Principal’s Message:
Hello Golden Owls,
Friday, March 1 is the first day of Women’s History Month. Additionally, next Friday, March 8 is International’s Women’s Day. This date was first recognized by the United Nations in 1977 and serves to recognize women’s achievements. During class, teachers are making sure to emphasize and highlight the important contributions women have played in our history. Our librarian Mrs. O has selected books that discuss various influential women. These books will be prominently displayed for easy student access. Similar to our Black History Month Essay contest, we will be holding a contest for our students. More details will come in the next newsletter.
While we are doing some of this work at school, you can use this resource to support the discussion and learning at home.
A few updates and reminders:
Morning Drop-Off
The week before February break, I was informed by one of the parents that their child had a near miss while biking to school because students were exiting their vehicle on Whisman Rd and almost caused an accident with the door.
The safety of our children is the single most important thing. If you are driving to school, the only acceptable place to drop your student off is in the drop-off lane at the front of the school. Please note that the drop-off lane is not the parking lot. Please do not use the parking lot for dropping off students.
While I know there is a long line, please exercise the utmost caution to keep all of our students safe. A few tips to help with quicker drop off:
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Students should sit on the passenger side, so that they can exit quickly
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Students should have all their materials ready to go when they approach the lane.
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Students should exit their vehicle quickly as possible, if they need assistance pull ALL the way to the front, so other cars can pull forward.
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Pull your car all the way up and don’t leave huge gaps in between cars
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Students can enter through any gates, please do not stop in the middle of the drop-off lane if there is empty space in front of you
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Do not drop off in the parking lot, when students need to use the crosswalk, it slows down flow of traffic
Students are able to come on campus as early as 7:45am, if you are concerned about being late, please plan to arrive at school no later than 7:50am. This will allow you time to drop off your child and not be tardy. That being said, I would rather your child be 1-2 minutes tardy, than get into the bad habits that risk their and other students’ safety.
Finally, I know it isn’t always possible, but If you are able to walk or bike to school, I highly encourage you to utilize this practice. The more students walk and bike, the fewer cars and the safer our roads. Many of our Vargas families walk and bike together in groups, please let me know if you would like to connect with some families so we can work together to make this happen.
Read-a-Thon
Next week we will have our Read-A-Thon. Students will be sent home with a physical copy of the Read-a-Thon packet this week, but here is a digital copy as well. Highlighted in the packet are how to log your minutes, reading goals for grade-levels, prizes, and special events that we will be doing during the Read-A-Thon including our second Book Fair, an author’s visit from Nathan Hale, guests readers throughout the week, and a family reading night with special guest readings with our Vargas school staff. The Read-a-Thon is a wonderful way to get our students excited about reading, so I appreciate your support and partnership in making it a successful event.
Report Cards Go Home, March 8, 2024
Second trimester report cards will be sent home by email Friday, March 8th. If you do not receive them or need help accessing the report card, please email us at [email protected]. If you have any questions about your child’s report card, please contact your child’s teacher.
Open House, March 21, 2024
Please mark your calendars. We will have an in person Open House on March 21, 2024 from 6:00-7:00 PM. Open House will be a chance for you to celebrate all the hard work your child has done over the past year!
No School Monday, March 25, 2024
Monday, March 25, 2024 is a professional work day for teachers. There is no school for students.
In Partnership,
Principal Vern Taylor
Events Calendar
February
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29th
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MVWSD Board Meeting, District Office 6pm-10pm - Agenda
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March
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1st-8th
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Spring Book Fair
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4th -8th
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Read-a-Thon
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6th
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Lifetouch Spring Pictures
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7th
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Family Reading Night
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8th
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Electronic Report Cards are sent home
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14th
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MVWSD Board Meeting, District Office 6pm-10pm - Agenda
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21st
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Open House
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22nd
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Principal's Coffee, MUR 8:30am - 9:30am
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25th
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No School - Teacher Service Day
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April
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1st
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MSI Field Trip
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3rd
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Hidden Villa Field Trip
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8th - 12th
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Spring Break - No School
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18
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MVWSD Board Meeting, District Office 6pm-10pm - Agenda
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22nd
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Principal's Coffee, MUR 8:30am - 9:30am
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In this Newsletter
School News:
Golden Ticket Winners
Literati Book Fair - March 4-8
Read-A-Thon is coming (March 4-8)
5th, 8th grade promotion dates
Flyers:
School Year Calendar 2024-2025 Here
March Menu Here
Lifetouch Flyer Here
District News:
The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 6:00 p.m.
