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San Marin High School

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About Us

Welcome!

A wooden sign with the words 'San Marin High School' in white lettering.

San Marin is committed to providing students with the highest quality education, rigor, and opportunities to explore interests in academic, athletic, artistic, and extracurricular areas. Our goal is to provide rigorous and challenging curricula in all programs that align with Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards in a supportive learning environment for all students. San Marin also provides a safe and nurturing environment within which to learn, explore, create and think. San Marin maintains high behavioral expectations for all students. These expectations are clearly communicated and reinforced throughout the year with consistency and fairness in order to create the best learning environment possible.

School Profile

San Marin High is one of two comprehensive high schools in the Novato Unified School District.  Recognized with a California Gold Ribbon Award Program and honored for our smART (San Marin Arts and Technical Arts) program as an Exemplary Arts Program, San Marin takes pride in its many exceptional academics, athletics, and fine arts programs.  Many San Marin students have been recruited by major colleges and universities and have been the recipients of numerous scholarships, and many graduates attend the most prestigious and outstanding colleges and universities in the country.  

Participants in our drama and music programs, among the finest in Northern California, have recently performed throughout the state of California and were awarded numerous honors. San Marin also maintains a comprehensive slate of champion athletic program that involves more than half our students on twenty-five (25) teams.  All of these exceptional programs are a result of strong support from the San Marin students, staff, administration, parents, and the community.

A round sign with a gold ribbon design, reading 'Gold Ribbon Schools, California Department of Education.'

Our Mission

San Marin High School is committed to providing an environment that promotes critical thinking, optimal learning, and achievement for all students. Our goal is that all students will become:

A group of teenagers sit on a bench, laughing and talking together.

 

  • who...

    • Pursue academic excellence.
    • Acquire reliable and valid information from print, electronic media, and personal interviews.
    • Interpret, understand, and analyze information from the above sources, evaluating source bias and credibility.
    • Appreciate, integrate, and apply knowledge across multiple subject areas Apply information and knowledge to influence choices and decisions resulting in positive personal and social behavior. 
    • Extend knowledge in our core academic areas through attendance at a post-secondary institution, work-based learning opportunity, or career exploration.

  • who...

    • Carefully read or listen and comprehend information.
    • Write logically and clearly using standard academic English across all disciplines.
    • Speak and present with poise, clear enunciation, and command of standard academic English.
    • Understand and use up-to-date technology to assist in communication, presentations and writing, and research.

  • who...

    • Successfully work, write, and present information in teams and groups. Effectively manage time and resources.
    • Demonstrate a strong work ethic.

  • who...

    • Understand various viewpoints, belief systems, lifestyles, and cultures. Appreciate, critically evaluate, and participate in the arts.
    • Take responsibility for their own health and wellness.
    • Understand how their behavior affects themselves and others in the community
    • Contribute their time, energies, and talents to improve the quality of life in our schools, communities, nation and world.
    • Learn living skills and establish and accomplish personal goals.

Student Support

A teacher and student have a conversation in a school hallway.

It is the goal of San Marin High to assist students in their social and personal development as well as academics. The school gives special attention to students who experience achievement problems, difficulty coping with personal and family problems, trouble with decision making, or handling peer pressure. The counselor to pupil ratio is 1:350.

 

  • San Marin High provides special education services to students who are assessed and found to be eligible for special education. Programs and services designed to meet the student’s needs are identified in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The Resource Specialist Program serves students with exceptional needs who are able to function in the regular classroom for the majority of the day. They receive individual, small group, or classroom instruction designed to meet their identified needs. Currently, San Marin offer a co-teaching program and ELA and math serving students enrolled in ELA 9, Algebra I, and Geometry
    Special Day Classes are available to students who require special education more than 50% of the school day. San Marin hosts the Social Cognition program for students experiencing serve cognitive delays.  The Counseling Enriched Classroom offers services for emotionally disturbed students. Students participate in counseling services offered by the school psychologist.  Designated Instructional Services are provided to students who are eligible for Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, or other services.

  • San Marin High School has created an EL program to support English Learners. The school’s library, staffed by a Library Media Clerk, provides an extensive variety of reference and special interest materials, in addition to hundreds of educational and recreational books.

  • As a district, our goal is to provide support to teachers and schools so that every student is challenged and makes significant progress during each school year. GATE is a district-designed and funded program for highly capable students. NUSD does not receive supplemental funding for our GATE program.

    Novato has designed the GATE program with 5 principles in mind:

    • All educators are responsible for the education of students with gifts and talents.
    • Services should be provided throughout the day in all environments based on their abilities, needs and interests.
    • Giftedness is dynamic and constantly changing.
    • Giftedness is found among students from a variety of backgrounds.
    • Student education is focused on student outcomes rather than practices.

  • Intervention programs offered at San Marin High School include tutoring during lunch and after school, as well as after-school tutoring that is available to all students. Students have the opportunity to be enrolled in the AVID program. Tutoring is also available through the Biotechnology Academy. The Restorative Justice program offers alternatives to suspension and provided peer support groups to assist in counseling students. The program meets during lunch.

Advanced Placement Courses

Four students are focused on their work at a table in a classroom.

San Marin High encourages students to continue their education past high school. San Marin High offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses for those students seeking to qualify for college credit. Sophomore, Juniors and Seniors achieving a score of three, four, or five on the final AP exams qualify for college credit at most of the nation’s colleges. San Marin offers eighteen (18) different AP courses within the schedule.

