After many years of dedicated service to our school and her students, beloved Teacher Mary Peros is retiring.
Mary taught ESL at San Mateo Adult School for almost eighteen years. She organized and participated in many SMAS activities and events, including International Days, holiday events, and a Talent Show held at the Performing Arts Center. You can watch videos of the Talent Show here in these clips. Be sure to watch the last part of the second video!
She never missed a chance to have fun, put on a costume and cut a rug.
Halloween 2013
International Day 2011
Dunking for Apples on Halloween
Mary and students, Halloween
Belting Out a Song with Patricia and Lisa
Video of teachers dancing at International Day (below)
When the cuts and closures hit Adult Schools in 2009, Mary responded, attending meetings, discussing strategies, and helping to organize a school wide response to a statewide problem.
Mary Peros Burlingame School Board Member
Before Mary taught at our school, she was an Elementary School teacher. She had also been on the Burlingame School Board. She understood a lot about Public Education and our local community. She understood how important it was for us to organize, speak up, and connect with both the larger community and with elected officials.
Mary as Mistress of Ceremonies of the 2012 Press Conference
She helped to organize our 2012 Press Conference and was the MC - the Mistress of Ceremonies.
She encouraged and helped her students to speak up and write letters to elected officials and the press.
CCAE Bay Section Conference 2013
She was active in the Teachers Union, CCAE, and the PLC, the Professional Learning Community system that SMAS teachers use to improve their teaching skills.
Most recently, Mary taught Advanced ESL in the morning and the Writing Intensive in the afternoon. She was so proud of her students' progress and achievements.
Mary and her students
Mary and students from Japan
Mary and students on a field trip
Mary and students at Coyote Point on Earth Day
Mary and students
International Day
Adult Ed Week 2015 Essay Contest Winners and their Teachers
Students treasured Mary's well-planned lessons, skillful teaching, and kind manner. She supported them in learning, growing, and expressing themselves as students and community members. Student Ayako Ueda shares this comment, "Before taking teacher Mary's writing class, I was scared of writing in English. Mary was a wonderful teacher. She helped students to become good writers by intimately interacting with each student. I learned a lot in her class. Thank you so much, Mary, for giving me confidence in writing."
Friday, March 4th from 9:30 am to 12 noon in Room 22, students will honor and thank her at a retirement party
All students, current and former, are invited to attend. Food is welcome.
Join us in thanking Mary for her service and wishing her many rich and joyful years of retirement!
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Evening Student Council Vice President Olivia Velazquez shared her story and this stellar speech at the 2018-19 Evening Candidate Forum. Here, with her permission, is her wonderful speech. Evening Student Council Vice President Olivia Velasquez Alt Text: Smiling woman with short hair in white blouse, black tie and vest. Good evening, students and staff members. My name is Olivia Velasquez and I'm running for student council vice president. I'm from Guadelajara, Mexico. I'm remember my first months here. I was a low beginning ESL student when I started in this school. Now I'm a high intermediate student. I worked hard and I learned that nothing succeeds if there is no effort. It probably won't surprise you that I have decided to run for student council for the role of vice president. As student council vice president, I will strive to continue making improvements in this school, with my colleagues, for ...
Recently, Teacher Laetitia ran into one of her former students, Jose Luis Vasquez Palacios. Nine years ago, he was in her Beginning ESL class. Now he is producing a television show and getting ready to attend San Francisco State University in the Fall. He was kind enough to share his story with us about how he achieved his goals and what we can all do to achieve ours. Jose Luis Vasquez Palacios Jose Luis moved to the US from Guatemala ten years ago. He attended San Mateo Adult School from 2008 to 2012. At that time, Luis had in his backpack a few books, some CD’s and several dreams despite an empty stomach. He started with Teacher Laetitia in Low Beginning ESL and finished with Teacher Elizabeth in Advanced class. At San Mateo Adult School, Luis found people who believed in him, and the support he needed to succeed. He learned not only excellent educational lessons, but also lifetime lessons that he took to his heart until today. From SMA...
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