04.21.22
Dear Stingray Parents and Guardians,
Next week, our 3rd – 5th grade students will be taking the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) tests. 3rd – 5th grade students will take the English Language Arts tests the week of April 25th and then will take the Mathematics test the week of May 2nd. Our 5th graders started off the state testing this week with the California Science Test (CAST). Over the past couple of weeks, all 3rd – 5th classrooms have been providing practice sessions with students so they can become familiar with the testing platform. During these testing weeks, please help your child get good rest each evening and please try not to schedule any appointments that would make your child miss school.
Next week, our district will be celebrating our students that have reclassified as English Language Proficient. At Stevenson, we have 11 students that were English Language Learners and now are reclassified! We are proud of our stingray students! For more information on the Reclassification Celebration, please see details in the School Announcement section of this newsletter.
Sincerely,
Ryan Santiago
Principal, Stevenson Elementary
SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
-FAN-tastic Friday Staff!
-Reclassification Celebration
-COVID Masking
-Lunch lines are open!
-Reporting Absences and Tardies
FAN-tastic Friday Staff!
This week’s fantastic staff members are:
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Ms. Shamai Bassett, 4th Grade Teacher
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Ms. Lauren Scott, Resource/SPED Teacher
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Ms. Alyissa, Noon Duty Supervisor
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Ms. Lyndsay Fry, Speech Teacher
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!
MVWSD Celebrates Its Reclassified Students!
It's time for our annual celebration of former English Learner students who have successfully reclassified as English Proficient this school year! We are extremely proud of all the students as well as all of the families, teachers, and school staff who have supported them along the way. Families of newly reclassified students should have received email invitations and formal paper invitations this week to the event to take place at Crittenden the evening of April 28. If you have any questions, or believe you should have received an invitation but didn't, please contact your child's school or Leticia Corcoran at [email protected] or (650) 526-3500 x1121. Congratulations!
COVID Masking (Repeat)
Both outdoor and indoor masking is strongly recommended (but no longer required) for students and staff in our schools and offices. However, there are times that masks are still very highly recommended.
Lunch lines are open! (Repeat)
Multi-use rooms opened for food distribution this week as a result of loosened COVID restrictions. Students will wear masks as they pick up food indoors. Outdoor eating will continue. Please click here for a video about how the new food lines work: https://vimeo.com/694953946. Thanks in advance for your patience as we adjust to new procedures.
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
Walk/Bike/Scoot Week and Raffle - April 18-22
Here Is A Reason To Change Your Routine! Come Celebrate Earth Day with Us!
Take this opportunity to try an alternative form of transportation that is good for you and the environment!
Students can walk, bike or scoot to school during the week of April 18-22 for eco-prizes!
If your child participates, enter your child's classroom info here https://forms.gle/YWg6r4kQ9JphjWgi9 for Eco raffle prizes (maximum of one entry per student per day). Raffle winners will be announced the following week.
Interaction Styles: Parent Development Workshop
This is going to be awesome! Please plan to join us :)
WHO: Parents! Teachers and staff are welcome, too.
WHAT: We’ve asked Judy Levy (LevyConsulting.net), former PACT parent and Leadership Coach to facilitate a workshop for us about interpersonal relationships and interaction styles. How do you like to operate? How can different interaction styles work well together? Judy has conducted this workshop for PACT Foundation multiple times, and we have found it fun and very helpful. She combines a unique blend of coaching, mindfulness, conflict resolution, and neuroscience to consult with a variety of clientele (Cisco Systems, Fidelity Investments, Stanford, NGOs and Education Offices). She is bringing her expertise to Stevenson!
WHY: Our Stevenson Community is finally starting to come back together, which is amazing! Now is a great time to think about how we interact with each other and how we can help support our students, teachers, and community. You’ll learn more about how you (and others!) interact and communicate – and ways you can use this information in the classroom, serving on a committee, at work, or with our families.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 26, 7:00- 8:30pm
WHERE: Zoom Meeting - Zoom link
Meeting ID: 868 9476 7597
Passcode: 565904
We hope to see you there!
MVEF Gala raffle tickets (Repeat)
The Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF) is holding their annual gala on April 23rd. Every year, MVEF sells raffle tickets for 3 wonderful prizes, to be raffled at the gala.
It's a wonderful way for us to support MVEF, the MVWSD and our students! Please consider buying tickets. 5 tickets for $20 or 20 tickets for $60 is a great deal but buying one ticket or more than 20 is also an option.
Kindergarten teacher, Maja Engelhardt ([email protected]) is the representative at Stevenson so you can buy tickets from her.
If you are interested, please email her at [email protected] with the number of tickets you'd like to purchase and she will send you the payment info (cash, check, Venmo, PayPal or ApplePay; she takes them all:)
You need not be present to win!
