Kenwood School starts new year
A variety of changes are going on this year at Kenwood Elementary School, as the one-school district approaches its 50th anniversary.
There are 155 boys and girls enrolled in the Kindergarten through 6th grade school, up from 147 at the same time last year.
Approximately 50 percent of the 155 are children who have transferred to Kenwood from other school districts, mostly the Sonoma Valley Unified School District. Principal/Superintendent Bob Bales said there were still some openings in the 4th and 5th grades.
A major change this school year is the addition of a second Kindergarten class. Thirty-three kindergartners are split into two classes, one taught by longtime Kindergarten teacher Karla Schloemp, and the other taught by Amy Seyms, who moves over from teaching 5th grade.
Other big news is the addition of a credentialed Spanish teacher, Sheila Morrissey. Morrissey will be meeting with Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders two times a week, and with 4th, 5th, and 6th graders three times a week.
Other staff changes include hiring Linda Leedham as the new reading specialist, and Pat Schuler as the new speech therapist.
Principal/Superintendent Bales said that a tightening fiscal situation has resulted in a minor reduction in teachers’ aide time and a reduced art program.
Bales, now entering his 12th year as principal/superintendent of Kenwood School, said that the district is in “reasonable” fiscal shape for the 2010-11 school year, despite downward trends over the years in revenue and outside donations via the Kenwood Education Foundation, the main fundraising arm of the district.
Bales said that the school’s parcel tax is going out for renewal in a March, 2011, election, and it’s important that the $52 per parcel measure pass if the district is to avoid a deficit spending situation. The parcel tax represents $100,000 to the school each year, about six percent of the school’s revenue. The parcel tax was first approved by voters in 1991 at $48 a parcel.
To kick off the new school year, the Kenwood Education Foundation is having a KIDS Campaign – Kenwood Invests in Dynamic Students, with a goal of raising $170,000 to continue supporting educational programs.
Back-to-School night is slated for Sept. 8, with a Kenwood Education Foundation sponsored barbecue starting at 5 p.m., and classrooms open for visiting at 6:30 p.m.
Also, the Spaghetti Feed to raise money for the 6th grade’s Yosemite trip will take place Sept. 12, 3-6 p.m., at the Maple Ring on the Geib Ranch.
For more information about Kenwood School and the preschool, call 833-2500, or go to www.kenwoodschool.org.
