Jennifer Ketring

K-8 September E-Newlsetter

Happy Autumn everyone!

The school year has gotten off to a strong start, and everyone is beginning to settle into our new routines as we all relearn how to be in-person in school everyday. Thank you to everyone for your patience and support as we have gotten this new year off the ground. It is going to be an amazing year.

Please remember that if your child is sick it is very important that they stay home, and if they are exhibiting Covid symptoms they should get tested right away. Our full Covid-19 policy is on our website. Please don’t hesitate to call the school if you have any questions.

We are excited to announce that we have launched our Afterschool Reading Club from 2:15-3:15 for our 1st-4rd grade students and our STEAM Club from 3:30-5:00 for our 3rd-8th grade students. Please let your child’s teacher know if you would like them to participate in either of these programs.

Each class has begun to roll out our outdoor learning days. Your child’s teacher will let you know when and where their class will be going each week. Please let us know if you are available to help with transportation.

I look forward to seeing all of you at our Back-to-School Family Forum next Wednesday, September 22nd from 6pm-7pm. This will be a great time to ask questions, see what your child has been accomplishing, and to sign up for volunteer opportunities. In order to keep everyone safer, we are going to skip our traditional potluck meal and have the beginning of the meeting outdoors. Afterwards, families will have a chance to visit their child’s classroom and have conversations with their teacher.

Lastly, I wanted to remind everyone that there is no school on October 11th in order to acknowledge Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Please use this day to recognize the Indigenous People who have stewarded this land continuously for thousands of years.

Thank you for everything you do. Please let me know if you have questions and concerns. Take care everyone. PEACE!

-Todd Orenick, K8 Director

The Kindergarten-1st grade class has started their outdoor days at Windy Hollow Farm where they are establishing a routine of story time, nature journaling, hiking, and climbing.

Read the Full E-Newsletter
Jennifer Ketring

High School Grade Change Application: School Year 20-21

Assembly Bill (AB) 104 was signed into law on July 1, 2021, by
the Governor, to expand learning and credit recovery options for students who may

have suffered learning loss during the 2020–21 school year.

In summary, the law provides:

Section 1 (Grade Retention): Families of students who were enrolled in grades K–11 for the 2020–21 school year can submit a written request for their child to be retained in the same grade, if half of the student’s grades were deficient.

Section 2 (Grade Change to Pass/No Pass): Families of high school students can submit a Grade Change Form (provided by the LEA) to change letter grades attained during the 2020–21 school year to a Pass or No Pass grade on the student’s transcript without negatively affecting their GPA. Families must request a grade change by August 22, 2021 (complete and return this application to the school to request a change). 

Section 3 (Local Graduation Requirement Exemption): Students who were enrolled in their third or fourth year of high school during the 2020–21 school year, and who are not on track to graduate in the 2020–21 or 2021–22 school year, will be allowed to complete the California State Minimum High School Graduation Requirements pursuant to Education Code Section 51225.3. This opportunity may include, but is not limited to, completion of the courses through a fifth year of instruction, credit recovery, or other opportunity to ensure students graduate with their high school diploma. This exempts
students from completing the additional LEA-adopted high school graduation requirements.

Download the AB 104 Fact Sheet for Full Details

Jennifer Ketring

K-12 August E-Newsletter

Summer greetings!

August is here and we are gearing up for the start of the school year on the 18th. This year’s preparations are looking quite different than last year, and while we are still monitoring and remaining diligent in our efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic, we are looking forward to being in-person fulltime with all of our students this year. We are closely following local and state guidelines and have adapted those guidelines to inform our COVID protocols.

This year we are also excited to welcome new teaching staff: Lili Hillscan, TK-K-1st; Charlene Rowland, 3rd-8th After School STEAM; Andrea Mazza, 4th-12th Health & Wellness; Susan Schaefer Bernardo, High School English. Visit our website to read the bios of our new teachers (some who are new to our school community and others who are sharing their experiences in new roles). We will also be welcoming back our returning teachers this week at both the K-8 and High School sites. At K-8 Todd Orenick will be teaching our 2nd-3rd grade class while Isabel Kuniholm will be teaching Math & Science with our 4th-5th and Middle School classes. We will be temporarily filling our 4th-5th and Middle School English with a substitute while we find a long-term teacher to join our school. Our returning High School teachers include Nathan Ramser, Algebra, Biology and CLS; Beverly Battaglia, Civics & Economics, CLS and Odysseyware classes; Michele Taylor-Jones, Ceramics, 2D Studio Art & Design and Spanish 1.

Enrollment packets with detailed information for the coming school year were sent last week. Please check your mailbox and take the time to complete ALL of the information requested in the packets. I recognize it is a bit of paperwork, but all of the information is necessary to help us effectively operate our school.

I hope you have enjoyed your summer break and enjoy the last bit of time until we see everyone on the 18th. In the meantime, I encourage all of our families to participate in a virtual All School K-12 Family Forum on Monday, August 16 at 5:30. We will have site specific in-person Family Forums in September, but August 16th will be a chance for us to share more information about what to expect for this coming school year.

