Panther Blog, Sept 16, 2021

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Hello Panthers! Please read your weekly newsletter below.  Here is a quick summary of this week’s message followed with further details:

September 16, 2021
 

Crittenden News:
Hispanic Heritage Month
SEL Tip

Elevate Program
Fall Throwback Movie Night
Phones & Electronics
Lost and Found

Library
OktoReopen health screener

District News:
Parent University: Supporting Language Development
Securly: Keeping students safe on the Internet
Returning District Hotspots
Your donations to MVEF
Register for 2021-22 Parent U Events

InPlay: After School Activities
Mayor for a Day contest with City of Mountain View
Discovery Education Hands-On STEM

 

Hello Crittenden Families,

It takes a village to raise our youth. We can all agree we want our children to be great leaders of tomorrow as we all have high hopes for their success. As educators it is also our responsibility to illuminate our youth with characteristics that will help them achieve their goals and aspirations in life. 

As part of this year's new theme "The Power Within, The Path to Success”, we will be introducing character traits at the beginning of every month. Each month will feature a different character trait.

Our character trait for the month of September is 
RESPECT.

In part of our character trait month, we will be asking students questions like how can you demonstrate 
RESPECT every day, What can YOU DO to demonstrate RESPECT, and when you hear the word RESPECT, what do you think about?

Our staff will be recognizing students for their acts of respect throughout the month and provide them with a raffle ticket that earns them the opportunity to win a COOL PRIZE!

We can't wait to see our panthers practice this month's character trait.


Crittenden News:

Hispanic Heritage Month
Every year from September 15 to October 15, Americans celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. This time is used to appreciate and learn about the community’s history, heritage, and contributions of the ancestors of American citizens who came from Mexico, Spain, the Caribbean, and South- and Central America.

During this month our Crittenden leaders will be showcasing what Hispanic Heritage Month means to them. There will be talk about culture, food, and favorite traditions. This can be a great home conversation of what has been learned about the Hispanic Heritage as well as learn or discover new facts.


SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) Tips
A word from our school counselor, Ms. Hinojosa -
Flyer: 7 Tips for Practicing SEL at Home 

As we support our students with the transition back to in person learning, we must take into account the impact that the pandemic has had on their social and emotional well-being. Here at Crittenden, social-emotional learning (SEL) is at the forefront of your child’s education. Social- emotional learning can foster a safe, supportive and equitable environment that grounds students. In an effort to support SEL at home, please find tips that parents and families can incorporate to facilitate a supportive transition back to school.

Elevate Weekly Online Enrichment Groups
Join Alum Rock Counseling Center and Crittenden Staff weekly online Thursdays after school from 3-4pm. The session will be 8-weeks long, starting September 23rd.

The enrichment activity groups consist of fun, interactive, activities such as games, art, slime, painting, origami, crafts, and more, and will be a time to practice teamwork, creativity, self-expression, and other important skills.

There is space for 15 students per session! It is first-come, first-serve with parent/guardian consent. Register HERE.

All Materials will be provided and are FREE of cost!

Fall Throwback Movie Night 
Flyer: Fall Throwback Movie Series 

Fallback in love with movies you grew up with! The City of Mountain View is hosting a FREE Movie Night at Rengstorff Park October 1st and October 2nd beginning at 7pm. Please be sure to read the flyer for additional information.

Phones & Electronic Usage 

Phones are a huge distraction for your child's academics when not being used for educational purposes. Please remind your student that cell phones are not allowed to be used for non-academic purposes during school hours. Students should keep their phones off and put away unless given permission to use them for academic purposes in class. Should they need to make a call they are permitted to do so with the front office.

A cell phone being used for non-academic purposes during school hours will be confiscated and must be picked up by an authorized adult before or after school. We will not release a confiscated mobile phone to a student without an adult present. The school is not responsible for the loss or destruction of any electronic devices. We appreciate your support. 

Lost and Found
We have quite the collection of sweaters, lunch boxes and water bottles! Students can stop by the Lost and Found outside the front office past the front gate entrance. To eliminate an excess amount of items from accumulating, any unclaimed items by Friday 9/17 will be considered donated. Please have your panther take a look for any long lost belongings. 

