The Dolphin Whistle

Dear Parents,

It is with great sadness that I am announcing that I will not be Principal at Castro next year. I will be in a district-wide position, helping with programs for all students that need support with their learning due to the pandemic. I am excited about this new position and the opportunity to support students in the entire district, while at the same time I know I will miss seeing the Castro families, students, and staff every day.

Please know that an important part of my new position will involve supporting Castro students with their learning recovery, so I will not be far away. I encourage you to stay involved with your child's learning, support the new Principal, and continue your tremendous support of the amazing staff and teachers here.

I will continue as Principal until the end of this school year and for those who will be attending summer school, you will hear from me there as well. I wish all of you the best and will keep you all in a warm place in my heart.

Best Regards,

Theresa Lambert

Principal Mariano Castro Elementary

cell number (831)206-9522

Dear Dolphin Parents,

All Castro students (K-5) will be taking their third round of i-Ready Reading assessments on Tuesday 5/11 and Thursday 5/13. Students will take the i-Ready Math assessment on Tuesday 5/18 and Thursday 5/20. The i-Ready data helps us monitor student progress throughout the year. It also helps us identify standards that students have already mastered, as well as areas of focus during first instruction. The i-Ready assessment is also one of the measures we use to determine the math placement for our middle school students.

Roomies will be testing in-person, and Zoomies will be testing virtually. For Roomie families, please remember that families are not proctoring the assessment for their students. Students will log in to their Zoom session with their teacher. Teachers will be on Zoom to monitor in real-time your child’s participation in the assessment. As parents/ guardians, you play a very important role in supporting your children before they take the diagnostic assessments.

Below are some tips you may find useful to help prepare your child for the diagnostic assessment:

• Explain to your child that it is important to do his/her best and SHOW WHAT YOU KNOW. (ALL Parents)

• Remind your children to work out their problems and pace themselves (Zoomies)

• Make sure your child has a distraction-free area to take the assessment (Zoomies)

• Zoomies must take the assessment on the Chromebook provided by the school.

• Teachers will live-proctor the assessment (Both Roomies and Zoomies)

• During the Zoom assessment session, your child’s camera must be on, showing their face, and audio be enabled when asked by the teacher (Zoomies)

• Do not help your child during the assessment (Zoomies)

• Encourage your child to stay steady, focused, and do his/her best during the test. For math, use scratch paper to do the math problems before choosing an answer. (Zoomies and Roomies)

Remember that it is important to support a growth mindset by encouraging your children to try their best and then giving them the space to take the assessment and problem solve on their own.

Summer School for Castro students will be June 14 to July 9. You have a choice between in-person classes, to be held at Monta Loma, or virtual classes via Zoom.

The morning session is 8:15- 1:00 p.m. (lunch is 12:30 - 1:00 p.m.).

Additional targeted tutoring is in the afternoon from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m.

For in-person students, there is childcare available until 6:00 p.m.

Please look for the permission form in your email and/or in your child's backpack if they are roomies now.

Dear Castro Staff Members and Parents,

As an educational organization, we value the professional growth of our educators and administrators, which ultimately is to the benefit of our students. As you know, Ms. Lambert will start a new position at the District office on July 1 as Educational Services Coordinator supporting the Learning Recovery Plan.

I want to assure you that we will work hard to find a new leader who’s a good fit for Castro. I look forward to working with you in the hiring process (please see the information below). We have recently refined our hiring process for administrators to be more inclusive, resulting in a strong cadre of principals in recent years. I am confident we can find a new principal who will build on Castro’s progress.

Respectfully,

Tara Vikjord

Chief Human Relations Officer

Principal Hiring Process

As part of its search for a new principal, the District is seeking parent and staff feedback through focus groups, as well as online. Your input is valued and appreciated.

Input

We welcome Castro’s staff members and parents to a session on: Monday, May 17 from 5:00-5:30 pm via Zoom here: http://mvw.sd/7r7Rt. Spanish interpretation will be provided.

