12/8/21 Imai Gazette

Principal’s Message:

Dear Imai Families,

Today we started the math section of D2 i-ready. We want to thank you for continuing to remind your child to do their best and to take their time as we use the data to guide our instruction as well as to assign the different tutoring programs we are now offering.

Conference Information

Parent-Teacher (Student) Conferences present a valuable opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, strengths and needs, and work with your teacher to help your child have a successful academic experience. Conference week is scheduled for January 10-14, 2022. Every day that week is a minimum day for students.

In order to help form conversations between teachers and parents, Parent-Teacher Conferences in January is a mid-year checkpoint on student growth and progress. These past months, your child’s teacher has had the opportunity to get to know your child academically as well as socially-emotionally. Your child’s teacher now has multiple data points available for better understanding of his/her strengths and needs.

Prior to conferences, parents can access their child’s iReady Diagnostic 2 reports starting December 17, 2021 on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Steps for accessing PowerSchool Parent Portal i-Ready Reports are here.

When thinking about your child’s conference, you could consider:

What successes have you noticed your child has experienced this year?
What concerns or issues is your child experiencing with school?
Do you have any specific questions or topics you’d like to discuss?

To help you prepare for conferences, please join us for the MV Parent U session, “Effective Parent-Teacher Communication” at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, Jan. 5 on Zoom at http://mvw.sd/pu010522.

Your child’s school will be sending you information detailing the process for virtual conference sign-ups before 12/13/21. Please contact your child’s school office if you have any trouble accessing iReady reports or have any questions for conferences.

Imai Gift Card Drive

Gift Card drive (Holidays) We are collecting Target 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!

Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Arline Siam

Principal

Upcoming Events

December

-20-31- Holiday Break No School

January

-3 - Teacher Service Day No School

-17 - Martin Luther King Jr Day No School

-20 - SSC at 3:15pm

-21- 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:

Board meeting Preview: Dec. 9

The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. Some of the meeting’s topics include:

Employee Housing Project Update
Monta Loma Outdoor Areas Improvement Project Update
Trustees Organizational Meeting
Approval of each school’s Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA). These documents represent a school’s cycle of continuous improvement of student performance. Draft site plans have been available for Board of Trustee and public review through the District website since October 22, 2021.

For meeting details and agenda, please click here: https://www.mvwsd.org/trustees.

Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday: Dec. 10

Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday, Dec. 10 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Spanish interpretation will be provided. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/Q0Faw. 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.

COVID-19 vaccine at Theuerkauf MUR on Dec. 8

MVWSD is partnering with the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department to bring a vaccine clinic to MVWSD. When you and your children are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, it protects your family, your friends, our school, and the whole community.

FREE to all students ages 5 and older and their family members at:

Where: Theuerkauf MUR

Date: Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Time: 3:00pm - 7:00pm

Pfizer boosters and second shots will be available for those who are eligible. Parents or guardians must give their consent for a child to get the vaccine, and should be present. All students and their families are welcome regardless of immigration status. You do not need health insurance. Nurses will be available to answer your questions. The County will have staff who can speak to you in both Spanish and English.

More information and the vaccine registration form can be accessed on https://theuerkauf.mvwsd.org/. For questions about the vaccine clinic, contact (408) 970-2000. For more locations to get vaccinated, visit sccfreevax.org.

Please share your thoughts: Parent engagement ThoughtExchange

As part of its Strategic Plan 2027, the Mountain View Whisman School District is looking for ways to improve its parent education programming and communication strategies. Parents: On Friday, please look in your email for a link to an online exchange of ideas. We are listening for your ideas about how you want your school to communicate with you, interact with you and support you with information to help your children in school. Your participation is confidential. Please share and come back often to rate new ideas until the exchange closes on Dec 19.

For 5th, 6th, and 7th grades: Electives interest survey on Dec. 14

Our middle schools are beginning to develop a list of student elective offerings that are a great complement to our core academics. Our goal is to align electives with students’ interests and teachers’ credentials.

In order to gauge students’ interests, and inform the development of the elective catalog for the next school year, students in grades 5-7 will be asked to complete a survey in class on December 14th. This survey will list some possible elective choice areas for 2022-23 and ask students to indicate their level of interest for each of the choice areas. The purpose of this survey is to gauge student interests. Incoming and current middle school students will not formally request electives until the spring of 2022. Please note that students will not be committed to taking the electives they express an interest in. All elective offerings are subject to student enrollment, interest, staffing, and teacher credentialing at the school site.

For more information on the process, and to view last year’s electives catalogs, please click on www.mvwsd.org/MSelectives.

Upcoming i-Ready Diagnostic 2 Assessments

i-Ready is an online program that helps us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth in mathematics and reading. Teachers use this information to support instruction in core subjects for every student.

Your child will take the second i-Ready Math and Reading diagnostic assessments during the week of December 6th, 2021. Your child’s school will share their specific schedule.

Elementary school families can access their child’s i-Ready Reading and Mathematics score via their Powerschool Parent Portal starting December 17, 2021. Parents will have access to three reports for their child - For Families Report, Common Core State Standards Report (CCSS), and the Diagnostic Growth Report. Here’s how to access PowerSchool Parent Portal i-Ready Reports.

Parents can learn more about the i-Ready platform and how to interpret the various i-Ready reports. Join us for an i-Ready Parent Informational Webinar on December 16th, 2021 at 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Please register in advance via the link: http://mvw.sd/i-ready.

Please contact your child’s school front office if you have any trouble accessing reports.

