Wise Word, 9/29/2021

Principal’s Message:

Hello Golden Owls,

 

Did you know that all schools in MVWSD have an instructional coach that supports ongoing professional development for teachers? Throughout the week, they meet with teachers to provide feedback, plan lessons, and improve outcomes for students. This year, Coach Casey is our instructional coach. As part of her role, she will be providing occasional tips in our newsletter. Don’t forget to check out our “Coach’s Corner” section of our newsletter for more information on how to support your child at home.

 

October is just around the corner, and it's shaping up to be a busy month. Check out some of the things that are happening in our school this month:

 

COVID updates: Testing 

Upcoming testing: The supply of test kits and personnel is increasing. As a result, we anticipate that we can start full-scale testing on campuses by mid-October. In the meantime, you may see our schools practicing testing procedures in preparation. Click here for a video showing what student testing will look like. 


PowerSchool uploads

PowerSchool Uploads: Parents can now upload to PowerSchool the important COVID documents that will help expedite students’ return to school after a COVID exposure. Please take a moment now to upload your documentation. After logging in to https://ps.mvwsd.org/public, parents will be able to click on the “COVID reporting” icon to upload:


  1. students’ proof of COVID vaccination and 

  2. Past positive COVID test. Here’s how to upload. 


Please call our office (650) 903 06952 if you have trouble accessing PowerSchool.

 

PTA Membership Drive

Our PTA membership drive is coming in October!  We need your help to reach our 80% participation goal.  To support your classroom teachers, please go to jointotem.com and choose Jose Antonio Vargas as your home school.  Memberships cost $11 and additional donations are very appreciated!  Donations will help pay for community engagement events, assemblies, author visits, educational subscriptions, teacher reimbursements for classroom materials, field trips, Ms. Bea’s scholarship program, and teacher appreciation.  Your participation and support are needed to build our Vargas community!   

 

Virtual Scholastic Book Fair 

Our Scholastic Book Fair is starting next week! It's a great opportunity to stock up on new books and earn rewards for our school!

 

The Book Fair will be virtual and runs for two weeks from 

Monday, 10/4- Sunday, 10/17.  

 

You can find all the details and purchase books  for your kids, friends and family at this link: 

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/javargas

 

Feel free to share this link with friends and family who may want to purchase books to help us fundraise. 

 

In Partnership,

 

Principal Vern Taylor 


Events Calendar

  • September:

          29th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

          29th - SSC Meeting, 5:00pm - 6:30pm - Register Here

 

  • October

          6th - SSC Meeting, 5:00pm - 6:30pm - Register Here

          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

 



In this Newsletter

School News:

  • Golden Ticket Winners

  • We are Hiring!

  • No school for students on October 11 and 12

  • We are Hiring! - Yard Duties 

  • Coach’s Corner

  • Water Bottles

  • Is your child feeling sick?

  • Tardy Procedure

  • LAST CALL - Lost and Found 

  • Gift Card Donation

  • Principal’s Virtual Office Hours

 

School Flyers

 

District News:

  • Up the effectiveness of kids’ COVID masks 

  • Board approved air quality protocols

  • More than a meal: Reasons to Apply for Free-or-Reduced School Meals 

  • Your donations to MVEF support CSMA Art and Music!

  • MV Public Library Events: In Conversation with Joanna Ho - Flyer


PTA News:

  • Scholastic Book Fair - October 4th - 17th

  • Membership Drive

  • Get Involved

  • Konstella

  • Website

 


Golden Ticket Winners - Week of 9/27/2021
Marco S.            RM: 1          Angelina Y                       RM: 11
Leyla B             RM: 2           Isabella L.                        RM: 13
Alexa G.           RM: 3           Pavlo (Pasha) P.                RM: 14
Christopher B.  RM: 4          Charlotte (Hoi Ching) P.   RM: 15
Carlos M.         RM: 6           Nicolas (John) B.              RM: 16
Nico M.           RM: 8            Natalia L.                          RM: 17
Jeremy C.        RM: 9

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. 


No school for students on October 11 and 12
Monday, October 11th is a recess day (no school for students and staff). Tuesday, October 12th is a staff development day, which means no school for students but a staff development/work day for teachers, school secretaries and 12-month classified staff.

We are Hiring! 

Join our Vargas Team! Our school is in need of yard duty supervisors. If you are interested please apply here reference to job  # 1374.

 

Coach’s Corner

Did you know that iReady is available via Clever at home? Students have access to both English Language Arts and Mathematics standards practice on iReady. Student lessons are adaptive and provide all students a path to proficiency and growth. Have your student spend 20 minutes on iReady each evening to encourage standards mastery and academic growth! 

For directions on How to Access Clever at home using a browser, Click Here


For directions on How to Access Clever at home using an iPad, (Click here for Grades K-2) (Click here for Grades 3-8)


Water Bottles

Please remind your children that we want to make sure they are drinking enough water throughout the day, especially on hot days. Please remember to pack a full reusable water bottle each day. Students can refill water using the water stations inside the class. 

