The Dolphin Whistle

Dear Castro Families,

Thank you so much for registering your children. Over 130 parents registered with no assistance! Dozens more called or came to the office for help. Learning the technology can be scary for some, but everyone is learning. Castro Pride!!

Some adjustments in the time allocated for each subject will start next week.. Teachers have been given time for professional development to review their schedules and learn new strategies for teaching Language Arts (reading, writing, oral presentations, etc). Social Studies will be incorporated into Language Arts. Students in grades 1-4 will be receiving more time for science, with our STEAM specialist teacher. Our goal is to increase student learning with these adjustments.

Please look for and respond to the LCAP survey sent to you by our district. We need the voice of Castro parents. Silence isn’t a good option. Our Site Council and ELAC will be discussing this at our meetings next week.

Sincerely,

Dr. Judy Crates

Administrator on Special Assignment

• February 8,2022 - SSC, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
  
• February 8, 2022 - ELAC Meeting, 6:15 p.m. -7:15 p.m. (zoom)
• February 9, 2022 - Cafecito with the superintendente, 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. (zoom)
• February 18, 2022 - End of trimester (Minimum day) dismissal is at 12:10 p.m.
• February 21-25,2022 - Winter Break ( No School)

The District is beginning its annual process of updating the LCAP (Local Control Accountability Plan). This input collected will guide the update of our District plan for the 2022-23 school year. Look for a meeting at your school to learn more about the LCAP process, as well as a survey about the plans' goals. An email with a link to the survey will come to your inbox on Jan. 31. More information found here: https://www.mvwsd.org/lcap

Our middle schools recently held meetings for next year's 6th graders and their parents to hear from our principals, information about courses, tips on how to be successful at middle school and more. The presentation slides and videos are posted here:

Crittenden: https://crittenden.mvwsd.org/news/what_s_new/orientation_information

Graham: https://graham.mvwsd.org/prepare_for_next_year/incoming_6th_graders

Wednesday, Feb. 9, 5:30 – 6:30pm

This is an informal meeting for Spanish-speaking parents. Translation will be provided. Please register in advance for this meeting by clicking here: http://mvw.sd/C29

In the month of February, there is much to celebrate and acknowledge. The Lunar New Year reminds us of the power of rebirth and renewal, while Black History Month gives us the opportunity to recognize the resilience of those on the shoulders we stand, along with the cultural richness of those identifying as Black in America and across the world. Heritage months grant us the opportunity to highlight the history of oppressed groups and their fight towards equality, but renewal and Black excellence transcend just this month. However we celebrate, we are #BetterTogether.

Please see the graphics attached to this newsletter, or visit https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.

Date: February 3, 2022

Time: 6:00 - 7:00pm

Zoom Link: http://mvw.sd/kinsella22

Dr. Kinsella is back! At this special parent event, co-sponsored by Imai, Landels, and Vargas Elementary schools but open to all MVWSD families, parents will learn how to support their children in reading, writing, listening, and speaking both in school and in their daily lives.

Dr. Kinsella is the author of many professional publications and research-validated programs to support multilingual learners and striving readers, including READ 180 Universal, English 3D, Language Launch, and Academic Vocabulary Toolkit. She has served as the lead scholar and pedagogy guide on three recent U.S. Department of Education funded research initiatives to improve educational outcomes for K-12 English language learners.

Date: 2/16/22 Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/pu021622

“Bullying” is a serious, yet often misunderstood concept. What does it really mean and how can we stop it? Better yet, how can we prevent it? This presentation will:

• Identify basic concepts of bullying: definition, types of bullying, basic data

• Provide tips for bullying reduction

• Explore relationship-building to prevent bullying as we work to create new standards of acceptable behavior

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To submit questions prior to the event, please click here. We will do our best to address your question during the session.

MVEF is honored to receive a $100,000 grant from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, to support California Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for students in MVWSD. Google.org’s generous support will help fund the ‘Living Classroom’ program to provide an interdisciplinary and practical science-based curriculum that meets NGSS, and ‘Discovery Education’ to support STEM-RTI programs which help implement NGSS for all elementary school students in the district. Read the full press release on our website.

Looking for afterschool, February break or spring break activities for your children? InPlay offers a free searchable program guide for parents, with filters for age, location, price (including free or reduced cost), and more. To find programs local to Mountain View, head to: https://www.inplay.org/r/mountain-view. Available programs include those that serve students with special needs or English learners.

Additionally, the City of Mountain View provides eligible, low-income Mountain View families with financial assistance to register children for recreation classes. Applicants must be a Mountain View resident and qualify through the Community Services Agency screening process. Contact the Community Services Agency at (650) 968-0836 to schedule an appointment to see if you are eligible. Please see the attached flyer for more information.