The Dolphin Whistle

Dear Parents,

There are two important topics for my message this week. First, we have noticed that parents are leaving their cars in the entrance lane to the parking lot. This is not permitted as it blocks access to larger emergency vehicles. Please leave enough time to park on the streets in the area around the school and walk in to pick up your child. Do not block the fire lane or parking lot traffic.

Second, after Jan. 13 parents may access the results from the i-Ready Diagnostic #2

i-Ready is the online program that helps us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth in mathematics and reading. You will be able to access the results from the i-Ready Diagnostic #2 that children took in December. Look for an email with specific directions about how to access the results through the PowerSchool Parent Portal (https://ps.mvwsd.org/public/).

There are four reports (two for math and two for English language arts). One report will show your student’s overall score and growth since August, and a detailed report will show how your student performed on each grade-level standard, in math and language arts. You can review this information and talk with your teacher about how to support and enrich your child’s learning.

Your child can access i-Ready instruction at home online anytime through Clever. These lessons supplement core instruction, and support and enrich students' learning. They are individualized for each student, based on information from their i-Ready assessments. Please ask your teacher if you have trouble accessing i-Ready.

Best Regards,

Theresa Lambert

Principal Mariano Castro Elementary

Jan. 16 - Food Pantry 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. MUR

Jan. 15- PTA- Association General meeting. 6:15 p.m.- 7:15 p.m. MUR

Jan.20 - MLK Day - No School

Jan.21 - ELAC & Annual Title 1 Parent meeting 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Jan.23 - FEI Cooking class 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. staff Lounge

Jan. 30 - Personal Success Assembly - 8:30 a.m.- 9:00 a.m. MUR

The Mountain View Educational Foundation staff and volunteers are working hard to make the Winter Gala an incredible night. Join MVEF on February 8th to enjoy a delicious dinner, dancing, and lots of auction fun. There are some incredible auction packages in store for guests, including an Escape to Santa Cruz, a Warriors Game Night Experience, dinner at MVFD firehouse, an exquisite handcrafted quilt created by MVWSD’s own Principal Gloria Higgins, Principal Terri Lambert and Executive Assistant Kathi Lilga, summer camps, one of a kind parties, and much, much, more. You don’t want to miss this event that raises funds to support every child and every school in the district. Buy your tickets today at mvef.org. Ticket sales close on January 27th.

Please help support art and music instruction, Living Classroom, environmental field trips and more at Huff and all our schools! The MVEF fundraising gala is on February 8th at the new Mountain View Rec Center and event tickets are now on sale at mvef.org. It's a really fun night out with the entire Mountain View community as you support a cause close to all our hearts - our kids and our schools! You can also help support the gala by buying raffle tickets. One ticket for $5 or 5 tickets for $20. TO BUY RAFFLE TICKETS: Email Huff parent Mona Singh at tamara@mvef.org to buy via cash, check, PayPal, Venmo.

- 1st Prize: 2 Premium Tickets to a Shoreline Concert of your choice

- 2nd Prize: Four San Jose Sharks tickets on 3/7/20 vs the Ottawa Senators

- 3rd Prize: A $250 Gift Card to Cognition Cyclery

Mountain View Whisman School District student enrollment for next fall is open online now.

For NEW students: Through February 7, you can register your child for transitional kindergarten - eighth grade online for the 2020-21 school year here: www.mvwsd.org/register

For CURRENTLY enrolled students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents can log on to the PowerSchool Parent Portal to enroll their children for 2020-21 through February 7. To check your access, log on to https://ps.mvwsd.org/public/. You received an email on Nov. 21 with your username. If you have difficulty signing in, please contact your school office.

You may click here to confirm your child’s school of residence. For more information, call 650-526-3500 or go to www.mvwsd.org/register.

You can change the life of a student!

Come learn about volunteer opportunities to Mentor high school students and Tutor students in grades K-8 in our Mountain View and Los Altos schools.

There is no obligation to sign up as a volunteer. You're welcome to just come and learn more about what we do.

All volunteers must be high school graduates.

Date: Wednesday, January 15th

Time: 12:00 - 1:00 pm (lunch included)

Location: El Camino YMCA

2400 Grant Road, Mountain View, CA

Register: REGISTER ONLINE

Questions: programs@mentortutorconnection.org

Evidence strongly suggests that age-appropriate autonomy is vital for young people’s mental health—it helps them to sculpt brains that are resilient, resourceful, and ready to take on new challenges.

When The Self-Driven Child authors Bill Stixrud and Ned Johnson discovered a common problem among their young clients: kids were feeling acutely stressed. Some stumbled in high school, while others hit college and unraveled. Bill is a clinical neuropsychologist who helps kids gripped by anxiety or struggling to learn. Ned is a motivational coach who runs an elite tutoring service. Together they discovered that the best antidote to stress is to give kids a sense of control. In this talk, Bill and Ned advise that parents and educators adopt the role of consultant rather than manager to give kids more responsibility for their own life decisions even before they leave home.

Audience: Parents and educators of students grades 6 - 12.

To register for this free event, go to https://mvla2019-20-stixrudandjohnson.eventbrite.com

Books available for purchase, thanks to Books, Inc., (cash or check)

Sponsored by Los Altos Educational Foundation (LAEF), MVLA High School Foundation, Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF), and Los Altos-Mountain View PTA Council.

