Dear MTUESD Community,
Many thanks to all of the parents and guardians that took the time to come for a parent, teacher, guardian conference. That luxury of visiting specifically about your student is so important to their progress. We are grateful for the partnership.
Over the next few weeks, you will be receiving a letter home regarding the results of the Multitudes assessment. As my letter explains, this is a new State requirement that we screen students that may be at risk for reading difficulties. We’ve been very robust in that screening previously with the SIPPS program, but we are meeting the requirement using the Multitudes screener which was developed by UCSF. As with all things with the State, the first rollout on the backside of the programming with UCSF was bumpy and let’s just say flat out ugly, and I truly appreciate Tami Hildebrand, Jana Taylor, and Courtney Stamatis for their support in screening all of our K through second grade students. Our staff noticed that the kindergarten screener was testing skills that our early kindergarten kids have not received, being that it’s the first part of the year and also that we don’t have robust preschool programs in our county. I view those results with caution in the kindergarten, as I think the State will fine-tune the benchmarks over time. That said, all of our students are receiving differentiated reading support in TK through the third grade band through the SIPPS program and/ or the Barton program depending on their current levels. We also are running the robust after school academic programs at both sites to provide additional support. This is just one measure of many as we closely monitor students’ growth. I do want you to please read the enclosed listing of activities that you will receive with your letter that you can do at home to support your student’s literacy. I cannot tell you enough how much I urge you to get kids off the phone and onto a book. I don’t think we have any idea what is happening to students’ attention spans and learning styles with so much digital stimulus in the world and I urge you to take some control. My mom used to call computers and iPads and iphones the GREAT ANESTHETIZER and I don’t think she was too far off. Help your student set up for success by sharing 10 minutes of read aloud time every day and you’ll be surprised at the magic it can bring.
I am supposed to be a team player and hold the State line, but the rollout on this program has just been a MESS and I am frankly too old and just too disgusted with the management of educational programming to not tell you the truth. We booked substitutes so we could assess, and the State didn’t have the ability to roster mixed classes so we couldn’t give the assessment, etc. etc. etc. Again folks, I think these ideas are well intentioned, but it’s people in ivory towers that don’t have a clue what it means with boots on the ground to implement these programs. People think I’m abrasive and sharp, but boy, I’m just too tired and what I do now is I just speak the truth folks. Our kids are low because we don’t have quality preschool available to all kids in this county and until that changes, our kids will remain low. We also need the state to unrestrict that ELOP money so we can have smaller class sizes during the day. Unless, you read to your kids and make sure that when you go to the grocery store, you’re talking about prices, you’re talking about how to add and subtract, you’re talking about letter sounds, literacy and math thinking as part of your DAILY mindset, kids will remain low. Those concepts don’t start magically when kids start school. It’s a mindset. I have the weirdest math brain you’ve ever seen in your life because I didn’t get a great math education, but I can grasp really cool concepts because I think “out of the ask” abstractly and use a whole bunch of tools such as estimation and percentage of the whole to get where I need to be, and that’s what we need to be teaching kids. My math education when I was a kid was terrible. It was my time in private industry that made math real. Start those conversations with your kid. Talk about how many cups in a quart. How many teaspoons in a tablespoon. Take away that phone and read with your kid. I’m an old lady, but I fear for this nation about how much technology has infused and dominated our culture. Get back to basic folks. Do you know how many people in tech don’t let their kids have phones and iPads? That should tell you something.
A huge shout out to the Calaveras County Community Foundation for awarding the Mark Twain leadership program grant request for $3,000 written by teacher Michelle Whittear. The students have created an opportunity to display the proud history of Mark Twain athletic achievements with a rotating trophy case in the gym. The Foundation is funding the student leadership project for the cases and we are delighted that the students will be managing this program. This goes hand-in-hand with Kacy Barnett and Jordan Gomez‘s sports management program. This leadership program is really setting a professional standard for student led activities. Organizations like the Calaveras County Community Foundation contribute daily to the lives of so many and light the fire of service in our youth and we are grateful.
I had the pleasure of being principal last week at Mark Twain. The site is just humming along and there was a great book fair. Thank you to Harmony and Aurora at both sites as they work so hard to create these events for our kids. The numerous parent volunteers are also integral to making that happen. Angels Murphys Rotary was also incredibly generous providing gift certificates to our 3rd graders at MT for this fair and for Copperopolis’ 3rd graders during the Spring Fair.
The classrooms at Copperopolis are flourishing along as well. We are delighted that Kate Callier has accepted the fifth grade position for this year. We thank the parents for their understanding as we worked through the placement. Do you just love how the team at Copper just makes things happen that are great for kids?
Our district-wide English Language Advisory council is scheduled for Tuesday, October 14. It is in the Mark Twain library at 5:30. Join us!
Those wonderful Trunk or Treat events are fast approaching. Join us for a safe and fun event. Mark Twain is scheduled for October 24 and Copperopolis on October 26.
A shout out to Dr. Bill Redford for stepping in to support our Bret Harte High School K-16 tutoring program while Miss Landry is out for a few weeks. Dr. Redford runs our Altaville School for Independent Study and is also interfacing with the high school students and supporting them in their assignments in this grant work. We are grateful to Bill for his efforts on that and the energy the high school students bring is fabulous. I don’t think folks understand the depth of leadership in this district as evidenced by Dr. Redford’s experience.
At both sites, but particularly at Mark Twain, we are actively seeking an after school aid. This is a great opportunity to earn a part-time income assisting in our afterschool program. The academics are handled by the Certificated staff, but it’s digging in and doing those enrichment activities and supporting play-based learning. Apply and join a committed staff to work with to create the future for a kid. If you’re interested, please call me at 650-996-3290. I need you folks.
We thank the county office staff under the direction of Sarah Goodman, for training our para educators in ProAct. This is a de-escalation protocol and kudos to those staff members who stayed outside of contract hours for taking the time to do the training after hours during conference week. These types of programs are so important to support minimizing behavior before it escalates.
Wishing you a happy weekend ahead. An MT alumni who is also a teacher's spouse walked on the campus this week at Mark Twain who hadn't been here in over a year and said it looks like a whole new place. Folks, it’s a whole new place AT BOTH CAMPUSES.
The kids are doing great. Our staff is doing great. We don’t look ghetto anymore. Do not expect less than excellence and demand that from your students. My standards are high. My belief is high. Our achievement will be high because of your support of all our kids. Your kids deserve it. DEMAND IT. EXPECT IT. CELEBRATE IT.
Be RELENTLESS…I came back here because I care that kids like me, a daughter of a plasterer and a teacher's aide, gets a shot…PARTNER in expectation with me and dig in and down and let’s GET IT DONE.
Sincerely yours.
Louse Simson
Superintendent
650-996-3290