August 12, 2022

From the Principal's Desk

Hello, Theuerkauf Families!

It has been a wonderful first week of school for both our students and our staff. On Wednesday, we welcomed back all of our Cheetahs, and we were met with so much excitement! It was wonderful to share this joy with so many of you as we gathered together again. Earlier this week, I shared a few changes in our campus protocols and practices this year, and I want to take a moment to reiterate as well as clarify some of these reminders.  

Bell Schedule

As a reminder, our school day begins at 8:15 am and ends at 12:10 pm on minimum day each Thursday. Please review our 2022-23 bell schedule for more details.

   

COVID Protocols & Masking

Just a reminder that indoor masks are required at school currently and while CDC data shows our community transmission level as “High." Please be sure to send your child to school in a well-fitting, high quality mask. You can review all of our district's current COVID protocols here.

 

Morning Drop-Off and Afternoon Pick-Up Procedures

This year, our pick-up and drop-off routines have been greatly simplified. 

• Arrival: This year, parents may drop students off or come onto campus and wait with their child on the blacktop behind the school until the first bell. Once the 8:15am bell rings, we ask that you say goodbye and leave campus as quickly as possible so that we can begin instruction on time without interruption.*Please consider walking or biking to school using safe routes to avoid heavy traffic (and to be entered into a monthly raffle drawing–see below)*

• Precautions: Please drive VERY slowly as we have lots of new faces and many young students this year. Students may not be looking for you, so we would ask for you to always be looking for them. Additionally, we love our 4-legged friends, but we ask that you please leave them at home. Please do not bring any pets onto campus as there are many children with allergies, fear of animals, etc. 

• Gates: Please click here for the updated pick-up/drop-off map. Please note that we are asking you to follow the gate guidelines to assist with the flow of traffic, but if you have children in multiple grades or if you have extenuating circumstances, please feel free to enter/exit through any gate. You may also enter through Stevenson Park in the mornings. 

• Dismissal: Please allow us to dismiss our 1st through 5th grade students from the gates and then welcome you on campus. TK and Kinder families--please pick your child up directly from their classroom. There will be support staff at the gates and on the blacktop to help you find your child's room this week. All non-TK/Kinder students will continue to leave through the gates. 

PLEASE NOTE: If your child stays for lunch on minimum days, please come to the front gate at 12:30pm for pick-up or meet your child on the blacktop at that time.

 

Parking Lot Safety and Information

• Use the sidewalks. If you park on the street, please be sure to use the sidewalks and crosswalks to get to the school instead of cutting across the parking lot or street.

• The parking lot is designated for staff. Even if it appears empty, it is used by other school staff that need to come and go throughout the day.  They need to be able to quickly arrive on campus to support students.

• Please do not leave your car unattended during drop-off or pick-up, and do not park in the bus lane.

• Consider biking or walking to school using safe routes! Each family who bikes or walks to school will be entered into a raffle each time they do so. To be entered, email a picture of yourself and your child/children to [email protected]. Prizes include various gift certificates/cards, a family fun night basket, Google Echo Dots, and more. A drawing will be held each month.

 

Reporting Absences

Please call the office at (650) 903-6925 or email Sherri Minor at [email protected] and Mary Colon at [email protected] to report an absence or late arrival.  Provide the following information: Date of absence, student’s name, grade and room number, reason for absence, your name, and relationship of the person reporting the absence.

 

Non-Returning Students

If you are not returning for the 2022-23 school year, please contact our school secretaries, Sherri Minor at [email protected] and Mary Colon at [email protected], or by phone 650-903-6925 as soon as possible. Please take a moment to reply ONLY if your children will NOT be attending Theuerkauf Elementary School. It will be a great help to our staff and other students and their families as we prepare for the 2022-23 school year.

 

After School Programs

Our school district partners with multiple programs to provide after-school care. Please visit this website to learn more about Right at School and YMCA.

 

i-Ready Diagnostics

Next week, we will begin to provide i-Ready Diagnostic assessments to students in grades 1st-5th.  Kindergarten will start the assessments the week of August 23rd. Students will be taking the i-Ready Diagnostic assessment for ELA and Math at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. The data from these assessments gives our teachers and parents insight into each students’ academic progress. We look forward to working together to help each student grow. 

