December 11, 2020

December 11, 2020


From the Principal's Desk

Hello, Cheetah families! 

I hope that you have had an excellent week and that you are staying safe and warm during this holiday season. So far this week, our students have persevered to complete their winter ELA I-Ready assessments, they have participated in a FUN and educational virtual assembly that involved water conservation, a little juggling, and a lot of music, and each student has started to focus on this month's core value: RESPECT! While we will reserve our next assembly for mid-January, we want to make sure that every student begins to understand this extremely important value now. You will see SEL themed lessons on respect over the next several weeks, and we would invite you to have conversations as a family about what it means to respect one another and all of our beautiful strengths, qualities, and unique attributes. Next week, we look forward to several final events for 2020, including an SSC meeting, 2021-22 TK informational night for new enrollees, and our final principal's coffee for the year. 

Additionally, please mark your calendars that January 11-15, we will have week-long minimum days. These minimum days allow for us to host our Virtual Parent-Teacher conferences.  Each family will receive a communication from your child’s teacher on how to schedule a 30 minute Virtual Parent-Teacher Conference to discuss.  Please sign up for your Virtual Parent-Teacher Conference before we leave for Holiday Recess on December 18th.  This is a fantastic opportunity to connect where your child is in their learning and growth as well as set goals for the remainder of the school year.

Double your Donation with the MVEF December Challenge Grant.  Throughout December, every dollar donated will be matched dollar for dollar up to $47,000, through the MVEF December Challenge Grant.  The December Challenge Grant has been made possible by generous MVEF donors who are challenging you to join them in supporting MVEF. Donate today to get your donation matched by this challenge!   https://www.mvef.org/donate

 

As always, thank you for all that you are doing to support our amazing students at home. 

Together, we make a difference!

 

Yours in service, 

Michelle Williams, Principal



Important Dates

Thursdays from 4-5pm - Open office hours with the Principal

Friday, December 11 - 1st grade materials distribution (3-5pm)

Tuesday, December 15 - iReady Math (grades K-5)

Tuesday, December 15 - SSC Meeting 5:00-6:00 pm

Wednesday, December 16- TK Night (for new enrolees in 2021-22) - 6:00 pm

Friday, December 18 - Cheetah Spirit Day: Winter sweaters

December 21-31 - Holiday Break - No School

Friday, January 1 - Holiday Recess - No School

Monday, January 4 - Teacher Service Day - No School

Tuesday, January 5 - Student’s resume classes

January 11-15 - Parent Conferences - minimum days (11:55am dismissal)

Monday, January 18 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School



School News

Parent Teacher Conferences January 11-15, 2021

As a reminder, please try to schedule your conference before we leave for Holiday Break.  If none of the times work for you, please be sure to contact your child’s teacher directly. The scheduling window is now open.

If you have technical issues with signing up, please email Principal Williams directly at [email protected]. For all other questions, please contact Mary Colon at [email protected] or Sherri Minor at [email protected].  You can also call us in the school office at (650) 903-6925.

 

Library Corner

Here are a few exciting announcements from our friendly Theuerkauf librarian, Mrs. Bhajarian (AKA Mrs. B)!

  • Thanks to the efforts of our district office personnel, Theuerkauf now has 164 new eBooks! These books have cool features that allow you to bookmark, highlight, and change font sizes. Most books can even be read to you. Mrs. B has created a video that shows how to use some of these features and posted it on YouTube here.

  • We still have access to all of the hundreds of eBooks and audiobooks through the Santa Clara County Schools Shared Digital Collection. Would you like to find out how to access these eBooks? Click here to see a quick instructional video!

  • Looking for a gift for your child? Give the gift of reading! Epic, a free source of ebooks during school hours, is offering 50% off a year’s subscription for unlimited access. Click here for details.

  • Last, but not least, Stevenson is hosting renowned children's author Todd Parr on Tuesday, December 15, from 1-2pm. TK-1st grades are invited. For more information click here.

Happy reading, everyone!

 

CSMA Art Supplies

Your children continue to have the opportunity to attend art lessons provided by Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) as part of their school day through a partnership between the MVWSD, the Mountain View Education Foundation (MVEF), and CSMA.

