Quetzal News
Gabriela Mistral's News October 14, 2020
Ms. O's Message
Good afternoon Quetzal Families!
I hope you had a wonderful and restful long weekend. I had a great time relaxing and watching TV. The extra day also allowed me to catch up on some items on my “home” agenda. I wanted to let you know that I have enjoyed creating our weekly videos for our students. You can access them on our Facebook page in case you are interested in watching them. I usually create two different videos: one for Kindergarten through second grade, and one for third grade through fifth grade. Here are some useful growth mindset phrases you can use at home as models for our students:
Instead of “I am not good at this”, try “What am I missing?”
Instead of “I am giving up”, try “I’ll use another strategy.”
Instead of “I can’t make this any better”, try “There is always room for improvement.”
Instead of “This is hard!”, try “This might take some time.”
Instead of “Plan A didn’t work.”, try “There is always Plan B.”
The end of our first trimester is on November 6th. You will notice that our students will take some end of trimester assessments. Please remember that the main purpose of testing is to allow our teachers to see the level our students are performing at. This information allows us to differentiate and reduce the achievement gap. Please help us ensure that our students are answering the questions on their own. I know it can be very tempting, but don’t help them answer the questions. It’s okay not to know some of the answers. That is why we are here!
I hope that you have a magnificent rest of the week. And, as Dale Carnegie said, “Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed no hope at all.”
Strategic Plan: We need your input!
As you know, our district is working on a new Strategic Plan. The new six-year Strategic Plan 2027 will be completed and aligned with two cycles of the District’s 3-year Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and will build on and expand the former plan’s successes and areas of need for students.
In September, parents and staff members completed a district wide survey. This input, in addition to a strategy session with 60 representative stakeholders, resulted in a strategic plan framework that shows five major goal areas and the general outcomes and themes in each. Our next step in the process is to provide two more opportunities for our parents, teachers, and communities to give input in the planning process. We really want and need to hear from you. Here are two ways that you can provide us feedback on the Strategic Plan:
Please take a few minutes before Friday, October 16, and click on this link below to review the framework and reply to the survey with your ideas or items that you feel are missing. The survey is managed by a third-party consultant. All responses will go directly to them and will be anonymous.
You can also attend our School Site Council and ELAC meetings tomorrow:
SSC: Thursday, October 15th at 5pm - Pre-register
ELAC: Thursday, October 15th at 5pm - Pre-register
For more information on the process and timeline, please visit our website.
Upcoming Events
October 21, 2020
- 11:30am - 1:00pm: Food Pantry
- 11:30am - 1:00pm: SIE book distribution
October 30,2020
- 2:00pm - 3:00pm: Kinder distribution (hosted by Kinder teachers)
November 6, 2020
- END of trimester 1 - Minimum Day
November 11, 2020
- Veterans Day: NO SCHOOL
Science is Elementary (SIE)
Science is Elementary (SIE), a local non-profit and long time partner of MVWSD has received a grant to distribute their newly created books that allow students in grades K-2 to encounter challenges and use science to solve problems. Each book comes with a materials kit and an adult guide to support parents in helping their children through the science concepts
Distribution Date: Wednesday October 21st
Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm
Location: MUR (Multiuse Room)
District News
Together We Are a Better MVWSD: Special edition: ELECTION! (see attached flyer)
Mountain View Whisman School District embraces its role in establishing its commitment to equity in our district. As part of our "Together We Are a Better MVWSD" series, here is a special edition on the Nov. 3 election.
Participating in elections is one of the key freedoms of American life. Many people in countries around the world do not have the same freedom, nor did many Americans in centuries past. No matter what you believe or whom you support, it is important to exercise your rights. We celebrate the upcoming election cycle by publishing materials for teachers and parents that promote civic engagement amongst students and give resources to parents about how to secure their participation in this year's election. Both the links and QR codes will take you directly to the recommended resources.
