Para español, haga clic aqui.
Principal's Message
What is Common Core? How does it affect my child's education? Why are some people so upset about them?
These are just some of the questions around the Common Core State Standards, a series of new expectations for what students should learn in math and literacy between kindergarten and twelfth grade. These standards have been adopted by California and forty-one other states, but have set off a national debate around their implementation and assessment.
I recently came across this National Public Radio documentary that attempts to shed light on the debate from a teacher and student perspective. It is a great introduction to how teaching and learning is different in the age of Common Core and it attempts to explain some of the reasons behind the growing resistance to the standards.
The documentary is an hour long, but if you are interested in the topic, it is well worth a listen. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and questions after hearing it.
PowerSchool information
PowerSchool letters have been sent home with every student. There is a letter for each student and a letter for his/her parents. This year, parents can sign up for parent accounts that have extra functionality, such as automated grade updates by email.
We will be offering a PowerSchool workshop for sixth grade families on September 16 at 6:00 p.m. and for seventh and eighth grade parents at 7:30 p.m. The English presentation will be in the MUR and the Spanish presentation will be in room 304. We strongly urge all new parents to attend. Interpretation will be available.
Dance Friday
The first dance of the year is taking place on Friday, September 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 in the MUR. The theme is Disney. Students can obtain permission slips and purchase a ticket in the advance for $3 at the Student Store. Tickets are $5 at the door. If you would like to volunteer to chaperone or perform other duties at the dance, contact Ms. Mogin.
Pantherbots!
Our Lego Robotics team, the Pantherbots, have begun their season! If you are interested in joining the team, please talk to or email Mr. Federmann. Pantherbot practices are on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:15 to 5:00.
No school September 19
Parents, please note: here will be no school for students on Friday, September 19 due to a Staff Professional Learning Day.
Startup Weekend EDU
Last Spring, our school partnered with local community members and the non-profit organization, Startup Weekend, to bring an amazing experience to students from Crittenden and other area middle schools. Over the course of "Startup Weekend EDU: Mountain View", middle schoolers pitched ideas aimed at disrupting the ed-tech industry, organized themselves into teams, developed their ideas with the help of coaches in the tech, startup, and education spaces, and presented pitches with working prototypes to a panel of distinguished judges. It was an awe-inspiring event that developed and test students' 21st century thinking skills: creativity, collaboration, critical problem-solving, and communication. We need your help to bring Startup Weekend EDU back this year! Startup Weekend has its own curriculum and will lead the programming of the event, but parent organizers are needed for the logistical aspects of the weekend, including attendance, food, organization, and general supervision. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Mr. Chang by September 22.
MVEF Fifth Grade Honor Choir
Auditions are coming for the MVEF 5th Grade Honor Choir. Please see the attached flyer for the details.
Sports
We are excited to announce the new Crittenden Sports Twitter Feed! You can check or follow the feed at twitter.com/crit_sports or on our Athletics & Extracurriculars webpage.
Click Here for Flyers and Important Information
(English)
Principal's Message
What is Common Core? How does it affect my child's education? Why are some people so upset about them?
These are just some of the questions around the Common Core State Standards, a series of new expectations for what students should learn in math and literacy between kindergarten and twelfth grade. These standards have been adopted by California and forty-one other states, but have set off a national debate around their implementation and assessment.
I recently came across this National Public Radio documentary that attempts to shed light on the debate from a teacher and student perspective. It is a great introduction to how teaching and learning is different in the age of Common Core and it attempts to explain some of the reasons behind the growing resistance to the standards.
The documentary is an hour long, but if you are interested in the topic, it is well worth a listen. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and questions after hearing it.
PowerSchool information
PowerSchool letters have been sent home with every student. There is a letter for each student and a letter for his/her parents. This year, parents can sign up for parent accounts that have extra functionality, such as automated grade updates by email.
We will be offering a PowerSchool workshop for sixth grade families on September 16 at 6:00 p.m. and for seventh and eighth grade parents at 7:30 p.m. The English presentation will be in the MUR and the Spanish presentation will be in room 304. We strongly urge all new parents to attend. Interpretation will be available.
Dance Friday
The first dance of the year is taking place on Friday, September 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 in the MUR. The theme is Disney. Students can obtain permission slips and purchase a ticket in the advance for $3 at the Student Store. Tickets are $5 at the door. If you would like to volunteer to chaperone or perform other duties at the dance, contact Ms. Mogin.
Pantherbots!
Our Lego Robotics team, the Pantherbots, have begun their season! If you are interested in joining the team, please talk to or email Mr. Federmann. Pantherbot practices are on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:15 to 5:00.
No school September 19
Parents, please note: here will be no school for students on Friday, September 19 due to a Staff Professional Learning Day.
Startup Weekend EDU
Last Spring, our school partnered with local community members and the non-profit organization, Startup Weekend, to bring an amazing experience to students from Crittenden and other area middle schools. Over the course of "Startup Weekend EDU: Mountain View", middle schoolers pitched ideas aimed at disrupting the ed-tech industry, organized themselves into teams, developed their ideas with the help of coaches in the tech, startup, and education spaces, and presented pitches with working prototypes to a panel of distinguished judges. It was an awe-inspiring event that developed and test students' 21st century thinking skills: creativity, collaboration, critical problem-solving, and communication. We need your help to bring Startup Weekend EDU back this year! Startup Weekend has its own curriculum and will lead the programming of the event, but parent organizers are needed for the logistical aspects of the weekend, including attendance, food, organization, and general supervision. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Mr. Chang by September 22.
MVEF Fifth Grade Honor Choir
Auditions are coming for the MVEF 5th Grade Honor Choir. Please see the attached flyer for the details.
Sports
We are excited to announce the new Crittenden Sports Twitter Feed! You can check or follow the feed at twitter.com/crit_sports or on our Athletics & Extracurriculars webpage.
Click Here for Flyers and Important Information
(English)