Principal’s Message:
Dear Imai Families,
Our theme for this week has been gratitude. Every day this week students have been doing different activities in their classroom to represent what they are thankful for as part of their morning or end of day routine. I challenge you to take the time to do something similar with your family next week. As for me, I am grateful for this wonderful community, my family and everyone who makes me smile at the end of the day.
Vandalism on school campuses: Stand Against Hate
Our community has been recently impacted by graffiti; much of it containing messages of hate. In the last year, Imai has had racist messages written on play structures. Bubb has had Nazi-sympathetic messaging written on solar panel supports. Twice this fall, the bathroom at the edge of Monta Loma’s campus has been sprayed with racist graffiti.
Almost every one of our campuses has been damaged by graffiti or vandalism in recent years. Our stance is clear: Mountain View is no place for hate or ignorance. In response to bias-motivated vandalism on our campuses and acts of hate in our broader community, the Board of Trustees expressed a desire to pass a resolution affirming our commitment to ending hate at its Nov. 18 meeting.
FourSquare Game (New Information)
It has been increasingly apparent that foursquare at Imai is a beloved game by all. But with this, there also comes problems.
Although some may not have had a bad experience out on the blacktop while playing foursquare, a large majority of our friends have had some type of negative experience or another. Not only this, but because of the problems this game is creating, these negative feelings are being brought into the classroom taking away valuable learning time.
To try and eliminate these negative incidents, we are enacting a school wide change on how we play foursquare. This, however, is something that is not taken lightly because of how much everyone loves the game. We will test out this new way to play the game after Thanksgiving break in the hopes to create a more positive, respectful nourishing environment for all. If you have any questions, please reach out to our new At-Risk-Supervisor Nick at [email protected].
Upcoming events
Principal’s Coffee (slide show presentation)
Friday, 11/19 at 8:30 AM
Register here
Imai Gift Card Drive
Gift Card drive (Thanksgiving and Holidays) We are collecting Safeway or Walmart gift cards to help families during the holidays. The gift cards will be delivered to families in the district to help them out during the holiday season. If you can help out, please click on the link. Thank you in advance!
Report cards
Will be emailed to the families on 11/19 by the end of the day.
On-Site Tutoring (K-2)
If your child is signed up for on-site tutoring, we will start on Tuesday, 11/30. We will send out more information by the end of the week.
Have a wonderful rest of the week!
Sincerely,
Arline Siam
Principal
November
- 18 - SSC at 3:15 pm
- 19 - Principal’s coffee at 8:30 am Register here
- 22-26 - Thanksgiving Recess No school
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: Nov. 18
The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. Some of the meeting’s topics include the Educator Effectiveness Block Grant, a resolution affirming our commitment to fighting hate and COVID update. For meeting details and agenda, please click here: http://mvw.sd/APqmF.
Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday: Nov. 19
Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday, Nov. 19 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Spanish interpretation will be provided. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/t5VUc. 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.
Health and Wellness survey: Look for it in your email this week
As part of its Strategic Plan 2027, our district is prioritizing our health and wellness. MVWSD has partnered with an education market research firm, Hanover Research, to seek the opinions, perceptions and needs of our school community in order to inform our health and wellness programs and practices.
As a first step, MVWSD wants to hear the voices and experiences of students, parents/families, and staff. As such, we will invite you to participate in the Health and Wellness Needs Assessment Survey between November 17 and December 3, 2021. Students in grades 6-8 will be asked to participate during the school day. Please be on the lookout for an email from MVWSD this week that will share a secure link to the survey.
Your input will help us provide effective health and wellness services to our students. We look forward to hearing from you! Please contact Karin Jinbo, Director, Health and Wellness, with any questions about the survey.
Vandalism on school campuses: Stand Against Hate
Our community has been recently impacted by graffiti; much of it containing messages of hate. In the last year, Imai has had racist messages written on play structures. Bubb has had Nazi-sympathetic messaging written on solar panel supports. Twice this fall, the bathroom at the edge of Monta Loma’s campus has been sprayed with racist graffiti.
