Dear Quetzal Families,

Happy holidays and a blessed break to all our our amazing Quetzal community! I hope you and your families have a wonderful time. Please know that I value and appreciate each and everyone of you, and that I feel blessed to serve and partner with you in this amazing journey. Take care and be safe during this season!

I want to take the time to thank all the families who have donated to our MVEF goal this year. We are very close to raising more than $800k before Dec 31 which is really exciting. We couldn't have made it happen without you. If you haven't done so yet, you can still join the December Challenge. As you know, MVEF funds our CSMA arts and music program as well as our Living Classrooms.

On Monday, we sent home free COVID tests for every student and staff member before winter break so that you can test on January 9 before returning to school on January 10. Please see the details below. Stay well!

If you would like to join the volunteering team at Mistral, please join us at our January 23, 2023 Cafecito. I will be talking about the process and the supports at school.

Please remember that today is our last school day this year. Classes resume on January 10th. I hope you take these two weeks to rest, enjoy your loved ones, and be merry! Happy holidays!

Claudia Olaciregui, Principal

December 22 - Jan 9

• Holiday Recess No School

• Return to School

Enero 23 @ 5:00pm

• Cafecito: Link

Please use your free COVID test after winter break

MVWSD is providing at-home COVID-19 testing kits for free to families and staff members so that you may test before returning to campus after the winter break. A box containing two tests will be sent home with each student this week so that you can test on Monday, Jan. 9 before students return to school on Tuesday, Jan. 10 and then again on Monday, Jan. 16 before returning to school on Tuesday, Jan. 17 (after the Martin Luther King Jr holiday). Please see this letter for what to do after testing.

Five tips to help prevent winter viruses:

• Get vaccinated, boosted and treated

• Stay home if you are sick and test for COVID

• Wear a mask in indoor public spaces to reduce spread

• Wash your hands

• Cover your cough or sneeze

Thank you for participating in these measures to help ensure all of our students and staff stay healthy.

Next year’s district calendar is available now!

The 2023-24 district calendar is now available online here.

School Information Nights are coming up Jan. 11 and 12.

In January, the Mountain View Whisman School District will be opening student enrollment for next fall starting January 24 through February 10. Parents of new and currently enrolled students are asked to register their students for next fall during this period.

To help new families learn more about school options for elementary school students, virtual school information nights will be held on Jan. 11 (neighborhood schools) and Jan. 12 (choice schools). For families with students ages 3- young 5, preschool and transitional kindergarten meetings are on Jan. 19. Click here for all of the meeting details: http://mvw.sd/meetings. Click here to learn about which program is right for your young learner: http://mvw.sd/kinderready

Please check www.mvwsd.org/register for how to locate your neighborhood school, how to explore school options and the four steps to register during the enrollment period held January 24 to February 10.

Help MVEF blast past $800k by donating today and earning a match by the MVEF December Challenge Grant !

Thanks to the enthusiastic and generous early support of the community and employers, MVEF has raised almost 60% of the annual goal of $1.2MM. Donate now to have your donation matched by the December Challenge Grant and help MVEF surpass $800k by Jan1. Thank you to the 30+ MVWSD administrators, principals, and staff plus MVEF Board members who spent several hours on Dec 7 calling, texting, and emailing to remind families to capture the value of the December Challenge Grant by donating to MVEF during December.

Throughout the remainder of December, every dollar donated to MVEF will be matched up to $35,000 by generous MVEF donors who are challenging you to join them in supporting MVEF. If your employer or company has a matching gift program, you can even triple your impact by donating this month (click here to learn more).

Health and Wellness Parenting Tip: Anxiety

Anxiety causes extreme fear and worry, and changes in a child's behavior, sleep, eating, or mood. We must understand their anxiousness and bond with our children to maintain a close connection with them. However, it may be difficult for us to know the indicators and signs of their anxiousness. Initially, it may feel difficult to connect with our child, but we are a part of our child’s treatment.

Here are some signs that your child may have Anxiety:

1. Anxiousness. A parent or teacher may see signs that a child is anxious. For example, a kid might cling, miss school, or cry.

1. Fearfulness. A child might act scared or upset or refuse to talk or do things. Kids and teens with anxiety also feel symptoms that others can't see. It can make them feel afraid, worried, or nervous.

1. Physical Symptoms. It can affect their body too. They might feel shaky, jittery, or short of breath. They may feel "butterflies" in their stomach, a hot face, clammy hands, dry mouth, or a racing heart.

These behaviors may seem like the child is “just shy” or “not very social.” But identifying the signs of Anxiety is the first step to understanding our child.

These tips came directly from the free, online website of Nemours Children’s Health, reviewed by Dr.Hasan, MD.

To learn more parenting tips click here.

MVLA Parent Ed Speaker Series: Raising Body Positive Youth on Jan. 19

Join MVLA Parent Ed on Tuesday, Jan. 19 from 7pm - 9pm (LAHS Eagle Theater) for an evening with Wendy Sterling, Shelley Aggarwal, and Signe Darpinian – co-authors of No Weigh! and Raising Body Positive Teens – as they discuss how to raise confident eaters, in a home free of judgment. Wendy, Shelley, and Signe will discuss down-to-earth ways parents can help their kids take proactive actions in promoting a friendship with food, and preventative actions to minimize the risk factors for the development of eating disorders, particularly when early signs of disordered eating, excessive exercise, or body dissatisfaction have been noticed. Click here to register for the event.