Wise Word, 11/9/2022

Principal’s Message:

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Families,

 

Beginning next week, our school will begin working with Sown to Grow as a partner to help support the social, emotional, and academic growth of our students. 


Sown to Grow is a student goal-setting and reflection platform that empowers learners while building critical emotional and academic skills. Each week, students check-in on how they are feeling and reflect on the strategies that are working best for them (or new ones to try). Check-ins start with a focus on emotional wellbeing, and expand to social-emotional skills and academic goal-setting over time. Teachers, principals, and counselors see real-time reporting on students’ emotions and can proactively reach out to support student needs.


Sown to Grow serves thousands of students and teachers nationally, and is funded by the US Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and Digital Promise (a national nonprofit focused on impact and innovation in schools).


Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions about the program. I’m looking forward to seeing this program benefit our students’ personal and academic growth!

In Partnership, 

Principal Vern Taylor


Events Calendar

November

9th

Canceled - Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM

10th

Parent U Extension - Effective Parent/Teacher Communication - 6:00pm - Register Here

11th

Veteran’s Day Holiday - No School

14-18

United Against Hate Week

15th

ELAC Meeting, 6:00pm

16th

Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM Register Here

17th

PTA - Fall Carnival, 3:30pm - 5:30pm

17th

MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - Agenda

21st - 25th

Thanksgiving Recess Break - No School

28th

Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM Register Here

 

December

5th - 9th

Parent Teacher Conferences - Minimum Days for Students - Dismissal 11:55am

7th

Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM Register Here

8th

MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - Agenda

9th

Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm -

14th

Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM Register Here

21st

Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM Register Here

22nd - Jan. 9th 2023

Holiday Break - No School

 

January 2023

10

Students Return to School

11

Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM Register Here

 

 



In this Newsletter

School News:

  • Golden Ticket Winners

  • A Message from Ms. Bea - SCEF

  • Reminder: No school on Friday, Nov. 11

  • After School Enrichment

  • i-Ready Diagnostic 2 Test Scores

  • Parent Teacher Conferences

  • United Against Hate Week

  • Parent University: Effective Parent/Teacher Communication

  • Principal’s Virtual Office Hours

Flyers:

  • November Lunch Menu - Here

 

District News:

  • Cafecito con el Superintendente

  • November CAC Events

  • Better Together Infographic: November - Flyer

  • CSA Holiday Sharing Program

  • Parent U SEL Recording Available

  • Available now: Updated COVID boosters for ages 5+

  • The View Teen Center: November Events - Flyer

  • It’s “Giving Day Season!”


PTA News:

  • Fall Festival 11/17, 3:30-5:30pm

  • Food Drive (Nov 14-18)

  • Read Around the World 11/17: Parent readers needed

  • Donation request

  • Konstella

  • Spirit Wear

  • Website


Golden Ticket Winners 11/3/2022
Kazuki H.         RM: 2           Angelina Y.    RM: 14
Nansan N.        RM: 3            Aanya R.        RM: 14
Viraj S.             RM: 4            Gabriel A.      RM: 15
Miles C.           RM: 8             Ariel F.          RM: 15
Pelin G.            RM: 9             Ms. Valle      RM: 6
Meilani M.       RM: 10           
Keaton M.        RM: 11           
Kayli L.            RM: 13             



School News

A message from Ms. Bea - SCEF 

We are part of an amazing community! 

I feel so proud to be part of this kind and generous community. Helping our families in need is a part of my job as the School & Community Engagement Facilitator (SCEF), but I couldn't do it without you.  I never could have anticipated the response from our families when I asked for winter clothes. We received more than 100 bags of clothes! I want to say THANK YOU for your donations. Your donations made it possible for us to help many deserving families, not only families from our school but also families from other schools in MVWSD and our community. Seeing our families come together to assist others is extremely fulfilling. Thank you - Ms. Bea


Reminder: No school on Friday, Nov. 11

There is no school for students and staff on Friday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans’ Day. We honor the men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces.