Almost every one of our campuses has been damaged by graffiti or vandalism in recent years. Our stance is clear: Mountain View is no place for hate or ignorance. In response to bias-motivated vandalism on our campuses and acts of hate in our broader community, the Board of Trustees expressed a desire to pass a resolution affirming our commitment to ending hate at its Nov. 18 meeting.
Our District and Board of Trustees, along with community members and the Mountain View Police Department, continue to work to fight oppression in all forms and stop hate in order to ensure a more equitable and inclusive community. To read Dr. Rudolph’s letter on recent vandalism, please click here. Not only are we working to create a more inclusive community, we plan to add security cameras to catch vandals (See below).
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:
-
Explore the concept of recognizing our own racial identity. It starts with us.
-
Build a shared understanding of key definitions so we can be more informed when we listen, learn, and talk.
-
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.
Kinder info night, school meetings 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.
-
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.
COVID vaccinations for children 5-11 years are here
After much anticipation, COVID-19 vaccinations for kids ages 5-11 are underway.
Parents and guardians can visit www.sccfreevax.org now to sign up for an appointment or to find a convenient walk-in location. If initial available appointments are reserved, continue to check back as additional slots open. MVWSD has requested that Santa Clara County provide free, mobile vaccination events at our schools for our students. We will update you as we know more about the specifics and the dates.
Symptoms?
After receiving the COVID shot, it's possible that your child may have symptoms that may be caused by the vaccine. Side effects of the vaccine are not typically a cause for concern and should go away in a few days. However, if your child has any of these symptoms, regardless of cause, he/she should stay home from school: Loss of taste or smell, fever, chills, cough and shortness of breath.
If it’s possible these symptoms were caused by the vaccine and they resolve in 48 hours, with the last 24 hours being fever-free, the individual may return to work or school. If symptoms persist beyond 48 hours, individuals should stay home and get tested for COVID. After being home with symptoms, parents should present proof of the recent COVID vaccine shot upon the student’s return at school.
Don’t forget to upload!
When your child receives his/her second shot, please upload proof of being fully vaccinated to PowerSchool at https://ps.mvwsd.org. Here's how to upload proof of vaccination. http://mvw.sd/upload.
Want text messages from the District? Opt in!
MVWSD sends text messages infrequently, for the purpose of notifying you of emergencies or with important, time-sensitive information.
In order to receive messages from the District you need to opt-in from the number that is listed as the cell contact number in our student information system. If you need to update this number, please contact your school.
Here’s how to opt in. You can subscribe or unsubscribe to receive text messages from the District at any time by texting one of the short codes listed below to 67587 using the cell phone number that the District has on record.
-
Opt-in: "Y", "YES", "OPTIN", "OPT IN", and "SUBSCRIBE" are all acceptable keywords for subscribing to SMS text messaging.
-
Opt-out: "END", "CANCEL", "OPT OUT", "OPTOUT", "STOP", "QUIT", and "UNSUBSCRIBE" will cancel SMS messages to the recipient.
Attendance counts: Please ensure students are in school and on time
We want kids to be healthy and be in school. Regular attendance is essential for students’ learning and to establish healthy routines. Please make sure that your students come to school every day they are able.
If they need to stay home, please call school with the reason. You must contact us in the morning of your child’s absence. This is a safety measure in order to account for all students daily. Illness (including quarantining due to COVID), doctor’s appointments, bereavement, and certain religious exercises are excused absences. Family vacation or travel is not excused.
California law requires MVWSD to notify parents after three unexcused absences and/ or tardies over 30 minutes. Any three unexcused absences and/ or tardies over 30 minutes means a child is truant. We are here to support your family, so please contact your school for strategies or help, if needed.
For more information on attendance requirements, please see https://www.mvwsd.org/attendance
Seeking EL Testers!
