12.16.21
Dear Stingray Parents and Guardians,
As the year comes to a close, I would like to take this opportunity again to share my heartfelt gratitude to our Stingray community. A sincere appreciation to our amazing dedicated teachers and staff. We thank you for all that you do each day to provide a welcoming school environment and continue to find fun ways to teach our stingray students.
To our parent community, our partnership means a lot to our staff. We know that the last couple of years have been challenging, but yet, parents continue to find creative ways to extend the learning that our students receive at school.
On behalf of the Stevenson Staff, we are thankful for the support and appreciation that our families provide to our school each day. THANK YOU!
Please be sure to take a few minutes to read through each of the sections. We wish you all a restful and wonderful holiday season!
COVID Safety Over the December Break
We strongly encourage families to get tested after the holidays and before returning to school after the holiday, especially if you are traveling. Even as children 5-11 are now starting to get vaccinated, it is still important that we stay vigilant with safety precautions, particularly in light of the variant, Omicron.
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Test for COVID before and after holiday traveling and/or gatherings. https://covid19.sccgov.org/covid-19-testing
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Due to low supplies of test kits, MVWSD cannot provide rapid antigen tests to families. Instead, we are planning a community testing event on Dec. 29 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the District Office, 1400 Montecito Ave. Look for more details by email.
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!
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.
Regular school attendance is required by the state law, and is included in the District’s Local Control Accountability plan (LCAP) and reported in the California School Dashboard. State law requires MVWSD to notify parents whose students are truant or chronically absent.
Please see the District News section for more information on attendance.
Sincerely,
Ryan Santiago
Principal, Stevenson Elementary
SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
-Holiday Boutique
-Students “Love Over Hate” Artwork
-Stevenson’s Equity Committee - Community Discussion
-Upcoming i-Ready Diagnostic 2 Assessments
-No School - Winter Break
-Minimum Days - Week of January 10th
-School Social Media - Instagram and Twitter
-Reporting Absences and Tardies
Holiday Boutique
It was amazing to see many of our Stingray families come together for Stevenson’s Holiday Boutique. Our Stingray students showed their creativity with their crafts for the Boutique. A special thank you to the Stevenson Social Committee!
Students “Love Over Hate” Artwork
Our Stingray students and Community are spreading “Love Over Hate” messages. Stevenson’s Equity Committee hosted an art table for families at the Holiday Boutique last Saturday to create Love Over Hate notes and drawings. We have posted the artwork outside the front office. Join our Stevenson community in spreading Love Over Hate!
Stevenson’s Equity Committee
Racial Autobiographies: A Community-Wide Storytelling Event
Please join us Wed, January 19th 7:45 pm-9:00 pm to engage in a community-wide racial autobiography storytelling session on Zoom. In this session, we’ll meet in pairs & small groups to share our stories with each other– how our culture, racial backgrounds, and unique journeys impacted who we are and how we grew up. We’ll provide a safe, relaxed, and comfortable environment for us to open up to each other and provide a safe space for deep listening and connection. You’ll have the opportunity to really get to know a few people at a deeper level, and possibly even make a new friend and new connection. Come join us at our first racial autobiography story-telling session. We’re hoping for a fantastic school-wide turn-out. This special session is hosted by the Equity Working Group, and our mission is to continue to celebrate our differences and grow in our perspective of equity at our school and within the larger community we are a part of. This special session is also hosted during the week we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.
i-Ready Diagnostic 2 Assessments (Repeat)
i-Ready is an online program that helps us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth in mathematics and reading. Teachers use this information to support instruction in core subjects for every student.
Elementary school families can access their child’s i-Ready Reading and Mathematics score via their Powerschool Parent Portal starting December 17, 2021. Parents will have access to three reports for their child - For Families Report, Common Core State Standards Report (CCSS), and the Diagnostic Growth Report. Here’s how to access PowerSchool Parent Portal i-Ready Reports.
Parents can learn more about the i-Ready platform and how to interpret the various i-Ready reports. Join us for an i-Ready Parent Informational Webinar on December 16th, 2021 at 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Please register in advance via the link: http://mvw.sd/i-ready.
