November 23, 2020
From the Principal's Desk
Dear Cheetah Families,
There is so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season! The weather is cooler, most of us are together with our immediate families, and somehow, we are all managing to rise above and weather the storms that have assailed us over the past 9 months, clinging to the ones we hold most dear. Personally, I have never felt so grateful for my health and my loved ones, and most especially for our learning community.
I'd like to pause and give a heartfelt THANK YOU to each parent and guardian who has been sitting near their child, checking in from work, and working hard to balance providing support as well as healthy independence day in and day out during class time.
I'd like to give an equivalent THANK YOU to our teachers and staff who put in countless hours as they develop, redevelop, and fine-tune lesson plans and support plans that will engage, empower, and meet the holistic needs of our kids at their unique ability levels and in their unique environments.
Your dedication, Theuerkauf families and staff, is phenomenal. It is because of ALL of you that our daily attendance continues to rise. It is because of ALL of you that each child's needs are not only recognized but addressed and met. From our front office staff members to the struggling grandparents working their hardest to manage the technology we are using, every single Theuerkauf community member is doing much more than their part to educate our kids, the leaders, innovators, and changemakers our world needs.
I hope this week proves to be restful and warm, both physically and emotionally. Please remember that together, we are making a difference.
Sincerely,
Michelle Williams, Principal
Important Dates
November 23- Principal's Coffee 5:00-6:00 pm (register to join us here)
November 24- Asynchronous day (report to Zoom for morning meeting only)
November 25-27, 2020- Thanksgiving Recess
November 30, 2020 - All-School Assembly - The Power of Perseverance
Thursdays at 8am and 4:30pm - Open office hours with the Principal
December 2- ELAC Meeting 5:30-7:00 pm
December 8- SSC Meeting 5:00-6:00pm
December 9- Kinder Night 6:00-7:00pm
December 15- TK Information Night 6:00-7:00pm
December 21-31- Holiday Break- No School
January 1- Holiday Recess- No School
January 4- Teacher Service Day- No School
January 5- Student’s Return
January 11-15- Parent Conferences
January 18- Martin Luther King Jr. Day- No School
School News
Reminder: Asynchronous Day Tomorrow
This is just a reminder that tomorrow, Tuesday, November 24th, MVWSD will be a district-wide team building day for teachers and staff. To accommodate this, Tuesday, November 24th will be an asynchronous day for students. This means that, instead of live lessons, we’ll have a day that looks more like our typical Wednesdays. Students will still have live morning check-ins and will attend the live art, music, and PE classes that were previously scheduled. The rest of the day will feature fun learning activities that students can do at their own pace. There will not be a check-out meeting.
The intention is that this day of thankfulness is a little more fun and relaxed and starts off our Thanksgiving holiday well as all count our many blessings for health, family, friends, and all who support us in every way.
Thank you so much for supporting our teachers and staff.
Free lunch and meals for the Thanksgiving Holiday!
Just a reminder: There is no school on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, (November 25 - 27), due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
As a result, distribution for multiple, free grab and go meals for children during the break will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 24. Parents may come on Tuesday, 11/24, from 11:30 am - 1 pm to pick up Tuesday's lunch as well as meals for Wednesday, Thursday (including turkey and fixings!), and Friday. Regular meal distribution will resume on Monday, Nov. 30.
Cheetah Assemblies
Beginning on Monday 11/30, we will be holding monthly Cheetah assemblies, recognizing and celebrating the hard work, perseverance, and dedication of our students, staff, and learning community. We will be issuing Cool Cat awards to multiple students, staff members, teachers, and even parents/guardians!
For this first assembly on 11/30, the theme will be perseverance. In addition to awarding those who have demonstrated exceptional resilience and perseverance, we will also get to listen to inspiring stories of perseverance and dedication from our very own learning community members. We hope to see you there! Please note that there will be three separate assemblies to best serve the needs of each grade level.
Reposted: Technology Support:
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If you are having problems with the chromebook you can contact: [email protected] to create a ServiceNow ticket or call the Tech Department at (650) 526-3252.
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Is your child having trouble with sound or with their microphone?
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This video clip may help! NEW: Adjust Microphone Input Tutorial.
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In the Zoom app, you can click on the bottom left where the microphone is and click on the arrow, choose audio settings and then check 'automatically adjust microphone volume.'
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Another solution to try is to manually reduce the microphone volume in Chrome by clicking on the menu where the time/wifi icon is located then choosing the arrow next to the sound icon and adjust the microphone volume there.
Reporting Absences
If you are reporting a student’s absence, please email the Secretary Mary Colon at [email protected] or call the attendance line at (650) 903-6925 press #2
Reminder. Please include your student’s name, your student’s room or teacher, the reason for absence, and the date of absence.
