Quetzal News
Gabriela Mistral's News December 2, 2020
Ms. O's Message
Dear Quetzal Families,
Embracing diversity, practicing inclusion, collaborating with people from different social and ethnic backgrounds, different genders and sexual orientations, is a great way to help our children prepare for their future! December is a great month for multicultural celebrations. The last month of the year is a great time to learn about the different holidays celebrated around the world. From Christmas to Omisoka, people take this time of the year to be thankful for all our blessings and prepare for a better new year.
Did you know that if we were to analyze each individual holiday, we would notice that they vary depending on the culture and location in the world. While in the United States children leave cookies and milk for Santa, people in England leave mince pie for “Father Christmas”. If we look at Iceland, children don’t have one, but thirteen Santas, also known as Yule Lads. It is so important for us to teach our children about the different cultures and festivities, so that they can learn to appreciate and respect others' beliefs. If you would like to learn more about Christmas around the world, visit this site.
Hanukkah, also known as the festival of lights, is a Jewish celebration that lasts eight days, and it commemorates the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem following the Maccabean Revolt. Omisoka, New Year’s Eve, is the second most important Japanese holiday. During this day, Japanese celebrate the final day of the year and the eve of a new year’s day. If you would like to read more about Omisoka, please visit this site.
As we start the month of December, let’s rejoice on what we have accomplished in spite of all the difficulties we have experienced this year. Let’s be the lighthouse for those who are still struggling, and most of all, let us be models of kindness in this time of love, peace, hope, and joy.
Our second iReady testing window starts on 12/8/20, and it will close on 12/18/20. Please remember that iReady provides our teachers the information on the academic progress of our students. It is very important that your child completes the test on his own, and that he/she can work in a quiet environment where there are limited to no distractions. This is a great opportunity for our students to use the headsets that were provided during our last materials distribution. If you need one, please contact the office and we will arrange for you to pick one up. Remember to have your child go to bed on time and have a healthy breakfast.
Take care and please always wear a mask, maintain 6ft social distance, and wash your hands often.
Claudia Olaciregui
Principal
Upcoming Events
- 6:00pm - 7:00pm: 3rd-5th Gr Coffee/Tea with Ms O. (Register here)
December 9, 2020
- 6:00pm: District Kinder Info Night
December 15, 2020
- 6:00pm: Mistral Kinder Info Night (Register here)
December 18, 2020
- Spirit Day - Pijama Day
December 21 - January 4th, 2021
- Holiday Break - NO SCHOOL
District News
Cafecito with the Superintendent on Dec. 3
Join us for an informal meeting for Spanish-speaking parents with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Thursday, Dec. 3, 5:30 p.m. Interpretation will be provided. Please register in advance for this meeting here: http://mvw.sd/pB7CP. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Are you curious about the i-Ready platform and how you can support your student at home? Please join us for a virtual i-Ready parent workshop on December 10, 2020 at 5:30 - 6:30 PM. This session will provide parents with an overview of i-Ready and answer parents’ frequently asked questions about how i-Ready elevates instruction.
Click here to register. Spanish interpretation is available for this workshop.
We want to answer your questions. In advance of the workshop, please email questions to Ms. Swati Dagar, Interim Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment at sdagar@mvwsd.org by Friday, December 4, 2020.
Getting Ready for the ELPAC information sessions, Dec. 15 and Jan. 12
The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) is administered every year to our English Learner (EL) students. To learn more about this assessment, the role it plays in the education of every EL, and how to help your child prepare, please join us for one of the following meetings:
December 15
5:00-5:30 in English: https://zoom.us/j/92673835582
5:30-6:00 in Spanish: https://zoom.us/j/94603257266
January 12
5:00-5:30 in English: https://zoom.us/j/93307939185
5:30-6:00 in Spanish: https://zoom.us/j/93709174683
Struggling to help your child with “the new math”?
