12/16/20 Huff n Stuff

 

Principal’s Message: 

Quote of the week

“The tallest oak tree in the forest was once just a little nut that held its ground.” 

-Unknown


Dear Huff Families,


I can’t believe that in two days we will be out on break. It’s been an interesting year to say the least but a year we will never forget. Thank you all for sending me your child’s picture with their lovely snowman creation. I love seeing how creative everyone got. The video with all of the pictures will be shown this Friday at our Winter Fun Assembly. 

Also, a friendly reminder that our school fields and playgrounds are closed during school days until 4 p.m., just as they’d be as if we are in a typical school year. There are student programs and staff present on campus during the school day, and for safety - especially during COVID - we need to keep our schools secure. Thanks in advance for your understanding and help with this.


Have a wonderful week! Stay safe and healthy.


Sincerely,


Arline Siam

Renaming Huff ThoughtExchange

The Huff Renaming process has reached a new mile-marker toward renaming our school, choosing a new namesake that better aligns with the community's inclusive virtues. We need your input on important perspectives to consider as we move forward with renaming Frank L. Huff Elementary School. To gather your feedback, we're using a tool called Thoughtexchange. All of your voices matter, so your participation is crucial and valued.

Click here to participate: https://my.thoughtexchange.com/scroll/745017430

You'll be asked to respond to one open-ended question, consider and assign stars to some of the ideas shared by others (20 to 30 is ideal), and learn what's important to the group. You can rate as many thoughts as you’d like before moving on to Discover where you can see all the thoughts sorted by the average star rating.

Your thoughts and stars are confidential. You can come back as often as you'd like to participate and, in fact, we ask that you do come back to start some of the new ideas shared since you first participated. The ratings will help us understand the most important areas to focus on for Renaming Huff.

Participation will be open until Friday, December 18th at 8:00PM.

News Mrs. Kalb 

I am excited to announce that Huff Library now has ebooks available  for your students to read!  Here are the instructions about how to look at them and check them out...

How to Check Out Huff eBooks!

 

  1. Go to Clever

  2. Click on MVWSD Library 

  3. Click on Huff Elementary School

  4. Click “Log In “ (top right corner)

  5. Sign in with Google (blue bar on the left side)

  6. Click on Destiny Discover (under Library Search)

  7. Click “See All” to see more books

  8. Filters to the left: Choose “Language” at the bottom

 

The eBooks with the green ‘E’  box and say Follett eBook are from our Huff library. 

Students may only check out 1 Huff eBook for now.

Huff’s eBooks have 3 choices: Open (see a few pages), Checkout (to borrow the eBook), and Favorite (to make a list of eBooks you like). 

 

To checkout a Huff  eBook, click “Checkout”.  If you want to return it, click “Return”.

 

To see your list of eBooks you have Checked Out or list of Favorites, click the 3 horizontal lines (to the left of Destiny Discover). Click Checkout. You can return the eBooks here too.

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The eBooks with the blue ‘e’ box are from the County of Santa Clara.  You may be asked for your school name...pick Mountain View Whisman School District.  You may check out 1 county eBook. Warning: These eBooks are for grades K-12, so please select appropriate ones at your level. They will automatically return after 14 days.

County eBooks have 2 choices: Click Open. If it says “Place on Hold” it has already been checked out. If it says “Borrow” click it, then it will take you to “Go to Checkout” click it. Here you will choose “read in your browser”. There is a return bar below, click it to return your county eBook.


Upcoming Events

December

-21 - 31: Holiday Break NO SCHOOL

January

-1: Holiday Break NO SCHOOL

- 4: Teacher Service Day NO SCHOOL


Chromebooks that are not working

Please take your Chromebooks to the Technology department to the District office.  Instead of going in the front door of the district office, go around the back and their door is open.  They are working from 8:30am-3:30pm.

Reporting Absences

If you are reporting a student's absence, please email [email protected] or call the attendance line at (650)526-3490 ext 3080.

Reminder: Please include your student's name, your student's room or teacher, the reason for absence, the date of absence(s) and the relationship of the person leaving the message. Thank you from the office staff!


District News:

Free children’s meals continue during the holidays

MVWSD free meals for children are available during the holidays. Meals will be available the weeks of December 21 and 28 at the Gabriela Mistral Elementary (505 Escuela Ave) location only on Monday and Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. -1 p.m.  On Monday, bags of Monday's and Tuesday's breakfasts and lunches are available. On Tuesday, meal bags for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are available. Regular meal service resumes on the week of Jan 4. Please note that facemasks are required when approaching the meal distribution area, and recipients must maintain 6-foot social distancing while waiting for meals.


