Wise Word, 11/10/2021

Principal’s Message:

Hello Golden Owls,

 

As part of our draft School Site Plan (Click here), we want to increase the number of students and families who feel welcome at our school, and we also want to increase  students' social emotional skills. One key strategy that we plan to implement is free after school enrichment for all students. We believe that if we provide students an opportunity to engage in an extracurricular activity of their interest, that will help them to feel valued at our school. Our tentative plan is that all Vargas students will be offered an opportunity to participate in an after school enrichment activity that lasts 8-10 weeks. We are hoping for a mid to late January rollout. Please look for an email later this week with a survey to gauge interest in class offerings. This information will be valuable so that we can plan the appropriate amount and types of classes.  

 

COVID vaccinations for children 5-11 years are here

-After much anticipation, COVID-19 vaccinations for kids ages 5-11 are underway.  

Parents and guardians can visit www.sccfreevax.org now to sign up for an appointment or to find a convenient walk-in location. If initial available appointments are reserved, continue to check back as additional slots open. MVWSD has requested that Santa Clara County provide free, mobile vaccination events at our schools for our students. We will update you as we know more about the specifics and the dates.

 

Symptoms?

After receiving the COVID shot, it's possible that your child may have symptoms that may be caused by the vaccine. Side effects of the vaccine are not typically a cause for concern and should go away in a few days. However, if your child has any of these symptoms, regardless of cause, he/she should stay home from school: Loss of taste or smell, fever, chills, cough and shortness of breath.

If it’s possible these symptoms were caused by the vaccine and they resolve in 48 hours, with the last 24 hours being fever-free, the individual may return to work or school. If symptoms persist beyond 48 hours, individuals should stay home and get tested for COVID. After being home with symptoms, parents should present proof of the recent COVID vaccine shot upon the student’s return at school. 

 

Don’t forget to upload!

When your child receives his/her second shot, please upload proof of being fully vaccinated to PowerSchool at https://ps.mvwsd.org. Here's how to upload proof of vaccination. http://mvw.sd/upload

 

In Partnership,

 

Principal Vern Taylor

 


Events Calendar

  • November

10th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

10th - SSC Virtual Meeting, 5:00pm - 6:30pm

11th - Veteran’s Day Holiday - No School 

17th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

18th - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - 10:00pm

19th - Principal’s Coffee, 8:30am - 9:30am

19th - Report Cards go home - Electronically

19th - Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm - 4:30pm

22nd - 26th - Thanksgiving Holiday Recess - No School 

 

  • December

1st - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

7th - Jose Antonio Vargas School Info Night, 6:00pm - 7:00pm - Register Here

8th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

9th - ELAC Meeting, 6:00pm - 7:00pm

15th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here

17th - Principal’s Coffee, 8:30am - 9:30am

20th - 31st - Holiday Break - No School

 

  • January

3rd - Teacher-in-service Day - No school

4th - Students return to school

 


In this Newsletter

School News:

  • Golden Ticket Winners

  • Reminder: No school on Thursday, Nov. 11

  • Attendance counts: Please ensure students are in school and on time

  • Drop-off and Pick-up Safety

  • Want text messages from the District? Opt in!

  • Coach’s Corner

  • COVID-19 Vaccines for kids

  • Student Vision and Hearing Screenings Coming up

  • Gift Card Donation

  • Principal’s Virtual Office Hours

District News:

  • Seeking EL Testers! 

  • Boba Fundraiser for MVEF

  • Parent University: Creating Caring Relationships (featuring Project Cornerstone)

  • Safe Gun Storage Notice

  • Kinder info night, school meetings coming up. Open Enrollment for all MVWSD students starts in January

  • November Better Together - Flyer

  • Parenting tip: Effective instruction for kids

 

PTA News:

  • Membership Drive

  • PTA Association Meeting

  • Get Involved

  • Konstella

 


Golden Ticket Winners - Week of 11/8/2021
Oscar M.        RM: 1          Sophia L.        RM: 11
Kathrine D.    RM: 2          Brandon P.      RM: 13
Zephyr K.      RM: 3          Pravara D.       RM: 14
Meilani M.     RM: 4          Harper F.        RM: 15
Saleem F.        RM: 6         Maxine B.      RM: 16
Josh J.             RM: 8         Soeren C.       RM: 17
Derin C.          RM: 9         Mr. Dechter    RM: 11

The Vargas Way - Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be an Upstander.

 

What are Golden Tickets?

Students earn Golden Tickets from teachers and staff when they are following the Vargas Way. What is 

The Vargas Way? Click here for an in depth view. 

 


Reminder: No school on Thursday, Nov. 11
In observance of Veterans’ Day. We honor the men and women who have served in the U.S. armed forces.

Attendance counts: Please ensure students are in school and on time

We want kids to be healthy and be in school. Regular attendance is essential for students’ learning and to establish healthy routines.  Please make sure that your students come to school every day they are able.

