Panther Blog Nov. 18, 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:

November 18th, 2021
 

Crittenden News:

-Principal's Coffee 12/2
-SCEF Resources
-SEL Message
-Athletics
-
Lost and Found
-Trimester 1 Grades 
-Holiday Absences


District News:

-Board meeting
-Superintendent's Community Check In
-Health and Wellness survey
-Vandalism on school campuses
-Community engagement
-Parent University
-Kinder info night
-COVID vaccinations
-Text messages from the District
-
Attendance counts
-
Seeking EL Testers
-MVEF Seeking School Representatives
-Palo Alto High School COVID vaccine clinic
-Safe Gun Storage
-MVHS Turkey Trot
-City of MV Santa’s Workshop Event


Flyers:
-Santa's Workshop 
-PAHS COVID Vaccine Clinic 
-Turkey Trot 
-YMCA Parent Workshop 
-Tree Lot 

Hello Crittenden Families,

Thanksgiving breaks symbolize a multitude of meanings for all. When I think of celebrating Thanksgiving it’s family gatherings, game nights, laughter and giggles. There are so many simple things to show gratitude for. A favorite tradition of mine is going around the dinner table and each person saying one thing they are or were thankful for this year. We wish you all a happy and safe holiday break! 

Crittenden News:


Principal's Coffee

Join me, Principal Sonia Gomez along with school counselor Kayla Hinojosa for a Principal's Coffee on Thursday, December 2nd from 5pm-6pm.  We look forward to speaking to you regarding the progress we have had with SEL (Social-Emotional Lessons). 

Please register below:
Pre-registration meeting link

A message from School & Community Engagement Facilitator: Family Resources and Parent Involvement- Ms. Susie Morales

We are pleased to announce Crittenden’s 1st Annual Warm Coat Drive!

“One Warm Coat At A Time” to give back to students within our school community. 
 

Share the warmth and donate a brand new coat, jacket, or hoodie. 
 

Due to COVID Sanitary Restrictions we kindly request only new items.
 

Further details are as follows:
 

Needed:  New warm coats and sweaters for boys, girls and gender neutral for children ages 11 to 14 years old. Sizes from S- XL. Or if you prefer gift cards are also welcomed!

When:  Today- Friday, December 10

Where:  Donations are accepted between M-F 7:30am and 3:30pm in the school office donation bin. 

 

For further information or questions please contact either Bianca or Susie 650.903.6945 ext. 2204/2206.

SEL Message from School Counselor Ms. Hinojosa-

Goal setting is a critical strategy that helps students learn important life skills such as planning, organization, and time management, while also building communication skills, self-awareness, and confidence. 

Establishing short-term SMART goals is a way to help children succeed. SMART provides the detail, support, and guidance children and parents need to stay focused on current academic/life achievements and supports determining direction for the future.

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-focused, and Time-Bound. Here is a breakdown of each section:

  • Specific: Goals should be simple and defined.
  • Measurable: There should be evidence of a met goal.
  • Achievable: Goals should feel slightly challenged but still possible.
  • Results-focused: Goals should measure outcomes and not processes or steps. 
  • Time-bound: Goals should have a timeframe that creates a practical sense of urgency. 

By using SMART goals, your child will have clear and focused steps that allow them to manage their time and have less room for procrastination. They also allow students who get overwhelmed more easily, to break bigger goals into short-term goals, making it more manageable. When students start to make progress towards their goals, it’s a big confidence boost! With that new found confidence, your child can continue to set more ambitious goals.

Athletics

The Crittenden Athletic Department is looking to hire some coaches! Are you a coach or do you know anyone interested in coaching? We are looking for Boys Basketball and Girls soccer coaches for our upcoming season (12/13 - 2/10). If you are interested in supporting our Panther athletes please apply at the links below. These are paid coaching positions!

