Principal’s Message: 

Happy Kindness week to everyone! What act of kindness have you done this week? As a school project we are collecting individually wrapped snacks (granola bars, to donate to students at another school site). The pandemic has been hard on families and this would be a small gesture to help out those most in need. We would collect the snacks in the office and send them to them once our box is full. We will keep this going till the end of the school year. Hope you are able to help us out. Thank you in advance!

 As part of the completion of our school’s solar panel installation, crews will be on site on March 11-15 to plant eight new trees, replacing those removed during the project, and to install irrigation near the new trees. The new trees will be planted near the front of the school with the majority near the kinder/YMCA wing. For every tree removed, two more will be planted across the District. Solar structures will save the district $600,000 annually in electrical costs and have provided shade to the play and lunch areas.

COVID Test Kits
Parents and staff members will get at-home COVID this week. Tomorrow, your child will be coming home with an at-home rapid antigen test kit before the start of February break. Staff and students should test on February 27, before returning to school on Monday, February 28. This is an additional safeguard in addition to continued masking, and ventilation. Please look for your kit in your child's backpack.

 

We want to hear from you! LCAP survey
Parents, we want to hear from you: Please click below to give input through February 18 in a survey about the plans' goals. 

Parent Survey:  http://mvw.sd/LCAPParent

Have a wonderful rest of the week !

Sincerely,

Arline Siam

Principal

 

Upcoming Events

February

-17- SSC at 3:15pm

-18- End of Trimester Minimum Day

-21-25- Winter Break No School

 

March

-11- Report cards sent home

-14- Teacher service day No School

-24- SSC at 3:15pm

-25- Principal’s Coffee at 8:30 am 

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:

Parent University: Bullying Prevention

Date: 2/16/22, 5:30 p.m.   Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/pu021622

“Bullying” is a serious, yet often misunderstood concept. What does it really mean and how can we stop it? Better yet, how can we prevent it? This presentation will:

• Identify basic concepts of bullying: definition, types of bullying, basic data
• Provide tips for bullying reduction
• Explore relationship-building to prevent bullying as we work to create new standards of acceptable behavior

To submit questions prior to the event, please click here. We will do our best to address your question during the session.

Parcel Tax Oversight Committee seeks community representatives

MVWSD needs your volunteerism and time. Please consider serving on the Parcel Tax Oversight Committee for the Measure B Parcel Tax.  

The District is seeking two individuals to monitor, provide oversight, and ensure accountability to the funds received by the District, including an annual report to the Board regarding the actual uses of such funds.

Applications can be mailed to: Mountain View Whisman School District, Attn: Dr. Rebecca Westover, Chief Business Officer, 1400 Montecito Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043 or emailed to [email protected]. Application: http://mvw.sd/PTOC

Questions? Please e-mail Dr. Rebecca Westover, Chief Business Officer, at [email protected].

Health and Wellness Parenting Tip: Calming Your Mind

When we feel stressed, our minds tend to jump to the past (I should have...) or to the future (What if...?). The problem is that we cannot change the past nor control the future. Focusing on the present can help us take control of our current situation and help us feel calmer and more relaxed.

 Watch this video to learn more about how mindfulness can help you (or your child) be more present and relaxed. 

 To calm your (or your child’s) mind:

1. Look around you, and name five things you see. Pick one object, and describe what it looks like, what color, what size, and what shape it is. 
2. Look for four things you can touch. Pick one of those items to touch, and describe how it feels. 
3. Name three things that you can hear. At first, it might seem that there is not much to hear, but listen carefully. Focus on one sound, and describe it. 
4. Look for two things you can smell. Focus on one smell, and describe it.
5. Find one thing you can taste. Focus on the taste and describe it.

 You can repeat these steps every time you feel stressed to come back to the present moment. 

Help MVEF Exceed Fundraising Goal!

With your help, we know we can reach our goal to raise $800,000 again in 2021-22. But what if we can do more? If we can exceed our fundraising goal by $300,000 this year, we will be able to enhance learning for all middle school students by funding one additional English language arts teacher for each middle school next year and reduce class sizes.  Help us raise an additional $300,000 to fund two ELA teachers to reduce class sizes at the middle schools in 2022-23. Donate today at mvef.org/donate

Housing assistance information

The County is offering free virtual workshops for the community that explain the Emergency Rental Assistance that’s available. Learn about county programs that support families experiencing financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 related housing crisis, housing resources for immigrants and more.

