Principal’s Message:

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Families,

Welcome back! I hope your break was relaxing and filled with quality time with friends and family. 

January is named for Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions in Roman mythology. He is depicted as having two faces looking in opposite ways, one towards the past and the other towards the future. This is a perfect metaphor for what January represents to educators. We set goals at the beginning of the academic school year. We use January as an opportunity to reflect on the past 5 months, so we can course correct to have a successful finish. On Monday, our teachers worked diligently, analyzing data and making plans to support each of the students to meet their goals. We look forward to finishing off this year strong and seeing the growth in our students.   

Additionally, Please mark your calendars for Jan. 24.  Open enrollment for ALL students (including returning students) for the fall starts on Jan. 24. Click on https://www.mvwsd.org/register for all of the details.

In Partnership, 

Principal Vern Taylor

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Events Calendar

January 2023

 

February 2023

 

 

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In this Newsletter

School News:

• Don’t forget to give your student the free COVID test on Jan. 16

• After school Enrichment Classes

• A few reminders for morning drop-off 

• Principal’s Virtual Office Hours

Flyers:

• January Lunch Menu - Here

• 2023-2024 School Year Calendar - Link here

 

District News:

• Cafecito con el Superintendente

• Health and Wellness Parenting Tip: Belly Breathing

• For parents of new students and incoming kinders: There are important new student registration meetings coming up

• The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 6:00 p.m. 

• Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday, Jan. 13

• Parent U SEL Recording Available

• Mentor Tutor Connection Volunteer Info Session - Flyer

• MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Series: Raising Body Positive Youth on Jan. 19

• MVEF January Updates

• Parent University: Living Our New “Normal”: Tips for Families on How to Thrive Post-Pandemic - Flyer

PTA News:

• Nominating Committee

• Shop with Amazon Smile

 

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School News

Don’t forget to give your student the free COVID test on Jan. 16

MVWSD provided at-home COVID-19 testing kits for free to families and staff members so that you may test before returning to campus after the winter break. Please use one to test your student on Monday, Jan. 16 before returning to school on Tuesday, Jan. 17 (after the Martin Luther King Jr holiday).  Please see this letter for what to do after testing. Thank you for participating in these measures to help ensure all of our students and staff stay healthy. 

 

After school Enrichment Classes

After school Enrichment class started next week. The deadline to signup is Thursday, January 12, 2023. We will send out confirmations for classes this weekend.  Click here to see the description of each class. Please note the grade levels before signing up. You can sign up for classes here. Please note, students can sign up for multiple classes, but are not guaranteed enrollment for each class they sign up for. We will try to get everyone into at least one class.

A few reminders for morning drop-off 

When dropping off students in the front driveway of the school in the morning:

 

• Drivers should pull forward as much as possible. All gates lead to the classrooms, so parents and drivers can drop off at any of them.  

 

• Drivers should only allow students to open the door in the drop-off zone. Please do not open the car door and allow students out on N. Whisman Rd.

 

• Drivers need to stay in the vehicle in the drop-off lane. Stopping and getting out of the vehicle can be unsafe and slows the flow of traffic. If a student needs help getting out of the car, PULL FORWARD AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. A staff member can assist if needed.

 

• Students should be ready to leave their car without driver assistance. This means having backpacks, lunch boxes, and water bottles easy to grab, so they can exit the vehicle quickly.

 

• It is recommended that parents use the drop-off lane, instead of parking, to walk students through the parking lot. 

 

• If you must park, use the crosswalk to get from the parking lot across the driveway. Wait for a staff member to help cross.

(Repeat) Principal’s Virtual Office Hours

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. 

 

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District News

Cafecito con el Superintendente

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 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/C111

Health and Wellness Parenting Tip: Belly Breathing

Our mood is influenced by physical sensations in our body. When we feel stressed, we tend to take quick and shallow breaths. By taking slow and deep breaths, we can signal our body to relax.

Watch this video to learn more about how belly breathing can help your child (or you) feel more relaxed. 

To belly breathe:

1. Choose a comfortable position, such as sitting on a chair or laying on your back.

2. Place one hand on your belly.

3. Take a deep breath in through your nose while you count to four. As you breathe in, your belly should rise.

4. Hold your breath while you count to five.

5. Breathe out through your mouth while you count to six. As you breathe out, your belly should flatten.

You may need to repeat these steps for 5-10 minutes before you start to feel relaxed. By practicing these steps, you can learn to relax after stressful situations.

For parents of new students and incoming kinders: There are important new student registration meetings coming up

Your neighborhood school: Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 pm. Click here for each school’s meeting link: http://mvw.sd/meetings.

