09.16.2020
Dear Stingray Parents and Guardians,
Each day I am so grateful and amazed by our Stingray community. Beginning the year in Distance Learning has been a challenge at times, but I am thankful for moments when I see our community come together and reflect our core values.
Yesterday, our Stevenson community partnered with all our MVWSD elementary school’s community. We had over 750 kindergarten-2nd grade students (yep, that number is correct) join Stevenson’s author visit by Greg Pizzoli. Greg Pizzoli was incredible! He entertained the students by reading one of his stories, guided them in drawing one of his characters, and answered questions sent in by our students! We usually have our Author Visits in the MUR, as you know due to school closures, we had to organize a virtual presentation. Mrs. Donahue and our schools showed resilience and creativity to make this opportunity happen for all our kids.
A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Donahue for organizing this Author Visit, connecting with all of our fantastic MVWSD librarians, and partnering with our district to set up a Zoom account to host over 750 students! It was truly a special moment to see all our students together!
With appreciation,
Ryan Santiago
Principal, Stevenson Elementary
School Announcements
School Site Council - Parent Election
Stevenson’s Principal’s Coffee
Materials Distribution
Reopening Preparation
i-Ready Assessments
Author & Illustrator Visit for K-2nd
Distance Learning- Thought Exchange
Student Attendance and Engagement
School Site Council - Parent Election
Thank you for participating in Stevenson’s School Site Council parent election. This year we had two open parent positions. Laura Gutnamm and Bryan Juliano received the most votes and are elected as the two new parent members. I would like to express my appreciation to Carolyn Xu for her time and commitment to Stevenson and our SSC over the past two years. Our next School Site Council meeting is Wednesday, September 23rd at 3:30pm. These meetings are open to the community if parents would like to join. Please use this link to register in advance of the meeting. An email confirmation will be sent with the Zoom link.
Stevenson’s Principal’s Coffee
We will have our next Principal’s Coffee on Thursday, September 24th at 9:00am. I look forward to connecting with our stingray community to provide updates and having a conversation about Distance Learning, Equity, and how Stevenson is preparing for a safe and healthy campus when it comes time to reopen schools.
Thursday, September 24th at 9:00 a.m.
Register in advance for this meeting by clicking here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Materials Distribution (Tentatively Scheduled for Thursday 9/24 and Friday 9/25)
We are already planning for our next round of materials distribution for Thursday 9/24 and Friday 9/25. This is a tentative day and we will confirm with parents by early next week if we will have our materials distribution. Thank you for your patience and flexibility has we plan to provide materials for our students.
Reopening Preparation
At Stevenson we are continuing to prepare our campus for a safe and healthy reopen. This past week our district’s maintenance team installed touch-free paper towel dispensers. In addition, we already installed touch-free soap dispensers and touch-free hand sanitizers. Our school and district continue to make updates, especially in the areas that students and staff are using the most. During our next principal’s coffee, Principal Santiago will provide more updates on how we are continuing to prepare to welcome back our students when it is time. Please see our reopening readiness checklist for the latest updates.
i-Ready Assessments
This week, we are finishing our i-Ready Diagnostic assessments with kindergarten. Thank you to all our Stingrays for trying their best on these assessments. Tomorrow, Friday, parents will be receiving an email communication with more information on i-Ready that will include when and how parents can access their student’s results. Principal Santiago will also be providing an update at next week’s principal’s coffee.
Author & Illustrator Greg Pizzoli Zoom Presentation for K-2nd Grade (Repeat Information)
It was great to have author and illustrator Greg Pizzoli present to our K-2nd grade students. We had over 750 students join our author visit! Another special thank you to librarian Sarah Donahue for organizing this author visit for our stingrays and other students in our district.
You can order signed copies of Greg’s books! Order online now and the books will be delivered to your school site.
https://www.hicklebees.com/virtualpizzoli Select “Stevenson” when you place your order, and note your school site after your child’s name. The Zoom link will be posted here Wednesday morning.