Better Together: Together we can appreciate our abilities 

In December, we are celebrating Abilities Awareness Month. To honor our commitments in moving towards equity and inclusion, help us bring the voices of people with diverse abilities into your classroom or homes, and create a learning environment that rejects ableism. From lessons on art, activism and physical disabilities to education about new developments in Universal Design, these resources will help you and your children embrace diverse abilities and understand the injustices people with disabilities often encounter. Together, we can appreciate our abilities and celebrate our common humanity. See the attached graphics or view them on https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogethermvwsd


Tester and Interpreter/Translator positions available

Looking for a part-time job with a positive social impact? MVWSD is now hiring organized and friendly individuals to administer English Language proficiency assessments to the district’s K-8 English language learners. To find out more, click here: https://www.edjoin.org/Home/DistrictJobPosting/1310195


Can you speak or write in a language other than English? MVWSD is always looking for qualified interpreters and translators. If you enjoy helping families and children and are fluent in English and one of the languages below, click on https://www.mvwsd.org/jobs and then click on “Support Staff - Hourly”. We are currently looking for the following languages: Arabic, Cantonese, Farsi, French, German, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog, Vietnamese.


MVWSD’s award-winning Preschool 

Is now enrolling for full-day and part-day for the 2021-22 school year. Information meetings will be held in January. Please see the attached flyer or https://www.mvwsd.org/preschool for more information. 


Recording: Virtual i-Ready parent workshop

Are you curious about the i-Ready platform and how you can support your student at home? Please view this recording of the session that provides parents with an overview of i-Ready and answers their frequently asked questions about how i-Ready elevates instruction. https://vimeo.com/490839110

TK and choice schools’ meetings are this week. Open Enrollment for all MVWSD students starts in January


School and District information meetings are coming up in December. Please visit www.mvwsd.org/register for a list of these events and for login information.


  • If your child turns 5 years old between September 2 – December 2, 2021, he/she may qualify for transitional kindergarten. TK info night is December 16 at 5:00 p.m online.


  • If you are interested in the District's choice schools, information nights are: 

Gabriela Mistral: Dual Spanish/English Immersion: December 15 at 6 pm

Stevenson: Parent Child Teacher: December 16 at 6 pm

Choice schools will also have information at the elementary schools’ info nights (6 p.m. Dec. 9).


For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 18- 22.


For NEW students:  Open Enrollment is from January 11 through Feb. 5, 2021 online. You can register your child for the 2021-22 school year when online registration opens here:  www.mvwsd.org/register 


CSA food distributions 

Community Services Agency (CSA) will have three additional food distributions that families throughout Mountain View are welcome to come and pick up. Please see attached flyers in Spanish and English for details. 


Getting Ready for the ELPAC information session: Jan. 12

The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) is administered every year to our English Learner (EL) students. To learn more about this assessment, the role it plays in the education of every EL, and how to help your child prepare, please join for the following meeting: 


  • January 12

5:00-5:30 in English: https://zoom.us/j/93307939185

5:30-6:00 in Spanish: https://zoom.us/j/93709174683


MVEF news: Double Your Donation with the December Challenge Grant! 

Throughout December, every dollar donated will be matched dollar for dollar up to $47,000, through our December Challenge Grant.  The December Challenge Grant has been made possible by generous MVEF donors who are challenging you to join them in supporting MVEF. Donate today to get your donation matched by this challenge! 


If your company has a matching gift program, you can even triple your impact by donating this month! 


Every dollar donated makes a difference and allows the district-wide programs to be funded which is especially important now, during remote learning.  It takes donations of every size for us to reach our annual goal of $800,000 together.   https://www.mvef.org/donate


CHAC offers free mental health support to parents and students 

For parents: CHAC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing affordable and accessible mental health services, supports parents in several ways. Please see the attached flyers for more information.


For students: PLUGGED IN - Social and Emotional Learning Skills Programs

CHAC is excited to offer two new Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Skills Programs to 3rd and 5th grade students.  Both programs are a fun and enriching way to help students navigate the unique challenges they face in these extraordinary times.

1. CHAC's Weekly Virtual Group meetings focus on social interaction between participants.  Through collaborative lessons and fun activities students will learn emotion regulation skills, problem solving skills as well as healthy coping and self-care skills. 

2. CHAC's Independent SEL Curriculum teaches students essential social and emotional learning skills through entertaining video lessons and a variety of fun activities that students complete independently. 


The parents who request the PLUGGED IN Independent Curriculum will have it emailed to them immediately.  


