MPCSD District Newsletter - August 20, 2025 | | Educating and empowering students while embracing childhood and adolescence. | | |
It was so inspiring to be on campuses this morning! The joyful energy as children arrive for their first day is infectious. Our teachers and staff worked hard to get each classroom ready to foster the strong sense of belonging and the rigorous academics that make MPCSD stand out.
As I shared with staff at our kick-off meeting earlier this week, our strong MPCSD vision and outstanding staff have led to great momentum toward our goals. And so this year we're expecting deeper engagement with our strategic directions: grow student belonging, strengthen academic excellence, and create inspiring environments. We will maintain high expectations as the public school district that shows up for every student regardless of their needs or circumstances.
We will intentionally reflect and respond to the strengths and needs of our students, staff, and community. We will keep up the progress on our safe and secure facilities projects funded with Measure U. We will use our speaker series and other efforts to encourage more opportunities for our children to gain independence and build resilience. We will continue to educate and empower students while embracing childhood and adolescence.
As we jump into 2025-26, I invite you to notice the space, time, and opportunity this year provides as part of your student's educational journey. Each of us plays an important role. Our community is complete because your family is here. Welcome back to school, everyone!
In partnership,
Kristen Gracia
Superintendent
| | Volunteering or Coaching This Year? Get Ready Now | | |
Volunteering and coaching are a fun and important part of many families' school experience. Programs from lunch, art, and library to field trips and afterschool sports count on volunteers to make them happen. Thank you to all the parents and guardians who support our students by volunteering and coaching!
Ready to volunteer and/or coach? Sign up as usual through your school...and also know that:
This year, MPCSD will be requiring fingerprinting and a TB risk assessment for all volunteers/coaches who will work with children, as required by California state education code. MPCSD will enforce this requirement beginning November 1, 2025; until that time you may volunteer/coach while you complete the fingerprinting process. This applies to all volunteer/coach roles that interact with children, like classroom/library volunteering, hot lunch, field trip chaperone, sports coaching, etc.
MPCSD’s Human Resources department is ready to support you with our new process for meeting the fingerprinting requirement. Our school office check-in system, SchoolPass, will align with the fingerprinting results. Once a volunteer/coach has successfully completed the process, they will receive a special volunteering code to use with SchoolPass, and will wear an “Approved Volunteer” badge when on campus to volunteer and/or coach. To begin, please read the Volunteering and Coaching in MPCSD webpage. Information will also be available at Back-To-School Night and in your school front office.
MPCSD does not want cost to be a barrier to volunteering! We will offer the fingerprinting service free of charge to you at two events over the September 13-14, 2025 weekend. See details and reserve an appointment through the request form.
Thank you for volunteering and coaching in MPCSD. Please begin the process now as it may take a few weeks to complete. If you have questions please contact Human Resources at hr@mpcsd.org or 650-321-7140 x5602.
| | One Community Campaign Kicks Off | |
The OCC is our district’s critical annual fundraiser, funding each of our school’s PTOs as well as filling a nearly 40% funding gap for three critical pillars of staff at each school site: i) specialist & elective teachers, ii) academic support staff, and iii) mental & physical health professionals.
The campaign’s goal is to raise $3.75 million with 100% participation by September 26. The suggested donation is $2,000/student, but every dollar counts, no matter the level. Please learn more and stay tuned when we launch at Back to School Night!
| Curious About District Finance? Join Us! | | |
As the OCC campaign shares its important message, the MPCSD superintendent's and business offices are offering education about our budget. If you're interested in how we are funded and how you can give your input as the district and school board plan for sustainable budgeting, please attend one of these sessions.
You will learn more about:
- California school finance
- What it means to be community funded
- District priorities
- Local impact in shaping our financial future
- OCC's impact on our programming
Q&A with Superintendent Gracia will be included. Come learn and see how YOU can participate in this important conversation!
The same content will be presented twice with morning/evening in-person/remote options.
