromebooks. Some students are mimicking unsafe social media challenges that involve inserting metal objects into USB ports, which can result in electrical shorts, sparks, or even fire. This behavior poses a serious safety risk.

Any student who intentionally damages or tampers with their Chromebook will be held financially responsible for the full replacement cost of the device ($250). This behavior also violates Board Policy 6163.4 (Student Use of Technology) and may result in disciplinary action.

We ask that you speak with your student about the dangers of this behavior and encourage them to report any unsafe activity to a trusted adult. Thank you.
 

NUSD Board Meetings

Highlights from May 6, 2025, Board Meeting

Presentation Highlights:
  • Novato High AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) students recently shared their Senior Project: creating a Homework Club at Rancho Elementary School to support younger students in their learning journey. Their goal was to provide a safe, welcoming environment where students feel comfortable asking questions, making mistakes, and growing with confidence. The presentation can be found at minute 23:55.

Staff Reports:
  • Dr. Julie Synyard and Lynzie Brodhun presented a Student Assessment Data Overview. This overview included an update on differentiated assistance, Galileo assessments for ELA and Math and chronic absenteeism.The staff report can be found at minute 55:13.

  • Joshua Braff, Chief Financial Officer, presented a 2024-2025 Federal Funding Report addressing the financial education programs and grants. Those programs include Title I, Part A, Title II Part A, Title III, Title IV, Part A, IDEA, Perkins V, and Food Services. The staff report can be found at minute 1:37:55.

📺 Missed the meeting? You can watch all these highlights and more in the full recording here.
The complete agenda and reports can be found here.
Three people stand in front of a wall displaying student artwork, including paintings and masks.

Upcoming Board Meeting, May 20, 2025

Board meeting starts at 6:00 pm. You can watch from home on our NUSD YouTube channel.

The Board packet will be published on Friday, May 16, 2025.

Next Special Board Meeting June 3, 2025, at 5 pm honoring Retirees, Staff with Longevity, Student Board Members, and Student Scholar Athletes!
A purple background with a colorful starburst logo and the text 'Novato Unified School District' and 'Upcoming Board Meeting' in yellow.
 

NISA Awards

This year marked 20 years of celebrating our students with the annual Novato Inspirational Student Achievement (NISA) Award and our partnership with the Novato Chamber of Commerce. Two students from each school in grades five, eight and twelve are selected by the school's teachers who demonstrate 6 Cs of NUSD's Graduate Profile. We had a full house of students and families!
A diverse audience applauds enthusiastically from their seats in an auditorium.
A group of students stand on a stage in front of blue curtains, celebrating their achievement in English proficiency.

Reclassification Ceremony

At the end of April, we held our annual Reclassification Ceremony recognizing students who have moved from being an English Learner to being English Proficient from all schools throughout the district. In all, 161 students were recognized representing 13 languages spoken at home: Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Farsi, German, Haitian Creole French, Japanese, Latvian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Urdu! (Photo: Hamilton students)

May 1-31 Holidays and Observances

A chart listing holidays and observances for May 2025, including International Worker's Day, Mother's Day, and Memorial Day.