Join the MVWSD conversation: Distance Learning: What's working? (Repeat Information)
Today, Thursday, September 17th, is the last day to join our ThoughtExchange. Please take some time to participate or rejoin the conversation to star thoughts entered since you were there last. You may participate in this exchange by clicking on this link: http://mvw.sd/TE. Translation is available in multiple languages. Your input will help us further improve and refine our plans as we move into the future.
Student Attendance and Engagement (Repeat Information)
Due to new state guidance, beginning Sept 8, there will be some changes to how our school is required to count and monitor student attendance.
It’s important to know that school attendance during distance learning is mandatory. If your student will be absent, please report it by calling or emailing us as soon as possible. If your child is having difficulty with distance learning, please let us know. We want to help.
Changes to attendance monitoring beginning Sept 8:
- Elementary teachers will check in with students at the beginning of the day. Attendance will be taken at the end of the day every day, including Wednesdays. For middle school students, attendance is taken every period of the day, including Wednesdays.
- Students will no longer get a separate participation grade in Google Classroom. Attendance and participation scores are now combined and can be viewed by parents in Powerschool under “attendance history.”
- If you don’t report your student’s absence, your school will be calling you to determine the reason for the absence.
For more information about attendance, please see https://www.mvwsd.org/attendance
PACT Foundation Updates
Annual Family Donation
Your generous donation enables us to cover all the Foundation expenses that arise throughout the year like: providing ALL back to school classroom supplies for students and teachers (and ongoing supplies throughout the year), enabling our unique Arts Focus curriculum, and supporting progressive education initiatives like Project Based Learning (PBL), Hands on Learning, virtual Off-site Learning Experiences (OLEs, a.k.a. field trips), virtual Learning via visitors (virtual visits from critters, poets, authors, re-enactments, etc), STEAM Events, any distance learning requirements and more. These programs (and many others) are not possible without your generous donations, so thank you!
Though we have a financial goal to meet in order to support our school, the PACT Foundation also strives to meet our goal of 100% of families supporting our school in whatever way they can. So, while our suggested donation is a $300 tax-deductible donation per child, donations at every level are appreciated and we ask that you give in a way that is comfortable for your family. Your donation will have an immediate and tangible impact on our students. THANK YOU for your investment in our school!
You may submit donations online now or download and print the paper form to submit a check to the office.
• Online donations and/or installments
• Paper form for payments made by check
• Company matching (Many companies match donations, some even match your volunteer hours with a monetary donation, so please check at this link.)
Committee Sign-up
Each Stevenson PACT family is asked to support one of our wonderful school’s committees. While all committees are important in enriching the education for our kids, a number of committees directly support classroom education and we are greatly appreciative of our parents' time and efforts to support our students and teachers.
If you have not signed up for a committee yet, please sign up at 2020-2021 Committee Request Form.
PACT Pals Fall Session (Repeat Information)
We are happy to announce a virtual fall session. All classes will be online. Please see pactpals.org. This is a 12-week session.
Registration period: Sept 14 - Sept 20
Class period: Sept 28 - Dec 18
For any questions or comments, please email [email protected]
Calendar
Thursday, September 17th at 5pm - Stevenson ELAC Meeting
Thursday, September 17th at 6pm - MVWSD Board of Trustees Meeting
Friday, September 18th at 3:30pm - Community Check in with Superintendent
Wednesday, September 23rd at 3:30pm - Stevenson SSC Meeting
Thursday, September 24th at 9:00am - Stevenson’s Principal’s Coffee
Thursday, September 24th - Last Day to participate in Distance LearningThought Exchange
MVWSD News
Parent University videos are now on mvwsd.org website!
Did you miss the latest Parent University event? Do you want to review the materials that were presented? Videos and materials are now in English and Spanish on the Parent University website at http://www.mvwsd.org/parent/parent_university
Latest uploads: Sept. 8 event: How to support your child with reading
Community Check-In with Superintendent Dr. Rudolph this Friday, September 18th at 3:30pm
Join Dr. Rudolph for our next Community Check-In with the Superintendent. Register in advance for this meeting by clicking here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
MVWSD- Free Meal Program Extended
The free meal program has been extended! During Distance Learning, free meals are again available to all children in the Mountain View Whisman School District age 18 and younger. No IDs required. Locations: All schools, except Stevenson (pickup for Stevenson is at Theuerkauf). Times: 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. at the elementary schools. 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the middle schools. Walk, drive or roll up to grab a free meal and go! Parents should continue to go here https://secure.ezmealapp.com/ to apply for free or reduced price meal benefits through the National Lunch Program, if needed.
