Dear Quetzal Families,

Happy first week of school! I hope you and that your child had an amazing first week back at school. The energy and enthusiasm in the classrooms have been truly uplifting, and we're excited to start on a new year of learning and growth together at Mistral.

This month, our focus is on fostering "Growth Mindsets" among our students. A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication, hard work, and learning from mistakes. Growth mindsets empowers students to embrace challenges, persist through obstacles, and view failures as opportunities for growth. Here are some ideas to help you teach and reinforce the concept of growth mindsets at home:

• Use Positive Language: Encourage your child to use phrases like "I can't do it yet, but I'm going to keep trying" instead of "I can't do it." This subtle shift in language reinforces the idea that with effort and practice, progress can be made.
• Celebrate Effort: Praise your child's effort, strategies, and perseverance rather than just focusing on outcomes. Highlight the process they went through to achieve a goal, even if the result isn't perfect.
• Read Inspiring Stories: Choose books that feature characters who face challenges and setbacks but overcome them through hard work and determination. Discuss the characters' mindsets with your child and how it relates to their own experiences.
• Embrace Mistakes: Create an environment where mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn. Share your own experiences of setbacks and what you learned from them, emphasizing that everyone makes mistakes and it's okay.
• Set Realistic Goals: Help your child set goals that are achievable yet require effort. Break larger goals into smaller steps, and celebrate each step they accomplish along the way.
• Encourage Problem-Solving: When your child faces a problem or challenge, ask open-ended questions that encourage them to think critically and come up with possible solutions. Guide them through the process of finding ways to overcome obstacles.
• Model a Growth Mindset:** Children learn by observing, so showcase your own growth mindset. Talk about times when you're learning something new, facing a challenge, or trying to improve a skill.
• Avoid Comparisons: Remind your child that everyone progresses at their own pace. Discourage comparing themselves to others and instead focus on their personal growth journey.

By nurturing a growth mindset in our students, we are preparing them for a lifetime of learning, resilience, and success. We're excited to continue this journey together and see the positive impact it has on our students' lives.

Please remember that there are no dogs on campus at any time students are on school grounds. We also want to ask you to please turn off your cars while waiting for students during dismissal time. Small changes can help us take care of our environment and our beautiful earth.

We are sending flyers home tomorrow of our Back to School Night. We are looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday, August 22nd, at 6pm in the MUR.

I also want to invite you to our first virtual Cafecito with Ms. O on August 23rd at 8:30am. Register on our link. I hope to see all of our families there, too.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and here's to a month filled with growth and discovery!

Warm regards,

Claudia Olaciregui, Principal

August 22

• 6:00-8:00- Back to School Night; Minimum Day: Dismissal at 12:10pm

August 23

• 8:30-9:30-Virtual Cafecito with Ms. O.-Please register

• Lifetouch Fall Picture Day

The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, August 17 at 6:00 p.m.

Some of the topics include:

• Response to City of Mountain View's Fiscal Report on North Bayshore Master Plan

• Environmental Sustainability Advisory Council Progress

• Monta Loma Fencing Choice

For meeting details and agenda, please click here: https://www.mvwsd.org/trustees.

Superintendent's Community Check In on Friday, Aug. 18

Please join us for our Community Check-In with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph on Friday, Aug. 18 at 3:30 p.m. Bring your questions. Spanish interpretation will be provided. Click here to register: http://mvw.sd/CC818. Mark your calendars for all upcoming community check ins! A list of dates and login information is here.

District orientation

Recordings of last week’s Parent University District Orientation presentation are now available in English and Spanish. To register in advance for future Parent U meetings, visit mvwsd.org/ParentU.

School meals are free, but fill out the EzSchool Meals application to help you and your school

MVWSD will continue to provide free meals this year to all students as part of California’s universal meal program.

However, parents need to reapply for the Free and Reduced Price Meals program now for this school year. If you think you could qualify (qualifying income levels listed here), we ask you to apply at EzSchool Meals to help MVWSD receive additional funding to support students who are in need, and may help your family. If your child is eligible for free and/or reduced-price meals, your family could get medical benefits, housing benefits, utilities benefits and more. Qualifying is one factor in your child’s eligibility for free MVWSD after school care and summer camp.

The more applications your school gathers at the start of each school year, the more additional funding it can receive for all kinds of programs. If you are currently out of work, you may qualify and help your school, regardless of your financial situation. Apply at https://secure.ezmealapp.com/ or call your school office.

