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Community Matters Quarterly
Fall 2022
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World Class. Community Funded.
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The Community Newsletter of your Menlo Park City School District
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From Superintendent Burmeister
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Dear Community,
After 10 and half years in MPCSD, I write you this final note before leaving this job at the end of December. It has been my sincere privilege to serve the MPCSD community for over a decade. I am proud of the work the district has done making education more learner-centered, prioritizing mental health, increasing diversity, elevating inquiry and project-based learning, leading through a pandemic, earning accolades for our programs, people, and academics, and securing our financial future for the next generation. Yet it is truly the relationships we have built, and our schools' partnership with our community, that I find most impactful and gratifying. It has been a remarkable journey and I thank you for trusting me to lead MPCSD.
I am also grateful to you for valuing your public schools. I am incredibly happy to be leaving the leadership of this unique district to someone who I believe is the exact right leader to bring MPCSD into the future, building on our successes while paving her own way. I know incoming Superintendent Kristen Gracia will excel in this role and will make lasting partnerships throughout the community.
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If you're wondering what I'll be up to next, look for an announcement in December. I also invite you to read my latest blog, "Edtech Hangover?" for my take on the crowded edtech landscape and where I think things are headed. The blog may give you a clue into what is next for me. I look forward to remaining in the education space, albeit from a different vantage point. I hope to put what I've learned from years in the classroom and building education systems to work to keep improving teaching and learning for more students, staff, and families.
I also invite you to attend School Board meetings or find us at the Menlo Park Farmers Market, which are listed in the "Dates to Note" section. You may also email info@mpcsd.org any time with your thoughts. Thank you for supporting your community school district.
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Dates to Note
Please see our website under "Announcements" 72 hours in advance of each Board meeting for the agenda and attendance details.
November 9 & 16 - Speaker Series 2-part Mini-Series: Where Did Childhood Go with Chasing Childhood movie and Julie Lythcott-Haims
November 11 - No School in Observance of Veterans Day
November 13 - MPCSD @ Menlo Park Farmers Market
November 17 - School Board Meeting, Open Session 6 p.m.
November 21-22 - No School for Students (Staff Development Days)
November 23-25 - No School in Observance of Thanksgiving
December 15 - School Board Meeting, Open Session 6 p.m.
December 26-January 6 - No School for Winter Break
January 9 - No School for Students (Staff Work Day)
January 16 - No School in Observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 19 - School Board Meeting, Open Session 6 p.m.
January 22 - MPCSD @ Menlo Park Farmers Market
January 24 - Speaker Series event @ Hillview: Hate Speech conversation with Anti-Defamation League
February 9 - School Board Meeting, Open Session 6 p.m.
February 20-24 - No School for Mid-Winter Break
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Your vote is your voice! Don't forget to submit your ballot by November 8. MPCSD does not have a School Board election this cycle as its three open seats were uncontested. The new Board will be installed at the December 15 meeting.
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Student Assessment: State, National & Local Trends
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With the recent release of state assessment data and the "Nation's report card," all eyes are on schools as testing results are reported for the first time since Covid lockdown. As anticipated, there were declines in math and English Language Arts/reading across the nation. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, which reports a representative sample of students in grades 4 and 8, showed declines in math of five points for 4th graders and eight points for 8th graders; reading scores decreased by three points for both grades. In California, which tests students in grades 3-8 and 11, less than half of students met or exceeded standards for English Language Arts, a 4 point drop, and a third of students met or exceeded standards in math, a drop of 7 points.
Fortunately, the news in MPCSD is better. For the first time since 2019, our schools administered the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress. The Spring 2022 results show 81% of students meeting or exceeding standards in English Language Arts, a three point decline from 2019, and 77% of students met or exceeded standards in math, a 6 point decline from 2019. In the interim years, MPCSD administered local benchmarks to monitor progress and performance during the school years affected by Covid. Results from those assessments helped the district deploy supportive measures to keep students on track over the past two years.
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Even with MPCSD's results significantly outperforming California and the nation, we take seriously our responsibility to ensure that every child receives the academic support they need, especially the twenty percent of students who are not yet meeting standards. Here are some ways MPCSD is using its resources, including one-time state grant monies, to help students achieve:
- Add a math interventionist at each school site for the next three years, based on a successful three-year pilot program at Laurel School
- After school academic support with a focus on math
- Continued increased English Learner Specialist support to ensure students are learning English rapidly and proficiently
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Investing in School Nurses is Good Medicine
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MPCSD is pleased to have full time nursing care at every school campus, a benefit to our community that not all districts have. The role of school nurse encompasses everything from facilitating overall health and safety to attending to the daily bumps and bruises, and sometimes bigger emergencies, that come up. And throughout the pandemic, our nurses have been critical in providing testing, guidelines, and community healthcare that enabled us to be open as safely as possible. This story also highlights the high level of professional training and care our nurses are able to provide.
