Principal’s Message:

 

Hello Golden Owls,

 

Staff Appreciation Week begins next week. We are very fortunate to have wonderful teachers and staff that make Vargas a great place for our students. Our staff has been working tirelessly this year to support our students and help them progress this school year. Please join me and give a big thank you to our staff. If you haven’t already, I’m sure our staff would greatly appreciate a brief message of encouragement, support, or thanks! 

 

In Partnership, 

 

Principal Vern Taylor

 

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Events Calendar

 

May

 

 

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In this Newsletter

School News:

CAASPP Testing (3-5) and i-Ready Testing (K-5)

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Lost & Found

Smart Snacks Program 

Staff Members Honored by Acknowledge Alliance

Bike Safety  Rodeo  May 7, 2024 (3rd and 4th Grade) 

5th Grade CSMA Music Concert (5/08/2024)

5th Grade Instrument Collection

4th Grade Poetry - May 10

Summer Reading Books Needed! 

 

Flyers:

May Menu Here

School Year Calendar  2024-2025 Here

 

District News:

The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, May 2 at 6:00 p.m.

Parent University: Transitioning to High School: Nurturing Emotional and Social Growth

April and May 2024 CAC and LCC Events 

City of MV Fire Department: 150th Anniversary Parade - Flyer

The View Teen Center: May - Flyer

PTA News

Read-a-thon Results

Vargas Night @ SJ Earthquakes vs LAFC 5/4

Teacher Appreciation Week, May 6th - May 10th

PTA Executive Board Elections May 22nd @ 6pm, in person

PTA Bylaws Notice

Incoming Kinder Summer Playdates 

Lunchtime Chess on Wednesdays                  

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CAASPP Testing (3-5) and i-Ready Testing (K-5)
Thank you for all your support with testing over the past few weeks. 3-5th graders finished last week, and we are completing makeups for those who missed it. 

While we are finishing up CAASPP testing, All students (K-5) will take their end of year iReady assessments on May 13th (Math) and 15th (Reading). Thank you for your continued support in ensuring your child is ready. Here are a few ways you can support your child:

 

• Explain to your child that it is important to do his/her best. 

• Provide positive reinforcement and encourage your child each day.

• Keep the test in perspective. We want students to do their best, but please make sure they understand that it is only one test. Remind them that if they are doing their best, you are proud.

• Make sure your child gets an ample, normal amount of sleep the night before the test

• Make sure to arrive on time each day.

• Eat a nice, healthy breakfast.

• Keep a positive attitude about testing around your child. Remind them that this is a time to show what they know.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May marks Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which celebrates the histories of Americans hailing from across the Asian continent and from the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. This month, our teachers will be emphasizing the diversity and richness of AAPI identity and culture. Additionally, Ms. O, our librarian, will be sharing books about various influential AAPI individuals and their contributions. Additionally, students can use Clever through their Chromebooks to access the AAPI Picture Book Collection. (Click here)

 

Lost and Found

The lost and found rack is getting full again, please take a look to see if any items belong to your child. The last day to claim any items is Thursday, May 2. Anything left after dismissal will be donated.

 

Smart Snacks Program 

Student nutrition and health are extremely important to us at Jose Antonio Vargas  Elementary School and in MVWSD.  As part of our work in developing and implementing a “whole school, whole community, whole child” model, we lean on the Smart Snacks program which sets nutritional standards for foods sold to students during the school day that are outside of the lunch or breakfast program. The school day is defined as the start of the calendar day until 30 minutes after the end of the instructional day.  The Smart Snacks program covers foods that might be sold during

• Fundraisers

• A la carte items

• Vending machines

• School stores

This program does not include foods brought from home, foods sold during events that start more than 30 minutes after the instructional day, or foods given to students (for example, during a birthday celebration. While Jose Antonio Vargas prioritizes healthy choices for all food offerings, Smart Snacks guidelines don’t apply to foods brought from home (like lunches) or foods that are provided to students free of charge. Alliance for a Healthier Generation provides a free calculator that assists school staff and parents in choosing foods for sale that comply with Smart Snacks guidelines: Smart Foods Planner. 

