Dear MTUESD Community,
We had a wonderful week with two stellar back-to-school nights. I also enjoyed my time at the AMA Saturday scrimmages. It is so incredible to sit in the stands and see the excitement of the families, the players, and the cheer teams as they participate in this legacy event that has generations coming out to ring those cowbells in the stands. This is pretty special and doesn't happen in other parts of the world.
In other news, pressure washing and prep began in earnest at both sites. Keep in mind, pressure washing takes paint off and that’s okay! We will look a little worse, before we look a whole lot better! This will be a little bit inconvenient as we do the repairs and paint cycle while kids are on campus. Normally, I would not do this type of work when school is in, but with my not starting until July 8th, we were out of time and I really believe that the building image reflects on a positive atmosphere and culture. It is also important to get these buildings buttoned up before the rainy season. Your bearing with us as we do that work is much appreciated and I hope the students enjoy the result.
I see great things already happening on both sites. Every time I walk into a classroom, which is pretty often, I see instruction that is on point. BUT, that brings me to my next point, which is that your kids need to be here everyday in order to learn. If they have diarrhea or a fever or are throwing up then keep them home. Otherwise, please send them to school. I know people feel when they get those little absence folders that they've done the work for the day, but the real work of learning isn't about what you write on a piece of paper, it's about what you learn from the material being presented by the teacher, partner work with a student next to you, and projects that you create together. There are so many studies that show that students that don't come to school have a really hard time in their adult life and there's a lot of reasons for that. If there is a barrier about why you can't get to school, call your site principal and let's talk it through. If you have a kid with behavior that's unwilling to get up, I have made personal visits where I pick a student up and it usually just takes a couple times of “Mrs. Simson shows up” and then they get up. Let us be your partner to get your student to school!
The other reason it's important for kids to get to school is funding. Every time a student is absent, the district loses money. Again, I don't want kids at school if they're genuinely sick, but absences add up. Each day a student is out, the district loses $70 in funding per student. If we have 75 kids out, which is 10% of our enrollment , that is $5,250 a day. If we do that all year long, it could add up to a loss of $945,000 A YEAR. That is money we don’t get back. We just have to cut, cut, cut… PLEASE, SEND YOUR STUDENTS TO SCHOOL, so we can maintain and grow our programs.
In addition to funding, the absence affects the learning of everybody in the environment as when your student is sick, it slows down the rest of the class because at some point we have to slow down and review material. Attendance matters. Every single day, attendance matters. It also mirrors the work world where most of us don't have the flexibility of saying we don't want to come in today. Now is the time where we set our kids up to be successful regarding the values and ethics of being on time and present as we prepare them for career and beyond. Help us, help all our kids with a well-funded quality program by having your students be here every day. We miss them when they aren’t here! So enough, just know attendance matters…
Mark your calendar please! Join our ELAC meeting on Tuesday, September 10 at 5:30 p.m. in the Mark Twain Library. This is a great opportunity to share your ideas and views on next steps forward. ALL PARENTS/GUARDIANS ARE WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED!
We continue to work with our city partners on pick up and drop off. We had a meeting on Wednesday. Drop offs are better, but we need a shift in the afternoon. Ideas to come.
Thank you for your patience as we dealt with a report with law enforcement this week at the MT campus. We ALWAYS err on the side of caution, so your understanding is appreciated. I urge families once again, if you see something odd, say something. The earlier you can report off-campus information to law enforcement officials, the better. This week was a false alarm, but the more information you can share with law enforcement earlier, the better. Our kids are GOOD KIDS. With the present environment of national events, we don’t hesitate to be extra careful for all our kids and staff.
The spirit wear at both open houses was a hot seller. Thanks to our Parent Clubs. The MT Parent Club met this past week at Round Table and the Copper Meeting is scheduled for September 9. The Copperopolis Steak and Shrimp Event is scheduled for October 5. Even if your student doesn’t attend there and you are looking for a fun evening out, get a ticket at the Copperopolis office and support a sister campus!
Many other great things are going on and the energy is huge! Love that middle school dance planned for Friday, September 6!
I am super proud of the kids and staff for a rockstar start. With your partnership in attendance, behavior, and expectation, GREAT THINGS ARE AHEAD and your kid DESERVES that.
I have visited with so many of you, but know that my door is open. Visit, call, or text me at 650-996-3290.
With deepest appreciation,
Louise Simson, Superintendent
650-996-3290