Pawprints
Week of: September 11, 2022
UPCOMING DATES
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Monday, Sept. 26
- School Site Council Meeting - 3:00pm
Wednesday, Sept. 28
- Student Council Elections
- PTA Dine Out at India's Flavor
Friday, Sept. 30
- Spirit Assembly in auditorium- 8:20 for 4th-6th; 9:00 for Kindergarten-3rd
Wednesday, Oct. 5
- International Walk to School Day
Thursday, October 6
- PTA Association Meeting
- Book Fair
SCHOOL NEWS
CONGRATULATIONS!
Monte Vista has been recognized by the California PBIS Coalition for a successful PBIS implementation at the SILVER level, reflecting excellence in the implementation of the core features of PBIS.
Calling all Girls on the Run in grades 3-6, please see the attached flier for details about this afters chool program. Program will run from September 27 through December 6. Girls will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays in room 8108, Mrs. Smith's Room.
MINDFULNESS AT MONTE VISTA
This school year, mindfulness will be taught in all classes at Monte Vista. Mindfulness is a research-based approach that supports students in building skills for attention regulation (focus and concentration) and emotional regulation. Mindfulness means paying attention in the present moment to our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, or surrounding environment. It can be defined as noticing what’s happening right now with kindness and curiosity.
This program will be taught by Lauren Poncefranco, a mindfulness teacher, who has been trained to teach mindfulness to students by Mindful Schools. Lauren has a background in education. She is a credentialed teacher, has taught elementary school, was a K-8 instructional math coach, directed after school programs and was also a college success coach. Lauren started teaching mindfulness to elementary students in 2018. She has witnessed the positive impacts of teaching mindfulness in the classroom. Some of the benefits include supporting students’ learning readiness, a positive classroom climate and encouraging healthy interactions among students. Lauren is also the parent of a student at Monte Vista and a student at Rosemont Middle School.
Studies find that learning mindfulness benefits students in terms of improved attention, emotion regulation, behavior in school, empathy and understanding of others, social skills, test anxiety, and stress. Mindfulness helps students learn to take a pause when they feel upset or overwhelmed, during which thoughtful responses can replace impulsive reactions. If you would like to learn more about the mindfulness program, please visit the Mindful Schools website: https://www.mindfulschools.org
If you have any questions about our mindfulness program, please contact Lauren. You can email her at lponcefranco@gmail.com
For the month of September, students will be learning about what mindfulness is and how to have a mindful body. When we have a mindful body we try to make our bodies a little more still and quiet. It's ok if it is challenging to stay still for very long. We can also be mindful of our body when it is moving.
Some questions you can ask your children at home are:
What is mindfulness?
What is a mindful body? What does it look like?
What does your body feel like when it is still? What does it feel like when it is moving?
Mindfulness activities at home and in the community:
At meal time, invite your child to show you a mindful body. At bedtime, invite your child to try a mindful body lying down. They can also try to have a mindful body standing when waiting in line at the store.
REMINDERS
HOME-SCHOOL COMPACT:
The 22-23 Monte Vista Home-School Compact was sent through Parent Square on Wednesday, August 24th and was due September 2nd.. Please download, read and review the attached document with your child. Then, type your name and your child's name to digitally sign and acknowledge. Please note, this document can only be completed from a computer or on the Parent Square App.
Download the ParentSquare App for the latest Monte Vista and Glendale Unified School District News right on your phone. Here is the flyer with the QR code.
Follow Monte Vista @montevistagusd (Instagram) and @Monte Vista Elementary - GUSD (Facebook) to meet our staff and see all of the amazing things that are happening at our school! Links can also be found at the bottom of this newsletter.
You are invited to a talk on Mindfulness given by speaker, therapist, writer, and teacher Dr. Christopher Willard on Monday, September 19th at 6pm at CVHS Macdonald Auditorium. Come listen to the message of mindfulness and hope for parents. More info here.
PTA
100% MEMBERSHIP ACHIEVED!