Meetings are on:

Feb 18 (English)

Feb 22 (English)

Feb 25 (Spanish)

Please see the attached flyers.

February CAC Announcements 

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

We are excited to announce our March Parent education event “FINDING SUCCESS WHEN NAVIGATING CHALLENGING CONVERSATIONS" - this is an alternative dispute resolution training with help from the county SELPA

3/16 Wednesday 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Register in advance for this meeting: https://sccoe.to/SELPA1CAC_ChallengingConversations

Attendees of this interactive training will be introduced to a prep-sheet that was inspired by the “Getting to Yes” workbook by Roger Fisher and William Ury. This tool has helped many IEP team members have successful meetings by preparing, thinking through interests, options and bringing legitimacy to requests. It is the goal of this training that attendees will leave feeling more prepared and confident for the next IEP team meeting. To be facilitated by Purchin Consulting.

 

MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Series: Recordings Available

A recording of MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Rosetta Lee’s recent talk, “Implicit and Unconscious Bias:  Bridging the Distance Between Professed Values and Daily Behaviors” is now available for viewing. If you missed them, recordings of other past presentations are also available: Jessica Lahey - The Addiction Inoculation:  Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence and Colin Seale - The Question is the Answer Practical Strategies to Unleash Critical Thinking at Home. 

 

2022 Silicon Valley Reads K-8 Career Fair: Feb. 26th

Join the Santa Clara County Office of Education for the upcoming 2022 Silicon Valley Reads K-8 Career Fair on Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The virtual event is geared towards K-8 families and will feature guest speakers from a variety of career fields. Participants can register at https://tinyurl.com/Career-Fair.

 

Parent Involvement Board Policy

Families, thank you for your engagement and involvement with our schools. Our sustained partnership is a big part of our continuous improvement as a district. Per California Department of Education guidelines, here for your review is the most recently updated version of our Board Policy on Parent Involvement. Any questions should be directed to Geoff Chang, Director of Federal, State, and Strategic Programs ([email protected]).

 

MV Public Library hosts Family Draw-Along with Shawn Harris

Join the MVPL for an online family draw along with local author and Caldecott Honoree Shawn Harris on Thursday, February 24 from 6:00pm - 7:00pm. Learn tips on how to create art with inspiration from his acclaimed picture books, including Doing Business, Have You Ever Seen a Flower? and A Polar Bear in the Snow. Registration Required: mountainview.gov/librarycalendar.

 

PTA News:

 

SCHOOL YEARBOOK: Our Amy Imai yearbook for 2021-22 is in progress!

· Please help by volunteering to lay out a class page! Sign-up here. 5 classrooms still need a volunteer!

· We would love to add photographs from school or class events. If you have any photos of the first day of school, 100th day of school, clubs, and after school activities, please share them with us via email or upload to our google drive. 

· Order your yearbook now for $25 + tax. * Click here to start your order or visit TreeRing.com/validate and enter our school’s passcode 1015335719921389. 

· The Yearbook cover contest is back! See flyer for contest details. This year’s theme is “The Future is Bright!” Entries are due by March 21.

· Attention 5th grade families: Please submit a photo of your fifth grader from kindergarten AND one from this year for the Amy Imai yearbook. See Konstella message for more details.

Any questions? Contact our yearbook chairs, Colleen McCloskey or Anastasia Namsaraeva, at [email protected], or visit our yearbook webpage. 

 

Attachments:

MVLA Speaker Series 2021 - 2022_Annual Line-up.docx 

Parent U 2021-22 (English)

2021 PC - MVWSD 

Eng Feb Equity Calendar 2022

SELPA I CAC - Navigating Challenging Conversations

SVR2022 CareerFair Flyer 

Draw-Along With Shawn Harris

2.22.22 6pm ENG ERA flyer

Amy Imai Yearbook Contest Flyer