The Fair is on January 21, 2020 from 6-8 pm at the MUR in Crittenden Middle School, 1701 Rock St, Mountain View.

All families are invited! We have providers from a wide variety of areas, from tutoring services to summer camps, speech therapists to art and music programs, social skills programs to lawyers and advocates and many more!

Please let everyone know! Every family can benefit, for students from preschool through high school and beyond!

Presenters:

Health Connected, a Bay Area health education leader

Parents will learn:
The why, what, when and how of speaking to your child about sexual health
Join us for a fun and interactive workshop to inspire and assist trusted adults to engage their children in open and honest conversation

Appropriate for adults with children of any age, and definitely relevant for adults with children approaching puberty through their teen years

Childcare and Spanish interpretation will be available. Reserve your seat: askableadult2020.eventbrite.com

MVEF’S Winter Gala and Auction is on Saturday, February 8th! You don't want to miss this fun evening as MVEF goes Full STEAM Ahead to support all MVWSD schools. Attendees will celebrate the new dedicated STEAM classrooms and raise funds to support every child at every school in the Mountain View Whisman School District!

The event will be held at the new Mountain View Community Center from 5:30-10:00 pm.

· Doors open at 5:15 pm, followed by champagne, appetizers, and silent auction preview.

· Sit-down dinner will be served at 6:15 pm, followed by a live auction, and paddle raise for STEAM.

· The evening concludes with silent auction bidding and dancing until 10:00 pm.

The menu is incredible, and the live and silent auctions are filled with amazing items, experiences, and one of a kind opportunities. MVEF anticipates a sellout event so get your tickets today!

All admission tickets are for the entire evening. Gather your friends to make a table, purchase individual tickets or if you know a teacher or staff member who you would like to send, you may choose a Teacher/Staff Ticket and send their name to Melissa, at melissa@mvef.org.

Learn more and purchase tickets here!

The EITC is a benefit for working people with low to moderate income. In order to qualify for the EITC, households must meet certain requirements and file a tax return, even if taxes are not owed or households are not required to file. The EITC reduces the amount of tax households owe and may allow for a refund. For information regarding your eligibility to receive the Federal EITC, contact the IRS by calling 1-800-829-3676 or through its website at www.irs.gov.

New, and important for parents to know:

• In January, parents will receive four reports (two for math and two for English language arts): One report will show your student’s overall score and growth since August (take a look here), and a detailed report (look at the report here) will show how your student performed on each grade-level standard, in math and language arts. You can review this information and talk with your teacher about how to support and enrich your child’s learning.

• Your child can access i-Ready instruction at home online anytime through Clever to supplement, reinforce and enrich his/her classroom learning (exception: i-Ready instruction is not available at home during diagnostic testing). These lessons supplement core instruction, and support and enrich students' learning. They are tailored to students, based on information from their i-Ready assessments. Please ask your teacher if you have trouble accessing i-Ready.

Please visit www.mvwsd.org/ireadyreport to view sample reports and frequently asked questions. Thank you for your partnership with us in your student’s success.

Senate Bill 328 was recently passed that requires middle schools to start at or after 8 a.m. (effective 2022). Each of our middle schools start before 8 a.m. - Graham at 7:50 a.m. and Crittenden at 7:55 a.m.

Since November, the District has been in the process of reaching out to parents and staff members to gather feedback about later middle school start times. MVWSD would like to further engage parents, staff members and students in grades 5-8 in an online exchange of ideas about the considerations and priorities for new middle school start times, with possible implementation for the 2020-21 school year.

Look for an email, and thank you in advance for your participation.

PTA General Association Meeting 1/15

Please join us for the PTA Association Meeting on Wednesday 1/15/2020. It will start at 6:15 pm. This is the third PTA Parent Meeting of the school year. Mark your calendar with the date and time to make sure you are there. The PTA will present information and answer questions. There will also be a brief presentation about the upcoming Bond Measure T, and what it is about. The PTA will provide snacks, childcare, and Interpretation in Spanish. We hope to see you there! (Meeting is usually under 1 hr.)

Spirit Wear Sales

Come to the January Spirit Wear Sales! We will have two sales this month, in one week. The dates are Tuesday 1/14 and Friday 1/17. The sales will be held before and after school, near the blacktop. We have Youth and Adult Sweatshirts and Jerseys, Adult V-neck Shirts and T-shirts, Youth Hats, and Stainless Steel Water Bottles. Purchases may be made with Cash or Debit/Credit Card. ($2.00 Fee for Cards) The next sale will be later in February.

Would you like to be a part of the Spirit Wear Committee for Castro?? We need adults to help run the sales, get the merchandise out & put it away, help customers get the sizes needed, and collect the money for each item purchased. We plan to have one sale each month during the school year. The sales are held before and after school on sale days. Contact the Office if you are interested in learning more about this job. You will work with other Castro families, have fun, and you may bring your younger child if necessary.

Book Fair 2020 in February

The PTA would like to announce the Scholastic Book Fair is coming in February this year! Mark your calendar for the week of February 10-14, 2020. We will have sales each day after school in the MUR. There are books for every grade level and fun items such as pencils, pens, erasers, bookmarks, posters, and more. There are some books in Spanish that are also for sale. You may purchase a book for your child’s teacher by choosing a selected item that the teacher “wishes” to have in their classroom library. Every year, the Castro PTA – Scholastic Book Fair gets better and better! We will see you at the Fair.