If they need to stay home, please call or email the school with the reason to [email protected]. You must contact us in the morning of your child’s absence. This is a safety measure in order to account for all students daily. Illness (including quarantining due to COVID), doctor’s appointments, bereavement, and certain religious exercises are excused absences. Family vacation or travel is not excused. 

California law requires MVWSD to notify parents after three unexcused absences and/or tardies over 30 minutes. Any three unexcused absences and/or tardies over 30 minutes means a child is truant. We are here to support your family, so please contact your school for strategies or help, if needed.

For more information on attendance requirements, please see https://www.mvwsd.org/attendance

Drop-off and Pick-up Safety:

  • Follow the directions of our staff who are trying to keep your children safe and keep the cars moving. 

  • Do not leave your car unattended 

  • Be patient, respectful and kind to other parents in the line as they are also dropping off their child/ren. 

  • While waiting be mindful of cars moving up

  • Please do not drive and use your cell at the same time - This is a hazard, and it is extremely dangerous for all our students and staff.


Want text messages from the District? Opt in!

MVWSD sends text messages infrequently, for the purpose of notifying you of emergencies or with important, time-sensitive information.


In order to receive messages from the District you need to opt-in from the number that is listed as the cell contact number in our student information system. If you need to update this number, please contact your school.


Here’s how to opt in. You can subscribe or unsubscribe to receive text messages from the District at any time by texting one of the short codes listed below to 67587 using the cell phone number that the District has on record. 


  • Opt-in: "Y", "YES", "OPTIN", "OPT IN", and "SUBSCRIBE" are all acceptable keywords for subscribing to SMS text messaging.

  • Opt-out: "END", "CANCEL", "OPT OUT", "OPTOUT", "STOP", "QUIT", and "UNSUBSCRIBE" will cancel SMS messages to the recipient.

 

Coach’s Corner

Do you want to have your student practice math fluency at home? Try Xtra math! Xtra math is an online fluency program that helps students develop quick math fact recall and automaticity. Math fact fluency is important because it helps students build a foundation for solving more advanced mathematical problems. Xtra Math is aligned with state standards and is available for grades K-6! Sign-up is free for families, and many students are already using this program at school. Practice at home for a little extra math practice!

(Repeat Information) COVID-19 Vaccines for kids

After much anticipation, the COVID-19 vaccines for kids ages 5-11 have begun.  

 

Parents and guardians can visit www.sccfreevax.org now to sign up for an appointment or to find a convenient walk-in location. Many of the initial available appointments have already been reserved, but the County expects an increased vaccination supply in the coming weeks and additional slots should open soon.

 

MVWSD is working with the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department to provide free, mobile vaccination events at our schools for our students. We will update you as we know more about dates and specifics. 

 

(Repeat Information) Student vision and hearing screenings coming up

Each fall, MVWSD conducts hearing and vision screenings of all students in kindergarten, second-, fifth- and eighth-grade, as California State Law mandates. These screenings will take place at Vargas on Nov. 17.

 

Parents will be notified in writing if children fail a screening. Parents who do not want their child screened for either vision and/or hearing should send a letter to their child's school each school year indicating that their child is to be excluded, and vision and/or hearing results will need to be provided from their physician.

 

If you have any concerns about your child’s vision or hearing please contact your school nurse. Questions about the screenings should be directed to the Health Services office at 650-526-3500 ext. 1050.

 

(Repeat Information) Gift Card Donation

As you may know, there are several families in our district that need help to meet some basic needs. The district is providing meals every day. But some families need more support for providing food, clothes and shoes for their kids. There is a critical need for gift cards for these families. If you are able, please consider donating a Safeway or Target gift card to families in our own district. Thank you so much for your help! Let’s show these families how strong and supportive our Vargas community really is!

Please bring the gift cards to the office. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Bea, School and Community Engagement Facilitator – SCEF- at [email protected].

 

(Repeat Information) Principal’s Virtual Office Hours

Join me Wednesday, Nov. 10th for our informal Principal Office Hours (virtual) 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. 

 


District News

Seeking EL Testers! 

Are you looking for a part time job and enjoy interacting with kids? Our district is looking for a few more EL Testers to administer the annual assessment of Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking for English Learners. Fluency in academic English is required. For more information, or to apply, please visit mvwsd.org/jobs and look under “Support Staff - Hourly.” Alternatively, you may contact department secretary Leticia Corcoran at [email protected]


Boba Fundraiser for MVEF

TeaCub Boba & Snack is helping fundraise for MVEF on Tuesday November 16 (all day)!  25% of all proceeds on 11/16/21 will be donated to MVEF.   TeaCub Boba & Snack is located in the Mountain View Shopping Center at 175C East El Camino Real.  Please stop by to enjoy smoothies, slushies, milk and flavored tea as well as snacks.  (They use only organic Clover milk and real fruit for all tea & smoothie drinks so please enjoy a treat for you and MVEF!)


