Jennifer Ketring

K-8 February E-Newsletter

Hello everyone.

I want to start off this month and say a huge thank you to all of our families that have been helping out with school lately. Thank you Jessica Price for spearheading the amazing PCCS hoodie/t-shirt fundraiser. It has been really amazing to see all of the PCCS pride out in our community. I know that my hoodie has been keeping me warm and cozy during these cold and wet winter days.

Another huge thank you I want to send out is to Jody Rose and Aisling, and to Cassie Henderson and Griffin. They came last week to help us prep the location for our new outdoor classroom, and put a fresh coat of paint on the fence in the backyard. The structure will be arriving in the first week of February, and we will need more help from our families to get it installed. We will announce another volunteer day when it arrives. Remember, many hands make for lighter work! Thank you for your help.

Here at the Pacific School, we are doing our best to be informed of the constantly changing guidance on the Covid-19 pandemic. We are listening to sources at the federal, state and county level and are committed to bringing students in for in person learning when we can do so safely. At this time, outdoor learning is the safest option, so we are planning on increasing our in-person learning to two days per week for our k-5 students. Your child’s teacher will keep you informed about when the new in person days will begin.

Lastly, thank you to everyone for your stamina and perseverance with distance learning. Please remember to communicate with the school if your child needs to miss a Zoom class. Additionally, students will do best on asynchronous assignments if their parents are following up and making sure that assigned work is completed. I know that it is challenging for everyone, but you are all doing a fantastic job. This is an unprecedented time, but I feel confident that everyone; parents, teachers and students are doing their very best. As we move forward, we will continue to meet everyone where they are and to help our students rise to their potential.

Take care everyone. Stay safe, healthy and warm. Please reach out if you need any support. We are here to help. PEACE!

-Mr. Todd

Read the Full E-Newsletter Here

Jennifer Ketring

K-12 January E-Newsletter

News & Updates

Family Forum
Wednesday, January 13
5:30 PM

An all school K-12 Family Forum is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, January 13 at 5:30. We encourage all families to participate as this is a venue for us to discuss the current state of COVID and plans for the 2nd semester. Your input is essential for informing our decisions and next steps with any reopening plans. 

We will also be talking about the development of our outdoor classroom spaces which could use your help. Please join us on Wednesday!

Read the Full E-Newsletter Here

Jennifer Ketring

K-12 December E-Newsletter

The end of an unprecedented year for all of us is quickly drawing to a close! We are looking ahead to the New Year with the hope of coming changes that will help turn the tide of the COVID pandemic in our local and global communities.

To address those changes locally, we will be hosting a Family Forum on January 13th. I encourage all of our families to participate as this will be an opportunity for school-wide dialogue about continued distance learning and future reopening plans.

We are also ready to dive into designing and constructing outdoor classroom spaces at the K-8 and High School. These spaces will be one way that we can safely bring students back to school when the time is right.

In the meantime, please take a moment to complete the EduAct Internet Survey. They are trying to gather information about family internet needs before the end of the calendar year and we want to make sure that the needs of our students are considered.

The Odd Fellows have been hosting a Toy Drive and have received many generous donations. They will be distributing wrapped gifts this Saturday, December 19 in Point Arena. Be sure to stop by between 12:00 – 3:00 on Saturday if your family could use some extra help with gift giving this year.

I hope that everyone is able to enjoy some restful time over the Winter Break before we jump into the New Year!

Take care.

-Jennifer

Executive Director

Read the Full E-Newsletter Here

Jennifer Ketring

LCFF Budget Overview for Parents

Schools receive funding from different sources: state funds under the Local Control Funding
Formula (LCFF), other state funds, local funds, and federal funds. LCFF funds include a base level of
funding for all LEAs and extra funding – called “supplemental and concentration” grants – to LEAs based
on the enrollment of high needs students (foster youth, English learners, and low-income students). The LCFF Budget Overview for Parents is developed each year.

Review the Pacific School’s Current LCFF Budget Overview for Parents

Jennifer Ketring

K-8 December E-Newsletter

Wow everyone, I can’t believe that it is already December. In just a couple of short weeks we will enjoy a much needed and well deserved break. Thank you everyone for all of your hard work to stay connected, to complete asynchronous assignments and to make distance learning the best that it can be.

During these next couple of weeks, teachers and students will participate in NWEA assessments for Math, Reading and ELA. These assessments will help us to generate baseline data to help us see where our students are now, so that we can measure how much they grow during the last remaining months of school. Administering these assessments remotely will require a little more support from parents than the normal Zoom classes, but with help from classroom teachers, these assessments will go smoothly and generate information that teachers will use to guide instruction for the remainder of the school year. Thank you for your active participation in NWEA assessments. You can download a copy of the testing schedule.   

On Friday, December 18th, PCCS K-8 will host an Elves workshop online with our students. We will meet together on Zoom at 10:30, and have a variety of activities led by our teachers. Your child’s teacher will share more information about the Elves workshop this week. Additionally, we will still have a materials pick-up on this day so that students are prepared when we return to class on January 4th, 2021. Take care everyone, stay safe, read a little everyday, hope for rain and PEACE!

