Dear Mt. Pleasant Community, 

We appreciate the participation of parents and guardians in our district’s initiatives to support our students, our teachers and our staff to advance education that fosters the best opportunities for the children. 

Our commitment to closing the academic gap and helping students to reach their instructional goals guides our teaching strategies. Please reach out to your students’ teacher to learn more about how you can best support your children as they receive their education. 

We are hosting Parent Academic Fairs and are grateful to those who attend, enriching their knowledge in academic topics and promoting resources to support students and their families. This includes reading, writing and mathematics resources. 

Let’s keep working together in support of our students’ success. 

In community spirit, 



Dr. Elida MacArthur 

Superintendent 

Please watch a special message from Dr. MacArthur

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Parent Academic Fair a few weeks ago! The workshops were a success, and we are ready for the future Parent Academic Fairs scheduled for February 28, March 28 and April 27. The events take place in-person in August Boeger Middle School, 1944 Flint Ave, San Jose.  

The workshops include Reading and Writing Strategies, Mathematics Strategies and Resources, Depression and Anxiety, Inclusive/Accepting Family, Newcomers/Students learning English as a second Language, Financial Literacy, Digital Literacy and Mindfulness. Taco dinner and childcare will be provided in the cafeteria. You can win prizes from our raffle!  

The Science of Reading tells us that learning to read requires our brain to make many connections as there is no one area of the brain that is solely responsible for reading. The children need to “train” key areas of their brains to be reading ready. In order to help a child to read, it takes all of us. We must work as a team. 

Here are ways your children’s school is supporting students and how you can support your child at home. 

At School: 

The key to accelerating learning is to identify the critical skills and concepts that students are missing and provide help that will bridge gaps, while teaching the missing skills with precision. Our teachers base their lessons on Common Core State Standards and CA ELD Standards. Our K-2 Reading/Writing Curriculum, Benchmark Advance, is aligned with Science of Reading Research. Teachers use data collected from various local and state assessments to determine where our students need support and provide differentiated instruction in the classrooms by meeting in small groups. We have iReady personalized support for each student as well as Designated and Integrated support for our multilingual learners.  

Our teachers have received professional developments in areas of Science of Reading, English Language Development (ELD) instruction, iReady implementation, Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID), Crew implementation (supporting students social emotional/ sense of belong), classroom management, and behavior support techniques to better serve our students. 

The district is currently working with multiple partners to improve instruction and services for our students such as:

• Consultants from EL Education are supporting administrators and teachers to improve the implementation of CREW.
• Another EL Education consultant will work with administrators and teachers to implement strategies to support English learners' access to grade-level content. 
• A new partnership is with East Side Education Initiative (EEI). Our collaboration will bring resources to our middle school students and families. This year EEI has provided two Academic Counselors; the counselors are meeting with the students to talk about their academic progress and high school plans and providing parent training resources. The Goal of EEI is to help transition our middle school students to high school, ready to take the required courses to set them on the path to a college, university, or trade school if that is the path students choose.
• Partners in School Innovation provide professional development to teachers at August Boeger and Ida Jew. Teachers are collaborating to improve their instructional strategies to meet the needs of their students with a focus on English Learners. 

In addition to the partnerships, we provide SEL support to the students participating in the Sunrise Club before and after school in the MPAS program. The district uses the Extended Learning Opportunity Program (ELOP) funds to provide tutoring during and after school.

• Reading Partners Program will provide reading tutoring during the school day at all elementary school sites, MPIJA, RS, and IJAVV, by mid-February to provide extra support in reading for the identified students.
• District teachers are providing math tutoring after school during the MPAS program.

Support at Home: 

Learning to read takes practice. Please allocate at least 20 minutes every day for your child to read and to read with your child. Modeling good reading and writing habits by supportive positive attitude, mindsets, motivation, and exposure are wonderful ways to help. Check out Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library or online access to San Jose Public Library. Find out what your child is interested in and get as many books on that topic to read together. Ask questions that start with “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “how,” and “why.” Making predictions as to what will happen next and what in the text makes them think that helps the child to become active readers by making connections in a text. 

Another meaningful way to support your children is to ensure they are at school. As a family, commit to having your children at school on time by scheduling doctor and other appointments after school. We also welcome your attendance at school and district events such as the Parent Academic Fairs. 

Remember, parents and guardians, play an essential role in a child's academic performance as it influences the students' attitude, behavior, and motivation. 

Thanks to vaccines, your child is protected from many diseases. There are many immunizations that are key for the children’s well-being. Receiving required childhood immunizations is essential because it helps provide immunity before children are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases. Vaccines are tested to ensure that they are safe and effective for children to receive at the recommended ages, explains the CDC. Parents have the responsibility of making sure their children are current with their vaccinations, to protect their health. Learn more about immunizations by clicking on the resources below. 

