Welcome Letter

August 1, 2025

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year!

We are SUPER excited to get this new school year underway. For the first time in about a decade, all class sizes are being reduced approximately (2) students this school year. This reduction in class sizes is thanks to union contract agreements made between LAUSD and the teachers’ union, UTLA.
In addition to lower class sizes, we are thrilled to unveil a new school mural that was commissioned by our Governance Council and completed this summer. We are also very eager to introduce (6) new staff members who all look forward to contributing to our school community. Team Carpenter is fully charged and ready to welcome everyone back to a new year full of learning and growth.

In this new school year, we will carry on with our school-wide, established innovative programs: Write…From the Beginning and Beyond, Engineering is Elementary, Restorative Justice, & MindUP. You can expect to learn more about how these programs are being implemented in your child’s grade level at Back to School Night. With the support of our teaching staff, Carpenter’s Governance Council, Parents for Carpenter (PFC), PTA and the hard work of our amazing parents and guardians, we all can look forward to the following exciting additions:

- Reduced class sizes: TK-20 students, K/3-23 students, 4th gr.-28 students & 5th gr.-32 students
- A fully refreshed & operational closed circuit security T.V. system
- Additional 4th grade classroom teacher funded by our Governance Council (15th yr.)
- Completion of a new mural, “Keep L.A. Wild” on our playground that is dedicated to the late P-22 and our school mascot (cougar) by L.A. Muralist, Corie Mattie
- Year 3 of our after school Black Student Union where students can build relationships and create an additional support network & Year 2 of our Latiné Student Union & Rainbow Club
- A continued commitment between Carpenter’s administration and our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Committee to explicitly fight racism in all aspects of school life at Carpenter
- Continuation of our Cell Phone/Smartwatch/Digital Device Policy that requires ALL devices (including wearables) to be stored and powered off during the instructional day
- Full-time librarian (10th consecutive year)
- Year 3 of a partnership with Youth Services & the STAR program to offer a free TK-5 ELOP after school program
- The continuation of our highly popular 180∘Place - a safe, supervised playground area for students with injuries and/or students in need of assistance with interpersonal relationships
- Full implementation of LAUSD’s Restorative Justice practices to promote and strengthen positive school culture
- A recommended school community expectation that each family volunteer (1) hour a month during the school year of time, talent, and/or treasure

Another exciting change to our school this year is the arrival of six new staff members who are all very eager to become active members of our community. I am thrilled to introduce the following educators who are joining our staff this year.

Teachers

Sophie Wiegand – Ms. Wiegand joins us with three years of teaching experience at Monlux Elementary where she taught fifth grade (2 years) and Citizens of the World Charter where she taught fourth grade (1 year). She was raised in Burbank by professional musicians and grew up playing and performing classical piano. She attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo for her undergraduate degree and the University of California, Santa Barbara for her teaching credential. Ms. Wiegand is committed to fostering a classroom environment centered on empathy, emotional intelligence, and inclusivity. She is a strong believer in enriching the curriculum and engaging students in hands-on learning to build well-rounded students. Ms. Wiegand will be teaching third grade in room 29.

Jessica Jefferson – Ms. Jefferson comes to us with five years of experience as a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Odyssey Charter Schools in Altadena. She grew up in a military family. Ms. Jefferson is dedicated to creating a safe, inclusive classroom that fosters independence and growth. She is proficient in differentiated, data driven instruction, with a commitment to building strong family partnerships. Her previous school in Altadena sustained significant damage in the fires last January. With all the uncertainty about school facilities, she has made the decision to establish some new roots in Studio City. She attended Old Dominion University for her undergraduate degree and California State University Dominguez Hills for her teaching credential. Ms. Jefferson will be teaching fourth grade in room 25.

Hannah Yoo – Ms. Yoo will join our staff as a brand-new teacher who recently completed her student teaching at Porter Ranch Community School. If Ms. Wiegand and Ms. Jefferson are our free agent acquisitions of the summer, Ms. Yoo is our #1 draft pick. She is most definitely not a typical new teacher. Her experience at the Korean Dual Language Program at Porter Ranch along with her other experiences as a young adult/student leader make her a very strong addition to our school. She prioritizes building meaningful relationships with both students and families, fostering a growth-oriented environment where every child can learn and thrive with the right support. Ms. Yoo attended California State Los Angeles for her undergraduate degree and California State University Northridge for her teaching credential. Ms. Yoo will be teaching kindergarten in room 42.

Noor Elmasri (Interim TK Teacher) -In response to our unexpected surge in TK enrollments this summer, we are opening a fifth TK classroom this year. Since this is a growth classroom, it will not be official until mid-September when we can demonstrate to the district that we have the necessary number of TK students to justify an additional teacher. For that reason, Noor Elmasri will open the year as an interim teacher. Ms. Elmasri is a former Carpenter teacher. When our enrollment dropped during the pandemic, we were forced to dissolve her position along with a few others. She went on to teach two years at Porter Ranch Community School. This past year, Ms. Elmasri returned to Carpenter to teach science to our primary students in grades TK-3. She is experienced, well-organized, and very nurturing with students. Ms. Elmasri will be teaching TK in room 38.

Enrichment Staff

Miles Haddad – Coach Miles is a life-long athlete and baseball player who had aspirations of playing in the major leagues. After a great attempt to do so over multiple years, he has turned his attention to education. For the past couple of years, he has been working at St. Francis de Sales as a kindergarten instructional aide while simultaneously working at Campbell Hall as an assistant coach for the baseball team. In addition, he has been the Head of Baseball Development for Toluca Thunder Baseball for the past few years. Coach Miles earned his undergraduate degree in Sports Management at the University of the Pacific. He is passionate about helping students grow and develop the fundamental skills for various sports. He is committed to continuing our tradition of teaching life skills through physical education. Coach Miles will be teaching P.E. to all TK-5 students on our playground.

Paola Acevedo – Ms. Acevedo has been passionate about dance since a young age. She was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico where, at the age of 15, she had the privilege of receiving a full scholarship at the School of Performing Arts Guaynabo where she trained in all styles of dance and was part of the Drama Danza Company. She has worked with major artists such as J-Balvin, Luis Fonsi, 50-Cent, Flo-Rida, Bad Bunny, Snoop Dogg and more. In 2016, she took a leap of faith and came to California for the Millennium Dance Complex Certificate Program. Throughout her dance career she developed a love for teaching. She has been teaching dance since 2011 in Puerto Rico and has taught in Los Angeles since 2016 at The Industry Dance Academy, Millennium Dance Complex, Sacred Heart High School, and Studio City's Creation Station. She earned her undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of Sacred Heart of Puerto Rico. She is passionate about finding ways to engage children of all ages in dance and finding the fun in movement and music. Ms. Acevedo will oversee our dance program for all students TK-5 in our dance room, room 34.

Thank you all for choosing Carpenter for your child’s elementary school. I hope that each of you will consider ways that you can participate to enhance your child’s experience and contribute to our school’s success. My staff and I are dedicated to working alongside all members of our school community to ensure that Carpenter Community Charter remains a source of pride for the Studio City community and a leader amongst elementary schools in Los Angeles and nationwide.

Sincerely,

Joseph P. Martinez
Principal