August 26, 2020

August 26, 2020



From the Principal's Desk

Hello, Theuerkauf Cheetah Families!

This has been an excellent week at Theuerkauf Elementary! Teachers have been sharing creative, engaging lessons that help to build community as well as social and emotional skills that will serve to unify each class and build a foundation for the rest of the school year. It has been encouraging to see students share their personal hopes, insights, and feelings about a range of topics related to school, their personal interests, and their hopes for the future. 

In addition to what has been going on in classes, it has also been wonderful to get to meet and briefly talk with many of you during the different parent meetings and distribution events over the past week or so. It was especially important to see and converse with many of you at our Back to School Night event this evening. As a dedicated learning community, we are working hard every day to find new ways to engage and inspire our students, and we could not do this without you, parents. Thank you for listening as teachers shared about their classes, and thank you for asking the important questions that will help us to continue working together to serve every child well. 

We look forward to another excellent week ahead! We will be testing students on Thursday and Friday so that we can learn how to best support each child academically. We will also be hosting a second Back to School Night just for the families of our TK students on Wednesday. As we move throughout the week, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or to me with any questions that may arise. 

Together, we make a difference!

 

Yours in service,

Michelle Williams, Principal



Important Dates

September 2, 2020 - 6:00 - 7:30 pm- Back to school night - Transitional Kindergarten (TK) - Register here

September 7, 2020-  Labor Day, No School

September 11, 2020- ELAC Meeting 9:00-10:00

September 18, 2020- Third materials distribution (12pm-5pm, all grades)


School News

Volunteer with Project Cornerstone 

Strengthen the caring community at our school! Volunteers share a book with the class each month and lead an activity/discussion related to social-emotional learning. This year's topics include: empathy, boosting friendships, expressing feelings in healthy ways and more. Please email [email protected] to volunteer or for more information. You can learn more about the program at projectcornerstone.org

 

Online Assessments

Next week we will be administering our i-Ready assessments for English Language Arts for students in grades 1-5. Please be on the lookout for an email with the schedule. Teachers will be proctoring the assessment so please do not assist your child while they are taking the test. We want to make sure we are assessing what they know and how to tailor instruction to best meet their needs. Additionally, please ensure that your child has a quiet place to work, free of distractions.

 

Check-in Times

Beginning on Tuesday of this week, I have begun holding open Zoom office hours for any parent or guardian who would like to ask a question. You can join me here from 8:00am-8:30am on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Please note that my Zoom 'door' is also open to you anytime you would like to schedule a meeting.

 

Emergency Contact Information 

If you would like to update your contact information (phone number, email, emergency contacts, etc.), please complete this confidential online form or email Ms. Colon at [email protected] or Ms. Minor at [email protected].

 

Safety Reminders

As a reminder, our campus remains closed due to COVID-19. When necessary, appointments may be scheduled for materials pick-up. 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 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.

 

Attendance and Absences 

Even though we are in distance learning, we are still in school.  Daily attendance is required. At the beginning of the school day, teachers will have a Zoom check in meeting to take attendance and connect with students. If your child will be absent and not able to attend Zoom instruction, please contact the front office by phone (650) 903-6925 or email [email protected] to inform the school of your child’s absence.


PTA Meeting

Join the PTA!

The Theuerkauf Elementary PTA is an all-volunteer association that builds community and supports school enrichment through organizing events like pancake breakfasts, paying for field trip experiences, and providing teachers with funding for supplies.

Please join our PTA to support our children and our school! We are a non-profit organization; for each member, we pay dues to various PTA organizations.  Dues help us operate; donations help us support our school community. 

Please fill out and return this form in a sealed envelope with cash or a check made payable to Theuerkauf Elementary PTA.  We can collect dues when materials are being distributed.  To pay online, please email your completed form and use PayPal to recipient [email protected].


District News

link to distance learning chart

MV Parent U on Sept. 9: Increasing Student Engagement with Literacy

Join us on Wednesday, September 9 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. for our next Parent University event: Increasing Student Engagement with Literacy from Home.

MVWSD Instructional Coaches Karen Gordon and Natalie Gallagher will share several resourceful strategies for supporting reading, writing, listening, and speaking at home during distance learning:

  • Easy activities to boost your child's reading engagement 

  • Creative ways to encourage and support writing using four text types (expository/informative, narrative, opinion, argumentative)

  • Fostering listening skills to be able to extract key information

  • Cultivating speaking skills using academic vocabulary

  • Tips to prepare your child for ELPAC testing

Register here

 

Upcoming CAC events

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

Our events for September:

August 31, 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. For the Zoom link for this meeting, email [email protected].

September 8, 10 am - 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. Please contact [email protected] for the Zoom link for this meeting.

Also on September 8, 10 am - Parent Chat - Support for parents of teens with mental health challenges. A great place for help and support for challenges with your teens. Please contact [email protected] for Google Meet invite.

 

MVEF News

Welcome from the Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF)!

MVEF is a community supported non-profit that raises funds to provide a competitive, well-rounded education for every child in the district.  We rely on tax-deductible donations from parents like you to support our students.  

In 2020, MVEF-funded programs will continue but look a little different in our connected learning environment.  MVEF will fund: Weekly art and music classes from CSMA delivered online, science through Living Classroom virtual lessons, middle school science supplies, environmental education online lessons, and TechSmart Coding classes.  Specifically, to support connected learning, MVEF will also fund art supplies, instrument repair, elective kits, online learning resources, professional development for teachers in online teaching, and Student Wellness.

We need your help to meet our goal to raise $800,000. Please check for the MVEF brochure with your student supply bag ormvef.org for more information.  To join our team of volunteers, email [email protected].  Donate today at  https://www.mvef.org/donate  

 

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