Dear MVLA Community,
Welcome back to the new year and second semester. I hope all of you found time during Winter Break to enjoy time together and relax.
Every semester brings an opportunity to improve our work as we continue preparing all our students for their future. To that end, our staff started their semester early to plan and prepare for the rest of the year with professional development. Topics included the thoughtful use of artificial intelligence within our schools, and the creation of a safe and productive environment for our students to learn. Their conversations, analysis of data, and calibration of lessons are evidence of our strong learning community in MVLA.
We recognize that our strong partnership with our supportive community, our professional MVLA team, and our innovative students makes MVLA strong, and we are grateful to all of you for contributing to that success.
With appreciation,
Nellie Meyer
Superintendent
ALTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL 2023-2024 STUDENT OF THE YEAR - VICTOR MARTINEZ SANCHEZ
Victor, the inaugural Alta Vista AVID student, recently earned recognition from AVID for his impressive 3.6 GPA in seven classes during the Fall Semester. Co-enrolled in Mountain View's AVID program, Victor is dedicated to academic excellence, pursuing online Trigonometry and Physics courses. Actively contributing to school culture, he serves on the Superintendent's Student Advisory Committee.
Victor, who aspires to be the first college graduate in his family, entered AVHS last fall and is committed to cultivating habits that propel him toward his educational goals. Read more about Victor here, and view his recognition here, starting at 37:15.
LOS ALTOS HIGH SCHOOL JANUARY 2024 STUDENT OF THE MONTH - TYRA BOGAN
Tyra, a standout three-sport varsity athlete at Los Altos, excels in tennis, soccer, and lacrosse. Honored as Athlete of the Year in both her Freshman and Sophomore years, she also earned Scholar Athlete of the Year as a Freshman. Tyra is actively engaged in various student-led clubs, holding leadership roles in the Women in STEM club, Student Athlete Leadership Team, and serving as VP of The Hidden Opponent, a mental health awareness organization for student athletes.
Beyond school, she is a dedicated Girl Scout, achieving both Bronze and Silver Awards, and has contributed over 100 community service hours to conservation organizations. Read more about Tyra here, and view her Board recognition here, starting at 30:03.
MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL JANUARY 2024 STUDENT OF THE MONTH - IMAN ZIA
As the secretary of the Muslim Student Association, Iman has demonstrated strong leadership skills. Her recent efforts in organizing a school vigil to commemorate lives lost in the Gaza-Israel conflict highlight Iman’s dedication to fostering unity and support in the face of adversity. Additionally, her outreach to the JSU reflects Iman’s inclusive approach to creating a sense of hope and togetherness within the school community.
Beyond school, Iman volunteers, paints, and practices taekwondo. With aspirations in education, she plans to pursue higher education in the UK. Read more about Iman here.
LOS ALTOS HIGH SCHOOL DECEMBER 2023 STUDENT OF THE MONTH - SAMUEL COUSINS
Sam is a hard-working member of the LAHS theater troupe, Broken Box, where he has been in 12 plays and three musicals. He also volunteers at GIFT Theater, a volunteer theater company run by teens who perform at children's hospitals and elderly care facilities.
In addition to performing arts, Sam also enjoys his Computer Science and ADEN classes, and playing on the Varsity Volleyball team. He enjoys representing the student voice in local politics, and hope to study Urban Planning and Computer Science after graduation. Read more about Sam here and view his Board recognition here, starting at 20:38.
MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL DECEMBER 2023 STUDENT OF THE MONTH - RADHIKA KAMRAN
As a student leader, Radhika has enjoyed serving as a Pod Commissioner and Pod Leader, and being a member of Ambassadors, where she works to build equity within the school community. She has been swimming for three years on the Girls Swim team and loves the close connections with her "lane buddies."
Radhika serves on the MVLA Student Advisory Council (MSAC), where she helps promote student opinion and act as a liaison between students and administrators. In her off time, she enjoys literature, coloring, and baking as a way to connect with others. Read more about Radhika here and view her Board recognition here, starting at 10:27.
MVLA SPOTLIGHT - MOUNTAIN VIEW ROTARY
The Board and Superintendent proudly spotlight the Mountain View Rotary, Tori Atwell, Rotary president, and Scott Johnson, Rotary Public Speaking Chair, for their impactful partnership and support for MVLA students and communities.