Are you looking for a part time job and enjoy interacting with kids? Our district is looking for a few more EL Testers to administer the annual assessment of Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking for English Learners. Fluency in academic English is required. For more information, or to apply, please visit mvwsd.org/jobs and look under “Support Staff - Hourly.” Alternatively, you may contact department secretary Leticia Corcoran at [email protected].
MVEF Seeking School Representatives
MVEF is looking for school representatives. MVEF needs your family's help to be closer to other families at your child(ren)’s school. As a school site rep, you help spread the word about MVEF by chatting with other families about the importance of supporting MVEF and the programs that we fund.
Volunteers needed: Please consider joining us and fellow parent volunteers with our annual phonathon on December 7! If you are interested, please email [email protected].
Palo Alto High School COVID vaccine clinic: Nov. 21
A COVID vaccination clinic for children ages 5-11 is happening Sunday, November 21, 2021 from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. at Palo Alto High School (50 Embarcadero Rd. Palo Alto). Make an appointment for your child at: www.mhealthsystem.com/PaloAltoPeds. No appointment is needed for booster shots or flu shots. Note: the clinic appointment slots are opened in blocks of 500. If there are no appointments available, you are advised to wait and try again later as more appointments open.
Safe Gun Storage Notice
Schools alone cannot prevent incidents of gun violence. In 2019, California Education Superintendent Tony Thurmond requested that all schools send parents education about the legal requirements for storing firearms at home. California Penal Code Section 25100 mandates that in all homes where children live (or where children might reasonably be expected to enter), firearms must be safely stored.
Gun owners can avoid criminal penalty by keeping their firearms in a locked container or secured with a locking device that renders the firearm inoperable. Ensuring firearms are securely stored prevents small children from accidentally accessing the firearm and prevents older children from using an unsecured firearm to commit school violence or suicide. For more information, please see https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/el/le/yr19ltr1120.asp.
MVHS Turkey Trot: Registration Open
MVHS Sports Boosters is proud to present the 12th Annual Spartan Turkey Trot this coming Thanksgiving weekend 2021. This year there are both in person and virtual opportunities to participate. 100% of proceeds benefit Mountain View High School Athletics and supporting clubs and teams. Find more details and registration at SpartanTurkeyTrot.com.
City of MV Santa’s Workshop Event
Join the elves at Santa’s Workshop for a jolly-filled time in building and creating some incredible holiday themed crafts on Saturday, Dec. 11th from 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m at the Senior Center Social Hall. Children will have the opportunity to design ornaments, decorate cookies, customize their own stocking, make a snowy wonderland globe, write a letter to Santa, and so much more! This holiday program is open to all children ages 6 to 11 years old. Register online at MountainView.gov/Register using Code 15789.
PTA News:
GIFT CARD DRIVE FOR THE HOLIDAYS: As you may know, there are families in our school district that struggle to meet basic needs, and the holiday times can be especially tough. We've done gift drives in prior years, but due to pandemic logistics this year, we are collecting gift cards so families can choose what they need for both Thanksgiving and for December holidays. Please consider donating and helping out our neighbors in need!
Gift cards should be electronic only, sent or forwarded to Principal Siam ([email protected]) who will then send them on to the district office for distribution. Please purchase gift cards in $20 increments to make it easier to distribute them across many families.
GIFT CARD DRIVE 1 for THANKSGIVING: Purchase gift cards for Albertsons/Safeway or Walmart by November 19.
GIFT CARD DRIVE 2 for DECEMBER HOLIDAYS: Purchase gift cards for Target or Walmart by December 15.
Attachments:
MVLA Speaker Series 2021 - 2022_Annual Line-up.docx
Parent U 2021-22 (English)
English November Equity Calendar 2021
2021 PC - MVWSD
PAHS November 21 ENGLISH COVID Immunization Clinic
MVHS_TURKEYTROT_FLYER
Santa's Workshop ENGLISH
Tree Lot Flyer 2021
Imai Aladdin Enrollment