02.16.22
Dear Stingray Parents and Guardians,
We will be handing out at-home rapid antigen test kits for all students and staff members before the start of February break. Parents and staff members will get at-home COVID test kits. They should test themselves/ their students on February 27, before returning to school on Monday, February 28. This is an additional safeguard in addition to continued masking and ventilation. Look for kits from your school to come home with your student tomorrow, Thursday 2/17.
Bucket Filling Assemblies and Parent Workshop
February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness day. We are excited to share that we will have grade level assemblies for students on the 17th and 18th that highlight how to be a Bucket Filler and be kind to others! Also on Thursday February 17th, Stevenson will be hosting a parent workshop led by Bucket Fillers Forever! The 45 minute workshop provides opportunities for parents and caretakers to learn ways to support and grow the bucket filling message at home. We hope that you are able to join! Zoom Link to Register
Sincerely,
Ryan Santiago
Principal, Stevenson Elementary
SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
-FAN-tastic Friday Staff!
-Author/Illustrator Visit
-End of 2nd Trimester - Minimum Day 2/18
-Winter Break - No School 2/21 - 2/25
-School Site Council
-English Language Advisory Committee
-Reporting Absences and Tardies
FAN-tastic Friday Staff!
The month of February is National Random Acts of Kindness Day! In celebration of random acts of kindness, Mr. Santiago and Mrs. Lyons will be randomly picking 4 staff members to highlight each Friday from now to the end of the year. This week the 4 staff members picked at randomly were:
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Ms. Engelhardt, Kindergarten teacher
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Ms. Willigan, 4th grade teacher
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Ms. Renae, Front Office Clerk
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Ms. Lupe, Noon Duty Supervisor
Please feel welcome to join us in filling their buckets and sending acts of kindness their way! If you have free time, have your student(s) draw them a picture or write them a note. These FAN-tastic staff members will surely appreciate it!
Author/Illustrator Visit
We are excited to share that author and illustrator, Judd Winick, will be virtually presenting to our 2nd-5th grade students this Friday, Feb 18th!
End of 2nd Trimester - Minimum Day 2/18
The second trimester is coming to an end on Friday, February 18th! Every student will be out of school at 12:05pm.
Winter Break - No School 2/21 - 2/25
No school from Monday, February 21st to Friday, February 25th. Enjoy the well-deserved week-long break :)
School Site Council Meeting
Stevenson’s next school Site Council will be on Tuesday, March 1st at 3:30pm. Please use this link to register and attend.
English Language Advisory Committee
Stevenson’s next school ELAC will be on Thursday, March 3rd at 3:30pm. Please use this link to register and attend.
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
PACT Pals registration for Spring starting!
PACT Pals are after-school classes that take place at Stevenson. You can register for classes at pactpals.org starting Monday 2/14 at 9am. Registration closes Saturday Feb 19.
If your child attends an after-school program (Newton, Right at School, YMCA), drop-off and pick-up will be taken care of. After-school programs will also handle virtual math classes. See pactpals.org for details.
PACT Pals are independent after-school programs and not affiliated with Stevenson Elementary school. Vendors are solely responsible for the children during class time, not Stevenson Elementary school or PACT Foundation. Please contact vendors directly for any questions.
PACT Pals Committee
[email protected]
PACT Players and the play are back!
I’m very excited to announce that we’re bringing back Stevenson’s Spring Musical - Herotown! We’ve missed theater and can’t wait to get the kids back together for some dramatic fun!
This will be open to all 4th and 5th graders. 3rd graders may have an opportunity to reprise their 1st grade rolls later on in the rehearsal process.
There will be no official audition date like years past. Instead, I’ll recast everyone during the rehearsal process. Rehearsals are currently planned for every Monday and Wednesday from 3 - 5pm. Students should plan to come every rehearsal as we currently do not plan to have a specific scene rehearsal schedule.
Our performance dates are set for the weekend of May 19th - 21st.
To find out more details and register, click here: https://musicwithsandi.weebly.com/herotown
-Sandi Juliano
This Week
2/14 - PACT Pals registration begins
Early Notice
2/28 - PACT Pals Spring session starts
Save the Date
3/18 - Rocket Day (Save this Friday night. It is the best!!!)
4/1 or 4/2 - Walkathon
CALENDAR
2021-2022 MVWSD School Calendar
Wednesday, February 16th
-Parent University: Bullying Prevention - Register here
Thursday, February 17th
-Grade Level Bucket Filling Assemblies
-Stevenson Parent Event: Bucket Filling 6pm-6:45pm - Zoom Link
Friday, February 18th
-Grade Level Bucket Filling Assemblies
-Author/Illustrator Visit for 2nd-5th grade students
-End of Trimester 2 - Minimum day for Students
Monday, February 21st - Friday, February 5th
-Winter Break - No School
Monday, February 28th
-DELAC - Zoom Link
Tuesday, March 1st
-Stevenson School Site Council - Zoom Link
Wednesday, March 2nd
-Parent University: Effective Parent-Teacher Communication - Register here
Thursday, March 3rd
-Stevenson ELAC Meeting - Zoom Link
MVWSD NEWS
Parent University: Bullying Prevention
Date: 2/16/22, 5:30 p.m. 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:
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Identify basic concepts of bullying: definition, types of bullying, basic data
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Provide tips for bullying reduction
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Explore relationship-building to prevent bullying as we work to create new standards of acceptable behavior
To submit questions prior to the event, please click here. We will do our best to address your question during the session.
