Dear MTUESD Community,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR FLEXIBILITY AND PATIENCE AS WE RESPONDED TO THE ELECTRICITY OUTAGE AND FIRES. We do the best we can with the information at hand. I do NOT LIKE TO NOT HAVE SCHOOL. For some kids, I know there is no one home if I call the day off and they are left alone. For some kids, school is theIR only food for that day. For most families, it is lost wages and makes covering expenses hard. I try really hard to keep us open, but sometimes, we just need a little time to make a call one way or another. Thank you again for your collaboration. WE ARE GRATEFUL TO OUR FIRST RESPONDERS.
Football and cheer is in the air and it is so fun to see our students show their pride and excitement about the practices and games. I had to go get a new cowbell to join the fun. I want to take a moment to recognize the many adults that put in their time and effort to make these opportunities happen for kids in our community. Coaching is hard. Those adults are standing on the field in the hundred degree heat because they want to do something that could really make a difference for kids. Mr. Peters in his role with AMA spends endless hours and we are grateful right along side of the cheer coaches that teach all about heart and soul. I also want to celebrate the Athletic Directors that will be handling the sites this year. Sam Austin will be the Athletic Director at Copperopolis Elementary. Sam is a district veteran that has worn so many hats over the years, we have to build her a special closet. She’s also our Food Service Director, working with staff to serve hundreds of free meals a day. Any athletic events booked down at Copper would run through her. The Mark Twain Athletic Director’s position is a job share between Kacy Barnett and Jordan Gomez. This division is a good solution as the responsibilities of Athletic Director are broad and hugely time consuming. We appreciate these folks stepping up.
Although she didn’t work for our district, but rather our neighboring district, Vallecito Union, I want to honor the purposeful life of Lynne Eising and her amazing husband, Tom Eising. Lynne passed away recently and she was the beloved secretary of Michelson Elementary for many years. Many of you have worked with her or Tom, whose legacy as a teacher, coach, principal, board member, and basketball referee have spanned the decades. Lynne was site secretary at Michelson for many years. It takes a RARE person to perform that role with love, grace, humor, and compassion. Being a site secretary is hard. You have all of the paperwork to do, but you are also the first person the kids and families ever meet, the one who gives them a hug when their mom isn’t there, the one who often is sitting with you because you're sick and barfing and need to go home, or the one who was just yelled at because someone came into the office and had a bad morning and just released it on you. Lynne was special. No one walked away without feeling her love and care. She wasn’t in our district, but she set a standard that we all hope to live by and she will be missed. Our condolences to Tom and the Eising family for their loss, but our thanks for sharing such a beautiful soul with us.
Moving forward, (relentlessly), our students may have mentioned something about i-Ready. We are in the process of doing the first of a series of assessments to see where students are in their skills. These computer-based assessments are really a fantastic way for us to look at each kid and where we need to support them. It also measures their growth. If they’re not making progress, then we have to think of another way to teach it. These are simple, no pressure assessments that take less than an hour. We do them a few times a year to make sure we are moving that needle forward.
I also want to let you know the staff has participated in a couple of county office training sessions these past couple of weeks regarding de-escalation techniques. Kids are a lot different than they were 30 years ago. Families are different than they were 30 years ago. Society is a lot different than it was 30 years ago. School has unfolded to be a place where students are fed multiple meals a day, taken care of nine hours a day, taught, and also expected to deliver nursing, social emotional support, and mental health. Whether you believe that’s right or wrong, that's the way that school has morphed in society today. We deal with some tough behaviors. Part of what the staff was looking at, was not in any way excusing or not disciplining behaviors but looking at ways not to escalate a behavior by getting in a power struggle. This is common advice for parenting as well. We want to thank our parents that come when we call them and seek their partnership that we need help. We do our very best, but sometimes a student does need to take a break and go home for the day. We know parents have obligations as well, but we need your support.
The ELOP programs are well underway. It’s great to see the kids enjoying a quality afternoon experience. Lots of activities have been planned. Jiu-jitsu is starting up at Mark Twain with a local studio. We are excited to see that opportunity unfold. If you have suggestions of local vendors at Copperopolis that might be appropriate, please don’t hesitate to share that with Ms. Handgis.
The playground construction at Mark Twain is charging forward. We should have that wrapped up in the next week or so. The kids are really excited to give it a try. I love that they had such a strong voice in the creation of the playground. We also created a curbing system that will be a lane for the shotput.
If you don't have your ticket for Copper’s Steak and Shrimp dinner, get it now. That’s a fun date night and a great time is had by all. Don’t miss that dessert auction. And what about Young’s IGA? WHAT A COOL THING TO DO FOR A COMMUNITY WITH THAT PARTNERSHIP. THANK THEM. SHOP THEM. GIVE THEM SOME LOVE.
I hope you enjoy your weekend ahead and thank you for your partnership with kids. I’m ready for the temperature to go down about ten degrees, but I sure am happy about how our achievement IS HEATING UP.
Sincerely yours,
Louise Simson
Superintendent
650-996-3290