Principal’s Message: 

“Being flexible” is an active learning process.

-author unknown

Dear Huff Families,

Thank you for filling out the learning option survey! Now the hard work begins to execute the plans to reopen our school safely. I ask for your patience, flexibility and understanding as we go through this process. I look forward to being in communication with all of you and our staff team to ensure everyone’s safety. 

Please be on the lookout for an informational email about our return to learn plan parent meeting.  These meetings will cover everything you need to know for a safe reopening. 

Have a wonderful week! Stay safe and healthy.

Sincerely,

Arline Siam

Living Classroom Newsletter

Upcoming Events

March

*8: DELAC - 5:30 - 7:30pm Click here

*12: Principal’s Coffee - 5pm

*15: Teacher Service Day -NO SCHOOL-

*17: PTA General Meeting -7pm

*31: SSC -3:15pm

*31: ELAC- 5:30pm

April

*2: Principal’s Coffee - 5pm

*10-16: Spring Recess -NO SCHOOL-

*19: DELAC - 5:30 - 7:30pm click here

*27: ELAC- 5:30pm

*28: SSC -3:15pm

May

*7: Principal’s Coffee - 5pm

*19: PTA General Meeting -7pm

*26: SSC -3:15pm

*26: ELAC- 5:30pm

* 28: End of Trimester - Minimum Day-

*31: Memorial Day -No School-

June

*4: Last day of school -Minimum Day-

Chromebooks that are not working

Please take your Chromebooks to the Technology department to the District office.  Instead of going in the front door of the district office, go around the back and their door is open.  They are working from 8:30am-3:30pm.

Reporting Absences

If you are reporting a student's absence, please email [email protected] or call the attendance line at (650)526-3490 ext 3080.

Reminder: Please include your student's name, your student's room or teacher, the reason for absence, the date of absence(s) and the relationship of the person leaving the message. Thank you from the office staff!

District News:

Board meeting preview: March 4

The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, March 4. Some of the meeting topics include: Updates on Spring CAASPP Assessment, Summer 2021 Program Options, 2019-2020 Financial Audit Report, Strategic Plan Update and the 2021-2022 District Calendar. Agenda and login information are here. The meeting is also streamed on https://www.youtube.com/mvwsd.

Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday

Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday, Mar 5 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/mOoiT

Better Together MVWSD presents the Talk: Courageous Conversations about Equity

“COVID-19 and the Lasting Impact on our LatinX Community”

Date: Wednesday, Mar. 10, 6 p.m. on Zoom: http://mvw.sd/LatinX

The Latinx community has been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us for a panel discussion with parents and Latinx community leaders about how this has personally affected families and students and how individuals can be true allies to their LatinX neighbors or others who are suffering through this pandemic without perpetuating harmful stereotypes or practices.

Panelists:

Sophie Alcorn, Attorney in Immigration and Nationality Law, Alcorn Immigration Law

Claudia Olaciregui, Principal at Mistral Elementary

Malia Pires, Executive Director, Reach Potential Movement

José Gutiérrez, Former MVWSD Board member

Priscila Bogdanic, School and Community Engagement Facilitator, MVWSD

For more information about how MVWSD is working to support equity in our community, please see https://www.mvwsd.org/BetterTogetherMVWSD.

Parent University: Wellness For All While Experiencing Changes

Date: Wednesday, March 17 at 5:30pm  Register here: http://mvw.sd/VbH07 

As we prepare for transitions and changes to our routine, join district Health and Wellness Coordinator Karin Jinbo and our partners from CHAC and the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health on a journey of self-awareness as we learn about self regulation, mindfulness and self care activities. Participants will receive activities or strategies to support children with Hybrid Learning and 100% Distance Learning. 

Submit your questions before the session here: http://mvw.sd/vCG5V

Substitute teachers and noon duty supervisors needed

MVWSD is seeking substitute teachers. Please consider this flexible, fun, dynamic work that has a big impact on our students!

 

We have increased the full-day substitute teacher rate from $170 to $220 per day (From March 5 to June 4, 2021) for any substitute who will commit to working daily in the Mountain View Whisman School District.  We appreciate your commitment to our students and community, especially in this time of COVID-19.

Requirements to become a substitute teacher:

* A Bachelor’s Degree 

* Pass the CBEST test 

* Substitute permit or a valid California teaching credential. 

* Complete required background check. This can be done by appointment in the MVWSD Human Resources Department. 

* A negative tuberculosis test

 

You may apply online: http://mvw.sd/sub.  For information, please email Noemi Herrera at [email protected].  

Interested in a fun and flexible job while connecting with kids? MVWSD is looking for people interested in working a couple hours during lunchtime as noon duty supervisors. We need you to help us provide safe, consistent supervision of students during recess and lunch periods.  $22/hour. Please apply here: http://mvw.sd/noon.

