Vision

Established in 1997, Henry P. Mohr Elementary was named after Mr. Mohr, a local farmer, school Board member and entrepreneur who played a major role in the agricultural development and influenced the social and economic evolution of early Pleasanton. His legacy continues at Mohr where we persist in developing an innovative school that promotes exceptional learning experiences for all students through an ongoing focus on teacher and student agency. Our school mascot, the eagle, is reflected in our school motto: "Working Together, We Soar at Mohr!" The school is located in the northeastern region of Pleasanton, California and is part of the Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD). It is tucked in a lovely suburban neighborhood, surrounded by indigenous trees, where students are able to walk and ride their bikes to school. The context has changed since 1997 when the area was once farmland. Stoneridge Drive is now connected to the San Francisco Premium Outlets in Livermore, adjacent to Interstate 580. The area has developed into a vibrant community.

The school population is made up of approximately 660 students in transitional kindergarten through fifth grade. The diverse population at Mohr includes a range of ethnicities from many different countries with students who speak over 22 different languages represented. Twenty-nine percent of Mohr's student population is made up of unduplicated students with 23% English Learners (EL) and 6% of students eligible for free and reduced lunch. With this unique population we provide opportunities to celebrate all cultures through performances, conversations, and interactions that honor and appreciate our similarities and differences. We have many opportunities to work with our families who have varied world-wide expectations of education. We do this by building relationships, clear communication, and aligning a vision for student success. Henry P. Mohr has a variety of traditions rooted in best practices. Our students, staff, and families come together, committed to our permanent goal; to see every child soar. Mohr has been recognized as a California Distinguished School in 2000, 2004, 2010, and 2014, and earned the Blue Ribbon title in 2005. It has received Honorable Mention for Excellence from the California Department of Education in 1998 and 2007. These recognitions come from our parent and community partnerships and commitment to innovative teaching practices, specialized programs, enrichment opportunities, response to intervention, and the on-going quest to pursue researched based practices that impact student motivation, learning efficacy, and overall growth.

Our vision at Henry P. Mohr has evolved with an on-going emphasis on creativity that is weaved throughout. In 2013, we focused on school climate and building upon community while supporting the PUSD Strategic Plan. In 2014, we emphasized the four C's: Communication, Critical Thinking, Creativity and Collaboration. We also launched our school wide focus in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (S.T.E.A.M.). The S.T.E.A.M. focus prompted several new initiatives to support the Next Generation Science Standards. Our Project Lead the Way (PLTW) implementation and 5-year Technology Plan which emphasized students as creators versus consumers of technology was initiated. In 2015, we focused on engagement with self (Mindfulness), others (collaboration), and learning (Metacognitive Strategies and Math Differentiation). In 2016, our vision was for all students to feel safe and respected. We launched our Positive Behavioral Intervention Support (PBIS) initiative with a strong focus on student social and emotional growth. In 2017, our focus was on teacher collaboration to impact student learning through lesson design and delivery combined with assessment creation, calibration, and analyzation. This emphasis on data prompted on-going conversations on student progress during Wednesday morning grade level collaboration time. The Impact Team, made up of teachers, helped facilitate the shift from coordination during team time focusing on individual student progress. In 2018, we advocated for learning spaces and environment to meet the diverse learning needs of our students. Our deliberate pathway for creating a school wide vision (every year for seven years) has evolved to include high levels of instructional pedagogy. This has been achieved through the implementation of Inquiry Learning, Project Based Learning, and Blended Learning. We have increased student curiosity and real world learning experiences. As a result, students have opportunities to extend deeper learning while providing systematic, engaging interventions reflected in improved overall student achievement.

Our vision moving forward is to implement the Universal Design Learning framework and emphasize educational practices that provide flexibility in engagement and a reduction of barriers in student learning and instruction. Our goal is that ALL students will develop purposeful interest and motivation, increased effort and stamina resulting in higher levels of learning, academic and social/emotional growth. Ultimately, we hope to inspire students to constructively contribute to our community and become dynamic, compassionate leaders.