Hello Golden Owls,

In the month of April, Vargas is focusing on building studentss leadership skills. Below is an article from Project Cornerstone’s Asset of the Month program that talks about the importance of community service. Service to others is a great way to build leadership skills. After reading the article, I encourage you to discuss with your child some ways they can start practicing service to others. 

The Importance of Service to Others

Community service, volunteering, and service learning do more than allow youth to help the community—these activities also provide youth with the positive experiences, relationships, and connections that help them thrive. Research shows that the developmental asset of service to others results in higher academic performance, increased self-esteem, reduced incidence of depression, better problem-solving skills, and increased community involvement as an adult. 

Unfortunately, most youth in Santa Clara County don’t participate in significant service to others. In Project Cornerstone’s 2016 survey, 29% of 4th-6th graders and only 42% of 7th-12th graders reported that they serve in the community one or more hours each week. To help raise awareness of the importance of this developmental asset, April is Service to Others month in Silicon Valley 

One reason that youth may not serve is the perception that their assistance isn’t welcomed—a Gallup poll found that adolescents were four times more likely to volunteer and help out in the community if they were asked, but only half of a national sample of youth reported that adults asked them to help out. Youth gain the greatest benefit from service programs that enable them to “do” instead of observe; to work with supportive adults; to demonstrate responsibility, to explore their own interests and ideas, and to reflect on the meaning of their activities.

The following discussion topics can help young people recognize the value of service to others and identify new kinds of service opportunities:

• Ask a young person to complete this sentence: “One way I’d like to change the world is…”

• What are some needs or problems that you see and are concerned about in the community? What do you think can solve these issues? What can you do to get  the ball rolling?

• If you had to commit one year after high school to performing service in your own community, elsewhere in the United States, or abroad, where would you go and what would you choose to do?

This article was provided courtesy of Project Cornerstone’s Asset-a-Month program. For more information, visit www.projectcornerstone.org

In Partnership, 

Principal Vern Taylor

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Events Calendar

April 2023

May 2023

June 2023

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In this Newsletter

School News:

Golden Ticket Winners

Talent Show

Music Concert

CAASPP Testing

Noon Duty 

MVEF Gala

Summer Reading

International Potluck 05/04/2023

Scholastic Book Fair 5/1-5/5

5th Grade Promotion Date

Not Returning Students for 2023-2024 School Year

Flyers:

April Menu Here

2023-2024 School Year Calendar - Link here

Talent Show - Flyer here

District News:

MVEF News

District Chess Tournament Registration Open

Health and Wellness Parenting Tip: Praise

The View Teen Center: April Events Flyer here 

MV Public Library: “Is it Dyslexia? Red Flags In Early Readers” Flyer here

PTA News:

Walkathon 

Scholastic Book Fair - May 1-5

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Golden Ticket Winners April 05, 2023

George Y.            RM: 1          Connor R.          RM: 10

Maksim S.             RM: 2          Adam M.           RM: 11

Eric M.            RM: 3           Arif O.               RM: 13

Valentina S.          RM: 4           Adan S.              RM: 14

Hannah P. RM: 5          Matthew S.        RM: 15

Christopher G.   RM: 6          Annabelle S.      RM: 16

Aiden D.  RM: 8           Raj D.                RM: 17

Peyton L. RM: 9       Aikyn Z.            RM; 16

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School News

Talent Show

Auditions: Thursday, April 20th @ 12:30-1:30 and Friday, April 21st @ 2:45-3:45 (Must attend one. More time could be added based on the number of sign-ups)

Rehearsals: (Thursdays) April 27, May 11, 18, 25 @ 12:30-1:30

Students must attend 2 rehearsals.

Students will be supervised while eating and playing after dismissal until rehearsal.

Performance: (Tentatively) Thursday, June 1 Performance times TBD

Sign up here: https://bit.ly/JAVTalentShow2023

Questions? Email [email protected] or [email protected]

CSMA Music Concerts (Important Date Change)

Our students are excited to perform for you!  As a culmination of their weekly music lessons provided by Community School of Music and Art (CSMA), students will hold short concerts.

The following concerts will be held in the MUR:

April 20, 2023 4th Grade recorders @ 10:30AM

April 20, 2023 2nd/3rd @ 11:15AM

Plan ahead!  

In order to view these performances, visitors will need to sign in the office with their picture IDs.

CAASPP Testing 4/25-5/19

It is very important that all 3rd-5th graders are present for testing. Not only is this an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding of grade-level content, but the data also helps us to improve our instruction and plan for intervention. Please ensure that your child is present on testing days (see below) and avoid scheduling appointments during the testing block (8:00-10:00 am). Thank you!

April 17-21- ELA/Math Practice assessment

April 25th-April 28th - ELA Testing for 3rd-5th

May 2nd-May 5th - Math Testing for 3rd-5th

May 10th-May 12th - Science Testing for 5th Only

Additionally, all students K-5 will be doing iReady testing May 16-May 19

Now hiring: Noon Duty Supervisor

Golden Owls families, We are still hiring for help with Noon Duty supervision.  If you are interested, please apply now at mvwsd.org/jobs.

MVEF Gala

It’s not too late to get tickets for this year’s MVEF Gala. Please join us on Saturday, April 29. The MVEF Gala is an opportunity for residents, district parents, business leaders and community members to come together and support local schools. This year’s event will include dinner, fundraising activities (including a raffle plus live and silent auctions), and community-building. 

Tickets: https://bit.ly/2023-MVEF-Gala

Online/Silent Auction Item Preview: https://bit.ly/mvefsilentauction

Raffle: https://www.mvef.org/2023-gala-raffle

Summer Reading Books Needed! 

