Quetzal News
March 26, 2025
From Ms. O's Desk
Dear Quetzal Families,
We are excited to see you tomorrow at our Open House 24-25 event! This is a wonderful opportunity for you to witness the incredible learning and hard work your children have accomplished this year in their academic and biliteracy journey with us at Mistral. The event begins at 5:30 PM with an art display in the MUR, followed by classroom visits from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. We look forward to celebrating our students’ achievements with you!
Safety Reminders for Drop-Off and Pick-Up
Ensuring the safety of our students is a top priority. Please follow these guidelines when dropping off and picking up your children:
- Enter through the entrance closest to Latham and exit through either the middle exit or the exit near California Street.
- Parents must stay in their cars and ensure that students exit on the right side of the vehicle.
Our goal is to facilitate a smooth and safe process while maintaining a caring, respectful, and welcoming environment for all students and families. Our Safety Patrol works diligently to ensure the well-being of our students, and we appreciate your cooperation in keeping them safe.
Día del Niño – Volunteers Needed!
We are preparing for our Día del Niño celebration and are looking for parent volunteers to help organize this special event. If you’re interested in making this a wonderful experience for our students, please email me at colaciregui@mvwsd.org.
Walk & Roll to School – April 21st
Join us for our Walk & Roll to School event on April 21st! Students who walk or roll to school will receive a ticket to participate in an ice cream social in May. We encourage families to support this initiative, helping students stay active while also caring for our environment.
Thank you for being part of our Mistral community. We can’t wait to see you at Open House!
Warmly,
Claudia Olaciregui, Principal
PTA General Meeting: Join us!
We are excited to invite you to the next PTA General meeting on Monday, March 31, featuring a special presentation about the upcoming Outdoor Learning project. This district-led initiative will transform our campus through the introduction of trees, seating, garden beds, and new play spaces. Please attend this meeting (held in conjunction with Castro's Community) to learn more from the landscape designers Carducci Associates and give feedback on the current plans. Preview the designs for Mistral/Castro and other campuses here.
At this meeting, we will also elect the executive board for next year and talk about exciting opportunities to help out next year as several of our committee leads graduate from the school.
Date: Monday, March 31
Time: 6pm (NOTE: UPDATED TIME)
Location: Online via Zoom
We need volunteers!
We will have the art show at our Open House event on 3/27. Art Show volunteers are a vital part of this event and an excellent volunteer opportunity for those who are only available for one or two days of volunteering a year. If you can help us out, please complete Art Show Volunteer Form.
MVEF Board Members Needed
Two Board members from MVEF are stepping down as their children transition to high school. If you are interested in being part of this amazing organization that provides music, arts, and Living Classrooms at our school, please let me know. You can contact me at colaciregui@mvwsd.org. The role involves attending one Board meeting per month, usually on the second Tuesday evening from 7–9 PM (2 hours), as well as participating in 1–2 committees. These committees focus on areas such as Major Gifts, Gala, Programs, Marketing, Recruiting, Outreach, and more, with responsibilities evolving each year.
Calendar
March 27
- Open House 5:30pm-Art Show in the MUR and class visits at 6 - 7:00pm
March 28
- Spirit Day - Dress like the 80's
- Cafecito w/ Ms. O @ Room 21 8:15am
April 2
- Science Fair All Grades @MUR 5pm
- Spring Break - No School
- KiwiCo Science Night Grades TK - 2nd @ MUR 5pm
- Library Night @ Library 5:30pm
April 22
- KiwiCo Science Night Grades 3rd - 5th @ MUR 5pm
DISTRICT NEWS
Update for Right At School Families
Families with children enrolled in Right At School’s after school programs, please click here to read an important update.
Electives selection for grades 5-7 opens on March 31, 2025
It is the time of year when our incoming middle school students (grades 5-7) choose their elective courses for next year. Fifth- through seventh-grade parents, please look for an email coming to your inbox on March 28 with links to course catalogs. Please talk with your student and then log in to your PowerSchool portal account (either student’s or parent’s) beginning March 31 to help your student select his/her electives. All 5th-7th graders should select their course electives online by April 18, 2025 through the PowerSchool portal.
Invitations for districtwide Summer Programs will be emailed to those who qualify beginning in late March
Qualifying families will soon be receiving invitations to one or more programs that will provide summertime care, enrichment, and academic support. The majority of these programs are for students who are English Learners and/or considered socioeconomically disadvantaged. The programs vary in scope and specific qualification criteria. Students with IEPs who have Extended School Year services documented in their IEPs will be receiving information about that program by April 7.
MVWSD is updating its math curriculum
As typical with our curriculum cycles, it’s time to review and improve our mathematics program to ensure all students have strong learning opportunities, including acceleration if desired.
MVWSD is launching a two-year process to update math curriculum based on the latest research and best practices for math education. Our math curriculum was last adopted in 2015, and math placement criteria hasn’t been updated since 2021-22. To make this process inclusive, we’re seeking input from students, staff, and parents on math curriculum, instruction, pathways, assessments, and placement.
Please join the upcoming ThoughtExchange to share your thoughts from March 26 – April 4. This online survey will be open to all staff, parents, and students in grades 4-8. Additionally, there will be focus groups for more in-depth discussions with staff, students and parents. Your input matters!
District Film Festival: April 1
Please join us for the third annual District Film Festival, "Spotlight on Solutions," at 6:30 pm on April 1 at the Graham Middle School Auditorium. All students in grades K-8 were eligible to enter short films that explore real-world problems and showcase inspiring solutions. During the festival, the films that are selected as finalists will be screened and awards given. We are excited to see the results of students and their teachers implementing research, science and technology for this important issue. Please RSVP at this link.
Crittenden Musical: Willy Wonka Jr.
The delicious adventures of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory light up the stage in this captivating adaptation by Crittenden Middle School of Roald Dahl's fantastical tale. Featuring the enchanting songs from the 1971 film, in addition to a host of fun new songs, Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka JR. is a scrumdidilyumptious musical guaranteed to delight everyone's sweet tooth. The show will run from Mar 28th - Mar 30th. Purchase digital tickets here or at the door 30 minutes before the show.
MVEF GALA - JOIN US FOR A NIGHT OF CELEBRATION IN 80s STYLE!
Saturday, April 26, 2025 | 06:00-10:00 pm | Los Altos Community Center
Join us as we celebrate 40 years of MVEF – Empowering Students from Gen X to Gen Alpha! Enjoy a lively night with dinner, auctions, DJ, raffle & student performances!
Dress Code: 80s Formal Fashion is Encouraged! Big hair, sequins, shoulder pads, neon & puffy sleeves! Not into the '80s? No worries! Cocktail, business casual, or any era-inspired look is welcome!
Get your Early Bird ($140) or First Time Attendee ($125) tickets here until March 30th!
General Admission Tickets will go up to $165 after March 30th.
RAFFLE PRIZES:
4 tickets to Great America
Wine Tasting for 6 at Concannon Vineyard
Party Charcuterie Board of Your Choice
For raffle tickets visit us here or contact us here.
MVEF & PTA WELCOME INCOMING 6TH-GRADER FAMILIES!
MVEF & PTAs are teaming up to support incoming 6th grader families through Open House & Special Welcome events!
Important Dates:
March 27 – Elementary Open House Nights
April 3 – Incoming 6th Grader Welcome @ Graham (5-7 PM) + Middle School Open House Nights
May 15 – Crittenden Welcome Pizza & Ice Cream Social (5:30-7 PM)
Stay tuned for school updates & join us in building a strong community!