Dear MPCSD Families,

Every year in MPCSD, schools host Caring and Sharing Thanksgiving and holiday drives, through the PTOs, to support our community with grocery gift cards, holiday meals, gift giving, warm clothing and other supplies. This year, the need is even more acutely felt as disruptions to SNAP benefits and job losses due to the lengthy government shutdown made making ends meet extra challenging. Across MPCSD, there are 300 students whose families benefit from the Caring and Sharing generosity. As Compassion is one of our core values, it is no surprise that when it comes to helping out our fellow classmates, district families are ready to step up.

We wouldn’t be able to administer Caring and Sharing without Flor Espinal, the district’s Family Engagement Coordinator, pictured here. Among Flor’s many responsibilities are communicating with families who need support and matching families with the appropriate services. Flor facilitates family gatherings and markets where donated clothes and household items can be procured, weekly food distribution from donated sources, and so much more to make sure every MPCSD family has what they need so their children can thrive in our schools. Flor is just a text away for our families in need, all year long.

To support Caring and Sharing, please see your school's newsletter as they each feature how you can help at your individual campus. Thank you for showing compassion for our school community!

New E-bike Policy Enforced After Thanksgiving

The School Board took action earlier this month to prohibit all except class 1 e-bike use by students under 16 at our campuses. As we have been communicating, December 1 is the first day of enforcement of this new policy. Staff will be checking our school bike racks for e-bikes that don’t meet the policy, and those bikes will be held in the office for parent pickup. Great school commute options include traditional biking, walking, carpooling, and the district offers school bus transportation. SamTrans also offers various routes to Hillview. Check out the transportation webpages for those options. If you are considering an e-bike for your child, Safe Routes to School, San Mateo County Office of Education is sponsoring an event about buying a legal option:

E-Bike for the Holidays … How to Buy Smart and Ride Legal

Bob Mittelstaedt, Co-Founder of E-Bike Access

Tuesday, December 2, 2025, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., Virtual Event (Live)

Register: https://ebikeaccess2025smcoe.eventbrite.com

While MPCSD encourages families to stick to traditional bicycles, we recognize that families sometimes rely on e-bikes for further distances. This session is not sponsored by MPCSD but is a good resource for families as it will include what to look for when purchasing an e-bike to ensure your child is riding safely and legally. Please remember, in MPCSD only Class 1 e-bikes are permitted on campus. Whether you’re gifting or upgrading, this session will help you make an informed e-bike choice. Parents/caregivers, students, educators, and community members welcome! Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be available. Free admission.

The Amazing Generation Co-Author Catherine Price is coming to MPCSD's Speaker Series in January! MPCSD continues its focus on childhood independence with a marquee Speaker Series event:

The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World 

January 21, 2026, 6-7 p.m., via live Zoom exclusively for the MPCSD community

Last year we read The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. This year, we are thrilled to follow up with an event based on the highly anticipated book The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World by Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price. We are pleased to be joined by Catherine Price as we learn how young people can be empowered to stand up for themselves by choosing a life not dominated by screens. Parents will leave with ideas for how to engage with their children as together we create a community where children grow, explore, enjoy unstructured time, and avoid becoming the next anxious generation.

Award-winning science journalist, speaker, and author Catherine Price is a leading voice in the national conversation about digital devices and how to create healthy relationships with technology. Her books include her bestsellers, How to Break Up With Your Phone and The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again, and Catherine and her work have been featured in outlets including The Best American Science Writing, NPR, The New York Times, Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, Popular Science, The Los Angeles Times, and TIME Magazine, among many others. She is also a former middle school teacher, the parent of a young child, and a core member of the team behind Jonathan Haidt's #1 NYT-bestselling book, The Anxious Generation. She writes the popular Substack newsletter, "How to Feel Alive," and her TED talk on fun has been viewed more than 5M times.

In all of her work, Catherine's ultimate goal is to help people of all ages scroll less, live more, and have fun.

On November 13 the California Department of Education (CDE) published the 2025 California School Dashboard, showing that students continue to see improved outcomes across all key indicators of student success. On a state level, highlights include an improved graduation rate that at 87.5% is the highest since 2017, and a decrease in chronic absenteeism. Notably, for the first time in the history of the Dashboard, all indicators are “yellow” or “green,” reflecting that all key student outcomes are showing improvement. 

MPCSD was no exception. Our performance includes a decline in chronic absenteeism to a rate of 5.4%, ELA achievement increased 3.8 points and is 73.4 points above standard, and math achievement increased 5.6 points and is 70.9 points above standard. Our English Learner students increased their progress over 19%! Thank you for continuing to support your students; we are so proud of their success.

MPAEF Sports Basement Days Dec. 1-8

Head to Sports Basement for some early holiday shopping December 1-8! Basementeers receive 20% off (and non-Basementeers still receive 11% off). To receive the discount, show this flyer (printed or via your smartphone) when shopping in-store, or enter the discount code online. The discount can be used more than once at all 11 Sports Basement locations and online!



Go to www.sportsbasement.com to sign up for the Basementeer program (click the Basementeer tab at the top). Basementeers receive the benefit of 10% off every item every time you shop, PLUS 10% of profits go to the charity of your choice. The cost is a one-time fee of $25. When choosing your charity, search for "Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation.” You can also sign up to be a Basementeer at any of the 11 Bay Area Sports Basement stores.

"Retired" Science Equipment Free to the Public

The district has retired a large quantity of Lawrence Hall of Science FOSS program weighing balances and is offering them up to anyone that would like to make good use of them. They are all in good, working condition. If you are interested all items are FREE, first come first served. A public showing will be held at the District Office on Monday, November 24, 2025, 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Bring your own bag.

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.