The parents who would like their child to join a PLUGGED IN virtual group, will be contacted about scheduling options and asked to complete an online permission slip.  Groups are expected to start in early January. 


Click here to learn more about PLUGGED IN- CHAC’s new SEL Programs: https://www.chacmv.org/social-emotional-learning


Parenting in a pandemic: Free 6th district PTA speaker series

Wednesday, December 16, 7 PM. Teaching self regulation. Inclusion collaborative.

Cost: free. For more information and to reserve your seat visit www.capta6.org/parenting_in_a_pandemic/


MVLA Speakers series presents “Middle School Matters” with Phyllis Fagell

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 - 7:00 - 9:00pm | Live Online 


Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Certified Professional School Counselor Phyllis Fagell helps parents use the middle school years as a low-stakes training ground to teach kids the key skills they’ll need to thrive now and in the future, including making good friend choices, negotiating conflict, regulating their own emotions, acting as their own advocates, and more. To answer parents’ most common questions and struggles with middle school-aged children, she combines her professional and personal expertise with stories and advice from prominent psychologists, doctors, parents, educators, school professionals, and middle schoolers themselves.


Audience:  Parents of kids grades 4 - 8

Register:  To register for this free event at https://mvla2020-21-phyllisfagell.eventbrite.com

Books:   https://www.booksinc.net/book/9780738235080


Video Available!  

Michael Reichert  – How to Raise a Boy - Event Recording from 11/17/2020

Dr. Reichert has graciously allowed us to share the How to Raise a Boy recording with parents, teachers, and other caretakers of children and teens (K - 12) within our community.  The recording will be available until December 17th. The link is https://youtu.be/K7aAVmHSd2Y

 

Video Available!  

Marc Brackett  – Permission to Feel - Event Recording from 10/29/2020

Dr. Brackett has graciously allowed us to share the Permission to Feel recording with parents, teachers, and other caretakers of children and teens (K - 12) within our community.  The recording will be available through December 10th. The link is https://youtu.be/dyGMXo8iH0s


School meetings coming up in December. Open Enrollment for all MVWSD students starts in January


School and District information meetings are coming up in December. Please visit www.mvwsd.org/register for a list of these events and for login information.


  • School kindergarten/new student information nights are online on December 9 at 6:00 p.m. for all elementary schools, and include choice school information. For our school, the link for this meeting is http://mvw.sd/HuffKinder.


  • If your child turns 5 years old between September 2 – December 2, 2021, he/she may qualify for transitional kindergarten. TK info night is December 16 at 5:00 p.m online.


  • If you are interested in the District's choice schools, information nights are: 

Gabriela Mistral: Dual Spanish/English Immersion: December 15 at 6 pm

Stevenson: Parent Child Teacher: December 16 at 6 pm

Choice schools will also have information at the elementary schools’ info nights (6 p.m. Dec. 9).


For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 18- 22.


For NEW students:  Open Enrollment is from January 11 through Feb. 5, 2021 online. You can register your child for the 2021-22 school year when online registration opens here:  www.mvwsd.org/register 


 

PTA News:

MINTED - November and December Fundraiser on Holiday Cards and Gift Purchases

 

15% of the proceeds are donated to the Huff PTA

AND

You get 20% off Minted holiday card and gift orders in November and December when you use your promo code

 

Minted makes beautiful photo holiday cards. This is also a great site for buying photo calendars and other photo art gifts this holiday season. (See attachment.)

 

Just go to minted.com and use the unique Huff coupon code FUNDRAISEHUFF

 

The code is valid toward all Minted holiday cards and gifts, including foil-pressed art gifts, personal stationery, notebooks and day planners, personalized pillows, aprons, wrapping paper and gift tags, holiday home decor, custom art, and photo art and calendar gifts. (It’s good on anything on the Minted main site page under the Holiday and Gifts tabs except for limited edition fine art and stamps.)

 

This code is ONLY valid during the months of November and December and can be used an unlimited amount of times, but it cannot be combined with other promotions. Please share your code with friends and family.

YOU SAVE 20%. THEY DONATE 15%

Attachments:

Minted_Banner

FREE PHONE SERVICE ENG SPA CHI

CHAC_FRCs_Distribution_flyer_English

December Equity Calendar 2020 English

Preschoolflyer2021_22

CHAC Parent Flyer

MVLA Speaker Series_Flyer 4_Phyllis Fagell

2020 addtional food at CSA (Eng)

Huff - A4S School Newsletter 2020-21

3rd-5th Virtual Art Club 2021

K-2nd Virtual Art Club 2021

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