We all know how important reading is to academic success. It is especially important for all of our 

students to keep up their reading over the summer. Do you have books that your family has outgrown and that you can donate to other families at Vargas for summer reading? If so, please bring them to Ms Bea in the office. She will make sure that they find a good home for the summer. All levels of books are needed. We’ll be collecting books until Friday, May 5th. Thank you for your generosity.

International Potluck- Save the date - Thursday, May 4th, 5-7pm

The PTA is planning a fun evening for our wonderfully diverse community to share their food and culture.  

This is a great event for families to showcase food samples, activities, traditional clothes, decorations, posters, and more from their culture. If you are interested in contributing a dish and/or helping to run a table to represent a country, sign up here: https://forms.gle/wJJff7HghFN3yio58

If you have any questions contact [email protected]

Scholastic Book Fair 5/1-5/5

Just in time to stock up on summer reading books, our spring book fair will be held the first week of May. The PTA will be providing a $10 voucher to all students to spend on a book!

(Repeat) 5th Grade Promotion Date

Each year, we look forward to celebrating with families as our 5th grade students are promoted to middle school. This year, the 5th grade promotion date is Monday, June 5. We will share more specifics about the celebration as details are available.

(Repeat) Not Returning Students for 2023-2024 School Year

If you plan on moving during the summer or know your child will not return to our District for the 2023-2024 school year, please email our school secretary at [email protected].

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District News

MVEF News

On April 21, 2021 MVEF and the Crittenden Middle School PTA will be co-hosting a welcome potluck for incoming 6th graders and new students who enrolled during the current school year. To register, please click here: https://bit.ly/3Zy4QH1

Tickets to the MVEF Gala are still available! Ticket sales end 4/23 or when they are sold out. To purchase Gala tickets, click here: https://bit.ly/mvefGala2023

MVEF Gala Raffle Tickets are now on sale! Need not be present to win. Click the link below to view raffle items. Email [email protected] to purchase raffle tickets. https://bit.ly/2023-Gala-Raffle

MVEF still needs to raise an additional $220k to achieve the goal of $1.2MM by June 30, 2023. If you haven't made a donation yet during the current school year, please donate ASAP to help your school site achieve the goal to get an average of 10 new donors per school by April 15!  Donations of any amount are meaningful in helping to reach the goal!  Click here to see ways to donate. 

MVWSD Interscholastic Chess Tournament - April 30th

The 20th annual MVWSD Interscholastic Chess Tournament will be held on Sunday, April 30th, from 11:30am to 5:30pm at Bubb Elementary. Students from all MVWSD schools are welcome to join and enjoy an afternoon of friendly competition and camaraderie. The registration form and instructions can be found at tinyurl.com/mvwsdchess, and the deadline for registration is April 29th. Any questions can be sent to the tournament director, at [email protected]

Health and Wellness Parenting Tip: Praise

It is natural for us to pay attention to behaviors that are irritating, worrisome, or make us want to disappear from embarrassment. Usually, when our child is calm, quiet, and self-entertained, we breathe a sigh of relief. However, this inadvertently teaches our child that they can get our attention by being disruptive. The good news is that we can reverse this pattern by paying attention to our child’s positive behaviors.

To learn more parenting tips click here.

To praise positive behaviors:

Try praising something positive that your child is doing each morning and evening (for example, “Good job sharing with your sibling”). We are used to noticing disruptive behaviors, so praising your child’s positive behaviors will take some practice and patience – but will ultimately benefit both you and your child.

This tip came directly from the free, online Everyday Parenting program created by parenting expert, Dr. Kazdin.

To view more resources on parenting and other topics, click here.

The View Teen Center: April Events Flyer here

The View Teen Center is a free facility in Mountain View (263 Escuela Ave) for all Mountain View and Los Altos 6th - 12th grade students. The center is open Monday through Friday: 3:30 - 7 p.m. and Saturday: 1 - 6 p.m, and features a game room, makerspace, kitchen, computer/study room, outdoor area, and much more! April Teen Center events include local college tours, an Exploratorium Field Trip, and Extended Spring Break Hours from April 10-14: 1-6 p.m. See attached flyer for details about more upcoming events and programs or visit their webpage for more information.

MV Public Library: “Is It Dyslexia? Red Flags In Early Readers” Flyer here

Join the Mountain View Public Library on Tuesday, April 25 from 12:00pm - 1:00pm for their free virtual event, “Is It Dyslexia? Red Flags In Early Readers”. Ashley Kinkaid Koedel, Director of Educational Services at Morrissey-Compton and Educational Specialist at Stanford Children's Health, will provide an overview of reading challenges, tools to assess for dyslexia and support at home and within the school district. Geared for parents of children in Pre-K through 3rd Grade. Register in advance here.

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PTA News

Walkathon 

Thanks to our hard working students and our generous community we surpassed our fundraising goal and raised just over $30,000!! This money will go towards next years’ PTA budget for field trips, assemblies, after school classes, teacher reimbursements, community events and more. Thank you again to our Walkathon Committee, Vargas staff, sponsors and all volunteers who helped make the Walkathon a success.

This week we will be tabulating individual and grade level goals and drawing names for raffle prizes. The date of Mr. Taylor’s slimming tbd…

Scholastic Book Fair - May 1-5

COMING SOON: We are excited to invite you to our upcoming Spring Book Fair, which will be held in the MUR from May 1-5! Our Book Fair is a great opportunity to support our kids' love for reading and earn rewards for our school. You'll have access to best-selling books, collections, educational toys, games, and more.

We hope to see you there! Remember, all purchases benefit our school. You can learn more about the event and preview some of the featured books and products at https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/javargas.

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