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MPCSD Budget 101:
Funding our Priorities
Thursday, September 18, 2025
7-8 p.m.
This will be presented via Zoom
No RSVP/registration required
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MPCSD Budget 101:
Funding our Priorities
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
9-10 a.m.
This will be presented in person at the TERC Building at 181 Encinal Avenue
No RSVP/registration required
| | Math Materials Adoption Committee | | |
MPCSD will be adopting new math materials in 2027 and the Educational Services Department is forming a TK-8 Math Materials Adoption Committee to ensure that our instructional materials equitably serve all students, including those with diverse learning needs. This committee will play a critical role in evaluating and selecting resources approved by the state that align with the California Common Core State Standards, as well as the district’s commitment to equity and academic excellence. The committee will meet over two years, starting in the fall of 2025 and culminating with the final adoption recommendation being presented to the school board in the spring of 2027.
We seek two parent representatives per school who are passionate about supporting effective math instruction for all learners. The committee selection and process is outlined in Board Policy BP & AR 6161.1: “The Superintendent or designee may establish an instructional materials evaluation committee to evaluate and recommend instructional materials for Board approval. This committee shall consist of teachers and may also include administrators, other staff who have subject-matter expertise, parents/guardians, community members, and students as appropriate.”
If you are interested in serving, please read more about the timeline and commitments and complete the Committee Application Form by Monday, September 8, 2025, 12:00 p.m. The Ed Services team will review applications and select members based on responses.
This is an opportunity to help shape the future of math education in our district, ensuring that every student—regardless of learning style or background—has access to engaging and effective instructional materials. We appreciate your partnership and commitment to educational excellence. For any questions, please contact Associate Superintendent Jammie Behrendt at jbehrendt@mpcsd.org.
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In MPCSD student cellphones must be off and away all day. Please remind your children! We encourage teachers and staff to hold students accountable to this rule and work with administrators to ensure accountability is in place when the rule is broken. New legislation through AB3216 now requires schools to create policy, which must be adopted by July 1, 2026, and updated every five years, to ensure students are not using their cellphones while at school. Stakeholders must be included in the development of the policy, and it must include enforcement mechanisms. The law allows for exceptions in the cases of emergency, teacher/admin permission, or health/IEP accommodation. More to come on how you can participate in the process of creating our new board policy, but for now, we want you to be aware of these developments.
| | You may notice beautiful and much needed new photos on the district, school, and Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation websites! Thanks to the volunteer efforts of district parent and photographer Mira Zaslove, and in collaboration with MPAEF, we were able to spend time at each campus over the spring and we now have vibrant new photos that portray the unique learning community here in MPCSD. We followed the photo permissions for each student as listed in our student information system, PowerSchool. If you have questions, please reach out to the district's public information officer at info@mpcsd.org. The image above contains a sample photo from each of our TK-8th grade schools. Photos may also be used in newsletters and other materials representing the MPCSD and MPAEF. | | | Flu/COVID Shot Clinic at Hillview | | |
Looking for a convenient flu and/or COVID immunization? Once again we are partnering with Safeway Pharmacy to offer shots for students, staff, and family members 3 years and older.
Hillview Middle School
September 20, 2025
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY!
Appointment scheduler
Safeway will bill participant's health plan for the vaccine(s). Bring your medical and prescription cards with you. Safeway cannot bill Medi-Cal for individuals younger than 19, or Kaiser Medicare/Kaiser Medi-Cal/Kaiser Medicare Advantage. Safeway can bill Kaiser commercial for members' flu vaccines only. Individuals not insured or underinsured may participate by paying out of pocket at the clinic.
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Kristen Gracia, Superintendent | mpcsd.org
Governing Board
Sherwin Chen, President
Jed Scolnick, Vice President/Clerk
Scott Saywell
Francesca Segrè
Josh Spira
Board Meeting Calendar. Board meeting agendas and Zoom links may also be found at the district homepage 72 hours prior to every regular meeting.
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