Hello Crittenden Families,

  Well, we have just completed our first milestone and have released our Progress Report One (P1) grades in PowerSchool. This is an important opportunity for parents and students to check their grades and progress prior to the end of the Trimester on Nov 6 when the grades become final. Please take some time to log into PowerSchool and check your student’s progress. This is a great opportunity to praise your student for their hard work and to work with them if they are struggling in a certain class. Please know our teachers, counselor, and staff  are all here to help and support you and your students and can reach out to us for advice and guidance. 

 

As you may know from the recent board meetings and community check-ins it was shared that we will not reopen before January. I know that this may have been comforting news for some and difficult news for others. Please know that our superintendent and district are committed to the safety of our staff and students and will safely reopen in a near future. In the meantime, we will continue to engage our students in learning and continue to embrace this distance learning experience. We will continue to stand strong and positive as we push forward together. 

 

I am so proud to see that our school spirit can not be diminished by Covid! Our leadership team is in the process of forming clubs that will be great fun this year. We are excited to announce that we have teachers who will sponsor the following clubs; Speech & Debate, Pride club, ACT club, lunch bunch, book club, Black student union, Latinx Student Union and Science & Crafts. Our annual club fair will be a bit different this year- you can sign up online here.  Our teacher club sponsors are creating short videos about the clubs which will be shared with students. We look forward to continuing to provide opportunities for our students to connect with each other and have fun doing so.

 

Our next Principal’s coffee is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15th from 4-5pm. We will be spending time reviewing and gathering your input on MVWSD’s Draft Strategic Plan Framework- Strategic Planning Presentation. If you would like to join us, please use this registration link to register in advance of the meeting. I look forward to seeing you soon. 

 

          We will have our School Site Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 13th from 4-5pm. At this meeting we will have our SSC elections. We ask that you take a couple of minutes to please vote for the parent running for the SSC committee by filling out this google form by 3pm on Tuesday Oct. 13th. 

 

Gentle reminder that we do not have school on Monday, Oct.12th due to a MVWSD recess day.

We hope that our students can find time during this long weekend for self-care and fun activities. They have been working very hard and deserve to unwind and have fun. 

 

Thank you for all of your hard work and partnership,

Crittenden Panthers working together, wherever we are. 

Mrs. Gomez

Principal

 

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

12 OCT, MON

Recess Day: No School

 

13 OCT, TUE

Crittenden School Site Council Meeting

Registration link

4 – 5pm

 

15 OCT, THurs

Coffee with the Principal

registration link

4 – 5pm

 

22 OCT, THU

6 – 7pm

Crittenden ELAC Meeting

 

6 NOV, FRI

End of Trimester One

DISTRICT ANNOUNCEMENTS

How you can protect yourself from COVID: Hand washing

Washing your hands is the single most effective way you can protect yourself from germs, like the COVID-19 virus. Our MVWSD school nurse Jennifer gives important tips in this video: https://vimeo.com/464378808.  Please review and practice with your family.

 

“Enriching the Learning Experience” Symposium

The Santa Clara County Office of Education Parent Engagement team is pleased to announce our FREE virtual event "Enriching the Learning Experience: Vision for 2020 and Beyond" which will be held from 10:00am to Noon on Saturday, Oct 17 and 24, 2020. Together with 6th District PTA, we are putting together a Parent Engagement symposium for parents, students, pre-service teachers, classroom teachers, administrators, and liaisons to focus on student success. We have lined up a number of dynamic speakers and 10 workshops each day of the symposium. Here's a sneak peak of our workshops:   

Dr. Joyce Epstein, professor of education and director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University. She has over one hundred fifty publications, including School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, 4th edition (2019). Her Keynote will address school administrators in the area of parent engagement and her Workshop will address teachers and how they can involve parents in homework.   

Ruby Ibarra, local bay area COVID-19 researcher and hip-hop recording artist. Her Keynote will address parents and share her inspiring story of how to channel obstacles into opportunities. She will present a Spoken Word Writing Workshop for students!   

Gene Luen Yang, graphic novelist of American Born Chinese, Secret Coders, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Superman. In 2016, he was the Library of Congress's 5th National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature; he was also the recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant in that same year. His workshop for teachers will address adopting a rich, diverse reading curriculum for the classroom.  

A Financial Literacy Workshop series “Understanding Debt and How to Improve Your Credit Score,” “Rebuilding After a Financial Crisis,” and “Learning the Value of a Dollar” by Excite Credit Union will give good money management tips for students and adults alike.   

Registration is open! Visit “Enriching the Learning Experience” event Website to see all 10 workshop descriptions, speaker bios, and registration form. 

 

Together We Are a Better MVWSD: Together We Are a Better MVWSD: National Coming Out Day

Mountain View Whisman School District embraces its role in establishing its commitment to equity in our district. As part of our "Together We Are a Better MVWSD" series, here is October's topic:

 

Whether you're lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or an ally, be proud of who you are and your support for LGBTQ+ equality this Coming Out Day! Every person who speaks up changes more hearts and minds, and creates new advocates for equality. Inspired by National Coming Out Day on October 11th, this month’s calendar provides resources for the MVWSD community around the topic of LGBTQ+ and gender identities. Developmentally appropriate lesson plans have been provided for teachers, while articles and parenting guides appear this month in the parent section of the calendar. Check out the literature section at the bottom of the calendar for age-appropriate literature to support your discussions in school and at-home.

 

For a look at this month's graphic, please see attached flyers or https://www.mvwsd.org/BetterTogetherMVWSD

 

Free Student Meals:  *New* Pick up meals for multiple daysFree meals are again available to all children in the Mountain View Whisman School District age 18 and younger. No IDs required. Daily breakfast and lunch at 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. Come to Graham Middle School between 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. to pick up meals for multiple days. Food items will be different from what is served during daily pickups. On Monday: Pick up for four days. On Friday: Pick up for three days.Walk, drive or roll up to grab a free meal and go! For menus and information, please see https://www.mvwsd.org/nutrition.

MVEF news: Did you know that your donations to MVEF support CSMA art and music for your student?Fifth grade art and music started on 9/23! TK-4 art and music started the week before! All TK-4th students will have virtual art and music classes led by a teacher from CSMA. This year 5th grade students chose instrumental music or art with CSMA.  We thank the CSMA teachers for sharing their engaging and FUN talents as well as filling a need for creativity and active learning on Zoom.MVEF raises money to provide all MVWSD students with an educational experience beyond what is possible with public funding.  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!

Mentor Tutor Connection Volunteer Information Session - Wednesday, October 14th

You can change the life of a student!Come learn about volunteer opportunities to Mentor high school students and Tutor students in grades K-8  in our Mountain View and Los Altos schools.

Becoming a Mentor or Tutor will add joy to your life and help a student in our local community to a brighter future!

There is no obligation to sign up as a volunteer.  You're welcome to just come and learn more about what we do. 

Please note: Our programs are currently remote and will remain so until students are back in school and the school district permits volunteers in the classroom

All volunteers must be high school graduates.  

Date:              Wednesday, October 14th
Time:            10:00 - 11:00 am
Location:      Online via Zoom (URL provided upon registration)
Register:   REGISTER ONLINE:
Questions:    programs@mentortutorconnection.org
Information:   MentorTutorConnection.org