 

After School Enrichment

As you know, we will be preparing for school-funded, after school enrichment classes. We are planning to start classes in January. Before we finalize vendors and classes, we need an approximate interest in order to plan accordingly. Please complete by November 18, 2022. (Click here for survey) Please complete one survey for each child.

 

i-Ready Diagnostic 2 Test Scores

Students will take the i-Ready Math and Reading Diagnostic 2 during the week of November 14 - 18. i-Ready is an online program that helps us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth in mathematics and reading. Families can access their student’s i-Ready Reading and Mathematics score through their Powerschool Parent Portal starting December 2, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. Reports are available on the PowerSchool Parent Portal at https://ps.mvwsd.org/public/ under “Parent Reports” for each of your students.

 

Parent Teacher Conferences

Please mark your calendars, we will have a week of minimum days, December 5-9, 2022.  These minimum days will allow us to hold Parent Teacher Conferences.  Parent-Teacher Conferences are important as we partner up to support our students’ growth and development. 

 

United Against Hate Week

We are excited to join MVWSD schools in participating in United Against Hate Week. United Against Hate Week was founded in 2017. For more information, click here. At Vargas, we will use this week to help us celebrate, embrace, honor our differences. Teachers and students will be engaging in activities that allow them to identify their own cultural identity and provide a representation using flags. On Thursday, November 17, will also have a Read Around the World Event. Readers from our community will read books written in other languages, and students will ask questions about the reader’s experience. 


(Repeat) Parent University: Effective Parent/Teacher Communication

As part of our plan to support our students both inside and outside the classroom, we will be holding a series of Parent University Extension courses to supplement MVWSD’s existing Parent University program.  Our first planned event will be on Effective Parent/Teacher Communication.


Registration Link: November 10, 2022 at 6:00PM   


Please join us for a thorough discussion on effective communication between home and school and tips on how to have a successful parent-teacher conference. Vern Taylor, principal from Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary School, will provide helpful feedback on how to approach difficult topics when talking to your child’s teacher or office staff, and on how to prepare for our parent/teacher conferences. Parents will also learn how to navigate the PowerSchool parent portal and how to read and understand the iReady report and the school report cards.


(Repeat) Principal’s Virtual Office Hours

I will again be hosting Principal Office Hours virtually on Wednesdays 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


Cafecito con el Superintendente

Wednesday, Nov. 9, 5:30 – 6 pm

This is an informal meeting for Spanish-speaking parents. Translation will be provided. Please register in advance for this meeting by clicking here: http://mvw.sd/CF11922.


November CAC Events

SELPA 1 CAC and the Learning Challenge Committee are your groups for special education and broader learning challenge needs. We are ALL having learning challenges right now, and CAC and LCC are here to help. If you have questions about learning challenges and special education needs, email [email protected] or check out www.selpa1cac.org


We encourage families to learn about the sensory needs all children: Try a Sensory Diet

 

Morning Let’s Talk

November 9, 10 am IEP/504 support group. Have questions about the process to get help for your child? Have an IEP but are not sure how to make changes? Need to vent? This is your confidential group. Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvcOqtpzgvEteglY5Hdq-_1702gguhfbq9

Missed our Parent Education event in October?

Our event with Dr. Leena Khanzode on anxiety and depression in children with learning challenges and how these conditions can look different and need a different approach was a great presentation - and it’s up on our Youtube Channel! Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEcr10eQoic

Better Together Infographic: November - Flyer

Running from November 1st and November 2nd, Día de los Muertos is this indigenous holiday that originated in southern Mexico and celebrates the remembrance of family members and friends who have died. November also marks the recognition of Native American History month and #BetterTogether's exploration of self-expression. What does it mean to find your voice? How can we uplift the voices of others? Please see the attached flyers or visit http://mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.


