December 7, 2023

Dear Santa Margarita Families,

I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the Interim Principal of Santa Margarita beginning at the start of the second semester through the remainder of the school year. As Principal Rowe has shared, today will be his last day and Assistant Principal Cooper will cover until I begin on January 9th, 2023. I will be working with the team at Santa Margarita to ensure a smooth transition and continue all of the great work that has been put in place.

I just wanted to share a bit about myself so that you know my background and experience before I come aboard. Over the past 25 years, I have served the Oceanside Unified School District as teacher and administrator, currently as the Assistant Principal of Ivey Ranch Elementary School. I’ve also been the Assistant Principal at South Oceanside and Libby Elementary Schools, and El Camino High School. Prior to that, as a School Based Resource Teacher and a Teacher on Special Assignment, I supported Reynolds, Nichols, San Luis Rey, and McAuliffe Elementary Schools, and the Surfside Educational Academy. And as a classroom teacher at Palmquist Elementary, I was a teacher in grades 1-5 for 16 years. 

As an Oceanside educator, I’m excited to continue my journey at Santa Margarita. However, as a United States Marine Corps Veteran and having grown up in a military family, Camp Pendleton and Wire Mountain is a place that I have many fond memories of and is a special place to me. After living on Camp Lejeune and in Subic Bay Philippines, my father, a retired Marine of 23 years, was then stationed aboard Camp Pendleton in 1980. We moved to Wire Mountain 3 and I attended San Rafael Elementary School, which is where the child development center is now.  Even after moving out of base housing, I still remained very connected to Camp Pendleton and have remained in Oceanside ever since. I feel very fortunate to return to Wire Mountain and support the families here as the wonderful teachers I had along the way did for me and my family.

My hope for all students has been for them to grow academically, feel safe physically and emotionally, and for them to have a great school experience. I’ve had a wonderful experience in Oceanside schools as have my children, I will work to ensure that your children have a great experience as well. I look forward to meeting all of you and your children when I arrive in the new year.

Sincerely,

Dan Jarvis

Interim Principal