Take care.

-Jen Ketring, Executive Director

Read the Full E-Newsletter Here

Jennifer Ketring

High School August E-Newlsetter

Greetings Students and Families,

Welcome back to the start of the 2021-2022 school year. I hope everyone had a restful and safe summer break. We are pleased to welcome returning and new families this school year. Our plans are to offer in-person learning at the HS site this year with facial coverings and Covid-19 safety protocols in place.

Some of our students may be apprehensive or concerned about returning to school. Our goal will be everyone’s well-being. We all need to feel safe and happy in a new learning environment and it may take time to get used to in-person classes after distance learning at home. Please remember that the first few weeks will be about learning to readjust to the “New Normal” as it is a fresh start for everyone.

Teachers returned to school last Wednesday for staff development and class preparations. We have some new friendly faces to welcome to our HS team. Ms. Andrea Mazza will be our new Health & Wellness teacher and continues to support the school in her Administrative Assistant role. We are also welcoming Ms. Susan Bernardo as our new English teacher. Ms. Charlene Rowland, Agriculture teacher at PAHS, will also be helping support in Math & Science this year.

We are working in collaboration with Mendocino Office of Education (MCOE) and our local health officer to continue to monitor the health situation and adhere to Covid protocol and state guidelines. Looking forward to welcoming you all back to school in a safe, kind and respectful way.

The first week will be MAP Testing in CLS class and review of the bell school schedule, safety guidelines and rules. The first day of school is August 18th and will be a Wednesday early release schedule (see below). Thursday August 19th & Friday August 20th will be normal bell schedule. Individual schedules have been mailed (check your post box!) and emailed to school student email addresses. Please check-in with the office for any password updates with Jupiter or Gmail email school accounts.

If you have any queries or concerns please do not hesitate to contact the school. We also encourage you to attend our Virtual Family Forum tonight, Monday, August 16, at 5:30. Thank you again for your continued support in adjusting to the new way of life at school. The safety, health and well-being of our students are our main goals. The safe re-opening of the school for in-person learning is key for the success of our students’ growth as learners and global citizens.

Stay Well,
Michele Taylor-Jones, High School Director

Read the Full E-Newsletter Here

Jennifer Ketring

K-8 August E-Newsletter

Hello Everyone,

It has been such a busy summer at the K-8 site. We have been working hard to prepare our school to have students return for in-person classes. School starts on Wednesday, August 18th at 8:25a.m. I think that the first day of school is a special day and it can be fun to dress “up” for the day. It is one of the few days all year that I ever voluntarily wear a tie. Another first day tradition we have at the Pacific School is Stone Soup. Please read the story with your child and talk about what it means to you. Everyone is encouraged to bring something from home to contribute to our collective lunch. We will have a very special volunteer chef for this fun meal.

Our meal program needs parent volunteers to help prepare breakfast, and our Wednesday hot lunch. Please reach out if you can commit to a day to help keep our meal program going. Many hands make for light work. We will provide the menu, the recipes, and ingredients. All we need are the smiling volunteer faces. Thank you so much for your help!

This summer we have made many changes to our building and our playground. We have done lots of painting and reconfiguring our classroom spaces. One dramatic change on our playground is we removed the climbing wall! We were awarded a grant to purchase a brand-new ADA accessible play structure. We anticipate the construction to be completed in the middle of September, so until then, kids will have lots of extra space to run around and play.

Please take the time to review the Covid-19 protocols. Everyone will wear masks while indoors and wash their hands frequently. Masks will be optional whenever we are outdoors.

Also here is our initial schedule for the fall semester. We will begin our Outdoor Learning, Afterschool Reading and STEAM programs in early September. Additional information about these programs will be sent home soon.

I know that many of you have questions, concerns, and suggestions for the year ahead. Please plan to attend the Virtual Family Forum on Monday August 16th at 5:30 p.m. We will share information and answer any questions about the upcoming year. We encourage all families to participate!

Thank you for choosing the Pacific School. I am looking forward to an outstanding year!

-Mr. Todd, K-8 Director

Read the Full E-Newsletter Here

Jennifer Ketring

PCCS Welcomes New Teaching Staff

The Pacific School is excited to welcome new teachers for our 2021-22 school year.

Lili Hillscan, TK-Kindergarten-1st Grade Teacher. Lili earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with a focus in Education from
Humboldt State University and has taken courses on Natural Resources
Management from Santa Rosa Junior College. She has been working with children
of all ages since high school and has always planned on becoming a teacher. Lili has been a part of the Pacific School community for the past 12 years as a volunteer, parent and staff member. She has worked as a Classroom Aide, including with the Forest Kindergarten program, and most recently supported our administrative team as the K-8 Administrative Assistant. She has also
put in lots of time in the K8 kitchen helping with our breakfast and lunch program. Lili enjoys the beauty of the coast and is excited to integrate the joy of being outdoors and lessons of the natural world with our TK-K-1 class. When
she’s not working at the school, you can find her spending time with her family, being
outside, camping, hiking, and sailing, as well as working on her small family
farm.

