Dear Golden Owls,
Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness month? As we weather through this difficult time, it’s critical that we employ those practices and routines that help to make time to take care of our own mental health. One strategy that has helped me cope with the shelter-in-place is dedicating time each day to do something enjoyable. While some days, it is something productive like exercising in my drive-way, reading a book, or making a home-cooked meal, other times I’ve found relaxation in watching tv, playing video games, or video chatting with friends. I know many of you are juggling numerous challenging commitments, but please remember to set aside at least 15 minutes a day to do something enjoyable.
Stay Healthy,
Principal Taylor
ELAC Meeting
Please join me for our ELAC meeting on May 15, 2020, at 10:00 AM
Register in advance for this meeting: Click here
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Clever
I have received many questions about Clever access over the summer. Students should have access to Clever through the end of July.
School Reopening Focus Group
MVWSD is seeking representative groups of parents, students, teachers, and staff members for school reopening focus groups. Four volunteers are needed per school site. The focus groups will explore desires and concerns for school reopening.
Focus groups will meet twice (once in May and again in June) and each group will focus on a stage: Schools closed, Targeted opening, Open with Restrictions, Full opening. To apply to be a focus group member, please complete an application found here by May 14 and contact your school principal.
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19), children who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals at school will get extra food benefits. These food benefits are called Pandemic EBT or P-EBT benefits. P-EBT benefits help families in California buy food when schools are closed because of the coronavirus emergency.
Families will get up to $365 per eligible child on their P-EBT card to use on food and groceries. Families with children who get CalFresh, Medi-Cal or Foster Care benefits do not need to apply. Most will get their P-EBT card in the mail during the month of May. P-EBT cards will begin arriving sometime this month
(May).
Families with children who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals and who do not get their P-EBT card in the mail, must apply online before June 30, 2020. The online application will launch in late May. https://www.cdss.ca.gov/home/pandemic-ebt
Distance Learning Tips
Here are a few tips that might help you and your student with Distance Learning. Do you have any tried and true methods of helping your students’ school days be more efficient and your family’s life a little easier? Share them here. http://mvw.sd/37PbG
“Caught you being good!” Set a timer for yourself (15-45 minutes, depending on the age of your kids). When the timer goes off, positively reinforce your child by noting their focus, independence, and/or perseverance through a challenge. If you can periodically name, celebrate, and give attention to what they are doing right, they are more likely to keep it up, and less likely to get our attention with undesired behaviors.
Multiple kiddos? Go incognito! If you have multiple kids or are trying to access your own Google account while checking out theirs, here is a tip: Hold down COMMAND + SHIFT + N when you are in Chrome. This creates an incognito window, where you are not signed in. This means you can sign in with one account in one window and another account in another. You can do this for as many accounts as you like so that you can flip between windows to look at information from multiple accounts simultaneously.
Ask your student for high & lows for the day. Not everything is fixable, but asking and talking about schoolwork will help your student feel supported and understood.
SCCOE Announces New Online Portal for Essential Workers to Access Childcare
Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) in partnership with county and city leaders, community organizations and agencies throughout Santa Clara County has announced a new online portal to provide essential workers, as defined by the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health, access to childcare during the shelter-in-place order.
In addition to this childcare resource, we have a list of resources for families developed by our School Community Engagement Facilitators. Sheltering in place and not being in our regular routines of work and school can be hard on our emotional and mental health, in addition to making access to meals, rent payments, and other typical activities more difficult. Click here for info about help with meals, rent, legal issues, emotional support and more.