The Dolphin Whistle

Dear Castro Families,

Welcome back! We are starting our third trimester of the school year, with second trimester report cards sent electronically on Friday, March 11. We’re committed to move through the coming months in a positive and productive manner.

I am devoting this newsletter to one aspect of your children’s well-being this week.

Does your child eat breakfast at home? I hope the answer is “YES!” but Castro teachers are reporting that many students tell them they are hungry almost at the start of school. We don’t provide a snack until 10:15 for Kindergartners through 2nd grade and grades 3-5 have their snack time at 10:35. Do you know that health professionals tell us that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? If your children don’t eat breakfast at home they have no nourishment for 12-14 hours, depending on their bedtime. Children cannot learn when they are hungry and nutrition is important for physical growth as well. Young children need nourishment every 2 - 4 hours depending on their age. Please make the commitment to provide breakfast for your children. It’s really important!

We are always here for your children. Families are an essential part of our team and we count on you to help where you can.

Sincerely,

Dr. Judy Crates

Principal

Our schools will not be holding Open House events on March 30 and 31, as we traditionally do. COVID precautions prevent us from bringing many additional people on site, and we are not able to provide a robust virtual Open House experience.

We certainly will miss seeing all of the amazing work from our students and teachers, and look forward to a time we can gather to celebrate students’ work.

MVWSD needs your volunteerism and time. Please consider serving on the Parcel Tax Oversight Committee for the Measure B Parcel Tax.

The District is seeking two individuals to 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 rwestover@mvwsd.org. Application: http://mvw.sd/PTOC

Questions? Please e-mail Dr. Rebecca Westover, Chief Business Officer, at rwestover@mvwsd.org.

When we feel stressed, our minds tend to jump to the past (I should have...) or to the future (What if...?). The problem is that we cannot change the past nor control the future. Focusing on the present can help us take control of our current situation and help us feel calmer and more relaxed.

Watch this video to learn more about how mindfulness can help you (or your child) be more present and relaxed.

To calm your (or your child’s) mind:

1. Look around you, and name five things you see. Pick one object, and describe what it looks like, what color, what size, and what shape it is.

2. Look for four things you can touch. Pick one of those items to touch, and describe how it feels.

3. Name three things that you can hear. At first, it might seem that there is not much to hear, but listen carefully. Focus on one sound, and describe it.

4. Look for two things you can smell. Focus on one smell, and describe it.

5. Find one thing you can taste. Focus on the taste and describe it.

You can repeat these steps every time you feel stressed to come back to the present moment.

Join MVEF on Saturday, April 23 for a lively evening that includes dinner, fundraising, and trivia in support of our schools. Individual tickets are $125. (Reduced to $110 until March 20!) Join us from home with a single virtual login for trivia plus access to online fundraising for $50. Find more information at https://www.mvef.org/ or https://secure.qgiv.com/event/mvefgala/

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 what we do.

Date: Tuesday, March 8th

Time: 5:30 - 6:30 pm

Location: Online via Zoom (URL provided upon registration)

Register: REGISTER ONLINE

Questions: programs@mentortutorconnection.org

Information: MentorTutorConnection.org

If you are interested in learning more about the program but cannot attend the information session, please email programs@mentortutorconnection.org for information on how to proceed.

SELPA 1 CAC and the Learning Challenge Committee are your groups for special education and broader learning challenge needs. If you have questions about learning challenges and special education needs, email selpa1cacinfo@gmail.com or check out www.selpa1cac.org

3/7 Monday 9 am General Parent/Community Meeting with Special Ed. Directors & Staff, Zoom at 9:00 am for LCC and 9:10 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, Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vfuqqrDIpG9adTFakjeylekd_SlDHtlCb

3/8 Tuesday 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.

Parent Education Event - “FINDING SUCCESS WHEN NAVIGATING CHALLENGING CONVERSATIONS" - this is an alternative dispute resolution training with help from the county SELPA

3/16 Wednesday 7:00-8:30 p.m. Register in advance for this meeting: https://sccoe.to/SELPA1CAC_ChallengingConversations. Attendees of this interactive training will be introduced to a prep-sheet that was inspired by the “Getting to Yes” workbook by Roger Fisher and William Ury. This tool has helped many IEP team members have successful meetings by preparing thinking through interests, options and bringing legitimacy to requests. It is the goal of this training that attendees will leave feeling more prepared and confident for the next IEP team meeting. To be facilitated by Purchin Consulting.

3/30 Wednesday 17-8:30 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. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrce6qrz8vGdNbIywjg1vppQq3tHwvruYI

The City of Mountain View is holding a Summer Camp Fair on Saturday, March 5 from 9 - 11 a.m. at the Mountain View Senior Center. Learn more about summer camps & swim lessons, meet camp staff and drop-off registration for spring & summer programs. Please see the attached flyer for information.

CHAC Family Resources Center is holding a free online Self-Care and Resilience workshop for parents and caregivers on Fridays from March 4th to April 22nd from 1:00-2:00 PM. This course will provide participants guidance and strategies regarding how to guide children to express their feelings in a nonaggressive way, be more resilient, and teach children to build up relationships. To register, contact Lin Xu at lin@chacmv.org or (650) 967-4813.