The Dolphin Whistle

Dear Parents,

We are in week 2 of Distance Learning! The good news is that we are seeing more student engagement in the online assignments and activities and it is wonderful to see their faces and their work.

We expect students in grades K-2 to be completing a minimum of 1-2 hours of schoolwork each day and students in grades 3-5 to be completing a minimum of 2-4 hours of schoolwork each day. Please communicate these expectations to your child. As always if you are having any difficulties accessing the activities in google classroom or the Zoom lessons and meetings please let us know.

My cell number is (831) 206-9522.

Please attend the virtual Principal's Coffee on Tuesday, May 12th at 3:00 p.m. I will send out the information with the Zoom connection in a Monday morning email. I would love to talk to you and answer any questions and concerns that you have.

We will also be having a virtual School Site Council Meeting this month as well as virtual ELAC meeting. Please look for those announcements in next week's Dolphin Whistle.

I hope to see you all soon,

Best Regards

Theresa Lambert

Principal Mariano Castro Elementary

Here's a video of some of the Castro teachers and staff, missing your from our homes.

Castro

If you need assistance getting your child into the Zoom lessons:

Call Ms. Calderon or Mr. Alcazar.
Kristen Calderon (408) 404-8166 Roberto Alcazar (408) 780-8615

If you are having issues with Chromebooks issued by the school district, please contact Technology at 650-526-3252 or support@mvwsd.org.

If your personal device breaks and you are unable to get another, please contact Ms. Lambert, Mrs. Calderon, Mr. Alcazar, or your teacher and we will do our best to get a device to you.

Google grants $200,000 for MVWSD students

MVEF is grateful for Google’s longtime commitment to public education and partnership with our District and foundation. Google recently donated $200,000 during COVID-19 school closure to ensure MVWSD students stay on track with their learning.

As MVWSD assessed the technological needs in our community made even more clear by the COVID-19 school closure, it’s clear the digital divide still exists. Even after the District distributed 900 Chromebooks this year, almost 10% (615) of our students still need a device, and 5% (247) students still need internet access. Google immediately stepped up with a $100,000 grant to provide technology for students, primarily internet hotspots and laptops, to enable our students to access assignments and online conferences with their teachers during distance learning.

Additionally, MVEF was awarded an additional $100,000 grant from Google to fund STEM initiatives next year at MVWSD’s schools, ensuring MVEF can continue to help fund essential Next Generation Science Standards, hands-on science programming at every school.

Superintendent Dr. Ayindé Rudolph shared his gratitude. “We are in uncharted waters in which our daily methods of instruction look very different. Our students and parents continue to look for a sense of normalcy during remote learning and sheltering in place. Despite all of the uncertainty, I am grateful that we can continue to count on MVEF and Google as great community advocates and corporate sponsors. They not only answered our call to reduce the digital divide in our community, but also demonstrated that our path forward through these trying times is together. On behalf of all of our students, I want to thank MVEF for their continued advocacy, and Google for their continued commitment to our students and community,” he said.

MVEF and MVWSD express its deep appreciation for Google, and for the company’s willingness to help provide an excellent education to all of our children in Mountain View.

MV Parent U presents "Angst," a 56-minute film that explores anxiety, its causes, effects and treatments on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, 6:00 PM - Wednesday, May 13, 2020, 9:00 PM.

Angst features candid interviews with kids and young adults who suffer, or have suffered, from anxiety and what they’ve learned about it. The film includes discussions with mental health experts about the causes of anxiety and its sociological effects, as well as help, resources and tools.

To reserve your free spot for this online event, please register here by May 6 at noon: https://angstfilm.eventbrite.com

For those who have no internet or internet difficulties at home, there is a WiFi access point available in the parking lot in front of Mistral so students can access their assignments. While using the parking lot wifi, you must remain in your car in order to practice social distancing. Students must have an adult accompanying them.

Use your PowerSchool Parent Portal Access to select Electives for 2020-21

Beginning April 29, 2020, parents will be able to log on to the PowerSchool Parent Portal to select their fifth- to seventh-graders’ elective choices for 2020-21. You will receive an email when the course catalogs are posted on April 24.

Please make sure you have access to the PowerSchool Parent Portal now by logging on to https://ps.mvwsd.org/public/. You will use the PowerSchool Parent Portal for elective selection, grades, assignments and attendance monitoring, and for downloading state test results.

If you have difficulty signing in, please contact your school office.

If you’re among the 70+ million households who have already responded to the 2020 Census, thank you! If you haven’t completed it yet, paper questionnaires are in the mail headed your way. Households receiving the paper questionnaire can still respond online or by phone, or they can return it by mail in the enclosed envelope. When you respond online, use the Census ID from the letter or provide your address. To respond now, go to https://go.usa.gov/xdKjk.

Please encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to complete it too. It’s something everyone can do while practicing social distancing at home to make a difference today, tomorrow and the next 10 years.