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Message from Superintendent Skelly
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I have a great job, in no small part because I have the chance to see great teaching and learning take place every day. While veteran teachers are, in general, more skilled, I find special joy in seeing new teachers "crush" a great lesson.
What does it take to be an exceptional teacher? I used to think that the best teachers knew their subject and loved their students. As time has gone on, however, I think there are somewhat different talents necessary to be a fantastic educator. It's not enough just to know and be passionate about that which one teaches. Instead, teachers must create in their students an energy that raises the interest of the most reluctant learner. Further, it is crucial that the teachers create in their classroom an ecosystem where each and every student is appreciated and respected by every member of the classroom community. Deciding who will be part of the district for their entire career is a big responsibility. I hope you see staff members deserving of this honor in every encounter with the District.
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National Merit Semi Finalists Recognized at Board Meeting
Our Board of Trustees recently recognized 22 of the district's top scholars from the class of 2019 who have been named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. During my comments, I reminded these students that their extraordinary skills are gifts and as such, should be shared with others. I encouraged them to find ways to use their talents to make the world a better place. To those whom much is given, much is expected.
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Making the District More Sustainable One Light Bulb at a Time
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From left, Justin Doppee, John Juris, Hector Valencia and Carl Vernale. Not pictured: Dale Brewer |
The District's success in reducing electricity use by 20% last year would not have been possible without the commitment of all of our employees. Topping the list of Sustainability Superheroes are Carl Vernale and his team of Maintenance and Operations electricians (Dale Brewer, Justin Doppee, John Juris, and
Hector Valencia
)
who installed reprogrammed lighting control panels and timers to turn off lights at all District sites between midnight and 5 a.m. as well as "sun up to sun down" lighting controls in district parking lots.
Carl and the team installed new LED light fixtures in all gyms across the District. In addition to a better quality and color light, these new fixtures save the district $74,000 in electricity and maintenance per gym over 10 years. Total energy savings calculated for all gyms is $483,997 over a 10 year life span plus reduced energy cost.
"By lighting the way and providing beautiful campuses, we give our students a great education, and I'm proud of that," says Carl.
As part of the District's 2018-2019 goals, we will continue our sustainability efforts with an emphasis on engaging our students and reducing our photocopying/paper costs. This generation of young people places a high value on sustainability issues. They are some of our greatest supporters on this front, and they push us hard to make our District green. Stay tuned for updates!
On a Related Note - Progress Reports
As part of our effort to reduce printing costs, paper use and mailing costs by 10%, we will only mail six and 12-week report cards to students with D or F grades starting second semester. All students and families can review grades anytime on Canvas. We will continue to mail final semester report cards.
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Update: Vaping and Juuling on the Rise
In my work, I have the pleasure of interacting with a number of wonderful parent groups. Each are made up of engaged, concerned folks who have a genuine interest in the well-being of our students. One topic that continues to surface in these meetings is the pervasiveness of vaping and juuling. I wrote about the topic in my
newsletter in March
, and unfortunately the issue deserves a second look.
When you have a moment, I suggest visiting one of our
family resources web pages
curated by our Mental Health Therapist Jessamy Cadigan. The most important step a parent can take around this issue is to talk to your child about the dangers of this trend.
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San Mateo High Collects Non-Perishable Food and Donations to Help Neighbors in Need 
San Mateo High School's annual holiday food and fund drive to benefit Samaritan House in San Mateo and Second Harvest Food Bank is well underway. The students' goal this year will be to collect over 100,000 pounds of food and continue their tradition of being one of the largest food drives in the country.
In 2005, San Mateo High School students set a new school record and surpassed the school's previous Guinness World Record set in 1999.
The school will collect non-perishable food items and monetary donations through November 27. Donations may be made at the school at 506 N. Delaware Street in San Mateo weekdays between 7:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
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Stanford Teen Mobile Health Van Provides Free Wellness Services to Students
The Stanford Teen Mobile Health Van is now available for all students in the District for the 2018-19 school year thanks to the support of a Peninsula Health Care District grant. Our school counselors and wellness teams have the opportunity to refer students for comprehensive services including
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Immunizations
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Complete physical exams
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Acute illness and injury care
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Pregnancy tests*
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Pelvic exams*
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Sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment*
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Family planning*
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HIV counseling and testing
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Health education
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Social services assessment and assistance
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Referrals to community partners and agencies
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Substance abuse counseling and referral*
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Mental health counseling and referral*
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Risk behavior reduction counseling
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Nutrition counseling
All services and medications are provided at no charge to the students. Services* are sensitive healthcare needs which do not require parent approval or signature.
The Teen Mobile Health Van is accessible to our students once a month at two separate school sites.The Peninsula High School site serves currently enrolled PHS and BRIDGE students. The San Mateo High School site serves the other six schools in our District.
