03/10/21 Huff n Stuff

Principal’s Message: 

Quote to celebrate Women’s Month

Here’s to strong women...may we know them... May we be them. May we raise them.

-Unknown


Dear Huff Families,


This week we will be continuing to look at the survey results and finalizing student placement. Unfortunately, it won’t always be possible to keep your child with their teacher and your preferred option but know that we are trying our best to and we will be in communication with you if we need to make any changes. During this time, I ask for your understanding and flexibility. 


This week’s schedule includes an extra asynchronous day  (Friday 3/12) to allow teachers the opportunity to start prepping their classrooms before students return. Next week we have a teacher professional development day on 3/15 (no school) and an asynchronous day (3/16). More information will be shared by your child’s teacher next week. 


Our next Principal’s Coffee is one I recommend you do not miss as we will cover everything you need to know about reopening. It will be an opportunity for you to learn about how life on campus will look like once we are back. We can’t wait to see our K-2 students on March 18th and our upper grades on March 29th. 


Your cooperation on following all of the new procedures will be greatly appreciated. We can have a successful reopening if we work together. Please remember this is all new to us and we are going to do our best to make it as smooth as possible but there are going to be hiccups along the way and we appreciate your patience and understanding. 


Principal’s Coffee 3/12 8:30AM  

Register here


Principal’s Coffee 03/16 5PM (date corrected)

Register here


Your child’s placement letter will be in PowerSchool on March 15 at 3PM. In a separate email we will share more information as well as an invitation to a required parent meeting to discuss logistics and important information by grade level. The principal’s coffee will be general information and the required orientation will be  grade level specific. If you have chosen 100% online, you are welcome to attend but it’s not required.

Reopening Meetings for K-2

K-March 17 5:00PM Register here

1st-March 17 6:00PM Register here

2nd-March 16 6:15PM Register here
 

Reopening Meetings for 3-5

3rd-March 24 5:00PM Register here

4th-March 24 6:00PM Register here

5th-March 25 5:00PM Register here 

I want to take this opportunity to thank our PTA for helping us purchase items needed for reopening. We are so  thankful for your generosity.


Have a wonderful week! Stay safe and healthy.


Sincerely,


Arline Siam


Upcoming Events

March

*12: Principal’s Coffee - 8:30-9:30AM Register here You don't want to miss this one. 

*15: Teacher Service Day -NO SCHOOL-

*16: Principal’s Coffee - 5:00PM-6:00PM Register here You don't want to miss this one. 

*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:

Just published: 2021-22 school year calendar

The Board of Trustees approved the 2021-22 school year calendar. Please click here to view and download it. https://www.mvwsd.org/calendar/school_district_calendar_at_a_glance


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.


MVWSD Read Aloud: Storytime with the District Office Staff

Friday, March 12th from 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.


Who doesn’t like a good read aloud story on a Friday evening? March is National Reading Month and we would like to invite you and your family to join some of the MVWSD District staff members for a virtual storytime/ read-aloud with our community. We will be discussing the importance of this month and reading books aloud together.


Register at: http://mvw.sd/read


MVWSD is on Instagram!

Follow us on Instagram @mvw.sd (https://www.instagram.com/mvw.sd/) to stay connected and updated with all that is going on in the district!

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.


MVWSD seeks parents & staff members for Health and Wellness Committee

Committee and task force members lend perspective and expertise to important district work that benefits our students. Please consider serving on the Health and Wellness Committee. Applications are due by March 24 and found here: http://mvw.sd/health. More information is at https://www.mvwsd.org/about/committees.


Health and Wellness Committee: Task: To align District efforts to support student wellness through health education, physical education and activity, health services, nutrition services, psychological and counseling services, and a safe and healthy school environment.


Interested applicants would have some experience, knowledge, or interest in the content as described above. We are seeking at least 1 parent and 1 certificated representative per school site and 3 community-based organization representatives.


Time commitment is approximately one meeting a month during the school year, beginning in April, but is dependent on the work. Meetings are online during the 2020-21 school year.


Your Donations to MVEF at Work!

MVEF is proud to fund both (New!) sessions of the Rhythm and Moves Optional fitness classes at the elementary schools.  We are also funding CSMA music and art, TechSmart, Living Classroom, and environmental education programs at the elementary level.


MVEF funds the Middle School Elective wheel including apps, music books, art supplies, robotics and TechSmart at both of the middle schools.


Thank you to all our Mountain View Educational Foundation donors for your support during this school year of remote learning!  If you haven't donated yet this year, there is still time to donate to support the MVWSD schools right now.  https://www.mvef.org/donate


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.


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.


Wolves of Yellowstone: Mountain View Public Library Event on Mar. 18

Join the Mountain View Public Library for a free Zoom talk on March 18th from 4:00 - 4:45 pm with wolf expert and author Rick McIntyre to learn about these mysterious creatures. For children ages 7-12, and registration is required at https://mountainview.libcal.com/event/7370162.


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


Groups for Spanish Speaking Parents 

CHAC is offering two groups for Spanish Speaking Parents: one is a support group for women (Thursdays, 6:00 p.m. to 8 p.m.) and the other is a parenting class (Mondays, 6:30 to 8 p.m). Both groups are free, and take place over Zoom. See attached flyers for registration information.



PTA News:

Important Huff PTA General Meeting March 17

Join us next Wednesday, March 17, at 7pm for Huff PTA’s next general association meeting. Our agenda includes election of 2021-2022 officers, proposed budget modifications for the rest of the year, update from Principal Siam, and more! Register in advance to get Zoom meeting details and to receive meeting materials on the day of the meeting. https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIrd-GvpjkuG9T1neA3Zq7WwsrCzpU8ejw_


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 (1)

Wolves of Yellowstone

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