Women’s History Month

In the month of March, we are celebrating Women’s History. BetterTogether recognizes the people, movements, and ideas that challenge expectations and gender stereotypes that negatively affect us all. From women’s suffrage to the gender equality movements of modern day, it has become clear that when we all fight gender inequality, we all win. Celebrate this month by having meaningful conversations with your students, your children, and your fellow s(heroes). In addition to the infographic, this month we will also be highlighting amazing women from our organization and learning about the s(heroes) that have inspired their own commitment to gender equality.

For a closer look at this month’s infographic, click on the attached flyers or visit https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.

MVEF Virtual Gala - March 6, 2021  - Get your Tickets Today!   

While we are not able to gather in person, we hope you will join us for a lively evening of trivia, toasts to our teachers, and fundraising for our schools. Now more than ever, the programs funded by your donations to MVEF help to create a well-rounded education for our children that includes art, music, technology, and science exploration. A significant portion of MVEF funding this year is being directed to support distance learning. All funds raised from the Gala help us meet our goal of raising $800,000 this school year.  Help  us to support every child at every school in the Mountain View Whisman School District!

You may join us for only the trivia OR enjoy the addition of appetizers and drinks (wine or cocktails)  delivered to your home.  Food and drink delivery is only available to Mountain View, Los Altos, Sunnyvale and Palo Alto.

Reservations for food and drink deliveries MUST be made before Friday, February 26th.  Ticket sales for trivia close Wednesday, March 3.

To purchase tickets, https://www.mvef.org/virtualgala. For questions, please contact Dena Seki ([email protected]) or Andrea Maes ([email protected]).

We also have a raffle going on if you would like to take your chance at one of 4 great prizes! The winners will be drawn at the gala, but you need not be present to win. Ticket Prices 1 ticket: $5, 5 tickets: $20, 20 tickets: $60

To buy tickets please send email: [email protected]  

InPlay’s summer program search guide

Looking for summer fun and out-of-school opportunities? MVWSD partners with nonprofit InPlay to help you find the perfect fit for your child and for your family. Hundreds of programs, including FREE and reduced cost and those that serve students with special needs or English learners, are nearby and can be found through this free searchable site. Check it out at mv.inplay.org.

March Wellness Series for Educators and Families

Educators and families are invited to attend the free 2021 Wellness Together Spring Event Series, hosted by Wellness Together School Mental Health and the California Department of Education. Webinars will take place on Thursdays in March, and include topics such as social media usage, building emotional resilience, and parenting. For more information and registration, head to https://www.wellnesstogether.org/blogs/news/2021-wellness-together-spring-event-series?mc_cid=1cd9799b03&mc_eid=cd01a465eb.

March CAC Events

Happy New Year! SELPA 1 CAC and the Learning Challenge Committee are your groups for special education and broader learning challenge needs. We are ALL having learning challenges right now, and CAC and LCC are here to help. If you have questions about learning challenges and special education needs, email [email protected] or check out www.selpa1cac.org

We encourage families to learn about the sensory needs all children may have during distance learning: Try a Sensory Diet

March 1, 9 am- General Parent/Community Meeting with Special Ed. Directors & Staff, Zoom at 9:00 am for LCC and 9:30 am for CAC. We will be planning for the year, discussing upcoming programs and discussing distance learning and learning challenges. For our agenda, please join our Google group, https://groups.google.com/g/selpa1cac. For the Zoom link for this meeting, email [email protected] 

March 9 Parent Chat, 10 am - 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.

March 10,  Morning Let’s Talk 10 am- 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. Please contact [email protected] 

Parenting Program: Developing Social Skills in Children While Social Distancing 

The MV Public Library will be hosting a free parenting workshop on Wednesday, March 10 from 7-8pm. Join Susan Stone of Parents Place to learn about developing social skills in PreK and elementary school students while social distancing. Register in advance at: https://mountainview.libcal.com/

K-8 Virtual Career Fair with SCCOE

The SCCOE K-8 Virtual Career Fair is being held Thursday, March 11 from 1-3p.m. The event theme is Connecting Passions to Careers and will feature guest speakers from various fields and industries, who will encourage students to follow their passions and dream big. The career fair is a part of the Silicon Valley Reads community engagement initiative. More information and registration is at: http://bit.ly/careerfair2021reg

Spanish Storytime at Mountain View Public Library

The Mountain View Public Library will be hosting a virtual Spanish-only Storytime on Tuesdays from March 16 - April 20 from 10:00-10:30am. The program (for 3-5 year olds) will include stories, fingerplays, music and more. Zoom registration is at: mountainview.libcal.com/event/7550162

PTA News:

PLEASE LOG YOUR VOLUNTEER HOURS: Our PTA Historian tallies total volunteer hours each school year to help demonstrate what an important role parents play in our public schools. Please submit any volunteer hours you give on this short, simple online form. Thank you!