To support these lessons, your child will be provided with art supplies over the course of the school year. Some general supplies came at the beginning of the school year like crayons, erasers, pencils and glue sticks. The next set of supplies, including a sketchbook and construction paper, is ready for distribution.  

Our school will be distributing supplies on January 13th from 3-5pm.

Also, please join us in thanking MVEF for their generous donation of these supplies for our elementary students.

Classroom Spotlight - Reposted

Due to a misprint in last week's Cheetah Chatter, we are re-posting our corrected classroom spotlight regarding Mrs. Stewart's 5th grade class this week. Thank you for reading!

 


 

 

Classroom Spotlight - Mrs. Jennifer Stewart

 

Each week, we will begin to showcase and celebrate the wonderful things going on in one of our Theuerkauf classes. This week, we would like to showcase what is happening in Ms. Jennifer Stewart's 5th grade class! We asked Jen a series of questions. Here are her responses!

 

Is there a project, assignment, or moment that you are especially proud of that has taken place this year?

We spent one month on the Anti-Defamation League lesson, "Huddled Mass or Second Class." This lesson helps students build empathy and understanding for the experiences of immigrants. Students read a poem, "You Have to Live in Somebody Else's Country to Understand" before creating their own poems. We read the book "Who Belongs Here?" by Margy Burns Knight and discussed how it might feel to be treated as an "outsider." Finally, students researched contributions of Native Americans and other immigrants and shared their findings with the class.

Where did you go to college?

UC Irvine (undergrad), USC (grad)

 

What do you like to do in your free time?

I enjoy spending time with my family, hiking, running, and camping

 

Can you share 2 or 3 fun facts about you that people may not know?

I have completed a 50K race, I grew up horseback riding, and I used to work at a Mandarin language immersion school.

 

Is there anything else you'd like to share about your class, your students, or yourself?

I am so proud of my students for the hard work that they have put into this first trimester. They are all amazing Cheetahs! I would also like to share one piece of student poem, below.

 

 

Reminder: Materials Distributions Procedure Updates

Please note that our procedures for materials pick-ups have changed slightly to better protect all members of our learning community. In order to further limit direct contact of any kind, we are now organizing all items for pick up in a bag, placing this bag on a socially-distanced table for each individual family to pick up upon arrival at the school. 

This means that we would ask you to please exit your car briefly in order to pick up your bag of materials. To aid us in hearing names from a safe distance (this can be tough with masks!), we ask that you please continue to write your child's full name in bold marker on a sheet of paper, displayed on the passenger side window or held up upon arrival. 

Also, as a reminder--If you have been exposed to someone with COVID or are experiencing any COVID-like symptoms such as loss of taste/smell, coughing, or fever, please do not come to the school. We will arrange a drop off at your home's door instead--just send us an email with this information. 

Thanks so much for your assistance and time as we all work together to stay safe and healthy! The TK teachers are all very excited to get to see you tomorrow, even if from a distance. 

Reminder: Technology Support:

  • NEW: Please remember to TURN OFF your Chromebook for at least 2 minutes prior to starting school on Monday morning. There are updates that are sent to your child's device over each weekend. If the Chromebook is not powered down and back on, it will not work properly on Monday morning. 

  • If you are having problems with the chromebook you can contact: [email protected] to create a ServiceNow ticket or call the Tech Department at (650) 526-3252.

  • Is your child having trouble with sound or with their microphone? 

    • This video clip may help! NEW: Adjust Microphone Input Tutorial

    • In the Zoom app, you can click on the bottom left where the microphone is and click on the arrow, choose audio settings and then check 'automatically adjust microphone volume.' 

    • Another solution to try is to manually reduce the microphone volume in Chrome by clicking on the menu where the time/wifi icon is located then choosing the arrow next to the sound icon and adjust the microphone volume there.

 

Reminder: Reporting Absences

If you are reporting a student’s absence, please email the Secretary Mary Colon at [email protected] or call the attendance line at (650) 903-6925 press #2

Reminder. Please include your student’s name, your student’s room or teacher, the reason for absence, and the date of absence.

