From the Principal's Desk
Hello, Theuerkauf Families!
Thank you for your support and patience over the last two weeks. I appreciate all of your communication and efforts to keep our families and our greater school community safe.
Please remember each day:
*Make sure your child has an appropriate mask that fits well, covering your child's mouth and nose.
*Keep your child home if they are feeling ill.
*If you are in doubt about whether or not to send your child to school, don’t hesitate to email me or contact the front office. There is a lot of information out there and we are happy to help you navigate through it.
*Thank your child’s teacher and the other awesome Theuerkauf staff! They are doing an amazing job keeping kids learning and safe. A quick email of gratitude goes a long way in filling their buckets. You can also share a shout out here (https://forms.gle/LFvhyqPTtK3GVEUa6).
Coffee with the Superintendent for Theuerkauf parents
Please join us on Thursday, Jan. 13 with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph at 9:00 am. Register in advance at http://mvw.sd/coffee113. Spanish interpretation will be available. See you there!
Thank you for your partnership. Together, we make a difference!
Yours in service,
Michelle Williams
Important Dates
Mon-Fri, January 10-14 - Parent-Teacher Conferences, minimum days 12:10 dismissal
Wednesday, January 19- SSC Meeting 5:00-6:00pm (Zoom)
Thursday, January 13- Theuerkauf Superintendent Coffee 9:00-10:00am (http://mvw.sd/coffee113)
Monday, January 17- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday - No School
Tuesday, January 18- Morning Lexia lab resumes 7:30am
Thursday, January 20 - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting, 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Friday, January 21 - Superintendent Community Check-in, 3:30pm - 4:30pm - Register Here
Friday, January 28- ELAC Meeting 9:00-10:00am (Zoom)
Wednesday, January 26- Principal’s Coffee 5:00-6:00pm (Zoom)
***Wednesdays Open Office Hours with the Principal 4:00-5:00pm (use this link)***
School News
Please upload your child’s completed vaccine card
When your child's vaccine card has their second shot listed, please upload a copy to Powerschool. Vaccine cards will be referred to in the case of a positive COVID exposure for your student, and MVWSD needs accurate data for decisions about COVID protocols. Click here for a video that shows you how to upload documents: https://vimeo.com/606954357.Thank you in advance for uploading your documents now!
Boba Bliss - Thank you PTA & All Parents!
The teachers and staff of Theuerkauf would like to share a heartfelt THANK YOU to the members of our wonderful PTA for providing Boba tea to EVERY one of our staff members on Wednesday. This extremely sweet gesture really lifted spirits and encouraged everyone immensely–and it was so tasty! Thank you to all who worked together to make this happen and for all of those in our learning community who donated to make this happen. A special thank you goes to Edena Lin and Teresa Peters for coordinating this! Thank you to our fabulous students, as well, for sharing your joy with us as you passed out these refreshing beverages.
Principal’s Virtual Office Hours
This is just a friendly reminder that you are invited to join me each Wednesday for our informal Principal Office Hours (virtual through Zoom) from 4pm - 5:00pm. Feel free to drop in if you have any questions or if you just want to chat. For office hours, there is no formal agenda, it is a time for you to stop in to say hello, and for us to get to know each other better! I look forward to seeing you!
Reposted: Lost and Found Clothing and Accessories
Is your child missing a sweater, jacket, hat, or other items? If so, please stop by the front gate during morning or afternoon pick-up. There are many water bottles, warm coats, adorable sweaters, and other items, as well. We'd like to help you to recover your child's items.
PTA News
JOIN OUR YEARBOOK TEAM!
Over the next few months we'll be putting together the Theuerkauf yearbook. We'd love it if you can lay out a page - your child's class page!
The software is pretty easy (we can give you a quick online training session ) and you can work from home so it's great for working parents. This year, teachers are uploading photos for us since parents are not allowed on campus.
We’d also love photographs of first day of school, clubs and after school activities so if you have a chance, please take some photos and send them to us via email or google drive.