Electives & Extracurricular Activities

A young man smiles as he paints on a canvas at an easel in an art studio.

San Marin offers award-winning drama and music programs and champion athletic programs with more than half our students on twenty-five (25) teams.  In addition, San Marin's Art and Technical Arts (smARTt) Program is an innovative, integrated group of University of California approved classes which include:

 

Many of these unique courses are taught at night and after school, so students can still fit AP, honors classes and other UC-approved electives into their regular schedule, and students can do many electives concurrently i.e., Drama, Music, and Journalism,  or Drawing & Painting and Tech Theatre.

    • Art & Design
    •  Drawing & Painting
    •  Advanced Art
    • AP Art
    • Sculpture & Ceramics I & 2

    • Theatre
      • Drama 1 - Beginning Drama
      • Drama 2 - Intermediate Drama
      • Drama 3 - Advanced Drama
      • Drama 4  - Honors Drama
      •  Musical Theatre
    • Music 
      • ​Concert Band 1 & 2
      • Intermediate Jazz Band
      • Advanced Jazz Band
      • Jazz Band Honors
      • Contemporary Music/ String Orchestra
      • Concert Choir
      • Show Choir
      • Jazz Choir
      • Recording Club

    • ​Technical Theatre
    • Film Club

    • Multimedia Design
      • 1 - Intro to Multimedia
      • 2- Media Production
      • 3- Portfolio Development
    •  AP Computer Science Principles

    • Journalism

    • Speech and Debate
    • Mock Trial
    • Recording Club
    • Film Club (coming soon)

College & Career Center

We promote pathways to post-secondary education for all students, with an active College & Career Center that helps students prepare for life after high school through a variety of programs including these:

  • Rotary Scholars – mentors from Rotary work with 15-20 students and their parents on a yearly basis to recruit and support first-generation college-bound students.
  • Representatives from colleges, vocational and technical schools, and military recruiters advise students to requirements and opportunities for post high school education.
  • School-to-Career Program provides mock interviews and resume-writing workshops.
  • One hour of orientation to the opportunities available in the College and Career Center.
  • The College and Career Center works in collaboration with the Marin Educational Foundation and 10,000 Degrees to support college-bound students.

A smiling graduate in a green cap and gown gives a thumbs up, celebrating their achievement.

Parent Engagement

A group of women laugh and chat together at a table outdoors.

Parents play an integral role in the life of the school, participating on the Site Leadership Team, PreK-3 Collaborative, PTA, School Advisory Committee, and English Learners Advisory Committee (ELAC), and in many informal ways that contribute to our strong sense of community.  Parents support the community in classrooms, special programs, computer lab, on the playground, in the garden, on field trips, and for special events.  Fathers participate in the Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) Program by volunteering at least one day a year. Parents coordinate several major events every year, such as The Welcome Coffee, the Harvest Festival, Grateful Gathering, fundraisers, the Book Fair, and Science Night.   Parents are trained as art docents and reading mentors.  At least twice annually, parents invest time working on campus beautification projects. We have a parent volunteer coordinator who helps interested parents find appropriate placements.

Facilities

An aerial view of a high school athletic field with a football field, running track, and baseball field.

San Marin High School was originally constructed in 1968 and is comprised of 50 classrooms, 2 dedicated physical science laboratories, 2 gyms, a student center, library, college and career center, computer lab, school cafeteria, and athletic facilities. Recent remodeling modernized nearly every building on campus.

The school’s library, staffed by a Library Media Clerk, provides an extensive variety of reference and special interest materials, and hundreds of educational and recreational books. Students visit the library on a daily/weekly basis with their classes.

In addition, several new facilities are under construction at San Marin High, with funding from Bond Measure G.  A brand new 18,000 square foot STEM classroom/laboratory building was completed in Fall 2020.  A new 7,800 square foot Performing Arts Center was started in September 2019 and should be complete in Winter 2021.  And in June 2021, we began modernizing outdoor athletic facilities, converting the existing softball and baseball fields to synthetic turf and updating the backstop, dugouts, bullpens, and batting cage.

Technology Resources

Most classrooms have at least 1 computer that is connected to the Internet. San Marin High School also has 2 computer labs with at least 25 computers in each. The computer labs are staffed by a library technician or credentialed teacher. SMHS also has two iPad carts and 8 Chromebook carts for student and teacher use. Computer skills and concepts are integrated throughout the standard curriculum which helps to prepare students for technological growth and other opportunities. Students have been trained to use computers to prepare academic documents as well as search the Internet.  In addition, the Measure G Bond projects include “One to World” Chromebooks for grades 3-12. In the 2019-20 school year, Chromebooks were distributed to all students in grades 3-12.

Most classrooms have at least 1 computer that is connected to the Internet. San Marin High School also has 2 computer labs with at least 25 computers in each. The computer labs are staffed by a library technician or credentialed teacher. SMHS also has two iPad carts and 8 Chromebook carts for student and teacher use. Computer skills and concepts are integrated throughout the standard curriculum which helps to prepare students for technological growth and other opportunities. Students have been trained to use computers to prepare academic documents as well as search the Internet.  In addition, the Measure G Bond projects include “One to World” Chromebooks for grades 3-12. In the 2019-20 school year, Chromebooks were distributed to all students in grades 3-12.

A group of students work on laptops in a classroom setting.