Transfer applications

It’s been a busy few weeks, but wonderful to get outside and see students and staff engaging in high quality learning. I’m especially grateful to the Big Valley Pomo Dancers - Riverview middle school students and their family who asked to perform an opening ceremony at tomorrow night’s school board meeting in honor of Native American Heritage month.

Now is the time especially for 8th graders to explore the various high school options in our district! Visit schools, ask about career pathways, academies and special programs. Reach out to me if you want to discuss. I’m happy to share the exciting options I’ve visited throughout our district. For example, here’s a photo of teacher Tom Trowbridge at Concord High with the tiny house that his Construction Management students are building as they learn varied skills, from woodworking to plumbing and electrical.

Parents/Guardians of current 5th -11th graders may apply for transfers online at https://www.mdusd.org/intradistricttransfers between October 15-November 15, 2021.

Read on for:

International Baccalaureate Parent Info Mtg TONIGHT
School Board meeting October 27th
Superintendent’s message
CA Reading Coalition Summit & Resources
News on K-12 enrollment “fiscal cliff”
Districtwide Career Fair a Success!

International Baccalaureate Parent Info Mtg TONIGHT

Parents and guardians of students in grades 8-10 are invited to a virtual Information Meeting TONIGHT, Tuesday Oct 26 at 7pm, regarding the International Baccalaureate College Prep Programme at Ygnacio Valley HS for juniors and seniors. Intradistrict Transfers are available for the 2022-23 school year for any MDUSD student who lives outside the YVHS boundary area. (It’s recommended to transfer to YVHS for 9th grade if you are interested in the full diploma programme). The Intradistrict transfer deadline is Nov. 15.

Read the district’s news story on IB here.

Click here to register for the zoom link for tonight’s 7pm informational meeting.

School Board Meeting October 27, 2021

Our board meeting will again be located at Monte Gardens Elementary to provide adequate space for the public. Find the agenda and details here. You may send a public comment via email to [email protected] or come in person to make a Public Comment during the meeting.

The agenda will include

Opening ceremony by Riverview native students and their family: the Big Valley Pomo Dancers

Resolution proclaiming November as Native American Heritage Awareness month

Reports on Measure C bond facilities projects, HOPE homeless student outreach, and sale of property for Pleasant Hill library site

Superintendent report on student assessments

Action to increase substitute teacher pay and to approve the Coordinated Care Early Intervening Services (CCEIS) plan regarding Disproportionality by race in Special Education

an update to the Board's Suicide Prevention policy

Superintendent’s Message

Read Dr Clark’s October 22nd Friday message here, including: MDUSD's Bridge Program for special education students ages 18 to 22, our condolences to the family of a Bay Point high school student who unexpectedly passed away last weekend, a new ADA pathway in an elementary school garden, a successful high school career fair last Wednesday, important upcoming dates, and the Superintendent's Weekly Organizational Update.

CA Reading Coalition Summit & Resources

The CA Reading Coalition last week held a statewide summit on the science of reading. You can watch the recordings at https://www.careads.org/summit-recap and view their Reading Report Card at https://www.careads.org/reportcard

This is a call to action for most of the school districts in the California, to carefully examine how we are teaching reading and what it will take to drastically improve student outcomes.

Good news in our district - our last board meeting featured the MDUSD partnership with UCSF and Learning Ally on a dyslexia screener pilot program. Stay tuned for how you can volunteer to help!

News on K-12 enrollment “fiscal cliff”

This Edsource article, “Projected K-12 drops in enrollment pose immediate upheaval and decade-long challenge” explains one of the biggest challenges our district is facing right now, along with school districts throughout the state: a major drop in enrollment that will mean significant cuts in state funding - “a fiscal cliff” - beginning next school year. This is one of the reasons why it is not easy for our board to approve salary raises for all staff. We must be able to clearly show where the money will come from for any salary raise, to afford it over the next 3 years, even though the state only commits to specific school funding one year at a time. We all believe that our hard working teachers and employees deserve to be paid much more, yet we must ensure the district lives within its means.

I recommend https://ed100.org/ as a way to learn about our state education funding. This free site provides 5 minute lessons in English & Spanish, enables parents to comment and share with others from their school, and periodically win prizes.

Districtwide Career Fair a Success!

Concord High hosted students from all over the district for a Career Fair last week. Thank you so much to all the Contra Costa Building Trades, fire, police, and companies who provided apprenticeship information and hands-on fun opportunities for students.

I enjoyed trying out the Operating Engineers diggers and the Ironworkers simulated welding.