Dear MVLA Community,
Welcome back to the 2023-2024 school year! As the proud superintendent of this remarkable school district, I extend greetings from the Board of Education and myself as we start a new year. It has been a pleasure to welcome students back to our campuses. As we begin the semester, I am excited and committed to the values that define MVLA: Equity, Excellence, and Engagement.
Over the summer, our team spent time preparing for the school year by creating lessons, attending professional development, and organizing our campuses for success. We are fortunate to work with such a professional, dedicated MVLA team.
Together, we will make this academic year memorable and supportive of student success. MVLA believes that our shared dedication to our students and their education will continue to build a strong foundation for the future of each student and the broader community we serve.
With appreciation,
Nellie Meyer
Superintendent
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
Los Altos High School teacher Sarah Alvarado has been named the 2023 MVLA Teacher of the Year. Ms. Alvardo became a teacher in 2013 and has been with LAHS from the beginning! She serves as the school's WASC (Western Accreditation of Schools and Colleges) Coordinator, a Social Studies and TED teacher. She is also the advisor to the Student Community Leaders (SCL) group.
Peers praise her involvement and dedication at both the campus and District levels, crediting Sarah's dedication to her students' success, and commitment to continued personal and professional growth to support her classroom.
"I am deeply honored and humbled to be recognized as this year's MVLA Teacher of the Year. This recognition is a testament to the incredible journey of learning and growth we embark upon together in the classroom," she said. "Each student's unique spark ignites my passion for teaching, and I am grateful for the opportunity to inspire and be inspired."
Ms. Alvarado will next be considered as a Santa Clara County Teacher of the Year and potentially the California State Teacher of the Year.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced approximately 750 additional winners of scholarships financed by colleges and universities, and a recent Los Altos High School grad is among the awardees.
Nathaniel Joffe was awarded a National Merit Purdue University Scholarship. After his university studies, Nathaniel intends to pursue a career as an airline pilot.
These latest Merit Scholar designees join more than 3,000 other college-sponsored award recipients who were announced in June. College-sponsored awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study.
DISTRICT NEWS
MVLA is pleased to welcome two Digital and Social Media Interns who'll be helping to document MVLA happenings throughout the school year.
Please help us welcome Kenya Contreras, a Los Altos High School senior, and Annie Marcelino, at Mountain View High School senior. They'll be producing MVLA "Minutes" throughout the year - and you can meet them in this very first Minute. They also tagged along recently to our administrative team's summer kickoff and asked them, "What do you love about your job?" Check out the answers here. We'll share MVLA Minutes with you via @connectMVLA and in this newsletter.
Registration for the Fall Semester for MVLA's acclaimed Adult School begins August 11, with some classes starting as soon as August 22. Check the Adult School website for registration to open on August 11. And don't forget to check out the course catalog here! There are some exciting new career technical education and adult enrichment courses!
We are excited to add some terrific and talented newcomers to our MVLA team! From new school psychologists to Special Education professionals to teachers in Social Science, Math, English, and Chemistry, we've got some terrific new staff for you to connect with.
Check out this list, and if you have a chance to meet our newest team members, please be sure to welcome them to the community!
The California Department of Education notified the District it is being awarded a grant of $100,000 for a College and Career Access Pathways Grant (CCAP) dual enrollment grant, going directly to the District's Career Technical Education (CTE) Patient Care Pathway at MVHS.
MVLA's CTE Program Specialist, Amber Woodward, who wrote the grant, says it will be renewable after the first year.
The Health Patient Care Pathway was created in response to an MVLA student survey conducted last spring, where the number one request was a health pathway. Marie Clarke, a former intensive care nurse from Duke University, has been hired as the CTE teacher and will teach two periods of Health Careers 1. She'll be teaching a dual enrollment course, HLTH 51, simultaneously with Foothill College.
FOUNDATION NEWS
Welcome to the 2023-34 school year! The MVLA High School Foundation is renewing its commitment to invest in an innovative learning environment that allows all students to grow and thrive. We have committed to granting $2.293 million to the District this year. To learn more about our funded programs and make a donation, please visit MVLAfoundation.org.
We’re grateful for our supportive community and look forward to the year ahead. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for the latest information about our programs.
We are pleased to start this year's Parent Speaker Series with Devorah Heitner, Ph.D., showing parents how to help tweens and teens navigate digital identity, boundaries, privacy, and reputation.
Join us for her presentation, "Growing Up in Public; Helping our Kids Navigate the Digital Coming of Age," on September 13 at Mountain View High School, starting at 7:00 p.m.
Drawing on her extensive research and interviews with kids, parents, educators, clinicians, and scholars, Heitner helps parents overcome the instinct to control and monitor their kids’ online activity, and instead, support tweens and teens as they build their sense of self. She neutralizes the sense of panic around children’s screen time and emphasizes the positives while helping parents adapt to it all.
CAMPUS AND STUDENT NEWS
We look forward to seeing you there!
- Alta Vista High School: August 31, 2023, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Freestyle Academy: August 31, 2023, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Los Altos High School: August 24, 2023, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Mountain View High School: August 24, 2023, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
MVLA Scholars is now recruiting for the AVID Mentoring Program that pairs Seniors and Juniors in the MVHS and LAHS AVID Class with caring community members who serve as mentors and help students understand, explore and succeed in the college application process.
AVID is an elective class focused on closing the achievement gap by supporting first-generation students on the path to college. Each mentor works in a pair with a small group of students they get to know and help throughout the school year. Mentors do NOT have to be experts in the college application process, but they do need to be able to commit to regularly attending the class each week during the 2023-24 school year at MVHS.
We are recruiting mentors for this year's MVHS Junior AVID class. Read this overview and complete the interest form to connect with our team; attend the orientation session on August 31 to learn more.
BOARD UPDATE
- Summer school review
- Measure E appointments to the Citizen's Oversight Committee
- Approval of labor agreements
The Board has its next regular meeting scheduled for August 28, 2023. The agenda will be posted by August 25, 2023, and available here.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
We've posted positions for 1:1 Instructional Assistants and other important Special Education roles, along with several positions in our Adult Education program (a great place to work), and coaching positions available for badminton, diving, soccer, tennis, cross country, and lacrosse.
Ready for a career change or additional income opportunity? See what we have to offer on our Current Openings page or at https://www.edjoin.org/MVLA.
Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District
Email: mvlahsd@mvla.net
Website: www.mvla.net
Location: 1299 Bryant Avenue, Mountain View, CA, USA
Phone: (650) 940-4650
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mvlahsd
Twitter: @MVLAHSD