The local speech contest, led by Mr. Johnson, highlights standout community leaders among students. The Rotary's sponsorship of scholarships for a leadership camp enriches students' skills for adulthood. Grateful for the support and partnership, thank you, Mountain View Rotary! ! View the recognition event here, starting at 3:41.
MVHS COACH NAMED CALIFORNIA BOYS SOCCER COACH OF THE YEAR
Spartans soccer coach Jim McGuirk has been honored as California Coach of the Year for boys soccer in the 2022-2023 season.
McGuirk, who has been teaching at MVHS for 37 years and coaching soccer for 36, received the award from the National Federation of State High School Associations. He was selected based on coaching performance in the 2022-2023 school year, community involvement, and philosphy of coaching. The MVHS boys soccer team won the Central Coast Section Open Division championship last season and reached the Northern California regional semifinals. Read this write-up in the Los Altos Town Crier about his accomplishments. Congratulations Coach McGuirk!
BUDGET INFORMATION
This month, Governor Newsom released his proposed state budget for the 2024-25 year. The Governor projects a budget deficit of $37.9 billion, much smaller than the $68 billion deficit projected by the Legislative Analyst’s Office in December. The projected impact of the stock market's rebound in late 2023 is a significant factor in this difference.
For K-12 education, the only “cut” proposed by the Governor is to delay until 2025-26 the $550 million for the California Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten, and Full-Day Kindergarten Facilities Grant Program. This will not impact MVLA’s categorical budgets.
A large part of the budget for K-12 education is reliant on funds placed in Proposition 98’s “Rainy Day Fund.” The proposed budget includes withdrawals from that reserve of about $3 billion in 2023-24 and $2.7 billion in 2024-25, leaving a balance in the reserve of approximately $3.8 billion.
RECOGNIZING THE MVLA BOARD OF TRUSTEES
January is School Board Recognition Month, a time to salute our wonderful MVLA Board of Trustees. California has more than 5,000 school district and county office of education board members — the largest group of elected officials in the state — that aid in supporting student success by establishing their local educational agency’s mission, vision, policy, priorities, budget, and benchmarks.
We are grateful for the collective service of our board members, who, together, have served MVLA, its students, staff, teachers, and families for 43 years!
MVLA ADULT SCHOOL LAUNCHES NEW INTEGRATED EDUCATION & TRAINING PROGRAM FOR HEALTHCARE CAREERS
MVLA Adult School has launched its new Integrated Education & Training (IET) Program for Healthcare Careers, with a goal of creating English Language Learner-focused accelerated Healthcare Career Pathways leading to high quality jobs with opportunities for career advancement through continued training and attaining important industry-recognized certificates.
MVLA Adult School was one of 8 applicants statewide awarded grant funds to support new and existing IET programs in building meaningful and sustainable industry investment and partnerships, and developing projects that place participants into quality jobs and career pathways.
The Accelerated IET Healthcare Pathways to Employment and Economic Mobility Plan was launched this past fall; it removes barriers for students by providing integrated English language and career training. Benefits for students include: tuition assistance, college credit, paid externships, job placement assistance and the opportunity to “earn as they learn.”
Out of the 12 students who qualified for the initial pilot, 100% of the students completed and plan to continue on in a post-secondary or Career Technical Education Certificate program at MVLA Adult School. Please join us in congratulating our first IET Healthcare cohort!
SAVE THE DATE FOR FOOTHILL MIDDLE COLLEGE OPEN HOUSE - FEBRUARY 7, 2024
An Open House for students and parents/guardians interested in applying to Middle College for the 2024-2025 school year will be held on Wednesday, February 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the Dining Hall at Foothill College.
Middle College bridges the gap between high school and college. Students take both high school and college classes on campus at Foothill College. They join a cohort of high school students who take classes together daily, and receive individualized counseling from their Middle College teachers to meet their graduation requirements. You can read about student experiences in this LAHS Talon article.
Applications for the coming year are due February 26, 2024. Learn more this exciting educational pathway here, and be sure to watch our "What is Middle College?" video here!
OPEN HOUSE AT FREESTYLE ACADEMY SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 8, 2024
Interested in learning more about MVLA's Freestyle Academy of Communications Arts & Technology? Save the date for an Open House on Thursday, February 8, from 5;00 - 8:30 p.m.. The evening will include selected productions from the Junior and Senior class to date. It's a great opportunity to come see the campus, check out the facilities (like our cool recording studio), meet students and staff, and ask questions.
