Wise Word, 1/20/2021

Principal’s Message:

Dear Golden Owls,

Every four years on January 20, the United States of America holds an inauguration ceremony for the incoming president and vice president of our country. Today will mark the first time that we will swear in a female, Black, and South Asian vice president in our nation’s history.  While each presidential and vice presidential inauguration is a historical occasion, it's important to recognize and celebrate what it means for millions of young people to see a person who looks like them in one of our nation’s most powerful positions. Please take a moment today to talk with your child about the historical significance of today.


I will not be hosting Office hours the next two Wednesdays (January 20 and January 27, 2021), but please join me next week on January 29, 2021 for Principal’s Coffee. (Register Here) I will be discussing the Reopening plan for Vargas and Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP Survey).


In Partnership,


Principal  Taylor


Events Calendar

  • 1/21 - MVWSD Board of Trustee Meeting, 6pm - 10pm 

  • 1/27 - Kate Kinsella's Virtual Presentation, 6pm - 7pm Register Here

  • 1/29 - Spirit Day - Crazy Hair Day 

  • 1/29 - Principal’s Coffee (Virtual), 4pm  Register Here

  • 2/3 - Principal Virtual Office Hours, 4pm - 5pm Register Here

  • 2/3 - SSC Meeting, 5:30pm - 6:30pm 

  • 2/4 - MVWSD Board of Trustee Meeting, 6pm - 10pm 

  • 2/5 - ELAC Meeting, 4:00pm 

  • 2/10 - Principal Virtual Office Hours, 4pm - 5pm Register Here

  • 2/12 - End of 2nd Trimester - Minimum Day

  • 2/15 - 2/19 - Winter Break - No School 

  • 2/24 - Principal Virtual Office Hours, 4pm - 5pm Register Here

  • 2/24 - SSC Meeting - 5:30pm - 6:30pm 

  • 2/26 - Principal’s Coffee (Virtual), 4pm 


In this Newsletter

School News

  • Golden Ticket Winners 

  • Material Pick-up - 4th Grade

  • eBooks at Vargas

  • Register now! Parent workshop:  How to Build Academic Language with Kate Kinsella - Flyer

  • Spirit Day 

  • Principal Virtual Office Hours 

  • Powering Down Chromebooks

  • Technology Support 

District News

  • My Digital TAT2's free Q&A session: Jan. 22 - Flyer

  • Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday, Jan 22 - Register Here

  • Better Together: Poverty in America Awareness - Flyer

  • English Learner Families: ELPAC is (mostly) remote this Spring

  • Enrollment for 2021-22 for *NEW* students is open now

  • Parent University: Adolescent Drug Use, including the impact of the current pandemic

  • MV Library presents: Raising Kindness and Awareness in Children - Flyer 

  • Parent University: Digging Deeper into Supporting Reading Comprehension at Home 

  • Fifth Grade Parents: Middle school info night on Jan. 28

  • February CAC Events

  • MV Library Valentine’s Celebration - Flyer

  • Afterschool activities and programs (including free) are on InPlay

  • MVEF News: Virtual Gala Planning Has Begun


PTA News

  • Announcement

  • Spirit Wear!

  • Amazon


Golden Ticket Winners - Week  1/19/2020
Remy D             RM: 1         Ysabelle D        RM: 12
Hannah C         RM: 2        Jaiden W           RM: 13
Cataleya H       RM: 3         Alton A              RM: 14
Andy T              RM: 5         Lili M                 RM: 15
Kevin G            RM: 6         Meiki K              RM: 16
Vani S               RM: 8         Matias C            RM: 17      
Meher D           RM: 9
You can stop by the office to pick up your prize! You may stop by on Monday or Wednesday from 11:30am to 2:00pm.

Material Pick-up: 4th grade Only

Material distribution on Thursday, January 21st and Friday, January 22nd from 8am to 2pm. Please come at any time during the allotted time on either Thursday or Friday to pick up your child's materials.

Please write your child’s first and last name, room number, and grade level on a piece of paper and place it on your passenger window. Please drive up to the MUR; a staff member will greet you with a mask and gloves, and place the items in your trunk.


eBooks at Vargas

A message from our librarian Ms. O:

 

I am excited to announce that Vargas Library now has ebooks available  for your students to read!  Here are the instructions about how to look at them and check them out… or you can view my video here

 

How to Check Out Vargas eBooks!