Parcel Tax Oversight Committee seeks community representatives
MVWSD needs your volunteerism and time. Please consider serving on the Parcel Tax Oversight Committee for the Measure B Parcel Tax.
The District is seeking two individuals to monitor, provide oversight, and ensure accountability to the funds received by the District, including an annual report to the Board regarding the actual uses of such funds.
Applications can be mailed to: Mountain View Whisman School District, Attn: Dr. Rebecca Westover, Chief Business Officer, 1400 Montecito Ave, Mountain View, CA 94043 or emailed to [email protected]. Application: http://mvw.sd/PTOC
Questions? Please e-mail Dr. Rebecca Westover, Chief Business Officer, at [email protected].
Health and Wellness Parenting Tip: Calming Your Mind
When we feel stressed, our minds tend to jump to the past (I should have...) or to the future (What if...?). The problem is that we cannot change the past nor control the future. Focusing on the present can help us take control of our current situation and help us feel calmer and more relaxed.
Watch this video to learn more about how mindfulness can help you (or your child) be more present and relaxed.
To calm your (or your child’s) mind:
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Look around you, and name five things you see. Pick one object, and describe what it looks like, what color, what size, and what shape it is.
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Look for four things you can touch. Pick one of those items to touch, and describe how it feels.
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Name three things that you can hear. At first, it might seem that there is not much to hear, but listen carefully. Focus on one sound, and describe it.
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Look for two things you can smell. Focus on one smell, and describe it.
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Find one thing you can taste. Focus on the taste and describe it.
You can repeat these steps every time you feel stressed to come back to the present moment.
Help MVEF Exceed Fundraising Goal!
With your help, we know we can reach our goal to raise $800,000 again in 2021-22. But what if we can do more? If we can exceed our fundraising goal by $300,000 this year, we will be able to enhance learning for all middle school students by funding one additional English language arts teacher for each middle school next year and reduce class sizes. Help us raise an additional $300,000 to fund two ELA teachers to reduce class sizes at the middle schools in 2022-23. Donate today at mvef.org/donate
Housing assistance information
The County is offering free virtual workshops for the community that explain the Emergency Rental Assistance that’s available. Learn about county programs that support families experiencing financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 related housing crisis, housing resources for immigrants
and more.
Meetings are on:
Feb 18 (English)
Feb 22 (English)
Feb 25 (Spanish)
Please see the attached flyers.
February CAC Announcements
SELPA 1 CAC and the Learning Challenge Committee are your groups for special education and broader learning challenge needs. If you have questions about learning challenges and special education needs, email [email protected] or check out www.selpa1cac.org
We are excited to announce our March Parent education event “FINDING SUCCESS WHEN NAVIGATING CHALLENGING CONVERSATIONS" - this is an alternative dispute resolution training with help from the county SELPA
3/16 Wednesday 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Register in advance for this meeting: https://sccoe.to/SELPA1CAC_ChallengingConversations
Attendees of this interactive training will be introduced to a prep-sheet that was inspired by the “Getting to Yes” workbook by Roger Fisher and William Ury. This tool has helped many IEP team members have successful meetings by preparing, thinking through interests, options and bringing legitimacy to requests. It is the goal of this training that attendees will leave feeling more prepared and confident for the next IEP team meeting. To be facilitated by Purchin Consulting.
MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Series: Recordings Available
A recording of MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Rosetta Lee’s recent talk, “Implicit and Unconscious Bias: Bridging the Distance Between Professed Values and Daily Behaviors” is now available for viewing. If you missed them, recordings of other past presentations are also available: Jessica Lahey - The Addiction Inoculation: Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence and Colin Seale - The Question is the Answer Practical Strategies to Unleash Critical Thinking at Home.
2022 Silicon Valley Reads K-8 Career Fair: Feb. 26th
Join the Santa Clara County Office of Education for the upcoming 2022 Silicon Valley Reads K-8 Career Fair on Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The virtual event is geared towards K-8 families and will feature guest speakers from a variety of career fields. Participants can register at https://tinyurl.com/Career-Fair.
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 ([email protected]).
MV Public Library hosts Family Draw-Along with Shawn Harris
Join the MVPL for an online family draw along with local author and Caldecott Honoree Shawn Harris on Thursday, February 24 from 6:00pm - 7:00pm. Learn tips on how to create art with inspiration from his acclaimed picture books, including Doing Business, Have You Ever Seen a Flower? and A Polar Bear in the Snow. Registration Required: mountainview.gov/librarycalendar.