 

YEARBOOK BACK COVER DESIGN CONTEST

Would your child like their artwork to grace the front or back cover of this year’s Huff yearbook? Then have them enter our yearbook design contest!

• Guidelines:
  Please have artwork follow this year’s theme of Virtually Together (however they want to interpret it - maybe it’s distance learning, maybe it’s ways they can still be together).
•  Artwork should be roughly 8 ½ x 11 portrait in size.
•  Please leave a half inch border around your artwork
•  Use mediums with good contrast (colored pencils often are too light against a white page unless they’re outlined in marker)

Please email entries to [email protected] and include your child’s name and grade. The deadline is March 31st.

 

IN NEED OF PHOTOS FOR YEARBOOK!

We are depending on parents and teachers more than ever this year to provide photos for the yearbook. Please upload photos from the following events (or any grade- or school-wide events) to the Google Drive folder below:

• First Day of School
• School Is Different (in pajamas, with pets, on laptops, at home PE)
• Crazy Hair Day
• Kinder Pumpkin Patch
• 1st-5th Grade Pumpkin Patch
• Passing Out Valentines at School (or making valentines)
• Rhythm and Moves (Outdoor P.E.)
• 5th Grade Instruments and Art
• 5th Grade Poetry Cafe

 

Upload school event photos here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1sHtAxYqeSUzQDhg2T4hWvOgS--31elW3

 

If you have any photos from your class of parties, projects, or just every day school photos, (screenshots or photos from home are both great!) please put them in your room folder here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1yR2H2LAdHz1K1LbaNKQUBg7SMTRwIcTt

 

We need all pictures by March 31st!

Thanks so much!

Kathleen Mikulis and Dorothy Lin

 

If you have any questions or prefer that your child NOT be pictured in the yearbook, please contact us at [email protected].

 

CALLING FOR “THEN AND NOW” YEARBOOK PICTURES FROM FIFTH GRADERS

A fun yearbook tradition for fifth graders at Huff is our "Then and Now" page. We’d like parents to submit a photo of their child now and one from kindergarten. In an ideal pandemic-less world these are usually photos of their child with a friend or two or three from kindergarten and then taken again with the same kids in the fifth grade.

 

So, how can you send a picture of your child with a friend during a pandemic? Here are some options:

-Use a pre-pandemic fourth grade photo

-Submit pictures of your child with a sibling instead

-Send a photo of your child by themselves (we predict this will be the popular option this year and it’s also great if your child didn’t attend Huff then)

 

We would prefer not to have photos with masks because the fun is in seeing how your child has changed in their grade school years. (Note: we are definitely not encouraging taking off masks for a photo!) Please no official school photos.

 

Parents, please send your kindergarten and fifth grade photos to us by putting them in the folder at the link below. Please identify in the file name who is shown in the pictures. (An example would be “JonS_MissyW_EmmaV.jpg”) The deadline is March 31st. Thanks!

Here is the link to submit your photos:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dluBLKv-1ItLq8QT5oiQo-muaunJXpnz

Please email us any questions at [email protected].

 

Nominating Committee: Huff PTA's work depends on parents like you! We're still seeking a couple more fresh faces to serve on the executive board for next school year. Serving on the PTA Board is a great way to get involved, meet new friends and make a difference at Huff! Open positions include Parliamentarian, Historian, Financial Secretary and Auditor. For more info or questions, contact anyone on this year's board or any of the members of our nominating committee: Derek Person, Martha Crosby, and Jennifer Chou

 

Help Us Brainstorm Alternatives to HAWKFEST

In past years Hawkfest was one of the most fun events at Huff: an end-of-school-year carnival with games, crafts, food, music, climbing walls and bouncy houses, and overall just a great party! Sponsored by Huff PTA, it was a community-wide event that everyone could enjoy.  Of course, we are still unable to plan such an event in spring 2021, but Huff PTA wants to do SOMETHING as an alternative later in the spring. What will that be? We don't know! Maybe a shared online experience, maybe something we can all do in unison throughout the community, maybe some kind of experiences unique at each grade level.

Can you help us brainstorm? We need ideas and suggestions to help us come up with an event or activity to celebrate and commemorate getting through this unprecedented year. All ideas are welcome, and we'll have a budget to help execute our final plans.

Click here to fill out a short form to submit any ideas or suggestions, no matter how big or small, before March 1. Help us come up with a Hawkfest alternative to remember.  Thank you!

Attachments:

FREE PHONE SERVICE ENG SPA CHI

CHAC_FRCs_Distribution_flyer_English

CHAC Parent Flyer

InPlay-ElementaryFlyer_2021_Eng_Mountainview

20210310 Developing Social Skills flyer

CareerFairFlyer_2021

March Equity Calendar 2021 (English)

Spanish Storytime at MVPL