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Community Matters Quarterly
February 2021
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World Class. Community Funded.
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The Community Newsletter
of your Menlo Park City School District
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From Superintendent Burmeister
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Dear MPCSD Community,
We made it to 2021! We are happy to turn the page on 2020, although we still face challenges. I am so grateful to and proud of our teachers and staff for being the first public school district in the Bay Area to return to in-person learning. It pains me that few districts have been able to serve their students in person for offer as robust a virtual program for families choosing to quarantine full time. I know that our ability to serve the unique needs of all our families is possible because of the support of our community. Great schools make great communities. Because of YOU, that has never been more true in MPCSD.
As you hopefully remember, back in 2017, our community affirmed its support for schools by passing Measure X by nearly 80%. At that time, the School Board also cut $2M in spending which, combined with the parcel tax and planned deficit spending, gave the district a four-year runway of stability while developing long-term financial plans. Now that it's 2021, the runway is over, and MPCSD is implementing its plans.
The School Board and district leadership are currently considering additional $1.5M - $2M in ongoing savings while planning for long-term child-centered stewardship that prioritizes efficiency without sacrificing quality. Concurrently, we are identifying a size and scope of the Measure X renewal that, combined with systemic cuts, will provide the long-term financial stability our schools need and our community asks of us. It is our hope that with the stabilizing of both student enrollment and state-mandated retirement increases, our renewal of Measure X will be both measured and sustaining.
We want YOU to be part of this important conversation. Your priorities for our community-funded schools will help inform our plans. There are three Community Engagement Sessions with me and School Board Members:
February 22, 7-8 p.m.
February 25, 10-11 a.m.
February 27 9:30-10:30 a.m.
I hope to see you there and at our Board meetings, which are listed to the right. You may also email info@mpcsd.org any time with your thoughts.
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I also invite you to read my Sup'sOn blog. I have written recently about finding hope in the midst of the exhaustion we are all feeling. We all have so much on our plates, and it can be centering to take a break from the noise.
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Thank you for supporting YOUR community school district.
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Dates to Note
School Board meetings are held remotely via Zoom until further notice. Please see our website under "Announcements" 72 hours in advance of each meeting for the details of joining.
February 11 - School Board Meeting, 5:00 p.m. over Zoom
February 15-19 - No School for Students for Mid-Winter Break
February 25 - School Board Meeting, 5:00 p.m. over Zoom
March 11 - School Board Meeting, 5:00 p.m. over Zoom
March 15 - Speaker Series event: Q&A with Dr. Naama Barnea-Goraly following the movie LIKE about social media overuse and addiction. More info/registration @ www.mpcsdspeakerseries.com
March 25 - School Board Meeting, 5:00 p.m. over Zoom
April 6 - Speaker Series event: The Story of Plastic movie and panel discussion including how we can reduce our impact on the environment. More info/registration @ www.mpcsdspeakerseries.com
April 15 - School Board Meeting, 5:00 p.m. over Zoom
May 13 - School Board Meeting, 5:00 p.m. over Zoom
June 3 - School Board Meeting, 5:00 p.m. over Zoom
June 10 - School Board Meeting, 5:00 p.m. over Zoom
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Our Annual Community Report for 2020 is posted here. Please take a look in case you missed it!
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Fall 2021: NEW Student Registration is Open
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Registration for NEW students beginning in Fall 2021 is NOW OPEN. If you have a child who will be five years old by September 1, 2021 and will start kindergarten at Encinal, Laurel, or Oak Knoll please register them at our Enrollment Webpage. This is also the time to register any student in grades 1-8 who will start with MPCSD in the fall. (Families who move to the district mid-year may register students at any time for the current school year; that information is also on the enrollment webpage.) Welcome to the MPCSD family!
MPCSD offers two excellent choice programs: Spanish Immersion at Encinal and Laurel and Multi-Age Classrooms at Oak Knoll. MPCSD residents may enroll their children in these programs regardless of which school is your “neighborhood” school if space is available. The option to choose one of these programs is part of the enrollment form.
