Hello, Cheetah Families!

I hope you have had a lovely fall week! The weather has been so kind to us, and I know it has been nice for all of us to have a little break from the heat. Thanks to all who were able to join in on our first Cool Cat assembly of the year on Friday of last week! It was great to see so many familiar faces. It was equally encouraging and exciting to see so many of our Cheetahs recognized for showing RESPECT in an exceptional way. October's core value is RESPONSIBILITY. We will be working with our cheetahs all month long on developing their ability to recognize responsibility when they see it and to act responsibly, both at school and at home. We would welcome and encourage you to continue discussing this value with your child as well, to help reinforce the importance of living responsible lives. 

SSC: Special Request

Parents, we have a very special need that I'd like to communicate with you again. Our School Site Council (SSC) needs to grow this year due to our larger population of students (a great problem to have!). We need 3 additional parents to be elected to this important decision-making group! Here are the details and how you can help:

 

• What is SSC? If you are not familiar, the SSC is a group of parents, teachers, and staff members who come together once each month to discuss school business and to help develop and monitor goals and actions for Theuerkauf's site plan. The SSC must also approve the site plan before it goes to our school board. (Click here for more!)

• Time Commitment: For your reference, Theuerkauf SSC meetings occur once monthly from 5-6pm, typically on the second Wednesday of the month. All are welcome to attend SSC meetings, but those nominated and elected to the committee are members who get to vote and decide on actions in our site plan and weigh in on other school business. 

• Please Nominate Today! I am asking for nominations of parents who you think might  be a good fit for this opportunity, including yourself! If you can please nominate yourself or another parent by completing this form on or before 10/13, I would greatly appreciate it! Once all nominations have been collected (DUE: 10/13 at 11:59), an electronic voting ballot will be sent out to our entire learning community. Voting will remain open until 10/18 at 11:59pm, and elected members will then be announced on the morning of 10/19. Our first SSC meeting for newly elected members will be the evening on 10/19 at 5pm via Zoom.

 

As always, thank you for your time, dedication, and commitment to our learning community! 

Together, we make a difference!

 

Yours in service,

Michelle Williams, Principal

 

Important Dates

Monday, October 11- Columbus Day- No School

Tuesday, October 12- Teacher Service Day- No School

Monday, October 18- Picture retakes

Tuesday, October 19- SSC Meeting 5-6pm (Zoom)

Wednesday, October 27- Principal’s Coffee 5-6pm (Zoom)

Friday, October 29- ELAC Meeting 9-10am (Zoom)

Friday, November 5- End of 1st Trimester- Minimum Day

Wednesday, November 10- SSC Meeting 5-6pm (Zoom)

Thursday, November 11- Veterans Day- No School

Wednesday, November 17- Principal’s Coffee 5-6pm (Zoom)

November 22-26- Thanksgiving Recess- No School 

***Wednesdays Open Office Hours with the Principal 4:00-5:00pm this link***

School News

Concentric Pooled Testing - Coming Soon!

On Monday of this week, we completed a dry run of our COVID pooled testing protocol. We are so happy to report that this went very well! On October 13th, we will begin testing with a select number of classes for our first round of pooled tests through Concentric. If you have not yet given consent for your child to be tested, or if you would like to change your consent, it’s not too late!  Every Wednesday, we will pull our list of students to be tested the following week.  In addition to helping us slow the spread on campus, consenting to testing also has an added benefit: if there is a positive case in your child’s classroom, the rest of the class can go on a modified quarantine per county guidelines. That means students can continue to attend school, as long as they are tested immediately and on day 5 after exposure and they are asymptomatic.  Students with consent on file will be tested at school--meaning no disruption of school days.  Students without consent will need to stay home until they have their test outside of school--meaning they will miss school days. If you would like more information, please see our district website.  You can also call our front office. 

 

Picture Day Retakes

Picture Retake day is coming on Monday, October 18, 2021.  If you want your student’s  picture retaken, simply return your original package with your child on Picture Retake Day.  Be sure to remind your student to let their teacher know that they are requesting a retake.  Also, those students who were absent on picture day back in September will have their pictures taken on October 18th as well. An adult will escort those students from their classroom to the MUR where the photographer will be set up.

PTA News

This year we are having an Activity-a-thon from October 22nd to 29th!

Find more information in the Activity-a-thon envelope that was sent home last week. And get ready for fun activities in our community!