 

Is your child feeling sick?

Please keep your child home if they are not feeling well. Signs to look for are headaches, runny noses, sore throats, fever etc…  If your child has any of those symptoms, we will need a negative COVID test before returning to school. We want to ensure the safety of all children and staff. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping your child home to get the rest they need to recover.  For more information about our district and county guidelines for quarantine and COVID testing, click here


Tardy Procedure

Students are tardy if they are not in line by 8:00 a.m. Although one or two minutes may not seem like it makes a big impact, there really is an impact on your child and on the rest of the class. Please aim for having your child here by 7:50 a.m. to allow for possible slow-downs on your route here. We are well into our first month of school and have gotten our routine set. I will be starting to track students' tardiness on a weekly basis, and arranging appointments with families to discuss the importance, ramification, and any support you may need to resolve this situation if I see a pattern. 


If your child is at school after 8:00 a.m. please remember, students must come through the office to pick up a tardy slip. 


LAST CALL -  Lost and Found

Our Lost and Found Rack is seeing nice sweaters, water bottles, lunch boxes that miss their owner. If items are not claimed by the end of this month 9/30 they will be donated. 

 

Our Lost and Found Rack can be found in the following places:

  • Morning - during drop-off: Located by the main gate (in between the main office and MUR)

  • Afternoon: 

    • Kinder Pick-up - Located in the blacktop

    • Upper grades: Located by the field

 

(Repeat) Gift Card Donation

As you may know, there are several families in our district that need help to meet some basic needs. The district is providing meals every day. But some families need more support for providing food, clothes and shoes for their kids. There is a critical need for gift cards for these families. If you are able, please consider donating a Safeway or Target gift card to families in our own district. Thank you so much for your help! Let’s show these families how strong and supportive our Vargas community really is!

Please bring the gift cards to the office. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Bea, School and Community Engagement Facilitator – SCEF- at [email protected].

 

(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. 

 



District News

 

Up the effectiveness of kids’ COVID masks
Please click here for tips. 

Board approved air quality protocols
The Board recently approved the MVWSD Air Quality Index Plan. On bad air days, decisions about actions, activities cancellations or school closure will be made based on AirNow measurements and the MVWSD Air Quality Index Chart. To view the MVWSD AQI chart and the live AirNow measurement, please see https://www.mvwsd.org/parents/virtual_wellness_center/air_quality.

More than a meal: Reasons to Apply for Free-or-Reduced School Meals 

Did you know that filling out a free-or-reduced price school meal application each year can benefit not only your family but also your children’s schools? Before Sept. 30, please fill out your back-to-school 2021 application by visiting: https://secure.ezmealapp.com. Only one application per household is needed.


Your donations to MVEF support CSMA Art and Music!

Did you know that your donations to MVEF support CSMA art and music for your student? The CSMA programs for TK-4th began September 13th!  Fifth grade art and music started August 31st!  MVEF thanks the talented teaching artists and musicians who guide all MVWSD students to reach their potential with patient instruction and support.  Please donate to support all MVWSD students at mvef.org/donate

MV Public Library: In Conversation with Joanna Ho - Flyer 

The Mountain View Public Library presents “In Conversation with Joanna Ho” on Wednesday, Sep. 29 from 7-7:45 p.m. on Zoom. Joanna Ho, bestselling author of Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, is a writer and educator with a passion for anti-bias and equity work. Come with your questions about kids, self-acceptance and anti-racism. Registration required: mountainview.gov/librarycalendar.


On Tuesday, Oct. 12 from 1-2 p.m., join the MV Public Library for an interactive look at how Science Comics are made with graphic novel author Jason Viola. Recommended for children ages 7-12. Registration required: mountainview.gov/librarycalendar.

 



PTA News

 

Scholastic Book Fair - October 4th - 17th

Our Scholastic Book Fair is starting next week! It's a great opportunity to stock up on new books and earn rewards for our school!

 

The Book Fair will be virtual and runs for two weeks from 

Monday, 10/4- Sunday, 10/17  

 

You can find all the details and purchase books  for your kids, friends and family at this link: 

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/javargas

 

Feel free to share this link with friends and family who may want to purchase books to help us fundraise. 

 

Membership Drive

Our PTA membership drive is coming in October!  We need your help to reach our 80% participation goal.  To support your classroom teachers, please go to jointotem.com and choose Jose Antonio Vargas as your homeschool.  Memberships cost $11 and additional donations are very appreciated!  Donations will help pay for community engagement events, assemblies, author visits, educational subscriptions, teacher reimbursements for classroom materials, field trips, Ms. Bea’s scholarship program, and teacher appreciation.  Your participation and support are needed to build our Vargas community! 

 

Get Involved

A great way to get involved this year is to become a room parent. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VmB94ytD0ck24ygVjFXIjAKcElWOoP1HlW0Nm6P0_2A/edit

 

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”.

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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