Follow us now on Twitter and Instagram

- Twitter - @TheuerkaufElem

- Instagram - @theuerkauf_elementary

- Facebook - @TheuerkaufElem

Important Dates

Friday, August 12 ~Community Check-In at 3:30pm (Zoom)

Tuesday, August 23 ~SSC Meeting 5:00pm (Zoom)

Thursday, August 25 ~Back to School Night (K-5) 6:00-8:00pm

Thursday, August 25 ~Back to School Night (TK) 5:00-6:00pm

Wednesday, August 31 ~PTA Meeting 6:00-7:00 pm (Zoom)

Monday, September 5 ~Labor Day- No School

Wednesday, September 7 ~School Pictures 

Friday, September 9 ~ELAC Meeting 9:00-10:00 am (Zoom)

Tuesday, September 13 ~SSC Meeting 5:00-6:00 pm  (Zoom)

Friday, September 30 ~Principal’s Coffee 5:00-6:00 pm (Zoom)

Friday, September 30 ~Cool Cat Assembly

School News

Lunch Procedures

This year, MVWSD will continue to provide free meals to all students as part of California’s universal meal program. Breakfast and lunches are available daily (click here to find monthly menus). This is great news for all students!

There is one small but important change. On Thursdays and minimum days (including tomorrow), students who would like a lunch must pick up their lunch from the cafeteria to eat here at school. Due to program guidelines, we are unable to send lunch home with students. Therefore, on minimum days, those who want a school lunch will be released from school at 12:30pm at the front gate instead of 12:10pm. If you would like to allow your child to eat at school on minimum days and Thursdays, please communicate this to your child so that they are aware and let us know this by completing this quick Google Form. This will help us to support our students (especially our youngest Cheetahs!) if they don't happen to remember if you approve of their staying later to eat.

Also, we ask that ALL families please Apply at EzSchool Meals to help MVWSD receive additional funding to support students who are in need. This may also help your family. This Free and Reduced Price Meals benefit is not limited to meals only. If your child is eligible for free and/or reduced-price meals, your family could get medical benefits, housing benefits, utilities benefits and more. Students who qualify for free and/or reduced-price meals may be eligible for P-EBT cards. The more applications your school gathers at the start of each school year, the more additional funding it can receive for all kinds of programs that help children at your school. If you are currently out of work, you may qualify and help your school, regardless of your financial situation. Apply at https://secure.ezmealapp.com/ or call your school office.

 

Preparing Your Child for the Sun

We are still experiencing warm summer temperatures, so it is important that we partner together to take precautions to protect your child from the heat. We ask that you please send your child to school with a water bottle each day. Applying sunscreen to your child will also be important if you would like them to receive this protection. Staff members are not able to apply or provide sunscreen. Finally, please consider sending your child to school with a hat to protect their eyes from the sun. We will ensure that your child takes frequent water breaks when outside and at play, both during meal breaks and PE, and as always we will monitor weather conditions to ensure appropriate indoor activities in the event that it becomes too warm outside for healthy play.

 

Construction Updates

If you have not already done so, please review the attached letter to learn more about the ongoing construction projects on our campus. 


PTA News

* Connect with families in your child’s class by signing up for Konstella (or updating your classroom if you signed up last year). The Theuerkauf sign-up link is: https://www.konstella.com/cd/VUATEB

*Join us for a playdate Monday, Aug 15, 5:30-6:30pm on the Theuerkauf playground by the swings. We'll have some snacks and also some chalk for creating an activity trail together.

*Consider volunteering as a Room Lead or a Project Cornerstone Reader - see tinyurl.com/THPTAconnect for details

*Save the data - Wed, Aug 31, 6pm, PTA Meeting!


District News

Just a reminder that indoor masks are required at school currently and while CDC data shows our community transmission level as “High." Please be sure to send your child to school in a well-fitting, high quality mask. 

 

MVWSD is providing at-home COVID-19 testing kits for free to families and staff members so that you may test before returning to campus after a school break. A box containing one test was sent home with each student on today/Wednesday so that you may test your student tonight.  Please see this letter for what to do after testing. Thank you for participating in this safety measure to help ensure all of our students and staff stay healthy. 