 

‘Donut’ miss the Krispy Kreme fundraiser this month. 

Look inside your Activity-a-thon envelope for more information and the order form!

 

Last chance to sign up for free coding classes by CENG for 3th - 5th graders! Registration is open!

Trained local high school students from the Computer Engineers of the Next Generation [CENG] are hosting free coding classes on Zoom in Scratch, JavaScript, and Python. We offer Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced levels for each class. Students will be put into different breakout rooms according to their levels, but the Zoom link of each class remains the same.

 

Dates: Wednesdays, October 13 - November 17, 2021

Time: 4:15 - 5:45 pm PST (NEW TIME)

No. of Weeks: 6

Format: Zoom Online Classes

Cost: Free

Registration Sessions:

3rd grade - Scratch

4th grade - JavaScript

5th grade - Python

Registration deadline: 12:00 noon on Thursday, October 7, 2021, or when class is full.

Computer Engineers of the Next Generation (CENG) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to inspire underrepresented minorities to pursue Computer Science. For more information, please check out our website at cengclass.org. 

Questions? Please contact [email protected]

District News

Board meeting Preview: Oct. 7

The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m. Some of the meeting’s topics include:

• Equitable Access to Choice Schools

• Learning Recovery Plan Update 

• Enrollment Update

• ESSER III Expenditure Plan and Safe Return Plan

Agenda and meeting details are: http://mvw.sd/c54jS. The meeting is also streamed on www.youtube.com/mvwsd.

 

Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday

Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday, Oct. 8 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/sZD6Z. To plan ahead, please see this webpage for upcoming meeting dates: https://www.mvwsd.org/about/communications/news___events/connecting_with_the_community. In case you miss it, a video recording will be posted on this webpage.

 

Free Tdap vaccination clinic for grades 6-8 on Wednesday

Has your middle school student been vaccinated for Tdap? Vaccination for tetanus, diphtheria & pertussis (Tdap) is required by 7th grade in order to attend school. 

For the convenience of parents, the Santa Clara County Department of Public Health is hosting a FREE Tdap vaccine event:

Wednesday, Oct. 6
4-7 p.m.
at the Crittenden Middle School multi-use room

The vaccine is available regardless of immigration status. No insurance needed. For more information on immunizations needed for school, please see https://www.shotsforschool.org

 

Parent University: Supporting Math at Home Grades 3-8

Date and Time: October 13, 2021, 5:30-7:00 p.m.  Registration Link: mvw.sd/pu101321

Join Principal Heidi Galassi (former math teacher and coach), Instructional Coach Ranen Bhattacharya, and our friends from YUP, the on-demand online math tutoring app, to learn about how you can better support your young mathematicians at home. The math seed you plant now will blossom and help them to succeed in life whatever path they choose!

To submit questions prior to the event, go to mvw.sd/questions. We will do our best to address your question during the session.

Note: While the title indicates that this will focus on students in grades 3-8, everyone is welcome to attend. Please also check out last year’s math-related Parent University event, which focused more on supporting the lower grades: Video (English) // Presentation slides (English)

 

COVID updates: Testing and PowerSchool uploads

Upcoming testing: Full-scale COVID pooled testing for students is coming this month. Please check your email for important information on this topic from MVWSD. Click here for a video showing what student testing will look like. 

PowerSchool Uploads: Parents, please take a moment now to upload to PowerSchool the important COVID documents that will help expedite students’ return to school after a COVID exposure. After logging in to https://ps.mvwsd.org/public, parents will be able to click on the “COVID reporting” icon to upload 1) students’ proof of COVID vaccination and 2) Past positive COVID test. Here’s how to upload. Let us know if you have trouble accessing PowerSchool.

 

Better Together: Seeking Multiple Perspectives 

The focus of October’s Better Together infographic is “Seeking Multiple Perspectives.” When individuals examine issues from a different point of view, they are able to think more critically and question dominant beliefs. Please see the graphics attached to this newsletter, or visit https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.

 

Online Wellness Center and October Wellness calendar

MVWSD now has a Virtual Wellness Center on mvwsd.org. At https://www.mvwsd.org/wellness, there is information on physical health, as well as resources for families, students, and employees about sustaining well-being and for accessing care when it is needed.

On the Virtual Wellness Center landing page, you will find Community Resources and monthly Wellness Calendars. The printable October wellness calendar features a tip a day to help you and your family stay well.

