Information For New Tam Families

Welcome to Tam Valley School! We hope that you and your child have a wonderful year.

How do I register my child for school?
You register your child for school at the Mill Valley School District.  For more information check the website.  

What is my child's school schedule?
For a look at the daily schedule, click here.

What is the best way to get my child to school?

Ideally anyone that can walk or roll would choose to do that.  The next best option is to park in the neighborhood and walk on to campus. Otherwise, please refer to the map below for drop off instructions.

The first bell rings at 8:13 am and the children line up outside their classroom. The second bell rings at 8:15 am and the teacher will open the exterior door, greet the children.

Supervision is available on the playground beginning at 7:45 am. Kindergarten students may take advantage of drop off and morning supervision as soon as parents and students are comfortable with that

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Students are either escorted into school or dropped-off. For drop-off, please drive into the school parking lot, pull to the end of the yellow curb and drop your child off without turning off your car engine or getting out of your car. A parent on Traffic Duty will be on-hand to open the car door and help your child out. When these directions are followed, the drop off is smooth and safe.

After school, Kindergarten children are picked up directly from the kindergarten classrooms.  Teachers will dismiss children when they see a parent or authorized adult. If your child is in Kindergarten and enrolled in EDS (Extended Day Services), the EDS staff will pick up your child from their classroom and take them to the EDS classroom on campus.

First through Fifth Graders may be picked up from their classroom, walk to the pick up line or home or walk to EDS. If you are more than 10 minutes late, your child will be waiting for you in the school office. 

What are my options for before and after-school child care?
Marin Day School's Extended Day Services (EDS) provides after-school child care on campus. Please contact EDS at 415-383-6204 for more information. The full afternoon session runs until 6:30pm.

In addition, the Mill Valley Parks and Recreation department runs after-school enrichment programs at all Mill Valley elementary schools, including Strawberry. They offer a broad variety of classes and activities, some for all ages and some specifically for younger students or older children. Many parents and kids make great use of these programs. Children can participate in these programs even if they are also enrolled in EDS. The enrichment teachers will pick up students from either EDS and either return them to EDS or wait for you to pick your child up.

Grade 1-5 students are expected to get to their enrichment class by themselves.

There are four calendar sessions of enrichment classes each year. There is a fee for these programs (and no discount from EDS for missing time if your child is also enrolled there). Sign-ups take place at the Mill Valley Rec. Center. Visit www.millvalleycenter.org or call 415-383-1370.

Supervised playground, also called Tia's, is available until 6:00 p.m. daily through the Tam Community Services District. The price is extremely reasonable but please note that the student to adult supervision ratio is quite high, making this program most appropriate for students older than first grade. Registration forms are available from Tia Smirnoff in Room 29.  To reach Tia's please call (415) 388-9931.


What do I do for breakfast and lunch?
Please visit our Breakfast and Lunch page.

What do I do if my child is sick?
If your child will not be attending school or will be arriving late, you should email your child’s teacher and Jennifer Ramsey (jramsey@mvschools.org), or call the school office at 415-389-7712 X2. If your child is enrolled at EDS, they should also be notified (415)-388-8304.

What about arriving late or leaving early?
If you have an appointment for your child, and you need to arrive late or leave early, please let Amy know at the front office. If you arrive after school has started, your child must sign in at the main office and bring a tardy slip to their teacher.

If you need to get your child before the official end of the school day, let Amy and the teacher know and they will make sure that your child is in the office at the correct time, waiting to be picked up. This allows your child to leave the class without disturbing the other students, and you can sign your child out in the office.

What if my child has forgotten something important?
Please drop off items to be delivered to your child with Amy in the office. She will arrange to have it brought to your child in a timely and unobtrusive manner.  Please do not go to your child's classroom.

How do I learn about important announcements and events?
You will receive weekly newsletters via ParentSquare from your teacher(s), the principal and the district.

Bi-monthly newsletters are sent from the PTA through Parent Square reminding all families of upcoming events. This is a great source of information about events and other things related to school.


What's the best way to communicate with teachers?


For day to day communications, you can leave the teacher a phone message or send them an email, which will be picked up after the teaching day. If it is an emergency, call the school office.

Since teachers need to attend to all of their students, please be conscious that mornings and dismissal are not always appropriate times to discuss your child. For in depth communications, please arrange a meeting.


There is a regularly scheduled parent-teacher conference in November and March for parents of Kindergartners.  For parents of 1st through 5th grade students, conferences take place in November.

Where do I find lost articles?
Lost articles will be placed at the Lost and Found at the end of the hallway from the main entrance . Please remember to label all items so they can be returned to their owner. Unclaimed items are donated to charity on a monthly basis, so check frequently for missing articles.

How can I get involved?
Classroom volunteering is easy and fun. Teachers rely on help with reading, math, art, driving on field trips, special projects or working in the garden. You can check in with your child's teacher or room parent about volunteer opportunities in your child's classroom.

The PTA also has many volunteer opportunities. Volunteering is a great way to get to know our school community. Many parents remark that volunteering is one of the best things they get to do all year!