Quetzal News
Gabriela Mistral's News August 26, 2020
Principal's Message
Dear Quetzal Families,
Thank you all for being there tonight! We had 305 families registered at our Back to School Night! It was very exciting, and it meant a lot to all our Quetzal Team. It is very comforting to see how you are so involved and engaged in your child's education amidst these challenging times. I wanted to thank you for being such active partners with our Mistral Staff during Distance Learning. Your patience, support and kind words are fuel for our Quetzal engine!
During distance learning, as we acquire new routines for instruction, please take some time to breath and remember that we are all in this together. Here are some tips to implement during your journey at home:
- Establish routines and expectations
- Choose a good place to learn
- Stay in touch with teachers, principals, and school staff
- Help students own "their" learning
- Begin and end the day with check-ins
We don't really know how long distance learning will last, and we can't really control that. We can control other variables, so please remember that:
- Children take cues from adults' behavior and attitudes
- It is important to try to communicate and model positivism, in spite of these challenging times.
- We can pull through this crisis as a team!
- The way we manage this crisis, will help our students and children embrace learning regardless the format and look forward to coming back to Gabriela Mistral.
I will be hosting our Cafecitos with the Principal starting next week. I wanted to call them Hot Cocoa with the principal, since it's at night, but it is still too hot for hot cocoa! Maybe lemonade with Ms. O? Stay tune. Please read our upcoming events for dates, times, and zoom links!
Stay healthy, safe, and cool!
Ms. Olaciregui
Principal
School Photos
Upcoming Events
August 31, 2020
- 6:00pm - 7:00pm: Principal Coffee Kinder-First Grade
- https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYqdemqrzIiG9SgpM7a0zXBmJoHS9f5O0DZ
September 2, 2020:
- 6:00pm - 7:00pm: Principal Coffee Second-Third Grade
- https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMrc--pqj8pGNB7JvTFadcgHv0ZWLxmmC3_
September 7, 2020
- NO SCHOOL (LABOR DAY)
September 8, 2020
- 6:00pm - 7:00pm: Principal Coffee Fourth-Fifth Grade
- https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAkf-isrzIqG9MXYw2_I-bB5C3xFSCYtuPA
District News
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
Parent University videos are now on our website!
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 at http://www.mvwsd.org/parent/parent_university
Latest uploads: Mental Health Resources and Distance Learning Support
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 selpa1cacinfo@gmail.com 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 selpa1cacinfo@gmail.com.
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 selpa1cacinf@gmail.com 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 trudy.palmer@me.com for Google Meet invite
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 or mvef.org for more information. To join our team of volunteers, email contact@mvef.org. Donate today at https://www.mvef.org/donate
ELPAC Language Assessment
Mountain View is a beautifully diverse place where hundreds of languages are spoken. In some instances, children from households where a non-English language is spoken need additional help at school to become fluent in English. To make sure that we identify all such children, all public school districts in California are required to do an initial language assessment called the Initial ELPAC. (English Learner Performance Assessment of California).
A letter was sent out last week to all families with children who meet the criteria for the Initial ELPAC. The letter describes the rationale and details for the assessment and invites families to follow up with any questions they may have. Additionally, the following link is a helpful resource for parents/guardians to understand the test better and to help prepare their children.
A Parent Guide to Understanding ELPAC Initial English (also contains information about the Summative ELPAC, which is a similar test at the end of the school year.)
We understand that the beginning of the school year is a busy time, especially under these extraordinary circumstances. Based on current guidance from the California Department of Education, the Initial ELPAC this fall will be administered remotely. Details to come. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Claudia Navarrete via email at cnavarrete@mvwsd.org.
Digital resources for parents to help students
Stuck on how to use Google Classroom? Wondering how to best support your student in Distance Learning? This summer, we’ve been at work on a new Parent U resources page full of tips for navigating the tech and procedures of the new school year.
These resources are designed by and curated by MVWSD teachers to be most useful for our parents.
Technology How-To Videos (on Chromebooks, SeeSaw, i-Ready, Clever, Zoom and more)
Supporting Distance Learning (Tips and resources)
Mental Health Tips (Managing anxiety and stress at home)
All are available in English and Spanish at https://www.mvwsd.org/parentu.
Mentor Tutor Connection Volunteer Information Session - September 10th
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 they we do.
Please note: Mentor Tutor programs are currently remote and will remain so until students are back in school and the school district permits volunteers in the classroom
All volunteers must be high school graduates.
Date: Thursday, September 10th
Time: 5:00 - 6:00 pm
Location: Online via Zoom (URL provided upon registration)
Register: REGISTER ONLINE
Questions: programs@mentortutorconnection.org
Information: MentorTutorConnection.org
Free and Reduced Meal Application
This school year's application deadline for free or reduced meals is September 21, 2020. Just as in the past, you will need to reapply annually. No citizenship information is collected during the application process. Please go to the following website to apply online today: http://www.ezmealapp.com If you need help, please email Mistral Facilitator, Eberardo Lopez (elopez@mvwsd.org)
Get connected Mistral Quetzal Parents!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GabrielaMistralElementary
School website (Programs, updates, absence reporting and more): https://mistral.mvwsd.org
Text alerts (emergencies, school closure): Text "Y"or "YES" to 68453 using the cell phone number that the District has on record
PowerSchool (Enrollment confirmation, payments,electives and more): ps.mvwsd.org/public
Updates on academics, FAQs, health and safety during COVID-19: https://mvwsd.org/returntolearn