Quetzal News
Gabriela Mistral's News August 19, 2020
Principal Message: Happy First Week!!!
Dear Quetzal Families,
It has been a great and busy beginning of the school year at Gabriela Mistral! Our teachers, parents, and students have been working very hard these last two days. I had the pleasure to visit most of my virtual classrooms, and I enjoyed watching our students and teachers engaged in virtual learning! It was great watching some teachers "wiggle it", others modeling math, and our STEAM team integrating activities during Zoom lessons. This is definitely a learning curve, and we are all experiencing challenges. However, as a Quetzal team, we will conquer this! Thank you for your patience, resilience and trust. Do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any assistance.
Do remember our Distance Learning Expectations:
- Class starts at 8:30am and ends at 2:50pm
- Attendance is taken at 8:30am and classroom participation grade will be assigned during check out at 2:50pm
- Students are to have their cameras on at all times while live teaching and microphones are off unless students is participating in class
- Students are to be dressed and in front of cameras while live teaching
The Quetzal teaching team is looking forward to our Back to School Night on August 26, from 6pm to 7:30pm. Please be on the look for a Zoom Link from your teacher team.
I wanted to thank our office staff, Daena, Eb, Felix, and Michelle for making sure that our campus is up to date with our COVID 19 health guidelines. They have been working all week to ensure that we are all safe and healthy. A big shout out to Mrs. Love, our Librarian Clerk, and Justin and Gloria, our noon duties, for organizing our materials. We are now ready for you to come and pick up our Math, Science, and Social Studies curriculum next week. We are distributing materials on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week from 3-5pm. Distribution will be in front of Mistral, same as last week.
Distribution Schedule:
Monday
3-4pm: Kindergarten
4-5pm: First Grade
Tuesday
3-4pm: Second Grade
4-5pm: Third Grade
Wednesday
3-4pm: Fourth Grade
4-5pm: Fifth Grade
Stay healthy, cool, and safe!
Ms. Olaciregui
Principal
Gabriela Mistral
School Photos
Upcoming Events
August 24th, 2020
- 3:00pm - 4:00pm: Kinder materials pick-up
- 4:00pm - 5:00pm: 1st Gr materials pick-up
August 25th, 2020
- 3:00pm - 4:00pm: 2nd Gr materials pick-up
- 4:00pm - 5:00pm: 3rd Gr materials pick-up
August 26th:
- 3:00pm - 4:00pm: 4th Gr materials pick-up
- 4:00pm-5:00pm: 5th Gr materials pick-up
- 6:00pm - 7:30pm: Back to School Night
District News
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