Wise Word, 4/6/2022

Principal’s Message:

Hello Golden Owls,

 

Everyone has been working extremely hard this year, and we are now in the final stretch before the end of the school year. Please remember that we do not have school next week because Mountain View Whisman School District is on spring break from April 11-15. Please enjoy your much deserved Spring Break. Please take some time to unwind, disconnect, and take care of yourself. 

 

Please note, parents and staff members will once again be receiving free COVID test kits from schools this week. Please remember to administer the free at-home COVID test kit to your child on April 17, before returning to school on April 18. If your child has symptoms or a positive result, he/she must stay home. Please see https://www.mvwsd.org/returntolearn for detailed COVID information. Have a safe and restful time away.


After Spring Break, Grades 3-5 will start CAASPP Testing. Vargas 3-5 grade students will start holding their practice tests from April 18-22. Students will test in ELA on April 26-29, Math on May 3-5, and our 5th grade students will test science May 10-13; 4th and 5th graders will test before AM recess, while the 3rd graders will test after AM recess. Please avoid scheduling appointments during these times. 

Thank you for your support!


Below are some tips you may find useful to help prepare your child for the CAASPP assessment:

  • Explain to your child that it is important to do his/her best. 

  • Provide positive reinforcement and encourage your child each day.

  • Keep the test in perspective. We want students to do their best, but please make sure they understand that it is only one test. Remind them that if they are doing their best, you are proud.

  • Make sure your child gets an ample, normal amount of sleep the night before the test

  • Make sure to arrive on time each day.

  • Eat a nice, healthy breakfast.

  • Keep a positive attitude about testing around your child. Remind them that this is a time to show what they know.


In Partnership, 


Principal Vern Taylor

 


Events Calendar

  • April

6 - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here
7 - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - 10:00pm - Agenda
8 - Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm - 4:30pm

11 to 15 - Spring Break - No School 

20 - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

25 - CAASPP Testing Starts

27 - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

29 - Principals Coffee, 8:30am - 9:30am

 

  • May

4 - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

5 - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - 10:00pm -

6 - Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm - 4:30pm

11 - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

18 - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

18 - SSC Meeting - Virtual, 5:00pm - 6:00pm 

19 - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - 10:00pm -

20 - Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm - 4:30pm

25 - Marine Science Institute Field Trip

25 - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

26 - Family Science Night, MUR, 5:30pm - 7:00pm 

27 - End of Trimester - Minimum Day - Dismissal at 11:50am

27 - Principals Coffee, 8:30am - 9:30am

30 - Memorial Day Holiday - No School 

  • June

1 - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

2 - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - 10:00pm -

3 - Last Day of School - Minimum Day - Dismissal at 11:50am

3 - Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm - 4:30pm



In this Newsletter

School News:

  • Golden Ticket Winners

  • Lunch lines are open!

  • For grades 5-7: Select Middle School electives before April 8

  • MVEF Raffle Tickets - Sale ends 4/8

  • Parent University: Preparing for Middle School

  • Coaches Corner: Recipes from Books

  • Principal’s Virtual Office Hours

Flyer:

  • April Lunch Menu - Flyer

 

District News:

  • COVID masking

  • Cafecito with the Superintendent on April 6

  • Board meeting Preview: April 7

  • Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday, April 8

  • City of MV Spring Break Camp - Flyer

  • Last MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Series Lecture of the Year: Shafia Zaloom - Flyer

  • MVLA Speech and Debate Info Session 

  • MV Public Library: Intro to Game Design Workshop - Flyer

  • MVPAL Youth Extravaganza 2022 - Flyer

  • Join MVEF's Spring Gala “The Art of Words” on April 23rd!


PTA News:

  • Scholastic Book Fair  - Still Time to Shop the Fair!

  • Read-A-Thon

  • PTA Roles

  • Konstella

 


Golden Ticket Winners - Week of 4/4/2022
Reya F.           RM: 1      Gia R.          RM: 11
Theodore F.    RM: 2      Javier S.       RM: 13
Celeste R-G.  RM: 3       Daniel G.     RM: 14
Vivienne P.     RM: 4       Arjun S.       RM: 15
Angel L.         RM: 5       Jai R.           RM: 16
Saleem F.       RM: 6       Isamar M.    RM: 17
Kevin G.        RM: 8

The Vargas Way - Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be an Upstander.

