Jon Kay

	Taylor Schepps

Jon Kay and

Taylor Schepps both grew up in Marin County and are passionate coaches who love inspiring young men and women to become more involved in sports. 

Jon has been Coaching JV Basketball at Marin Catholic High School for eight years, and brought Taylor in as an Assistant Coach four years ago. Jon and Taylor have also worked together at North Bay Basketball Academy and St. Hilary's. Jon played basketball at University of San Francisco where he received his undergrad degree in Business Administration.  Taylor also graduated with a Business Administration degree from Cal State University Sacramento and is currently pursuing his single subject teaching credential in Social Sciences. 

We asked TMS Student and Staff:  If you were sent to live on a space station for three months and could only take 4 personal items with you, what would you bring?

Sophomore Parents & Guardians - don't forget to RSVP for the  Monday, September 26th!

 

This is a wonderful social event and a great opportunity to get to know other parents, as well as TMS faculty and staff. More details will be coming soon!

Details and dates for Junior and Senior parent potlucks coming soon!

Dear TMS Parents, 

Once again, we are preparing for Fall Trips! We have no doubt that each student will feel even more connected with their classmates and with nature!! 

The following is the list of trips that each grade level will participate in. This week, during a class meeting, your child was given permission slips for the appropriate trip. I have also attached grade specific forms to this message. The forms must be returned ASAP. 

Please note the following: 

• Beginning with lunch on Thursday, September 22nd, all meals are provided by the retreat center or the school. 
• We would sincerely appreciate it if you would stress the importance of your child arriving early or on time next Thursday. Due to traffic and the distances of the trips, we really need to leave TMS as soon as we can. 
• We have informed the students that we will be checking their belongings to make sure that there are no alcohol, drugs or weapons. 
• Unless you give other instructions, if your child's group returns early on Friday, your child must remain at school until 3:30. 

 Fall Trip locations by Grade 

9th grade: Walker Creek Ranch, 17 Marshall-Petaluma Rd., Petaluma 94952  Chaperones: Heather Parker, Mandy Kirk, Phil van Eyck  Permission Slip

10th grade: St. Dorothy's Rest Retreat Center (for lodging) and Four Winds (for ropes course), 160 Mc Collister Ave Camp Meeker, CA 95419    Chaperones: Bonnie Atkins, Fred Kral, Shawn Atencio, Hannah Hohle and Keith Hubert    Permission Slip - Email Fred Kral and request a copy

11th grade: The Jesuit Retreat Center - 1001 Boole Road Applegate, CA 95703    Chaperones: Elizabeth Sims, Josh Cardenas, Gustavo Jimenez Permission Slip

12th grade: Happy Valley Conference Center, 2159 Branciforte Drive Santa Cruz, CA. We will also be visiting UC Santa Cruz , CSU Monterey Bay and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk!  Chaperones: Chip Vetter, Sharon Cravanas, Marybeth Colman Permission Slip

 

Click here to download a suggested packing list

 

Please feel free to contact me or your child's advisor if you have any questions! 

 

Sincerely, 

 

Sharon Cravanas

scravanas@themarinschool.org

 

For your turn in the spotlight, fill out our Alumni Spotlight Form

Each year we conduct a Parent Satisfaction Survey in the springtime, asking parents to rate how TMS is doing in different areas. Here are a few of the key findings:

• Quality of teachers (100% important)
• School climate, culture and values (100% important)
• College placement services (96% important)
• Leadership development of students (96% important)
• Admissions (96% important)
• Small class sizes (93% important)
• Academic program (92% important)
• Advising system (92% important)
• Welcoming environment (92% important)

• Zoology, American Sign Language, History, Geography and Fab Lab
• Upgrades to site (96%)
• School newsletter (96%)
• School email communication (92%)

• Writing
• Studying
• Extracurricular Clubs/Activities
• Conducting research
• Athletic program
• Practicing sports and/or exercise
• Counseling services
• School lunch

• New Athletic Directors and new athletic program
• Added daily PE and physical fitness activities during lunchtime
• English program has two new teachers who specialize in teaching writing
• New counselor who has PsyD. From California Institute of Integral Studies and is very interested in social-emotional learning and campus climate
• Created part-time position for Student Activities Coordinator to lead student activities and Student Leadership Council
• Added new kitchen and hired chef trained at California Culinary Academy
• Added more research to curriculum
• Added more time and structure to clubs

We also conduct research on how our faculty and staff are enjoying their experience working at The Marin School. Here are a few keys findings:

• Interactions with parents
• Freedom to teach the way that I want
• Positive interactions with students
• Teaching style is a good match with TMS
• Class sizes are manageable
• Work in a safe environment
• Interactions with and support from Head
• Social support from colleagues

• Teachers would like professional development in classroom differentiation
• Satisfaction with compensation and benefits could be higher

Twenty-four of 33 respondents showed 100% satisfaction, including overall employment satisfaction. 

 
We are pleased with the results and strive to move from "satisfied" to "very satisfied." We are grateful to have the employees that we do at TMS. 

 
Students reported enjoying their teachers and classes at TMS. They liked the small class sizes and the personal attention TMS provided. All respondents felt welcomed and valued as an individual. Outings such as Fall Trips and Outside the Walls were frequently mentioned as a favorite aspect of TMS. 

 
Students wanted to see the quality of food served at TMS improved. Some found Thinkwave to be confusing. They desired more extracurricular activities: sports, community service, volunteer work. Improving athletics at TMS came up frequently. All graduating seniors felt valued as individuals at TMS.

Thanks to everyone who provided feedback. Hearing your honest opinions allows us to make improvements over time. We're off to a great start this year!

Sincerely,

Barbara J. Brown, Ed.d

Head of School

bbrown@themarinschool.org

Freshmen Parents & Guardians - don't forget to RSVP for the  Tuesday, October 4th!

 

This is a wonderful social event and a great opportunity to get to know other parents, as well as TMS faculty and staff. More details will be coming soon!

Details and dates for Junior and Senior parent potlucks coming soon!

This summer we invited the entire TMS community to join us in reading The Art of Hearing Heartbeats.  Have you done YOUR summer reading?  Don't worry, you have plenty of time to catch up!  If you don't have one already, you can g et your copy here.

Join us for a Book Discussion on Thursday, November 10th, from 7:00-8:00 pm. 

Students, parents, alumni, trustees, faculty, and staff - everyone in the TMS community is invited to participate in a lively book talk!  

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"A poignant and inspirational love story set in Burma, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats  spans the decades between the 1950s and the present.  When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter Julia has any idea where he might be...until they find a love letter he wrote many years ago, to a Burmese woman they have never heard of. Intent on solving the mystery and coming to terms with her father's past, Julia decides to travel to the village where the woman lived. There she uncovers a tale of unimaginable hardship, resilience, and passion that will reaffirm the reader's belief in the power of love to move mountains."