9.28.22 Stevenson Stingray News

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09.28.22

 

Dear Stingray Parents and Guardians,

 

Dear Parents,
 

I want to make you aware of unhealthy and disruptive “social media challenges” your students may have seen online that are being replicated at some schools. There are social media videos that suggest students bring and eat incredibly spicy chips while at school, which often makes them ill. Please speak with your children about the dangers of participating in these social media challenges and monitor their social media usage at home. We want our students to be safe and healthy, and to focus on their academics while at school. Thank you for your support.

Have You Filled A Bucket Today?

One of the best ways we can support student mental health as a school community is by routinely modeling, teaching, and practicing kindness and empathy toward others. 

For years, the book “Have You Filled A Bucket Today?” has been a valuable resource for teachers and families to help students develop an understanding of empathy, kindness, and interdependence. This year, MVWSD has purchased enough copies that ensure each classroom has access to their own copy and that each school has a version in Spanish.

As a parent, there are many ways to access mental health care for your child. If you have concerns about your child’s mental health that impacts their functioning at school, resources for support include your student’s teacher, our School Community Engagement Facilitator (SCEF), and myself. At any point you can access care through your pediatrician and/or health insurance. An additional resource for parents is Mental Health America (https://mhanational.org/)

Sincerely,

Ryan Santiago

Principal, Stevenson Elementary

 


SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS

-School Site Council

-English Learners - Reclassification

-Recess and Lunch Volunteers

-Student vision and hearing screenings coming up

-Reporting Absences and Tardies

-Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

 

School Site Council Meeting

Stevenson’s next School Site Council meeting is today, September 28th at 5pm.  If you would like to join us, please use this link to register in advance of the meeting. Over the next few weeks, we will be working on drafting our Site Plan for the year, focusing on goals aligned with our District’s Strategic Plan: Effective Instruction, Social Emotional Health, Inclusive and Welcoming Culture, Effective and Engaged employees, and Equitable Distribution of Resources to Support Student Success. 

 

English Learners - Reclassification

We are excited to share that all 14 English Language Learner students that were eligible to reclassify this year, reclassified! These students have met the criteria for reclassifying by demonstrating proficiency on the annual state language assessment and grade level proficiency on at least one reading standardized assessment.  These students are now bilingual or multilingual!  Congratulations!

 

Recess and Lunch Volunteers (Repeat)

We are looking for parents that are already regular volunteers to help during recess and lunch until regular classroom shifts start on November 28th. If you are interested and have availability, please complete this Google Form. We will be back in contact with parents that complete the Google Form next week.

 

Student vision and hearing screenings coming up (Repeat)

Each fall, MVWSD conducts hearing and vision screenings of all students in kindergarten, second-, fifth- and eighth-grade, as California State Law mandates. These screenings will take place at Stevenson on Oct. 7.

Parents will be notified in writing if children fail a screening. Parents who do not want their child screened for either vision and/or hearing should send a letter to their child's school each school year indicating that their child is to be excluded, and vision and/or hearing results will need to be provided from their physician.

If you have any concerns about your child’s vision or hearing please contact your school nurse. Questions about the screenings should be directed to the Health Services office at 650-526-3500 ext. 1050.

 

Reporting Absences (Repeat)

Please call the office at: (650) 903-6950 or email Kass Madrid at [email protected] and Renae Rhodes 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, your name, and relationship to the student.

 

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (Repeat)

- Twitter - @StevensonElem_

- Instagram - @stevenson__elementary

- Facebook - @StevensonElem

 


PACT FOUNDATION UPDATES

 

IMPORTANT VOLUNTEER BADGING REQUEST

When you receive an email with the subject: Invitation to Apply for a MVWSD Volunteer Badge, please read and respond to the email as soon as possible. This helps us maximize the number of parents being badged. Thanks for your help getting volunteers in the classroom!

 

Save the date for Walkathon: Friday, October 21, 3-5:30pm

The Stevenson Walkathon, our biggest fundraising event of the entire year, funds 25% of the Foundation budget which helps pay for classroom supplies, Arts Focus, buses for OLEs (field trips), school-wide events, and more. Our fundraising goal for this year is $50,000. Our theme this year!  WORLD CUP! Big congrats to our 5th grade logo contest winner Zoey Mak!

Check out our updated website (https://sites.google.com/view/stevensonpactwalkathon/home) where you will find info on how to create your fundraising page, important FAQs and also our spirit day schedule. Start rallying your student's sponsors! This year we will have food, Raffles, T-shirt sales, obstacle courses and of course a DJ. It's going to be a blast.

 

Trunk or Treat

Get ready for Trunk or Treat! It’s coming up! Save the date - October 28, 2022 from 6pm to 8pm.

Whether you are a new family or a returning Stevenson family, Trunk or Treat is one of our most popular events here on campus. We will have Halloween-decorated cars set up in the parking lot for kids to trick or treat from car to car. 

