August 19, 2022

From the Principal's Desk

Hello, Theuerkauf Families!

As students have adjusted and settled into fresh routines and procedures over the past 8 days of school, we have come together as a learning community to focus on our core values of respect, responsibility, perseverance, courage, and integrity. This month's core value is respect, and students are learning how we can respect both others and ourselves with our words, our actions, and our attitude. In our first morning meeting, we talked about respect being defined as treating others and ourselves how we and they want to be treated. This ties directly into our year-long focus of Belonging, making Theuerkauf a place where every student feels welcome and a part of something special. Students are sharing and learning about one other's personal identities, getting to know one another's interests, cultural backgrounds, preferences, and so much more! Teachers and staff have been doing an amazing job of connecting kids in a positive and exciting way, setting a solid foundation for the year ahead. 

We look forward to seeing everyone at Back to School Night next week on the 25th! Please note that this event will be in person. TK families, your event will be held at 5pm, and Kinder through 5th grade will be held at 6pm. Please report to your child's classroom when you arrive. We look forward to seeing you there!

Thank you for your partnership, collaboration, support, and courage. 

Together, we make a difference!

Yours in service,

 

Michelle Williams, Principal

Important Dates

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

Thursday, August 25 ~Back to School Night (K-5) 6:00-7:00 pm

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

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 Cats Assembly

School News

COVID Protocols & Masking

Masking is now recommended but is not required for students and staff as of August 19th.  As of yesterday afternoon, our local COVID transmission rates dropped below the “high” category as reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As we’ve stated earlier this month in our COVID guidelines, reaching this threshold means our masking protocol can change. 

Our mitigation strategies such as hand washing/ sanitizing, cleaning protocols and high-quality air filtration will continue. Sick individuals who test positive or are symptomatic should mask and be isolated. 

MVWSD may reinstate mandatory indoor masking when/if CDC data for community transmission level moves back to “High.” 

 

School Site Council (SSC) Nominations Have Been Extended to Next Tuesday!

Would you like to be part of continuous improvement in our school? Please click below to learn about this important volunteer opportunity and to nominate yourself or others to get involved. If you already filled this form out in the spring, don't worry--your nomination is recorded. Nominees will be contacted before next Thursday to confirm desired participation. Then, those who agree will be included in a ballot to be posted in next week's Cheetah Chatter (final extension). 

https://forms.gle/ADN4DpmZ9vtpH5Yt6

 

Loop Us In! 

If your student requires a vegetarian snack and meal, please notify your student’s teacher and it will be communicated to Ms. Yumi and Ms. Yolanda in our cafeteria. Also, if your student will be walking or riding a bicycle home, please email your student’s teacher and either Ms. Sherri ([email protected]) or Ms. Mary ([email protected]) so that we can make a note of it in PowerSchool. 

Student Health Forms for Students 

If your child requires medication access during the school day, has specific allergies or requires a health Care Plan, below, you will find links to various health forms for you to complete and turn in to the front office. 

• Bee Sting Allergy Form - Bee Sting Allergy Form Spanish 

• Food Allergy Form - Food Allergy Form Spanish 

• Permission to Administer Medications Form - Permission to Administer Medications Form Spanish 

• Asthma Care Plan - Asthma Care Plan Spanish 

• Diabetes Care Plan - Diabetes Care Plan Spanish and Diabetes Individualized Health Care Plan 

• Seizure Care Plan - Seizure Care Plan Spanish 

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School and Community Engagement Facilitators (SCEFs) 

This year, Ms. Lisset Tellez Garduna continues to support us at Theuerkauf.! Please reach out to Ms. Tellez for support in connecting with student and family services, questions and inquiries. You can reach her at [email protected] or 650-903-6925. 

ELAC 

Parents of Multilingual learners, please consider joining our English Learner Advisory Council! This group meets regularly to help plan our site’s goals for reaching our English Learners, and to help make recommendations on how to improve outcomes for our English Language Learners. 

More information can be found on our district website. We will also be holding our first meeting on September 9th at 9am on Zoom, and will review the roles and purposes of ELAC. We hope to see you there!

 

Reminder: Lunch Procedures

This year, MVWSD continues 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!

Please remember that on Thursdays and minimum days, students who would like a lunch must pick up their lunch from the cafeteria to eat here at school. On minimum days only, those who want a school lunch will eat on campus. Then, they will be released from school at the front gate at 12:30 pm. 

All families–please don't forget to fill out the EzSchool Meals form to help MVWSD receive additional funding to support students who are in need. This may also help your family. Call our school office if you'd like help filling this out.

 

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 continue to 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.

 

Reminder: 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 and 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 continue to 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. 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.

 

Reminder: 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.

Reminder: 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.

 

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.

 

Follow us now on Social Media!

- Twitter - @TheuerkaufElem 

- Instagram - @theuerkauf_elementary

- Facebook - @TheuerkaufElem

PTA News


Upcoming Events: 

• Aug 24th @ 8:20am Cafecito con el PTA: Join us for "Cafecito Meetup in Spanish" 8:20-9am, Wed. Aug 24, look for a table in front of the school office. All levels of Spanish welcome! (PS - Let us know if you'd like to partner on a future "Coffee Meetup" in a language you speak.)

• Aug 31 @6pm PTA Meeting: Save the date - Wed, Aug 31, 6pm, PTA Meeting in Person on the blacktop near the playground

Keep In Touch! 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.  

Want to get involved! Consider volunteering as a Room Lead or a Project Cornerstone Reader - see tinyurl.com/THPTAconnect for details

Free Online Coding Classes in Scratch JavaScript and Python; Trained local high school students from the Computer Engineers of the Next Generation are hosting free coding classes on Zoom in Scratch, JavaScript, and Python. Students will build interactive games and learn how to code in a fun and engaging environment. They offer Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced levels for each coding language. For more information, visit their website. 

District News

Board meeting review: Aug. 18

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

Topics for this meeting included: Safety; Vargas Trees Replacement Project; Future Growth Considerations and Solutions; and Update on COVID-19 Procedures

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

 

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.

 

Last Call: District Equity Advisory Committee

Help us continue the great work of making MVWSD a more equitable and inclusive community. Committee members will engage in meaningful dialogue and provide feedback to the superintendent and designees about the future of this work in the district. Offer your voice at our virtual meetings. You are welcome here! Our first meeting will be held virtually on Monday, September 12th. To join the committee roster to be informed of meeting dates and links, complete the form linked below:

https://forms.gle/Nog6AZyUUx6jfit98

 

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.

 

August/September CAC Events

Happy Back to School! SELPA 1 CAC and the Learning Challenge Committee are your groups for special education and broader learning challenge needs. We are ALL having learning challenges right now, and CAC and LCC are here to help. If you have questions about learning challenges and special education needs, email [email protected] or check out www.selpa1cac.org

We encourage families to learn about the sensory needs all children: Try a Sensory Diet

August 29, 9 am- General Parent/Community Meeting with Special Ed. Directors & Staff, Zoom at 9:00 am for LCC and 9:30 am for CAC. We will be planning for the year, discussing upcoming programs and discussing distance learning and learning challenges. For our agenda, please join our Google group,https://groups.google.com/g/selpa1cac. Register here.

September 14, 10 am Morning 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.