 

Staff Members Honored by Acknowledge Alliance

I am happy to announce that several members of the Vargas staff will be honored by Acknowledge Alliance as the Educator Team of the Year. Ms. Bea, Our School and Community Engagement Facilitator Mr. Damion, our At-Risk Supervisor,  Mr. Luis, our day custodian and Principal. Taylor, will be honored at the Forget Me Nots for their work in further Acknowledge Alliance mission of  promoting lifelong resilience in children and youth, and strengthening the caring capacity of the adults who influence their lives. For more information about the event, and to read bios,  Click Here

 

Bike Safety  Rodeo  May 7, 2024 (3rd and 4th Grade) 

The City of Mountain View’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program promotes walking and

bicycling to school. Currently, this program is supported by the 2016 VTA Measure B

Education/Encouragement Program and the City’s operating budget. The Bike Safety Rodeo is

a part of our efforts to keep children safer, reduce traffic congestion and help us all combat

climate change by promoting active transportation.

The Bike Safety Rodeo is an interactive program to educate students on bicycle safety including

hand signaling, looking over their shoulder, helmet fitting and other bicycle safety skills.

*Although a limited number of loaner bicycles and helmets are provided, students are encouraged to bring their own bicycles and helmets 

**Students are required to have a completed permission form to participate in the rodeo.

 

5th Grade CSMA Music Concert (5/08/2024)

Our fifth grade 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 who are in the music program will hold their concert in the MUR on May 08 at 11:00 am.. 

 

*Please plan ahead!  

In order to view these performances, visitors will need to sign in the office with their picture IDs. The concert will begin promptly at 11:00, so please make sure to give yourself plenty of time to find parking, and sign-in. We suggest arriving at least 15 minutes before the start of the concert to ensure you can view your child’s full performance.

5th Grade Instrument Collection

All instruments will be collected at Vargas after the final performance on May 8, 2024.

4th Grade Poetry - May 10

In order to view these performances, visitors will need to sign in the office with their picture IDs. The performance will begin promptly at 9:00, so please make sure to give yourself plenty of time to find parking, and sign-in. We suggest arriving at least 15 minutes before the start of the concert to ensure you can view your child’s full performance.

 

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? 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 10th. Thank you for your generosity.

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DISTRICT NEWS

The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, May 2 at 6:00 p.m.

Some of the topics include:

• Environmental Sustainability Plan Review

• Re-Imagining Castro Update

• Middle School Schedule Update: Feedback and Recommendation

• Resolution supporting Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month

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

 

Parent University: Transitioning to High School: Nurturing Emotional and Social Growth

Date and Time: May 7, 2024, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Registration Link: https://mvw.sd/pu050724

 

Do you have a child who is about to enter high school? Join us at our final Parent University session of the year to learn about high school campus life from students and staff at Los Altos High School and Mountain View High School. This session will focus on supporting the social and emotional growth of students as they navigate a complex new school experience. 

To submit questions prior to the event, go to mvw.sd/questions. We will do our best to address your question during the session.

 

May 2024 CAC and LCC Events 

Important announcement - the SELPA 1 CAC covering the districts of Mountain View Whisman School District, Mountain View Los Altos High School District, Palo Alto Unified and Los Altos School District will be consolidated starting July 1 with SELPA II, SELPA III, SELPA IV and SELPA VII into the Northwest Santa Clara County CAC. 21 Districts will be represented in the new CAC.

A new website with resources surrounding special education issues will be available on the Santa Clara County Office of Education website soon. Stay tuned for updates at: https://www.sccoe.org/selpa/

For local coverage of issues related to learning challenges, please check out the Learning Challenges Committee. Their website will be updated over the summer, but will be available at http://learningchallenges.lamvptac.org/

 

General Parent/Community Meeting 

May 6 2024 9 am on Zoom

with Special Ed. Directors & Staff, Zoom at 9 am. Our last meeting before consolidation. New bylaws will be reviewed for consolidated CAC as well as an update on the local plan talks. Planning for future parent education and parent support will be discussed. Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpde-vqzoqE9dR0lar7cVIYcSY-7LAa1Ne

Parent Chat

May 14, 10 am

Are you concerned about the emotional well-being of your child?  Peer to peer support for parents of teens with mental health challenges. Every second Tuesday of the month at 10 am on Google Meet. Meeting is for 1 hour only due to Google Meet limitations. Contact [email protected] for invite.