Please upload your child’s completed vaccine card

Many of our younger students are getting their 2nd COVID vaccine shot this week. When your child's vaccine card has their second shot listed, please upload a copy to Powerschool. Vaccine cards will be referred to in the case of a positive COVID exposure for your student, and MVWSD needs accurate data for decisions about COVID protocols. Click here for a video that shows you how to upload documents: https://vimeo.com/606954357.Thank you in advance for uploading your documents now!

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:

Castro, Mistral, Vargas, and Monta Loma on December 8 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. Access the online meeting at http://mvw.sd/security12_8_12

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.

Parent University:

School meetings are 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.

School kindergarten/new student information nights are online on December 7 at 6:00 p.m. for all elementary schools, and include choice school information. Click here for meeting information: http://mvw.sd/schoolinfo

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

If you are interested in the District's choice schools, information nights are:

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.

December Better Together Infographic

December is Universal Human Rights Month, a time for people in the U.S. and around the world to join together and stand up for the rights and dignity of all individuals. December 10, Human Rights Day, is a global holiday that marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948. Together, we can protect the rights of everyone, everywhere. Please see the graphics attached to this newsletter, or visit https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.

Health and Wellness: Parenting Tip

We all tend to avoid tasks that we do not enjoy. Unfortunately, many of the tasks that we ask of our kids, such as working on homework or doing chores, are not enjoyable. Shaping can help make some of these tasks more manageable.

Shaping involves rewarding small behaviors that build toward the final behavior you wish to see. To do this:

Try this with a few tasks that your child has struggled to complete. For example, you could try praising your child for working on their homework for 10 minutes, then 20 minutes, and so on. You could also try rewarding your child for completing one step of their chores, then two steps, and so on. With practice and patience, those unenjoyable tasks will become easier and easier to complete.

These tips came directly from the free, online Everyday Parenting program created by parenting expert, Dr. Kazdin.

To learn more parenting tips click here.

MVEF Holiday Zumba Dance Party on 12/19

Get ready to have fun and get fit while grooving to some sweet Latin beats! We’re going to shake it up with 90 minutes of Zumba awesomeness on Sunday, December 19th at 3 pm - 4:30 pm at the Mountain View Civic Center Plaza (500 Castro Street). Bring water, comfortable exercise clothes, and all your friends. It is going to be a party!

Suggested donation is $20 per person cash or check payable to the Mountain View Educational Foundation.

December 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

Submit your Winter Talent show video, photo or artwork by December 11 to be a part of our Winter Talent Show! Let’s celebrate the many talents of students with an IEP or 504 plan!

Take a video of yourself or your group showing off your talent and be part of the SE CAC Virtual Winter Talent Show. Sing a song! Make a recipe! Show off a dance! Take a photo of your comic book creation!

Upload your video to this drive: https://tinyurl.com/studentsgottalent or email to [email protected] by December 11 to be included in the Virtual Talent Show

12/8 7 pm Evening Let’s Talk - 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. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIoduqgrTotEtJJkVOFqI-vMlPkIyja7Ygg

12/14 10 am - Parent Chat - 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.

12/14 7 pm WINTER TALENT SHOW! Let’s get together on Zoom to celebrate our talented community!

Have a wonderful Holiday Season, and next year - tune into our Inclusive Fun Fair Zoom Panel with Summer Camp and Recreation providers for students with learning challenges - including many local camps, clubs and more! Coming up on January 25, 7-8:30 pm on Zoom. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsdeCprDMoHNQmNm2AxCpcukE3IRu-YdIZ

CHAC Resources and Events

CHAC Family Resource Centers offer a variety of classes and resources for Santa Clara County residents, including music classes for young children, arts enrichment, groups for Spanish-speaking families, parenting courses, and free diapers and other essential items. For more information, see attached flyers or visit https://www.chacmv.org/frcs.

MV Public Library Event: Parenting with an Accent

Join the MV Public Library on Wednesday, December 8th from 7:00pm - 8:00pm on Zoom for a discussion with Masha Rumer, local award-winning journalist and author of the new book Parenting with an Accent: How Immigrants Honor Their Heritage, Navigate Setbacks, and Chart New Paths for Their Children. Her research merges real stories and on-the-ground reporting about multicultural parenting. Registration is required: mountainview.gov/librarycalendar.

MVHS Spartans Tree Lot

MVHS Sports Boosters is hosting the 8th Annual Spartans Tree Lot at Mountain View High School Stadium (3535 Truman Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040). Spartans Tree Lot offers premium, top-quality trees ranging in size from 3 feet to 12+ feet, holiday decorations, and supplies. In person and online delivery options are available. All proceeds benefit Mountain View High School Athletics. For more information, head to: SpartanTreeLot.com.

PTA News:

HOLIDAY SOCIAL THIS FRIDAY/SATURDAY:

Join us this week for our Imai PTA Holiday Social at Cooper Park! Friday from 3:00-5:00pm OR Saturday from 9:30 to 11am. All Imai Elementary students and parents are invited... siblings welcome too, but all kids must be accompanied by an adult. Masks required for all attendees!

Come join us to enjoy holiday refreshments, games and activities, meet other parents/families, pick up your new Imai Elementary t-shirts, play PTA holiday bingo for a chance at prizes, and learn more about upcoming volunteer opportunities at school.

Since we haven't been able to gather and visit at school so far this year, we hope it'll be a fun way to engage and enjoy company before the end-of-year break.

ALSO: please consider contributing to our Holiday Book Drive: Help us gift books to local families in need. Bring new or excellent/condition books for grades K-5 (no dog-eared pages, no writing, and clean/neat covers). Books can be brought to our social OR bring to school dropoff/pickup on Monday, Dec. 13.

TO DO BEFORE THE SOCIAL: