Community Matters Newsletter
Fall 2024
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We are beginning to feel settled into the 2024-25 school year as the leaves change color, parent-teacher conferences are underway, and all the pumpkin flavored treats emerge. This fall also brings a hefty political season with the upcoming presidential election and a local bond measure for MPCSD on the ballot - Measure U. Election season can be a great time to acknowledge our democracy, be patriotic, and teach about the tremendous efforts and sacrifice so many Americans have made towards more equitable voting rights.
As public school educators, we take our commitment to remain politically neutral very seriously and recognize that this means we drop our own political views at the door, and for good reason…student belonging. Every day, we strive to create an environment that fosters belonging for every student, regardless of their family values, belief systems, or political affiliations. We encourage our community, as a whole, to embrace our core values of compassion and inclusivity as we model for our children.
In this newsletter you will find highlights connected to our recently adopted strategic directions: Grow Student Belonging, Strengthen Academic Excellence, and Create Inspiring Environments. We are focused on our high-leverage action plan which connects directly to our district’s vision. This is work I am passionate about and make myself available to discuss, whether it’s at our local Farmers Market or a Supt. & Sandwich community event. It’s been nice connecting, sharing our story, and hearing from others.
In partnership,
Superintendent Kristen Gracia
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Dates to Note
Please see our website 72 hours in advance of each Board meeting for the agenda and attendance details. Open Session begins at 6:00 p.m.
October 24 - School Board Meeting
October 25 - American Cancer Society Relay for Life at Hillview Middle School
October 30 - Parent Education Speaker Event at Oak Knoll School
November 1 - No School for Students
November 5 - Election Day
November 11 - Schools and District Office closed in recognition of Veterans Day
November 14 - School Board Meeting
November 25-29 - No School, Thanksgiving Break
December 19 - School Board Meeting
December 23 - January 6 - No School, Winter Break
January 16 - School Board Meeting
January 20 - Schools and District Office closed in recognition of MLK Day
February 13 - School Board Meeting
February 17-21 - No School, Mid-Winter Break
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One Community Campaign
Every year the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation and each school's Parent Teacher Organization join together to raise critical funds that support science, art, music, PE, counseling, and much more. We are pleased to report that this year's campaign has raised $3.37 million to date and over 62% of district families have donated. District families are committed to ensuring that MPCSD's excellent programs and experiences are preserved year after year.
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MPCSD's Annual Report to the Community was released in September. Read it here if you missed it!
Correction: The report initially released said MPCSD has the lowest K-12 tax rates in San Mateo County. It has the second lowest.
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Building Literacy & Belonging with Diverse Literature
Is there a child in your life you enjoy reading with? We are kicking off this year's speaker events with a home-grown evening of tips on making reading at home fun while encouraging kids to expand perspective, improve literacy, and increase their own sense of belonging. Please join MPCSD's Coordinator of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (and author) Marissa McGee and MPCSD Reading Specialist Jacqui Cebrian, plus authors Nicole Chen and Sana Rafi, to explore the wide world of children's literature and how reading at home can be a fun and effective part of your child's academic and independence journey. Tips and inspiration can enhance this beloved family experience. Examples of the authors' books pictured here. This event is free and open to the public and will be October 30 at 7:00 p.m. in the Oak Knoll Library. Free childcare for potty-trained children available. Books may be preordered here.
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MPCSD Facilities Master Plan
One of the district's strategic directions for 2024-2030 is to Create Inspiring Environments. The physical spaces we provide our students are crucial to supporting their learning and sense of belonging. To realize this direction and make sure our schools are the best environments for students now and for generations to come, the district spent a full year assessing and prioritizing its facility needs with a focus on replacing buildings that are sixty-five years or older, modernizing buildings twenty years or older, and making improvements in the safety, technology, and infrastructure systems throughout the district. The list of proposed projects fall into four Guiding Principles:
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School Safety & Security Upgrades
Improved access control, intrusion detection, and fire alarm upgrades would mitigate risk and increase our safety posture. Design solutions will balance security while remaining visually open and welcoming.
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Maintain Quality Schools
There are deficiencies across the district among buildings that have not been touched by the previous three master plan cycles in 1995, 2006, or 2016. Buildings over 65 yrs old would be replaced and conform to modern seismic standards. Buildings over 20 yrs old would be modernized and upgraded to be efficient, safe, and cost-effective.
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Climate Resilience & Healthier Spaces
Improved indoor air quality and temperature control are shown to improve learning outcomes. With over 90% of district classrooms lacking air conditioning and many old heating units being more costly to maintain than replace, the district would upgrade its HVAC to sustainable electric heat pumps and provide air conditioning throughout the schools.
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Modern Technology & Infrastructure
Updated AV systems would improve safety, emergency communications, and connectivity to support learning in the digital age. These investments would also make the district adaptable to future innovations.
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State Test Data Released - MPCSD Highlights and Opportunities
Strengthening Academic Excellence is another of MPCSD's strategic directions. While the district is addressing this goal in many ways including investment in teacher professional development, curriculum adoptions, hands-on learning, and interventionist support, state testing is one measure among many that helps the district understand student achievement.
