In this edition ...

• From the desk of Dr. Skelly …
• Board meeting review: California Dashboard, i-Ready results, Superintendent’s search and audit report
• Open Enrollment for 2025-26 starts January 21
• MVWSD’s Powerschool data is secure
• High Fives
  

Dear MVWSD Families:

Happy New Year! First, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you for supporting our professional development day on January 6. We understand that having students at home on a weekday can be challenging with work schedules, and we truly appreciate your understanding. This day was invaluable for our educators and classified staff, as we engaged in meaningful training and planning to better serve our students. Our team worked on critical topics such as student behavior, literacy strategies, first aid, data analysis, and collaboration. This time allows us to grow as professionals and ensure we provide the best learning experiences for your children.

As we begin planning for the upcoming school year, I’d like to encourage all families to register children for school next year during our open enrollment period, which runs from January 21 to February 7. Accurate student counts are essential for ensuring we have teachers in place and our facilities prepared for the first day of school on August 13. If you haven’t already, please visit mvwsd.org/register to review the steps and list of required documents. Equally important, if your student is in grades TK-7 and you know your child is not going to attend MVWSD schools, please let us know as soon as possible by emailing [email protected].

Consistent attendance is key to their academic success and overall well-being. Obviously students can’t learn if they are not in school. If there are obstacles to your student’s attendance, your school’s leadership wants to know about this right away so they can help.

As I wind down my time as Interim Superintendent, I want to assure you that the district and its schools are in very good hands indeed. The three new Board members (and the returning two members) are thoughtful, caring, bright, conscientious people who will, I am sure, do exemplary work as Trustees. Your schools are, without exception, led by outstanding principals. Teachers and school staff care deeply about your student’s experiences in school. And the folks here at the district office have a deep commitment to service to schools and their communities.

Kevin Skelly, Ph.D.
Interim Superintendent
[email protected]

Board meeting review: California Dashboard, i-Ready results, Superintendent’s search and audit report

The California School Dashboard is a visual representation of performance for all schools across the state. It helps parents and staff identify areas of strength and target areas that need additional support in districts and schools. Some of the areas of focus include academic performance, as well as behavior and absenteeism.

The Dashboard shows MVWSD continues to have overall high ratings in English Language Arts and Math, although improvement is needed in student groups - such as English Learners, Socio-Economically Disadvantaged students, Students with Disabilities and Hispanic/Latino students. Chronic Absenteeism is declining overall and for all groups except for African American students.

MVWSD is already hard at work improving outcomes for students, with strategies such as:

• Response to Instruction to help students with their individual needs
• Targeted language support for English Learners
• Early literacy intervention and full implementation of the district’s new “science of reading”- based curriculum
• Continued work with SCEFs (family engagement and basic needs) and ARISs (behavior support) and the addition of school counselors (mental health and social-emotional support)
• Professional development for teachers
• Implementation of MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support) that will further help schools use data to inform instructional decisions for the benefit of individual learners.

The Dashboard presentation is here. To view the Dashboard, click here.

i-Ready Diagnostic 2 Report: Staff updated the Board of Trustees on the results of the  i-Ready Diagnostic assessment from December. 

• The majority of the grade levels maintained or increased reading proficiency, with large increases at Castro and Monta Loma in the younger grades. 
• Math proficiency increased in 5th, 6th, and 8th grade, with the largest gains in our 8.0 and 8.1 math pathways 
• The number of students who have met their Annual Typical Growth targets in both reading and math increased in our most at-risk subgroups (English Learners, socioeconomically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, and Hispanic/Latino).

All schools are working hard to make sure every student gets strong, first instruction. With the new science of reading-based curriculum implemented this year, teachers are working hard to teach the Amplify ELA curriculum. Learn more here.

Superintendent Search Firms Selection: The Board voted to interview four search firms at its Jan. 23 meeting.  The Board is seeking a firm to assist the District with the search for a new, permanent superintendent to be in place on July 1. Read more here. 

2023-24 Financial Audit Report and Measure T Audit Report: The Board reviewed the results of annual independent financial audits of the District’s finances as well as the Measure T Bond program for 2023-24 school year. It is a "clean audit," indicating that there are no findings and that the district's financial statements are presented fairly and accurately in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).  An unmodified opinion is the highest level of assurance an auditor can provide and reflects positively on the district's financial health and management practices. Read more here.

Open Enrollment for 2025-26 starts January 21

The Mountain View Whisman School District will be opening student enrollment for next fall on January 21.

For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 21 to February 7.

For families enrolling NEW students: Please check www.mvwsd.org/register for how to locate your neighborhood school, how to explore school options and the four steps to register during the enrollment period held January 21 to February 7. 

Transitional Kindergarten Info Meeting: Jan. 22, 6:30 p.m.
Meeting link: http://mvw.sd/TK122. Click here to watch a video about TK and learn about our programs for young learners: mvwsd.org/kinderready 

For Fifth-Grade Families: Middle School Info Night on January 22, 2025

Please join us at this fun and informative virtual event. It is an opportunity for you and your fifth-grader to learn about middle school life next year as sixth-graders. You will have the opportunity to hear from our principals, learn about classes, hear tips on how to be successful at middle school and ask any questions you may have. Students are encouraged to attend!

Crittenden at 5:30 p.m. Meeting link: http://mvw.sd/CR0122

Graham at 6:30 p.m. Meeting link: http://mvw.sd/GR022

MVWSD’s Powerschool data is secure

You may have seen a news article regarding a recent security incident at PowerSchool that exposed student and staff data in other districts. Due to our intentional technology settings, our PowerSchool servers were not impacted in that incident and none of our student or staff data was exposed. 

Other PowerSchool districts had their student and teacher data breached. That was not the case for MVWSD. As an additional check, we have reviewed our server logs and found no indication that our data was accessed.

Our PowerSchool is hosted locally, and our policy has been to limit remote access, which protected MVWSD data in this case.

While our data was not exposed in this incident, we will be using this as an opportunity to review our security policies to further improve our security.
 

High Fives

This month, MVWSD celebrates School Board Recognition Month. We appreciate our board members for their dedication to our district and their support of meeting the needs of the community. Learn more about them here. Thank you, MVWSD Board of Trustees; you play an integral role in providing the best educational opportunities for our students!

Graham Middle School recently launched Homework Hub, a structured afterschool program designed to support students academically held in the MUR. It provides targeted assistance for students performing below grade level and English Language Learners, helping them strengthen skills and build confidence. With guidance from Graham staff, students receive personalized help in core subjects like Math, Science, English, and Social Studies.

Congratulations to Graham Choir students Sophie, Olivia, Nathan, and Jeremy, who are performing with the All-State Honor Choirs this weekend in Sacramento at the CASMEC Conference. We are so proud of their hard work and talent.