September 16, 2020

September 16, 2020


From the Principal's Desk

Hello, Theuerkauf Cheetah Families!

It has been an eventful week of school! We have collectively really begun to find our rhythm in the online space, with teachers and students partnering together to build strong foundations in math, ELA, STEAM, and social studies. This week, students finished their i-Ready assessments for math. All students worked diligently to concentrate and do their very best, and we are proud of their efforts. Please look for an update letter from me later this week regarding the results of both the math and English language arts assessments. In addition to testing, students have been working on writing exercises, including some very imaginative and creative short stories in the upper grade levels! It has been exciting to see deeper social and emotional learning taking place in many classes as students make their way through Nearpod lessons. We held our first ELAC meeting this week, and it was uplifting to see multiple parents come together in support of our school’s English learners. Additionally, our front office team has been toiling behind the scenes to ensure that each and every student has the curriculum, materials, and supplies necessary for productive online learning. We are grateful for the deep collaboration, interdependence, and support that has been shared between staff members and parents as we endeavor to shape our students into the future LEADERS of our city, state, and nation. We look forward to continuing to plan, prepare, and ready our school site for reopening in the coming weeks. Though we do not yet have a date for reopening, we are taking all of the necessary steps to prepare for when this might be possible. Thank you for your partnership and for the love and support you show your children each and every day.

 

Together, we make a difference!

 

Yours in service,

Michelle Williams, Principal 


Important Dates

September 18, 2020, 12-5pmLimited materials distribution for grades K, TK, and the 4/5 combo class only (Please refer to the School News section for more information).

September 24, 2020, 5:30pm- Theuerkauf Elementary Parent Coffee

October 12, 2020- Recess Break - No School

November 6, 2020- End of Trimester -  Minimum Day



School News

Free Student Meals Available Again

The free meal program has been extended! During Distance Learning, free meals are again available to all children in the Mountain View Whisman School District age 18 and younger. No IDs required. Locations: All schools, except Stevenson (pickup for Stevenson is at Theuerkauf). Times: 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. at the elementary schools. 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the middle schools. Walk, drive or roll up to grab a free meal and go! Parents should continue to go herehttps://secure.ezmealapp.com/to apply for free or reduced price meal benefits through the National Lunch Program, if needed.  

 

Materials Distribution Update

This week’s all-school materials distribution has been postponed due to shipment delays. We will still hold a distribution from 12pm-5pm for specific grades who have instructional materials to share. 

  • TK

  • Kindergarten

  • 1st grade

  • 4th grade - Mr. Torres’ students only

  • 5th grade

Students in 2nd and 3rd grade will not have anything to pick up this week. Ms. Polito’s 4th graders and Ms. Stewart’s 5th graders also will not have anything to pick up this week.

4th grade parents, if you did not get the chance to pick up your child’s music recorder yet, please plan to stop by for this. 

As soon as we receive our art supplies shipment, headphones, and any other items, we will hold an additional school-wide distribution. Please stand by for an update regarding this new date.

 

Managing Frustration During Distance Learning

Here a few simple tips that may help your child manage frustration during distance learning.

▪ Stick to routines - provide a single place for your child to complete their school lessons when possible.

▪ Keep all supplies and instructional materials in a bag in the same place so that items don’t get lost and aren’t tough to find.

▪ When meltdowns occur, try using one of these simple calming strategies: counting to 10, taking deep breaths, a short break. 

▪ Help your child describe the problem and express their feelings (I feel … when …). 

▪ Together, come up with a potential solution and connect it to previously set expectations. 

▪ Explain how the child’s behavior is linked to consequences. Set gentle and firm limits. 

▪ Assume that everyone is trying their best. Be kind to yourself. Be patient with others. 

▪ Ask teachers or others for help. We are here to support you!

 

COVID Safety Update, Checklist, and Stage 3 Hybrid Learning Preparation

Our staff is hard at work preparing for the safe return of our students, once it is determined by our school board, the state, and public health agencies that it is safe to do so. Each Friday, we are posting our progress on ourReopening Checklist.Please take a look to learn more about what we are doing each week to prepare the Theuerkauf campus for reopening. 

Later this month, parents will receive a survey from the district regarding our future return to school on campus. It is important that we know our parents’ choice for reopening to help plan maintenance, Special Education, meal distribution and student ratios for our classrooms. Scheduling will need to be completed by hand for each student, so it will be imperative that we have accurate numbers. 

 

Safety Reminders

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

 

2020 Solar and Perimeter Fence Projects (Funded by Measure T) 

Thanks to our community members for supporting and passing Measure T, the $259 million bond issue passed in 2020, we are able to continue to fund a variety of projects that will increase safety, efficiency and provide for short-term growth at our schools.  At Theuerkauf, we will see the following project areas:

  • Replacement and improvements of our HVAC equipment

  • Improved security with the improvement of our perimeter fencing to completely enclose our campus and fields

  • Construction of solar arrays

  • New lighting to illuminate paths of travel to and from campus and parking lots

  • Replacement of older, single pane windows, where needed

You can find more details on all the exciting upgrades and improvements on our districtwebsite.

 

Online Assessments

This week, we finished administering our i-Ready assessments for ELA and math for students in grades K-5. The tests were administered on every day but Wednesday this week. On Thursday and Friday, our campus Instructional Coach, Mrs. Gallagher, will be conducting make-up testing. Please be sure to support your child during makeup testing by providing them with a quiet place to test where they will be minimally distracted, if possible, and resist the urge to help your child with any of the questions. It is paramount that we assess each child’s English and math proficiency accurately in order to provide them with the level of support needed in daily instruction.