YMCA Parent Workshops - Flyer
MVEF: Hiring Lead Executive Director
City of MV: Summer Camp Fair - Flyer
PIQE Family Engagement Workshops: Building Academic Success Together - Flyer
Mentor Tutor Connection - VOLUNTEER INFORMATION SESSIONS
Silicon Valley Reads K-8 Career Fair - Flyer
Annual Reclassification Ceremony: Thursday, April 25
MVHS Spartans Sports Camp - Flyer
PTA News
Readathon & Book Fair 3/4 - 3/8
Lunchtime Chess starts Wed 3/6
Vargas Night @ SJ Earthquakes vs LAFC 5/4
PTA Open Board Positions for 2023-2024
Golden Ticket Winners February 15th , 2024
Katheryn G. RM: 1 Miranda M. RM: 10
Portia A. RM: 2 Rushil M. RM: 11
Austin T. RM: 3 Adrian F. RM: 13
Alex (Luis) G. RM: 4 Jessica L. RM: 14
Ava P. RM: 5 Viktoria S. RM: 15
Alex G. RM: 6 Noel R. RM: 15
Emily X. RM: 8 Elida V. RM: 18
Maxwell L. RM: 9 Jacob C. RM: 18
Ms. Mai RM: 13
Literati Book Fair - March 4-8
COMING SOON: We are excited to invite you to our upcoming Spring Book Fair, which will be held in the MUR from March 4-8! Our Book Fair is a great opportunity to support our kids' love for reading and earn rewards for our school.
You can learn more about the event, browse books and already order online via https://literati.com/store/?school=jose-antonio-vargas-elementary-school-mountain-view-ca.
Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you at the Book Fair!
Read-A-Thon is coming (March 4-8)
I wanted to bring your attention to three events that will be happening early in trimester 3.
During the week of March 4, 2024, we will be having our Read-a-Thon. Students will be encouraged to read as much as possible during this week. We plan to have guest readers from local community members, class reading parties, and special prizes for top readers. Our PTA will be providing more details about the logistics of logging minutes and prizes at a later time. Secondly, Thursday, March 7, 2024 we will be hosting a family reading night as part of our Read-A-Thon. All families are invited to come and join our reading party. I hear we have a few guest staff members who will be doing read alouds of their favorite stories. Finally, to help support all of this reading, Our PTA is proud to host our Spring Book Fair the entire week of the Read-a Thon.
5th, 8th grade promotion dates
Each year we look forward to celebrating with families as our 5th and 8th grade students are promoted to the next school level. This year, the dates are:
* 5th grade promotion: Thursday, May 30
* 8th grade promotion: Friday, May 31 (9 or 11 am, depending on school), the last day of school
Your school principal will share more specifics about the celebrations as details are available.
DISTRICT NEWS
The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 6:00 p.m.
Some of the topics include:
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Early Literacy Update
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Parcel Tax Polling Results
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Environmental Sustainability Plan Update
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Resolution Recognizing Women's History Month
For meeting details and agenda, please click here: https://www.mvwsd.org/trustees.
YMCA Parent Workshops - Flyer
Project Cornerstone/YMCA is hosting two upcoming parent workshops online. Tuesday, February 27 – “Bullying Prevention” and Wednesday, March 20 – “Digital Citizenship”. Please see the attached flyer for online registration and workshop links.
