San Marin Sun - October 18, 2026

Our Vision for Student Learning

At San Marin, every student is greeted by name and heard, reasons aloud with classmates through problems they cannot solve alone, drives their own thinking and revision, and leaves San Marin ready to think, contribute, and lead.

From Principal Boone

The Sun shines big and bright this week. It is one of the biggest weeks of our year, so please read it carefully.

Last night I saw The Addams Family in the Emily Gates PAC. It was sold out, and it was amazing. Just in time for Halloween, our students put on a musical full of humor, heart, and great live music. Today's final show is sold out too. Congratulations to our students and staff, and thank you to the volunteers who made it happen. Our Performing Arts program, including our music program, is one of my favorite things about San Marin. It is a core part of our school, and a program like ours is rare. It does not get the credit it deserves! A big shout out to Kris Starn for pulling it all together, once again, with class.

This is Homecoming week. The theme is Night in the City: Dublin, Athens, Monaco, and Rio. The parade is Thursday at 6:00 PM on Grant Street. Friday night we play Windsor at home, and the Homecoming crowning is at halftime. The dance is Saturday, 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the gym. One ask: we are short a classic convertible and a very cool pickup truck for Thursday's parade. If you have a connection to Novato Chevrolet, Novato Ford, or Novato Toyota, or know someone who would lend one, please email me at aboone@nusd.org.

Respect is our word this week. We define it as treating people well, especially when we disagree. A parade, a home game, and a dance put a lot of us in the same place in three days. All three are places to practice it.

Respect includes our Novato community. The parade runs through downtown, and we want to leave Grant Ave cleaner than we found it. If you are decorating a float, pack in and pack out your trash. Leave no trace. Please help us take down the no parking signs and return them to the ASB headquarters tent. If you would like to volunteer for the post-parade cleanup, picking up float streamers, balloons, and anything else left behind, please email Liz Lloyd at llloyd@nusd.org. Students who help with the cleanup will earn community service hours.

A friendly ask for parents and caregivers: please help your student get to class on time. After 10 tardies, a student is referred to a time management class at lunch. A quick conversation at home can keep it from getting there.

On Wednesday our staff writes the first drafts of our WASC self-study. Where that stands is below.

The Mustang Way

How do you show respect when you disagree? Treating people well when we agree with them takes no practice. The second half of our definition is the part that does. For me, the clearest test is the stands at a game.

I go to a lot of San Marin games, and I hear the negativity yelled from the stands. Officials make mistakes. It is part of sports. Nobody wants to hear you yell at an official. It's not cool, and it feeds a reputation that San Marin fans are negative and loud. I know that reputation is real, because I hear it at MCAL Board of Managers meetings.

Yelling at an official never makes the game better. Never. Respect is cheering for our team without putting down the other one, and letting the officials do their job. Friday night is Homecoming against Windsor, at home. When a bad call happens, take a breath and remember: that is part of sports.

WASC Self-Study

26 weeks to our visit, April 19 to 21. This Wednesday, October 21, our staff meets in their WASC committees to write first drafts. Each committee owns two or three of the 12 WASC standards and writes our self-assessment on them. The full report goes to WASC on Friday, March 5. Next week we will share our first parent survey. Keep an eye out for the link in the Sun.

Last week we previewed the dashboard we are building. The state posted its 2025-26 numbers on October 15. Here is where San Marin landed, the gains and the declines.

Our English and math scores went down this year. We own that. It is a chance to look hard at how we prepare students and how we approach testing. One thing I have always been curious about is student effort: how much our juniors care about the result. Juniors take the CAASPP in the spring, and it can be hard for them to see why it matters. It does matter: scoring Standard Met or higher in both English and math is one of the ways the state counts a graduate as prepared for college. We want every junior to give it their best this spring, and we will be asking for your help. The CAASPP is one measure, not the whole picture. Our AP results, further below in Counseling and College, are worth celebrating.

There is progress inside these numbers too. Our Latino students made the biggest gain of any group on college and career readiness: 56.5 percent were Prepared, up from 45.3. Their math scores and their suspension rate both improved. The gaps are still real, and closing them is our work.

Source: California Department of Education and the 2026 California School Dashboard, released October 15.

Coming Up

Full district calendar at nusd.org →

Homecoming 2026

Spirit days all week, the parade Thursday, the rally and the game Friday, and the dance Saturday.

