We are pleased to provide our students, parents, staff and community with the latest information about our Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District community through this newsletter. Please join us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to connect with us daily!

Our MPESD community showed lots of enthusiasm the first day of school! Students, staff and parents and guardians returned to school for an amazing 2024-2025 school year. Great attendance requires everyone’s collaboration. Let’s motivate our students to attend school every day! Being in school consistently increases the opportunity for students to achieve academic goals and educational success.

See how the first day of school went!

All students are now eligible for free meals at school, regardless of their household income. This is a historic decision by the state of California to provide support to children, so they can reach their full potential.

We still ask parents to please fill out the Household Income Form to help the District receive critical funding that our community relies upon (including after-school and counseling programs).

The District uses the information collected in the Household Income Form for funding purposes. Keeping this data current and up to date provides MPESD its best opportunity when applying for grants and other resources. This form also helps the District connect families with assistance and aid that they may not be aware they qualify for, such as college application fee waivers, testing fee waivers, Pandemic Electronic Benefit Assistance and similar benefits.

Families can access the forms online on the District’s website (available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese), or can request a printed form at their school office. Forms are also included in the Handbook.

For any questions, please call Micaela Garcia, Account Clerk, at (408) 223- 3713.

We continue to partner with the nonprofit Mindful Life Project (MLP) to bring their services and support to our schools. Currently, the Mindful Life Project is serving all MPESD school sites, with one MLP coach at each site!

The goal is to empower children, families and school site staff through mindfulness-based social emotional learning programs to gain self-awareness, confidence, self-regulation, and resilience, leading to lifelong success. MLP’s comprehensive approach supports mental and emotional well-being. 

What is mindfulness? Being mindful means having your mind on what you are doing (instead of rushing). It is important to slow down and take your time. Mindfulness includes lessons on techniques to calm the mind and body, which can reduce the negative effects of stress and increase students’ ability to stay engaged, helping them advance in their academic journey. 

We invite you to learn more about the Mindful Life Project with the resources below. The MPL app is bilingual, and their website has resources for families as well. 

MPESD celebrated the opening of the August Boeger Wellness Center, the first of its kind in the district, at a ribbon cutting ceremony. The innovative center is dedicated to providing a supportive environment for students’ mental health and well-being.

“We are thrilled to introduce the August Boeger Wellness Center to our community,” said Superintendent Dr. Elida MacArthur in her ceremony remarks. “This center is a testament to our commitment to the mental health and well-being of our students. We believe that providing a supportive environment is crucial for their academic and personal success,” she added. 

Funded through a generous grant from the Valley Health Foundation, with additional support from the Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Department, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, and federal and state mental health funds, the Wellness Center represents a significant investment in the health and future of our students. “The grants we earned will cover the salaries of two new staff members, including a Wellness Coach and a part-time counselor for the next two years,” commented Dr. MacArthur. 

Located in Room 16 at the center of the August Boeger Middle School campus, the Wellness Center will be open to all students across the District’s schools. Students can drop in before and after school, as well as during brunch and lunch. “Classes of students will begin touring next week to ensure every student is aware of the resources available. It’s a place to connect with mental health staff, take a break in a calming space, seek resources, or check in with caring adults,” said Laurie Ann Breton, MPESD Director of Student Support Services.

The Wellness Center facility was renovated from a workshop into what is now “a wonderful, calming space for students,” according to Breton. “We also created offices so students can easily find Sharnjit Nijjar, our new Wellness Coach; Oscar Lamas and Ana Villegas, Counselors; and Trish Geronimo, Effective School Solutions Counselor,” continued Breton.

Services that will be offered at the August Boeger Wellness Center include:

• Check-ins with mental health staff
• Direct counseling services
• De-escalation
• Conflict resolution
• Social-Emotional skill training
• Substance prevention
• Student engagement
• Services provided by community partner, Alum Rock Counseling Center

Thank you to our staff and families who attended the Staff and Family Picnic on August 10, celebrating the start of the new school year! We appreciate all our MPESD team who contribute with their talent and skills every day in support of our students. We appreciate you!

Watch this slideshow about the fun picnic day!

Libraries provide so many free resources and opportunities to explore and learn! September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! We are grateful for our District and city’s amazing librarians and library clerks who provide support and guidance to students, staff, and families, and facilitate access to books, multimedia, and programs.

We welcome our new District Librarian, Jennifer O’Sullivan! She has worked in education for 10 years. “As a teacher librarian, my number one goal was to always provide a safe space for my school’s student population,” shares O’Sullivan. “The school library is not just a container for books. It is a living, breathing organism that helps support the students where they are at through learning and joy. I am hoping to bring this vision to MPESD Libraries. One of my goals as District Librarian is to start providing more academic rigor to our library classes at all school levels. I will be developing a curriculum map that is based on California school library standards, so our students are knowledgeable of information and digital literacy. Also, the library team and I will be providing lessons that are geared towards extending literacy learning, research methods, and understanding how to navigate the internet safely and practically.” 

Our District will be included in the upcoming November 5^th election’s ballot! Voters will decide whether they approve Measure S and Measure T. Both measures need at least 55% of the vote in favor to be approved.

Measure S is the Science & Technology General Obligation Bond. The County of Santa Clara Register of Voters describes it as follows: With funds that cannot be taken by the State, shall Mount Pleasant Elementary School District's measure to expand Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics classrooms; and update classroom technology and emergency communication systems at August Boeger Middle, Ida Jew Academy, Mount Pleasant Elementary, Robert Sanders Elementary, and Valle Vista Elementary be adopted, authorizing $28 million of bonds with legal rates, audits, average levies below $29 per $100,000 of assessed valuation (generating $1.7 million annually) while outstanding, citizen oversight, and full public disclosure of all spending?

Measure T is the School Renovations Bond. As described by the County of Santa Clara Register of Voters: With funds that cannot be taken by the State, shall Mount Pleasant Elementary School District's measure to expand student counseling/ mental health facilities; ensure access for disabled individuals; renovate outdated libraries; and repair leaky roofs at August Boeger Middle, Ida Jew Academy, Mount Pleasant Elementary, Robert Sanders Elementary, and Valle Vista Elementary be adopted, authorizing $24 million of bonds with legal rates, average levies below $26 per $100,000 of assessed valuation (generating $1.45 million annually) while outstanding, citizen oversight, and full public disclosure of all spending?

Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District offers a world of opportunities!

Are you or someone you know interested in becoming part of Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District? MPESD is hiring for a variety of roles.  

Job opportunities are available to individuals interested in becoming teachers and teachers interested in obtaining additional credentials. There are also many positions available in our school district that do not require a college degree. 

The school district offers a generous welfare and benefits package as well as an excellent state pension plan. We are always looking for Instructional Associates (general and special education) and Substitute Custodial Workers. 

We invite you to learn more information on EdJoin or contact our Personnel Office at (408) 233-3720. 

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 shared in September are centered on 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 Teachers Day, Yom Kippur, Indigenous People's Day, Diwali, and Halloween. The character trait recognized is compassion.  

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

Our Board of Trustees will meet October 9, 2024.

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. 

Watch our Board meeting on September 11, 2024 here.