Hello Golden Owls,

 

I’d like to take a moment to update you on how we support our students with counseling and mental health services. Here’s how your student may experience these services throughout the school year.

Our school counselor, Ms. Gove plays a vital role in supporting students every day, supporting their academic needs, social-emotional well-being, and college or career planning. They are actively engaged on campus, often visiting classrooms to lead important discussions on topics like Suicide Prevention and Bullying. Being present and accessible on a daily basis allows them to build strong relationships with students and better understand their needs. 

Our counselor is always available for drop-in sessions. Our counselor also helps students when they need it (drop-in), some meet in small groups, and others get one-on-one counseling. Individual sessions can last up to 8 weeks. The counselor reviews progress and makes recommendations based on student needs. Based on a student’s needs, the counselor may suggest more or less time in counseling, or they might work with the family to recommend outside care and community resources. 

When a student continues to struggle, “COST teams” — a group of educators and support staff,  work together to find the best ways to assist that student.  Any member of staff may refer a student, and COST meetings are convened weekly to review all students who have been referred for review and support.  A COST team’s recommendations are then assigned to our school counselor, who connects the student with more specialized services. Specialized services are provided by a variety of experts on staff, including School Psychologists, Behavior Analysts, and Mental Health Specialists (such as MFT or LCSW). These professionals meet with students in a designated “student supports” area on campus, separate from the main office, helping to ease anxiety of going to the principal’s office to seek help. 

In some cases, students may have more specific or intensive needs. They might approach a counselor themselves, or their teacher or a parent may refer them. School counselors then work with the family to support them connecting to community resources including the County Behavioral Health warmline, and to other services based on their insurance coverage. 

Previously, we worked with CHAC for school-based counseling, but have transitioned to our own school counselor.  As we use school based counseling with support from Pacific Clinics for more intensive needs, we are seeing more flexibility and effectiveness in the support we can offer. By staffing School Counselors at MVWSD, we are able to have full-time counselors at every school to provide prevention and intervention student support.  Having counselors right here on campus allows us to know our students better, connect them with the support they need, and help coordinate services and referrals.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we continue to prioritize the well-being of every student in our community.

Important Information:

October is Safety Month in MVWSD. We have supplies for emergencies at school. Do you have them at home?

Now is the time to prepare your home disaster supply kit. An earthquake could mean being without food, water or electricity for hours or days.  A disaster supplies kit is a collection of basic items, including your own food, water and other supplies, to last for several days that you’ll need in the event of an emergency. This is the week for your family to create or update your home kit. Here’s what should be in it. 

In Partnership, 

Principal Vern Taylor

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Events Calendar

October

 

November

 

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In this Newsletter

School News:

Golden Ticket Winners October 17

It’s never too early to talk about college! (College Week 10/21-10/25)

Greening At Vargas

Bookmobile 

After school Halloween Parade 10/31 @ 12:05pm

United Against Hate Week (November 18-22)

 

Flyers:

2024 -2025 School Year Calendar - Here

October Menu - Here

District News:

Drafts available: Single Plans for Student Achievement

MVWSD seeking District Equity Advisory Committee members

MVEF has reached its second milestone - $400k! Make your donation soon to achieve the goal of $1.2M

 

PTA News:

Walkathon

Trunk or Treat - Fri Oct 25th

Konstella

Spirit Wear 

Website

 

Community Partners

MV Public Library Parenting Program: Navigating Type 1 Diabetes - Flyer

City of MV: Día de Muertos - Flyer

Learning Challenges events for Fall 2024

 

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School News

 

Golden Ticket Winners October 17, 2024

Emmy R.             RM: 1         Maria V.           RM: 11  

Rana P.                RM: 2         Pelin G.            RM: 12

Max S.                 RM: 3         Vihaan K         RM: 13

Braxton E.           RM: 4         Julio R.            RM: 14 

Youssoupha N.    RM: 5         Elida V.           RM: 15 

Elisa D.               RM: 6         Martin C.         RM: 16 

Jooahn L.            RM: 8         Alisa G.           RM: 17 

Isabelle V.           RM: 9         Leyla B            RM: 18

Valla A.              RM: 10        Mr. Hillman    RM: 17

 

It’s never too early to talk about college! (College Week 10/21-10/25)

At Vargas we celebrate College Week

EVERYONE IS INVITED TO DRESS UP AND DREAM BIG! 10/21-10/25

• MONDAY 10/21          - What do you want to be when you grow up?

