Quetzal News
March 9, 2022
From Ms. O's Desk
Dear Quetzal Families,
We are on to the second week of March, and spring is around the corner! Please remember to "spring forward" your clocks this Sunday morning and be on time for school on Tuesday.
We had a great audience for our Parenting Workshop with Ross Schickler, from Palo Alto University, on Wednesday. His second workshop will take place next Wednesday at 5:30pm. Please join us and learn about Instructions and Praising with Purpose.
The ability to persevere in life in spite of obstacles and levels of difficulties, is very important ability to have as we aim to be successful in life. Please continue to practice at home ways our students can develop grit. The ability of being gritty goes beyond talent and intelligence when wanting to be successful. Here are more ideas to work with your child at home:
- Help find a passion
- Be a gritty parent
- Brainstorm ideas together
- Teach them it's ok to fail, but it's not ok to give up
- Praise the effort, not the result
- Be specific when you praise your child: "I liked how you tried to solve this problem several times"
- Accept and allow frustration, it's normal
It's been very exciting seeing students wear their Read-a-thon T-shirts. Please remind them to wear them tomorrow and next Friday, March 18. I wanted to remind you that reading a book to your child, your child reading a book to their siblings, or listening to an audio book also counts. The importance of this month is to help develop the love for reading and develop reading skills. Take some time in the evenings to ask about the book. Some good questions are:
- What is the book about?
- Who are the characters?
- What is the problem of the story? How was it solved?
- What do you predict will happen next?
- If you were to write this book, would you change the ending? What would it be?
- What does this book remind you of?
- What did you learn something from it?
- Where does this story take place?
- Would you give this book another title? What would it be?
- If you were to meet one of the characters, who would it be and why?
- What would you ask the author if you met him/her?
- Would this book be a good movie?
As you know, the Mistral Read-a-thon is happening now! Full instructions can be found on the PTA website: https://mistral-pta.org/readathon/
For your Calendar:
March 7-20 --Mistral Read-a-thon
March 11 --Wear your Mistral Read-a-thon t-shirt!
March 18 --Wear your Mistral Read-a-thon t-shirt!
Please upload your child’s completed vaccine card We continue to strongly encourage you to get your child vaccinated. Castro has the lowest vaccination rate in the district.
When your child's vaccine card has their second shot listed, please upload a copy to PowerSchool. Vaccine cards will be referred to in the case of a positive COVID exposure for your student, and MVWSD needs accurate data for decisions about COVID protocols. Click here for a video that shows you how to upload documents: https://vimeo.com/606954357. Thank you in advance for uploading your documents today!
Since it's Women History Month, I want to leave you with a quote from Maya Angelou, "My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style".
Have a great weekend, stay healthy and be safe.
Ms. Olaciregui, Principal
Calendar
March 8
- School Site Council Meeting @ 6 pm
March 9
- Parent Workshop - Session#1 @ 5:30 pm
March 14
- Staff Professional Development Day - No school
March 16
- Parent Workshop - Session#2 @ 5:30 pm
March 17
- Spirit Day Wear Green Clothes
March 23
- PTA General Meeting @ 6 pm
March 29
- Cafecito with Principal O. @ 6 pm
March 30
- Parent Workshop - Session#3 @ 5:30 pm
District News
No school on Monday, March 14
There is no school for students on Monday, March 14 due to a Teacher Professional Development Day.
Board meeting Preview: March 10
The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, March 10 at 6pm Some of the meeting’s topics include:
COVID update
Summer programming and extended learning
Learning Recovery Plan update
For meeting details and agenda, please click here: https://www.mvwsd.org/trustees.
Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday, March 11
Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday, March 11 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Spanish interpretation will be provided. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/CC311. Please see this webpage for upcoming meeting dates and for video recordings of past meetings. https://www.mvwsd.org/about/communications/news___events/connecting_with_the_community
March Better Together Infographic
When women succeed, we all succeed. The same can be said for any of our community members who have felt the sting of marginalization or oppression. On International Women’s Day, let us appreciate all of the women and girls in our lives and the many intersecting identities that make them who they are. Let us never stop fighting for a world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. After all, we are #BetterTogether. Please see the graphics attached to this newsletter, or visit https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.
The Talk: “The Culture of Success” on Mar. 16th
“Pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” is a common phrase used in American political discourse, particularly around self-reliance and emotional resilience. Today’s culture of success was built upon our ideas, beliefs, and values. However, the pandemic and resulting shifts in our daily lives have called us to reflect on our foundational beliefs about the success and emotional resilience of our children. Let's talk about it.
You are cordially invited to MVWSD’s next Roundtable event: “The Talk: The Culture of Success – Our Beliefs About Success and Emotional Resilience” on Wednesday, March 16 from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. Register at: http://mvw.sd/talk316.