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The twisting, blue slide at Laurel's Lower Campus is a powerful magnet for many young Squirrels. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago his dismount did not go so well. Jack fell off of the playground slide during recess and broke his right arm in two places. This was entirely his own fault - nothing unusual for a first grader's embrace of risk. What happened next made us so pleased.
Jack was immediately cared for by the nurse on site, Maria Carina. She was able to quickly assess him and isolate the issue to his arm, which she determined to be most likely broken. She carefully guided him to the office where she made a splint for his arm. I arrived at school at this point and until his arm was secure in the splint, Jack had been in excruciating pain (letting everyone know). But with his arm secure, he was able to tolerate the pain and I could drive him to urgent care, where x-rays confirmed multiple fractures. Initially the urgent care nurse thought they would need to make a new splint, but upon examination, Nurse Carina's was so well done they left it in place. The Stanford ER was our next stop. Again, the Stanford doctors kept him in his original splint which allowed him to remain comfortable during our eight hour wait.
I am forever grateful to Nurse Carina at Laurel School for her presence at the scene of the accident and kind, proficient skill which definitely limited Jack's pain. Extra attention like an onsite nurse is one of a million ways that sets our Menlo Park City School District apart from typical California schools and is one of the many things that make our children’s experience that much better in or out of the classroom.
This article was written and contributed by MPCSD parent Suzanne Yonkers.
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Speaker Events Focus on the Joy of Childhood
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For two weeks in November, MPCSD's Speaker Series will focus on how we can develop confident children and restore the joy of childhood. We will screen the movie Chasing Childhood the first week and then be joined by Julie Lythcott-Haims the second week. You do not want to miss this! Please join us for one or both of these special events.
The series is back in person at the Hillview PAC, 1100 Elder Avenue, Menlo Park. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. for snacks, and free childcare is provided for potty-trained children of MPCSD families. This series is sponsored by the MPAEF, the Encinal, Laurel, Oak Knoll and Hillview PTOs, and made possible by One Community Campaign donations.
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PART 1: SCREENING OF THE MOVIE, CHASING CHILDHOOD, WITH PANEL DISCUSSION
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 @ 6:30 p.m. at Hillview PAC
A screening of Chasing Childhood followed by a panel discussion with Assistant Superintendent Kristen Gracia, Director of the Early Learning Center Chana Stewart, Laurel School Lower Campus Administrative Counselor Ashley Guilliot, and Hillview 8th Grade Counselor Kellie Raczkowski.
In today's world of structure, stranger danger, and helicopter parenting, free play and independence have virtually disappeared from childhood, giving way to unprecedented anxiety and depression (now compounded by two plus years of COVID-19). In Chasing Childhood, psychologists, activists and leaders of the "free play" movement fight to bring back the untold benefits of a less curated childhood.
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PART 2: IN CONVERSATION WITH JULIE LYTHCOTT-HAIMS
Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. at Hillview PAC
Former Dean of Freshman at Stanford University, best selling author of How to Raise an Adult, and community activist Julie Lythcott-Haims joins us to talk about about how childhood has changed.
In conversation with MPCSD Superintendent Erik Burmeister, Ms. Lythcott-Haims will reflect on the mindsets and strategies Silicon Valley parents can deploy in order to develop age-appropriate independence and promote a healthy childhood. To purchase books by Julie Lythcott-Haims from Kepler's in partnership with this series, go to www.keplers.com/mpcsd-speaker-series.
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From the Galapagos to Menlo Park
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Seventh grade English teacher Jorge Pacheco, Jr. is new to MPCSD and has already set a high bar as a National Geographic Society Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. Having been awarded the prestigious fellowship back in 2019 while at his previous district, the fulfillment of the expedition was postponed for Covid and he was able to take his dream trip to the Galapagos just this fall. The Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship program is a teacher development opportunity awarded to pre-K-12th grade teachers following a highly competitive application process. As a fellow, Mr. Pacheco now has two years of resources to “further students’ understanding of the planet and empower them to generate solutions for a healthier and more sustainable future. [Fellows] help ensure that the next generation is armed with geographic knowledge and global awareness,” per the National Geographic website.