• TUESDAY 10/22         - For a bright future  WEAR YELLOW

• WEDNESDAY 10/23  - Your future is out of this world WEAR BLUE

• THURSDAY 10/24      - WEAR COLLEGE ATTIRE or the Vargas t-shirt

• FRIDAY 10/25             - Dress like a boss!

Greening At Vargas

At Friday’s Principal Coffee, my 41 assistant principals and I presented on our Greening at Vargas Project. The presentation can be found here. As we move into the next phases of planning for Vargas, It would be helpful to provide your input on what to prioritize to meet the various needs of the different stakeholder groups. Please use  this link to choose three (3) of your top priorities for our greening efforts.  

Bookmobile 

      

After school Halloween Parade 10/31 @ 12:05pm

Next Thursday, we will be hosting a Halloween parade after school. For those wishing to participate, we will be meeting on the blacktop after dismissal. For those who have students in Right at School and YMCA, they will also be able to join. Can’t wait to see OWL of you! If you are planning to attend the Parade and are driving, please plan to park your car off campus. We understand that there is limited parking in the neighborhood, but the parking lot at the Google Preschool recently  has free spaces to park. Our fifth graders will be returning from Science Camp on Thursday, so it is very important that you do not park or leave your car unattended as we will need to have the loading area clear.  

 

Please note: Our school does not have any school-wide event that asks students to wear costumes during the day of 10/31; however, if students want to wear costumes for the day of Halloween, they can. We are asking, as is standard, not to wear masks or overly gruesome or violent attire. We are also asking that students not bring any accessories that would distract from regular classroom instruction.

 

United Against Hate Week (November 18-22)

We are excited to join MVWSD schools in participating in United Against Hate Week once again. United Against Hate Week was founded in 2017. For more information about the purpose and origins of United Against Hate week, you can click here. 

Our focus theme this school year is community. In August and September we focus on the school and classroom community. In October, our focus is family and home community. In November we will focus on Cultural diversity in Communities. For United Against Hate Week, Vargas will incorporate those themes throughout the week. Grade-Levels will participate in activities that ask students to share aspects of their home community (food, traditions, language, stories) with their school community. As we do this we hope that we can see the diversity in our community and honor our similarities and differences. School-Wide, we hope to bring in families to share their culture and read- aloud to our students in various languages. Parents please be on the lookout for volunteer opportunities for that week. 

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District News

 

Drafts available: Single Plans for Student Achievement

Each year, our schools create Single Plans for Student Achievement (SPSAs or “site plans”) that guide the work for the coming year. These plans help us prioritize programs and strategies that will best serve our students. In the fall, elected parent representatives from School Site Councils and English Language Advisory Committees work with principals and school staff members to create a draft that is reviewed and approved by the MVWSD Board of Trustees. Parents and staff members may give feedback through Nov. 15 to their principal and elected parent representatives to SSC and ELAC. You may review the draft plans here.

 

MVWSD seeking District Equity Advisory Committee members

MVWSD is continuing our work by engaging meaningfully with the community on issues of equity through the District Equity Advisory Committee (DEAC). The goal of the DEAC is to provide feedback to the Superintendent on how to support MVWSD towards achieving its goals of becoming a more equitable and inclusive school district.

 

We are seeking a combination of district-level leaders, principals, teachers, staff members, and parent participants who represent the interests of both elementary and middle schools. Committee members will be expected to attend and participate virtually in meetings held once monthly (on average) online during the 2024-25 school year in the evening hours. 

 

If you’re interested in participating, please click here to apply.

 

MVEF has reached its second milestone - $400k! Make your donation soon to achieve the goal of $1.2M

Thanks to the generosity of new donors, repeat donors, corporate matching, and grants, MVEF has already raised 1/3 of this year’s $1.2M funding goal. Thank you to all who have donated so far and a special thanks to the "Nusimow Family Giving Fund" for the generous donation of $50k. 

It’s a fast start on a big climb: MVWSD will soon begin planning for next year’s budget. When MVEF is on pace to meet the funding goal early in the school year, it gives confidence that we can continue funding the current priorities and potentially add new ones to next year’s budget.

 

Consider donating today - it's tax-deductible! Every gift, big or small, makes a difference. Setting up monthly installments is easy, just select "recurring donation" here. Learn more about ways to give here. Ever considered donating stocks? Learn more about it here. 

