Wise Word, 2/24/2021

Principal’s Message:

Dear Golden Owls,

As many of you may know, I grew up in a small city about 45 miles south of Atlanta, GA. For Kindergarten through third grade, I attended a school that had a predominantly white student population and an almost exclusively white teaching staff. In fourth grade, I transferred to a school that had a predominantly Black student population and a majority Black/ teaching staff. Both schools celebrated Black History Month with school-wide assemblies and classroom projects during the month of February. Even still, as a young Black student, the experience at my new school felt different. I believe a huge part of that feeling stemmed from how my new school taught Black History. The school celebrated Black History Month in February, but the teachers taught about Black History throughout the year. When American history was taught my teacher included the experiences and perspectives of Black people. In essence, American history was Black history not separate from it. As we end our celebration of Black History Month and transition to Women’s History Month, it is important that we remember that it's not enough to teach about minority populations as an aside, but as an integral part of the main narrative of our nation's rich, diverse, and complicated history. Our district Equity Coach, Megan Henderson provides monthly equity calendars with resources for families to use. Remember that these resources and conversations don’t need to be confined to the assigned month.


We appreciate you for supporting our school and students.


In Partnership,


Principal  Taylor


Events Calendar

  • 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 - 5pm Register Here 

  • 3/2 - PTA - Read-a-Thon Kick-Off - Dr. Seuss's Birthday

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

  • 3/4 - MVWSD Board of Trustee Meeting, 6pm - 10pm 

  • 3/5 - Reports Cards go home Electronically 

  • 3/10 - Principal Virtual Office Hours, 4pm - 5pm  Register Here

  • 3/12 - PTA - Read-a-Thon Last Day

  • 3/15 - Teacher in Service Day - No School

  • 3/17 - Principal Virtual Office Hours, 4pm - 5pm  Register Here

  • 3/18 - MVWSD Board of Trustee Meeting, 6pm - 10pm 

 


In this Newsletter

School News

  • Golden Ticket Winners

  • Material Pick-up - Kinder, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Grade 

  • Learning Options Survey

  • Construction Updates

  • 2021 Vargas Carnival Game Challenge!

  • Open House Cancelled 

  • Read-a-Thon

  • MVEF Gala

  • Principal Virtual Office Hours 

  • Technology Support 

District News

  • InPlay’s summer program search guide - Flyer

  • Black History Month - Flyer

  • Parent University: The Special Education Team - Who We Are and How We Support Our Schools and Students - Feb 24th

  • Mentor Tutor Connection Volunteer Information Session - Thursday, February 25th

  • MVEF Virtual Gala is March 6, 2021

  • Parenting Program: Developing Social Skills in Children While Social Distancing - Flyer

  • K-8 Virtual Career Fair with SCCOE - Flyer


PTA News

  • Announcement

  • Spirit Wear!

  • Amazon


Golden Ticket Winners - Week  2/22/2020
Jacob C      RM: 1       Izzy M        RM: 12
Pelin G       RM: 3      Clara K       RM: 13
Cynthia O  RM: 4      Aaron F      RM: 14
Derin C      RM: 6      Emily S       RM: 15
Estelle G    RM: 9      Tobe L         RM: 16
Sara A        RM: 10    Juselmax F RM: 17      
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 - Kinder, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Grade 

Material distribution on Wednesday, February 24th, Thursday, Friday 25th, and Friday, February 26th 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.

 

Learning Options Survey

The Learning Options survey gathers family preferences for student learning options if the district returns to in-person instruction. MVWSD’s reopening target date is two weeks after Santa Clara county enters the Red Tier in California’s color-coded COVID-19 tracking system. 


The learning options for students are blended in-person/distance learning (Option B) and 100% distance learning (Option C). Parents should choose the option that works best for their family. Please complete this survey no later than Feb. 28th. If you haven’t completed it, please look for an email reminder with your survey link sent on Feb. 22. 


Please note:

  • Only one parent or guardian can submit this survey

  • If you do not complete this survey for your child by the deadline, he/she will be assigned to distance learning.

  • FAQ's can be found at mvw.sd/W8kbU


Please let us know if we can help you.


Construction Updates

Mr. Taylor’s brief update for planned construction projects at Vargas. 


Vargas Marquee

At the February 4, Board meeting, The board approved the relocation of the LED marquee to the north of the campus entrance on N. Whisman Rd. The sign is currently blocked by the Crossing signal. The sign will be more visible for people coming to campus. The majority of construction is planned to take place over the summer of 2021.


Vargas Carport

At our March 4, Board of Trustees meeting, our district will be proposing to add a carport at Vargas to protect pedestrians and property from debri from trees in our parking lot. Pending approval, the most current timeline has onsite construction starting in December of 2021.


2021 Vargas Carnival Game Challenge!

Here the bells ringing and the children cheering! It is time for the school wide Vargas STEAM Carnival Game Challenge! Hosted by Mrs. Bisbee and Mrs. Butchko. Gather your cardboard, recycling and anything else you can use to create your own Carnival Game. Click the link below and follow the steps. Each grade level has a specific focus to the challenge. Brothers, sisters, cousins and friends can combine their talents, too. Then, show off your game on FlipGrid. You might even be featured in the principal’s morning message. Be creative and have fun!

 

Click here for details K-5 Vargas STEAM Carnival Game Challenge

 

 

Open House Cancelled

Due to COVID-19, our schools will not be holding Open House events this spring, as we traditionally do in April. This year is different since our students’ work has been done at home, and gathering in groups at school is not permitted. We certainly will miss seeing all of the amazing work from our students and teachers, and look forward to a time we can gather to celebrate students’ work.

