The Dolphin Whistle

Dear Parents,

Parent-teacher conferences are this week. It is very important that every family meets with the teacher! This is an opportunity to learn in more detail how your child is doing in class and to show your involvement in your child's education. Please remember to let the teacher know anything new happening in your child's life that may impact them at school. We have many support systems in place that can help both emotionally and academically. Also, ask the teacher questions. We are here to serve your child. A strong partnership between school and parents supports your child's success.

On another note, Superintendent Rudolph will be here at the Principal/Superintendent Coffee

This Friday, March 6 at 8:30 a.m. in the MUR. This is a great opportunity to talk with us on any School or District topic!

Looking forward to seeing you this week,

Theresa Lambert

Principal Mariano Castro Elementary

Mar. 6 - Principal and superintendent coffee 8:30a.m. - 9:30am MUR

Mar. 12- MI/CA - Project cornerstone 8:00a.m. - 9:30 a.m. MUR

Mar. 13 - Second Grade Field Trip

Mar.18- PTA Association meeting 6:15pm- 7:15pm MUR

Mar. 26 - Personal Success Assembly 8:30am - 9:00am MUR

Mar. 26 - CSMA Art Show MUR

Mar. 26 - Open House 6:00pm- 7:00pm

Mar.27 - Fifth Grade Field Trip

MVEF needs you! The Mountain View Educational Foundation is seeking new volunteers and board members to join us and support their mission to ensure that every child, at every school has access to a competitive, well rounded, inspiring education. Thanks to the work of volunteers and board members, MVEF raises over $800,000 annually to fund art, music, athletics and hands-on science across the district. The Board of Directors typically consists of 10-15 dedicated community members and district parents. Board members attend monthly board meetings, represent MVEF in their school communities, and help guide and support the vision of the organization. MVEF strives to have at least one representative from each school and people who bring a variety of professional skills, including fundraising, marketing, finance, and community engagement. Board members have the opportunity to make a difference in the experience of every child in the district, gain insight into district programming and planning, and collaborate with other parent leaders in the district.

Learn more about MVEF, and its impact on your child’s school day at mvef.org. If you are interested, please send a message to contact@mvef.org.

Registration for 2020-21 is open now! Right at School is a fee-based, nationally-recognized before- and afterschool program held every day that school is in session, from 6:30 AM until school starts and afterschool until 6 PM, plus drop-in and school break care. Right at School presents experiential two-week science enrichment curriculum units, such as “Icky Experiments,” “Page to Stage,” and “Young Detectives.” The program incorporates physical movement, outdoor time and homework completion. It offers 10% sibling discount, 25% discount for free and reduced lunch families and flexible 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5-day pricing options.

At: All MVWSD elementary schools, and Crittenden Middle School

For more information about Right at School, click here.

YMCA Silicon Valley Before and Aftercare

The Y is a 30-year provider of childcare and is led by committed, professional afterschool leaders. YMCA afterschool programs provide a safe and fun learning environment for kids. The Y provides programming in 99 schools throughout the community. Kids enjoy fun physical activities, healthy snacks, homework help, enrichment clubs, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) activities, arts time and engage in strong character development. The Y offers a 10% sibling discount, as well as financial assistance for qualifying families.


At: Bubb, Castro, Huff, Landels, Monta Loma, Theuerkauf, and Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary

The 2020-21 Kindergarten Afterschool Interest list is open now. For more information, click here to email. YMCA Afterschool Program webpage.

There are other afterschool care programs at MVWSD. Click here for more info.

Representatives from the following agencies will be available beginning at 6:00 PM to provide information and resources: Allcove, Children's Health Council (CHC) Teen Wellness Committee, and Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC)

Please join us to hear from a panel of local high school students about their perspectives on mental health. Students will give a short presentation and then answer questions including:

• What do you think is important for parents to know and keep in mind as they guide and support their kids who might be demonstrating some signs of risk or are already struggling with their mental health?

• What are some effective approaches and ways parents have been helpful in supporting you or your friends?

• What role does social media play related to teen mental health issues, in general? What should the role of parents in supporting and protecting their child?

• What advice would you give to parents with kids who have mental health needs?

All families are welcome to attend, although this event is targeted for parents and teens in grades 5-8.

Reserve your seat at

mentalhealthyouthperspective.eventbrite.com

Provided:

• Interpretation (Spanish support)

• Child care

We are still fighting the flu and working to make our schools as healthy as possible and prevent viruses like the coronavirus.

Please see these guidelines from Santa Clara County: https://www.sccoe.org/news/featured/Pages/Novel-Coronavirus-Information.aspx.

Our District is going above the recommended basic actions to help protect against the coronavirus as well as the seasonal flu, and we need your assistance. Please visit www.mvwsd.org/coronavirus to read the latest information, learn about the District's actions, and how parents can help.

There are many opportunities in Mountain View for students to enrich their learning afterschool or during school breaks. With safety and consistency in mind, our school newsletter and website will advertise only District-, school- and PTA-sponsored events and activities. While we recognize that there are many providers of enrichment activities who use our campus, we may promote only those that follow specific MVWSD parameters for safety and supervision.

The District provides inplay.org as a resource to parents who are seeking additional learning opportunities for their students. To view student enrichment activities, school break and afterschool classes in our community that are not hosted by MVWSD, please see our partner, https://www.inplay.org/r/mountain-view/. MVWSD has not reviewed all programs/events found there and does not specifically endorse them. Parents may search for activities near their school by entering either the school name or the school address.

Apex Fundraiser (Fun Fitness Remix)

There is a new fundraiser for Castro PTA this spring called the Apex Fun Fitness Remix! The students will receive inspirational videos daily in the classroom teaching independence, kindness, and respect for all. This event will begin Wednesday 3/18 and will finish on Friday 3/27. The last day will be a day of fun and fitness with a glow in the dark fitness period in the MUR. Students will be asked to obtain sponsors to help PTA to run the school programs for our children and teachers. Please ask friends, family, and neighbors if they can donate to support school programs with cash, by check (Payable to: CASTRO PTA) or through a new online donation system. More information coming soon!

Association Meeting Wednesday 3/18

Please join us for the fourth PTA Association Meeting of the school year. It will be held on Wednesday 3/18 at 6:15 pm in the MUR. There will be Snacks, Interpretation in Spanish, and Free Child Care available. Also, we are having a small Shoe Giveaway and a piñata for the children after the meeting! Please mark your calendar to attend on this important date. We need feedback from our community to hear your thoughts and ideas, so we can continue to serve the student’s needs at Castro. We hope to see you there!

Walk-a thon Prize – Update

The Castro/Mistral PTAs have ordered the students WAT Prizes for the Walk-a-thon Committee. They are being shipped soon. We will award these prizes to the students who checked out after finishing all laps of the event we had on October 18, 2019. Congratulations to the 31 Castro students who completed all 75 Laps!