Dear MTUESD Community,
The summer seems to be flying by and soon we will be back in school for our new academic year on August 13. I am an old lady that remembers going back to school in the early 1970s in my orange and green cotton plaid dress and white sandals the Tuesday after Labor Day but that has long ago faded. People often ask me why we go back so early? At some point, the calendar on this school corridor shifted. Those changes are often driven by shared services such as transportation in the old days, sports practices related to CIF regulations in secondary schools, or special education shared services etc… I don’t know the specific “why”. There is no reason we can’t explore an opportunity to shift back as people often ask me, but being out of alignment with the high school makes it hard for many families, so it is a big lift. We also schedule those extra thirty days of school as required by the state so that adds a new wrinkle…
Speaking of those extra thirty days of school, I can’t wait to see our kids thrive at school. We had so many kids take advantage of the small group classes and individual instruction this summer school session. This is the kind of program I wish I could run year-round and just pour direct instruction, enrichment, and fun into kids. If the state is going to be insane with their funding for ELOP, we’re going to run with it and make sure our kids are getting during those thirty days what the state should be giving us all year long. Next year, sign your student up. Who doesn’t want less than 10 kids in a class, enrichment, swimming, art and p.e.? Are you kidding me? That’s what private school looks like. I keep shaking the trees with the state about proportional funding during the regular school year, but until they hear me, join me with your student and TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY. This isn’t for me, this isn’t for you, it’s for your kid. A huge shout-out to the staff that is stepping up every day for a great experience. Ms. Rodriguez is out of the box with cooking and hoverboards, Ms. Bottomley with creative p.e., Ms. Barnett with some of the most beautiful and evocative art ever, and the quality PURE ACADEMICS THAT YOUR KID DESERVES IN EVERY CLASSROOM by our beloved staff from both Copper and Mark Twain. Thank you Tessa Pyle, Kel Lee Felix, and Emily Anderson-Mucks for your leadership on this program.
I want to give a shout out to a couple of community organizations. One of the privileges of my job is I get to attend community events throughout the year. I appreciate the work of Angels Camp Business Association (ACBA). They recently had a grand opening for Shortie’s Barber Shop. Shortie was an employee for many years with MTUESD and it was great to celebrate her store grand opening on Main Street. I finished that event and attended a Soroptimist meeting that evening. I always get, “What is a Soroptimist?”. Well, the short of it is it is a group of ladies that strive to empower girls and women through scholarships and support. If you ever want to join a meeting, let me know! I also love supporting Habitat for Humanity in their quest to develop affordable housing. Lots of misinformation in this space. The affordable housing created by the new development is aimed at providing folks in our community including teachers, first responders, retail workers and other hard-working folks an opportunity for home ownership in our county. They also have a SUPER COOL home repair program with one grant that supports specifically veterans in need. You got to love that… Lastly, Angels-Murphys Rotary Club has been amazing to our school system and kids with recognition, event partnership, and scholarships. If you have any interest in their Shrimp Feed on August 16 in Murphy’s Park, take a look at angelsmurphysrotary.org. Good food, great music, and a good time for an important cause including funding those generous Bret Harte Senior Scholarships.
A couple of maintenance items to note. The Copperopolis gym restroom is under retrofit so we can get that multi-year-old playground shade structure permit out of DSA. Don’t get me started. We just have to play the game. It should be done in two weeks. The playgrounds are on order (small area for Copper and the 4-8th for MT). We’ll keep you posted on the install date. Carpet replacement in select rooms is on-going throughout the district. Painting touch ups on the schedule. --We look sharp at school start because our kids deserve it.
I hope you have a happy and safe weekend ahead.
Sincerely yours,
Louise Simson
Superintendent
650-996-3290