Resources related to vaccination from Santa Clara County 

 

Information from the CDC about immunizations 

In February, we celebrate the achievements of African Americans in the history of the United States and their contributions that have shaped our nation. At MPESD, we recognize and honor the role of extraordinary leaders such as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and remain committed to upholding values of respect and unity in our community. Students participated in different activities to honor National African American History Month, as seen in these pictures from Robert Sanders’ 1st and 5th graders. Thank you, Mrs. Walters and Ms. Bailey, for sharing your students’ work! 

Please see the following resources to learn more about National African American History Month. 

At MPESD we are proud to offer a fantastic Dual Immersion ALAS Program! ALAS stands for “Academic Language Acquisition in Spanish.” Dual Language Immersion teaches literacy and content in two languages and prepares students with 21^st century skills, combined with global awareness. In ALAS, a program part of Ida Jew Academy, students learn to read and write in English and Spanish. Our educators and team members are excellent professionals, devoted to teaching English and Spanish with the best methods and academic experience. We have highly qualified bi-literate, bi-cultural teachers to ensure success in the program. 



The Dual Immersion ALAS Program is a program of choice. Parents must apply for their children to participate. In this program, 90% of the instruction is in the target language (Spanish) and 10% of the instruction is in English for both Kinder and 1st grades. Each year after that, the languages of instruction are adjusted until both languages reach an equal 50% to 50% instructional time in the fourth grade in a sequential learning model. Children learn to read in Spanish first building a strong foundation of literacy in the target language before transitioning into English reading. 

Who May Attend? Any incoming TK and kindergarten student may apply to be a part of this program of choice. Each class will be filled with students who are native Spanish speakers and those who are native English speakers. 

For enrollment information, please call (408) 258-6451. 

You can learn more about our ALAS Dual Immersion Program by clicking here. 

We are getting ready for our summer programs! This year we will have a 4-week program from June 14 – July 12 for identified socio-economically disadvantaged, English language learners, and foster youth students. Our goal is to offer the following programs with invitations being sent home in March:  

We will also offer before and after Enrichments from 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM for the identified students.    

There are many benefits to participating in the summer program, including: 



• The opportunity to develop academic skills and learning by bridging the learning gap in math and reading/writing
• Classes will reinforce and reteach skills for better mastery
• Students will learn Common Core state standards in reading, math and ELD
• Avoid summer learning loss
• Maintain routines
• Focused academic environment
• Safe space
• Increased confidence and social interaction
• Physical activity opportunities

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are core values at MPESD. We are committed to creating an anti-racist, compassionate and inclusive school culture where every individual is treated with dignity in our diverse community. Our DEIB lessons being shared in February are about Lunar New Year, Black History Month, Black Lives Matter, Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day. The character trait being recognized is courage. 

For the month of March, the lessons will focus on Women's History Month, Irish-American Heritage Month, Suffrage Movement, International Women's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Ramadan, Cesar Chavez Day. The character trait being recognized is Perseverance. 

If there are questions or you are interested in learning more about DEIB, please reach out to your school to further the conversation. Thank you for supporting an inclusive school community! 

What makes Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District such a special place to work? Our small school district provides a warm and caring environment for students, staff, parents and guardians. Families know each other and are invested in the success of our schools. Our district is deeply committed to making a positive impact in the lives of our students, and leadership is consistently focused on teaching the whole child.  

Growth opportunities are available for everyone. Education opportunities are available to employees who are interested in becoming teachers, and there are opportunities for teachers to study for an additional credential. As employees earn college units, their salaries are increased as they reach specific landmarks. And as employees show their dedication and skill set, they are rewarded by assuming higher positions within and above their classifications. 

MPESD is an opportunity to be part of a community dedicated to making a difference in the lives of students. The district offers employees a generous welfare and benefits package and an excellent state pension plan, and there are many job opportunities available in our school district that do not require a college degree. 

To learn more, please visit mpesd.org or call the Human Resources Department at (408) 223-3745. 

Our Board of Trustees will meet March 8, 2023 and April 19, 2023.

The job of the Board of Trustees includes the following:  

• Setting the vision and goals for the district 
• Adopting policies that give the district direction to set priorities and achieve its goals 
• Hiring and evaluating the superintendent 
• Adopting and overseeing the annual budget 
• Managing the collective bargaining process for employees of the district 

To learn more about these sessions, please visit our website.  

Watch our February 8, 2023 Board meeting here.