Welcome Letter

August 3, 2026

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year!

After watching all the amazing international soccer teams at this summer’s World Cup, Team Carpenter is pumped up and eager to start a new school season. One major change this year will be a reduction in screen time and a greater emphasis on reading and real-world interaction. We are also very eager to introduce (7) new staff members who all look forward to contributing to our school community. Our preseason preparations are coming to a close, and we are ready to welcome everyone back to start working toward another school year championship.

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:

New safety pad cushions on all playground poles (apparatus, basketball & volleyball)
Additional 4^th grade classroom teacher funded by our Governance Council (16^th yr.)
Completion of a new science mural, “Scientific Method” in our science lab that has had the language updated to current standards
Year 4 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 (11th consecutive year)
Year 4 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 seven 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

Jecelin Lopez – Mrs. Lopez comes to us with a great deal of special education (RSP) experience. She served as the TK-5 RSP Teacher at Calahan Street Elementary School in Northridge since 2020. She actually started her teaching career online during COVID. She values collaboration with general education teachers and support staff to create inclusive classrooms where students feel valued and are given an opportunity to succeed. Mrs. Lopez obtained her bachelor's degree in liberal studies: Special Education Specialization from California State University (CSUN), Northridge. She completed her Preliminary Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, Mild/Moderate Disabilities through the Accelerated Collaborative Teacher (ACT) Preparation Program. In addition, she has earned a Master of Arts Degree in Special Education from CSUN. Jecelin has also served as a mentor teacher for student teachers who are pursuing their credential in Mild to Moderate Disabilities through the student teaching program at Alliant University. Mrs. Lopez will be instructing RSP in room 36.
Kayla Baum –Ms. Baum joins our staff after teaching third grade for a year in Northern California before joining LAUSD in 2020. For the past six years, she has taught at Melvin Avenue Elementary in Reseda. She taught fourth grade for the past five years in Melvin’s Humanities and Leadership Magnet Program. Ms. Baum is going to fit in very well at Carpenter. She believes in and values small group instruction, using data to guide her instruction, communicating effectively with families, and the importance of social-emotional learning. Outside of her classroom, she has served as a grade level chair, student council advisor, SSC (governance council) chairperson, ILT member, UTLA Chapter Chair, and LAUSD Science Ambassador just to name a few of her various adjunct duties. Ms. Baum received her Bachelor's in Liberal Studies and a Multiple Subject Credential at CSU Monterey Bay. In addition, she completed her Master's in Educational Leadership and Administrative Credential at California Lutheran University in 2024. She enjoys teaching students the advantages of having a growth mindset and building positive relationships with her students and families. Ms. Baum will be teaching 4th grade in room 17.
Ryan Shervington – Carpenter welcomes back Mr. Shervington who previously taught at Carpenter. From 1997-2007, he taught primarily kindergarten and 2^ndgrade at LAUSD schools. He was a Fullbright scholar and completed a teacher exchange program in England. In 2007, Mr. Shervington became an itinerant elementary theater teacher with the district supporting a wide variety of schools and teaching the California Theater Standards. From 2010-2017, he joined the Carpenter staff as a kindergarten teacher before eventually teaching second and fourth grade. In 2018, Mr. Shervington wanted to be able to walk to work. Since he did not live in Studio City, he left us to teach in West L.A. Once he realized that walking to work wasn't as awesome as he thought, he took an out of the classroom position at Haskell Elementary STEAM Magnet where he served as the Magnet Coordinator. In 2025, he got an opportunity to return to teaching theater with the Arts Branch. One of the five random schools he was assigned to this past year just happened to be Carpenter. I believe that was another sign from the universe that it was time to return to Carpenter as a full-time teacher. Mr. Shervington will be teaching third grade in room 30.

Office Technicians

Stephanie Silva – Ms. Silva joins our staff after serving 8 years as an office tech at Poly Tech High School. She actually attended Poly Tech as a student, so she knows that school intimately. Ms. Silva is currently working toward her undergraduate degree in Psychology. Her favorite aspect of the office tech position is working with kids. She enjoys hiking, running, travel, and going to concerts.
Leticia Ramirez - Ms. Ramirez comes to us from Van Nuys Middle School where she served as an office tech for the past 4 years. She enjoys assisting students and parents with any and all issues. When she is not working, she enjoys hiking and getting outdoors.

Enrichment Staff

During the summer, it was announced that two members of our enrichment staff (Matt Rivera and Caster Teoh) would not be returning for the new year. We wish both of them all the best in their future endeavors.

Neusha Taherian – I am very pleased to announce that Neusha Taherian will be our new music teachers. Ms. Taherian is a music educator and composer with extensive experience teaching children and young adults through private instruction, camps, after-school programs and ensemble settings. Her experiences include teaching private piano lessons, guest lecturing at Concordia University on the film music industry and music editing, coordinating Rock Camp in Montreal, and supervising theater and creative arts activities for children and teens at Segal Center for Performing Arts.
Ms. Taherian hails from Canada. She earned her BFA in Music Composition at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. In addition, she obtained her MFA in Music Composition for the Screen at Columbia College Chicago, IL. She is dedicated to helping students build confidence, creativity, and community through collaborative music-making while bringing the perspective of an active professional musician into the classroom. It gives me great pleasure to welcome Ms. Taherian to Carpenter.
Lisa Carlson Thomas - I am thrilled to announce that Lisa Carlson Thomas has been selected to serve as our new Art Enrichment Teacher. Ms. Thomas is a passionate Art educator with deep roots in design, illustration, and 3D construction. She cultivates an environment for students to be inspired, explore culture, ideas, experiment with the creative processes, and develop an artistic voice to serve them in the future.
Ms. Thomas is very familiar with our school community. Her three children all attended Carpenter years ago. For the past three years, she has served as the Visual Art Specialist at Westwood Charter Elementary for grades TK-5. She has also served as the K-12 program manager at Brentwood Art Center for the past two years while also providing art & science enrichment for children ages 2-5 years old at Sunnyside Preschool in Studio City. She holds a BFA in Visual Communication from the University of Kansas, and she is CBEST, CSET-Art certified. Please join me in welcoming Ms. Thomas back to Carpenter as our new art teacher.

Thank you all for choosing Carpenter for your child’s elementary school. To make this year a championship year, we need all members of our community to collaborate and actively participate in all aspects of our school. I hope that each of you will find opportunities to get involved and contribute. 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