Principal’s Message:
Hello Golden Owls,
Please mark your calendars that 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. To sign up for a 30-minute conference time, your teacher will email you a calendar link. You will be able to select from available time slots between 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm, each day of conference week. If none of these times work for you, please be sure to contact your child’s teacher directly. The scheduling window will open on 12/10/21 at 3 pm, when you will receive an email link from your child’s teacher.
If you have technical issues, please email Principal Taylor directly at [email protected] For all other questions, please contact Mrs. Evelyn at [email protected] or Ms. Silvia [email protected]. You can also call us in the school office at (650) 903-6952.
Step-by-Step Guide to Scheduling Your Appointment
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Click on the Appointment Page Link provided by your teacher via email on 12/10/21.
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Click on the open appointment time slot that works best for you. Open appointment time slots will be white/gray in color.
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A scheduling window will open. If you would like the assistance of a translator, please indicate this by typing the language you require in the “Description” box.
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Your teacher will email you the video conference link the morning of your Virtual Parent-Teacher Conference.
In Partnership,
Principal Vern Taylor
Events Calendar
8th - Principal Office Hours - Virtual, 4:00pm - 5:00pm - Register Here
9th - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - 10:00pm - Agenda
10th - Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm - 4:30pm - Register Here
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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COVID-19 vaccine at Theuerkauf MUR on Dec. 8
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CHAC Resources and Events
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Lost and Found Items
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Principal’s Virtual Office Hours
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Water Fountain
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Coach’s Corner - Incentives at home (Read a chapter book, get an ice cream!)
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Please upload your child’s completed vaccine card
Flyers:
District News:
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Upcoming i-Ready Diagnostic 2 Assessments
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Community Engagement: Security cameras
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Parent University: How to Talk to Our Kids About Race, Racism, and Equity (with Project Cornerstone)
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MV Public Library Event: Parenting with an Accent
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December CAC Announcement - Flyer - Talent Show - Flyer - Inclusive Fun Fair
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Board meeting Preview: Dec. 9
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Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday: Dec. 10
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December Better Together Infographic - Flyer
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MVHS Spartans Tree Lot - Flyer
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Please share your thoughts: Parent engagement ThoughtExchange
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For 5th, 6th, and 7th grades: Electives interest survey on Dec. 14
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Health and Wellness: Parenting Tip
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School meetings are coming up. Open Enrollment for all MVWSD students starts in January
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MVEF Holiday Zumba Dance Party on 12/19
PTA News:
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Mendocino Farms Online Fundraiser - Thursday, December 16th, 11:00am-9:00pm
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Project Cornerstone: Become an ABC Reader
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Spirit Wear
Golden Ticket Winners - Week of 12/6/2021
Emily X. RM: 1 Jefferson B. RM: 11
Bianca F. RM: 2 Adan S. RM: 13
Sali B. RM: 3 Daniel G. RM: 14
Cataleya H. RM: 4 Liz W. RM: 15
Andrew G. RM: 6 Ismael C. RM: 16
Andrei B. RM: 9 Ryker B. RM: 17
Andy T. RM: 10 Ms. Suryan RM: 2
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.
COVID-19 vaccine at Theuerkauf MUR on Dec. 8
MVWSD is partnering with the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department to bring a vaccine clinic to MVWSD. When you and your children are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, it protects your family, your friends, our school, and the whole community.
FREE to all students ages 5 and older and their family members at:
Where: Theuerkauf MUR
Date: Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Time: 3:00pm - 7:00pm
Pfizer boosters and second shots will be available for those who are eligible. Parents or guardians must give their consent for a child to get the vaccine, and should be present. All students and their families are welcome regardless of immigration status. You do not need health insurance. Nurses will be available to answer your questions. The County will have staff who can speak to you in both Spanish and English.
More information and the vaccine registration form can be accessed on https://theuerkauf.mvwsd.org/. For questions about the vaccine clinic, contact (408) 970-2000. For more locations to get vaccinated, visit sccfreevax.org.
