Quetzal News
January 13, 2022
From Ms. O's Desk
Dear Quetzal Families,
I hope that you are all healthy and safe as we navigate this new Omicron surge. Please remember to take care of yourselves and families. It continues to be very important to maintain 3 ft apart when masked, and 6ft feet apart when unmasked, wash your hands and wear a mask. If you haven't done so yet, please get vaccinated. This can make a huge difference in your health. If your child received their Covid 19 vaccines, please upload a picture of the document on PowerSchool. I understand that some parents are having difficulties uploading documents via their cellphones. Please contact Michelle Olague, at molague@mvwsd.org. She will be able to help and support you with this process. I want to thank you for your patience during these last two weeks. I know it has been difficult for some of our families. Do not hesitate to contact me or the office if you have any questions in regards to a positive case or a close contact situation.
Due to the amount of close contact cases, at this time, you will not receive notification if your child has been a close contact to a positive test, or if their classroom pooled testing came out positive. We will notify those families whose child has tested positive. It is important that if your child or anyone in your family tests positive, that they quarantine. We want to make sure you keep everyone healthy, so that our students can continue to learn in a safe and fun environment.
During the month of January, our school practices Courage, and what a great example of courage is Martin Luther King. This Monday, we will celebrate and honor his memory. Please take some time to talk to your children about his legacy, courage, and his commitment to make a change. Here are some facts that you can use for your dinner conversations. Did you know that...
- His name was Michael, but he got it changed to Martin?
- His family started a long tenure of pastors of the Baptist Church in Atlanta?
- Martin acted as co-pastor for his father?
- He attended a segregated public school in Georgia?
- He received a Doctorate degree from Boston University in 1955?
- He married Coretta Scott and had two sons and two daughters with her?
- Under his leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Supreme Court of the United States declared unconstitutional the law requiring segregation on buses, so that African American and white people could ride buses as equals?
- At the age of 35, Martin was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, making him the youngest man to receive this recognition?
- He turned in his Nobel prize of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement?
Leading by examples is always the best way to lead. Let's remember one of my favorite quotes from him, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
This month, we will start sending Truancy letters to the families of those students who have 3 unexcused absences or tardies over 30 minutes. Please remember that excuse absences only include: illness, bereavement, doctor's appointments, and certain religious activities. As we all know, attendance is a KEY component for our students' success. Help us contribute to the success of your child.
Stay healthy and safe,
Ms. Olaciregui, Principal
Calendar
January 17
- Martin Luther King's holiday No School
January 18
- ELAC Meeting @ 6pm-Register
January 25
- Cafecito @ 6pm
January 26
- PTA General Meeting @ 6pm
District News
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:
Identify common stressors and the effects of stress
Explore tips for stress management for oneself
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 andrea-m@mvef.org.
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 - 9:00 pm 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.