CSA Holiday Sharing Program

Community Services Agency (CSA) is seeking donations of gift cards for their Holiday Sharing Program, to be held December 9-10 and 16-17. This program provides Safeway and Target gift cards to community members in need so they can purchase what they most need to have a joyful holiday season. Last year, CSA served over 3,500 people. You can make a donation online or drop gift cards off at the office during business hours: 204 Stierlin Rd, Mountain View, CA 94043.

 

To find out if you qualify to receive gift cards, please call CSA during business hours: 650-968-0836. The receptionist speaks English and Spanish. If no one is available to take your call, please leave a message and you will be called back.

 

Parent U SEL Recording Available

In case you missed it, recordings of the most recent Parent University event, “Social Emotional Learning at School and Home,” are available. English (https://vimeo.com/765795126) and Spanish (https://vimeo.com/765899241). Find recordings of past Parent U presentations at https://www.mvwsd.org/parentu.


Available now: Updated COVID boosters for ages 5+

The updated COVID-19 booster is now available for everyone ages 5+! #GetBoosted to keep yourself and your family safer with the most protective doses yet. Find updated boosters for ages 5+ at http://www.sccfreevax.org, your pharmacy, or healthcare provider.


The View Teen Center: November Events - Flyer

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! See attached flyer for details about upcoming November events and programs or visit their webpage for more information.


It’s “Giving Day Season!”

If your company offers a "giving day" or a special matching program, please let MVEF know and also tell your co-workers that there is a non-profit organization directly supporting the K-8 public schools in Mountain View: MVEF! For more information about what MVEF funds, please click here. To donate directly to MVEF: http://mvef.org/donate


Attention, Googlers!

With Google’s upcoming end-of-year Benevity campaign, Google employees can donate an additional $400 to the non-profit of their choice using the special Google voucher between November 7 - 18. Please encourage your Google co-workers to support local public education by donating their voucher to MVEF!

 



PTA News

 

Fall Festival 11/17, 3:30-5:30pm

The PTA events committee has been working hard to plan a Fall Carnival that will be fun for the whole family! There will be carnival games, contests, balloon artists, crafts, photo booth station, concession snacks and food trucks (Waffle Roost and Super Tacos Pino Saurez).You and your family are welcome to join us for this fun event on November 17th from 3:30-5:30PM. 

To make this event happen, we need your help!! Parents and even older students (4th-5th grade, middle school, high school students) are invited to volunteer to operate a station. This is a perfect opportunity for older siblings/alumni to participate in the event.  Feel free to forward the Konstella sign-up link to alumni who might be interested in helping out. 

 

Volunteer Sign Up Form Link here:  https://tinyurl.com/VargasFallCarnival2022

 

Student waivers: We also ask that all students participating in PTA events complete a waiver. These waivers can be turned in to teachers, front office or emailed to [email protected]. We will send a copy home with students on Thursday.

Food Drive (Nov 14-18)

We are also hosting a Holiday Food Drive that week, from November 14-18. There will be collection bins outside the front office. Donations will be given to the Community Services Agency in Mountain View.  Let's support our community together!

  • Items needed: Regular size oatmeal, regular size cereal (low sugar), shelf stable milk , soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, pop top non-condensed soup, pop top spam, instant coffee, tea, hot chocolate, Hispanic, Asian, Indian specialty items, crackers, cookies, snacks, granola bars, condiments, spices, sauces, rice, clean empty egg cartons

 

Read Around the World 11/17: Parent readers needed

Ms. Bea and the staff are hosting a Read Around the World event on Thursday 11/17, during school hours. So far, we have French, Mandarin, Turkish, Korean, German, and Russian readers. If you don't see a language you can read in listed, please sign up here! We'd love to highlight our diverse student body.

Donation request

We are looking for an ipad (version 12 or up) or android tablet (version 7 or up) to use at events for gear and concession sales and membership and Konstella sign ups. If anyone has an old tablet they would be willing to donate please contact [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


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”. Membership

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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