If you’re interested in helping, please email Teresa, Colleen, and Ms. Herold at [email protected].
A huge THANK YOU for supporting the boba tea fundraiser & teacher treat!
Today we delivered close to 30 well deserved treats to our beloved teachers and staff at school and made them smile and gave them a boost during this long week of parent-teacher conferences! Thanks to all the parents who supported the effort - we will keep all additional funds we received and put them towards Teacher Appreciation Week in May.
Reminder: 1st PTA meeting of the year on Wednesday January 26th at 7pm.
Please click on the link and hear what we are planning for the remainder of the school year.
District News
Booster and flu shot clinic Thursday (Jan. 13) at Blach Intermediate, Los Altos
COVID vaccines, COVID boosters (including for ages 12+) and flu shots are available. See the attached flyer for information and for the link to make an appointment.
Attendance is important: Parent notifications ramp up in January
Research shows that school attendance is a strong indicator of success. It's about students learning what they need to know, belonging to the school community, and being part of the team that is preparing them with good habits for high school.
What’s an Excused vs. Not Excused absence? Illness (including quarantining due to COVID), doctor’s appointments, bereavement, and certain religious exercises are excused absences.
Letters: beginning in this month, MVWSD will send letters to parents of any student who is truant (any three unexcused absences and/ or tardies over 30 minutes means a child is truant). These letters inform parents when students have had three or more unexcused absences and inform families of next steps and any resources or procedures in place to help their family get their child to school regularly.
Calls: In January, MVWSD schools will also begin using an automated system to notify parents when a student is absent from school. This automated call will alert a parent that a student has been marked absent. This is important for the safety of your child and for our attendance accounting. Please ensure we have the reason for your child’s absence.
It’s possible that you might receive a call after you have notified the office of the absence. We apologize for any inconvenience that this additional call may cause. This process helps us to maintain a safe school environment and support your child and family. Thank you for your support.
Parent-Teacher Conferences are Jan. 10-14. Minimum day for students. Sign up for conferences!
Parent-Teacher (Student) Conferences present a valuable opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, strengths and needs, and work with your teacher to help your child have a successful academic experience. Conference week is scheduled for January 10-14, 2022. Every day that week is a minimum day for students.
COVID booster now available for individuals 12+
The CDC has now approved boosters for children ages 12 to 15. Boosters provide an additional layer of protection against COVID-19, including the Omicron variant. Also, if you received the Pfizer vaccines as your initial COVID-19 vaccine series, you can now get a booster 5 months after your second dose instead of 6 months. You can schedule your vaccine appointment at: www.sccFreeVax.org.
Booster and flu shot clinic Thursday (Jan. 13) at Blach Intermediate, Los Altos
COVID vaccines, COVID boosters (including for ages 12+) and flu shots are available. See the attached flyer for information and for the link to make an appointment.
Please upload your child’s completed vaccine card
Many of our younger students are getting their 2nd COVID vaccine shot this week. When your child's vaccine card has their second shot listed, please upload a copy to Powerschool. Vaccine cards will be referred to in the case of a positive COVID exposure for your student, and MVWSD needs accurate data for decisions about COVID protocols. Click here for a video that shows you how to upload documents: https://vimeo.com/606954357.Thank you in advance for uploading your documents now!
Preschool information meetings: Jan. 12 and Jan. 26
The award-winning MVWSD Preschool Program is currently accepting applications for full- and part-day for the 2022-23 school year.
All 4-year-olds residing in the Castro School boundaries are now eligible for FREE, part-day state preschool at Latham.
Our preschool offers age-appropriate early math, language, literacy and science inquiry instruction, as well as social-emotional development in either part-day and full-day classes.
*** Join us for an info meeting on January 12 at 3:30 pm (Spanish) at Zoom link: http://mvw.sd/PK112 or January 26 at 3:30 pm (English) at Zoom link: http://mvw.sd/PK126 ***
Children who will be 3- or 4-years old at any time during the school year are eligible. Priority enrollment is for children who will be 4 years old by Sept. 1. Full day is 8 a.m.- 3 p.m., part-day is 3 hrs in the morning or afternoon.