We have reached over 100% participation for the entire school! Congrats!! And THANK YOU for your generosity! We currently have 15 out of 27 classes earning their popsicle party! The race goes until 9/30, so there's still time to get to100% in your class!
Current Class Standings:
Doom: 79%, Hank: 104%, A. Kim: 104%, Gershen: 121%, E. Kim: 104%, Fong: 109%, Nakano: 129%, Smith: 92%, Harvey: 104%, Stephan: 88%, Cho: 87%, Vroman: 118%, Blessinger: 88%, H. Kim: 106%, Pardo: 124%, Weingarten: 80%, Nelson: 111%, Tahk: 106%, R. Kim: 90%, Oh: 130%, Park: 89%, Araradian: 117%, Yniguez: 89%, Widholm: 84%, Lee: 90%, Kang: 86%, Heckmann: 86%
*Please note that these numbers only include the online submissions before 9/9 and the envelopes turned into the PTA's box by 9/6. Please be sure to include your child's name and teacher in your online submissions.
Keep it up, Monte Vista! ~ Mary Klausner
DOLLAR-A-DAY CAMPAIGN
Unfortunately tax dollars simply don’t fund all of the enrichment programs and events that our school provides for our students. How can you help? We suggest a contribution of $1 for each day of the school year, for a total of $180 per student. Learn more here
Each student who turns in $180 will receive a custom Monte Vista boat tote.
Each family that contributes $180 or more will be recognized on the Monte Vista website.
To qualify for these incentives, please remember to remit your donation by Friday, September 30, 2022. – Brenda Sullivan
MONTE VISTA SPIRIT WEAR
Monte Vista Spirit Wear Pre Order Window is now OPEN!
Please use this link to place a pre order for Monte Vista Spirit Wear.
• Please fill out all sections and send payment in the Thursday Folder by 9/23/22.
• If payment is not received, your order will not be processed.
• Cash or Check only, Pay to the order of: Monte Vista PTA and send it in with your child's name, teacher and grade.
• If you have multiple students, you can use one form. Please write your oldest child's information under the name, teacher and grade and all merchandise will be delivered to his/her classroom.
• If you have any questions, please email: montevista.spiritwear@gmail.com
• Thank you for supporting Monte Vista Spirit Wear! We expect orders to arrive some time in November.
REWARD PROGRAMS
Did you know that our PTA can earn money when you grocery shop at Ralphs or purchase on Amazon? Learn more here.If you would like to volunteer on campus, you must have a recent TB test and COVID vaccine on file or a negative test 24 hours prior to the volunteer time on campus. All of the documentation must be turned in to Stephanie at sallen@gusd.net. Your driver's license must also be on file on the school RAPTOR system.
REFLECTIONS ART PROGRAM - “Show Your Voice”
Do you enjoy art, music, dance, or have an interest in writing, producing films, or taking photos? Then join us and have fun unleashing your inner artist with PTA Reflections! Reflections Flyer This year’s theme, “Show Your Voice,” calls for your own unique interpretation through the arts.Submission guidelines can be found in the attached Reflections Guidlines and Reflections entries can be submitted using our digital form https://forms.gle/BiQHD6S4X8Lu2hJV6
Questions? Please email Maryl Fleisher and Anna Bruck at montevistareflections@gmail.com.
ART NIGHT - REFLECTIONS KICK OFF EVENT | Thank you!
What fantastic turnout we had for Art Night on September 7th. While the kids created masterpieces, parents were able to participate in the Association Meeting. A big shout out and thank you to our Art Night hosts Suzy Reil and Anna Bruck!
Resources: Click on any of the buttons below to find out more information
About Us
Monte Vista Elementary serves students in grades K-6. We are a National Blue Ribbon School offering one of GUSD's FLAG dual immersion programs in Korean. Recently, Monte Vista has been selected as a 2022 California Pivotal Practice (CAPP) Award Program winner!
Website: https://www.gusd.net/montevista
Location: 2620 Orange Avenue, La Crescenta, CA, 91214
Phone: (818) 248-2617
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/montevistagusd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/montevistagusd