Cheetah Chatter, May 4, 2020


News from The Principal's Desk

Hello Theuerkauf Families! 

How are you all doing? Are you going through a range of emotions as these Shelter in Place days go by? We are with you, and we understand how stressful and upsetting this time may be for your families, parents, grandparents, and children. All of us are trying to find normalcy in these unprecedented times. Like I have mentioned in my communications, you are not alone. Some days feel like they will drag on forever. You know which days, I’m talking about, right?! The days when nothing goes as planned...things break, our kiddos are falling apart, we don’t feel a 100%...sheesh! All we can think of then is - will this day ever end? And then, the next day, everything goes great - nothing breaks, kiddos listen to us, we have a purely blissful day...hey, we may even get some baking done! As much as we want to have more of these days and want them to go on forever, they don’t and time fleets. So, how do we make these moments count? This week, I read an article on treasuring kids when they're little as it won’t last for long. I’ll try and capture the gist of the article that stood out to me as a mother myself (who may have only two more years before her only child moves away to a college...hyperventilating here!). The article says “spend time with your kids” - not just being around them and doing other things but making it a special time where we are engaged with them - aha, you mean, Board Game Time counts?! - Yes!! Keep devices, phones, those facebook mindless scrolling or texting away- and spend time engaging with our children. Tough, but we can do it! Another thing that the article mentions is - really listening when our children talk to us - Yes, sometimes our kiddos go on and on with their long stories - but they really want us to listen and comment (not just “uh-huh’ing) along the way. Let's be real, sometimes we all ‘kind-of’ zone away. Yep, I am guilty of it! As I reflect on the article and my week, from one parent to another, no matter how busy you get or how overwhelmed we feel by life in the current scenario, take a deep breath, practice mindfulness, and take a minute each day to think about how much wonder our kiddos bring to our lives. Lets, all of us- parents and guardians - treasure our kids as much as we can. As we finish the 2nd week of Distance Learning (and week 5 of virtual learning), let's try and balance academics with quality family time - spend time together playing games, do some art, involve kids in the kitchen (safely, of course). On that note, as you look at Distance Learning, please remember each child is different and the maximum study hours are suggested parameters of average academic time frames. Some students may want to do more and some may need frequent breaks. As parents, we know our child best and can pace the learning accordingly. 

To assist you with scheduling and planning the week, our School Dashboard is being updated weekly with activities/schedule for the week and you can access it at all times. Link here: TH School Dashboard

It is so wonderful to see students engage in various activities and assignments. Each week, I look forward to joining Zoom meetings to see our Theuerkauf Cheetahs. It is such a joy! Our teachers are doing virtual lessons and Zoom meetings, what am I waiting for?! I want to get in the groove with our teachers too! Please join me for our first virtual Principal’s Coffee on Friday, May 8th, at 2:00 pm. I will share the Zoom meeting link in a separate email this upcoming week as we get closer to Friday. 

 Look forward to “seeing” you at our Principal’s Coffee on Friday! 

Sending light and shine your way.

 

-Principal Dagar 

 

THE JOYS OF OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY -  OUR STUDENTS! 

In this section, please enjoy some fun pictures our families shared over the last few days. So great to see our kiddos having fun with learning...isn’t that what school is about- fun learning?!  

**Nicolas M. on Earth Day!            

**Miguel O. studying how food coloring impacts flowers

**Hank G. made STEAM happen at home - collecting and sorting flowers and leaves 

**Kinders engaging in directed drawing 

** Reading and Science Integration in 2nd grade - How did the wicked witch's apple change before. and after they poured baking soda and vinegar into the hollowed core.  



School News
Incoming middle school parents:  Prepare to select electives for 2020-21 

Use your PowerSchool Parent Portal Access to select Electives for 2020-21 Beginning April 29, 2020, incoming middle school parents will be able to log on to the PowerSchool Parent Portal to select their fifth- to seventh-graders’ elective choices for 2020-21. You should have already received an email with the course catalogs posting this week.

Please make sure you have access to the PowerSchool Parent Portal now by logging on to https://ps.mvwsd.org/public/.  You will use the PowerSchool Parent Portal for elective selection, grades, assignments and attendance monitoring, and for downloading state test results.

If you have difficulty signing in, please contact our School Community Engagement Facilitator, Mrs. Maria Cristina ([email protected]) or our school Secretary, Mrs. Mary Colon ([email protected]

 

2020 Census Paper Questionnaires are on their way to Californians! 

If you’re among the 70+ million households who have already responded to the 2020 Census, thank you! If you haven’t completed it yet, paper questionnaires are in the mail headed your way. Households receiving the paper questionnaire can still respond online or by phone, or they can return it by mail in the enclosed envelope. When you respond online, use the Census ID from the letter or provide your address. To respond now, go to https://go.usa.gov/xdKjk.

