Dear Mt. Pleasant Community, 

This new school year has begun with enthusiasm and commitment to work together in support of our students, staff and families.  

Our initiatives include a reminder about following the safety guidelines related to traffic, with cars and pedestrians arriving and leaving our campuses. Being careful saves lives. Thank you for taking your school’s recommendations into consideration as you drop off and pick up your children on a vehicle, or walk to and from school with them. 

Being safe also means remembering that the California Department of Public Health advises to wear masks to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. 

We can all do our part to protect our community’s well-being. If you see something out of place at your school site, please report it to the authorities.

We appreciate your collaboration to make this an awesome school year. 

In community spirit, 

Dr. Elida MacArthur 

Superintendent  

Please see a special message from Dr. MacArthur

We have all been there. It is early morning, and students are arriving to school by walking or being dropped off. Traffic is heavy but safety always comes first.

Each school has established guidelines and posted signs for parents, guardians, staff and students to follow during drop off and pick up in order to keep everyone safe. Please respect the traffic signs and rules. These are some of the traffic issues we would like you to be mindful of:

• If making a U-turn is not allowed where you are in your car, please drive further and follow the instructions. 
• Follow the speed limit. Driving slowly as indicated by the speed limit gives drivers extra time to brake if necessary and avoid an accident
• Drivers should be aware of all pedestrians at all times
• Please do not be distracted with phones or other items
• Pedestrians should pay close attention to the cars and buses on the street and avoid any distractions. 

We all have a responsibility to act in a safe manner. Thank you for your collaboration! 

It is important to know that the California Department of Public Health states that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, is strongly recommended to wear a mask indoors so that we can continue to protect the health and well-being of the most vulnerable (including children who are not eligible for a vaccine, older Californians, those with disabilities, as well as those who have compromised immune systems or complex chronic medical conditions). 

It is crucial for everyone to continue using all the tools available to help stop this pandemic as we learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines work against evolving variants.  

Please contact your school office if you need an antigen test. Schools are now able to provide over-the-counter antigen tests to students who are symptomatic and may have COVID, or who may need to show a negative test to return to school. School staff are not able to test students. Parents will be asked to provide the school with a picture (sent from the camera) of the results of the test, with the student's name and date the test was taken, written on the test. The school is not able to provide tests for other family members or students at other school sites. The school will track the student's name and the date the test was provided. 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are core values at MPESD. We are committed to creating an anti-racist, compassionate and inclusive school culture where every individual is treated with dignity in our diverse community. Our DEIB lessons being shared in September are about Latinx Heritage Month, Rosh Hashanah, International Literacy Day and Mexican Independence Day. The character trait being recognized is Collaboration.  

For the month of October, the lessons will focus on National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Filipino Heritage Month, National Italian American Heritage Month, LGBTQ History Month, World Teacher’s Day, Yom Kippur, Indigenous People’s Day, Diwali and Halloween. The character trait being recognized is Compassion. 

If there are questions or you are interested in learning more about DEIB, please reach out to your school to further the conversation. Thank you for supporting an inclusive school community! 

Our goal is to provide our students and parents/guardians with opportunities that support the needs of our families before and after school for the 2022-23 school year.  

Mt. Pleasant After School (MPAS) is free to all participating students; it operates Monday through Friday from the time school is out until 6:00pm. We currently have more than 500 students enrolled in our program, and there is a waitlist to participate as well. Our goal this year is to not have a waitlist and continue to hire staff to fulfill the needs of our families. MPAS is built around three central components: Homework Center, Enrichment Classes, and Physical Activity & Sports Programs. If you would like to add your child to the MPAS waitlist, please complete the following form.

The TK/KinderCare program is another option for children not attending MPAS. This program allows TK/Kinder students the opportunity to stay until 2:25 pm and be dismissed with the rest of the school Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesdays are excluded because all students in the elementary grades are released at 1:25 pm. This helps to prevent families who have older children that get out later from having to pick-up at two different times. This is a FREE program being offered by MPESD. If your TK/Kinder child is already enrolled in MPAS, there is no need to register for TK/KinderCare as they are automatically receiving this service. If you would like to register your child for TK/KinderCare, please complete the following form. 

Extended Care: Due to grant regulations, our MPAS program doors are open until 6pm, and students aren't released until 5:45pm. However, parents/guardians that would like to pay for the MPAS program have the option to do so. This allows those parents/guardians the opportunity to pick their child up without restrictions any time before 6:00pm. If you would like to register your child for Extended Care, please complete the following form.

If you have submitted a form for MPAS, Extended Care or TK/KinderCare, and would like to know the status of your request, please contact the Site Supervisor at your child’s school:

• August Boeger: Andres Munoz. Email.
• Robert Sanders: Krissel Afalla. Email
• Valle Vista/IJA Steam (Flint Ave.): Rafael Pulido. Email.
• Mt. Pleasant/IJA ALAS (Candler Ave.): Andrew Mendoza. Email

Sunrise Club: NEW this year! Our goal is to provide before school care at each of our school sites beginning at 7:00am. We surveyed the families and know there is a need for many of our working parents/guardians. Our goal is to have this up and running by October 3rd, at the latest. A Google Form was sent out via email and text on August 26th to all families, and once we receive your request, we will be in communication with families about next steps. In the meantime, we will be working on hiring staff and getting our program up and running. We are thrilled we will be able to offer this in MPESD this year!

For further inquiries, please contact: 

Daniel Patton

MPESD Program Coordinator

(408) 314-6406

[email protected] 

Julie Howard 

MPESD Expanded Learning Opportunities Coordinator

(408) 223-3781

[email protected]

We are welcoming new members to our district’s workforce! We offer exceptional opportunities for both credentialed and classified personnel in a nurturing and supportive environment. Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District is a dynamic school district with a strong sense of community, committed to excellence, diversity, inclusion and innovation! 

We are accepting job applications for this school year. Applications can be found by clicking here.

If you need additional information not found on this web page, please call the Personnel Office at (408)233-3720.  

Meet our MPESD Human Resources Team! 

Dr. Sandra Jewett, Director of Personnel. Email.

Eloísa Fernández, Personnel Specialist Manager. Email.

Liz Gutiérrez, Administrative Assistant. Email.

Our Board of Trustees will meet on September 7, 2022 and October 12, 2022. The job of the Board of Trustees includes the following: 

• Setting the vision and goals for the district 
• Adopting policies that give the district direction to set priorities and achieve its goals 
• Hiring and evaluating the superintendent 
• Adopting and overseeing the annual budget 
• Managing the collective bargaining process for employees of the district 

To learn more about these sessions, please visit our website. 

For the YouTube Link to the August 10, 2022 Board meeting, click here.