The Health Van program focuses on students who have limited or no healthcare. When a student can't access basic healthcare, it affects all areas of their lives including involvement in school and activities. The van also gives students quick and confidential access to sensitive healthcare needs meaning they no longer need to miss an entire day of school to address these issues.
For more information, please see your school's counselor or wellness team member.
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Healthier Employees Make for Better Schools 
In every interview in which I participate I describe our school district as a place where the people who work here care not only about students they encounter but they also look out for each other. As a district, one of the most important things we can do is build a culture that prioritizes health and well-being.
We know that healthy employees are happier, more engaged in their work, and more attuned to students' needs. Work-life balance is a life practice and our Wellness Program offers tools and support to help employees. Onsite biometric screenings, fitness classes, Weight Watchers at Work, and access to online mindfulness training are some of the many ways our employees can enhance their health and live well.
Measuring staff wellness is not to quantify. Employee medical insurance costs seem like one "canary in a coal mine." Over the past three years, our district has enjoyed a decrease of about 11% in average employee healthcare costs with no decrease in benefits. Clearly this means more money left over to expand programs for students.
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Real You -- Parent/Guardian Night Scheduled for November 27 
Many of our students have already attended assemblies called Real You: Building Healthy Relationships and a Culture of Consent. I hope this has provided your family with the opportunity for meaningful conversations around the topic of healthy relationships and sexual consent. Parents and guardians have the opportunity to attend a special event on November 27 at 7 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center in San Mateo.
The presentation, led by Anea Bogue will help parents and guardians to understand the issues around consent and teach them how to be "askable" adults when their children need support. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested. I hope to see you there!
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Free and Reduced Lunch -- It's Easy to Apply 
The National School Lunch Program provides nutritionally balanced free and reduced cost brunches and lunches to nearly 1,600 of our students every day. Students whose families meet certain
income requirements
may be eligible for this program and additional federal and state-funded services. Our District now also provides free meals to students who qualify for reduced cost meals. Foster children are automatically eligible to receive free meals. Students are not identified as receiving this benefit and are never singled out or treated differently.
Family situations can change quickly making a student suddenly eligible. Hungry students can't think, grow or learn. Applying to receive this benefit has never been easier, so I encourage families who think they may qualify to apply online
at anytime during the school year.
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San Mateo Adult School Offers Opportunities for Parents 
Opportunities abound at the San Mateo Adult School. Parents and any adult residents living in our district can attend classes. Spring registration for free English as a Second Language classes starts December 3, and classes begin January 8.
Adults wanting to sharpen their office skills can quickly come up to speed in a free Modern Office Technology Class. Students learn Microsoft Office 2016 (including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access and Outlook); Quickbooks Pro 2015 and Google Docs. It is possible to earn college credit through these courses which are offered days, evenings and weekends. Adult students can register anytime.
Learn more about these courses on the
San Mateo Adult School website.
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Mills and Skyline Partner to Offer Healthcare Courses 
Mills High School is excited to partner with Skyline College to offer two classes to students interested in healthcare career pathways. Skyline will offer the course Gateway to Health Careers for students interested in learning about the skills, attributes and basic knowledge required for entry into various healthcare professions.
This class will be offered Wednesday evenings from 6-9 p.m. at Mills High School.
Skyline will also offer an
Emergency Medical Responder
class which will help students develop manipulative and problem solving skills necessary for the evaluation and stabilization of victims of emergency illness or trauma. This class will be offered at Mills High School Monday evenings from 6-9 p.m. All classes are free and give students the opportunity to engage in college level coursework and earn CSU transfer credits.
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8,000 -- free brunches and lunches served to students weekly keeping them well nourished and ready to learn
38
-- buses and vans in the District's fleet
810 -- students transported in those buses and vans every school day
1,300 -- miles our fleet travels across the district every school day
550 -- parents' cars kept off the road because students are taking District transportation
20% -- the decrease in electricity usage district-wide in 2017-18. This is equivalent to:
51 homes' electricity use in one year
73 vehicles' emissions in one year
119 tons of waste recycled instead of landfilled
401 acres of forests removing carbon from the Earth's atmosphere
43.8 -- Average age of teachers in the District
22.5:1 -- Current student:teacher ratio
1,591 -- applications received for 85 teacher position postings from February to August last year
662 -- applications received for 55 classified positions from February to August last year
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Closing Thoughts -
I wonder if school administrators who have to make calls frequently about school closures have an easier time than those of us who live in climates where this is rare. Our original thought was to keep school open, but as neighboring districts chose to close and the air quality declined, we joined our neighboring districts in closing school. I think we made the right calls about having school, or not, but you can't please everyone!
It was wonderful to get a little rain before Thanksgiving, and hopefully with more in the future we'll see some "healing of the earth." Here's hoping that the coming assignment-and-homework free Winter Break offers us all a chance for rest and rejuvenation.
Dr. Kevin Skelly
Superintendent, San Mateo Union High School District
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