For a closer look at this graphic, please see attached flyers or https://www.mvwsd.org/BetterTogetherMVWSD
How you can protect yourself from COVID: Face masks
Wearing a face mask greatly reduces the chance that you and the people around you will come into contact with respiratory droplets that contain the COVID-19 virus. How you wear and clean masks are huge factors in their effectiveness. Our own MVWSD school nurse Melanie gives important tips in this video. Please review and practice with your family.
Face masks and social distancing video
Police Interactions, Race and “The Talk:” A Panel Discussion
Date: Thursday, Oct. 29, 6:30 p.m. on Zoom: http://mvw.sd/talk
For Black children, the “talk” about how to interact with police is a rite of passage. Join MVWSD for a panel discussion with parents, the Mountain View Police Department and other leaders about what this means for policing for all of our children and families in our community and schools.
For more information about how MVWSD is working to support equity in our community, please see https://www.mvwsd.org/BetterTogetherMVWSD. For more information about the City’s racial equity and inclusion efforts, please click here.
MVEF is proud to help bring Living Classroom to all of our school campuses.
Living Classroom brings environmental education for students in elementary and middle school. Living Classroom started teaching students on 9/8 and taught 62 online lessons in September.Living Classroom continues to maintain the school gardens for when garden-based outdoor learning can return to MVWSD, making education come alive and deepening students' connection with nature. Living Classroom lessons empower the next generation by growing environmental champions, inquisitive learners, and healthy eaters. There are over 200 lessons planned for the fall in our schools.
Your donations to MVEF bring Living Classroom to every school in MVWSD! Donate today! https://www.mvef.org/donate
“Enriching the Learning Experience” Symposium
The Santa Clara County Office of Education Parent Engagement team is pleased to announce our FREE virtual event "Enriching the Learning Experience: Vision for 2020 and Beyond" which will be held from 10:00am to Noon on Saturday, Oct 17 and 24, 2020. Together with 6th District PTA, we are putting together a Parent Engagement symposium for parents, students, pre-service teachers, classroom teachers, administrators, and liaisons to focus on student success. We have lined up a number of dynamic speakers and 10 workshops each day of the symposium. Here's a sneak peak of our workshops:
- Dr. Joyce Epstein, professor of education and director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University. She has over one hundred fifty publications, including School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, 4th edition (2019). Her Keynote will address school administrators in the area of parent engagement and her Workshop will address teachers and how they can involve parents in homework.
- Ruby Ibarra, local bay area COVID-19 researcher and hip-hop recording artist. Her Keynote will address parents and share her inspiring story of how to channel obstacles into opportunities. She will present a Spoken Word Writing Workshop for students!
- Gene Luen Yang, graphic novelist of American Born Chinese, Secret Coders, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Superman. In 2016, he was the Library of Congress's 5th National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature; he was also the recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant in that same year. His workshop for teachers will address adopting a rich, diverse reading curriculum for the classroom.
- A Financial Literacy Workshop series “Understanding Debt and How to Improve Your Credit Score,” “Rebuilding After a Financial Crisis,” and “Learning the Value of a Dollar” by Excite Credit Union will give good money management tips for students and adults alike.
Registration is open! Visit “Enriching the Learning Experience” event Website to see all 10 workshop descriptions, speaker bios, and registration form.
October 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
October 14, 7 pm - Evening 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 selpa1cacinfo@gmail.com for the Zoom link for this meeting.
October 19, 7:30 pm - Decoding Dyslexia meeting on Zoom. Melissa Baten Caswell, PAUSD board trustee and parent of dyslexic child. Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElc-iprDgiGtNHAaoHhQzOLq_q8qMjndCW
October 24 10am - 12 pm - IEP Goals & Progress Monitoring Webinar Presented by Disability Rights California and organized by Palo Alto CAC. Topics: – IEP Process -Your Rights at an IEP Meeting -Goals & Objectives – FAPE and LRE -Related Services -Assistive Technology -Transition Services/Vocational Services Zoom link at cacpaloalto.org