Boys Basketball: https://www.applitrack.com/mvwsd/onlineapp/JobPostings/view.asp?FromAdmin=true&AppliTrackJobId=1746   

Girls Soccer: https://www.applitrack.com/mvwsd/onlineapp/JobPostings/view.asp?FromAdmin=true&AppliTrackJobId=1747

Lost and Found

Our lost and found items are over accumulating. Please have your students check the lost and found for their long lost sweaters, water bottles, PE clothes and lunch boxes! Students are also reminded during breaks, lunches and after school. Unclaimed items by November 19th will be donated to a local shelter.  

Trimester 1 Grades 

Our students have done an impressive job Trimester 1 transitioning back to the classroom. They are actively engaged in class and are consistently working hard to achieve their academic goals. Students and parents can now view the T1 grades in PowerSchool. Report cards will be sent to parents via email tomorrow 11/19. Thank you for your partnership in the support of our students' academic achievement.
 

Holiday Absences

Holiday season is the most magical time of the year! We understand the excitement it brings to go out of town and visit distant friends and family. Thanksgiving break will be November 22-26 and the Holiday Break will be December 20 - January 3. We’d like to remind all Crittenden Families vacation time off prior to or after the holiday breaks are not excusable absences.

For any absences please be sure to contact the office at 
(650) 903-6945 ext. 2280 or email [email protected]. Please be sure to mention your students first & last name, date, relation to student and reason for absence.

Upcoming Events:

November

11/22-11/26 Thanksgiving Recess No School
11/30  School Site Council Meeting (4pm-5pm) 
Meeting registration link


December

12/2 Principal's Coffee (5pm-6pm) Pre-registration meeting link
12/20-12/31 Holiday Break (No School)

In partnership,
Mrs. Gomez
Principal

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

District Announcements:
 

Board meeting Preview: Nov. 18

The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. Some of the meeting’s topics include the Educator Effectiveness Block Grant. For meeting details and agenda, please click here.

Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday: Nov. 19

Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday, Nov. 19 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Spanish interpretation will be provided. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/t5VUc. To plan ahead, please see this webpage for upcoming meeting dates. In case you miss it, a video recording will be posted on this webpage.

Health and Wellness survey: Look for it in your email this week

 

As part of its Strategic Plan 2027, our district is prioritizing our health and wellness. MVWSD has partnered with an education market research firm, Hanover Research, to seek the opinions, perceptions and needs of our school community in order to inform our health and wellness programs and practices.

As a first step, MVWSD wants to hear the voices and experiences of students, parents/families, and staff. As such, we will invite you to participate in the Health and Wellness Needs Assessment Survey between November 17 and December 3, 2021. Students in grades 6-8 will be asked to participate during the school day. Please be on the lookout for an email from MVWSD this week that will share a secure link to the survey.

Your input will help us provide effective health and wellness services to our students. We look forward to hearing from you! Please contact Karin Jinbo, Director, Health and Wellness, with any questions about the survey.

 

Vandalism on school campuses: Stand Against Hate
 

Our community has been recently impacted by graffiti; much of it contains messages of hate. In the last year, Imai has had racist messages written on play structures. Bubb has had Nazi-sympathetic messaging written on solar panel supports. Twice this fall, the bathroom at the edge of Monta Loma’s campus has been sprayed with racist graffiti.

Almost every one of our campuses has been damaged by graffiti or vandalism in recent years. Our stance is clear: Mountain View is no place for hate or ignorance. In response to bias-motivated vandalism on our campuses and acts of hate in our broader community, the Board of Trustees expressed a desire to pass a resolution affirming our commitment to ending hate at its Nov. 18 meeting.

Our District and Board of Trustees, along with community members and the Mountain View Police Department, continue to work to fight oppression in all forms and stop hate in order to ensure a more equitable and inclusive community. To read Dr. Rudolph’s letter on recent vandalism, please click here. Not only are we working to create a more inclusive community, we plan to add security cameras to catch vandals (See below).


Community engagement: Security cameras
 

MVWSD’s Master Facility Plan and the Measure T Bond prioritized construction projects based on the criteria of safety, operational efficiency and short term growth. One of the projects identified in the Master Facility Plan was the need for security cameras in public areas at all school sites as a way to increase safety for students and staff members by deterring misconduct and preventing vandalism. 