Why join Freestyle? An introductory video and more info are available on the campus website (iand be sure to check out our FAQs). The application deadline is February 17, 2024.
MVHS MATH WHIZZES SCORE AT NATIONAL COMPETITION
Each year, students from all over the country participate in the American Mathematics Competition for the Mathematical Association of America's (MAA), an organization focused on increasing interest in mathematics and developing problem-solving through fun competitions.
As the competitions advance, we congratulate nine MVHS students who have qualified for the second round of the invitational competition, competing on the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME). Congratulations to Soveen Agarwal, Yash Chainani, Justin Cheong, Arihant Jain, Neel Jindal, Ishan Katpally, Alena Kutsuk, Bryce Lim, and Cherine Zhou. We wish you good luck at next month's competition!
MVLA FOUNDATION SURVEY
Each year in January, the MVLA Foundation begins its grantmaking process. The process starts with evaluating the cost, satisfaction, and effectiveness of current programs and services. Input is gathered through Parent and Teacher surveys and meetings with the District Administration to determine the needs for the upcoming school year.
Please be on the lookout for the 2024 Parent survey sent via email to provide your input, and you can always provide feedback by emailing us at info@mvlafoundation.org.
SAVE THE DATE FOR NEXT SPEAKER SERIES EVENT: WHY COLLEGE ADMISSION IS RIGGED AND HOW TO BEAT THE SYSTEM
We know you're not going to want to miss this, so mark your calendars for Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at the Mountain View High School Spartan Theater.
We'll be hosting Susan Paterno, Director of the Journalism Program at Chapman University where she serves on the undergraduate admissions committee, and author of "Game On: Why College Admission is Rigged and How to Beat the System." Susan will help families navigate the two poles of the admissions process: the "big picture" and the nitty gritty of forms and scores and disclosures. Registration will be available closer to the event - please check back on our website.
At its January 22 Regular Meeting, the Board of Trustees had the follow presentations and informational items included on the agenda:
- Resolution recognizing School Counselors and National School Counseling Week
- Resolution recognizing National African American History Month
- Presentation of Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee's 2023 Annual Report
- Annual Update to the Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP)
- Presentation by MVLA's Special Education Department; view here, starting at 1:01:12.
View the complete agenda here; the meeting recording may be viewed here.
The Board held two sessions on December 18, 2023, including a Study Session to review District data. View the agenda here; the meeting recording is available here.
The Board also held a regular meeting, with highlights including:
- Citizens' Oversight Committee Measure E Annual Report
- First reading of the MVLA Family Engagement Policy
- Resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of General Obligation Bonds
View the meeting agenda here; the meeting recording is available here.
The next Regular Meeting is scheduled for February 12. All meeting materials will be available here.
Students in Curtis Smiths' CTE Engineering Pathway visited Tesla as their Spring Work Based Learning Experience on January 18. The trip was a success for all!
Students in the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) at Mountain View High School were recognized at the recent AVID Rose Ceremony. Peer tutors were recognized for their GPA gains, and strong study and civic responsibility.
Breaking news! MVHS Broadcasting, in association with the Oracle newspaper, is presenting "Next Week Now!" - an every-other-Friday broadcast. Students have about 48 hours to produce the show, with responsibilities including camera operation, teleprompter management, sound mixing and engineering, music technologies and more.
Students at Los Altos have come to rely on the campus weight room as a great place to de-stress, hang out with friends, and get fit. They persuaded administration to open the weight room during lunch, and it's been a huge hit. Check out this write-up (and great video) from LAHS Talon staff describing the reception to daily lunchtime access!
Drama students at Los Altos are rehearsing and preparing for the spring musical - the classic "Mary Poppins!" The 1964 musical fantasy comedy was a major award winner that year - receiving a total of 13 Academy Award nominations, and winning five. We can't wait to see our students' stage version!! Chim Chim Cher-ee!
Students at Freestyle have been enjoying their new faciliites, including the state-of-the-art recording studio! You can listen to some of the music recording projects here - an awesome mix of student instrumentals and vocal work, including many original works.
Congratulations to all who competed in the Coast Forensic League (CFL) Novice Debate! Kai Etkin (LAHS '2027) and Vivaan Sehgal (LAHS ‘2027) went undefeated! Read more about the value of speech and debate education here.
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
