Principal’s Message:
Hello Golden Owls,
Please note that your child will take the second i-Ready Math and Reading diagnostic assessments during the week of December 6th, 2021. All Vargas students will test in Reading starting December 6th and Math December 8th.
More info about the Upcoming i-Ready Diagnostic 2 Assessments
i-Ready is an online program that helps us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth in mathematics and reading. Teachers use this information to support instruction in core subjects for every student.
Elementary school families can access their child’s i-Ready Reading and Mathematics score via their Powerschool Parent Portal starting December 17, 2021. Parents will have access to three reports for their child - For Families Report, Common Core State Standards Report (CCSS), and the Diagnostic Growth Report. Here’s how to access PowerSchool Parent Portal i-Ready Reports.
Parents can learn more about the i-Ready platform and how to interpret the various i-Ready reports. Join us for an i-Ready Parent Informational Webinar on December 16th, 2021 at 6:00 - 7:00pm. Please register in advance via the link.
Please contact our front office at [email protected] if you have any trouble accessing reports after December 17, 2021.
In Partnership,
Principal Vern Taylor
Events Calendar
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 - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - 10:00pm
10th - Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm - 4:30pm -
15th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here
17th - Principal’s Coffee, 8:30am - 9:30am - Register Here
20th - 31st - Holiday Break - No School
3rd - Teacher-in-service Day - No school
4th - Students return to school
5th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here
6th - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - 10:00pm
7th - Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm - 4:30pm -
10th - 14th - Parent / Teacher Conferences, Minimum day week dismissal at 11:55am
12th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm -
12th - SSC Meeting - Virtual, 5:00pm - 6:30pm
17th - Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday - No School
19th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm -
20th - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - 10:00pm
21st - Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm - 4:30pm -
In this Newsletter
School News:
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Golden Ticket Winners
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Principal’s Virtual Office Hours
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Storage building meeting today Dec. 1
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Hanukkah
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Parent Conferences
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Gift Card Donation
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Coach’s Corner
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Please upload your child’s completed vaccine card
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Security Cameras Project
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Fun4 Math Competition
Flyers:
District News:
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Upcoming MVEF Phonathon
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Please complete the Health and Wellness survey before Friday
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MVHS Spartans Tree Lot - Flyer
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Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) approval
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City of MV Santa’s Workshop Event - Flyer
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Seeking EL Testers!
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Parent University: How to Talk to Our Kids About Race, Racism, and Equity (with Project Cornerstone)
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Kinder info night, school meetings coming up. Open Enrollment for all MVWSD students starts in January
PTA News:
Golden Ticket Winners - Week of 11/29/2021
Michael T. RM: 1 Meher D. RM: 11
Eli C. RM: 2 Sara A. RM: 13
Isabella A. RM: 3 Alec K. RM: 14
Rushil M. RM: 4 Kat K. RM: 15
Jacob C. RM: 5 Ismael C. RM: 16
Dominic M. RM: 8 Hayden S. RM: 17
Israel R. RM: 10 Mr. Gorman RM: 17
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.
Principal’s Virtual Office Hours
We will be canceling today’s office hours.
Storage building meeting: Dec. 1
In order to ensure equipment and supplies are safely stored, a storage building on campus is planned as part of MVWSD’s Master Facility Plan and the Measure T Bond.
Parents and neighbors may attend this community meeting to provide feedback on the plan:
Storage community meeting for Vargas and Stevenson
Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 4 p.m. on Zoom: http://mvw.sd/storage12_1
For more information on all the District's construction projects, please see https://www.mvwsd.org/construction
Hanukkah
Special thanks to the Vargas Kindergarten team for sharing some resources as part of their festival of Lights unit this month.
Today is the 4th day of Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that lasts eight days.
Hanukkah celebrates the Maccabees’ rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its defilement under the rule of the Seleucid Greeks in 164 BCE. According to rabbinic tradition, the holiday also commemorates the miracle of the oil: one day’s supply of oil for the Temple’s menorah lasted eight days.
For Hanukkah, families light a menorah. Jewish families around the word celebrate Hanukkah by lighting a menorah for eight days to remember the miracle that occurred over 2,000 years ago.
Hanukkah, like many of the Jewish holidays, can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people.
Given that, the core message of Hanukkah is that one gives expression to who one is honestly and boldly.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Please mark your calendars, we will have a week of minimum days, January 10-14, 2022. These minimum days will allow us to hold Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences. Parent-Teacher Conferences are important as we partner up to support our students’ growth and development.
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].
Coach’s Corner
Want to visit some amazing places with your student from the comfort of your home? Try a virtual field trip! Virtual field trips are an excellent way to explore and learn about the world around us. There are some excellent online experiences from the following programs:
Looking more more? Click here for an extensive list of available free virtual field trips. No permission
slip required!
Please upload your child’s completed vaccine card
Many of our younger students are getting their 2nd COVID vaccine shot this week. When your child's vaccine card has their second shot listed, please upload a copy to Powerschool. Vaccine cards will be referred to in the case of a positive COVID exposure for your student, and MVWSD needs accurate data for decisions about COVID protocols. Click here for a video that shows you how to upload documents: https://vimeo.com/606954357.Thank you in advance for uploading your documents now!
If you have trouble accessing PowerSchool please call the Vargas office at (650) 903-6952 or email Mrs. Antunez at [email protected] or Ms. Silvia McElyea at [email protected]
Security cameras project
MVWSD’s Master Facility Plan and the Measure T Bond prioritized construction projects based on the criteria of safety, operational efficiency and short-term growth. One of the projects identified in the Master Facility Plan was the need for security cameras in public areas at all school sites as a way to increase safety for students and staff members by deterring misconduct and preventing vandalism.