 

What are Golden Tickets?

Students earn Golden Tickets from teachers and staff when they are following the Vargas Way. What is 

The Vargas Way? Click here for an in depth view. 


Lunch lines are open!
Multi-use rooms opened for food distribution this week as a result of loosened COVID restrictions. Students will wear masks as they pick up food indoors. Outdoor eating will continue. Please click here for a video about how the new food lines work: https://vimeo.com/694953946. Thanks in advance for your patience as we adjust to new procedures.

For grades 5-7: Select Middle School electives before April 8

It is the time of year when our incoming middle school students choose their electives for next year. All 5th-7th graders should preference their course electives online in Powerschool now through April 8, 2022. Parents, an email was sent to you on March 25 with the course catalogs and instructions that are also available on https://www.mvwsd.org/MSelectives. Please take a moment to view the catalog with your student and complete the selection in PowerSchool before April 8.


Electives selection help sessions for grades 5-7 parents (Students welcome):

Crittenden: 

April 1, 9:00 - 10:00 am. Zoom meeting link  

April 7: 5:00 - 6:00 pm. Zoom meeting link


Graham: 

April 1, 10:45-11:45 am. Zoom Meeting link

April 7, 5:00 - 6:00 pm. Zoom Meeting link 


MVEF Raffle Tickets - Sale ends 4/8


Parent University: Preparing for Middle School

Date and Time: April 27, 2022, 5:30pm  Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/pu042722

Nervous about middle school? We get it! Change can be daunting, but it can also lead to amazing new experiences. Join us to learn how to support your children as they prepare for the next stage in their academic and social lives. We will feature a panel of staff and students from Crittenden and Graham who will offer lots of wisdom and details about grades six, seven, and eight. See you there!

To submit your questions prior to the event, go to mvw.sd/questions.

Coaches Corner: Recipes from Books

Make treats at home from your student’s favorite book! Does your student’s favorite book mention any foods? If so, have your student recreate recipes mentioned in the book! For example, you can make cookies from Give a Mouse a Cookie! or breakfast from Green Eggs and Ham! 


Recreating recipes from your student’s favorite stories is an excellent way to get your student excited about their reading! 


Principal’s Virtual Office Hours

Join me for our informal Principal Office Hours (virtual) today from 4pm - 5:00pm. Feel free to drop in if you have any questions or if you just want to chat. For office hours, there is no formal agenda, it is a time for you to stop in to say hello, and for us to get to know each other better! I look forward to meeting you!

 

Register in advance for this meeting.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

 



District News


COVID masking

Both outdoor and indoor masking is strongly recommended (but no longer required) for students and staff in our schools and offices. However, there are times that masks are still very highly recommended.


Cafecito with the Superintendent on April 6

This is an informal meeting for Spanish speaking parents. Translation will be provided. Please join us on Wednesday, April 6, 2022⋅5:30 – 6:30pm. Click here to register.


Board meeting Preview: April 7

The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, April 7 at 6 p.m. Some of the meeting’s topics include:

  • Strategic Plan initiatives Update

  • Update on Citizen Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)

  • Tentative Agreement with MVEA


For meeting details and agenda, please click here: https://www.mvwsd.org/trustees.


Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday, April 8

Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday, April 8 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Spanish interpretation will be provided. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/CC48.


City of MV Spring Break Camp - Flyer

The City of Mountain View is holding a Spring Break Camp the week of April 11 - April 15 from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm for children ages 7-11. Join city staff for a fun filled week of outdoor games, arts & crafts, and cool projects. For more information and camp registration, click here.