-Mr. Todd


Read the Full December E-Newsletter

Jennifer Ketring

High School December E-Newsletter

As we approach the closing of 2020, our focus is on testing and assessment to establish comparative data to inform instructional decisions. CLS class time is being used to implement our NWEA (North West Evaluation Association) test sessions. MAP Growth testing helps us to be better prepared to meet our students when and where they need it the most. The data from these tests will be used for instructional decision-making and can help inform a variety of programmatic and instructional decisions including:

  • Identifying and qualifying students for various instructional strategies.
  • Guiding teachers who do not regularly make decisions on instructional program choices for students.
  • Scheduling and grouping to meet students’ learning needs.
  • Screening for special or alternative instruction.
  • Staffing and resourcing.


Quarter Two (Q2) Progress Reports have been emailed to all of our families. The First Semester will end on January 15. During these challenging times, it is very important to stay connected and schedule one-to-one meetings (Zoom or phone call) with teachers to help support class assignments. Attendance on Zoom is improving, however the assignments and homework need more focus and attention. Our academic tutor is available online and in-person for small group support on site (Covid-19 Safety Protocol). Contact the school to make arrangements.

The Mendocino County Office of Education is continuing to offer parents and teachers the opportunity for Professional Development during Distance Learning. Please connect with us for specific details to work together as partners in education. We welcome open communication and sharing strategies to help our students be successful in these challenging times. We value our family partnerships and want to continue meaningful involvement in our students education and in the life of school.

Stay Safe & Take Care,

-Michele

Jennifer Ketring

School Hoodies and Tees

School hoodies and tees are available! We have cotton hoodies, short sleeve tees and long sleeve tees in youth and adult sizes. Current group order due December 18, 2022! Check back for future order dates. 

  • Hoodies available in 2 colors. Cost: $52.
  • Short sleeve tees available in 3 colors. Cost: $22-25.
  • Long sleeve tees available in 1 color. Cost: $30.

Order Online by December 18, 2022!

Jennifer Ketring

K-12 November E-Newsletter

I’ve had the opportunity to work with many of our teachers over the dozen plus years of being a parent in the Pacific School community. From teaching electives to organizing events and chaperoning field studies, all of these opportunities allowed me to get involved and actively participate with my boys’ teachers. They also provided a chance to get know those teachers in a deeper way—these opportunities for family engagement are something I value as a parent, and now as the Executive Director.

This past Sunday, I learned that one of those teachers, Jef Schultz, passed away. Jef was teaching 4th-5th and middle school Language Arts and History when I got to know him. To me, he epitomized the spirit of our school. A place committed to creating and cultivating community. A place that encouraged students to be active and contributing members in the local and global world. A place where we could express our authentic selves. His commitment to real-world learning and his fearless spirit of adventuring in the world with the kids—these are characteristics that I truly value and am committed to keeping alive in our school.

As we prepare for the upcoming Thanksgiving Break and conscious time of gratitude, I would like to honor Jef and thank him for all that he brought to our school. I am also grateful for this opportunity to help guide our school and work with all of you.

With gratitude.

-Jen

Read the Full E-Newsletter Here

Jennifer Ketring

High School November E-News

Greetings to everyone during this changing Fall season on the coast!

The transforming colors of our beautiful coastal landscape continue to restore and renew with the new seasons. What a great opportunity it has been to work with our students and families remotely whilst being able to provide the technology to meet individual needs. We are very grateful for this growth and new perspective in our school culture as we begin to embrace the dynamic teaching and learning climate we live in.

As our county has shifted from the purple to red tier, we are able to continue to plan for the hybrid model in the second semester. We take your opinions into consideration when moving forward with our planning to accommodate everyone’s needs. Please take a moment to complete our Fall Family Survey to make sure your voice is heard.

I am very proud to be a part of this new team and our Governance Council (GC). This week the GC formally approved a resolution to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a school holiday.

We are excited about our school improvements to the campus and looking to explore more options for creating outdoor learning spaces upon return to the hybrid model. Our teachers recently received grants from the Redwood Coastal Educational Fund and have decided to pool the funds for developing outdoor teaching spaces. Community service hours will be available to students interested in helping build benches and other outdoor enhancements (parent volunteers are welcome too!). Students can also receive community service hours by tutoring younger students from our neighboring Horicon School. Please contact the office for more information.

Quarter 1 grades have been mailed. Continued engagement and communication is key to student success during distance learning. As we move forward Academic Tutoring with Ms. Mazza is available for students who need extra help. Please contact me to set up one-to-one support.

“Putting the pieces back together”, will be the title of our remote mural that we recently completed. The creativity has been phenomenal and we are excited to present our art work. Stay tuned for the culmination exhibition. Our CLS Program has had some amendments that we believe will enhance the program as well as project-based learning experiences for the whole school. 

In these challenging times we have to look to the past greats for the words, like those of Maya Angelou, to help us remain thankful at all times.

-Michele, High School Director 


Read the Full November E-Newsletter