Dear MPCSD Families,

We are already looking ahead to next year! Part of planning is watching enrollment so we are ready to welcome all students. Parents of currently enrolled MPCSD students received on March 16 a re-enrollment email with the subject "MPCSD Re-enrollment for 2026-27 is OPEN!" The re-enrollment period runs through April 3. If you cannot find this email in your inbox (please check spam), you may contact our registrar at registrar@mpcsd.org.

Please help us by re-enrolling your incoming first through eighth grade students now!

We are pleased to announce that MPCSD has been selected as a 2026 California Green Ribbon School (CA-GRS) District Sustainability Honoree by the California Department of Education. This award recognizes the district’s achievement across three pillars: Reduced Environmental Impact and Costs including energy, water and grounds, waste, and alternative transportation; Improving the Health and Wellness of Students and Staff including environmental health, nutrition, and fitness; and Effective Environmental and Sustainability Education including interdisciplinary learning, STEM content, knowledge, and skills, and civic knowledge and skills. 

Earning this recognition fulfills a goal outlined in the district’s 2024-30 Strategic Directions, under direction #3, Create Inspiring Environments. The milestone was to become a California Green Ribbon School District by the year 2030; hitting it four years early gives the district encouragement to continue improving its sustainability outcomes. Measure U, which the community approved in 2024, embeds many sustainability features in its plans as well.

Preparing the CA-GRS application was a districtwide effort, leaning heavily on the departments of Maintenance, Operations, and Transportation and Student Services, and site leaders, to help gather evidence. Highlights of MPCSD’s sustainability practices include maintaining school gardens, comprehensive nursing and counseling services, community vaccination clinics, using green cleaning products and safer pesticides, Merv-13 and HEPA filtration, dedicated spaces for outdoor play and learning, robust non-car commute encouragement along with bicycle and pedestrian safety education, project-based learning topics like plastics in the ocean, pollinators, and waste management, family science events and school assemblies like Bio Dome, and science curriculum that embeds California’s environmental principles and concepts.

The 2026 California Green Ribbon Schools Awards Ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 9, 2026, in San Diego. While MPCSD does not plan to attend the ceremony, it will recognize this achievement at the April 16 board meeting. The photos below show different elements of the district's sustainability commitment, L-R: Hillview's bioswale, ELC students enjoy an outdoor learning space, and a bike bus commutes to Encinal.

The city of Menlo Park has received a School Travel Fellowship from the San Mateo County Office of Education to partner with our schools about active transportation and enhanced traffic safety.

The fellowship will explore a traffic garden in our district. Per the city's website, "A traffic garden is a child-sized, car-free streetscape featuring stop signs, crosswalks and mini-intersections — many of the same features that children will encounter on city streets." Traffic gardens have been installed all over the country, including in Palo Alto, and are becoming a popular way to help children build their bike and scooter riding skills and confidence. Each garden is customized to its location's size and its community's neighborhood and traffic patterns.

As part of this year's MPAEF Auction Fund-A-Need supporting student physical health and well-being, some of the money raised will go towards increased bike safety and training. Read more about this year's Fund-A-Need.

The district’s LunchMaster contract will expire at the end of this school year and we are actively seeking a new vendor to provide delicious and nutritious school lunches beginning in Fall 2026.

The RFP process began March 9 and is being facilitated by School Food Solutions. A team that includes district and school administrators, our district nurse and food and nutrition specialist, and parents and students will have the opportunity to interview vendors and taste their food. Panelists will submit a scorecard and comments sheet at the end of the interview and tasting event. A small group session, led by School Food Solutions, will review and score the proposals. The selected vendor will be approved at the June 4 board meeting.

Lunch for MPCSD students will remain free to all and continue to be "grab and go" for the next year. We look forward to the positive changes this process will offer our lunch program!

MPCSD partners closely with our Atherton and Menlo Park police departments for student and community safety. During this time of heightened concern by many in our community about immigration, we are sharing the message below from David Norris, Chief of Menlo Park Police. You may also see MPCDS's policy on response to immigration enforcement.

Our Commitment to Safety for Everyone

Dear Menlo Park community members – all those who live, work, play, visit, and learn in our city –

I want to reassure our community during these challenging times. Recent national events have raised understandable concerns about immigration enforcement and public safety, and I want to make our position clear.

Our top priority is simple: to provide safety to everyone. It is not only the law, but the guiding philosophy of this Police Department that we serve and care for all people in our community without bias, and without asking about anyone’s immigration status. Our mission is to ensure that everyone in Menlo Park feels safe - everyone. That is what we are sworn to do.

Here are some key points you should know:

• We do not engage in immigration enforcement. Our officers do not ask about immigration status during contacts, and we do not partner with federal agencies on immigration operations.
• Our approach prioritizes trust and constitutional rights. Every interaction is guided by empathy, de-escalation, and respect for First Amendment and all Constitutional rights, with safety in mind.
• We are prepared and trained. Our team is experienced in managing demonstrations, ensuring safety while protecting lawful expression, exhibiting tolerance and exercising de-escalation.
• Our commitment to schools and families is unwavering. We value our partnership with you and will respond promptly to any situation that threatens the safety of students, staff, or families.

If you have questions or need support, please reach out to me directly. Together, we will continue to foster a safe and welcoming environment for everyone in Menlo Park.

Thank you for all you do for our quality of life in Menlo Park.

Yours in service,

Dave Norris, Chief of Police

Phone 650-330-6322

menlopark.gov

The 2026 MPAEF Online Auction opens on Tuesday, March 24 at 11 a.m. and runs through 9 p.m. on Friday, March 27. An account is needed to view pricing and bid during the auction. Taking a moment now to create or update your bidder account ensures you will be ready to start bidding when the auction opens! If you created a bidder account for a prior auction, just log in and make any updates necessary to your account. Need help? Watch this video.

Preview the 200+ Amazing Online Auction Items

Kristen Gracia, Superintendent | mpcsd.org

Governing Board:

Jed Scolnick, President

Josh Spira, Vice President/Clerk

Sherwin Chen

Scott Saywell

Francesca Segrè

Board Meeting Calendar. Board meeting agendas and Zoom links may also be found at the district homepage 72 hours prior to every regular meeting.