Last MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Series Lecture of the Year: Shafia Zaloom - Flyer

The MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Series will be hosting their last lecture of year with educator Shafia Zaloom, author of Sex, Teens & Everything in Between. The presentation will be held at the Los Altos High School Eagle Theater on Tue, April 19, 2022 from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Zaloom will guide us toward a deeper understanding of how to encourage our children to embrace a healthier, more joyful, and responsible understanding of sexuality. Register for the in-person event at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/302284028667.


MVLA Speech and Debate Info Session 

MVLA Speech and Debate is hosting a parent informational session on Zoom on April 19 at 7:30pm about upcoming free public speaking education opportunities for upper elementary and middle school students. Check out this flyer for more information and registration for the Speech Information Night: https://tinyurl.com/MVLAspeechyfl2022.


MV Public Library: Intro to Game Design Workshop - Flyer

Want to create animations, stories and games? Learn the basics of Scratch, a block-based programming language, at this MVPL workshop with Pixelators Education on Thursday, April 21 4-5 p.m. on Zoom. Workshop recommended for programming beginners in grades 1-3. Parent/guardian assistance welcome. Register in advance at: https://mountainview.libcal.com/event/8915612.


MVPAL Youth Extravaganza 2022 - Flyer

Join the MV Police Activities League on Friday, April 22 from 4 pm to 7:30 pm at Rengstorff Park for a family night of fun promoting health and mental wellness for youth of all ages. The event is free for local Mountain View youth and families. A picnic dinner will be provided!

 

Join MVEF's Spring Gala “The Art of Words” on April 23rd!  

All in person gala ticket sales close Wednesday, April 6.  No walk-in tickets will be available.

Join MVEF for a lively evening that includes dinner, fundraising, and trivia in support of our schools. You can join us in person at Michael's at Shoreline OR join us virtually from home for the trivia game and access to online fundraising.

 

In person ($125 - tickets close April 6th!)

Virtually ($50 - tickets close April 17th!) for the trivia game and online fundraising

 

We'll also have a raffle if you'd like your chance to win one of three great prizes available!

The winners will be drawn at the gala, but you need not be present to win!

To buy tickets please send an email: [email protected]

 

Looking for another way to participate?

We are still looking for items to include in our silent auction catalog. Do you have a vacation home or a timeshare, season tickets, golf course access, lessons, or a special experience to share? Please contact [email protected] or [email protected]

 



PTA News

 

Scholastic Book Fair  - Still Time to Shop the Fair!

Good news! If your child didn’t get to our Book Fair last week, you can still shop at our Online Book Fair here. Every online purchase means 25% in rewards back to our school when you shop MAR 28 – APR 10.

 

Read-A-Thon

Today (Wednesday April 6) is the LAST DAY to submit your minutes (either electronically or via paper form), turn in bookmarks and bingo sheets.  99pledges will be open until April 9 for collecting donations.  Let us know if you are interested in submitting direct donations to a student (without 99pledges).

 We sincerely hope that your child/children have enjoyed reading for our Read-A-Thon and participating in the many events and activities. We have heard lots of awesome comments about our guest readers this year! Read-A-Thon would not be possible without you; thanks for helping to make this a success!

Please contact Kim or Sandy at [email protected] with any questions.

PTA Roles

The PTA needs to fill at least two positions for our Executive Board for the spring elections. In order for our PTA to operate next year we are looking for a treasurer and a secretary. By donating a few hours a month of your time you are helping the PTA support teachers, students and build community spirit. The PTA is a great organization that offers a lot of training and support for all positions.

 

As we move back toward a more normal school year, activities like assemblies, bookfair, spirit wear, teacher appreciation, movie nights and more cannot happen without a PTA Executive board!

 

Please refer to this document that describes the responsibilities of these roles and other volunteer options. Please contact myself or kinder parent and nominating chair Lara Gill ([email protected]) if you are interested in knowing more about the positions and job descriptions.

 

Jose Antonio Vargas PTA 

[email protected]

 

Konstella

Konstella is our main communication tool. The PTA will post information about meetings, events and volunteer opportunities. You will also be able to communicate with other families from your child's classroom.

Use this link to register: https://www.konstella.com/cd/XGJHYL

 

Shannon Lundin, and the Executive Board 

[email protected]

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