Wise Word, 12/21/2022

Principal’s Message:

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Families,


As this year comes to a close at the end of this month, I am sure we are all looking forward to what 2023 brings us. We will be closed for Holiday Recess from December 22nd to January 9th. Teachers will be spending January 9th participating in professional development and planning for the start of January. We look forward to welcoming our students back to school when we resume on January 10th. 


As we get ready for 2023, here are a few things I want to highlight:


Principal’s Coffee

For those not able to attend Friday's principal’s coffee, you can watch the video here. In the video, I discuss after school enrichment, abilities awareness week, and review our most recent school data. I do apologize that we are not able to have Spanish translation for the meeting. Ms. Bea and I will be working to provide this translated information shortly. Thank you for your patience.


After School Enrichment

We are planning to start after school classes in January.  Click here to see the description of each class. Please note the grade levels before signing up. You can sign up for classes here. Please note, students can sign up for multiple classes, but are not guaranteed enrollment for each class they sign up for. We will try to get everyone into at least one class.


COVID safety over winter break

Winter viruses are on the rise. As the weather gets colder, and we spend more time indoors, we need to keep up our guard against germs. As a reminder, our District requires masking for everyone at large indoor events, such as holiday concerts.


These simple steps will help prevent severe illness and hospitalization from the flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). 


Five tips to help prevent winter viruses:

  • Get vaccinated, boosted and treated

  • Stay home if you are sick and test for COVID

  • Wear a mask in indoor public spaces to reduce spread

  • Wash your hands

  • Cover your cough or sneeze


Last week we sent out 2 COVID kids home with your student. Please remember to use them before returning to campus after the winter break. A box containing one test will be sent home with each student this week so that you can test on Jan. 9 before students return to school on Tuesday, Jan. 10.  Please see this letter for what to do after testing. Thank you for participating in this safety measure to help ensure all of our students and staff stay healthy.

 

In Partnership, 

Principal Vern Taylor


Events Calendar

December

21st

Canceled - Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM

22nd - Jan. 9th 2023

Holiday Break - No School

 

January 2023

9th

Teacher in Service - No class for students

10th

Students Return to School

11th

Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM Register Here

11th

School Info Night: New Students/Kinders - Register Here

12th

A Touch of Earth Assembly - 3rd & 4th graders

16th

Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School

18th

Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM Register Here

20th

Hidden Villa Field Trip

24th

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

25th

Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM Register Here

27th

Principal's Coffee, 8:30am

 

February 2023

1st

Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM Register Here

1st

Student Registration Help Night - 5:00pm, Vargas MUR

8th

Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM Register Here

15th

Principal’s Office Hours, 4:00 PM Register Here

17th

End Trimester 2 - Minimum Day

20th - 21st

Washington & Lincoln Day - No School

22nd - 24th

Winter Break - No School

 

 



In this Newsletter

School News:

  • Golden Ticket Winners

  • A Message from Ms. Beatriz Class - SCEF

  • Next year’s district calendar is available now!

  • After school Enrichment Classes

  • Principal’s Virtual Office Hours

Flyers:

 

District News:

  • Please use your free COVID test after winter break

  • School Information Nights are coming up Jan. 11 and 12

  • Health and Wellness Parenting Tip: Anxiety

  • Parent U SEL Recording Available

  • Available now: Updated COVID boosters for ages 5+

  • Help MVEF blast past $800k by donating today and earning a match by the MVEF December Challenge Grant!

  • MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Series: Raising Body Positive Youth on Jan. 19


PTA News:

  • Nominating Committee

  • Shop with Amazon Smile


Golden Ticket Winners 12/15/2022
Ria H.       RM: 1         Ishkirat S.       RM: 13
Kara C      RM: 2         Faizan H.        RM: 14
Alexa D.   RM: 3         Iris B.              RM: 15
CJ Y.         RM: 5         Jaxon N.          RM: 16
Luis R.      RM: 6         Engela J.         RM: 17
Eva F.        RM: 8         Ms. Saati         RM: 8
Emma Y.   RM: 9         Mr. Almazan    RM: 11     
Kiley A.    RM: 10       Ms. Barrie        RM: 15        
Miguel G. RM: 11



School News

 

A message from Ms. Bea Claas, SCEF

Thank you Vargas families!

Our generous, caring and supportive community never ceases to amaze us! Thank you to everyone who donated gift cards for our families who need a little help during the holidays. I wish you a wonderful holiday season and I hope you have the opportunity to spend time with family and friends. Have a restful and safe break. See you back on January 10! – Ms. Bea (SCEF)

 

Next year’s district calendar is available now!

The 2023-24 district calendar is now available online here


After school Enrichment Classes

Just a reminder, there is no individual fee for students to participate in after school enrichment. We are looking to collectively raise $15,000 to ensure a significant number and variety of classes are offered. We have raised around $5,000 so far. Thank you all for your generous donations. If you are able to donate for after school enrichment classes, please fill out this form and bring it to the front office, along with your donation, and our front office staff will provide you with a receipt. If you are planning to donate through a company match, please inform the front office, so we can count that towards our anticipated total.  Again, a donation will not be required to enroll in any of our offered classes. 