MVEF: Hiring Lead Executive Director
The Mountain View Education Foundation (MVEF) needs your talent and passion as it seeks a new Lead Executive Director. You can learn more and apply https://www.mvef.org/we-re-hiring
City of MV: Summer Camp Fair - Flyer
The City of Mountain View Recreation Division will be hosting their Summer Camp Fair on Wednesday, Feb. 28 from 5 - 7 p.m. at the Mountain View Community Center. Summer Camp staff and vendors will be available onsite to answer any questions you may have as you prepare for your youth's summer plans. 2024 Spring & Summer Registration begins Saturday, March 2 at 9 a.m. for Mountain View residents at the Mountain View Community Center. Spring & Summer Activity Guide will be available mid-February. Visit MountainView.gov/Register for more information.
PIQE Family Engagement Workshops: Building Academic Success Together - Flyer
The Parent Institute for Quality Education (PIQE) will be facilitating a free virtual, 8-week parent and caregiver course, entitled “Building Academic Success Together”. Through this course, parents and caregivers will enhance their skills and gain new tools and resources to support them with helping their child succeed in school. The series runs from March through April, with 3 different courses based upon child grade level range. See attached flyers for registration information.
Mentor Tutor Connection - VOLUNTEER INFORMATION SESSIONS
Join us online or in-person for a lively volunteer information event. Learn how you can become a mentor or tutor in the Mountain View and Los Altos public schools, and help a local student to a brighter future! To register go to www.mentortutorconnection.org/events - or email us at [email protected].
MARCH 4th (in person only): 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm, El Camino YMCA, 2400 Grant Road, Mountain View.
Silicon Valley Reads K-8 Career Fair - Flyer
Silicon Valley Reads is holding a K-8 Career Fair on March 9, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. K-8 grade youth and their parent or chaperone are invited to attend the free career fair with professionals who have excelled in their field. There will also be a petting zoo hosted by a local 4-H club and a free book for each child who attends.
Annual Reclassification Ceremony: Thursday, April 25
Our yearly celebration of former English Learner students who have reclassified as fluent in English this school year will take place on the afternoon of April 25 at Crittenden. Invitations will be sent home to families by the end of March. We are all looking forward to cheering on the students’ achievement!
MVHS Spartans Sports Camp - Flyer
Spartans Sports Camp is proud to announce that registration for Summer Camp 2024 is now open. Camp will run from June 10 - August 2 this summer. There are a wide variety of camps, and lunch and extended care is available for your convenience. 100% of camp proceeds go towards supporting athletics at Mountain View High School. For more information and to register, visit www.SpartansSportsCamp.com.
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PTA News
Read-a-thon & Book Fair 3/4 - 3/8
The Vargas Readathon is coming back! Please mark your calendars for our Read-a-Thon from March 4-8. Students will have an opportunity to read for individual and class rewards. Look out for a Read-a-thon packet (also attached here), which includes information about the Read-a-thon activities and events, including NY Times Bestseller author Nathan Hale visit, Family Reading night on Thursday 3/7 (6-7pm), and the Literati Book Fair.
Lunchtime Chess starts Wed 3/6
The PTA will be bringing Bay Area Chess to Vargas to provide a free lunchtime chess club, for students at all levels, starting on March 6 for 10 weeks. This was made possible through your monetary support to the PTA, thank you!
Vargas Night @ SJ Earthquakes vs LAFC 5/4
Join your fellow Vargas families and watch the SJ Earthquakes take on LAFC at Levis’ Stadium.
For each ticket purchased through this link, a small portion will go back to our school, so enjoy a fun night out while giving back to your school!
PTA Open Board Positions for 2023-2024
In March we will hold our election for PTA board members for next school year. The main position that we need to fill for next year is the Treasurer. The treasurer attends PTA meetings, prepares financial reports, issues checks and updates budgets. There is no accounting or financial experience required as there is good training and support available. The main strengths would be being organized and being able to commit to 6-8 hours per month.
We are also looking for a Parliamentarian and a Historian. A link to PTA positions and descriptions can be found here: Current PTA role descriptions 23/24
If you are interested or would like to hear more about any of these positions you can talk to anyone on the nominating committee (Franziska Romanovsky, SE Hayes, Jennifer Chan, Kevin Morrison, Shannon Lundin) or email [email protected]