We know time is limited. If you prefer, you may contribute thoughts anytime on the attributes you would like to see in your school’s new leader online here.

Process

1. A screening committee will use the listed attributes to review applications.

2. 1st round - The District Hiring Team will conduct interviews.

3. 2nd Round - Staff and parent interview panel will conduct interviews and will rank candidates.

1. The school’s interview team will include teachers from a range of content areas and grades, classified staff members, administrators, and parents from PTA, School Site Council and ELAC (English Language Advisory Committee).

4. 3rd Round - Cabinet will review all of the feedback and do a final interview round with selected candidates.

5. 4th Round - Superintendent interviews final candidates and recommends a candidate to the Board of Trustees.

Timeline and Steps

•May 7: Position opening is advertised

• May 12-17: Feedback from the school community will be gathered

• Week of May 24: Principal interviews begin

• June 3: Superintendent presents to Board for final approval

• June 4: Present candidate to staff and community

Tuesday, May 18, 2021 - ELAC Meeting, 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Wed, May 19, 2021 - Principal's Coffee - 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Wed May 19,2021- Food Pantry, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Wed, May 26, 2021 - Diaper Distribution, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Friday, May 28, 2021- End of Trimester 3 , Minimum Day

Monday, May 31, 2021- Memorial Day ( No School)

Wed, June 2nd, 2021 - 5th Grade Promotion Photos and Certificates 11:00 - 2:00 p.m.

Wed, June 2nd, 2021 - 5th Grade Promotion Celebration via Zoom - 5:00 p.m.

Friday, June 4, 2021 - Last Day of school, Minimum DAY

Join us at a community meeting to hear more about potential new lighting on campus to improve safety as part of Measure T. New lighting and/or bollard style light posts to illuminate pedestrians’ path of travel between campus and parking lots is an important safety measure for staff members and guests using the campus in the evenings and winter late afternoons.

Please join us for an informal meeting for Spanish-speaking parents on Wednesday, May 12, 5:30 p.m. Interpretation will be provided.

Please register in advance for this meeting here: http://mvw.sd/Os51y. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Date: May 19, 2021, 5:30 p.m. Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/osiVT

Is there a rising high school freshman in your home? Do you want to learn a bit more about the habits, traits, and skills students should develop to be ready for high school? Join us at our final Parent University session of the year as we meet members of staff and students at the Mountain View-Los Altos High School District to hear them talk about this ever-important topic!

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

And if you missed any of our content this year, have no fear: www.mvwsd.org/parentu has recordings of all of our Parent University sessions this year!

This month's #BetterTogether infographic features tools and resources to help all those who work, learn, and partner with MVWSD to prioritize mental health and wellness. No one ever needs to be alone in their struggles. Together we can prioritize mental health and wellness. Click here to view this month’s calendar or visit https://www/mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD

We are at the halfway point in our Mental Health Awareness Month. So far we have learned about #Tools2Thrive and pledged to be #StigmaFree. It also is true that connections and the people around us can affect our overall mental health. It’s important to make connections with other people that help enrich our lives and get us through tough times, but it’s equally important to recognize when certain people and situations in life can trigger us to feel bad or engage in destructive behaviors. Identifying the toxic influences in our lives and taking steps to create a new life without them can improve mental and physical health over time. And we know that work, paying bills, cleaning, getting enough sleep, and taking care of children are just some of the things we do each day - and it is easy to be overwhelmed. By creating routines, we can organize our days in such a way that taking care of tasks and ourselves becomes a pattern that makes it easier to get things done without having to think hard about them. In other words, building good habits to care for ourselves, care for others, and care for our environment is a #Tool2Thrive.

Share your #Tool2Thrive gifts with others by printing and using the “Take What You Need” poster.

Regular, asymptomatic COVID testing for students is not required at this time however, parents may want to have students tested, especially after travel, to ensure that they are not carrying the COVID-19 virus.

