Dear MTUESD Community,
It was great to see so many of our families and extended families at Mark Twain’s Open House. I appreciate the care and effort of the staff to make this activity happen. I am looking forward to Copperopolis’ Spring Sing event on May 20.
State testing is going very well. I am super proud of our student participation rate this year. We owe it to our community to demonstrate that we’re committed to reporting our accurate level of performance. I appreciate everyone’s cooperation. Again, these results are not used for placement, it just lets us know where we need to invest additional care and support and to celebrate areas that are going well. The kids have been winning prizes and having some fun reward activities as a result of this event. Michelle Whittier is even planning a lunch-time dance with her leadership class for the middle school students who successfully complete their sessions.
Measure A information has been getting out into the community. I’ve attended a number of community meetings, including the Cemetery board, ACBA, Rotary, Soroptimist, and we just keep telling the story about why we’re funded so differently than our neighboring districts. To all our families who have provided information in the community, I am grateful. All ballots must be mailed or dropped off no later than May 6.
I want to shout out to our community members involved and congratulate them on the amazing Utica Park . The park will open soon. It will host youth recreation and family events for decades to come. What an accomplishment for such a small town to receive funding and create an incredible recreational opportunity for kids. I think it will be a draw from the surrounding regions and could support local businesses with additional foot traffic as well. That’s just one of those magical opportunities where you sit back and go “well done” for kids and families. I know several of our classes are looking forward to the end of the year field trips to enjoy it. I know several of our parents were heavily involved in the development of this project and we are grateful.
Summer school enrollment is still available. We have a lot of staff signed up and now is the time for your kid to get some really great small group support in math and reading. This is made possible by that highly restricted ELOP funding. Afternoon activities are enrichment based, including swimming, art, games, and other fun recreational opportunities. Don’t miss it!
The Fire Camp, in partnership with Bret Harte, is sold out at this time. We are looking forward to that collaboration for our kids as well. Bret Harte has been a wonderful partner to us this year. We have the after school middle school program that Lori Oliver worked so hard to put together, The K-16 Peer Tutoring program is going strong and will continue next year. This is how neighboring districts can create space and opportunities to support one another. Mr. Allured will be teaching two days a week of music at Copperopolis Elementary School next year using Copper’s restricted Prop 28 money. Mark Twain uses their Prop 28 money to fund the middle school art program. Both of these programs represent restricted funding streams where the money has to be used for a specific purpose. That can be good for kids when used the right way, and having the ability to work with the neighboring district on locating qualified staff for the program is one huge benefit all around.
We will have an office assistant position opening at Mark Twain. If you are interested, please take a look at Edjoin or contact Lisa Stewart at stewart@mtwain.k12.ca.us.
The playground has been in full fun mode. It was so ironic when I saw the design spec on the playground, and they had those chairs. I was unsure about those, but our rep said “trust me”. She was right. They are a hit. It never, ever ceases to amaze me how kids like to get all wound up and dizzy. Such fun. The two other playgrounds that remain to be rehab are the small one at Copper and the middle school one at Mark Twain. Will be looking at that over the next month and a half to finalize a design and get a schedule and cost estimate. Additional work with that restricted money will include paving the staff parking lot and a large tree root cut out and patch on the elementary playground blacktop at Mark Twain. That’s a safety hazard and we need to get that done.
It’s hard to believe Spring is here. Please don’t forget that we have Frog Jump. Please try and just take your kids out of school only during the time where we are scheduled to be off. School is REALLY important to ensure a kid’s on-going achievement, so please get them here. It’s not about the money; it's about their success.
Kudos to our track coaches and teams! They are fierce competitors, and we appreciate their dedication and energy!
Eighth grade parents, we are in a critical window. Please make sure you are checking grades. Reach out to the staff to get updates if you have questions to make sure your student will be eligible to participate in graduation ceremonies. We are looking forward to an exciting time and we thank Mr. Airola for his efforts. It will be a good day.
May you have a wonderful and safe weekend ahead!
Sincerely yours,
Louise Simson, Superintendent
650-996-3290