Wise Word, 9/1/2021

 

Hello Golden Owls,

 

I was observing Mrs. Ragas’s class yesterday, and I came across one of her lesson plans on growth mindset.  Specifically, the students were learning about how the brain is like a muscle. The students watched this Video and discussed how they can build their brain, similar to how we exercise to build muscle. Students at Vargas learn about a fixed mindset vs a growth mindset. The difference between the two is that when we have a fixed mindset, we attribute our success to innate abilities vs when we have a growth mindset, we know that through hard work, good strategies, and feedback from others, we can achieve success. To be successful at fostering a growth mindset in our children, it is important that teachers and parents encourage both appropriate risk-taking and reward productive effort--that is, focusing on emphasizing the process of trying new strategies and learning from past failures and successes. 

 

One thing that you can do at home is when your child tries something new and struggles or has a challenging time, encourage them to continue by focusing on strategies that worked or improved their performance and discuss ways they can make small changes to things that were ineffective. 

 

Monday, September 6th is Labor Day, no school. Please be safe and enjoy your 3 day weekend. 

 

In Partnership,

 

Principal Taylor

School News:
  • Golden Ticket Winners
  • September Lunch Menu - click here
  • Pets are not allowed in the parking lot area
  • Onsite Testing
  • Library Check out starts this week
  • 5th grade CSMA Music and Art
  • Friday Folders
  • PowerSchool Parent Portal
  • Update Contact Information
  • Principal’s Virtual Office Hours
  • Reporting an Absence
  • School Supplies and Voluntary Donation Form
District News:
  • Parent University: Mental Health: Care and Support
  • Local Covid Vaccine Clinic: Sep. 3rd- Gift cards for first doses!
  • Better Together: Appreciating Differences - Flyer
  • MVEF: Please Support Our Students!
  • InPlay: After School activities
  • Announcing the MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series for 2021 - 2022 - Flyer
PTA News:
  • Get Involved
  • Panda Express Dine Out Fundraising Event 9/17 - Flyer here
  • Membership
  • Konstella
  • Spirit Wear
  • Website

Golden Ticket Winners - Week of 8/30/2021
Jenny            RM: 1        Hannah        RM: 11
Blaire            RM: 3        Caleb           RM: 13
George          RM: 5        Yair             RM: 14
Lilly-Belle    RM: 6         Liz              RM: 15
Kimberly      RM: 8        Eliana          RM: 16
Eliana           RM: 10      Danna          RM: 17
Pets are not allowed in the parking lot area
For the safety of students, staff, and community, pets are not allowed in the parking lot and drop-off/pick-up area. Thank you for your cooperation.
Onsite Testing
There’s still time: Please complete the COVID testing consent form in your inbox
Our District is partnering with Concentric for simple, pooled COVID-19 testing on campus for students weekly and rapid COVID antigen tests for staff members. 
We need your help! The more students who participate in the program, the more effective it will be. We are requesting each student participate in testing because:
* Participation helps safeguard the wellbeing of our entire school community, as well as give you information to help you keep your loved ones healthy.
* Students who participate in pooled testing may have a modified quarantine and continue to attend school (if requirements are met) if there is a positive test result in the pool - thus reducing time out of school and missed instruction.

Please complete the consent form sent to your email on Aug. 27. If you do not see it there, please check your spam/junk/promotional email folder.
For specifics about the program, please view https://www.mvwsd.org/COVIDtesting, specifically the frequently asked questions linked here.
Library Check out starts this week
Mrs. O (Claire Quesnel-Oueini), our librarian, started library visits and book checkouts this week. Taking care of and returning library books weekly is a great way to build responsibility for students. Please help support us by making sure your child knows where his/her books are and what day they need to return them. 
5th grade CSMA Music and Art
Music and Art start for our 5th graders this week, and we will have art and music on Wednesdays. For those students who are playing instruments, please remind them to bring their instrument each Wednesday.
Friday Folders
“Friday Folders” are a communication tool that teachers use to share returned work to parents. Each week teachers will send home returned assignments. Please remember to review the contents of the envelope, sign and return each week.
(Repeat) PowerSchool Parent Portal
Please call (650) 903-6952 or email the front office staff Mrs. Antunez at [email protected] or Ms. Silvia at [email protected] if you are unable to access your parent portal. 
If you are new to our school/district you will receive instructions via email on how to create an account by the end of today. 
(Repeat) Updating Contact Information
It is important we have your most current contact information (phone number, email address, emergency contacts). If you have a change or want to add an authorized person to pick up your child, please send an email to our front office staff Mrs. Antunez at [email protected] or Ms. McElyea at [email protected] with any changes or updates you may have.
(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!
Register in advance for this meeting.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. The first date for Principal’s Office hours will be 8/18/21. That’s today. See you there!
(Repeat) Reporting an Absence
Please call the office at (650) 903-6952 or email  [email protected] to report an absence or late arrival.  Provide the following information: date of absence, student’s name, grade and room number, reason for absence, name and relationship of the person reporting the absence.
(Repeat) School Supplies  and Voluntary Donation Form
We will be furnishing all basic school supplies and textbooks for all students. Donations of items and funds for this purpose are appreciated, but not required. For those able to donate, please fill out this form and bring it to the front office, along with your donation, and our front office staff will provide you with a receipt. Sharing of supplies between students will be limited.