 

Reminder: Safety Protocols

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.

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Theuerkauf PTA Maker Sessions

We kicked off our first two maker sessions this week (Ornament and Scrapbook making) and look forward to seeing many more of you next week. 

Everybody who signed up should have received an invitation and a packet of supplies. In case you did sign up and did not receive either, please contact Karin at [email protected]

PTA News

PTA Holiday Appreciation for Families

The holiday season is a time for families to come together and bond. Why not have a game night sponsored by the Theuerkauf PTA? A simple deck of cards can lead to hours of fun playing some old favorites or trying out some new ones. 

 

Come by the school on Thursday, December 17th from 11:45-12:45 to pick up your holiday appreciation gift!

District News

Community Check In on Friday, December 11

Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/Dec11


Better Together: Together we can appreciate our abilities 

In December, we are celebrating Abilities Awareness Month. To honor our commitments in moving towards equity and inclusion, help us bring the voices of people with diverse abilities into your classroom or homes, and create a learning environment that rejects ableism. From lessons on art, activism and physical disabilities to education about new developments in Universal Design, these resources will help you and your children embrace diverse abilities and understand the injustices people with disabilities often encounter. Together, we can appreciate our abilities and celebrate our common humanity. See the attached graphics or view them on https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogethermvwsd

Are you curious about the i-Ready platform and how you can support your student at home? Please join us for a virtual i-Ready parent workshop on December 10, 2020 at 5:30 - 6:30 PM.  This session will provide parents with an overview of i-Ready and answer parents’ frequently asked questions about how i-Ready elevates instruction.

Click here to register. Spanish interpretation is available for this workshop. 

We want to answer your questions. In advance of the workshop, please email questions to Ms. Swati Dagar, Interim Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment at [email protected] by Friday, December 4, 2020. 

 

MVWSD’s award-winning Preschool

Is now enrolling for full-day and part-day for the 2021-22 school year. Information meetings will be held in January. Please see the attached flyer or https://www.mvwsd.org/preschool for more information. 

 

Getting Ready for the ELPAC information sessions, Dec. 15 and Jan. 12

The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) is administered every year to our English Learner (EL) students. To learn more about this assessment, the role it plays in the education of every EL, and how to help your child prepare, please join us for one of the following meetings: 

  • December 15 

5:00-5:30 in English: https://zoom.us/j/92673835582

5:30-6:00 in Spanish: https://zoom.us/j/94603257266

  • January 12

5:00-5:30 in English: https://zoom.us/j/93307939185

5:30-6:00 in Spanish: https://zoom.us/j/93709174683

 

TK and choice schools’ meetings coming up. Open Enrollment for all MVWSD students starts in January

School and District information meetings are coming up in December. Please visit www.mvwsd.org/register for a list of these events and for login information.

  • If your child turns 5 years old between September 2 – December 2, 2021, he/she may qualify for transitional kindergarten. TK info night is December 16 at 5:00 p.m online.

  • If you are interested in the District's choice schools, information nights are: 

Gabriela Mistral: Dual Spanish/English Immersion: December 15 at 6 pm

Stevenson: Parent Child Teacher: December 16 at 6 pm

Choice schools will also have information at the elementary schools’ info nights (6 p.m. Dec. 9).

For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 18- 22.

For NEW students:  Open Enrollment is from January 11 through Feb. 5, 2021 online. You can register your child for the 2021-22 school year when online registration opens here:  www.mvwsd.org/register 

 

MVEF news: Double Your Donation with the December Challenge Grant! 

Throughout December, every dollar donated will be matched dollar for dollar up to $47,000, through our December Challenge Grant.  The December Challenge Grant has been made possible by generous MVEF donors who are challenging you to join them in supporting MVEF. Donate today to get your donation matched by this challenge! 

If your company has a matching gift program, you can even triple your impact by donating this month! 

Every dollar donated makes a difference and allows the district-wide programs to be funded which is especially important now, during remote learning.  It takes donations of every size for us to reach our annual goal of $800,000 together.   https://www.mvef.org/donate



Attachments

Preschool 2020-21 

December Equity Calendar 

 

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