Mountain View Elementary reports test gains, fewer behavior incidents; students describe leadership roles

Mountain View Elementary school leaders updated the Quincy School District board on student academic growth, behavior improvements and family engagement during the board meeting.

Principal Ajena Ramos told the board the school served “about 278 students” and described targeted supports that produced measurable gains on STAR assessments from fall to spring. Ramos said 63 percent of all students showed typical to high growth in math between the fall and spring STAR tests and 57 percent showed typical to high growth in ELA. Ramos said multilingual learners and students with individualized education programs showed lower rates of growth: “22 percent of them show typical to high growth and 19 percent of our students with IEPs,” and added the school will continue targeted supports for those groups.

Ramos credited an after‑school intervention called Math Plus, run for third through fifth graders, with much of the math progress. He said three certificated teachers led the program, attendance among participants ran “at least an 80 percent attendance rate,” and “most of our students jumped from that intensive intervention to that next level.” Ramos described plans to expand the program K–5 if resources and staffing allow.

Ramos also reported behavioral and safety improvements. Using the school’s SWIS data, he said average referrals per day “cut in half” versus last year; playground referrals fell from more than 100 to about 40 to date. Physical‑aggression referrals fell from “over 120” last year to about 40 this year, and incident referrals decreased from 74 to 42, according to Ramos and the incident report compiled by Mr. Schuisman. Ramos said the school’s approach prioritized trauma‑informed practices, restorative work and targeted counseling supports rather than only punitive responses.

On chronic absenteeism, Ramos described an attendance‑first approach: proactive outreach, an attendance agreement and case‑by‑case supports. He said staff sometimes supply small practical tools, noting, “our counselor actually went and purchased a couple of little alarm clocks for the kiddos,” as one example of an intervention to help students arrive on time.

Two student council members spoke to the board about leadership opportunities. Jo Hernandez, introduced by Ramos as “a proud member of the Mountain View Student Council,” said she joined council to “help make our school a better place” and described organizing events such as a soccer tournament. Nema Martinez, identified as student body president, said the council led morning announcements, supported assemblies, planned spirit week and helped TK–2 classrooms during lunch and recess.

Ramos highlighted family events and outreach as central to the school’s community work, citing a well‑attended STEAM night (about 150 families sign in) and multiple literacy and family nights. He said staff are working on workshops for families covering topics such as attendance and special education processes for next year.

Board members asked questions about attendance, the zone‑recess pilot and supports for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Ramos and district staff emphasized continuing professional development for teachers working with students with the highest needs as a priority looking ahead.

The presentation concluded with an invitation for the board to attend field day events and public recognition that Mountain View was listed among schools honored by the Washington State School Recognition Program.