If you plan to register your kindergartener in Spanish Immersion, you must attend one of our Mandatory Spanish Immersion Information Meetings to be held via Zoom:
(Current Immersion parents with incoming kinders are also required to attend one meeting)
The Spanish Immersion Lottery will be held via Zoom. Notifications will be sent after the Lottery has been completed. Participation in the Lottery is NOT required to be offered a spot.
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MPCSD First SMC District Back In Person
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MPCSD has been open for in-person instruction since September 8 and also offers a fully virtual option for families who choose it. Since the fall, all school districts in California have navigated a series of changing public health directives that can be confusing to follow. Fortunately, MPCSD’s thorough planning since spring of 2020, its collaborative relationships with its labor partners, its strong School Board and district leadership, its dedicated and hardworking teachers and staff, and its supportive families have been key to MPCSD’s ability to safely reopen and keep our schools open to serve our 2800 Preschool through 8th grade students. Only seven districts in San Mateo County are open to in-person instruction; we are proud to have been the first.
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Our success depends on rigorous health and safety protocols: masks for all students and staff, physical distancing, small stable groups, healthy hygiene, and limited gatherings. MPCSD has a contract tracing team, led by District Nurse Lianne Jemelian and Executive Director of Student Services Stephanie Sheridan, that successfully identifies close contacts and implements isolation and quarantine guidelines. We proudly report that there have been no confirmed cases of spread within our campuses. We maintain an updated record of our reported COVID cases for the public.
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MPCSD has shown that schools can stay open safely during this pandemic, even as we have weathered the winter surge. MPCSD’s leadership is strongly advocating to state and federal officials for the quick and orderly vaccination of all educators. We hope that by mid-February, San Mateo County will be vaccinating school staff. So far, our amazing team of nurses has begun getting their shots and we couldn’t be more pleased for them (District Nurse Lianne Jemelian pictured after receiving her vaccine). They are our front line in keeping the rest of our staff and students safe.
If you as a community member would like to help advocate for vaccination of school staff and all the essential workers in Phase 1B, Tier 1, please write to our leaders: the State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, the Governor of California, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, State Senator Josh Becker, Assemblymember Marc Berman.
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You Can Help Schools Stay Open!
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Part of MPCSD’s ability to remain safely open is the whole community’s compliance with public health guidance. Please keep our families and children healthy:
- Wear a face mask
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Avoid non-essential travel, and if you do, please quarantine for 10 days upon your return
- Don’t gather inside with anyone not in your household, and limit outdoor gatherings to no more than three households
- We are happy for our local businesses and restaurants that are now allowed to open; please patronize them safely with your mask on and physically distanced
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COVID testing is another tool for communities to limit spread and stay healthy. Curative is open in Menlo Park for appointments and walk-ups. They will even test children under five as long as the child can cough on command. Parents may help administer the test to their young children
Thank you for doing your part to protect our most valuable asset - our children and schools!
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MPCSD’s School Board passed a resolution affirming its Commitment to Creating Anti-Racist Classrooms, Schools, and Communities. We practice this commitment by addressing ways to become antiracist in our hiring practices, curriculum, professional development, and family and community engagement opportunities. Superintendent Burmeister is thoughtfully advised by a diverse team of parents and staff on a monthly basis; the team researches best practices, previews curriculum, plans community events, and offers recommendations on how MPCSD can fulfill its commitment to becoming antiracist.
In January, MPCSD partnered with other local organizations Menlo Together, Community Equity Collaborative, Ravenswood City School District, and Menlo-Atherton High School to offer a speaker series that explored racist housing policy and its impact on school district boundaries; the diverse experience of all district families as they sometimes struggle with racist assumptions and systemic practices that label children of color differently; and the history of education here in the south peninsula and how we might work together for a brighter future for all families. This series was honest, challenging, painful, collegial, and ultimately hopeful. If you missed any of the powerful events, they are all available to watch on video at our Speaker Series website.