 

Read-a-Thon

Please mark your calendars for Jose Antonio Vargas’s second annual Read-a-Thon!


  • Read-A-Thon Kick Off -Tuesday, March 2nd 

  • Read-A-Thon Activities Week- March 8-12


What is a Read-A-Thon

A Read-a-thon Fundraiser is a way to raise money by getting people to support students who spend a few weeks focusing on reading. It is the perfect school fundraiser because it does not require students to do anything other than what they are already doing at school.

The best schools allocate specific reading time already being done and use that reading time as reading sessions. Others might ask students to read at home. Where and when the reader reads is not extremely important. The fundraiser is based on the fact that a student is committed to reading more than normal.


MVEF Gala

For our Vargas families who are interested in buying raffle tickets for our upcoming MVEF Gala, you can contact our school librarian MVEF representative Mrs. Claire Quesnel-Oueini at:

Personal email: [email protected]

Work email: [email protected]


Principal’s Virtual Office Hour  

Please drop in my Principal Hours today to ask your questions. Register Here. (Translation is available)


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

InPlay’s summer program search guide - Flyer

Looking for summer fun and out-of-school opportunities? MVWSD partners with nonprofit InPlay to help you find the perfect fit for your child and for your family. Hundreds of programs, including FREE and reduced cost and those that serve students with special needs or English learners, are nearby and can be found through this free searchable site. Check it out at mv.inplay.org.


Black History Month - Flyer

Even before children can talk, they are learning about the world and about race through the words and actions of others. Parents, teachers, and caregivers have the unique opportunity to frame their child's first attempts to understand and talk about race. Talking about race matters because (1) everyone has a racialized identity, (2) racialized identity significantly impacts a person's life, and (3) race is a defining social construct in America.

 

This Black History Month, use the Better Together infographic to begin racially-focused conversations with children acknowledging that conversations about race will look different for each family and classroom and there is no single way to talk to children about race. Have honest conversations with your students about the history of privilege and oppression as it relates to Black History and, where appropriate, connect this to local community and larger global issues.

 

Together, we can explore Black History. Together, we can become anti-racist.


For a closer look at the graphics, click on the attached flyers or visit https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD


Parent University: The Special Education Team - Who We Are and How We Support Our Schools and Students

Join us on Wednesday, February 24th from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. for our next Parent University event: The Special Education Team - Who We Are and How We Support Our Schools and Students. 


Arianna Mayes (Director) and Acantha Ellard (Coordinator) of MVWSD's Special Education Department will facilitate a panel discussion with Special Educators and professionals who support MVWSD schools and students. The discussion will include who and what the team does and how students are supported both in-person and during distance learning. Additionally, you can submit your own questions beforehand via this Google Form

Spanish interpretation will be provided. 

Zoom link: Register in advance for this meeting: http://mvw.sd/4JMka

Spanish interpretation will be provided. 

**Please also take a look recordings and materials from our previous Parent University sessions at www.mvwsd.org/parentu


Mentor Tutor Connection Volunteer Information Session - Thursday, February 25th

You can change the life of a student! Come learn about volunteer opportunities to Mentor high school students and Tutor students in grades K-8  in our Mountain View and Los Altos schools.


Becoming a Mentor or Tutor will add joy to your life and help a student in our local community to a brighter future!


There is no obligation to sign up as a volunteer.  You're welcome to just come and learn more about what we do. 


Please note: Our programs are currently remote and will remain so until students are back in school and the school district permits volunteers in the classroom.

All volunteers must be high school graduates.  

Date:             Thursday, February 25th

Time:            12:00 - 1:00 pm

Location:     Online via Zoom (URL provided upon registration)

Register:        REGISTER ONLINE

Questions:    [email protected]

Information:  MentorTutorConnection.org


MVEF Virtual Gala is March 6, 2021

Attend and support science, technology, art and music in our schools from your home. Please join us for a lively evening of trivia and fun in support of our schools.  You can attend only for trivia OR enjoy the addition of appetizers and drinks (wine and cocktails) delivered to your home. Check it all out on the MVEF website!  mvef.org/virtualgala


In addition the MVEF Virtual Gala is featuring a Raffle. You don't need to be present to win.   

Ticket Prices 1 ticket: $5, 5 tickets: $20, 20 tickets: $60 To buy tickets please send email: [email protected]  

Raffle Prizes include:


Oculus Quest 2:

Oculus Quest 2 is the most advanced all-in-one VR system yet. No PC or console needed. Explore an expansive library of awe-inspiring games and immersive experiences with unparalleled freedom. Retail Value $399


CSMA Gift Certificate for classes:

$200 gift certificate for art and preschool classes.  Expires December 2021. 


Mike’s Bikes:

$200 gift certificate towards your purchase at Mike’s Bikes.


1 year subscription Adobe Creative Cloud:

Adobe Creative Cloud gives you the world’s best creative apps and services so you can make anything you can imagine.  Get all 20+ creative desktop and mobile apps including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and Acrobat.  Retail Value $600


Parenting Program: Developing Social Skills in Children While Social Distancing - Flyer

The MV Public Library will be hosting a free parenting workshop on Wednesday, March 10 from 7-8pm. Join Susan Stone of Parents Place to learn about developing social skills in PreK and elementary school students while social distancing. Register in advance at: https://mountainview.libcal.com/


K-8 Virtual Career Fair with SCCOE - Flyer

The SCCOE K-8 Virtual Career Fair is being held Thursday, March 11 from 1-3p.m. The event theme is Connecting Passions to Careers and will feature guest speakers from various fields and industries, who will encourage students to follow their passions and dream big. The career fair is a part of the Silicon Valley Reads community engagement initiative. More information and registration is at: http://bit.ly/careerfair2021reg


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.
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