CHAC Resources and Events
CHAC Family Resource Centers offer a variety of classes and resources for Santa Clara County residents, including music classes for young children, arts enrichment, groups for Spanish-speaking families, parenting courses, and free diapers and other essential items. For more information, see attached flyers or visit https://www.chacmv.org/frcs.
Flier - CHAC Family Resource Centers
Flier - CHAC Diapers, Formula, Wipes
Flier - CHAC Tunes on Tuesday
Lost and Found Items
Is your child missing a sweater, jacket, water bottle, lunch box, or other items? If so, please stop by the front gate during morning or afternoon pick-up.
Principal’s Virtual Office Hours
Join me today Wednesday, Dec. 8 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.
Water Fountain
The water fountain in front of the MUR is now available for students to refill their water bottles. Please send your student to school with a water bottle so that they can refill it whenever they finish their supply of water. Please note that students should not drink directly from this fountain.
Coach’s Corner - Incentives at home (Read a chapter book, get an ice cream!)
This week, let’s talk a little bit about student incentives at home. Perhaps you’re looking to increase homework completion, or the number of minutes your student spends on iReady. Choose a small, obtainable goal that is either daily or weekly. Incentives support for your student by fostering a sense of value in their work completion. Consider what your student is interested in most when implementing incentives at home. Do they like watching a movie with you on Fridays? Do they like lego playtime before bed? Or how about cooking a special treat together on Fridays? Consider choosing an incentive that builds family time or personal creativity, as these will be the most meaningful in the long run!
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]
District News
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.
Your child will take the second i-Ready Math and Reading diagnostic assessments during the week of December 6th, 2021. Your child’s school will share their specific schedule.
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 - 7:00 pm. Please register in advance via the link: http://mvw.sd/i-ready.
Please contact your child’s school front office if you have any trouble accessing reports.
Community Engagement: Security cameras
One of the projects identified in MVWSD’s Master Facility Plan and the Measure T Bond 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. Principals will gather feedback at regularly scheduled meetings such as Principal’s Coffee, School Site Council, PTA, and ELAC.
Additionally, parents and neighbors may attend community meetings:
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.
MV Public Library Event: Parenting with an Accent - Flier
Join the MV Public Library on Wednesday, December 8th from 7:00pm - 8:00pm on Zoom for a discussion with Masha Rumer, local award-winning journalist and author of the new book Parenting with an Accent: How Immigrants Honor Their Heritage, Navigate Setbacks, and Chart New Paths for Their Children. Her research merges real stories and on-the-ground reporting about multicultural parenting. Registration is required: mountainview.gov/librarycalendar.
December CAC Announcement - Flier - Talent Show - Flier - Inclusive Fun Fair
SELPA 1 CAC and the Learning Challenge Committee are your groups for special education and broader learning challenge needs. If you have questions about learning challenges and special education needs, email [email protected] or check out www.selpa1cac.org
Submit your Winter Talent show video, photo or artwork by December 11 to be a part of our Winter Talent Show! Let’s celebrate the many talents of students with an IEP or 504 plan!
Take a video of yourself or your group showing off your talent and be part of the SE CAC Virtual Winter Talent Show. Sing a song! Make a recipe! Show off a dance! Take a photo of your comic book creation!
Upload your video to this drive: https://tinyurl.com/studentsgottalent or email to [email protected] by December 11 to be included in the Virtual Talent Show
12/8 7 pm Evening Let’s Talk - 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 here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIoduqgrTotEtJJkVOFqI-vMlPkIyja7Ygg
12/14 10 am - Parent Chat - Support for parents of teens with mental health challenges. A great place for help and support for challenges with your teens. Please contact [email protected] for Google Meet invite.
12/14 7 pm WINTER TALENT SHOW! Let’s get together on Zoom to celebrate our talented community!