 

  1. Go to Clever

  2. Click on MVWSD Library 

  3. Click on Vargas Elementary School

  4. Click “Log In “ (top right corner)

  5. Sign in with Google (blue bar on the left side)

  6. Click “See All” to see more books


Register now! Parent workshop:  How to Build Academic Language with Kate Kinsella - Flyer

Virtual presentation on January 27 at 6:00 pm

Hosted by Huff, Landels and Jose Antonio Vargas elementary schools

Register: http://mvw.sd/kate


Presenter Kate Kinsella, Ed.D. will talk about: 

  • After school conversation tips to use with children to encourage thoughtful responses

  • Strategies to help increase students' academic language and listening skills

 

Kate Kinsella, Ed.D., is a teacher educator at San Francisco State University and a highly sought after speaker and consultant to school districts throughout the United States regarding development of academic language and literacy across the K-12 subject areas. Her 25-year teaching career focus has been equipping children from diverse backgrounds with the communication, reading, and writing skills to be career and college ready. 

 

For more information, please visit http://drkatekinsella.com/about-us/


Spirit Day at Vargas

Save the date Crazy Hair Day on Friday, January 29th at Vargas! 


Principal Virtual Office Hour  

Please drop in my Principal Hours on Wednesday, Feb. 3rd to ask your questions. Register Here. (Translation is available)


Powering Down Chromebooks Daily

Reminder to please power down your child's chromebooks daily. Powering down Chromebooks daily or every other day helps the system update and run smoother. Please remember to close all tabs then shut down. 


Technology Support:

If you are having problems with the chromebook you can contact: [email protected] to create a ServiceNow ticket or call the Tech Department at

(650) 526-3252.

 


District News

My Digital TAT2's free Q&A session: Jan. 22 - Flyer

Digital TAT2, a non-profit that offers medis education and presented a highly engaging and informative webinar at the MVWSD Parent University this fall, is offering a free Q&A session with co-founders (and child/adolescent experts) Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet and Erica Pelavin on Friday, January 22. Please see the attached flyer for details and registration. You may also submit questions in advance to be answered during the webinar.


Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday

Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday, Jan. 22 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/ibOad


Better Together: Poverty in America Awareness - Flyer

January is Poverty in America Awareness Month and in the time of Covid-19 and the economic fallout, talking about issues surrounding poverty has never been more important. Words matter and our students know more than we often give them credit for. Talking about poverty with kids is not only possible, it's important. Explore the resources provided in this infographic (attached or viewable at https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD) to find an approach to talking about poverty that is most appropriate for your student(s). Ultimately, your conversations should reinforce that when it comes to making a difference in the world and caring for others in our community, we are #BetterTogether. 


English Learner Families: ELPAC is (mostly) remote this Spring

Most of our English Learners will be taking this year’s Summative English Learner Proficiency Assessment of California (ELPAC) remotely. Only a small segment of students will be invited to complete portions of the test in person (observing all health protocols). Your school will be in touch with the details. For more information, please look for a recent email sent from Geoff Chang, Director of Federal, State, and Strategic Programs, or contact your site principal. 


To understand more about the ELPAC and to help your child prepare, click here


Enrollment for 2021-22 for *NEW* students is open now

For NEW students:  Open Enrollment is now through Feb. 5, 2021 online. You can register your child for the 2021-22 school year here:  www.mvwsd.org/register


For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 18- 22. Please look for an email from Student Services with a request to log on to the Powerschool Parent Portal: https://ps.mvwsd.org/public/


Preschool Enrollment for 2021-22: Families who are interested in enrolling their 3 or 4-year-old in part-day or full-day preschool next year should submit an application to the preschool office by February 5th.  Please see https://www.mvwsd.org/preschool for more information or contact the preschool office at 650-526-3560 or [email protected].


Parent University: Adolescent Drug Use, including the impact of the current pandemic 

Join us on Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 from 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. for our next Parent University event: Adolescent Drug Use, including the impact of the current pandemic. While this event is geared toward parents of children ages 10 to 18, all are welcome.

 

The presenter, Alum Rock Counseling Center (ARCC), has been in place for 46 years in the Bay Area and addresses the academic, social and mental health needs of the at-risk youth and families.  This important workshop will include such topics as:

 

  • Overview of trending substances used by youth (vaping, marijuana, alcohol, opioids, etc.)

  • Signs and symptoms

  • Why teens are using and the impact of COVID-19

  • How families can discuss substance use and support their children

  • Alternatives for substance use and ideas for prevention

  • Resources

 

Spanish interpretation will be provided.