Library
It has been great to see the high level of traffic in our library these last few weeks. Mr. Neal has been hard at work checking out library books to our students and creating displays of new books. Please take a few minutes to navigate our library website.

Change to OKtoReopen health screener
Starting now, the "close contact" question on the students' OKtoReopen screener will be adjusted to ask about close contact with a COVID case *outside of school.* We’ll no longer ask about COVID exposure at school.

Please be aware of this change as you answer OKtoReopen screener questions. The new question is: “Have you had a close contact with someone *outside of school* who in the past 14 days has been in isolation for COVID 19 or had a positive COVID test?” A “yes” means that if your student is vaccinated and has no symptoms, they may report to school and must get tested on Day 5. If they are unvaccinated, they must quarantine at home for 10 days.

Upcoming Events:

September

9/20 SSC Meeting Link
9/22 Virtual ELAC Meeting (5:30pm-7pm)
9/28 PTA Association Meeting (6:30 pm)

In partnership,
Mrs. Gomez
Principal

What can you do today to help others feel valued, cared for, safe, and included at Crittenden?
 

District Announcements:
Parent University: Supporting Language Development
Date: Wednesday, September 15th 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Registration Link: mvw.sd/pu091521

Consistent development of language (reading, writing, speaking, listening) is one of the keys to a child’s overall academic success. What habits can parents develop to support English language development in the home, especially in a multilingual household? Join two of our district experts, Principal Arline Siam and Instructional Coach Karen Gordon, as they explore this complex topic and offer ideas for families to use daily.

To submit questions prior to the event, go to mvw.sd/questions. We will do our best to address your question during the session.

Securly: Keeping students safe on the Internet
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 (www.securly.com/) 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.

Returning District Hotspots
Families, if you still have a district-issued internet hotspot from last year that you are no longer using, please return them to your school’s office. Thank you.

Your donations to MVEF support Living Classroom!
Living Classroom had their first lessons September 7! Three of the lessons from the first week were Life Cycle of a Tomato at Mariano Castro, Garden Greetings and Animal Homes at Landels, Seed to Flour at Stevenson and Monta Loma. 

And this summer a new native garden at Imai was created thanks to your donations to MVEF! Please go to mvef.org to learn more about all the programs we support in MVWSD and make your donation! mvef.org/donate

Register for 2021-22 Parent U Events 
Flyer: Parent U 2021-2022 
 

Register in advance for this year’s MVWSD Parent University events. For more information about Parent U and event dates, see attached flyers or head to www.mvwsd.org/parentu.

InPlay: After School activities

Looking for afterschool activities for your student? InPlay offers a free searchable program guide for parents, with filters for age, location, price (including free or reduced cost), and more. To find programs local to Mountain View, head to: https://www.inplay.org/r/mountain-view. Available programs include those that serve students with special needs or English learners.

Mayor for a Day contest with City of Mountain View 
Flyer: 
2021 Mayor for a Day Contest 

Do you have an elementary or middle school-aged student who would like to be the mayor of Mountain View (at least, for one day in October)? The Mayor for a Day contest is an exciting opportunity for kids to learn about local government and civic issues.

Students are invited to write up to a 500-word essay about what Mountain View would be like if they were mayor for a day. Mountain View’s mayor will select the two winners, who will each present their essay at a City Council meeting in October.
 

For more details, including contest rules and how to submit your entry, visit MountainView.gov/MayorforaDay. All entries are due by Friday, Oct. 1 at 5 p.m

Discovery Education Hands-On STEM event: Tuesday, Sep. 21

You're invited to Discovery Education’s upcoming Hands-On STEM event on Tuesday, September 21 at 10:00 a.m. PST! This action-packed virtual session empowers the next generation of STEM Solution seekers, equipping them with the skills they need to take on some of the planet's greatest sustainability challenges.

Join host Brandon Okpalobi, President of Siyanse, a STEM organization helping kids to create, think, and innovate. During each Hands-On STEM, Brandon will identify a local or global issue, explore why it's happening, introduce interesting people who are working to find solutions, and inspire your students to uncover their own potential with exciting hands-on STEM activities. 

Register at: https://www.discoveryeducation.com/info/hands-on-stem-9-21-21/. If you have any questions about this event, reach out to Nina Sclafani at [email protected].

 

Thank you for your support!

 
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