Now accepting applications for full- and part-day spaces. Enrollment appointments begin in March. For more info go to www.mvwsd.org/preschool or call 650-526-3560.
Parent University: Managing Stress and Fostering Resiliency
Date: 1/19/22, 5:30 p.m. Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/pu011922
Does hearing about stress make you feel stressed out? Let’s face this universal phenomenon together. This presentation will:
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Identify common stressors and the effects of stress
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Explore tips for stress management for oneself
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Provide tips on how to support our kids with stress management
To submit questions prior to the event, please click here. We will do our best to address your question during the session.
Open Enrollment for all MVWSD students starts in January
For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 24-28.
For NEW students: Open Enrollment is from January 10 through Feb. 4, 2022 online. You can register your child for the 2022-23 school year when online registration opens here: www.mvwsd.org/register
Please visit www.mvwsd.org/register for more information.
MVWSD Wellness Parenting Tip: Improving Your or Your Child's Mood
Stressful events influence our thoughts (words or images that pop into our mind), feelings (our emotions), and actions (what we do or say). For example, if your childcare falls through, then you might think, "my day is ruined;" you might feel frustrated; and you might act short-tempered with your child, partner, or colleagues. Doing enjoyable activities can prevent stressful events from ruining our day.
To improve your (or your child's) mood:
1) Track your mood throughout the day (e.g., rate how you feel each morning, afternoon, and evening from 1 = unhappy to 5 = happy).
2) Create a list of activities that you enjoy doing.
3) Schedule one or more of these activities.
4) Do the scheduled activity.
5) Compare your mood before and after doing the activity.
Watch this video to learn more about how doing fun activities can make you (or your child) feel better: http://mvw.sd/4V8V1
MVEF Gala Save the Date: March 19, 2022 & Survey input requested
The MVEF Gala Committee is hard at work ensuring that our Annual Gala on March 19th will be a fun evening that raises funds for our schools. We are still working out all the details as current conditions shift - so stay tuned! We do know that Trivia will be back as will our annual raffle. If you'd like to join the planning committee, please contact Andrea Maes at [email protected].
Please take our Survey! MVEF wants your input on our funding priorities
MVEF wants to know your thoughts about our stretch goal, the programs that we usually fund, and areas where MVEF could potentially fund programs in the future for all MVWSD students.
Please take a moment to complete this survey.
Inclusive Fun Fair - Summer Camp and Recreation opportunities for students with learning challenges. Sponsored by SELPA 1 CAC (www.selpa1cac.org)
Tuesday, January 25 7-8:30 PM on Zoom
Learn more about local summer camp and recreational opportunities from our panel, including:
Via West and Camp Altitude, The Friendship Circle, Camp EDMO, Camp Tuolumne Trails, Learning Play with Chaia May, Special Olympics Nor. Cal., Animal Assisted Happiness. Camp Harmon, Quest Therapeutic Camps and more!
Register:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsdeCprDMoHNQmNm2AxCpcukE3IRu-YdIZ
MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Series: Jessica Lahey - The Addiction Inoculation
Join us online on Thursday, January 13, 2022 from 7:00 - 9:00pm as Jessica Lahey, educator and NYT columnist, provides evidence-based strategies to raise healthy kids in a culture of dependence. In this supportive, life-saving resource, Jessica helps parents and educators understand the roots of substance abuse and identify who is most at risk for addiction, and offers practical steps for prevention. Register for this free event.
Mountain View Community Shuttle EXPANDED HOURS
Thanks to new VTA funding, the City of Mountain View is pleased to announce that the Mountain View Community Shuttle will expand weekday hours to better serve our community.
Beginning Monday, January 3, 2022, the Shuttle’s weekday hours will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Weekend service hours will remain 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, please call Customer Service at: 855-730-RIDE (7433) or check MVCommunityShuttle.com.