MVWSD choice schools: Thursday, Jan. 12. Gabriela Mistral Elementary at 5:30 p.m. and Stevenson Elementary at 6:30 p.m. Click here for each school’s meeting link: http://mvw.sd/meetings. There are also in-person school exploration events:  Wednesday, January 18 from 1:30 - 4 pm at Theuerkauf for parents of Theuerkauf Transitional Kinders, Preschool and for the public. Wednesday, January 25 from 2- 4 pm at Castro Elementary for parents of Latham Preschool and for the public.

Here’s how you can be ready for the meetings

 ➤  First, check your residency to determine your neighborhood school: https://www.mvwsd.org/residency

 ➤  Learn about choice schools and neighborhood schools at https://www.mvwsd.org/register

➤  Click here https://vimeo.com/777468041 for a video about how the choice school lottery process works. (Spanish video: https://vimeo.com/781925589).

➤  Click on this video for Day in the Life of a Kinder: https://vimeo.com/765116449 (Spanish video is here: https://vimeo.com/775870587)

Is your student too young for kindergarten?

Click here to learn about the right program for your young learner: https://www.mvwsd.org/kinderready

➤  The information meeting for transitional kindergarten is January 19 at 6:30 p.m. at this Zoom link: http://mvw.sd/TK119

➤ The preschool informational meeting is January 19 at 3:30 pm (English) at this Zoom link: http://mvw.sd/PK119 and February 1 at 3:30 pm (Spanish) at this Zoom link: http://mvw.sd/PK21.

Student registration starts soon!

Open enrollment for all students (including returning students) for the fall starts on Jan. 24. Click on https://www.mvwsd.org/register for all of the details.

The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 6:00 p.m. 

Some of the meeting topics include:          

• Review of conceptual designs for greening and outdoor learning at Vargas Elementary School

• i-Ready- CAASPP Correlation and Diagnostic 2 Assessment Results

For meeting details and agenda, please click here: https://www.mvwsd.org/trustees.

Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday, Jan. 13

Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday, Jan. 13 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Spanish interpretation will be provided. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/CC113

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.

Mentor Tutor Connection Volunteer Info Session - Flyer

Come learn about volunteering as a Mentor or Tutor! Help a local student to a brighter future. VOLUNTEER INFORMATION SESSION - January 19, 12:00-1:00 pm, El Camino YMCA, 2400 Grant Road, Mountain View. To register go to www.mentortutorconnection.org/events  - or email [email protected].

MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Series: Raising Body Positive Youth on Jan. 19

Join MVLA Parent Ed on Tuesday, Jan. 19 from 7pm - 9pm (LAHS Eagle Theater) for an evening with Wendy Sterling, Shelley Aggarwal, and Signe Darpinian – co-authors of No Weigh! and Raising Body Positive Teens – as they discuss how to raise confident eaters, in a home free of judgment. Wendy, Shelley, and Signe will discuss down-to-earth ways parents can help their kids take proactive actions in promoting a friendship with food, and preventative actions to minimize the risk factors for the development of eating disorders, particularly when early signs of disordered eating, excessive exercise, or body dissatisfaction have been noticed. Click here to register for the event.

MVEF January Updates

Thanks to the generous support of MVEF donors and volunteers, MVEF achieved the incremental goal to raise $800k by Jan 1, 2023! This achievement represents almost 70% of this year's annual goal of $1,200,000 raised during the first half of the fiscal year.  Thank you MVEF donors and volunteers for your tireless support of MVEF and Mountain View Whisman School District!

SAVE THE DATE for the MVEF Gala: MVEF will hold its  Annual Fundraising Gala benefiting the current school year on Saturday, April 29, 2023. The MVEF Gala is an opportunity for residents, district parents, business leaders and community members to come together to support local schools. This year’s event will include dinner, fundraising activities (including a raffle and silent auction), and dancing (subject to county health guidelines). More details about the Gala will be shared soon.

Parent University: Living Our New “Normal”: Tips for Families on How to Thrive Post-Pandemic - Flyer

Date and Time: Feb. 7, 2023 5:30pm  Registration Link: https://mvw.sd/pu020723

The last three years have been difficult on parents and children. How do we keep going and continue to show up to support our families?

Together, we will be able to: 

• Identify what the “New Normal” means to us.

• Learn tips and strategies to manage stress and navigate our “New Normal”

• Commit to take one action to address a personal goal

 

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PTA News

 

Nominating Committee

We are looking for five volunteers to form our Nominating Committee. This is an important part of our PTA Association with minimal time commitment. Committee members will help to find candidates for next year's board please contact [email protected]

 

PTA Association Meeting, January 25th, 7pm

Please attend our PTA Association Meeting and see what we have planned for the rest of the school year. Agenda posted shortly. Register here.