 

Old Chromebooks & Library Books (from last school year)

As a reminder--if you have a Chromebook from last year, please return the device by September 18, 2020. We will have a bin just inside of the main office doors for parents to place the old Chromebooks. You can stop by between 8am and 12pm, from 9/7 and 9/11, or you can drop these off during our limited materials distribution on 9/18 from 12pm to 5pm.

Similarly, we will have a box for library book returns. If your child has a book from last year, please return it during these same timeframes.


PTA News

Weekly Riddle

Congratulations to Addison for solving last week's riddle! Age always goes up but never goes down.

Are you ready for the next one - this week's riddle is: "What begins with T, finishes with T, and has T in it?"

As a reminder - reply to thePTA Facebookpost and include the student's first name only. Parents can enter one answer for each student at Theuerkauf, and we will award a small prize to one of the students who answers correctly. 

 

Mask Design Contest

Tired of boring mask designs or can't find one that shows Cheetah Spirit? 

The PTA is excited to announce the "DESIGN OUR MASK" contest. 

Have your child draw a Theuerkauf-inspired design, snap a picture of it, and submit it by September 30th either viaFacebookor to our PTA email at[email protected].

 

PTA Information 

Come join us at our next PTA meeting and have your thoughts and ideas heard. We are meeting on September 23 at 5 p.m. through GoogleMeet.

Did you know that there are different ways to support the PTA, our students, and our school? 

- Simply by shopping on Amazon or using your credit card, you can make a small donation at no additional cost to you. See the attached flier for details.

- We would love for you to join our small but mighty team. Please fill out and return thisform in a sealed envelope with cash or a check made payable to Theuerkauf Elementary PTA. To pay online, please email your completed form and use PayPal to send your dues to recipient[email protected]. Sponsorships are also available. 


District News

Parent University videos are now onmvwsd.orgwebsite!

Did you miss the latest Parent University event? Do you want to review the materials that were presented? Videos and materials are now in English and Spanish on the Parent University website athttp://www.mvwsd.org/parent/parent_university

Latest uploads: Sept. 8 event: How to support your child with reading

 

Join the MVWSD conversation: Distance Learning: What's working?

We’re now up to 1200 thoughts so far in our online conversation about Distance Learning.  Now that we've been distance learning for several weeks due to COVID-19, in your opinion, what’s working well and what are our areas of improvement?

Before Thursday, Sept 17: Please take some time to participate or rejoin the conversation to start thoughts entered since you were there last. You may participate in this exchange by clicking on this link:http://mvw.sd/TE. Translation is available in multiple languages.  Your input will help us further improve and refine our plans as we move into the future.

 

Track your student's online activities at home with Securly

MVWSD provides a tool that allows parents to be aware of their students' online activities and to help keep them safe on their school-issued devices.Securlyallows you to see what choices your student is making online while at home so that you will be alerted to potential issues and can guide your student. Please note:Securlyis for school-issued devices only. Check your email for these weekly reports, and you may also download the Securly app. For more information, please seehttps://www.mvwsd.org/technology.

 

Please Support Our Students and Teachers!

MVEF raises money to provide all MVWSD students with an educational experience beyond what is possible with public funding. We hope you saw the MVEF brochure with your school supplies or watched the video during Back to School. Please see the website athttps://www.mvef.org/for more information and to donate online. Please consider joining our team of volunteers or emailing us with any questions at[email protected]. Thank you for your support! online or by phone, please click on the September 17 agenda link on this webpage:https://www.mvwsd.org/about/board_of_trustees/board_meetings

 

Public hearing on Sept. 17: Sufficient instructional materials

A public hearing will be held in order to comply with Ed Code section 60119 on September 17, 2020 to detail the extent to which textbooks and instructional materials were provided to all students, including English Learners.

The definition of “sufficient textbooks or instructional materials” means that each pupil has textbooks or instructional materials, or both to use in class and to take home in each of the following subjects:

• Mathematics

• Science

• History/Social Science

• Language Arts

The public hearing on September 17, 2020 at 7:00pm will be held during the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. To view details about accessing the meeting either online or by phone, please click on the September 17 agenda link on this webpage:https://www.mvwsd.org/about/board_of_trustees/board_meetings

 

The MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series presents: Jeff Selingo on "Who Gets In and Why:  A Year Inside the College Admissions Process" on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2020 - 7:00 - 9:00pm | Live Online | Zoom

Join us for an insightful evening with journalist and higher education expert Jeff Selingo, as he dispels entrenched notions about the college admissions process. 

While many have long believed that college admissions decisions are driven largely by merit, Jeff presents a more complicated truth.   Embedded in three distinctly different admissions offices — a selective private university, a leading liberal arts college, and a flagship public campus — Jeff closely observed college admission officers as they made their often agonizing and sometimes life-changing decisions.

Based on a year of reading applications and sitting through committee meetings where up and down votes were taken, Jeff reveals what really matters to the gatekeepers and how their ultimate decisions are often based on a college’s priorities.  Following interviews with students, testing agencies, marketers, and ranking organizations, Jeff also shares practical advice and helpful strategies for navigating the confusing, chaotic, and often-times stressful college application process.  

  • Audience:  High school parents and students; teachers and counselors

  • Register: To register for this free event, go tohttps://mvla2020-21-jeffselingo.eventbrite.com

  • Book:  Jeff's new book, Who Gets In and Why, will be released Sept. 15th and is available with free shipping fromBooks, Inc.  Jeff is generously offering our community a 30% discount + free shipping for pre-orders made directly through him. If interested, use codeMVLA30.

Event Login:  We will send the Zoom link via Eventbrite email, Thursday afternoon, October 1st. 

If you have not used Zoom before, please make sure to allow a few extra minutes before the event to download the free Zoom app.    


Attachments

PTA Flyer 

PTA Membership Form 

PTA Mask Template 

 

 
 
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