Members of the schools’ communities may engage in a series of feedback meetings through Jan. 2022 before the plan for security cameras is finalized. I have been gathering feedback at our most recent School Site Council, PTA, and ELAC meetings and will continue at our upcoming Principal’s Coffee on Friday, Dec.17th at 8:30am, please register here.
Additionally, parents and neighbors may attend community meetings:
Fun4 Math Competition:
Recently, several of our students participated in the Fun4 Math Competition. Every Vargas team that competed finished in the top 5. Our team The Owls of PytHagoRas ( Harper, Sharon, Rieger, and Pravara) won second place in the Fun4 Math competition (Fourth Grade level). Here is the link https://www.ckmathletes.com/leaderboard. This competition had 170 teams participate, including students from 54 schools.
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1st Grade Team (4th Place)
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2nd Grade Team (4th Place)
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3rd Grade Team (4th Place)
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4th Grade Team (2nd Place
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Carlos M.
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Ellie K.
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Caleb C.
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Harper F.
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Alivia R.
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Anika C.
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Aanya R.
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Pravara D.
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Anita S.
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Adrian F.
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James C.
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Rieger V.
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Hannah C.
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Douglas F.
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Adya I.
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Sharon L.
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District News
Upcoming MVEF Phonathon
Our Phonathon is coming up in December and we would love you to save us both a call!
We hope this serves as a gentle reminder to donate to MVEF today and support your child and every child in the district! The majority of our funding comes from donations from parents like you! Make a difference, save us both a call and donate today at mvef.org/donate.
Please complete the Health and Wellness survey before Friday
As part of its Strategic Plan 2027, our district is prioritizing our health and wellness. MVWSD has partnered with an education market research firm, Hanover Research, to seek the opinions, perceptions and needs of our school community in order to inform our health and wellness programs and practices.
We want to hear the voices and experiences of parents/families, staff members, and middle school students. We invite you to participate in the Health and Wellness Needs Assessment Survey through December 3, 2021.
To participate in this survey, click this link or paste the following URL in your browser: http://mvw.sd/HW
The survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and is confidential (i.e., no personally identifiable information will be collected or reported).
If you or a loved one is experiencing a health emergency, please visit an emergency room, or call 911. For self-help and community resources, please see the MVWSD Virtual Wellness Center: https://www.mvwsd.org/wellness. Thank you for your input that will help us provide effective health and wellness supports and services.
MVHS Spartans Tree Lot - Flyer
MVHS Sports Boosters is hosting the 8th Annual Spartans Tree Lot at Mountain View High School Stadium (3535 Truman Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040). Spartans Tree Lot offers premium, top-quality trees ranging in size from 3 feet to 12+ feet, holiday decorations, and supplies. In person and online delivery options are available. All proceeds benefit Mountain View High School Athletics. For more information, head to: SpartanTreeLot.com.
Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) approval
On Dec. 9, the Board of Trustees is expected to approve each school’s Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA), the document that represents a school’s cycle of continuous improvement of student performance. The plans are the result of a collaborative effort between the school staff and members of the School Site Council (SSC) with input from the school community and site advisory groups including the English Learner Advisory Council (ELAC). Draft site plans have been available for Board of Trustee and public review through the District website since October 22, 2021.
City of MV Santa’s Workshop Event - Flyer
Join the elves at Santa’s Workshop for a jolly-filled time in building and creating some incredible holiday themed crafts on Saturday, Dec. 11th from 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m at the Senior Center Social Hall. Children will have the opportunity to design ornaments, decorate cookies, customize their own stocking, make a snowy wonderland globe, write a letter to Santa, and so much more! This holiday program is open to all children ages 6 to 11 years old. Register online at MountainView.gov/Register using Code 15789.
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].
Parent University: How to Talk to Our Kids About Race, Racism, and Equity (with Project Cornerstone)
Date: December 8, 2021, 5:30pm-7:00pm Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/pu120821
Conversations on race, racism, and equity can be uncomfortable. Where do we even start? This presentation will:
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Explore the concept of recognizing our own racial identity. It starts with us.
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Build a shared understanding of key definitions so we can be more informed when we listen, learn, and talk.
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Gain language and tools to hold conversations with our kids.
To submit questions prior to the event, please click here. We will do our best to address your question during the session.
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.
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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 at http://mvw.sd/TK1214
Gabriela Mistral: Dual Spanish/English Immersion: December 14 at 6 pm at http://mvw.sd/MI1214
Stevenson: Parent Child Teacher: December 15 at 6 pm at http://mvw.sd/ST1215
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.
PTA News
Membership Drive
Congratulations to Mr. Green and Ms. Ragas! Their classrooms reached the 80% PTA membership goal! It isn't too late to join the PTA. Your membership and donations help to support staff appreciation, educational subscriptions, classroom supplies, library books, community engagement events, and after school programs and we would love for more families to get involved. Thank you to everyone who participated in the membership drive and for your continued support of the Vargas staff and community.
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.
Books Inc Fundraiser
Vargas Families and Staff! Save your holiday shopping for books and toys for the week of Monday, November 29 through Sunday December 3 at Books Inc. in downtown Mountain View. 10% of your purchases (gift cards excluded) will support the Vargas PTA. This is a great way to get ahead on your holiday shopping and support your school at the same time.
Project Cornerstone: Become an ABC Reader
By volunteering just 2 to 3 hours per month, our Asset Building Champions build relationships with young people by reading selected books and leading classroom activities and discussions with a focus on respect, tolerance, peaceful conflict resolution, caring and friendship. Children learn what to do if they encounter bully behaviors and how to become an UPstander.
For more information, email: [email protected]
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]