Mr. Pacheco is a perfect fit for bringing this honor to Hillview and his students. The most inspirational moments in his life, he recalls, were studying abroad in college where he explored at least twenty countries. Crediting his father with a lifelong love of travel, Mr. Pacheco says “there is no better classroom than the world.” Mr. Pacheco exudes his love of people and the world with his warm demeanor and natural curiosity. Outside of school he devotes many hours to community service in his native San Jose, including as a member of his local School Board. He hopes his students become inspired by his exploration to become “explorers in their own community.”
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The Galapagos expedition with other teachers was just the beginning of this rewarding fellowship. Mr. Pacheco plans to incorporate anthropology, law, biology, and climate science into projects within his English curriculum and will collaborate across disciplines with other teachers. His goal is that students connect more deeply to their own communities right here, know and love their roots whatever they are, and learn what it means to be a good citizen.
And what were Mr. Pacheco’s biggest takeaways from his expedition? "The importance of taking care of oneself, physically and emotionally; connecting with people without distraction; and the importance of balance both in an ecosystem and in our own lives." For more information on the fellowship and Mr. Pacheco's experience, watch this video made by NatGeo and Lindblad Expeditions. MPCSD can’t wait to see where Mr. Pacheco’s class takes this unique opportunity, and we are proud that this incredible teacher now calls Hillview home.
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Marissa McGee Releases New Book: Free the Curls
Coordinator of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Marissa McGee, who serves in this role for both MPCSD and the Ravenswood City School District, has published a children's book that encourages young readers to advocate for social justice and stand up for what's right. Free the Curls is available in MPCDS libraries and Ms. McGee is reading with students across the district. "As an anti-bias educator, Marissa strives to create books where Black children can see reflections of themselves and those who don't identify as Black can engage in perspective taking," reads her author statement. Learn more and order your copy of Free the Curls here.
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Hillview Drama Presents Arsenic and Old Lace
Live theater is back! Based on the classic film with Cary Grant, this show is a hilarious and spooky story set in the 1940s. Writer and notorious marriage detractor Mortimer falls for girl-next-door Elaine, and they tie the knot on Halloween. When the newlyweds return to their respective family homes to deliver the news, Mortimer is faced with a murderous family secret and he starts to realize that his family is even crazier than he thought. This show is fun for all ages!
Show runs November 10 - December 3
Hillview Performing Arts Center, 1100 Elder Avenue, Menlo Park
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San Mateo County Reads
Join our schools and the whole county in a month of reading! The San Mateo County Office of Education, Peninsula Library System, and libraries across the county have launched San Mateo County Reads 2022. The program invites students, families, educators, and community members to read from a slate of books under a common theme to promote conversations, create connections, foster understanding, and expand interest in reading.
The theme this year is “Native Authors-Native Lives.” To correct the stories and practices that have often erased indigenous people’s history and culture, the San Mateo County Reads team of educators and librarians selected this year’s slate of books to help lift the stories of indigenous voices. This year’s selections are:
Grades TK–3: We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade, and Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ying-Hwa Hu, and Cornelius Van Wright
Grades 4–8: Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac
Grades 9–12: Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley.
Adults: There There by Tommy Orange
The County Office of Education has provided the books to our schools. To join the read, find out more details here.
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Support our Schools through MPAEF this Holiday Season
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MPCSD's foundation partner, the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation, offers the community two wonderful ways to support our schools this holiday season. By supporting MPAEF, you are providing our schools with smaller classes, enriching activities, specialist education in science, music, art, world language, library, and PE, and comprehensive student wellness resources.
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Get started on your holiday shopping! From November 16-19, shop online at www.cheekymonkeytoys.com and include “MPAEF” in the notes field at checkout, or shop in-store and mention “MPAEF” and Cheeky Monkey will donate 10% of your purchase to support our schools! Click here for the Cheeky Monkey promotion flyer or go to www.mpaef.org/shopping for details.
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Taste of the Mountains Wine Walk Returns: Saturday, December 3, 2022
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Community Connection - Engage with Us
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Hillview Hawks, Laurel Squirrels, Encinal Eagles, Oak Knoll Otters. These mascots represent MPCSD's four award-winning schools that are the hearts of their neighborhoods and the pride of our community. As partners in educating our future, we welcome your interest, questions, and feedback at any time. Use the links below to access each school's website, or email hello@mpcsd.org.
School websites:
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Erik Burmeister, Superintendent
Board of Education
Scott Saywell, President
David Ackerman, Vice President
Sherwin Chen
Stacey Jones
Francesca Segrè
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