On October 10 the state released the spring 2024 Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments. The CASSPP test is administered to third through eighth graders throughout California. The state department of education's news release shows improvements across the state by socioeconomically disadvantaged students as part of an acceleration in closing equity gaps. At the MPCSD School Board meeting, also on October 10, the district's results were presented. MPCSD students continue to show strong achievement, especially compared to the state as a whole.
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Overall in MPCSD, 79% of students met or exceeded standards in English Language Arts, a one percent decrease from last year; 78% of students met or exceeded standards in math, the same as last year. In science, which is only administered to fifth and eighth graders, 69% of students met or exceeded standards, a two percent decrease from last year. Highlights include a five percent increase in math achievement this year and a nine percent increase in math achievement over the past four years for socio-economically disadvantaged students. The district’s strategic directions include a strong emphasis on academics that center on equity in learning, measure and promote academic progress, and continue to deploy comprehensive support systems. | |
Students Inspired by NASA Astronaut
MPCSD's third strategic direction is to Grow Student Belonging. This takes many forms: making sure physical spaces are welcoming and inclusive, using initiatives like knowing every student by name from day one, and considering the diversity of our students and families when planning lessons and events. It also means bringing guests from a variety of backgrounds to speak to students. Recently, with the support of the Menlo Park-Atherton Educational Foundation and the district's Students as Scientists initiative, we were able to host NASA Astronaut José Hernández to speak to all second-eighth graders. Dr. Hernández shared his journey of perseverance and hard work.
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What better way to inspire students than with an engineer and astronaut who started with a big dream in elementary school and used a lifelong pursuit of science to fulfill it? Dr. Hernández spoke of his eleven rejections to the NASA astronaut program, and the key moments that propelled him to persevere. His persistence paid off when he was admitted into the 19th Class of NASA Astronauts and ultimately served as the flight engineer on Space Shuttle mission STS-128 in 2009.
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It was clear that students (and staff!) appreciated hearing from Dr. Hernández as they cheered throughout the presentations and then crowded around him for photos and autographs. His message to these young potential scientists is to dream big, make a plan, believe in yourself, and then be prepared to work hard and persevere to make it happen. Want to learn more about Astronaut Hernández? He has three books - for kids, middle readers, and adults - available through his website. Watch the major motion picture, A Million Miles Away, starring Michael Peña as José Hernández. Read more about Dr. Hernández's visit to MPCSD in this InMenlo article.
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Street Safety
MPCSD is committed to pedestrian and bicycle safety especially as our students and families commute to school. Here are three recent examples of how the district supports and advocates for improved safety for biking around our local area, for the wellbeing of our students and our neighbors.
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All schools teach bike safety and the district partners with the city of Menlo Park's Safe Routes to School initiative. As an example, third graders at Laurel Upper Campus participated in a bike rodeo recently. Menlo Park Police helped educate students about safe riding by practicing around campus and learning the rules of the road (pictured at right with two Laurel students is MPPD School Resource Officer Shaun Nissen).
In another partnership with the city of Menlo Park, and with Pedal Ace, Hillview Middle School is launching a small-scale pilot ebike safety initiative. We believe that the more our students are educated about ebike safety, the safer they will behave on their bikes. While MPCSD provides regular bike safety education to all students, we depend on parents/guardians to support specific ebike safety training for their children. The district is recommending that all students who operate or ride on the back of an ebike complete this safety training. The partnership provides free class subscriptions for up to fifty families.
Regarding street safety, MPCSD has joined leaders from Sequoia Union High School District and Menlo-Atherton High School in supporting a proposed pilot solution to the decades-old safety concerns along Coleman Avenue. MPCSD families use this congested route to both Laurel School campuses as well as Encinal and Hillview. The MPCSD principals, SUHSD superintendent, and the principal of Menlo-Atherton High School believe the one-way pilot to be the smoothest and quickest way forward to increase the safety of Coleman Avenue at this time. Read the letter here, sent by school administrators to the county supervisors and city council members. See the transportation study here.
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Dine and Wine to Support our Schools
The Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation (MPAEF) has been raising critical funds for our excellent schools for over forty years. We are grateful for their and the community's commitment. You can support the district's schools through MPAEF in two fun ways this season:
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It's MPAEF Dine Out Week and there are two days left! October 15-18
Are you planning a night out? MPAEF can help! On Tuesday, October 15 through Friday, October 18, five participating restaurants - Mama Coco, Left Bank, Osteria, State of Mind Public House and Pizzeria, and Amici's - will donate 5-25% of proceeds to support our schools when you order from them. Visit www.mpaef.org/dine-out for full details.
Important notes: Diners must mention “MPAEF” to restaurant staff when placing orders so that they know your purchase applies to our promotion. Orders via DoorDash, UberEats, or GrubHub do not apply.
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Menlo Park Wine Walk: Saturday, November 16
Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains, MPAEF, and the Menlo Park Design District are thrilled to bring back this fun and festive event! Enjoy local wines and shop at local stores, with proceeds from ticket sales benefiting Encinal, Laurel, Oak Knoll, and Hillview schools. Tickets on-sale now!
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School Board
Francesca Segrè, President
Sherwin Chen, Vice President
David Ackerman
Scott Saywell
Jed Scolnick
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