👕 All week: Spirit Week

Mon: Jersey Day. Team, college, club, or sports jerseys.
Tue: Country vs Country Club. Boots and flannel, or polos, khakis, and a sweater over the shoulders.
Wed: Battle of the Patterns. Polka dots, stripes, zigzags, plaid.
Thu: Denim Day. Jeans, denim jackets, overalls, anything blue.
Fri: Class themes. Seniors: Rio (red, yellow, green, sequins, tropical). Juniors: Monaco (yachts, sailing, preppy, F1). Sophomores: Athens (blue and white, Olympians, gold, gladiators). Freshmen: Dublin (flannel, green, gold, shamrocks). Staff: San Juan (tropical, linen, straw hats).

Spirit teams. Anyone can make one: a club, a class, a team, or a group of friends. Send a group photo in spirit wear by lunch each day to @smhs_spiritteam on Instagram. The most spirited team wins a group lunch. Fourth period classes are also competing, and the most spirited one wins the Golden Mustang at Friday's rally.
Register a spirit team →

🚒 Thursday, October 22: Parade

Float setup begins at 4:00 PM. The parade runs 6:00 to 7:00 PM on Grant Street, led by the Novato Fire Department and the NUSD Board of Trustees. Driving in the parade, or volunteering at any school event, requires the NUSD volunteer application and driver form.
Volunteer and driver forms →
Ride on the ASB float →

📣 Friday, October 23: Rally

Wear your class theme. Cheer, the Homecoming court, Hungry Hippos, a mattress relay, and chants. After the rally, students vote for Homecoming royalty through their school email. Not a rally person? Study rooms are open in the rooms of Tronconi, Havel, Laabs, Swedlow (408), Norman, Spinrad, and Mr. O, with more to come.

🏈 Friday night: Football

Kickoff is 7:00 PM against Windsor, at home. Student section theme: Welcome to the Jungle (animal print). At halftime, friends and family escort the Homecoming court and we crown our royalty.
Football tickets →

💃 Saturday, October 24: Dance

7:00 to 9:00 PM in the gym, with Tommy's Salsa and Kona Ice. Dresses and button-ups, no heels, and leave the class themes at home. The last day to buy tickets is Friday, October 23.
Dance tickets →

Counseling and College

AP exam orders are due Monday, November 2.Exams are $99 each. After November 2, a $40 late fee applies to each exam. To order: pick up an order form in the Counseling Office, attach a check payable to San Marin High School, select Register for Exam in MyAP, join your teacher's AP Classroom, and return the form and check to Ms. Milani in Counseling. Financial aid workshops. 10,000 Degrees runs online submit workshops on Wednesday, November 4 and Wednesday, December 9, 5:00 to 7:00 PM, for help with the FAFSA, the CADAA, or the 10,000 Degrees Scholarship. Questions go to FinancialAid@10000degrees.org.
November 4 workshop →
December 9 workshop →

Wetlands volunteer day. Students can help restore local wetlands in Novato with the Marin Audubon Society, planting native species and removing invasive plants. The first volunteer session is Sunday, October 25.
Sign up to volunteer →

Counselors will present to all freshmen this month in health and ethnic studies classes, covering the courses required for graduation, A-G readiness for college admission, and wellness and resources on campus.

Dual enrollment lets students take college courses while in high school. College of Marin is on campus every Wednesday, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, in the College and Career Center to help with applications and questions. See your counselor to book an appointment, or stop by.

Volunteers from 10,000 Degrees are in the library every Tuesday from 1:55 to 3:10 PM to help seniors with college essays and Personal Insight Questions. Sign-up sheets are in the College and Career Center.

Mr. Glasgow, the Marin County Office of Education career liaison, is on campus every Thursday. He meets with students about internships, volunteer opportunities, and career exploration. Families and students can join his Remind group to hear about programs and deadlines as they come up.
Meet with Mr. Glasgow →
Join his Remind group →

Athletics

Fifteen contests this week, six of them at home. Home contests are at San Marin. Student athletes with a release time leave class early that day. Every team, every result, at sanmarinathletics.com →

Around Campus

Homecoming football is Friday at 7:00 PM against Windsor, at home. Six home contests this week, and Tuesday is Senior Night for both varsity water polo teams.

Go Mustangs. Go Green & Gold. 🐴