Dear MTUESD Community,
Wow! School is cooking and so is the weather. We all got a little too comfortable with that fantastically cooler weather this summer. I will say the kids have done a good job on being mindful of drinking water and getting in the shade and regulating their behavior. But no doubt, it is HOT.
Copper’s playground is all done for the little ones. The large structure was installed when the typical age for students was almost 5 for TK. With the new rules admitting younger and younger students into public school that structure is just not appropriate. We’ve had some pretty serious falls from the littles on it. I hope this new playground meets their expectations and keeps them safe too. The black top at Copper will be resealed this week. The lines will be redrawn. The fifth grade at Copper, under the direction of Miss Balliet, may take on the class project of re-creating that state map. We have had a good year of facilities improvements at Copper and the campus looks nice. We have a couple of AC units that are on order. It is super frustrating with the new Freon rules that many of our existing units can’t be repaired, but must be replaced. That’s fine, but I say to the State, “Where’s the money for us to do it?” This is where I say it’s time to squeal to your legislative rep folks…
At Mark Twain, the upper grade playground is also underway for full replacement. This particular piece of equipment was selected as one of the finalists by the leadership class and then put out to the upper grades for a full vote. We appreciate everyone’s participation on that project and look forward to it being done within a week.
The district logo was voted on and overwhelmingly the logo with the Mark Twain figurehead won. I think this is a nod to the past as we honor the tradition of our namesake. It did incorporate the colors of both schools. I would like to thank Bradley Lehman from Copperopolis for his design.
In other news, I gotta just celebrate those test scores. We came across a term last week in a staff meeting, called a WARM DEMANDER. That truly encapsulates the story of my parenting life for a non-verbal kid that I loved and supported and demanded to try that eventually became a middle school special ed teacher with a master’s degree (it was ugly at times, let me tell you). What that WARM DEMANDER TERM means is that we need to work hard to build trust with our students so that they feel comfortable and supported, but we also need to make sure we have high expectations for them. I think this whole WARM DEMANDER vibe was incredibly apparent in our state-wide testing last year. Our ELA scores across the district rose 13% for students meeting proficiency standards, with an overall increase of 34 points. That’s unheard of. I sent it up to my high level contacts in the state and kudos came down all around to your kids.
Math scores for students meeting proficiency rose 9% with an increase of 18 points. Do we have a long way to go? Yes, we do. But what happened in one year based on everyone’s working together to ensure that kids tried their very best has made a magical improvement in the public profile of our district. This will help increase property values as families look at test scores as an integral part of making a decision where to buy a home. It will matter when your student hits Bret Harte, and they are not showing the learning gaps of the past. Our kids are smart. I’m just so delighted that we get to show the community that too. To the parents that I partnered with on the phone to make sure your kid took the test and did their best–WELL DONE. THIS IS HOW HIGH PERFORMING DISTRICTS DO IT.
So what’s ahead…
Like many districts in the county, we historically struggle with math performance. I am delighted that we will be working with a well known math coach, who will be on site and also virtually working with our staff about how we create math achievement in this district. I cannot tell you how often I hear from kids, parents, and even sometimes the staff, “I’m not good at math.” That’s the kind of self negative talk that we need to reposition for kids. Math can be a struggle sometimes. It can be hard for kids and adults. Struggle is OK. We want kids to feel excited about trying and succeeding and learning new ways of doing things. As I went to school in the 60s and 70s, I totally get that math as an adult looks way different now than it does for kids. My hope is that we will be able to support a couple math nights over the next couple years so that we can work together to develop some fun activities that can support math learning at home.
But here is the KEY THING–The most important thing I implore you is DON’T tell your kids YOU are bad at math. You could say, “ I needed some extra help in math.” or, “I do math differently, but I still get there and finish what I need to do” but try to frame your experience with math positively.
WHAT AM I DRIVING AT? STOP THE NEGATIVE GENERATIONAL MINDSET ABOUT MATH.
My best example is when I was a little girl, my mother hated fish. My dad caught so many fish out of San Francisco Bay that it’s a wonder that I didn't emit radioactive radiation with all of the meals we ate. But my mom emphatically said, “She hated fish”. So, naturally, if she hated fish, I hated fish. So it wasn’t until I was about 12 years old that I actually tried it and thought it was good. I had an impression that I hated fish because I adored my mother and she hated fish. My WARM DEMANDER reminder to you is TO BE REALLY CAREFUL about your language and intention about your past educational struggles because it affects your kid.
How you build your kids' identity as a learner because they love you so much and want to be like you so much can make a key difference in their future. Our math coach shared something wild, I had never heard before…studies are showing that a bigger predictor of post high school success is passing high school algebra versus reading competency. Are both VITAL? YES. BUT MATH HAS TO BE A PRIORITY IN THIS DISTRICT AND WE ARE GOING TO GET THERE.
Ways you can help….
When you go to the store, talk about prices and weighing produce.
Play games at home that deal with money (Monopoly) or counting.
Skip count in the early grades by 2, 3, 5, 10. You won’t believe how fast they will learn multiplication.
Look at a pizza as a fraction before you eat it. ½, ¼, ⅛, 1/16.--FRACTIONS ARE HUGE IN MATH ACHIEVEMENT.
MEASURE STUFF.
Make it real, make it fun, make it just part of your life.
So I decided this week, when I pass to the other side, probably on my headstone it should read, “Warm Demander”. I am so excited about all that this district offers kids. I am so TIRED of hearing negative impressions about our district. YOUR KIDS ARE REWRITING THAT STORY. Join me and our staff as Warm Demanders. Your kids are smart, your kids rocked the state test, your kids are capable and are being taught by a really amazing staff. Join me and support your kids to better outcomes by being a Warm Demander.
Expectation, Results, Change…It is good…
Sincerely yours,
Louise Simson
Superintendent
650-996-3290