 

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PTA News

 

Walkathon

Thank you Vargas community for showing up for the Walkathon event, it was so great to see the students walking hard to earn their prizes! We are still tabulating all the laps walked and prize results, so stay tuned! Thank you to all the families who volunteered their time to make the event a success and a special thank you to the Walkathon Committee (Kate, Amanda, Cindy, Clarissa, Elena, Jessica, Kevin, Kim, Laura, Leela, Robyn, Sandy and Sukie). We are additionally appreciative of the large number of donations from local businesses, who donated money, raffle prizes, and fruit for the course (see list here).

The fundraising portion of the Walkathon is open until this Friday, October 25th. It is a tight race between the top 5 classrooms! You can continue to make pledges through 99pledges, or directly through cash/check (written to Jose Antonio Vargas PTA), submit to the front office. 

If you have any follow-up questions about the Walkathon, donations, or pledges, please contact Kate at [email protected].

 

Trunk or Treat - Fri Oct 25th

It’s almost time for our first JA Vargas Trunk or Treat! It will be happening this Friday, between 6:00-7:30pm. You can still “feed the monster” with candy donations for Trunk or Treat this week (they are located in front of the office). 

What to expect? Parents and guardians will gather their vehicles in the Vargas parking lot, open and decorate their trunks and give out candy as children walk from car to car. It is a great opportunity to get the Vargas community together and have a night of fun. We will have games and other fun activities. 

Email [email protected] with any questions.

Konstella

Want to hear about the school-wide events planned by the PTA? Konstella is a free app/website– you do not have to be a member to join. 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

 

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.

• Follow JAVargas PTA on facebook for photos of events and updates on future events.

Kimberly Cheng, and the Executive Board 

[email protected]

 

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From Our Community Partners

MV Public Library Parenting Program: Navigating Type 1 Diabetes - Flyer

The Mountain View Public Library will hold a virtual parent program, “Navigating Type 1 Diabetes with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital” on Wednesday, October 30, from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm. A roundtable of experts from the Pediatric Endocrinology & Diabetes Care Team at Stanford's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital will share information on early signs, latest medical technologies, and research, along with practical tips on behavioral and physiological concerns. Session is for families generally concerned, newly diagnosed, and those managing ongoing care. Register in advance here.

City of MV: Día de Muertos - Flyer

Join the City of Mountain View to celebrate Día de Muertos at Civic Center Plaza on November 2 from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The public is invited to the celebration of memories and a ritual that “encourages remembering over forgetting.”  Learn about these festivities and delight with the ofrendas and altars decorated with Cempasúchitl flowers, or marigolds, papel picado, sugar skulls, and a myriad of colors created and inspired by community members. The event will feature live performances and children’s activities. Learn more at MountainView.gov/Dia-de-Muertos.

Learning Challenges events for Fall 2024

For local coverage of issues related to learning challenges and special education, please check out the Learning Challenges Committee http://learningchallenges.lamvptac.org/

For broader coverage, look into the Northwest SCC SELPA CAC

Northwest Santa Clara County CAC meeting

October 29, 9 am

Register: https://sccoe.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYpfuipqTwiGd2j1kNEBuVtKlTXV4IJn1TB

 

Morning Let’s Talk Parent Support group

October 30, 9 am  on Zoom.

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 at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcqcu-vrDsiHdW_I5OTIYOiHcpy1tEmzuta

Who’s Who is Serving Our Little Ones? - Planning and Strategies for Children 3-5

From Department of Developmental Services and Palo Alto CAC

November 14, 6-7 pm on Zoom. Register: http://bit.ly/DDSTraining2

Evening Let’s Talk Parent Support group

November 19, 7 pm  on Zoom.

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 at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtfu2hrj0pG9zqGFeTzEnqs1U7cVxTcfl-

Learning Challenges Committee Meeting

December 3, 7:30 pm on Zoom

The LCC is working on providing a support group for parents, and planning to create a wish list for teachers throughout Mountain View and Los Altos for classroom supplies to support sensory needs. Would you like to help? Other ideas to support students and families with learning challenges? Join us here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUld-usrj8tEtNskynSpmorDiYZNt9_KAgq

Morning Let’s Talk Parent Support group

December 19, 10 am  on Zoom.

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 at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrduupqD0vEtSpweFX71KvNAcKW8Csy4D3

Missed past Parent Education events?

We have a YouTube channel with many of our past events including the recent talk on Assistive Technology, info 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