Members of the schools’ communities may engage in a series of feedback meetings through Jan. 2022 before the plan for security cameras is finalized. Principals will gather feedback at regularly scheduled meetings such as Principal’s Coffee, School Site Council, PTA, and ELAC.  

Additionally, parents and neighbors may attend community meetings:

 

Parent University: How to Talk to Our Kids About Race, Racism, and Equity (with Project Cornerstone)

Date: December 8, 2021, 5:30pm-7:00pm  Registration Link: http://mvw.sd/pu120821

Conversations on race, racism, and equity can be uncomfortable. Where do we even start? This presentation will:

  • Explore the concept of recognizing our own racial identity. It starts with us.
  • Build a shared understanding of key definitions so we can be more informed when we listen, learn, and talk.
  • Gain language and tools to hold conversations with our kids.

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

 

Kinder info night, school meetings coming up. Open Enrollment for all MVWSD students starts in January

 

For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 24-28.

 

For NEW students:  Open Enrollment is from January 10 through Feb. 4, 2022 online. You can register your child for the 2022-23 school year when online registration opens here:  www.mvwsd.org/register 

 

School info meetings: Check www.mvwsd.org/register for a complete list with login information.
 

  • District new student information night, covering the registration process, is on November 30 at 5:30 p.m. (in both English and Spanish) at this Zoom link: http://mvw.sd/kinder1130.
  • School kindergarten/new student information nights are online on December 7 at 6:00 p.m. for all elementary schools, and include choice school information. Click here for meeting information: http://mvw.sd/schoolinfo
  • If your child turns 5 years old between September 2, 2022 – February 2, 2023, he/she may qualify for transitional kindergarten. TK info night is December 14 at 5:00 p.m online at http://mvw.sd/TK1214
  • If you are interested in the District's choice schools, information nights are: 

Gabriela Mistral: Dual Spanish/English Immersion: December 14 at 6 pm at http://mvw.sd/MI1214

Stevenson: Parent Child Teacher: December 15 at 6 pm at http://mvw.sd/ST1215

Choice schools will also have information at the elementary schools’ info nights (6 p.m. Dec. 7).

 

Please visit www.mvwsd.org/register for more information.

COVID vaccinations for children 5-11 years are here

 

After much anticipation, COVID-19 vaccinations for kids ages 5-11 are underway.  

Parents and guardians can visit www.sccfreevax.org now to sign up for an appointment or to find a convenient walk-in location. If initial available appointments are reserved, continue to check back as additional slots open. MVWSD has requested that Santa Clara County provide free, mobile vaccination events at our schools for our students. We will update you as we know more about the specifics and the dates.

Symptoms?

After receiving the COVID shot, it's possible that your child may have symptoms that may be caused by the vaccine. Side effects of the vaccine are not typically a cause for concern and should go away in a few days. However, if your child has any of these symptoms, regardless of cause, he/she should stay home from school: Loss of taste or smell, fever, chills, cough and shortness of breath.

If it’s possible these symptoms were caused by the vaccine and they resolve in 48 hours, with the last 24 hours being fever-free, the individual may return to work or school. If symptoms persist beyond 48 hours, individuals should stay home and get tested for COVID. After being home with symptoms, parents should present proof of the recent COVID vaccine shot upon the student’s return at school. 

Don’t forget to upload!

When your child receives his/her second shot, please upload proof of being fully vaccinated to PowerSchool at https://ps.mvwsd.org. Here's how to upload proof of vaccination. http://mvw.sd/upload.

Want text messages from the District? Opt in!

MVWSD sends text messages infrequently, for the purpose of notifying you of emergencies or with important, time-sensitive information.

In order to receive messages from the District you need to opt-in from the number that is listed as the cell contact number in our student information system. If you need to update this number, please contact your school.

Here’s how to opt in. You can subscribe or unsubscribe to receive text messages from the District at any time by texting one of the short codes listed below to 67587 using the cell phone number that the District has on record. 
 