We’ve all been there. Luckily, Parent University and Principal Heidi Galassi are here to introduce you to the Common Core Math Appreciation Club: Heidi joined us last week in a hilarious and engaging session, and we’ve recorded it for your viewing pleasure any time! You’ll learn about the difference between math as memorization and conceptualization, strategies to use to help with word problems, how to have a math conversation with your child, and many more insights. Watch the video (or just listen to it like a podcast) at www.mvwsd.org/parentu
If you haven't been able to attend one of the Parent University nights this year, you can find the recordings all online (in English and Spanish). Listen at your own convenience to these great programs that support parents in supporting their students.
Past topics:
- Mental Health Awareness and Resources
- Distance Learning Support Resources
- Increasing Student Engagement with Literacy from Home
- Raising Digitally Resilient Children and Teens during Quarantine
- Supporting Students at Home with Math
Parcel Tax Oversight Committee seeks community representatives
The District is seeking two individuals to serve on the Parcel Tax Oversight Committee for the Measure B Parcel Tax.
Representatives monitor, provide oversight, and ensure accountability to the funds received by the District, including an annual report to the Board regarding the actual uses of such funds.
Applications can be mailed to: Mountain View Whisman School District, Attn: Dr. Rebecca Westover, Chief Business Officer, 1400 Montecito Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043 or emailed to mayala@mvwsd.org. Applications are due December 11th at 2:00 pm.
Application: http://mvw.sd/PTOC
Questions? Please e-mail Dr. Rebecca Westover, Chief Business Officer, at rwestover@mvwsd.org
School meetings coming up in December. Open Enrollment for all MVWSD students starts in January
School and District information meetings are coming up in December. Please visit www.mvwsd.org/register for a list of these events and for login information.
School kindergarten/new student information nights are online on December 9 at 6:00 p.m. for all elementary schools, and include choice school information. For our school, the link for this meeting is: http://mvw.sd/MistralKinder
If your child turns 5 years old between September 2 – December 2, 2021, he/she may qualify for transitional kindergarten. TK info night is December 16 at 5:00 p.m online.
If you are interested in the District's choice schools, information nights are:
Gabriela Mistral: Dual Spanish/English Immersion: December 15 at 6 pm
Stevenson: Parent Child Teacher: December 16 at 6 pm
Choice schools will also have information at the elementary schools’ info nights (6 p.m. Dec. 9).
For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 18- 22.
For NEW students: Open Enrollment is from January 11 through Feb. 5, 2021 online. You can register your child for the 2021-22 school year when online registration opens here: www.mvwsd.org/register
Upcoming MVEF Phonathon
Our Phonathon is coming up in December and we would love you to save us both a call!We hope this serves as a gentle reminder to donate to MVEF today and support your child and every child in the district! The majority of our funding comes from donations from parents like you!
Make a difference, save us both a call and donate today at mvef.org/donate.
LAMV PTA Council and SELPA 1 CAC present Distance Learning Toolkit: Increasing Focus Through a Sensory Lens
Thursday December 3, 7-8:30 PM. A talk with Lisa Kaplan Shanaan, MS OTR/L TMHP
How do you stay engaged? How do you calm down when excited, or pep up when you are zoned out? You may know your own body and the tricks that work for you, but children are still working this out. It is especially difficult to learn self-regulation when involved in distance learning on screens for hours a day. Come learn from Lisa Kaplan Shaanan, an occupational therapist and trainer, who has been working with children birth thru 18 years old for more than 30 years. She will recommend tools and techniques useful to help all children discover their best ways to self-regulate and really learn and stay engaged during the Zoom school day.
Winter Wonderland stories
The Mountain View public library is holding winter wonderland story time on December 10. Please see attached flyer for details
MVLA holiday tree lot
MVLA is holding its annual holiday tree lot this year. See the attached flyer for information.
PTA News
Join the Mistral Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Have you joined the Mistral Parent Teacher Association (PTA)? Learn more about the PTA and join at https://mistral-pta.org/. So far, we have raised 87% of our fundraising goal for the fall. Help support PTA programs by donating at https://mistral-pta.org/asp/parent_login/. Interested in volunteering? There are several committee vacancies. Sign up in Konstella in Committees under “PTA Leads / PTA Coordinadores.”