Have a wonderful Holiday Season, and next year - tune into our Inclusive Fun Fair Zoom Panel with Summer Camp and Recreation providers for students with learning challenges - including many local camps, clubs and more! Coming up on January 25, 7-8:30 pm on Zoom. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsdeCprDMoHNQmNm2AxCpcukE3IRu-YdIZ
Board meeting Preview: Dec. 9
The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. Some of the meeting’s topics include:
For meeting details and agenda, please click here: https://www.mvwsd.org/trustees.
Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday: Dec. 10
Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday, Dec. 10 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Spanish interpretation will be provided. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/Q0Faw. To plan ahead, please see this webpage for upcoming meeting dates. In case you miss it, a video recording will be posted on this webpage.
December Better Together Infographic - Flyer
December is Universal Human Rights Month, a time for people in the U.S. and around the world to join together and stand up for the rights and dignity of all individuals. December 10, Human Rights Day, is a global holiday that marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948. Together, we can protect the rights of everyone, everywhere. Please see the graphics attached to this newsletter, or visit https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.
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.
Please share your thoughts: Parent engagement ThoughtExchange
As part of its Strategic Plan 2027, the Mountain View Whisman School District is looking for ways to improve its parent education programming and communication strategies. Parents: On Friday, please look in your email for a link to an online exchange of ideas. We are listening for your ideas about how you want your school to communicate with you, interact with you and support you with information to help your children in school. Your participation is confidential. Please share and come back often to rate new ideas until the exchange closes on Dec 19.
For 5th, 6th, and 7th grades: Electives interest survey on Dec. 14
Our middle schools are beginning to develop a list of student elective offerings that are a great complement to our core academics. Our goal is to align electives with students’ interests and teachers’ credentials.
In order to gauge students’ interests, and inform the development of the elective catalog for the next school year, students in grades 5-7 will be asked to complete a survey in class on December 14th. This survey will list some possible elective choice areas for 2022-23 and ask students to indicate their level of interest for each of the choice areas. The purpose of this survey is to gauge student interests. Incoming and current middle school students will not formally request electives until the spring of 2022. Please note that students will not be committed to taking the electives they express an interest in. All elective offerings are subject to student enrollment, interest, staffing, and teacher credentialing at the school site.
For more information on the process, and to view last year’s electives catalogs, please click on www.mvwsd.org/MSelectives.
Health and Wellness: Parenting Tip
We all tend to avoid tasks that we do not enjoy. Unfortunately, many of the tasks that we ask of our kids, such as working on homework or doing chores, are not enjoyable. Shaping can help make some of these tasks more manageable.
Shaping involves rewarding small behaviors that build toward the final behavior you wish to see. To do this:
Try this with a few tasks that your child has struggled to complete. For example, you could try praising your child for working on their homework for 10 minutes, then 20 minutes, and so on. You could also try rewarding your child for completing one step of their chores, then two steps, and so on. With practice and patience, those unenjoyable tasks will become easier and easier to complete.
These tips came directly from the free, online Everyday Parenting program created by parenting expert, Dr. Kazdin.
To learn more parenting tips click here.
School meetings are 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.
MVEF Holiday Zumba Dance Party on 12/19
Get ready to have fun and get fit while grooving to some sweet Latin beats! We’re going to shake it up with 90 minutes of Zumba awesomeness on Sunday, December 19th at 3 pm - 4:30 pm at the Mountain View Civic Center Plaza (500 Castro Street). Bring water, comfortable exercise clothes, and all your friends. It is going to be a party!
Suggested donation is $20 per person cash or check payable to the Mountain View Educational Foundation.
PTA News
Mendocino Farms Online Fundraiser - Thursday, December 16th, 11:00am-9:00pm
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Order online and Mendocino Farms will donate 50% of proceeds to our school PTA!
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Valid only for online orders at http://order.mendocinofarms.com/
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must enter code JAV12 at checkout page
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Catering, 3rd party delivery, call-in, and walk-in orders are not eligible.
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Pickup, curbside, or delivery from order.mendocinofarms.com are included
Jose Antonio Vargas 12.16.21.pdf
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]