The Dolphin Whistle

Dear Castro Parents and Guardians,

This has been another busy week at Castro. The more I'm here, the more I appreciate the staff’s dedication and diligence to your children. As your principal until the end of the year, I’ll be working on maintaining the positive school climate developed since August. My focus is working with staff to improve student achievement and to develop a strong, organized and positive foundation for your new principal in 2022-23.

• Friday is a Minimum Day: 12:10 dismissal. This Friday marks the end of the second trimester, which allows teachers time to work on report cards. Thursday is also 12:10 as usual.

• Friday is Castro Teeshirt Day! Thursday every student will receive a Castro teeshirt. Each grade level has their own color.

• Have you completed the LCAP Survey? Due on Friday! Click this link now! There is a button in the upper right hand corner for English/Spanish choice. SURVEY

• COVID Test Kits Sent Home on Thursday Each student will receive a box of 2 at-home rapid antigen tests. Please use one test on Sunday, February 27 before returning to school on Monday. Notify our office immediately on Monday if your child tests positive. Look for the kit and a letter on Thursday

• The School Accountability Report Card (SARC) for Castro is available in hard copy upon request from the Castro Office.

Sincerely,

Dr. Judy Crates

Date: 2/16/22, 5:30 p.m. Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/pu021622

“Bullying” is a serious, yet often misunderstood concept. What does it really mean and how can we stop it? Better yet, how can we prevent it? This presentation will:

• Identify basic concepts of bullying: definition, types of bullying, basic data

• Provide tips for bullying reduction

• Explore relationship-building to prevent bullying as we work to create new standards of acceptable behavior

To submit questions prior to the event, please click here. We will do our best to address your question during the session.

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.

Health and Wellness Parenting Tip: Calming Your Mind

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.

With your help, we know we can reach our goal to raise $800,000 again in 2021-22. But what if we can do more? If we can exceed our fundraising goal by $300,000 this year, we will be able to enhance learning for all middle school students by funding one additional English language arts teacher for each middle school next year and reduce class sizes. Help us raise an additional $300,000 to fund two ELA teachers to reduce class sizes at the middle schools in 2022-23. Donate today at mvef.org/donate

The County is offering free virtual workshops for the community that explain the Emergency Rental Assistance that’s available. Learn about county programs that support families experiencing financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 related housing crisis, housing resources for immigrants

and more.

Meetings are on:

Feb 18 (English)

Feb 22 (English)

Feb 25 (Spanish)

Please see the attached flyers.

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

We are excited to announce our March 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.

A recording of MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Rosetta Lee’s recent talk, “Implicit and Unconscious Bias: Bridging the Distance Between Professed Values and Daily Behaviors” is now available for viewing. If you missed them, recordings of other past presentations are also available: Jessica Lahey - The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence and Colin Seale - The Question is the Answer Practical Strategies to Unleash Critical Thinking at Home.

Join the Santa Clara County Office of Education for the upcoming 2022 Silicon Valley Reads K-8 Career Fair on Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The virtual event is geared towards K-8 families and will feature guest speakers from a variety of career fields. Participants can register at https://tinyurl.com/Career-Fair.

Families, thank you for your engagement and involvement with our schools. Our sustained partnership is a big part of our continuous improvement as a district. Per California Department of Education guidelines, here for your review is the most recently updated version of our Board Policy on Parent Involvement. Any questions should be directed to Geoff Chang, Director of Federal, State, and Strategic Programs (gchang@mvwsd.org).

Join the MVPL for an online family draw along with local author and Caldecott Honoree Shawn Harris on Thursday, February 24 from 6:00pm - 7:00pm. Learn tips on how to create art with inspiration from his acclaimed picture books, including Doing Business, Have You Ever Seen a Flower? and A Polar Bear in the Snow. Registration Required: mountainview.gov/librarycalendar.