Community Cornerstone from NUSD Supt. Dr. Tracy Smith, June 5, 2025

Posted Date: 6/05/25 (6:00 PM)

Community Cornerstone

from Supt. Dr. Tracy Smith

June 5, 2025

Dear NUSD Community,

What a wonderful year 2024-25 has been -- our NUSD staff has worked tirelessly and with keen expertise to guide our students in their academic and social emotional development. Our site administrators have led their school communities with integrity, dedication and care. And our parents have been true partners in providing the support and perspective that a school district needs to continuously do better to serve all students.

Some of the district's key successes have been in the progress made in student outcomes.

Our schools have fewer physical altercations.
Cell phones are put away during the school day so students can thrive without distractions.
Our anti-hate speech protocols are bringing greater awareness and empathy to our campuses.
In the academic world, local assessment data in Language Arts and Math is demonstrating steady gains for all subgroups.
Three of our elementary sites were honored with California Distinguished School awards.

NUSD has so much to be proud of AND we have continued work to do.

Looking to the 2025-26 school year, we will continue to utilize and improve the strategies that bring us safer campuses focused on a culture of relationships and belonging. The wellness supports that we have in place will continue. Our key areas of focus on the teaching and learning side will include:

Proficiency Based Education
Early Literacy
English Learners
Mathematics Instruction
Systems of Support

We look forward to sharing our progress with you next year. In the meantime, let's use the next two months to rest and recover from the school year.

Hope to see you at the 4th of July parade in downtown Novato!

In Partnership,

Dr. Tracy Smith

Superintendent

A cheerful graphic announces 'Summer Break Is Almost Here!' with sun and floral elements.

A website browser window displays 'Coming Soon' on a purple background.

New Websites

This summer, Novato Unified School District and all NUSD schools are getting new, updated websites! The redesigned sites will be more user-friendly, mobile-responsive, and easier to navigate—making it simpler for families, staff, and the community to stay connected and informed. Stay tuned!

NUSD Board Meetings

Highlights from June 3, Special Board Meeting

Tuesday's Board Meeting was about honoring and recognizing students and staff!

Student Board members

Melany Perez, Marin Oaks High School
Dhanya Subramanian, Novato High School
Maddie Walker, San Marin High School

Scholar Athletes:

Claire Hannon and Dominic Scafani, Novato High School
Quincy Dean and Tyler Keehn, San Marin High School

Also recognized and honored was Nikki Lloyd on her retirement after many years of dedication to the Novato Charter School

The Board and Superintendent then recognized and honored our staff Retirees and Work Anniversaries (not all are pictured.)

📺 Missed the meeting? You can watch all these highlights and more in the full recording here.

The complete agenda found here.

A group of people stand together, some holding certificates, under a sign that reads 'Engage. Inspire. Empower.'

Announcement for an upcoming Novato Unified School District board meeting.

Upcoming Board Meeting, June 10, 2025 - 6 pm

The next board meeting is a Board Meeting on June 10, 2025, at 6 pm. The 2025-2025 Local Control and Accountability Plan and 2025-2026 Preliminary NUSD General Fund Budget will be presented.

You can watch from home on our NUSD YouTube channel.

Next Regular Board Meeting is June 24, 2025, Open Session at 6 pm.

🌟 Congratulations to Our May 2025 Modeling the Way Recipients! 🌟

We’re thrilled to celebrate our outstanding May 2025 Modeling the Way recipients! These individuals—whether classified staff, certificated staff, or administrators—exemplify leadership, dedication, and a commitment to excellence.

✨ Know someone who goes above and beyond? Parents, community members, and colleagues are encouraged to nominate deserving individuals who make a difference. The nomination form is open all school year: Modeling the Way Form.