Panther Blog Sep 2, 2021 English

Crittenden blog header

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

September 2, 2021

Crittenden News:
-School COVID safety plans -Meal safety -HEPA filters in every classroom -Chromebooks -Absence and Quarantine Absence

District News:
-COVID Testing Consent Form -Parent University -Better Together -MVEF -InPlay: After School activities -MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series -Local Covid Vaccine Clinic

Hello Crittenden Families,


Happy September! We have made it close to a whole month of school and what a rollercoaster it has been thus far. We can not thank you enough for your continued support and patience as we continue to face adversity in a time where we’ve never been before.


Keeping our students and staff safe is and will continue to be our priority.  With the increase of recent COVID cases at Crittenden we ask that you continue practicing the importance of keeping your student home if they have COVID like symptoms, complete the health screener, reinforce the importance of wearing a mask, social distancing, and consistent hand washing. It takes all of us working together to keep our students and staff safe. 

Although we love our kids at school please note that Monday, September 6th is Labor Day and there will be no school, so please take this time to safely enjoy.

With our partnership with Mountain View Whisman School District we are working together, evolving and creating stronger systems that will minimize and decrease school interruption to our eager learners. 

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


Crittenden News:
School COVID safety plans:
We aim each day to make it a better one. Our systems and protocols can't possibly be perfect, but through trial and error we are ensuring we are keeping safety health precautions as our high priority. Our schools continue to refine their COVID safety protocols. In addition to the District safety measures, schools have specific, detailed protocols. Click here for school COVID safety plans.

 

Meal safety:
In response to parent feedback, schools are tweaking lunch procedures. Changes include limiting mask-off eating time to under 15 minutes for students, and spreading out the lunch periods to reduce the numbers of students potentially interacting. MVWSD is also ordering more picnic tables. These measures are in addition to social distancing and eating outside as much as possible (depending on the campus configuration).

 

HEPA filters in every classroom:
MVWSD is purchasing HEPA filters for every classroom. These should be delivered to rooms in the next two weeks. These filters will be an additional layer of protection to help clean the air when wildfire smoke is bad. This is in addition to our schools’ updated HVAC systems that have highly effective MERV-13 filters, which is the highest-grade filter available for our units, or air purifiers with filtration ratings at least as high as the MERV-13. Our HVAC systems’ MERV-13 filters will remove 90% of smoke particulate, but not all of smoke odor.

 

Chromebooks: 

Chromebooks are today's binders, folders and pencils. They are an essential part of your students' involvement in their education. All students should have their own fully charged Chromebook at school on a daily basis. Should there be technical issues with your students' Chromebooks,  please have your student drop off their chromebook in order to have it fixed. Additionally, please strongly advise your students to have their Chromebooks fully charged for the day ahead as well as having it packed.  

 

Need to Report An Absence?
For all absences please call (650) 903-6945 ext. #2280 or email [email protected]. Be sure to mention your students first & last name, date, relation to student and reason for absence.

 

Absences
MVWSD will continue to explore ways, within state parameters, to make attendance rules more flexible to aid families with students in quarantine. Additionally, MVWSD will develop recommendations for how schools can provide missed work to absent students without overburdening teachers. If your student is absent please have them find the classwork in Google classroom.
Upcoming Events:
September
9/6 Labor Day (No School)
9/15 Hispanic Heritage Month

October
10/11 Recess Day (No School)

 

Please take a few minutes to review important information from our district below.

Friendly reminder; We will not have school on Monday Sept 6th, due to observing Labor Day. 

In partnership, Sonia Gomez
Principal

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

Crittenden News:
School COVID safety plans:
We aim each day to make it a better one. Our systems and protocols can't possibly be perfect, but through trial and error we are ensuring we are keeping safety health precautions as our high priority. Our schools continue to refine their COVID safety protocols. In addition to the District safety measures, schools have specific, detailed protocols. Click here for school COVID safety plans.

 

Meal safety:
In response to parent feedback, schools are tweaking lunch procedures. Changes include limiting mask-off eating time to under 15 minutes for students, and spreading out the lunch periods to reduce the numbers of students potentially interacting. MVWSD is also ordering more picnic tables. These measures are in addition to social distancing and eating outside as much as possible (depending on the campus configuration).

 

HEPA filters in every classroom:
MVWSD is purchasing HEPA filters for every classroom. These should be delivered to rooms in the next two weeks. These filters will be an additional layer of protection to help clean the air when wildfire smoke is bad. This is in addition to our schools’ updated HVAC systems that have highly effective MERV-13 filters, which is the highest-grade filter available for our units, or air purifiers with filtration ratings at least as high as the MERV-13. Our HVAC systems’ MERV-13 filters will remove 90% of smoke particulate, but not all of smoke odor.

 

Chromebooks: 

Chromebooks are today's binders, folders and pencils. They are an essential part of your students' involvement in their education. All students should have their own fully charged Chromebook at school on a daily basis. Should there be technical issues with your students' Chromebooks,  please have your student drop off their chromebook in order to have it fixed. Additionally, please strongly advise your students to have their Chromebooks fully charged for the day ahead as well as having it packed.  

 

Need to Report An Absence?
For all absences please call (650) 903-6945 ext. #2280 or email [email protected]. Be sure to mention your students first & last name, date, relation to student and reason for absence.

 

Absences
MVWSD will continue to explore ways, within state parameters, to make attendance rules more flexible to aid families with students in quarantine. Additionally, MVWSD will develop recommendations for how schools can provide missed work to absent students without overburdening teachers. If your student is absent please have them find the classwork in Google classroom.