If you’d like to decorate your trunk and be part of this ghoulish event, please sign up here - Trunk or Treat Interest Form

For ideas on how to decorate your trunk - Decorating Trunk or Treat Ideas.

Keep an eye out for more details about the event!

Thanks,

Social Events Committee

 

Arts Focus is gearing up to start again soon

We’re so excited to have Arts Focus back for our kids starting Nov 3rd!  Check out this fun 3 minute video of our program.  If you’re on the Arts Focus team, our kick off meeting is Wednesday Oct 5th from 3 - 4pm in the library.  Be sure to RSVP as soon as you can!  If you’re not on the committee, you are still welcome to volunteer as we still need lots of helpers to get this program restarted. Email Sandi Juliano at [email protected] with any questions.

 


CALENDAR

2022-2023 MVWSD School Calendar  

 

Thursday, September 29th

-School Site Council @5pm - Register Here

Thursday, September 29th

-ImPACT Oct. Lesson (Resilience) @ 8pm - In Person

Monday, October 3rd

-District Equity Advisory Committee Meeting @ 5:30pm - Register here

Tuesday, October 4th

-Parent University Seminario @ 6pm - Zoom Link

Thursday, October 6th

-MVWSD Board of Trustee Meeting @ 6pm - Register here

Friday, October 7th

-ST - Hearing and Vision Screening

-Community Check-In @ 3:30pm - Register here

Tuesday, October 11th 

-School Site Council @ 3:30pm

 


MVWSD News

 

EZMealApp: Future benefits could include after school care!

Even though all public school meals are currently free in California, applying for free- or reduced-price lunch status by October 1 means potentially more district funding and other benefits for your family. In 2022-23, families who qualify will also be offered free after school childcare and summer programs when they become available. Go to http://secure.ezmealapp.com now to see if you qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch status, and to apply!

 

Attendance Awareness Month: September

Are Vacations / Travel Excused?
Unfortunately, family vacations or travel is not excused – even when you inform your teacher or the office. This sometimes 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. 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.

 

Upcoming October no-school days

Friday, October 14 is a recess day (no school for students and staff). Thursday, October 13 is a staff development day, which means no school for students and no work for 10-month classified staff. Oct 13 is a staff development/work day for teachers, school secretaries and 12-month classified staff.

 

MVEF has raised over $300k! Make your donation soon to achieve the goal of $1.2M 

Thanks to the generosity of new donors, repeat donors, corporate matching, and grants, MVEF has already raised over 25% of this year’s $1.2M funding goal. Thank you to all who have donated so far! It’s a fast start on a big climb: MVWSD will begin planning for next year’s budget during the winter trimester. When MVEF is on pace to meet or exceed the funding goal early in the school year, it gives confidence that we can continue funding the current priorities and potentially add new priorities to next year’s budget.

To become an MVEF donor or renew your gift for the current school year, click here.  A recurring monthly donation of $100 per month (made in September) will contribute $1000 towards the current year’s goal! Gifts of any amount are important to help us meet our goal. Each school site has a big green sign in the parking area – keep your eye out for the new goal markers that indicate our progress towards funding art, music, environmental science, athletics, clubs, and smaller class sizes now and in the future!   

 

MVLA Speakers Series: Friendship in the Age of Loneliness: How to Make Friends As An Adult 

Thursday, October 6, 2022 - 7:00 - 9:00pm | MVHS Spartan Theater ⧫ 3535 Truman Avenue

We are lonelier than ever. Two-thirds of Americans are lonely and the average person hasn't made a new friend in the last five years. In the wake of the pandemic, it’s more clear than ever that our friendships are vital to our health and happiness. But why can it feel so difficult to keep those bonds alive as an adult—especially as parents? Why do we spend only four percent of our time with friends?  Join us as Adam Smiley Poswolsky, workplace belonging keynote speaker, and author of the recent book, Friendship in the Age of Loneliness, proposes a new solution for the mounting pressures of modern life: focus on your friendships.  In this talk, Smiley will share practical habits and playful reminders on how to create meaningful connections, make new friends, be a Minister for Loneliness in your community, prioritize real-world experiences, and deepen your relationships at work and outside of work. With warmth and inspiration, Smiley reminds us that nurturing old and new friendships is a ritual, a necessity, and one of the most worthwhile things we can do in adult life.

Audience:  Grade TK -  12 parents, caretakers, teachers, and counselors

Register here for this free event

 

County MedAssist Program

The MedAssist Program aims to improve health outcomes and medication adherence for select individuals who reside in Santa Clara County. Qualified patients will receive financial assistance in the form of a grant designed to off-set high out-of-pocket expenses for life-saving medications such as anti-diabetics, asthma inhalers, and/or epinephrine auto-injectors. For more information and application, visit medassist.sccgov.org/.

 


 

 

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