Update On Mask Mandate
Even though the state will be downgrading face-mask requirements to a strong recommendation for indoor areas (with some exceptions) beginning on March 12, our students will still be required to wear masks for the near future. To learn more about the timeline and factors MVWSD is considering to determine when/if we make changes to the mask requirement, please click here.
Health and Wellness Parenting Tip: Belly Breathing
Our mood is influenced by physical sensations in our body. When we feel stressed, we tend to take quick and shallow breaths. By taking slow and deep breaths, we can signal our body to relax.
Watch this video to learn more about how belly breathing can help your child (or you) feel more relaxed.
To belly breathe:
Choose a comfortable position, such as sitting on a chair or laying on your back.
Place one hand on your belly.
Take a deep breath in through your nose while you count to four. As you breathe in, your belly should rise.
Hold your breath while you count to five.
Breathe out through your mouth while you count to six. As you breathe out, your belly should flatten.
You may need to repeat these steps for 5-10 minutes before you start to feel relaxed. By practicing these steps, you can learn to relax after stressful situations.
Get your tickets to the MVEF Spring Gala “The Art of Words”
Join MVEF on Saturday, April 23 for a lively evening that includes dinner, fundraising, and trivia in support of our schools. Individual tickets are $125. (Reduced to $110 until March 20!) Join us from home with a single virtual login for trivia plus access to online fundraising for $50. Find more information at https://www.mvef.org/ or https://secure.qgiv.com/event/mvefgala/
March CAC Announcements
SELPA 1 CAC and the Learning Challenge Committee are your groups for special education and broader learning challenge needs. If you have questions about learning challenges and special education needs, email selpa1cacinfo@gmail.com or check out www.selpa1cac.org
Parent Education Event - “FINDING SUCCESS WHEN NAVIGATING CHALLENGING CONVERSATIONS" - this is an alternative dispute resolution training with help from the county SELPA
3/16 Wednesday 7:00-8:30 p.m. Register in advance for this meeting: https://sccoe.to/SELPA1CAC_ChallengingConversations. Attendees of this interactive training will be introduced to a prep-sheet that was inspired by the “Getting to Yes” workbook by Roger Fisher and William Ury. This tool has helped many IEP team members have successful meetings by preparing thinking through interests, options and bringing legitimacy to requests. It is the goal of this training that attendees will leave feeling more prepared and confident for the next IEP team meeting. To be facilitated by Purchin Consulting.
3/30 Wednesday 17-8:30 pm Evening Let’s Talk - IEP/504 support group. Have questions about the process to get help for your child? Have an IEP but are not sure how to make changes? Need to vent? This is your confidential group. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYrce6qrz8vGdNbIywjg1vppQq3tHwvruYI
Free CHAC Self-Care and Resilience Workshop
CHAC Family Resources Center is holding a free online Self-Care and Resilience workshop for parents and caregivers on Fridays from March 4th to April 22nd from 1:00-2:00 PM. This course will provide participants guidance and strategies regarding how to guide children to express their feelings in a non-aggressive way, be more resilient, and teach children to build up relationships. To register, contact Lin Xu at lin@chacmv.org or (650) 967-4813.
MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Series: Scott Schimmel, Tue. March 22
Join the MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Series on Tuesday, March 22nd from 7:00 - 9:00 pm for Scott Schimmel’s talk, “Critical Foundations: The questions every kid must answer to build a meaningful life.” In this interactive presentation, you will learn about the critical questions every kid must answer to build the three pillars of a meaningful life- identity, purpose, and belonging, reflect on your parenting style and make adjustments to what your kid(s) need now, and put together an actionable plan to more effectively engage your kids in discussion. Register for this free event.
MVHS Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Walk: March 18th
MVHS Ambassadors have organized an Out of the Darkness Suicide Prevention Walk on Friday, March 18th, from 5:30-7:30 pm on the MVHS Track. The walk is inspired by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Out of the Darkness program, and is being held to raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention and to show community solidarity in our goal of becoming more supportive to those struggling with mental health issues. There will be speakers, performances, introductions to partnership agencies, and a lantern-lighting ceremony to close the event. Registration information: url.mvhs.io/outofdarkness.
LAHS Writers Week - Community Read event
From March 15-18, Los Altos High School is holding the 37th annual Writers Week event, which brings a diverse and inspiring lineup of writers, poets, and journalists to LAHS English classrooms. This year’s Community Read features New York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman in discussion with a panel of LAHS students about his books. This event will be held on Zoom on Wednesday, March 16 at 6 p.m. Please RSVP via this Eventbrite link to be sent the Zoom information prior to the event. Read more about our other Writers Week visiting writers here: 2022 Writers Week.