Imai Gazette 09/03/25

Principal’s Message:

Dear Imai Families,

Thank you to everyone that attended Back to School Night! It was a wonderful event to learn all about the school year. If you were not able to make it, please make sure you review the slides shared by your child’s teacher. (volunteer process)

We are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at our monthly assemblies on Friday, 9/26 and we are looking for volunteers to help us with the activities. Please reach out if you are available to help. (assemblies scheduled for: 11:00 AM, 12:45 (TK/K) and 1:30)

We understand that the morning rush can be frustrating so we ask that you give yourselves enough time to avoid the rush. The drop off lane starts getting busy at around 7:50AM. The first bell rings at 8:00 AM so let’s try to get to school a little earlier to avoid traffic. Thank you for your cooperation and helping us have a great start to our day!

New TK/K afterschool sports program

Our school, in partnership with Kassirer Sports, is offering a new afterschool sports program for TK and Kinder students. Please see the attached flyer or www.kassirersports.com for more information and registration.

Upcoming Events:

Welcome Back Picnic 9/12 5-7PM

Have a wonderful rest of the week and remember to drive safely to keep everyone safe.

Arline Siam

Principal

Upcoming Events

September

8- Picture Day (Picture ID: EVTK3DD97)

11- SSC at 3:00pm

12- Welcome back family picnic 5pm-7pm

17- Bookmobile at 2:30pm

18- SSC at 3pm

26- Principal’s Coffee at 8:30am

October

8- Bookmobile at 2:30pm

9- Teacher Service Day (No School)

10- Recess Day (No School)

13-17- Conference Week (Minimum Day)

23- SSC at 3:30pm

24- Principal’s Coffee at 8:30 am

24- Trunk or Treat 6pm-8pm

27-30- Walden West (5th grade)

29- Bookmobile at 2:30pm

31- Halloween Parade at 8:15 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:

The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, Sept 4 at 6 p.m. Open session begins at 7 p.m.

Some of the topics include:

Housing Nonprofit Board Interviews
School Site Plan Process
Budget report: Unaudited Actuals

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

Curriculum information

The Mountain View Whisman School District engages in a thoughtful process to select curricular materials that align with state and local content standards and support academic achievement. Parents and guardians have the ability to review curriculum from their children's classroom by request. MVWSD will consider parent requests to excuse students from parts of instruction in accordance with applicable law. If you have any concerns about any curricular materials, including concerns related to personal religious beliefs, please contact your child’s principal.

SEL Survey and Mental Health Screening Parent Notification and Opt Out

This week, parents received an email that provides information about our SEL Survey process. Please take time to review it.

In grades 3-8, three times this school year—in September, November, and March— students will take a Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Survey (Gr 3-5 ENG/ ESP & Gr 6-8 ENG/ ESP) through Panorama, which replaces the twice-yearly Sown to Grow SEL survey. This new tool helps us efficiently & effectively identify students who may need extra support, such as school counseling or participation in a small group intervention.

In grades 6-8, if a student’s SEL Survey results fall in the “moderate” or “high” needs range, they will meet up to two times in a small group with a school counselor. These sessions use our District’s SEL curriculum, CharacterStrong, and include completing the Youth Needs Screener.

Paper copies of the SEL Survey and Youth Needs Screener are available for review at our school. For questions, please email [email protected] or call 650-526-3500 x1130. We appreciate your partnership in ensuring every student has the support they need to succeed this school year.

MVWSD, MVEF, PTAs: It takes a village

Ever wonder how all of our students get the well-rounded educational experience they deserve — complete with art, music, field trips, activities and more? It happens through your generous support! Community partnerships through MVEF and PTAs are essential to sustaining the programs that make our schools whole. Learn more here and here.

MVWSD Fingerprinting Session for Regular Volunteers

Thank you to the 800+ parents who completed the process to become MVWSD volunteers last year! Applications for the 2025-2026 school year are now open. Details about how and who needs to apply are here: mvwsd.org/volunteers.

We’ve been working hard to make registering to be a volunteer more convenient while keeping schools safe. As part of this effort, MVWSD is offering fingerprinting sessions for $72. Financial assistance is available for income-eligible families.

Wed, 3 Sep 2025

11am – 2:30pm

Crittenden Middle School

Pay by Zelle, Venmo, or by personal check on the day of service. Click here for payment links.

Kids in California schools still eat for free, but applying for federal Free or Reduced School Lunches can help your family and school!

Families who meet the federal income levels to qualify for Free or Reduced School Lunches should apply now to receive priority services such as free after school childcare/Expanded Learning. Applying also helps our district receive our full entitlement from the federal government to fund programs that help all students.

If you think you might qualify, please visit EZmealapp.com. We will have drop-in help available for filling out these applications:

September 4, 3:00-6:00 p.m. at Castro Elementary School and Crittenden Middle School
September 9, 3:00-6:00 p.m. at Vargas Elementary School

You may also make an appointment by contacting your school office. Thank you in advance.

i-Ready Diagnostic 1 Assessment Scores (grades K-8)

Families can access their student’s i-Ready Reading and Mathematics score through their Powerschool Parent Portal on September 8, 2025, after 4:00 p.m. Reports are available on the PowerSchool Parent Portal at https://ps.mvwsd.org/public/ under “Parent Reports” for each of your students. Steps for accessing reports on PowerSchool Parent Portal are here: Accessing PowerSchool Parent Portal i-Ready Reports. If you have difficulty logging into the PowerSchool Parent Portal, please contact your school’s office.