In the Physical Health section: Health Screenings, Teen Health Education, Vaccinations, Health Insurance for Children, Health Resources and Forms, as well as various other physical health related information.  

In the Mental Health section: Info on immediate mental health crisis needs, mental health literacy, and information on how to take charge of your mental health.

 

No school for students on October 11 and 12

Monday, October 11th is a recess day (no school for students and staff). Tuesday, October 12th is a staff development day, which means no school for students but a staff development/work day for teachers, school secretaries and 12-month classified staff.

 

Up the effectiveness of kids’ COVID masks
Please click here for tips. 

 

MVEF Relies on Parents Like You!

Please donate to MVEF to help us reach our annual $800,000 fundraising goal and raise an additional $300,000 to fund two ELA teachers to reduce class sizes at the middle schools in 2022-23. Please see the website at mvef.org for more information and to donate online. You can use your credit card to pay in monthly installments.  

 

Disaster Preparedness: Make a Plan

It’s important to take time to prepare for community disasters and emergencies. Asking a few questions of yourself will help guide the creation of an emergency plan:

1. How will I receive emergency alerts and warnings?

2. What is my shelter plan?

3. What is my evacuation route?

4. What is my family/household communication plan?

5. Have I updated my emergency plans due to COVID-19?

As you make your emergency plan, be sure to stay informed. Getting verified information from trusted sources is extremely important before, during, and after an event or emergency. Sign up to get free text or email alerts from AlertSCC, the County of Santa Clara’s official emergency alert and warning system.

Planning for the unexpected begins with the whole family and should be a household conversation. Ready.gov provides age-appropriate tools for parents and teachers to teach emergency preparedness to both kids and teenagers.

Joint Letter from county officials Dr. Cody and Dr. Dewan

Santa Clara County Health Officer and Director Dr. Cody and County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dewan emphasize the importance of in-person learning for our youth and offer ways to stay healthy. Click here for the letter. 

Carta Conjunta de los oficiales del condado Dr. Cody y Dr. Dewan

El Oficial y Director de Salud del Condado de Santa Clara, Dr. Cody y el Superintendente de Escuelas, Dr. Dewan enfatizan la importancia del aprendizaje en persona para nuestros jóvenes y ofrecen maneras para permanecer saludables. Ingrese aquí para la carta.

 

SMART Goals - Creating and Troubleshooting IEP Goals that Work 

IEP Goals are written in very specific language and it can be difficult to see how the goals relate to concrete skills and goals for your child. Learn more about SMART Goals and how they work with Professor Anne Spillane of University of Massachusetts Global.

What: Parent Education Event and Discussion

When: Tuesday, October 19, 7-8:30 PM

Where: On Zoom, email [email protected] for link

 

 

Mentor Tutor Connection Volunteer Information Session - Thursday, October 14th

You can change the life of a student! Come learn about volunteer opportunities to Mentor high school students and Tutor students in grades K-8  in our Mountain View and Los Altos schools. Becoming a Mentor or Tutor will add joy to your life and help a student in our local community to a brighter future!

There is no obligation to sign up as a volunteer.  You're welcome to just come and learn more about what we do.

All volunteers must be high school graduates.  

Date:             Thursday, October 14th

Time:             5:30 - 6:30 pm

Location:       Online via Zoom (URL provided upon registration)

Register:       REGISTER ONLINE

Questions:    programs@mentortutorconnection.org

Information:  MentorTutorConnection.org

 

Eviction Help Center at MV Public Library 

The City of Mountain View hosts a help center at the MV Public Library with city staff, CSA, and Project Sentinel to provide residents with rent assistance, eviction help, legal resources, and other support services. There are multiple representatives that speak Spanish. The help center is available every Thursday from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Mountain View Public Library on the 2nd Floor, Room 205. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit mountainview.gov/COVID19HousingRelief. 

 

MV Public Library Event: Learn + Explore with Science Comics Author Jason Viola

On Tuesday, Oct. 12 from 1-2 p.m., join the MV Public Library for an interactive look at how Science Comics are made with graphic novel author Jason Viola. Recommended for children ages 7-12. Registration required: mountainview.gov/



Attachments

librarycalendar.

Smart EP Goals 

Eviction Help Center 

Science Comics 

Oct. Equity Calendar