Parent University: Creating Caring Relationships (featuring Project Cornerstone)

Date: November 17, 2021  Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/pu111721

Kids need our care and support now more than ever. This presentation will:

  • Explore proven effective and meaningful ways to express care and support that will make a difference in the lives of young people.

  • Provide tools and strategies for connecting and building trust, which lead to strong, positive relationships within families, schools, and communities.

Join Ziem Nguyen Neubert, Executive Director of Project Cornerstone, in a conversation on how we can support young people’s social and emotional well-being so they grow and develop as healthy and responsible humans.

This is one of four Parent University events this year featuring Project Cornerstone. To see what’s coming up, check out this flyer.

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

Safe Gun Storage Notice

Schools alone cannot prevent incidents of gun violence. In 2019, California Education Superintendent Tony Thurmond requested that all schools send parents education about the legal requirements for storing firearms at home. California Penal Code Section 25100 mandates that in all homes where children live (or where children might reasonably be expected to enter), firearms must be safely stored. 


Gun owners can avoid criminal penalty by keeping their firearms in a locked container or secured with a locking device that renders the firearm inoperable. Ensuring firearms are securely stored prevents small children from accidentally accessing the firearm and prevents older children from using an unsecured firearm to commit school violence or suicide. For more information, please see https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/el/le/yr19ltr1120.asp


Kinder info night, school meetings coming up. Open Enrollment for all MVWSD students starts in January

For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 24-28.


For NEW students:  Open Enrollment is from January 10 through Feb. 4, 2022 online. You can register your child for the 2022-23 school year when online registration opens here:  www.mvwsd.org/register 


School info meetings: Check www.mvwsd.org/register for a complete list with login information.


  • District new student information night, covering the registration process, is on November 30 at 5:30 p.m. (in both English and Spanish) at this Zoom link: http://mvw.sd/kinder1130.


  • School kindergarten/new student information nights are online on December 7 at 6:00 p.m. for all elementary schools, and include choice school information. 


  • If your child turns 5 years old between September 2, 2022 – February 2, 2023, he/she may qualify for transitional kindergarten. TK info night is December 14 at 5:00 p.m online.


  • If you are interested in the District's choice schools, information nights are: 

Gabriela Mistral: Dual Spanish/English Immersion: December 14 at 6 pm

Stevenson: Parent Child Teacher: December 15 at 6 pm

Choice schools will also have information at the elementary schools’ info nights (6 p.m. Dec. 7).


Please visit www.mvwsd.org/register for more information.


November Better Together - Flyer

The focus of November’s Better Together infographic is “Creating an Inclusive Community.” MVWSD strives to provide inclusive and supportive environments for all of our students. This is just one way we are providing an identity-affirming space for all who work, learn, and partner with us. Please see the graphics attached to this newsletter, or visit https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.

 

Parenting tip: Effective instruction for kids

We give our kids dozens of instructions each day: Get ready for school. Wash your hands before you eat. Do your homework. Sometimes our kids follow our instructions, and sometimes they do not. One way to increase follow through is to give effective instructions. For example, making eye contact with your child and gently telling them to turn off the TV is likely to be more effective than yelling at them from another room.


To provide effective instructions:

Think about a few things that you would like your child to do and try using these tips to provide effective instructions.


Instead of saying… Say….

“Don’t bother me.” “Please work on your homework.”

“TURN OFF THE TV!!” “Please turn off the TV.”

“I told you to stop playing video games.” “If you don’t stop playing video games in the next 5 

minutes, then you won’t be able to play tomorrow.”


These tips came directly from the free, online Everyday Parenting program created by parenting expert, Dr. Kazdin.


To learn more parenting tips click here

 


PTA News

Membership Drive

This is the last week of our membership drive. Thank you to all of those who have signed up and contributed donations. Donations will help pay for community engagement events, assemblies, author visits, educational subscriptions, teacher reimbursements for classroom materials, field trips, Ms. Bea’s scholarship program, and teacher appreciation. Classrooms that reach 80% membership participation will get a popsicle party and 3 people who register through November will be entered in a raffle to win some Vargas spirit wear.  We have 181 members, so we need your participation to reach our goal!  Please join and make a contribution: https://jointotem.com/ca/mountain-view/jose-antonio-vargas-pta

Paper forms available in the office if needed. If membership fee is a barrier please contact the office about sponsorship opportunities. 

 

 

PTA Association meeting

Wednesday, November 13, 2021 @ 8:30 a.m. on Zoom

Registration: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMkdeyrqT4oEtL_dVHqE_xmkAr1hvBwH4kf

Agenda: General Assoc. Mtg 9_22 - Google Docs.pdf

 

Spirit Wear

It’s sweater weather! Check out our selection of long sleeves and hoodies for winter! Also adult and childrens cloth face masks available.  Place your order online and pick it up on designated days at the office.

https://www.javargaspta.org/ja-vargas-store

 

Shannon Lundin, and the Executive Board 

[email protected]


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