The Dolphin Whistle
January 12, 2022 , Issue 18
A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL SALCIDO
Thank you, Castro families, for helping and supporting us through these first two weeks of school and COVID testing and retesting!! We want all our students to be safe and able to come to school everyday! The COVID testing protocol is an important strategy in the multiple measures MVWSD has put in place. Please stay vigilant for possible symptoms, make sure the students come to school with well fitting masks, and get them fully vaccinated as soon as possible.
Please make sure that you carefully read the Attendance Information in today’s newsletter. It has important information about what kinds of absences are excused and that the Truancy Letters will begin coming out this month. Every day your student is in school on time, is a day where they learn and grow.
Finally I want us to please give a big Dolphin welcome to Dr. Judy Crates!!
The MVWSD Board of Trustees and Dr. Rudolph have deemed Castro Elementary as a high-priority school and provided various strategic initiatives and programs as support. Dr. Crates’ return to Castro is another approach to address learning gaps that COVID-19 has created. We will be working together to improve and continue our work to close the achievement gap and support student achievement.
Dr. Crates has been a teacher and school administrator for more than 40 years. At MVWSD, she was a principal at Bubb Elementary (1995-2001), Graham Middle (2001-2005) and at Mariano Castro Elementary (2008-2013) where she directed both the neighborhood school and the Dual Immersion Program (now Gabriela Mistral). A fluent Spanish speaker, she served as MVWSD’s Director of English Language Development and Continuous Improvement and was the Interim Principal at Graham last spring..
Sincerely,
Principal, Castro Elementary School
A MESSAGE FROM DR. JUDY CRATES
Dear Castro Parents,
In 2013 I left Castro after 5 busy and rewarding years as principal. Who would have predicted my return? Yet, after spending a few days at Castro, I feel like I've come back to my community.
I am committed provide a positive attitude and support to everyone at Castro until the end of this school year. I'm looking forward to working with Mr. Salcido and the dedicated Castro staff. We will meet the challenges of the new year as a team.
I hope that your conferences this week helped you better understand how to support your children’s learning. You are also valued members of our team!
I look forward to getting to know your children and also meeting you in a Zoom event or at drop off or pick up time.
Sincerely,
Dr. Judy Crates
CALENDAR
- January 10 - 14th, 2022 - Minimum days, (parent teacher conference week)
- January 17, 2022 - No School,( Martin Luther King JR. Day)
- January 18, 2022 - SSC, 5:00p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (Zoom)
- January 18, 2022 - ELAC Meeting, 6:15 p.m. -7:15 p.m. (Zoom)
- January 19, 20221 - Food Pantry, 2:00p.m. - 4:00.p.m.
DISTRICT NEWS
Attendance is important: Parent notifications ramp up in January
Research shows that school attendance is a strong indicator of success. It's about students learning what they need to know, belonging to the school community, and being part of the team that is preparing them with good habits for high school.
Letters: beginning in January, MVWSD will send letters to parents of any student who is truant (any three unexcused absences and/ or tardies over 30 minutes means a child is truant). These letters inform parents when students have had three or more unexcused absences and inform families of next steps and any resources or procedures in place to help their family get their child to school regularly.
Calls: In January, MVWSD schools will also begin using an automated system to notify parents when a student is absent from school. This automated call will alert a parent that a student has been marked absent. This is important for the safety of your child and for our attendance accounting. Please ensure we have the reason for your child’s absence.
It’s possible that you might receive a call after you have notified the office of the absence. We apologize for any inconvenience that this additional call may cause. This process helps us to maintain a safe school environment and support your child and family. Thank you for your support.
What’s an Excused vs. Not Excused absence? Illness (including quarantining due to COVID), doctor’s appointments, bereavement, and certain religious exercises are excused absences.
Parent-Teacher Conferences are Jan. 10-14. Minimum day for students. Sign up for conferences!
Parent-Teacher (Student) Conferences present a valuable opportunity to discuss your child’s progress, strengths and needs, and work with your teacher to help your child have a successful academic experience. Conference week is scheduled for January 10-14, 2022. Every day that week is a minimum day for students.
“Parent University: Effective Parent-Teacher Communication & Tips for Conference Week”
Date: January 5, 2022, 5:30-7:00pm Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/pu010522
Please join us for a thorough discussion on effective communication between home and school and tips on how to have a successful parent-teacher conference. A panel of parents, principals and teachers from Elementary School and Middle School will provide helpful feedback on how to approach difficult topics when talking to your child’s teacher or office staff. Parents will also learn how to read and understand the school report cards.
To submit questions prior to the event, go to mvw.sd/questions. We will do our best to address your question during the session.