  • September:
1st - Principal Office Hours - Virtual - 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here
1st - SSC Virtual Meeting - 5:00pm - 6:30pm 
6th - Labor Day Holiday - No School
8th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual - 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here
9th - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting - 6:00pm - 10:00pm   
10th - Superintendent Community Check-in - 3:30pm - 4:30pm
13th - MVWSD DELAC Meeting - 5:30pm - 7:30pm
15th - ELAC Meeting - 8:30am- 9:30am 
             15th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual - 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here
             20th - Picture Day
             22nd - Principal Office Hours - Virtual - 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

Parent University: Mental Health: Care and Support
Date: September 1, 2021  Registration Link: mvw.sd/pu090121
Join us to learn about mental health care and support. We will share a wide range of information from basic wellness to seeking mental health treatment.  Presenters include representatives from MVWSD, Santa Clara County Behavioral Health, and local agencies or organizations. 
To submit questions prior to the event, please click here. We will do our best to address your question during the session.
Local Covid Vaccine Clinic: Sep. 3rd- Gift cards for first doses!
Santa Clara County is hosting several upcoming Covid-19 vaccination clinics at the Waldorf School of the Peninsula and Saint Athanasius Church in Mountain View (160 N Rengstorff Ave). Vaccinations are free. Gift card incentives will be provided for first doses.
  • 1st dose on September 3rd from 3pm to 5:30pm.
  • 1st/2nd dose on September 25th from 12:30pm to 5:30pm. (This is a 1st dose clinic for Saint Athanasius Church Second Harvest Food Distribution Event, those who received a vaccine on 9/3 can get their second dose on 9/25.)
  • 2nd dose October 16th from 12:30pm to 5:30pm. (This is a clinic for those who received a first dose on 9/25)
For more information about COVID vaccinations in the area, please visit https://vax.sccgov.org/
Better Together: Appreciating Differences - Flyer
This is the first issue of #BetterTogether’s second year in circulation. This past summer, the Tokyo Olympic games had us transfixed. Though there is still a way to go, these past games had the most culturally and racially diverse Team USA in history. Just before the start of the school year, the release of the US Census data also confirmed for all of us that we are one nation, more beautifully diverse than ever. This month, Mountain View Whisman School District is celebrating our diversity with resources for teachers, parents, and community partners to aid in the transmission of our message: our diversity is one of our greatest strengths as a nation, as a city, and as a school district, where all are welcome. Please see the graphics attached to this newsletter, or visit https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.
MVEF: Please Support Our Students!
MVEF raises money to provide all MVWSD students with an educational experience beyond what is possible with public funding.  Help us fund programming for your child and every child in the district!  We hope you saw the MVEF brochure (which doubles as a donation envelope) or watched the video during Back to School.  Please see the website at mvef.org for more information and to donate online.  Use your credit card to pay in monthly installments.  Please consider joining our team of volunteers. Email us with any questions at [email protected].  Thank you for your support!
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.
Announcing the MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series for 2021 - 2022 - Flyer
The MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series is excited to announce our speaker line-up for the 2021 - 2022 school year.  Nationally and internationally recognized experts will join us to discuss important topics in child and adolescent well-being, including – delving inside the college financial aid decisions process; talking honestly and intentionally about money; navigating the often crazy teen years; engaging kids in deeper critical thinking; building stronger resilience to addiction; mitigating cognitive biases in our daily actions; building a more meaningful life; and talking frankly about porn.
2021 - 2022 Speaker Events
Ron Lieber
The Price You Pay For College: An Entirely New Road Map
Tuesday, September 28, 2021 – 7pm 
Live Online 
Ron Lieber
The Opposite of Spoiled:  Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money
Thursday, September 30, 2021 – 7pm 
Live Online 
Michael Bradley
Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy
Thursday, October 21, 2021 – 7pm
Live Online 
Colin Seale
The Question Is the Answer:  Practical Strategies to Unleash Critical Thinking At Home
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 - 7pm
Live Online
Jessica Lahey
The Addiction Inoculation:  Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence
Thursday, January 13, 2022 – 7 pm
Live Online 
Rosetta Lee
Implicit and Unconscious Bias:  Bridging the Distance Between Our Professed Values and Daily Behaviors
Tuesday, February 1, 2022 – 7pm
MVHS Spartan Theater
Scott Schimmel
Raising Well:  The 25 Questions Every Kid Must Answer to Build a Meaningful Life
Tuesday, March 22, 2022 – 7pm
MVHS Spartan Theater
Shafia Zaloom
Kids Are Watching Pornography:  Here’s How to Talk About It
Tuesday, April 19 - 7pm
LAHS Eagle Theater

Get Involved:

A great way to get involved this year is to become a room parent. Our goal this year is to have a room parent in every classroom. A room parent can be a great support for the teacher, and help build student and family engagement. Read more about what a room parent does and sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VmB94ytD0ck24ygVjFXIjAKcElWOoP1HlW0Nm6P0_2A/edit

 

Panda Express Fundraiser:

Dine out at Panda Express, Mountain View on Friday, September 17th. Show the flyer or code on your smartphone and 20% of sales will be donated to JAVArgas PTA!

https://community.pandaexpress.com/fundraiser/events/promotions/f89adb50-fb21-673a-ca16-b44a97168e23/en/landing

 

Membership:

https://jointotem.com/ca/mountain-view/jose-antonio-vargas-pta

 

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

 

To Join a Classroom

Web:  Click your name at the top left corner.  Click “Your Children” to add/modify your children.

Mobile App:  Click the Settings icon at the top left corner.  Click “Your Children”.

Spirit Wear

Mondays are spirit days at JA Vargas, wear green and show your school spirit. Check out our selection of green spirit wear. Place your order online and pick it up on designated days at the office.

https://www.javargaspta.org/ja-vargas-store

 

Website

Find links to membership, Konstella, gear shop and volunteer opportunities on our website.

https://www.javargaspta.org/home

 

Shannon Lundin, and the Executive Board 

[email protected]

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