Missed our Parent Education events?

We have a YouTube channel with many of our past events including the recent talk on Assistive Technology, last year’s Inclusive Fun Fair for summer camps and recreational activities, Anxiety and Depression in Children with Learning Challenges, SMART Goals and IEP Troubleshooting, and more. Channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuy7IcVz-4LTDxv2Jaq13nw

City of MV Fire Department: 150th Anniversary Parade - Flyer

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the City of Mountain View Fire Department, the Fire Department will hold a parade with celebrations and a public safety recruitment fair on Sunday, May 19, 2024, along Castro Street and in front of City Hall. The parade will start at 12:30 p.m. in front of the Fire and Police Administration Building at 1000 Villa St., heading east on Villa Street towards Castro Street and south on Castro Street, ending at City Hall Plaza. We will have on display antique police, fire vehicles and ambulances, including a historic working steam fire engine from the early 1900s pulled by horses!

The View Teen Center: May - 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. Drop-in hours are Monday - Friday, 3:15 - 7 p.m. and Saturdays, 1 - 6 p.m. (May Adjusted Hours, Open 1-6 p.m.: May 24 and May 31, Closed: May 27), and the center features a game room, makerspace, kitchen, computer/study room, outdoor area, and much more! See attached flier for details about upcoming events and programs in May or visit their webpage for more information.

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PTA News

 

Read-a-thon Results

Thank you for your patience as we finalized Read-a-thon results. Together, our students collectively read 72,713 minutes throughout that week! Fantastic job Vargas Owls! Congratulations also to all the individual and class winners. To view a recap of the Readathon week including results, please click here.

 

Vargas Night @ SJ Earthquakes vs LAFC 5/4

Join your fellow Vargas families and watch the SJ Earthquakes take on LAFC at Levis’ Stadium. 

• Purchase tickets here: https://fevo-enterprise.com/Joseantoniolevi

For each ticket purchased through this link, a small portion will go back to our school, so enjoy a fun night out while giving back to your school!

 

Teacher Appreciation Week, May 6th - May 10th

It’s almost time to show our teachers how much we appreciate them! PTA and room parents are planning some special activities.

Decorations: Come and help decorate teacher doors and campus on Sunday, May 5th 3-6pm.

Daily Activities: Different grades will have a day they can contribute food for the teachers. See a list of all the activities and sign ups for each day here 

Kudos Board: Leave a message for teachers and staff here.

 

PTA Executive Board Elections May 22nd @ 6pm, in person

At our May PTA Association Meeting we will be having the general election to elect the executive board for the 2024/ 2025 Jose Antonio Vargas PTA.

Thank you to the nominees, both new and returning, who have volunteered to be part of the PTA board next year and the nominating committee who worked to find parents to fill the roles. Please attend this last PTA meeting of the year to ensure we have enough members to elect our next PTA Executive Board.

Nominees:

President:Kimberly Cheng

Vice President: Sukie Grewal

Treasurer: Daniel Lopez

Secretary: Julie Kantorovskiy

Parliamentarian: Sandy Wen

Financial Reviewer: Pei-Ching Huang

Historian: Saty Reddy

Please let Shannon [email protected] or Kim [email protected] know if you have any questions about the elections. 

PTA Bylaws Notice

We have made amendments to the PTA bylaws that will be presented and voted on at the next PTA Association Meeting on May 22nd @ 6pm, in person at the school library. Please see the proposed amendments. Feel free to contact Shannon Lundin [email protected] for any questions.

 

Incoming Kinder Summer Playdates 

If you have an incoming kindergartener next year, we are looking for a few parents to help organize a few incoming kinder play dates over the summer. Helping may include picking a date and park to meet at, purchasing refreshments (reimbursed by PTA). This is a great way for kinders to meet future classmates and parents to meet other parents and share questions and ease nerves before the first day. Contact Kim if you are able to help organize play dates [email protected]. Once dates and locations are set, we will announce them on Konstella. 

 

Lunchtime Chess on Wednesdays

The PTA is bringing Bay Area Chess to Vargas to provide a free lunchtime chess club, for students at all levels, starting on March 6 for 10 weeks. Players of all levels are welcome!