Please Support Our Students and Teachers!
MVEF raises money to provide all MVWSD students with an educational experience beyond what is possible with public funding. We hope you saw the MVEF brochure with your school supplies or watched the video during Back to School. Please see the website at https://www.mvef.org/ for more information and to donate online. Please consider joining our team of volunteers or emailing us with any questions at [email protected]. Thank you for your support!
Free Student Meals Available Again (Repeat Information)
The free meal program has been extended! During Distance Learning, free meals are again available to all children in the Mountain View Whisman School District age 18 and younger. No IDs required. Locations: All schools, except Stevenson (pickup for Stevenson is at Theuerkauf). Times: 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. at the elementary schools. 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the middle schools. Walk, drive or roll up to grab a free meal and go! Parents should continue to go here https://secure.ezmealapp.com/ to apply for free or reduced price meal benefits through the National Lunch Program, if needed.
Public hearing on Sept. 17: Sufficient instructional materials (Repeat Information)
A public hearing will be held in order to comply with Ed Code section 60119 on September 17, 2020 to detail the extent to which text books and instructional materials were provided to all students, including English Learners.
The definition of “sufficient textbooks or instructional materials” means that each pupil has textbooks or instructional materials, or both to use in class and to take home in each of the following subjects:
• Mathematics
• Science
• History/Social Science
• Language Arts
The public hearing on September 17, 2020 at 7:00pm will be held during the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. To view details about accessing the meeting either online or by phone, please click on the September 17 agenda link on this webpage: https://www.mvwsd.org/about/board_of_trustees/board_meetings
Track your student's online activities at home with Securly (Repeat Information)
MVWSD provides a tool that allows parents to be aware of their students' online activities and to help keep them safe on their school-issued devices. Securly allows you to see what choices your student is making online while at home so that you will be alerted to potential issues and can guide your student. Please note: Securly is for school-issued devices only. Check your email for these weekly reports, and you may also download the Securly app. For more information, please see https://www.mvwsd.org/technology.
Parent Ed Speaker Series - Jeff Selingo on Oct 1st (Repeat Information)
The MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series presents: Jeff Selingo on "Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside the College Admissions Process" on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2020 - 7:00 - 9:00pm | Live Online | Zoom
Join us for an insightful evening with journalist and higher education expert Jeff Selingo, as he dispels entrenched notions about the college admissions process.
While many have long believed that college admissions decisions are driven largely by merit, Jeff presents a more complicated truth. Embedded in three distinctly different admissions offices — a selective private university, a leading liberal arts college, and a flagship public campus — Jeff closely observed college admission officers as they made their often agonizing and sometimes life-changing decisions.
Based on a year of reading applications and sitting through committee meetings where up and down votes were taken, Jeff reveals what really matters to the gatekeepers and how their ultimate decisions are often based on a college’s priorities. Following interviews with students, testing agencies, marketers, and ranking organizations, Jeff also shares practical advice and helpful strategies for navigating the confusing, chaotic, and often-times stressful college application process.
Audience: High school parents and students; teachers and counselors
Register: To register for this free event, go to https://mvla2020-21-jeffselingo.eventbrite.com
Book: Jeff's new book, Who Gets In and Why, will be released Sept. 15th and is available with free shipping from Books, Inc. Jeff is generously offering our community a 30% discount + free shipping for pre-orders made directly through him. If interested, use code MVLA30.
Event Login: We will send the Zoom link via Eventbrite email, Thursday afternoon, October 1st.
If you have not used Zoom before, please make sure to allow a few extra minutes before the event to download the free Zoom app.
Sponsored by Los Altos Educational Foundation (LAEF), MVLA High School Foundation, Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF), and Los Altos-Mountain View PTA Council.