Charlene Rowland, K-8 After School STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) Teacher. Charlene grew up farming in the beautiful Canadian prairie province Manitoba. Her mother was an artist and taught art at her elementary school. She was raised with a deep appreciation for nature and environmental health that she strives to share with her students. She has studied and worked in Agriculture for 3 decades. Charlene’s teaching credential is Career Technical Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources and she has been teaching Agriculture in Mendocino county for ten years. Charlene has taught at Anderson Valley Middle/High School, River Community School and Ukiah High School. During the past 5 years she has been teaching Plant Science and Agriculture at Point Arena High School and has been facilitating dozens of successful field trips, apprenticeships, job shadows and outdoor education experiences. Charlene enjoys backpacking, playing banjo and trail running in her free time.

Andrea Mazza, 4th – 12th Health & Wellness Teacher. Andrea earned her single subject teaching credentials in Physical Education and Health Science after a background of working in orthopedic therapies and education. Andrea earned her Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology with a concentration in Health and Wellness Promotion after earning an Associate of Science in Athletic Training/Sports Medicine. Andrea is an adventurous human and athlete, with a passion for water polo which she played competitively for many years. She’s played and coached many sports, including swimming, tennis, and beach volleyball. Andrea grew up in the foothills and valley of the Sierra Nevada mountains where she learned to love the outdoors. She joined us on the coast five years ago and was thrilled to live where she has been visiting family since she was a small child. Andrea is always up for a challenge – she once lived in Sitka, Alaska where she worked on a commercial fishing boat. Andrea would love to help develop an aquatics program here in Point Arena, because she feels it’s essential for every child to learn swimming and water safety. She’s also a certified EMT and EMR (Emergency Medical Technician/Responder), who trained at Coast Life Support District. Andrea approaches life with gusto and a true growth mindset – she believes in persevering through challenges with a sense of humor and strives to be an asset to every team she joins.


Susan Schaefer Bernardo, High School English Literature and Creative Writing Teacher. Susan brings real-world writing experience to our program, as well as impressive academic qualifications. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from UCLA, a Master’s degree in English Literature from Yale, and did her teacher training at Pepperdine. She is a published author and poet who has also worked in public relations, television and as an arts facilitator and public speaker. Her picture books are used widely to help children cope with social-emotional issues. Notably, she co-authored The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm with actor LeVar Burton. That book was read aloud to military families by former First Lady Michelle Obama and also sent to the International Space Station and read aloud by astronaut Kate Rubins for Storytime from Space. Susan successfully co-created, crowdfunded and published three more picture books—Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs, The Big Adventures of Tiny House and The Artist Who Loved Cats: The Inspiring Tale of Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen. In 2018 she released Inspired, a YA novel about a girl who discovers she is descended from Muses. Susan moved to Gualala from Los Angeles in 2020. She’s dreamed about living on the redwood coast ever since attending 6th grade science camp here, and she’s looking forward to learning more about this spectacular area through the eyes of her students (and writing about it with them). When she’s not writing or teaching, she enjoys tidepooling, sculpting, gardening, traveling the world, exploring museums, and romping through the woods with her two rescue mutts.
Jennifer Ketring

Pacific School Celebrates 8th Grade Promotion & High School Graduation

 The Pacific School ended this challenging year of schooling
with two in-person celebrations to recognize the promotion of three 8th
graders and the graduation of five Seniors. Family, friends, classmates and
school staff gathered together at the Point Arena Park on Thursday, June 10 to
honor 8th grade students Kadynce Swartz, Addison Tait and Elijah
Garcia. All three students shared speeches with their reflections on middle
school and enjoyed cupcakes, sunshine and music to mark their passage from
middle school to high school.

8th Graders and Teachers: Angela Lang (Art
Teacher), Kadynce Swartz, Dana Beer (English Teacher), Isabel Kuniholm (Math
& Science Teacher), Elijah Garcia, Addison Tait.

The next day, Friday, June 11, family and friends came out
to the Point Arena Lighthouse to celebrate the graduating Seniors—Keaton
Beattie, Levi Teal Roach, Aiyana Robinson, Flavio Smith-Ray and Max Mirassou.
This was the 2nd year of gathering at the Lighthouse to recognize
the Pacific School graduates. Last year’s graduation was a drive-through with
decorated cars parading past the line of Seniors. This year’s celebration was
the same venue but was able to be in-person, complete with all the makings of a
graduation ceremony from the speeches to the tassel-turning to the tears.

Graduating Seniors: Flavio Smith-Ray, Levi Teal Roach, Aiyana
Robinson, Keaton Beattie. 

The Class of 2021 persevered through the global pandemic and
remains hopeful for the future with their plans and dreams. Aiyana Robinson plans
study animal science at Mendocino College with the aim of becoming a game
warden. Levi Teal Roach is heading to the College of the Siskiyous to study welding
and firefighting. Flavio Smith-Ray is ready to start working and enjoying the
outdoors. Keaton Beattie hopes to pursue hands-on work that allows him to build
and create. Max Mirassou looks forward to traveling and exploring the world
beyond high school.