Free, asymptomatic testing is available for students and parents at:

* El Camino Hospital or MV Center for Performing Arts. Dates: Ongoing. Schedule through El Camino Health

* Graham Middle School. Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at Graham MUR (Register here). You also may schedule an appointment by calling 650-940-7022 and use option 4. Please mention you are with the Mountain View Whisman School District when calling.

If your child has symptoms of COVID or has had a known exposure to someone who may have COVID, please contact your child's pediatrician for testing information. If you do not have a health care provider, make a symptomatic testing appointment with a county provider here: https://scl.fulgentgenetics.com/appointment/screen/landing.

Looking for summer fun and out-of-school opportunities? MVWSD partners with nonprofit InPlay to help you find the perfect fit for your child and for your family. Hundreds of programs, including FREE and reduced cost and those that serve students with special needs or English learners, are nearby and can be found through this free searchable site. Check it out at mv.inplay.org.

Registration is now open for the 18th Annual MVWSD Interscholastic Chess Tournament, to be held online again due to COVID-19 on Sunday, May 16, from 12:00 to 5:00. The registration form and complete instructions can be found at tinyurl.com/mvwsdchess, and the deadline is May 14. Any questions can be sent to Mark Ruzon, tournament director, at mvwsdchess@gmail.com.

CHAC has opened registration for their free virtual workshops in May, which focus on unlocking our inner strengths and supporting mental wellness. You are welcome to join for any or all events. Events will be held from 6:30 to 7:30pm, with optional 30-minute Q&A from 7:30 to 8pm.

May 5: From Puppies to Paintings! Creative Ways to Build Lasting Connections

May 12: Self-Empowerment Through Expression: The Crucial Role of Mental Wellness in Motivating Tomorrow’s Leaders

May 19: Parenting Teens Doesn’t Have to be Painful!

May 26: Self-Care & Support Across Diverse Communities

For more information about each session and to register in advance, head to: https://funraise.org/give/Community-Health-Awareness-Council/a25a1482-56ef-448d-80f1-c36132be901c/.

El Camino Health is continuing to administer free COVID-19 vaccines – by appointment – for those aged 16 and up who live or work in Santa Clara County. Vaccines are administered at El Camino Health’s Sunnyvale Clinic Monday – Saturday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Visit elcaminohealth.org/schedulevax to make an appointment.

See attached flier for information and scheduling assistance available in Spanish and Mandarin. If you need assistance scheduling an appointment online, please call 408-871-7460, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The County of Santa Clara announced that most County Health System vaccination sites will accept drop-ins for COVID-19 vaccines. Same-day appointments and some drop-in locations across the county are available at sccfreevax.org.

Mountain View Educational Foundation is Hiring a Content Writer to Help MVEF foster growth, optimize outreach, reach a wider audience, persuade the reader, and inspire action through the power of the written word.

Can you get people excited about the work that MVEF is doing? Do you write compelling, engaging and meaningful content in a concise newsletter, post web page or direct mail? Are you a superb storyteller that can capture people’s hearts and communicate the data? Is your style personable, specific, and easy to read?

MVEF needs a writer with these skills to enhance communication, marketing, and fundraising letter solicitations. The ideal candidate will help MVEF communicate with donors and parents, meet current fundraising goals, find new funding, spread awareness, and help donors understand the full impact of their donation.

This is a flexible, part time position. We need you to write Bi-monthly (sometimes monthly) updates for newsletters, website, and/or social media to keep supporters, donors, and volunteers educated about the impact on the community. We also need help with back to school marketing presentations and fundraising letters for all levels of donations.

Please send questions, email and/or resume to contact@mvef.org

Registration is now open for the 18th Annual MVWSD Interscholastic Chess Tournament, to be held online again due to COVID-19 on Sunday, May 16, from 12:00 to 5:00. The registration form and complete instructions can be found at tinyurl.com/mvwsdchess, and the deadline is May 14. Any questions can be sent to Mark Ruzon, tournament director, at mvwsdchess@gmail.com.