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April 29, 2021

Hello Crittenden Families,

We are quickly approaching the end of April, with just 5 weeks left until the end of this very unusual school year. Our students are doing a great job, and I couldn’t be more proud. As things improve with the pandemic, and things begin to open up more and more, it can be tempting to let down your guard. Please remind your students to maintain their vigilance to stay safe, in order to protect themselves, and those around them. 

 

Teacher and staff appreciation week is coming up next week, and one way the PTA wants to show their appreciation for everything our wonderful teachers and staff have done for our students this year is by creating appreciation cards for all teachers and staff members. The PTA would appreciate it if you can take a few minutes to fill out this short form for each teacher or staff member who has helped your child this year. These personalized messages will be put together into a card for each teacher and given to them during teacher appreciation week for them to keep as a reminder of how much their work matters for our children. https://forms.gle/8eeDVawUKzsTqhff8

You can contact the PTA directly ([email protected]) if you have any questions about this project or would like to help in creating these cards.

 

I hope you had a moment to look at the i-ready assessment letter that I emailed earlier today. The letter includes our testing schedule and helpful tips on how to help your student prepare for the assessment.

 

Thank you to all who participated in the principal coffee on Tuesday. We received valuable input from parents regarding academic and social emotional needs and challenges that our students have encountered due to the Pandemic.  In addition, we heard ideas that we can include in our learning recovery plan that will help address some of these needs and challenges. If you were not able to attend the Principal’s Coffee and would like to share your input, please email me by Monday, May 3rd. 

 

T2 Honor Roll Certificates were distributed to the roomies on Friday and were mailed to zoomies earlier this week. Keep an eye out for them. Give your student an extra hug for a job well done. 

 

7th grade families: We are actively working with NatureBridge to schedule our annual 8th grade Yosemite trip for the 2021-22 school year, in accordance with Santa Clara County Public Health guidelines. We have recently been notified that NatureBridge cannot accommodate our students in the fall because they are not prepared to open during that time frame. We have placed our names on a waitlist for the Spring. We are hopeful that our students can participate in this academic and fun adventure and will provide updates as soon as we have more information to share with you. 

It is the time of year when students choose their electives for next year. All current 6th & 7th grade parents received an email on April 26 with information on selecting electives as well as the elective catalog.  You will be able to log your preferences for course electives from April 30-May 7 in Powerschool. Please reach out to Ms.Carter (school counselor) at [email protected]  if you have questions. 

 

Executive Functioning Tip of the week:   Skill: Goal Setting

By learning how to set reasonable, achievable goals, students’ motivation to continue increases along with their sense of empowerment to accomplish a difficult task. Without concrete goal setting skills, a student may remain anxious and overwhelmed at the prospect of a complex, long range assignment. Strategies for helping your student with goal setting include:  

Help your student understand their own learning profiles so they can use techniques that work best for them.  

• Help your student to understand and envision the endpoint of a task. Having a well-defined target helps to focus your student’s efforts. When students value the task and expect to be successful, they will be motivated to engage in the assignment. 
• Help them set proximal goals, e.g., goals that can be accomplished in the near future.  
• Help them set specific goals, e.g., goals that describe the actual outcome, as opposed to a reminder to “Do your best.”  
• Set appropriately challenging goals, e.g., goals that are based on your student’s tolerance for stress and engagement.  
• Use calendars to help your student  schedule and pace the tasks that lead to completion of the project.  

Use a Smart Goal Planner with your students to help them create goals.

Crittenden Panthers learning together, wherever we are. 

Mrs. Gomez

Principal

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:      

May 4

PTA  6:30 - 9:00pm

 

May 13

ELAC  6:00 - 7:00pm

 

May 18

PTA  6:30 - 9:00pm

 

 

 

DISTRICT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Mental Health Month Tools2Thrive: Awareness and Allyship

The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month.  In particular, May 7 is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day.  We recognize this by wearing a lime green ribbon in support of those experiencing a mental health condition or challenge.

While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health. The good news is there are practical tools that everyone can use to improve their mental health and increase resiliency - and there are ways that everyone can be supportive of friends, family, and co-workers who are struggling with life’s challenges or their mental health.