CALENDAR
2021-2022 MVWSD Calendar
**2022-2023** MVWSD Calendar
Tuesday, April 19th - May 13th
-CAASPP Testing - 3rd to 5th Grade
Thursday, April 21st
-Stevenson ELAC Meeting
Friday, April 22nd
-Earth Day Lunchtime Activities by Parent Eco Committee
Saturday, April 23rd
-MVEF Spring Gala
-Pinnacles Camping Trip
Monday, April 25th
-DELAC Meeting - Zoom Link
Tuesday, April 26th
-Stevenson School Site Council Meeting
-Interaction Styles: Parent Development Workshop - Zoom Link
Wednesday, April 27th
-Parent University: Preparing for Middle School - Register here
Thursday, April 28th
-MVWSD Reclassification Ceremony @ 5pm
MVWSD NEWS
Please share your thoughts: Safety ThoughtExchange beginning April 20
As our community is still reeling from the recent student tragedy, many of us are asking the question of “how can we make school commutes safer for our students?” The Mountain View Whisman School District is looking to focus and record these organic conversations in an online exchange of ideas, with the goal of involving all of the organizations and people who have a role in making our community safer.
On April 20, please look in your email for a link to a ThoughtExchange about safety. Middle school students will also be participating. Your participation is confidential. Please share and come back often to rate new ideas until the exchange closes on May 4.
Parent University: Preparing for Middle School
Date and Time: April 27, 2022, 5:30pm Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/pu042722
Nervous about middle school? We get it! Change can be daunting, but it can also lead to amazing new experiences. Join us to learn how to support your children as they prepare for the next stage in their academic and social lives. We will feature a panel of staff and students from Crittenden and Graham who will offer lots of wisdom and details about grades six, seven, and eight. See you there!
To submit your questions prior to the event, go to mvw.sd/questions.
April Better Together Infographic
This April, we herald in Autism Acceptance Month and celebrate our neurodiverse community. MVWSD is a district that aims to provide an identity-affirming, empowering space for all of our students. We strive to challenge biases and champion change that makes our world more equitable, accessible, and just. Check out this month's infographic for ideas and resources to spark a conversation about autism acceptance and about the gifts our neurodiverse people bring to our community. Please see the graphics attached to this newsletter, or visit https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.
Health and Wellness Tip: Changing Your Thoughts
Everyone has upsetting thoughts from time to time, which can make us feel angry, sad, or frustrated. This is normal! It is often our emotions that drive these upsetting thoughts, not the facts of the situation. By catching our upsetting thoughts, checking the facts, and changing our thoughts based on those facts, we can start to have more helpful thoughts and improve our mood.
Watch this video and learn more about how to change upsetting thoughts to be more helpful.
To change your upsetting thoughts:
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Catch it. When you feel upset, pause and ask yourself, “What words or phrases are running through my mind right now?”
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Check it. Consider whether the thought you are having is helpful or not.
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Change it. If you are having an unhelpful thought, consider other ways of looking at the situation. Reframe your thought to one that is more helpful.
Catching, checking, and changing your thoughts takes practice. By noticing your unhelpful thoughts and reframing them based on facts, you can improve your mood.
MVPAL Youth Extravaganza 2022
Join the MV Police Activities League on Friday, April 22 from 4 pm to 7:30 pm at Rengstorff Park for a family night of fun promoting health and mental wellness for youth of all ages. The event is free for local Mountain View youth and families. A picnic dinner will be provided!
City of MV Earth Day Celebration
The City is hosting an Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 23rd at the Mountain View Senior Center from 11am-3pm. The event will have food trucks, activities for kids, electric vehicles that folks can do a free test drive in, and sustainability booths and presentations throughout the day. Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend!
Día de los Niños with MV Public Library
Día de los Niños/Día de los libros (Day of the Children/Day of the Books) will be celebrated with a performance from Raices de Mexico, a Mexican folkloric dance company that will perform regional dances from Mexico, on Saturday, April 30 from 11-11:45 a.m. in Pioneer Park. The event is open to all ages, and no registration is required. Click here for more information.
MVLA Speech & Debate Summer Camp
Registration is open for MVLA’s Speech and Debate Summer Camp, which is being held at Mountain View High School from June 20–24 and June 27–July 1 for students entering grades 3-9. The camp is taught by the team’s varsity level debaters and speakers, and there are options for focusing on general speaking skills or preparation for competition. Free and discounted options are available for families with need. For more information and digital registration: mvlasdcamp.org. For paper registration options, scholarships, and questions: contact [email protected] or (925) 315-5514.
Suicide Prevention 101 Webinar for Parents
Register for the upcoming free webinar and Facebook Live event: Suicide Prevention 101 for Parents: Recognizing Signs and What to Do in English on April 20, 2022 from 5 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. This free webinar will provide information about suicide prevention for parents, including warning signs for suicide, how to have a conversation with their teen, actions to take if their teen is having a suicidal thoughts, and resources. The webinar is provided in partnership with the California Department of Education, the California Mental Health Services Authority, the Directing Change Program, and Teen Line. English meeting zoom information is here.