December 21, 2022

From the Principal's Desk

Hello, Theuerkauf Families!

Thank you for a wonderful 2022!  As this year comes to a close, I am reflecting with gratitude on all of the amazing, challenging, and triumphant moments we have faced and shared together. I know we are also looking forward to what 2023 brings to us. As a reminder, we will be closed for the Holiday Recess from December 22nd to January 9th. Teachers and staff will be spending January 9th participating in professional development and planning for the remainder of the school year. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to school when we resume on Tuesday, January 10th. 

Winter Break Challenges!

• Sharing Challenge! If students would like to be featured in our morning meeting slideshow for the week after we return in January, they can take a picture of themselves while they celebrate their holiday festivities. Perhaps they might want to share a special family event, a moment of snuggling up at home and watching a movie, or a picture in front of their holiday decorations. Email pictures to me ([email protected]).

• Kindness Challenge! Additionally, during our Cool Cats assembly today, students accepted the challenge to share the greatest gift of all, kindness, to 5 people they spend time with over the break. You can send pictures of these moments or ask your child to write or draw a picture of their acts of kindness to share with their teachers when they return.

• Reading Challenge! We know that students who read a little every day benefit in so many ways, both in improving their reading skills and in their ability to appreciate and understand the world around them. Please challenge your child to read 15-20 minutes every day over the break. They can keep track of their reading here or on a sheet of notebook paper and share their reading log with their teachers for a special reward of recognition in January. Please click here to learn where to find lots of free books to enjoy together.

COVID safety over winter break

Winter viruses are on the rise. As the weather gets colder and we spend more time indoors, we need to keep up our guard against germs. These simple steps will help prevent severe illness and hospitalization from the flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). 

Five tips to help prevent winter viruses:

• Get vaccinated, boosted and treated

• Stay home if you are sick and test for COVID

• Wear a mask in indoor public spaces to reduce spread

• Wash your hands

• Cover your cough or sneeze

Last week, we sent two COVID kits home with your student. Please remember to use these before returning to campus on January 10th. 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. 

 

As always, thank you for your partnership! Together, we make a difference. 

Here's to a bright, beautiful, and successful 2023.

 

Warmly and with gratitude,

Michelle Williams, Principal

Important Dates

Thursday, December 22 - Monday, January 8 ~ Holiday Break - No School

Monday, January 9 ~ Teacher Service Day - No School

Tuesday, January 10 ~ Students Return to School 

Wednesday, January 11, 6:30 pm ~ New Parents' Informational Night (Zoom)

Monday, January 16~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School

Thursday, January 19, 6:30 pm ~ 2023-24 New Transitional Kinder Information Night (Zoom)

Thursday, January 26 ~ Principal's Coffee, 5-6pm (Zoom)

School News

Last call: Please Vote! Theuerkauf Cheetah Logo Refresh

We are preparing to refresh our beloved Cheetah logo so that it is updated for publications. Will you please weigh in on some of the designs that have been constructed? Please click the following link to share your thoughts about these designs as you consider what you would like to see in our updated Cheetah. We want all staff and families to share their thoughts so that we can ensure that our logo embodies what we value and celebrate as a learning community. Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts!

Library Corner

Reminder: Families have asked how to help the library, so we are resharing a few simple ideas! 

• Donate gently used, age appropriate books to the library. Mrs. B is specifically looking to expand offerings in foreign languages for all ages. 

• Donate gift cards from local independent bookstores (Books Inc, Linden Tree) or from Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Teacher discounts help gift cards purchase more books.

• Purchase books from the library wishlists on Amazon or Bookshop.org. 

• Volunteer your graphic design skills to make posters and signs. Or, volunteer to work in the library, helping to prepare books for the shelves. You can also volunteer to help with an upcoming book fair in April 2023. 

• Keep reading with your students. Encourage them to tell you about what they are reading. 

 

District News

Please use your free COVID test after winter break

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 the winter break. A box containing one test will be sent home with each student this week so that you can test on Jan. 9 before students return to school on Tuesday, Jan. 10.  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. 

 

Next year’s district calendar is available now!

The 2023-24 district calendar is now available online here. 

 

Open Enrollment for 2023-24 starts in January

In January, the Mountain View Whisman School District will be opening student enrollment for next fall. 

For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 24 to February 10.

For families enrolling NEW students: Please check www.mvwsd.org/register for details about virtual school information meetings held in January, how to locate your neighborhood school, how to explore school options and the four steps to register during the enrollment period held January 24 to February 10. 

 

Better Together: Exploring Differences

For the month of December, we explore how our experiences are similar to and different from those of people from different backgrounds. We will also explore Disability Awareness while building literacy around this important topic. The resources linked through the digital copy of this infographic (attached) help you and your students explore themselves and others respectfully and meaningfully with activities meant to enlarge our perspectives about people with disabilities. Please see https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogethermvwsd.

 

The View Teen Center: December 

The View Teen Center is a free facility in Mountain View (263 Escuela Ave) for all Mountain View and Los Altos 6th - 12th grade students. The center is open Monday through Friday: 3:30 - 7 p.m. and Saturday: 1 - 6 p.m, and features a game room, makerspace, kitchen, computer/study room, outdoor area, and much more! See attached flyer for details about upcoming December events and programs or visit their webpage for more information.

Health and Wellness Parenting Tip: Instructions

We give our kids dozens of instructions each day: Get ready for school. Wash your hands before you eat. Do your homework. Sometimes our kids follow our instructions, and sometimes they do not. One way to increase follow through is to give effective instructions. For example, making eye contact with your child and gently telling them to turn off the TV is likely to be more effective than yelling at them from another room.

To provide effective instructions:

Think about a few things that you would like your child to do and try using these tips to provide effective instructions.

 

Instead of saying… Say….

“Don’t bother me.” “Please work on your homework.”

“TURN OFF THE TV!!” “Please turn off the TV.”

“I told you to stop playing video games.” “If you don’t stop playing video games in the next 5 

minutes, then you won’t be able to play tomorrow.”

 

These tips came directly from the free, online Everyday Parenting program created by parenting expert, Dr. Kazdin.

 

To learn more parenting tips click here.