Safety Reminders
As a reminder, our campus remains closed due to COVID-19. When necessary, appointments may be scheduled for materials pick-ups. When coming to campus, please wear a mask and maintain at least 6 feet of social distance at all times. Additionally, please perform the following self-check prior to coming on campus:
1. Do you have any of these symptoms that are not caused by another condition?
• Fever or chills • Recent loss of taste or smell • Cough • Sore throat
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing • Congestion • Fatigue
• Nausea or vomiting • Muscle or body aches • Diarrhea • Headache
2. Within the past 14 days, have you had contact with anyone that you know had COVID-19 or COVID-like symptoms? Contact is being 6 feet (2 meters) or closer for more than 15 minutes with a person, or having direct contact with fluids from a person with COVID-19 (for example, being coughed or sneezed on).
3. Have you had a positive COVID-19 test for an active virus in the past 10 days? 4. Within the past 14 days, has a public health or medical professional told you to self-monitor, self-isolate, or self-quarantine because of concerns about COVID-19 infection?
If you answer yes to any of the questions, please contact the school, and we will arrange for an alternate delivery method for your family.
PTA News
PTA Association Meeting on Thursday December 3rd at 7pm via Google Meet. Please join us to hear what the PTA has been planning and what activities we will be offering in December.
NEW !!! PTA Maker Sessions
During the month of December, the PTA will be offering 4 maker sessions as a creative outlet in preparation of the holidays.
Choose from one or more of the following activities:
- a mini-scrapbook
- a holiday card
- a festive holiday ornament
- a cute bookmark.
We are offering a total 4 sessions - 2 of them will be held during lunch time and the other two in the early evening. Material kits will be provided by the PTA ahead of the maker sessions. More detail to follow.
Please see this form for more information and to sign-up
District News
Thanksgiving break and meal service
Just a reminder: There is no school on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, (November 25 - 27), due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Distribution for multiple, free grab and go meals for children during the break will be on Tuesday, Nov. 24 at all schools except for Stevenson. Parents may come on Tuesday from 11:30 am - 1 pm to pick up Tuesday's lunch and meals for Wednesday, Thursday (including turkey and fixings!), and Friday. Meal distribution will resume on Monday, Nov. 30.
Parcel Tax Oversight Committee seeks community representatives
The District is seeking two individuals to serve on the Parcel Tax Oversight Committee for the Measure B Parcel Tax.
Representatives 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]. Applications are due December 11th at 2:00 pm.
Application: http://mvw.sd/PTOC
Questions? Please e-mail Dr. Rebecca Westover, Chief Business Officer, at [email protected]
School meetings coming up in December. Open Enrollment for all MVWSD students starts in January
School and District information meetings are coming up in December. Please visit www.mvwsd.org/register for a list of these events and for login information.
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District new student information night, covering the registration process, is on December 1 at 5:30 p.m. (in both English and Spanish) at this Zoom link: http://mvw.sd/info.
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School kindergarten/new student information nights are online on December 9 at 6:00 p.m. for all elementary schools, and include choice school information. For our school, the link for this meeting is https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJElduuoqTssG9PxjdLbKtDTrAr1mto0uY7
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If your child turns 5 years old between September 2 – December 2, 2021, he/she may qualify for transitional kindergarten. TK info night is December 16 at 5:00 p.m online.
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If you are interested in the District's choice schools, information nights are:
Gabriela Mistral: Dual Spanish/English Immersion: December 15 at 6 pm
Stevenson: Parent Child Teacher: December 16 at 6 pm
Choice schools will also have information at the elementary schools’ info nights (6 p.m. Dec. 9).
For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 18- 22.
For NEW students: Open Enrollment is from January 11 through Feb. 5, 2021 online. You can register your child for the 2021-22 school year when online registration opens here: www.mvwsd.org/register
Upcoming MVEF Phonathon
Our Phonathon is coming up in December and we would love you to save us both a call!
We hope this serves as a gentle reminder to donate to MVEF today and support your child and every child in the district! The majority of our funding comes from donations from parents like you!
Make a difference, save us both a call and donate today at mvef.org/donate.
LAMV PTA Council and SELPA 1 CAC present Distance Learning Toolkit: Increasing Focus Through a Sensory Lens
Thursday December 3, 7-8:30 PM. A talk with Lisa Kaplan Shanaan, MS OTR/L TMHP
How do you stay engaged? How do you calm down when excited, or pep up when you are zoned out? You may know your own body and the tricks that work for you, but children are still working this out. It is especially difficult to learn self-regulation when involved in distance learning on screens for hours a day. Come learn from Lisa Kaplan Shaanan, an occupational therapist and trainer, who has been working with children birth thru 18 years old for more than 30 years. She will recommend tools and techniques useful to help all children discover their best ways to self-regulate and really learn and stay engaged during the Zoom school day.
Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/distance-learning-toolkit-increasing-focus-through-a-sensory-lens-tickets-128302360815
Winter Wonderland stories
The Mountain View public library is holding winter wonderland story time on December 10. Please see attached flyer for details
MVLA holiday tree lot
MVLA is holding its annual holiday tree lot this year. See the attached flyer for information.
Attachments
Tree Lot
DL Sensory Tools
Winter Wonders