Looking for an afterschool program? Read on to see if your child qualifies for MVWSD+!

A student qualifies for the free MVWSD+ afterschool program if one or both of the following conditions are true:

• The student is an English Learner (EL). EL status is established via the results of the Initial ELPAC exam, which is being administered to certain students in August and September. Results are usually available within two weeks of the completion of testing. If you have questions about the Initial ELPAC exam, please contact Leticia Corcoran at lcorcoran@mvwsd.org.

• The student qualifies for free or reduced price lunches based on federal income guidelines. At this time, lunch for all children is free, but this may not always be the case. To fill out the application for free or reduced lunch, please go to ezmealapp.com. Qualifying students’ data is collected at the state level and usually appears in the district’s data system within two weeks. If you have questions, please contact your school office.

Soon after a student’s EL or Free/Reduced Lunch Status changes to indicate he/she qualifies for MVWSD+, you will receive an email from the MVWSD+ Team inviting your child to enroll.

For questions or troubleshooting, please reach out to plus@mvwsd.org or Jennifer Nunez at (650) 526-3500 x1061.

No MVWSD+ Afterschool Programs on Tuesday, August 22

Due to preparations for Elementary School Back to School Night and afterschool staff development, there will be no MVWSD+ Afterschool Programs on Tuesday, August 22 (a minimum day for students). MVWSD+ families, thank you in advance for making other arrangements. This affects all Right At School programs, all Beyond the Bell programs, and the district-paid YMCA programs. Programs resume as normal on Wednesday, August 23.

For more information, please contact plus@mvwsd.org or call (650) 526-3500 x1061.

Living Classroom seeking Docents!

Do you enjoy spending time with kids and being outdoors? Volunteer with Living Classroom to teach fun, engaging STEM-based lessons in your local MVWSD school! No prior teaching experience is necessary. For more information on our volunteer program, please visit: https://www.living-classroom.org/get-involved.html or email susahh@living-classroom.org.

Parks and Rec to host park input community meetings

Help the City imagine the future of Mountain View Parks and Recreation by joining one of four Community Meetings to kick off the Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan: August 21 and August 22 (Two meetings will be held in person at the Mountain View Community Center, and two meetings will be exclusively online via Zoom). All meetings will provide interpretation services in Spanish, Mandarin and Russian. Childcare and light refreshments will be available for the in-person meetings. Visit ImagineMVParks.com or see attached flyers for more information.

Hazardous Household Waste Drop Off event on Aug 26

The City will be hosting a Hazardous Household Waste Drop Off event on Aug 26, 2023. It is a free event for residents of Santa Clara County to safely dispose of unwanted household hazardous wastes, including paint, batteries, electronics, auto fluids, pesticides, garden chemicals, propane tanks, fluorescent and LED lightbulbs, household cleaners and more. See the attached flyer.

Housing and Eviction Help Center

The City of Mountain View's Rent Stabilization Program runs the Housing and Eviction Help Center (HEHC) at the MV Public Library to provide housing-related support to the community, including information about housing programs and legal resources. These services are available on 1st and 3rd Thursdays (walk-ins welcome or virtually at mountainview.gov/housinghelpclinics) from 6 - 8 p.m. For more information, see flyers attached or visit mountainview.gov/evictionprevention.

Notice: National School Lunch / School Breakfast Programs

The Mountain View Whisman School District announces its policy for serving meals to students under the National School Lunch / School Breakfast Programs for the 2023-24 school year.

All students will be served lunch and breakfast at no charge at the following site: Mariano Castro Elementary School.

Additionally, all students will be served lunch and breakfast at no charge through California’s Universal Meals Program (Universal Meals) at the following sites:

Bubb Elementary, Crittenden Middle, Graham Middle, Amy Imai Elementary, Landels Elementary, Gabriela Mistral Elementary, Monta Loma Elementary, Stevenson Elementary, Theuerkauf Elementary, Jose Antonio Vargas Elementary.

For additional information please contact: Deborah Austin, Director of Food Service, 1701 Rock St., Mountain View, CA 94043, 650.903.6965, daustin@mvwsd.org.

While the program will offer free Universal Meals for all students, households will continue to be able to complete an application for free and reduced-price meals, which may support the school district’s local education funding and could also qualify the family for additional benefits. Click here for free and reduced price eligibility guidelines and for more information on applying.

Non Discrimination Statement

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the agency (state or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (AD-3027), found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call 866-632-9992.

Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410

(2) Fax: 202-690-7442

(3) E-mail: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.