Henry P. Mohr Elementary School

Opened in September 1997, Mohr Elementary School in Pleasanton is named after Henry P. Mohr, a man who played an important role in Pleasanton's agricultural growth and who was influential in early Pleasanton's social and economic development.

 

Henry Mohr was born in 1858 in Eden Township (Hayward) and moved to a two-story farmhouse at the end of Pleasanton Avenue in Pleasanton in 1894. (renamed Mohr Avenue in 1959). His extensive land holdings, including the land on which the school sits, grew to 3,000 acres in northern Pleasanton.

 

He was one of the most important farmers in the valley, known for his superior grains and sugar beets, as well as a noted breeder of horses from the Clydesdale Draft. Mohr was also an engineer and a threshing machine was patented. He was a founding member and President of the Board of Trustees of the Amador Valley High School District in the 1920's. He helped found Pleasanton's First National Bank and was its first president, serving for twenty years in that position. He married Ernestine Schween and raised five daughters in the family. Until his death in 1934, Mohr was active on his farm and in society. Naming their school after this great pioneer in the history of Pleasanton is a fitting tribute.

 

The mascot of Mohr is the eagle, and maroon, black, and white are the colors of the school.

 

School Vision Statement

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 fiProject Lead the Wayfl (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.