Principal’s Message:
Hello Golden Owls,
One of the things I love about the Vargas community is the amount of diversity at our school. Families come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and they bring such varied experiences. Did you know that at Vargas, more than 25 different languages are spoken amongst families? Because of this diversity, we have a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow together. Because of our diversity, we can celebrate our differences while also cultivating relationships because of our many similarities.
A few weeks ago, Alvin Lin, a Vargas parent, emailed me to share information about an upcoming holiday that is celebrated in some Asian countries, the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival. Thank you, Mr. Lin for reaching out and sharing information to our community. I hope that many more of you will reach out and share about important traditions, celebrations that are important to you with our community. Remember that we are so much better together. You can read more information about the Mooncake Festival in this flyer.
In Partnership,
Principal Taylor
School News:
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Golden Ticket Winners
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Parking Lot Safety
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Vargas Dine-in Panda Express (PTA sponsored)
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Picture Day - Monday, September 20, 2021 / Picture Day Procedures
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Principal’s Virtual Office Hours
District News:
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Parent University: Supporting Language Development
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Returning District Hotspots
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Your donations to MVEF support Living Classroom!
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Securly: Keeping students safe on the Internet
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Register for 2021-22 Parent U Events - Flyer
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Discovery Education Hands-On STEM event: Tuesday, Sep. 21
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Local Covid Vaccine Clinic: Sep. 3rd- Gift cards for first doses!
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Mayor for a Day contest with City of Mountain View - Flyer
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InPlay: After School activities
PTA News:
Golden Ticket Winners - Week of 9/13/2021
Issac S RM: 1 Sophie R RM: 10
Theodore F RM: 2 Hannah L RM: 11
Sahasra D RM: 3 Naoto H RM: 13
Shesia G RM: 4 Jaxon N RM: 14
Carter B-M RM: 5 Hayk D RM: 16
Carlos M RM: 6 Arthur M RM: 17
Davika M RM: 8
School Site Council
Congratulations to our two new School Site Council representatives, Claire Curvers and Inna Tsirlin. While we have four representatives, We still need one more parent. If you are interested, please email [email protected]
Parking Lot Safety
Please help us to stay as safe as possible by reading the following guidelines. We want to keep people safe while on our campus. Remember that drop-off begins at 7:45am each morning.
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There is no parking in the drop-off and pick up zone.
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Parents may get out of their car to quickly assist their younger child, but will then need to get back into their car as soon as possible to exit the parking lot. This will help the flow of traffic move more smoothly for morning drop off and pick up. If you need to take more time to drop off your child, please park on the street and walk your child to the entrances.
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Please place your child who is dropped off on the passenger side, so that our staff can easily assist in opening the door.
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Make sure your child has all materials ready to go at time of drop off. This includes a face mask.
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Pull as far forward in the drop-off/pick-up area as you can.
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Parking lot spaces are for staff only.
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Please use the sidewalk and paths to drop off your child.
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It is not safe to cut across the parking lot; there are many cars entering and exiting. Please use the sidewalk and path to walk around for the safety of our students and community.
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Our staff will be out front directing traffic. Please wait for them to assist you in crossing the crosswalk.
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Please use crosswalks on the streets.
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Pets are not allowed in the parking lot area.
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For the safety of students, staff, and community, pets are not allowed in the parking lot and drop-off/pick-up area.
Vargas Dine-in Panda Express (PTA sponsored)
Our first Dine Out for Vargas night is Friday, September 17th at Panda Express on El Monte Avenue. Order online at pandaexpress.com or the app (enter 327049 in the promo code) or in-store. Bring a copy of the flyer or show it on your smartphone. 20% of sales get donated back to JA Vargas PTA.
Picture Day - Monday, September 20, 2021
Picture day is coming. Please check your child's backpack for ordering information. If you'd like to purchase online please use the information below on Lifetouch.com
School Name: Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School
Picture Day Date: Monday, September 20
Picture Day ID: EVTTPD2F4
Picture Day Procedures
Students will walk down to the MUR with their class. Pictures will be taken on the MUR stage. Your child will be the only student on stage at the time that he/she takes a picture. Pictures will take place inside. If you do not want your child to remove their mask for picture day, please let us know. Please know that all LifeTouch employees have been vaccinated and will be masked, and remain six feet away from students.