COVID booster now available for individuals 12+
The CDC has now approved boosters for children ages 12 to 15. Boosters provide an additional layer of protection against COVID-19, including the Omicron variant. Also, if you received the Pfizer vaccines as your initial COVID-19 vaccine series, you can now get a booster 5 months after your second dose instead of 6 months. You can schedule your vaccine appointment at: www.sccFreeVax.org.
Booster and flu shot clinic Thursday (Jan. 13) at Blach Intermediate, Los Altos
COVID vaccines, COVID boosters (including for ages 12+) and flu shots are available. See the attached flyer for information and for the link to make an appointment.
Please upload your child’s completed vaccine card
Many of our younger students are getting their 2nd COVID vaccine shot this week. 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 now!
Preschool information meetings: Jan. 12 and Jan. 26
The award-winning MVWSD Preschool Program is currently accepting applications for full- and part-day for the 2022-23 school year
All 4-year-olds residing in the Castro School boundaries are now eligible for FREE, part-day state preschool at Latham.
Our preschool offers age-appropriate early math, language, literacy and science inquiry instruction, as well as social-emotional development in either part-day and full-day classes.
*** Join us for an info meeting on January 12 at 3:30 pm (Spanish) at Zoom link: http://mvw.sd/PK112 or January 26 at 3:30 pm (English) at Zoom link: http://mvw.sd/PK126 ***
Children who will be 3- or 4-years old at any time during the school year are eligible. Priority enrollment is for children who will be 4 years old by Sept. 1. Full day is 8 a.m.- 3 p.m., part-day is 3 hrs in the morning or afternoon.
Now accepting applications for full- and part-day spaces. Enrollment appointments begin in March. For more info go to www.mvwsd.org/preschool or call 650-526-3560.
Parent University: Managing Stress and Fostering Resiliency
Date: 1/19/22, 5:30 p.m. Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/pu011922
Does hearing about stress make you feel stressed out? Let’s face this universal phenomenon together. This presentation will:
Identify common stressors and the effects of stress
Explore tips for stress management for oneself
Provide tips on how to support our kids with stress management
To submit questions prior to the event, please click here. We will do our best to address your question during the session.
Open Enrollment for all MVWSD students starts in January
For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 24-28.
For NEW students: Open Enrollment is from January 10 through Feb. 4, 2022 online. You can register your child for the 2022-23 school year when online registration opens here: www.mvwsd.org/register
Please visit www.mvwsd.org/register for more information.
MVWSD Wellness Parenting Tip: Improving Your or Your Child's Mood
Stressful events influence our thoughts (words or images that pop into our mind), feelings (our emotions), and actions (what we do or say). For example, if your childcare falls through, then you might think, "my day is ruined;" you might feel frustrated; and you might act short-tempered with your child, partner, or colleagues. Doing enjoyable activities can prevent stressful events from ruining our day.
To improve your (or your child's) mood:
1) Track your mood throughout the day (e.g., rate how you feel each morning, afternoon, and evening from 1 = unhappy to 5 = happy).
2) Create a list of activities that you enjoy doing.
3) Schedule one or more of these activities.
4) Do the scheduled activity.
5) Compare your mood before and after doing the activity.
Watch this video to learn more about how doing fun activities can make you (or your child) feel better: http://mvw.sd/4V8V1
MVEF Gala Save the Date - March 19, 2022!
The MVEF Gala Committee is hard at work ensuring that our Annual Gala on March 19th will be a fun evening that raises funds for our schools. We are still working out all the details as current conditions shift - so stay tuned! We do know that Trivia will be back as will our annual raffle. If you'd like to join the planning committee, please contact Andrea Maes at andrea-m@mvef.org.
Please take our Survey! MVEF wants your input on our funding priorities
MVEF wants to know your thoughts about our stretch goal, the programs that we usually fund, and areas where MVEF could potentially fund programs in the future for all MVWSD students.
Inclusive Fun Fair - Summer Camp and Recreation opportunities for students with learning challenges. Sponsored by SELPA 1 CAC (www.selpa1cac.org) Tuesday, January 25 7-8:30 PM on Zoom
Learn more about local summer camp and recreational opportunities from our panel, including:
Via West and Camp Altitude, The Friendship Circle, Camp EDMO, Camp Tuolumne Trails, Learning Play with Chaia May, Special Olympics Nor. Cal., Animal Assisted Happiness. Camp Harmon, Quest Therapeutic Camps and more!
Register:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsdeCprDMoHNQmNm2AxCpcukE3IRu-YdIZ
Mountain View Community Shuttle EXPANDED HOURS
Thanks to new VTA funding, the City of Mountain View is pleased to announce that the Mountain View Community Shuttle will expand weekday hours to better serve our community.
Beginning Monday, January 3, 2022, the Shuttle’s weekday hours will be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Weekend service hours will remain 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, please call Customer Service at: 855-730-RIDE (7433) or check MVCommunityShuttle.com.