Upcoming Events:
September

9/6 Labor Day (No School)
9/15 Hispanic Heritage Month

October
10/11 Recess Day (No School)

 

Please take a few minutes to review important information from our district below.

Friendly reminder; We will not have school on Monday Sept 6th, due to observing Labor Day. 

In partnership,
Sonia Gomez
Principal

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

 

District Announcements:

There’s still time: Please complete the COVID testing consent form in your inbox

Our District is partnering with Concentric for simple, pooled COVID-19 testing on campus for student’s weekly and rapid COVID antigen tests for staff members. 

We need your help! The more students who participate in the program, the more effective it will be. We are requesting each student participate in testing because:

* Participation helps safeguard the wellbeing of our entire school community, as well as give you information to help you keep your loved ones healthy.

* Students who participate in pooled testing may have a modified quarantine and continue to attend school (if requirements are met) if there is a positive test result in the pool - thus reducing time out of school and missed instruction.

Please complete the consent form sent to your email on Aug. 27. If you do not see it there, please check your spam/junk/promotional email folder.

For specifics about the program, please view https://www.mvwsd.org/COVIDtesting, specifically the frequently asked questions linked here.

Parent University: Mental Health: Care and Support

Date: September 1, 2021 at 5:30 p.m.  Registration Link: mvw.sd/pu090121

Join us to learn about mental health care and support. We will share a wide range of information from basic wellness to seeking mental health treatment.  Presenters include representatives from MVWSD, Santa Clara County Behavioral Health, and local agencies or organizations. 

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

Better Together: Appreciating Differences 

Flyer: Get Better Together
This is the first issue of #BetterTogether’s second year in circulation. This past summer, the Tokyo Olympic Games had us transfixed. Though there is still a way to go, these past games had the most culturally and racially diverse Team USA in history. Just before the start of the school year, the release of the US Census data also confirmed for all of us that we are one nation, more beautifully diverse than ever. This month, Mountain View Whisman School District is celebrating our diversity with resources for teachers, parents, and community partners to aid in the transmission of our message: our diversity is one of our greatest strengths as a nation, as a city, and as a school district, where all are welcome. Please see the graphics attached to this newsletter, or visit https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogetherMVWSD.

MVEF: Please Support Our Students!

MVEF raises money to provide all MVWSD students with an educational experience beyond what is possible with public funding.  Help us fund programming for your child and every child in the district!  We hope you saw the MVEF brochure (which doubles as a donation envelope) or watched the video during Back to School.  Please see the website at mvef.org for more information and to donate online.  Use your credit card to pay in monthly installments.  Please consider joining our team of volunteers. Email us with any questions at [email protected]Thank you for your support!

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.

Announcing the MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series for 2021 - 2022 

Flyer: MVLA Speaker Series 2021-2022
The MVLA Parent Education Speaker Series is excited to announce our speaker line-up for the 2021 - 2022 school year.  Nationally and internationally recognized experts will join us to discuss important topics in child and adolescent well-being, including – delving inside the college financial aid decisions process; talking honestly and intentionally about money; navigating the often crazy teen years; engaging kids in deeper critical thinking; building stronger resilience to addiction; mitigating cognitive biases in our daily actions; building a more meaningful life; and talking frankly about porn.

2021 - 2022 Speaker Events

Ron Lieber
The Price You Pay For College: An Entirely New Road Map
Tuesday, September 28, 2021 – 7pm 
Live Online 

Ron Lieber
The Opposite of Spoiled:  Raising Kids Who Are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money
Thursday, September 30, 2021 – 7pm 
Live Online 

Michael Bradley
Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy
Thursday, October 21, 2021 – 7pm
Live Online 

Colin Seale
The Question Is the Answer:  Practical Strategies to Unleash Critical Thinking At Home
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 - 7pm
Live Online

Jessica Lahey
The Addiction Inoculation:  Raising Healthy Kids in a Culture of Dependence
Thursday, January 13, 2022 – 7 pm
Live Online 

Rosetta Lee
Implicit and Unconscious Bias:  Bridging the Distance Between Our Professed Values and Daily Behaviors
Tuesday, February 1, 2022 – 7pm
MVHS Spartan Theater

Scott Schimmel
Raising Well:  The 25 Questions Every Kid Must Answer to Build a Meaningful Life
Tuesday, March 22, 2022 – 7pm
MVHS Spartan Theater

Shafia Zaloom
Kids Are Watching Pornography:  Here’s How to Talk About It
Tuesday, April 19 - 7pm
LAHS Eagle Theater

Local COVID Vaccine Clinic: Sep. 3rd- Gift cards for first doses! 

Flyer: Get Vaccinated
Santa Clara County is hosting several upcoming Covid-19 vaccination clinics at the Waldorf School of the Peninsula and Saint Athanasius Church in Mountain View (160 N Rengstorff Ave). Vaccinations are free. Gift card incentives will be provided for first doses.

  • 1st dose on September 3rd from 3pm to 5:30pm.
  • 1st/2nd dose on September 25th from 12:30pm to 5:30pm. (This is a 1st dose clinic for Saint Athanasius Church Second Harvest Food Distribution Event, those who received a vaccine on 9/3 can get their second dose on 9/25.)
  • 2nd dose October 16th from 12:30pm to 5:30pm. (This is a clinic for those who received a first dose on 9/25)

For more information about COVID vaccinations in the area, please visit https://vax.sccgov.org/

Thank You!
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