The Dolphin Whistle

November 3, Issue 13

A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL SALCIDO

It's time to "fall back" again this weekend and to set your clocks

back one hour on Sunday, November 7.

Dear Castro Families,

WOW!! This Friday marks the end of the first trimester! Friday, November 5th is a minimum day for students (dismissal at 12:10). Report cards will be sent home electronically on November 19th. If you would like a printed copy of the report card, please request it in the Castro office. Our parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for the week of January 10th, but you can always contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s progress.

Please make sure that you see the information from Geoff Chang on how MVWSD is in the process of updating BP6020: Parent Involvement. Here are links to the current policy and proposed updated policy. The content of the proposed policy is materially the same, but includes terminology and minor wording updates. If you would like to offer feedback on the proposed policy, please send an email to Director of Federal, State, and Strategic Projects, Geoff Chang at gchang@mvwsd.org by November 9, 2021.

Learning Recovery Plan On-site Sylvan and FEV Tutoring is starting the week of November 8!

If your child was invited to participate in the on site tutoring, it will begin next Monday!! Students will be dismissed from their classes, walk to their assigned after-school tutoring classroom, eat a snack outside, and then go inside for tutoring. Please make sure that your child knows what days they have tutoring and that you will pick them up after tutoring. The days and times of tutoring are based on your child’s iReady diagnostic score. Please explain to your child that they are getting tutoring services that normally cost hundreds of dollars!! The school district is offering the tutoring for free so that all students can grow and recover any lost learning from the Covid pandemic.

Sincerely,

Mr. Salcido

CALENDAR

November 5, 2021 - End of trimester 1 (Minimum Day)
November 9, 2021 - School Site Council, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
November 9, 2021 - ELAC Meeting, 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
November 10, 2021 - Picture Day Retakes
November 11, 2021 - No School ( Veterans Day)
November 22 - 25, 2021 - No School ( Thanksgiving Break )

DISTRICT NEWS

Parent University: Creating Caring Relationships (featuring Project Cornerstone)

Date: November 17, 2021 Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/pu111721

Kids need our care and support now more than ever. This presentation will:

Explore proven effective and meaningful ways to express care and support that will make a difference in the lives of young people.
Provide tools and strategies for connecting and building trust, which lead to strong, positive relationships within families, schools, and communities.

Join Ziem Nguyen Neubert, Executive Director of Project Cornerstone, in a conversation on how we can support young people’s social and emotional well-being so they grow and develop as healthy and responsible humans.

This is one of four Parent University events this year featuring Project Cornerstone. To see what’s coming up, check out this flyer.

To submit questions prior to the event, go to mvw.sd/questions. We will do our best to address your question during the session.

Volunteer guidelines updated

At the August 3rd Board meeting, Trustees requested that staff update the MVWSD volunteer guidelines to include additional requirements for COVID safety. Updated guidelines describe the parameters for allowing on-campus volunteers after full vaccination of a majority of our students (5 and older). Start date is to be determined. Please see the updated guidelines here.

Board meeting Preview: Nov. 4

The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. Some of the meeting’s topics include:

Future enrollment growth
Parcel Tax and Bond oversight committees’ reports

For meeting details and agenda, please click here.

Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday: Nov. 5

Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday, Nov. 5 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/Cobw2. To plan ahead, please see this webpage for upcoming meeting dates. In case you miss it, a video recording will be posted on this webpage.

November Better Together

The focus of November’s Better Together infographic is “Creating an Inclusive Community.” MVWSD strives to provide inclusive and supportive environments for all of our students. This is just one way we are providing an identity-affirming space for all who work, learn, and partner with us. Please see the graphics attached to this newsletter, or visit https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.

Drafts available: Single Plans for Student Achievement

Each year, our schools create Single Plans for Student Achievement (SPSAs or “site plans”) that guide the work for the coming year. These plans help us prioritize programs and strategies that will best serve our students. In the fall, elected parent representatives from School Site Councils and English Language Advisory Committees work with principals and school staff members to create a draft that is reviewed and approved by the MVWSD Board of Trustees. Parents and staff members may give feedback through Nov. 19 to their principal and elected parent representatives to SSC and ELAC. You may review the draft plans here.

Boba Fundraiser for MVEF

TeaCub Boba & Snack is helping fundraise for MVEF on Tuesday November 16 (all day)! 25% of all proceeds on 11/16/21 will be donated to MVEF. TeaCub Boba & Snack is located in the Mountain View Shopping Center at 175C East El Camino Real. Please stop by to enjoy smoothies, slushies, milk and flavored tea as well as snacks. (They use only organic Clover milk and real fruit for all tea & smoothie drinks so please enjoy a treat for you and MVEF!)

Parenting tip: Effective instruction for kids

We give our kids dozens of instructions each day: Get ready for school. Wash your hands before you eat. Do your homework. Sometimes our kids follow our instructions, and sometimes they do not. One way to increase follow through is to give effective instructions. For example, making eye contact with your child and gently telling them to turn off the TV is likely to be more effective than yelling at them from another room.

To provide effective instructions:

Think about a few things that you would like your child to do and try using these tips to provide effective instructions.

Instead of saying… Say….

“Don’t bother me.” “Please work on your homework.”

“TURN OFF THE TV!!” “Please turn off the TV.”

“I told you to stop playing video games.” “If you don’t stop playing video games in the next 5

minutes, then you won’t be able to play tomorrow.”

These tips came directly from the free, online Everyday Parenting program created by parenting expert, Dr. Kazdin.

To learn more parenting tips click here.