(Repeat) Principal’s Virtual Office Hours
Join me today for our informal Principal Office Hours (virtual) from 4pm -5pm. 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!
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
15th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here
15th - RESCHEDULED to 9/21 ELAC Meeting, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
20th - Picture Day
21nd - ELAC Meeting, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
22nd - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here
22nd - SSC Meeting, 5:00pm 6:30pm
22nd - PTA Association Meeting, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
23rd - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - 10:00pm
24th - Principal’s Coffee, 8:30am -9:30am
24th - Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
29th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here
29th SSC Meeting, 5:00pm - 6:30pm
6th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here
6th - SSC Meeting, 5:00pm - 6:30pm
7th - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - 10:00pm
8th - Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
11th - Recess Day - NO SCHOOL
12th - Teacher Service Day - NO School
13th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here
20th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here
21st - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - 10:00pm
22nd - Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm - 4:30pm
Parent University: Supporting Language Development
Date: Wednesday, September 15th 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Consistent development of language (reading, writing, speaking, listening) is one of the keys to a child’s overall academic success. What habits can parents develop to support English language development in the home, especially in a multilingual household? Join two of our district experts, Principal Arline Siam and Instructional Coach Karen Gordon, as they explore this complex topic and offer ideas for families to use daily.
To submit questions prior to the event, go to mvw.sd/questions. We will do our best to address your question during the session.
Returning District Hotspots
Families, if you still have a district-issued internet hotspot from last year that you are no longer using, please return them to your school’s office. Thank you.
Your donations to MVEF support Living Classroom!
Living Classroom had their first lessons September 7! Three of the lessons from the first week were Life Cycle of a Tomato at Mariano Castro, Garden Greetings and Animal Homes at Landels, Seed to Flour at Stevenson and Monta Loma.
And this summer a new native garden at Imai was created thanks to your donations to MVEF! Please go to mvef.org to learn more about all the programs we support in MVWSD and make your donation! mvef.org/donate
Securly: Keeping students safe on the Internet
MVWSD provides a tool that allows parents to be aware of their students' online activities and to help keep them safe on their school-issued devices.
Securly (www.securly.com/) allows you to see what choices your student is making online while at home so that you will be alerted to potential issues and can guide your student. Please note: Securly is for school-issued devices only. Check your email for these weekly reports, and you may also download the Securly app. For more information, please see https://www.mvwsd.org/technology.
Register for 2021-22 Parent U Events - Flyer
Register in advance for this year’s MVWSD Parent University events. For more information about Parent U and event dates, see attached flyers or head to www.mvwsd.org/parentu.
Discovery Education Hands-On STEM event: Tuesday, Sep. 21
You're invited to Discovery Education’s upcoming Hands-On STEM event on Tuesday, September 21 at 10:00 a.m. PST! This action-packed virtual session empowers the next generation of STEM Solution seekers, equipping them with the skills they need to take on some of the planet's greatest sustainability challenges.
Join host Brandon Okpalobi, President of Siyanse, a STEM organization helping kids to create, think, and innovate. During each Hands-On STEM, Brandon will identify a local or global issue, explore why it's happening, introduce interesting people who are working to find solutions, and inspire your students to uncover their own potential with exciting hands-on STEM activities.
Mayor for a Day contest with City of Mountain View - Flyer
Do you have an elementary or middle school-aged student who would like to be the mayor of Mountain View (at least, for one day in October)? The Mayor for a Day contest is an exciting opportunity for kids to learn about local government and civic issues.
Students are invited to write up to a 500-word essay about what Mountain View would be like if they were mayor for a day. Mountain View’s mayor will select the two winners, who will each present their essay at a City Council meeting in October.
For more details, including contest rules and how to submit your entry, visit MountainView.gov/MayorforaDay. All entries are due by Friday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m.
InPlay: Afterschool activities
Looking for afterschool activities for your student? InPlay offers a free searchable program guide for parents, with filters for age, location, price (including free or reduced cost), and more. To find programs local to Mountain View, head to: https://www.inplay.org/r/mountain-view. Available programs include those that serve students with special needs or English learners.