Register here: http://mvw.sd/Jan20


MV Library presents: Raising Kindness and Awareness in Children - Flyer 

Wednesday, January 20, 7 pm - 8 pm. Learn about fostering “kindness activism” in your children. Aila Malik, author, parent activist, social justice warrior, and kindness advocate will present practical ideas and engaging perspectives on activating humility, empathy, action, and togetherness within your family. Free. Flyers attached. Registration is required. https://mountainview.libcal.com/


Parent University: Digging Deeper into Supporting Reading Comprehension at Home 

Join us on Tuesday, January 26th, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. for “Digging Deeper into Supporting Reading Comprehension at Home (K-5 Families)” 


Members of MVWSD Instructional Team will share takeaway strategies to support your child's reading comprehension, connections, and applications at home. 

  • Wondering how to support your child with their Reading grade level standards and curriculum? 

  • What questions should I ask to build my child's reading comprehension?

  • What does standard progression look like over grade level spans?  

  • Takeaways to support your child who is reading above grade level 

  • Learn new ways to enrich, deepen, and create a joy for reading


Zoom Registration: http://mvw.sd/MlaSK


In order to make this interactive webinar most meaningful for you, please send your questions beforehand to Interim Director, Swati Dagar via this Google Form  by Friday, January 15th. 

Spanish interpretation will be provided. 

Link to flyer is here

Fifth Grade Parents: Middle school info night on Jan. 28

Crittenden and Graham both will be welcoming 5th grade families to an Incoming 6th Grade Information Night on Thursday, January 28 at 5 p.m. held on Zoom. Each site will host its own information night, and parents will receive an email from their students' assigned school with meeting login information.


This is a great opportunity to learn about our Middle Schools’ academics, a chance to meet our staff, and learn about the exciting opportunities your incoming sixth-grader will have at Crittenden or Graham.


Please contact Crittenden ((650) 903-6945) or Graham Middle School ((650) 526-3570) if you have any questions.


February CAC Events

Happy New Year! 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 may have during distance learning: Try a Sensory Diet


February 1, 9 am- General Parent/Community Meeting with Special Ed. Directors & Staff, Zoom at 9:00 am for LCC and 9:30 am for CAC. We will be planning for the year, discussing upcoming programs and discussing distance learning and learning challenges. For our agenda, please join our Google group, https://groups.google.com/g/selpa1cac. For the Zoom link for this meeting, email [email protected] or sign up on Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/general-cac-meeting-tickets-135550478129


MV Library Valentine’s Celebration - Flyer

The Mountain View Public Library and CHAC Family Resource Center are sponsoring a free Valentine’s Celebration for families with young children on Friday, February 12, on Zoom. Please see the attached flyer for details and registration.


Afterschool activities and programs (including free) are on InPlay

Even during COVID, there are fun and educational afterschool programs for kids happening now. Spring break camps are coming up, too. MVWSD partners with the non-profit InPlay to help you find the perfect fit for your child and for your family. Hundreds of programs, including those that are FREE and reduced cost, are nearby and online and can be found through this free, searchable website. Check out http://MV.inplay.org


MVEF News: Virtual Gala Planning Has Begun

Save the date - March 6, 2021!

We wish we could be together with you! Nonetheless, the MVEF gala committee is hard at work ensuring that our Virtual Gala on March 6th will be a fun evening even in the midst of Covid19 concerns. Stay tuned for details!


Vargas PTA

Announcement

Parents! It's that time of year again to search for new officers for the PTA Executive Board! If you are looking to take on a more active role and have more say about what happens at JA Vargas next year, this is for you! No experience is necessary, we will help you! It is a great way to meet other families within the school community as well as take on an active role in your child's education! There are several positions on the board that need to be filled for next year! We have a few returning parents but several "retiring" parents and without YOU there simply won't be a JA Vargas PTA! 

If you have any interest, please complete this formhttps://forms.gle/nQfpsMCv2y5BUBSG8 and the PTA will be in touch to discuss how best you can help!  


Spirit Wear!  

It’s getting cold out there, so don’t forget to grab your JA Vargas sweatshirts and baseball tee’s!  Click HERE to shop the JA Vargas Store.  Order by Wednesday night and do curbside pick up Friday.  (Address for pick up will be sent after you complete your order.)


Amazon

If you shop through Amazon, please shop through the Amazon Smile portal for Vargas: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/90-1257353 A percentage of sales through this link goes back to the school.
Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2024 SchoolMessenger Corporation. All rights reserved.