  • Opt-in: "Y", "YES", "OPTIN", "OPT IN", and "SUBSCRIBE" are all acceptable keywords for subscribing to SMS text messaging.
  • Opt-out: "END", "CANCEL", "OPT OUT", "OPTOUT", "STOP", "QUIT", and "UNSUBSCRIBE" will cancel SMS messages to the recipient.

Attendance counts: Please ensure students are in school and on time

We want kids to be healthy and be in school. Regular attendance is essential for students’ learning and to establish healthy routines.  Please make sure that your students come to school every day they are able.

If they need to stay home, please call school with the reason. You must contact us in the morning of your child’s absence. This is a safety measure in order to account for all students daily. Illness (including quarantining due to COVID), doctor’s appointments, bereavement, and certain religious exercises are excused absences. Family vacation or travel is not excused. 

California law requires MVWSD to notify parents after three unexcused absences and/ or tardies over 30 minutes. Any three unexcused absences and/ or tardies over 30 minutes means a child is truant. We are here to support your family, so please contact your school for strategies or help, if needed.

For more information on attendance requirements, please see 
https://www.mvwsd.org/attendance

 

Seeking EL Testers! 

Are you looking for a part time job and enjoy interacting with kids? Our district is looking for a few more EL Testers to administer the annual assessment of Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking for English Learners. Fluency in academic English is required. For more information, or to apply, please visit mvwsd.org/jobs and look under “Support Staff - Hourly.” Alternatively, you may contact department secretary Leticia Corcoran at [email protected].

MVEF Seeking School Representatives

MVEF is looking for school representatives.  MVEF needs your family's help to be closer to other families at your child(ren)’s school. As a school site rep, you help spread the word about MVEF by chatting with other families about the importance of supporting MVEF and the programs that we fund.

Volunteers needed: Please consider joining us and fellow parent volunteers with our annual phonathon on December 7! If you are interested, please email [email protected].

Palo Alto High School COVID vaccine clinic: Nov. 21
Click Here for Registration Information 

A COVID vaccination clinic for children ages 5-11 is happening Sunday, November 21, 2021 from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. at Palo Alto High School (50 Embarcadero Rd. Palo Alto). Make an appointment for your child at: www.mhealthsystem.com/PaloAltoPeds. No appointment is needed for booster shots or flu shots. Note: the clinic appointment slots are opened in blocks of 500. If there are no appointments available, you are advised to wait and try again later as more appointments open.

Safe Gun Storage Notice
 

Schools alone cannot prevent incidents of gun violence. In 2019, California Education Superintendent Tony Thurmond requested that all schools send parents education about the legal requirements for storing firearms at home. California Penal Code Section 25100 mandates that in all homes where children live (or where children might reasonably be expected to enter), firearms must be safely stored. 

Gun owners can avoid criminal penalties by keeping their firearms in a locked container or secured with a locking device that renders the firearm inoperable. Ensuring firearms are securely stored prevents small children from accidentally accessing the firearm and prevents older children from using an unsecured firearm to commit school violence or suicide. For more information, please see https://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/el/le/yr19ltr1120.asp

MVHS Turkey Trot: Registration Open
Click Here for Registration Information 

MVHS Sports Boosters is proud to present the 12th Annual Spartan Turkey Trot this coming Thanksgiving weekend 2021. This year there are both in person and virtual opportunities to participate. 100% of proceeds benefit Mountain View High School Athletics and supporting clubs and teams. Find more details and registration at SpartanTurkeyTrot.com

City of MV Santa’s Workshop Event
Click Here for Registration Information 

Join the elves at Santa’s Workshop for a jolly-filled time in building and creating some incredible holiday themed crafts on Saturday, Dec. 11th from 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m at the Senior Center Social Hall. Children will have the opportunity to design ornaments, decorate cookies, customize their own stocking, make a snowy wonderland globe, write a letter to Santa, and so much more! This holiday program is open to all children ages 6 to 11 years old. Register online at MountainView.gov/Register using Code 15789.

 

Thank you for all your support!

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