Please encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to complete it too. It’s something everyone can do while practicing social distancing at home to make a difference today, tomorrow and the next 10 years. 


Free, low cost internet for students

We think that it’s important that each of our students has one Internet-ready device (laptop, iPad, etc) in their house for distance learning schoolwork.  There are several ways you can access free/or low cost internet to connect students' Chromebooks. Please see the attached flyer or click on www.mvwsd.org/technology.



District News
Google grants $200,000 for MVWSD students

MVEF is grateful for Google’s longtime commitment to public education and partnership with our District and foundation. Google recently donated $200,000 during COVID-19 school closure to ensure MVWSD students stay on track with their learning.

As MVWSD assessed the technological needs in our community made even more clear by the COVID-19 school closure, it’s clear the digital divide still exists. Even after the District distributed 900 Chromebooks this year, almost 10% (615) of our students still need a device, and 5% (247) students still need internet access. Google immediately stepped up with a $100,000 grant to provide technology for students, primarily internet hotspots and laptops, to enable our students to access assignments and online conferences with their teachers during distance learning.  

Additionally, MVEF was awarded an additional $100,000 grant from Google to fund STEM initiatives next year at MVWSD’s schools, ensuring MVEF can continue to help fund essential Next Generation Science Standards, hands-on science programming at every school. 

Superintendent Dr. Ayindé Rudolph shared his gratitude. “We are in uncharted waters in which our daily methods of instruction look very different.  Our students and parents continue to look for a sense of normalcy during remote learning and sheltering in place.  Despite all of the uncertainty, I am grateful that we can continue to count on MVEF and Google as great community advocates and corporate sponsors.  They not only answered our call to reduce the digital divide in our community, but also demonstrated that our path forward through these trying times is together.  On behalf of all of our students, I want to thank MVEF for their continued advocacy, and Google for their continued commitment to our students and community,” he said. 

MVEF and MVWSD express its deep appreciation for Google, and for the company’s willingness to help provide an excellent education to all of our children in Mountain View.


MV Parent U: "Angst," raising anxiety awareness

MV Parent U presents "Angst," a 56-minute film that explores anxiety, its causes, effects and treatments on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, 6:00 PM - Wednesday, May 13, 2020, 9:00 PM.

Angst features candid interviews with kids and young adults who suffer, or have suffered, from anxiety and what they’ve learned about it. The film includes discussions with mental health experts about the causes of anxiety and its sociological effects, as well as help, resources and tools.

To reserve your free spot for this online event, please register here by May 6 at noon: https://angstfilm.eventbrite.com

 

Chess Tournament

17TH ANNUAL MVWSD INTERSCHOLASTIC CHESS TOURNAMENT

17AMICT is forging ahead and will be held this year despite COVID-19!  The tournament will be online this year and will be held Sunday, May 31, 2020, from 11:30 to 5:00.  Full instructions and registration are at tinyurl.com/mvwsdchess.  The registration deadline is May 29.  Come take part in one of the few events this school year going on as scheduled.  Contact Mark Ruzon, Tournament Director, at [email protected] with any questions.

 

InPlay home Activities

With extended time sheltering-in-place, InPlay, MVWSD's partner for out-of-school learning, has created a list of home-based, instructor-led programs offered by your favorite local providers to keep your students active and engaged! Please check it out. https://www.inplay.org/r/mountain-view/discover

 

Distance Learning Tips

Here are a few tips that might help you and your student with Distance Learning. Do you have any tried and true methods of helping your students’ school days be more efficient and your family’s life a little easier? Share them here. http://mvw.sd/37PbG

Giving choice and voice: When looking at the assignments given for the day, have your child choose which ones he or she would like to do first, second, etc.  Giving choice and voice to your child will give him/her independence as well as confidence to do the work.

Divide and conquer: When working on the assignments, chunk the work into small, manageable pieces.  Have your child work for 15-20 minutes and then have them do a preferred activity (coloring, legos, etc.) for 5 minutes and then back to the assignment for another 15-20 minutes. Setting a timer or cell phone reminder is a helpful auditory “cue” for you and your student to take a break and check on each other.

Use your tools: Before starting the day, talk about which tools your child will use for the day.  He or she can use the courage “tool” to persevere through the assignments or the “breathing” tool when something is difficult or tough to manage.

Kids are stuck on a question? Your child’s teachers’ have office hours Monday through Thursday to answer questions from families or students. This is a great time for your child to connect with his/her teacher, and practice speaking to adults and asking for help.  (Teachers are not available 11:30 am to 1:30 pm to allow you, students, and staff to take care of other matters and our own families)

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