Principal's Update and Coleman Connect: Sunday, January 19, 2025

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! As I reflected on Dr. King’s legacy this weekend, I was reminded of his powerful words: "Our goal is to create a beloved community, and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives." This vision of a beloved community—one built on inclusivity, compassion, and collective action—resonates deeply with the work we are doing together at Coleman.

Our Coleman community is built on the shared belief that when we donate our time, energy, and love to one another, we create a space where every student, family, and staff member feels seen, valued, and supported. I see Dr. King’s vision reflected in our actions, and I am so proud of the intentional steps we’re taking to nurture this sense of belonging.

Last Thursday, our Coleman Dad’s Group embodied this spirit of unity and collaboration. A big shout-out to Matt Steiner, our Dad’s Group President, and Ms. Martha Nogueira for organizing an in-person bilingual meeting that brought together over 35 parents. This gathering was a wonderful example of how diverse voices and perspectives can come together to make a difference.

During the meeting, parents discussed opportunities to volunteer and work on projects both on and off campus, signed up for the bilingual Dad’s Group WhatsApp chat, and shared ideas to strengthen our community—starting with helping out at the upcoming Crab Feed. This is the Coleman community in action: individuals united by a common purpose, lifting each other up and working toward a shared goal.

Thank you for being an integral part of what makes Coleman such a special place. Together, we honor Dr. King’s legacy by striving every day to build the kind of community he envisioned—one grounded in love and service for our students.

As the '80s cult hero Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont Hight once said “If I’m here, and you’re here, doesn’t that make it our time? Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with a little feast on our time!”

Our big fundraising event is the Coleman Crab Feed at the Marin Rod & Gun Club this Saturday, January 25, at 5 pm. The event is a great way to give back to our students while having fun connecting with folks. Fundraising events like the Crab Feed go directly to our kiddos, providing enrichment like art, dance, gardening, music, and more. I'm looking forward to seeing you at the Crab Feed in your '80s Prom attire.

It takes a village to make this event happen. Please sign up for the Crab Feed volunteer sign ups HERE.

Last week, our Student Council and Tiger Teams student leaders led our Kindergarten through 5th grade students in our positive student behavior expectation training. This year, our student leaders requested to lead the training and wanted to hold the training in English and Spanish. I'm so proud of the community our students and teachers have created.

Please Consider Attending: Safe Routes to School Meeting at 5-6:30 pm on Zoom!  An opportunity to make meaningful improvements to our community is coming up at the upcoming Safe Routes to School meeting, This meeting will focus on discussing proposed changes to the routes leading to Coleman Elementary—changes that have the potential to significantly improve safety for our kids. Many of these suggestions are ongoing concerns and have been on the list for years; they continue to require advocacy and support of parents and local families to move forward. Your voice matters. This meeting is a chance for you to be a part of the conversation and push for the changes that are necessary to ensure our children’s safety.

A great example of one of these high-impact, cost-effective suggestions is the idea of making Rafael Avenue a one-way street during school drop-off and pick-up times. This change would drastically reduce congestion and improve traffic flow, making the area safer for students crossing the street. Honestly, it doesn’t require a large financial investment—just willingness to advocate for them. Such efforts range from minor adjustments, like adding crosswalks, to more structural changes, like altering traffic patterns. But none of these improvements will happen without your voice.

Please consider attending the meeting to share concerns, offer suggestions, and demonstrate the power of our collective commitment to student safety. The more parents who attend, the stronger our case will be for changes that are truly needed. Here is the concept map of the proposed changes (viewable here), so you can see what’s being proposed and how it could affect our community. Please contact me for any questions you may have.

Your participation in this meeting is crucial. Wednesday, January 22nd 5-6:30 via Zoom.

 https://parametrix.zoom.us/j/84115036977?pwd=bxdZS7RxDRgkgCEc4YgVPbyGybeDxM.1

The San Rafael High School boys soccer program is hosting its annual community night this coming Tuesday, January 21st as the Dawgs are set to host the Novato Hornets at San Rafael High School at 6:00pm.

The goal of the community nights is to continue to unite and celebrate our vibrant San Rafael community we proudly serve. We look forward to seeing all of you there!

SRCS Bond Project - Coleman Elementary

The project consists of constructing a modular TK Classroom Building with 2 classrooms, a restroom, and a teacher prep area. A modular ELOC building and a covered walkway are also included. The project consists of construction of a shade canopy, a TK Play Yard and an AC paved area with basketball courts, ball wall and associated striping. Also included are accessibility upgrades and associated path of travel and exterior hardscape and landscaping.

Thankfully, the sun is out! The exterior plaster is complete on buildings, which will be followed by paint. Also, the site work has started with the layout and excavation for the bio-retention and retaining walls. Inside the buildings, the MEP trades are complete with the wall and above-ceiling rough-in work. The drying wall and taping are complete, and painting has started. Ceiling grids have been installed, and the ceiling tiles will be dropped next.