Please check this graphic for an overview of our COVID protocols.

 

Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday, Aug. 12

Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday, Aug. 13 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Spanish interpretation will be provided. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/CC812

 

MVWSD Job Fair: Saturday, Aug. 13

MVWSD is hiring! Join us at our job fair on Saturday, August 13 from 8:00 a.m to 12:00 p.m. at Stevenson Elementary (750 San Pierre Way). We are seeking Substitute Teachers, Instructional Assistants, Noon Duties, BTB After School Tutors, and more! See mvwsd.org/jobs for more details about open positions.

 

Board meeting preview: Aug. 18

The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. 

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

 

Puberty Talk for Fifth-Graders 

MVWSD provides 5th grade students with a unit on human growth and development. The District continues to use the Puberty Talk program. Parents and guardians are welcome to attend parent information sessions about the online program and its content.  Please click here to register for an MVWSD parents, guardians only information session on August 31 at 6:00 pm. Parents who cannot attend the August 31 preview can choose to attend a general preview session on September 1 at 5:30 pm. More information about the program and organization is available at https://www.health-connected.org/. An FAQ document is available here for families.

 

CAASPP scores are now available

CAASPP student (ELA, Math, CAA) score reports (from the Spring tests) are now available for parents on the PowerSchool Parent Portal. To learn more about how to understand your child’s CAASPP score report, go to the Starting Smarter website at https://www.ca.startingsmarter.org/.  If you need assistance with logging on to the Powerschool Parent Portal, please contact your student’s school. 

 

School meals are free, but fill out the EzSchool Meals application to help your school

MVWSD will continue to provide free meals to all students as part of California’s universal meal program. Breakfast and lunches are available daily.

We ask you to please Apply at EzSchool Meals to help MVWSD receive additional funding to support students who are in need, and may help your family.

This Free and Reduced Price Meals benefit is not limited to meals only. If your child is eligible for free and/or reduced-price meals, your family could get medical benefits, housing benefits, utilities benefits and more.

Students who qualify for free and/or reduced-price meals may be eligible for P-EBT cards. The more applications your school gathers at the start of each school year, the more additional funding it can receive for all kinds of programs that help children at your school.

If you are currently out of work, you may qualify and help your school, regardless of your financial situation. Apply at https://secure.ezmealapp.com/ or call your school office.

 

Notice: National School Lunch / School Breakfast Programs

The Mountain View Whisman School District today announced an amendment to its policy for serving meals to students under the National School Lunch / School Breakfast Programs for the 2022-23 school year. All students will be served lunch and breakfast at no charge at the following site: Mariano Castro Elementary School.

Additionally, in 2022-23, all students will be served lunch and breakfast at no charge through California’s Universal Meals Program (Universal Meals) at the following sites:

Bubb Elementary, Crittenden Middle, Graham Middle, Amy Imai Elementary, Landels Elementary, Gabriela Mistral Elementary, Monta Loma Elementary, Stevenson Elementary, Theuerkauf Elementary, Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary

For additional information please contact: Deborah Austin, Director of Food Service, 1701 Rock St., Mountain View, CA 94043, 650.903.6965, [email protected].

 

Non Discrimination Statement

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the agency (state or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (AD-3027), found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA

office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of

the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call 866-632-9992.

 

Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1)       Mail:   U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410

(2)       Fax:    202-690-7442

(3)       E-mail: [email protected]

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

 

Why MVEF Matters

Thanks to financial support from parents like you, the Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF) ensures your child will have access to a competitive, well-rounded education that would not be possible without this additional funding.  MVEF is a volunteer-driven, non-profit that raises funds to bring essential programs to all Mountain View Whisman School District schools. State and local school funding is not enough. School funding supports salaries, facilities, and core academic programs that meet state standards. MVEF funding creates the well-rounded, robust learning environment that our kids deserve including art, music, hands-on environmental science programs from Living Classroom and Environmental Volunteers, and middle school athletics and English Language Arts teachers. Please see the website at mvef.org for more information and to donate online.