Dear MTUESD community,
Hard to believe we are heading into Spring break. Please remember there’s no school tomorrow and we don’t come back until that Tuesday after Easter. Hopefully everybody will get refreshed and restored and ready to charge into the last part of the year.
I was at Copperopolis on Friday and I saw some amazing things that I wanted to share with you. Lorie McAdams has a “share chair” in her kindergarten classroom and every Friday the students bring their show and tell items. The students sit in the chair and open with their name, their age and their school and grade, talk about their item, and then take questions from the audience. It was really joyful to hear the students share and see their public speaking confidence. The other kinders were also the most supportive audience as well! It particularly touched my heart to see how far so many of those children have come over the course of the year. Then I popped into fifth grade and found Kate Callier’s students presenting their Google Slide reports on an animal “Change My Mind” science slideshow. I learned more about raccoons than I’ve ever known before. The quality of the digital presentation and public skills the kids have is just terrific. As a Superintendent, I smiled to see the student was using the same classroom management techniques that we ask teachers to use including using the choosing sticks to call for questions. It was terrific.
We continue to need kitchen and custodial substitutes. This is a great gig if you don’t want a full-time job, but you want extra work on your schedule. The process is a little bit of a hurdle to get through including fingerprinting that we pay for, going for a physical, which we pay for, a TB test, and some on-line training. The application can be paper or electronic. Once you are in the system, you are good to go moving forward! I know Food Service Director Sam Austin would love to have a core of fantastic backup for her fabulous food service operation so reach out to Lisa Stewart at lstewart@mtwain.k12.ca.us. Ken Malvini is also looking for reliable custodial subs as well!
We are putting together plans for a Bridge School, which is a general education program for students that are having a hard time with behavior and self-regulation in the mainstream classroom. This is not a punitive program. It is a program to help students build skills to be successful in the mainstream environment. It is only for grade 5 through 8 and will be at Mark Twain in a very small group setting although Copperopolis students are eligible. We will be contacting the parents of students over the next few weeks that we think may really thrive in this supportive environment. They would transition back-and-forth based on behavior and academics. If a student starts to have difficulty once school starts, we can also refer them into the program mid-year. This allows the students to grow the skills they need and also supports the mainstream environment.
We are excited for the State-wide test testing window. Kids will all be receiving t-shirts and reward bracelets for their participation. Again, we care about growth not passing. We’ve had kids posting magical results on the I-ready and they are feeling confident in their growth. We care if they get better. This is the public face of our school district and we are excited to celebrate our students with special events, rewards, and recognition to make this process fun.
The district was featured in the statewide education magazine for the Big Bike Build. Pretty cool!
I hope you and your family have a safe and happy holiday. If you have not signed up for summer school, do so now. We have more than 100 kids signed up and we’re also offering TK Boot Camp for our new families at both sites in Session B Join us! FIRE CAMP STILL HAS A FEW SPOTS. WE PAY THE $300. EMAIL COURTNEY AT CSTAMATIS@MTWAIN.K12.CA.US.
Thank you for your continued partnership. Enjoy the week ahead and please be safe!
Sincerely yours,
Louise Simson
Superintendent
650-996-3290
Every Student. Every Day. Every Possibility.