Quetzal News

Dear Mistral Families,

October is Safety Month in the Mountain View Whisman School District, and the safety of our students is always our top priority. As shared in the Superintendent’s newsletter, it's important that we are prepared to act swiftly and effectively in any emergency. This month, our focus is on practicing and refining our safety protocols to ensure everyone knows what to do when faced with potentially dangerous situations.

Safety Drills and Emergency Training:

We’ve already conducted fire drills, and in the coming days, we will practice an earthquake drill and view a dangerous intruder response. Our teachers and staff received training on the Incident Command System (ICS) and general emergency procedures. The Incident Command System assigns specific roles to staff members, ensuring that our responses are well-coordinated and efficient, even during stressful situations.

Earthquake Drill:

Our district-wide earthquake drill will take place on October 17. This drill will help students and staff practice essential safety steps in the event of an earthquake. After our staff training today, we will guide students through the procedure in an age-appropriate manner. For elementary students, the key points are simple but important: Duck, Cover, and Hold during the shaking, then calmly move to the field when it’s safe. We emphasize the importance of staying calm, keeping quiet, and following the directions of trusted adults. Rest assured, in any emergency, we will keep students safe until their caregivers can pick them up.

Dangerous Intruder Drill:

In addition to the earthquake drill, we will be reviewing procedures for responding to dangerous intruders. Elementary students will view an age-appropriate video (which you can preview here) and discuss with their teachers how to remain calm, follow instructions, and listen to trusted adults during such an event. For more details on how we approach safety at school, you can visit this link.

Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our students safe and prepared.

Have a great long weekend!

Warm regards

Claudia Olaciregui, Principal

October 10

• Teacher Service Day - No school

October 11

• Recess Day - No School

October 16

• ELAC meeting at 8:15am at the solar panel tables

October 21-25

• Conference Week-Minimum Day Schedule

October 23

• Parent U-Raising resilient children @ 5pm in the MUR

November 11

• Veterans Day-No school

November 25-29

• Thanksgiving Recess No School

DISTRICT NEWS

Better Together: October

Families come in all shapes and sizes, each one a unique community bound by love, support, and shared experiences. This month #BetterTogether presents the topic “A family is a community”. October is also LGBTQ+ History Month. As we celebrate both of these together, we are reminded of the countless families that have fought for recognition and acceptance, paving the way for a more inclusive understanding of what family means. From single-parent households to multigenerational homes, from same-sex couples to chosen families within the LGBTQ+ community, each family contributes its own special thread to the vibrant tapestry of our society. For more information about Better Together, visit mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.

Parent Involvement Board Policy

Families, thank you for your engagement and involvement with our schools. Our sustained partnership is a big part of our continuous improvement as a district. Per California Department of Education guidelines, here for your review is the most recently updated version of our Board Policy on Parent Involvement. Any questions should be directed to Geoff Chang, Director of Federal, State, and Strategic Programs (gchang@mvwsd.org).

Your employer could help us meet the MVEF goal of $1.2 MM for 2024-25!

Employer matching and grants from local companies are a major source of the funding for MVEF each year. October, November, and December are months when many companies coordinate “giving days” to encourage their employees to make philanthropic gifts to support nonprofits. If your company does this, please consider listing MVEF as a non-profit organization doing good work in your child’s school district nurturing all students’ learning experience and education. Sometimes corporations even offer to double match your contribution for a specific time period. Please check here whether your employer offers a corporate matching program.

For more information about what MVEF does, please click here.

Free COVID tests available to order

US residential households are now eligible to order four free at-home COVID tests from the US Postal Service COVID test order page. Prepare for respiratory virus season and learn how and when to test for COVID-19. Some of the tests shipped may show expired dates on the box—please note the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the expiration dates of the tests being distributed through this program. You can find the full list of extended test expiration dates at the FDA At-Home OTC COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests web page.

FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Walden West: Autumn Adventure 2024

Join the entire Walden West Community for an Autumn Adventure in the woods on Saturday, October 12 from 9am - 12 pm at Walden West! It is a great way for families to see Walden West if they have not been to science camp yet or to revisit their favorite spots if they have already attended. It will be fun for all ages with hiking, nature activities, garden time, food, music, and more! For tickets and ways to be involved, visit https://givebutter.com/wwf-autumn-adventure.

MVLA Speaker Series: Never Enough with Jennifer Wallace

Join the next MVLA Speaker Series presentation, “Never Enough: Mattering as a Solution to Toxic Achievement Pressure,” with author Jennifer Wallace on Wednesday, October 30th at 7PM at the Crittenden Middle School Auditorium. In this eye-opening talk, Wallace investigates the deep roots of toxic achievement culture, explores its harmful impact on our kids, and delivers the powerful solution: mattering, the psychological concept of feeling like you add value and are valued regardless of your external achievements. Wallace provides a practical mattering framework that parents and educators can use to tackle achievement pressure at home and in the classroom. Register for this free event here.

Free Parent Training for Families of Children with Disabilities

The Community Advisory Committee and Department of Developmental Services are hosting parent training this year. There will be interpretation available through DDS in Spanish, Vietnamese, and ASL. See below for details:

Who's Who in Serving Our Little Ones

Planning and Strategies for Kids Ages 3 to 5

For more information, contact Ombudsperson@dds.ca.gov or paloaltocac@gmail.com

Thursday, November 14, 2024

6-7pm on Zoom

Register here: https://bit.ly/DDSTraining2

Stay Tuned for 2025 Topics: Ages 5 to 14 & 14 to Adulthood

Volunteer with Mentor Tutor Connection

Mentor Tutor Connection is actively recruiting volunteers for our mentoring (high school students) and tutoring (K-8 students) programs located in Los Altos and Mountain View public schools. To learn more about Mentor Tutor connection, please email programs@mentortutorconnection.org or visit mentortutorconnection.org.

The View Teen Center: October

The View Teen Center is a free facility in Mountain View (263 Escuela Ave) for all Mountain View and Los Altos 6th - 12th grade students. Drop-in hours are Monday - Friday, 3:15 - 7 p.m. and Saturdays, 1 - 6 p.m. (Adjusted Hours: Oct. 10-11 & Oct. 21-25, 1-6 p.m.), and the center features a game room, makerspace, kitchen, computer/study room, and outdoor area. October events include Halloween-themed activities, art classes, a Bike to Boba, and much more. For more information, click here.