Please contact your child’s school front office if you have any trouble accessing reports.
No School - Winter Break
There will be no school Monday, December 20th - Monday, January 3rd. Students will return back to school on Tuesday, January 4th. We hope you all enjoy the break! Happy Holidays!
Minimum Days, Week of January 10th (Repeat)
Due to parent teacher conferences, the entire week of January 10th be minimum days. All students are dismissed at 12:05pm
Follow us now on Twitter and Instagram
- Twitter - @StevensonElem_
- Instagram - @stevenson__elementary
- Facebook - @StevensonElem
Reporting Absences (Repeat)
Please call the office at (650) 903-6950 or email Renae Rhodes at [email protected] and Kass Madrid at [email protected] to report an absence or late arrival. Provide the following information: date of absence, student’s name, grade and room number, reason for absence, name and relationship of the person reporting the absence.
PACT FOUNDATION UPDATES
Early Notice
1/11 - PACT Foundation Meeting 5:00-6:30 pm via Zoo
1/19 - Equity Parent Activity 8:00-9:00 pm via Zoom
CALENDAR
2021-2022 MVWSD School Calendar
Wednesday, December 15th
-Stevenson School Info Night - Register here
Thursday, December 16th
-i-Ready Parent Informational Webinar - Register Here
Monday, December 20th-Monday, January 3rd
-No School - Holiday Break
Tuesday, January 4th
-Stevenson Equity Meeting
Wednesday, January 5th
-Parent University - Register here
Thursday, January 6th
-MVWSD Board of Trustee Meeting - Zoom link
Friday, January 7th
-Community Check-In - Register here
Monday January 10th-Friday, January 14th
-Minimum Day - Pick-up @ 12:05pm
MVWSD NEWS
Last day for OKtoReopen screener is Friday
With student vaccination rates increasing for our younger students, on-campus COVID testing and increased awareness in our community about Covid symptoms and protocols, there is no longer need for the OKtoReopen screener. Starting after break when students return on the morning of January 4 , you will no longer receive an email or text message from OKtoReopen. Thank you for your consistent use of the screener in the past months.
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.
Regular school attendance is required by the state law, and is included in the District’s Local Control Accountability plan (LCAP) and reported in the California School Dashboard. State law requires MVWSD to notify parents whose students are truant or chronically absent.
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. Please see MVWSD board policy for the full list. All other reasons are not considered excused.
Are Vacations / Travel Excused? Unfortunately, family vacation or travel is not excused – even when you inform your teacher or the office. This comes as a surprise for parents. We appreciate you letting us know so that you will not receive a call from the auto-dialer asking you to verify the absence.
When do parents get truancy letters? California law requires MVWSD to notify parents of truancy. Any three unexcused absences and/ or tardies over 30 minutes means a child is truant.
Letters: beginning in January, MVWSD will send letters to parents of any student who 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.
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.
School meetings are coming up. 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.
December Better Together Infographic
December is Universal Human Rights Month, a time for people in the U.S. and around the world to join together and stand up for the rights and dignity of all individuals. December 10, Human Rights Day, is a global holiday that marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948. Together, we can protect the rights of everyone, everywhere. Please see the graphics attached to this newsletter, or visit https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.
MVEF Holiday Zumba Dance Party on 12/19
Get ready to have fun and get fit while grooving to some sweet Latin beats! We’re going to shake it up with 90 minutes of Zumba awesomeness on Sunday, December 19th at 3 pm - 4:30 pm at the Mountain View Civic Center Plaza (500 Castro Street). Bring water, comfortable exercise clothes, and all your friends. It is going to be a party!
Suggested donation is $20 per person cash or check payable to the Mountain View Educational Foundation.
CHAC Resources and Events
CHAC Family Resource Centers offer a variety of classes and resources for Santa Clara County residents, including music classes for young children, arts enrichment, groups for Spanish-speaking families, parenting courses, and free diapers and other essential items. For more information, see attached flyers or visit https://www.chacmv.org/frcs.