This month, MVWSD is highlighting #Tools2Thrive and encouraging students to #ExpressYourself.  #Tools2Thrive are the things that individuals can do daily to prioritize their mental health, build resiliency in the face of trauma and obstacles, support those who are struggling, and work towards a path of recovery. Topics that can help you build your own set of #Tools2Thrive include recognizing and owning your feelings; finding the positive after loss; connecting with others; eliminating toxic influences; creating healthy routines; and supporting others - all as ways to boost the mental health and general wellness of you and your loved ones.  Student empowerment to seek help and support others is how to #ExpressYourself

Pledge to be StigmaFree on FlipGrid

Just as we do in our equity and anti-racist work, the easiest and most meaningful efforts are with standing alongside those individuals experiencing mental health conditions or challenges.  This week we begin our direct efforts in pledging to be StigmaFree.  Join us in recording yourself, your family or a group in pledging to be StigmaFree on FlipGrid. https://flipgrid.com/b2c2849e 

Here is your StigmaFree script:

"I Pledge to:

Educate myself about mental health and wellness facts.

Reject stigmatizing mental health stereotypes by changing how I speak about others.

Suspend judgment by using person-first language.

I will learn about an individual before prejudging their behavior.

Avoid language that puts someone down because of differences such as mental health conditions.

Talk about what I have learned.

Together we can be #stigmafree"

We look forward to seeing everyone’s support of Mental Health Awareness Month with a green ribbon, participation on FlipGrid, or exercising your #Tools2Thrive #ExpressYourself and pledge to be #StigmaFree. 

For next year’s 6th, 7th, 8th grade students: Middle School electives selection coming soon

It is the time of year when our incoming middle school students choose their electives for next year. Our middle schools are currently working to provide quality offerings that we hope will pique students’ interests and a great complement to our core academics. We are requesting each child's top 5 interests so that we can provide at least one of his/her top choices.

These electives are all subject to staffing, student interest and COVID safety guidance. Your child’s preference will help us plan and schedule courses for next year. 

Please visit https://www.mvwsd.org/MSelectives for course catalogs and selection directions. All 5th-7th graders will preference their course electives online through Powerschool on April 30-May 7, 2021.

Parent University: Preparing for Middle School 

Date: April 28th, 5:30 PM  Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/XWF1A

Come and learn more on how to support your students as they transition to middle school. We will feature a panel of counselors, teachers and middle school students to answer questions and provide information about middle school.

To submit questions prior to the event, please click here. We will do our best to address your question during the session.

In case you missed it: Courageous Conversations about Equity, Anti-Asian Racism and the Model Minority Myth recording available

Last week, Better Together MVWSD hosted The Talk: Courageous Conversations about Equity, Anti-Asian Racism and the Model Minority Myth, a panel discussion with Asian American leaders in our community. Thank you to our incredible panelists for sharing their experiences and perspectives! A recording of this event can be found at: https://vimeo.com/540234012. (Spanish subtitles are available.) Check out https://mvwsd.org/BetterTogetherMVWSD for videos of past events and our monthly infographics.

Better Together: Strengthening Communities
This month’s Better Together focus is on civic engagement and getting involved in the community. Please see the attached or https://www.mvwsd.org/BetterTogetherMVWSD for the infographic, which features activities for 

Join the MVEF Board and make a difference!

MVEF is looking for board members! With as little as 5 hours a month, you can support a well-rounded education (arts, science, wellness) for all students in the district. MVEF needs your voice and opinions for living our vision, from promoting MVEF at back to school night, to crafting a survey for our donors. Attend our next meeting or email [email protected] to learn more.

May CAC Meeting

May 3, 9:30 am- General Parent/Community Meeting with Special Ed. Directors & Staff, Zoom at 9:10 am for LCC and 9:30 am for CAC. We will be voting on officers for next year, discussing the SELPA Local Plan and planning for next years events and programs. For our agenda, please join our Google group, https://groups.google.com/g/selpa1cac. For the Zoom link for this meeting, email [email protected]

MVLA Speech & Debate Summer Camp

The Mountain View - Los Altos High Schools Speech and Debate Team is holding our annual summer camp from June 14–18 and June 21–25! The camp will be completely virtual, and students will learn about fundamental concepts in speech and debate in order to help them become more persuasive speakers and stronger critical thinkers. Additionally, we’re offering three different courses to accommodate for different skill levels and allow students to build off of their existing knowledge. For more information about pricing and registration, visit our website at mvlasdcamp.org.