(Repeat) Principal’s Virtual Office Hours

Principal Office Hours virtually on Wednesdays 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


Please use your free COVID test after winter break

MVWSD is providing at-home COVID-19 testing kits for free to families and staff members so that you may test before returning to campus after the winter break. A box containing two tests will be sent home with each student this week so that you can test on Monday, Jan. 9 before students return to school on Tuesday, Jan. 10 and then again on Monday, Jan. 16 before returning to school on Tuesday, Jan. 17 (after the Martin Luther King Jr holiday).  Please see this letter for what to do after testing


Five tips to help prevent winter viruses:

  • Get vaccinated, boosted and treated

  • Stay home if you are sick and test for COVID

  • Wear a mask in indoor public spaces to reduce spread

  • Wash your hands

  • Cover your cough or sneeze


Thank you for participating in these measures to help ensure all of our students and staff stay healthy.


School Information Nights are coming up Jan. 11 and 12

In January, the Mountain View Whisman School District will be opening student enrollment for next fall starting January 24 through February 10. Parents of new and currently enrolled students are asked to register their students for next fall during this period.

 

To help new families learn more about school options for elementary school students, virtual school information nights will be held on Jan. 11 (neighborhood schools) and Jan. 12 (choice schools). For families with students ages 3- young 5, preschool and transitional kindergarten meetings are on Jan. 19.  Click here for all of the meeting details: http://mvw.sd/meetings. Click here to learn about which program is right for your young learner: http://mvw.sd/kinderready

 

Please check www.mvwsd.org/register for how to locate your neighborhood school, how to explore school options and the four steps to register during the enrollment period held January 24 to February 10. 


Health and Wellness Parenting Tip: Anxiety

Anxiety causes extreme fear and worry, and changes in a child's behavior, sleep, eating, or mood. We must understand their anxiousness and bond with our children to maintain a close connection with them. However, it may be difficult for us to know the indicators and signs of their anxiousness. Initially, it may feel difficult to connect with our child, but we are a part of our child’s treatment. 


Here are some signs that your child may have Anxiety: 


  1. Anxiousness. A parent or teacher may see signs that a child is anxious. For example, a kid might cling, miss school, or cry.


  1. Fearfulness. A child might act scared or upset or refuse to talk or do things. Kids and teens with anxiety also feel symptoms that others can't see. It can make them feel afraid, worried, or nervous.


  1. Physical Symptoms. It can affect their body too. They might feel shaky, jittery, or short of breath. They may feel "butterflies" in their stomach, a hot face, clammy hands, dry mouth, or a racing heart. 


These behaviors may seem like the child is “just shy” or “not very social.” But identifying the signs of Anxiety is the first step to understanding our child. 


These tips came directly from the free, online website of Nemours Children’s Health, reviewed by Dr.Hasan, MD. 


To learn more parenting tips click here


Parent U SEL Recording Available

In case you missed it, recordings of the most recent Parent University event, “Social Emotional Learning at School and Home,” are available. English (https://vimeo.com/765795126) and Spanish (https://vimeo.com/765899241). Find recordings of past Parent U presentations at https://www.mvwsd.org/parentu.


Available now: Updated COVID boosters for ages 5+

The updated COVID-19 booster is now available for everyone ages 5+! #GetBoosted to keep yourself and your family safer with the most protective doses yet. Find updated boosters for ages 5+ at http://www.sccfreevax.org, your pharmacy, or healthcare provider.


Help MVEF blast past $800k by donating today and earning a match by the MVEF December Challenge Grant!

Thanks to the enthusiastic and generous early support of the community and employers, MVEF has raised almost 60% of the annual goal of $1.2MM. Donate now to have your donation matched by the December Challenge Grant and help MVEF surpass $800k by Jan1. Thank you to the 30+ MVWSD administrators, principals, and staff plus MVEF Board members who spent several hours on Dec 7 calling, texting, and emailing to remind families to capture the value of the December Challenge Grant by donating to MVEF during December.

 

Throughout the remainder of December, every dollar donated to MVEF will be matched up to $35,000 by generous MVEF donors who are challenging you to join them in supporting MVEF. If your employer or company has a matching gift program, you can even triple your impact by donating this month (click here to learn more). 


MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Series: Raising Body Positive Youth on Jan. 19

Join MVLA Parent Ed on Tuesday, Jan. 19 from 7pm - 9pm (LAHS Eagle Theater) for an evening with Wendy Sterling, Shelley Aggarwal, and Signe Darpinian – co-authors of No Weigh! and Raising Body Positive Teens – as they discuss how to raise confident eaters, in a home free of judgment. Wendy, Shelley, and Signe will discuss down-to-earth ways parents can help their kids take proactive actions in promoting a friendship with food, and preventative actions to minimize the risk factors for the development of eating disorders, particularly when early signs of disordered eating, excessive exercise, or body dissatisfaction have been noticed. Click here to register for the event.

 



PTA News

 

Nominating Committee

We are looking for five volunteers to form our Nominating Committee. This is an important part of our PTA Association with minimal time commitment. Committee members will help to find candidates for next year's board please contact [email protected]

 

Shop with Amazon Smile

One of the easiest ways to support our PTA is to shop through the “Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary PTA” portal at smile.amazon.com. Amazon will donate a percentage of each purchase you make. 

 

Shannon Lundin, and the Executive Board 

[email protected]

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