One guiding principle in this work is the belief that “becoming antiracist” is a journey, one that we will diligently follow but know will not conclude with our work. Ibram X. Kendi’s words inspire us to “ignore the odds and fight to create an antiracist world, then we give humanity a chance to one day survive, a chance to live in communion, a chance to be forever free.” We hope that through this important work, however imperfectly we pursue it, we are laying groundwork that the next generations of students, staff, and community members will continue.
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Focusing on the Whole Child, Now More Than Ever
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The mental health and well-being of our students, staff, and families has perhaps never been as challenged or as urgent as this year. MPCSD has for years approached student mental health and social-emotional learning as an essential foundation for academic performance. Studies show that when students’ mental and emotional needs are supported, they perform 10% better academically, anxiety is reduced, and there are fewer attention and learning problems. A healthy school climate also encourages more student leadership and increased confidence.
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MPCSD’s Whole Child Learning & Development Framework outlines how we ensure that EVERY CHILD is engaging, achieving, and thriving academically, socially, and emotionally. By basing our academic program on the foundation of healthy and collaborative relationships and integrated well-being, we recognize the importance of investing in our students’ and staff’s mental health. Our district Wellness Lead provides support and services to families and staff members and connects them to outside support when needed. As the pandemic subsides and we anticipate opening schools more fully in Fall 2021 and beyond, MPCSD will maintain its investment in mental health to help heal the additional burdens the pandemic has placed on our well-being.
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MPCSD’s preschool, the Early Learning Center (ELC) is open in person and virtually with sites at Laurel’s Lower Campus (Lindenwood) and Oak Knoll School (west Menlo Park). Applications are being accepted now for the Fall 2021 school year, which will offer in-person and virtual cohorts. Please learn more about our wonderful program at the ELC website, and find the registration form here. Twenty-five percent of our ELC families receive tuition support thanks to our community’s commitment to offering high quality preschool to all children.
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Do you have gently used children’s books to donate? The ELC would love to receive your non-branded books and puzzles (i.e. not Disney, Nickelodeon, etc.), suitable for children ages three through five. Please reach out to earlylearning@mpcsd.org to donate. Thanks to a generous family, our ELC classrooms now have a beautiful collection of antiracist books. It is never too early to teach and model tolerance, acceptance, and the value of all voices. Thank you to our community!
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MPCSD Helps Continues Serving
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MPCSD Helps is an initiative started by the community's interest in helping district families with food security in light of the pandemic's ongoing economic repercussions. MPCSD partners with MPAEF to receive financial donations that are tax deductible through the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation. To date, over 265 donors have given nearly $130,000 plus thousands more in-kind. All donations are used to confidentially support families enrolled in MPCSD schools.
Additionally, we accept donations of food, clothing, household goods, baby items and more. Our staff continues to make weekly deliveries of food and grocery gift cards, regularly supporting over 60 families. Pictured is the pop-up pantry in the Encinal kitchen. Your generosity allows us to care for our families' most urgent needs during this stressful time. To find out more or donate, please see our MPCSD Helps page.
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Support our schools & beloved local institution - Jeffrey’s Hamburgers!
Thanks to the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation and Jeffrey's Hamburgers, the community can join us for a win/win/win...no cooking for you (win), you donate to our schools at no additional cost to you (win), and you support a local restaurant when they most need it (huge win). For the next two Thursdays, February 4 and 11, order from Jeffrey’s Menlo Park and 10% of your entire order goes back to MPCSD schools!
Three easy ways to place your lunch or dinner order:
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Community Connection - Engage with Us
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Hillview Hawks, Laurel Squirrels, Encinal Eagles, Oak Knoll Otters. These mascots represent MPCSD's four award-winning schools that are the hearts of their neighborhoods and the pride of our community. As partners in educating our future, we welcome your interest, questions, and feedback at any time. Use the links below to access each school's website, or email hello@mpcsd.org.
School websites:
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Erik Burmeister, Superintendent
Jammie Behrendt, Assistant Superintendent
Board of Education
Sherwin Chen, President
Scott Saywell, Vice President
David Ackerman
Stacey Jones
Francesca Segrè
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