MVEF Welcomes All Families to the 2025–26 School Year!

We hope you enjoyed BTS Nights at our elementary and middle schools. You likely heard from both your school’s PTA/PACT and MVEF leaders about the importance of family support.

Why give to both MVEF and PTA/PACT?
MVWSD is a community-funded district - most of our funding comes from local property taxes rather than the state. While this provides stability, it doesn’t cover all that our students need. That’s where family contributions make the difference.

PTA/PACT strengthens each individual school community with events, classroom support, and family engagement.

MVEF fills districtwide gaps by funding programs that benefit every student, at every school:

CSMA Art & Music classes and performances TK-5
Environmental Science: Living Classroom classes TK-7; 4th–5th grade field trips
Two middle school ELA teachers (reducing class sizes by 25%+)
Athletics, clubs, and instruments for grades 6–8

Together, MVEF and PTA/PACT ensure that every learner has access to a complete educational experience — in every classroom, every day.

Both organizations are 501(c)(3) nonprofits and rely on family donations (tax-deductible) and employer matches. Please consider supporting both:

Donate to MVEF here!
Find your PTA/PACT donation link here!

FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Free, Fun JRMF Math Festival

Every student can be a mathematician! Join JRMF for a day of play and problem-solving. At the JRMF Math Festival at Sports Basement Sunnyvale, children and families drop in to enjoy a variety of fun, hands-on math puzzles and games.

The JRMF Math Festival at Sports Basement Sunnyvale is free, open to all, and an event where you can drop in and drop out whenever you’d like. Free snacks will be provided.

When: September 13th, 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Where: 1177 Kern Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94085 in the Summit Room

Make a Difference in Your Community: Volunteer with Mentor Tutor Connection!

Are you passionate about helping students succeed? Mentor Tutor Connection is seeking dedicated volunteers to mentor high school students or tutor K-8 students in math, writing, or reading at local public schools in Los Altos and Mountain View.

Why Volunteer with MTC?

Make a Lasting Impact: Help underserved students reach their full potential, both academically and personally.
Support Future Leaders: Mentoring high school students or tutoring younger students can help students navigate challenges and build confidence.
Join a Community of Like-minded Volunteers: Connect with other compassionate individuals and gain a deeper sense of purpose by helping others.

Get Involved: Join us for a Volunteer Information Session on September 18th at 12 pm online. During this session, you’ll learn about our mentoring and tutoring programs, and have the chance to ask any questions you might have.

To register for our Volunteer Information Session or to learn more about MTC, please email [email protected] or visit mentortutorconnection.org.

Upcoming Programs at Mountain View Public Library - Flyers (Improv and Model UN) sent 9/2

AMPLIFY: Improv-aganza Workshop

Enter the world of improv comedy with this workshop from the LAHS improv club! The program starts with a high-energy performance, followed by a workshop where you’ll rotate through stations and try out the games for yourself! Finally, you’ll get to show off what you learned with your own short performance for your friends. No prior experience is necessary for this fun and interactive program.

Saturday, September 13

4:30 p.m.-5:45 p.m.

Grades 4-8

First Floor Program Room

AMPLIFY: Model UN Workshop

This fun and engaging workshop introduces Model UN to students in grades 5-9. We will cover all the Model UN basics and build critical life skills, including public speaking, esearch, paper writing, and creative problem-solving. This is an interactive chance for students to learn more about global affairs, collaborate to create solutions on key issues, and practice public speaking in

learning environment.

Saturday, Sept. 20

2:00-4:00 p.m.

Grades 5-9

First Floor Program Room

Upcoming Events at the View Teen Center

FREE for all 6th-12th grade students in Mountain View and Los Altos, the View Teen Center offers a variety of teen programming, including recreational and educational classes, special events, resources, and drop-in activities for teens to participate in. Activities surround the arts, health and fitness, culinary arts, education, career, and college activities and resources.

Check out the list of upcoming fun programs, events, workshops, volunteer opportunities and more on the attached flyer.

Learning Challenges events for Fall 2025

For local coverage of issues related to learning challenges and special education, please check out the Learning Challenges Committee.

Calm Down Kit Making Sessions

Volunteers will make Calm Down kits for classrooms throughout Mountain View and Los Altos and learn how to make their own for their home! Wednesday August 27 11-1, Thursday September 26 (5-7 pm), Tuesday September 30 5-7 pm. For location, contact [email protected].

Morning Let’s Talk Parent Support group

September 10, 10 am on Zoom.

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.

Learning Challenges Committee General Meeting

October 7, 7 pm in person (TBA) and Zoom hybrid

We will be finishing up the Wellness Wish List and will likely need a work session to finish up packing orders for delivery to classrooms! For more info, email [email protected].

Evening Let’s Talk Parent Support group

October 15, 7 pm on Zoom.

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.

Missed past Parent Education events?

We have a YouTube channel with many of our past events including the recent talk on Assistive Technology, info on summer camps and recreational activities, Anxiety and Depression in Children with Learning Challenges, SMART Goals and IEP Troubleshooting, and more. Channel is here.

PTA NEWS

Yearbooks:

Welcome back to a New School Year! New Year= New Yearbook!