Dear Quetzal Families,

The end of 2022 is coming soon, and so is our holiday break. I can't believe we are getting so close to 2023. I want to wish you all a happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas, and a wonderful break!

Please remember that our last day this year is this Wednesday, December 21st. Classes resume on January 10th.

Winter viruses are on the rise. As the weather gets colder and we spend more time indoors, we need to keep up our guard against germs. As a reminder, our District requires masking for everyone at large indoor events, such as holiday concerts. These simple steps will help prevent severe illness and hospitalization from the flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

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

Additionally, MVWSD is sending home free COVID tests for every student and staff member before winter break so that you can test before returning to school in January. 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.

I hope you take these 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 one test will be sent home with each student this week so that you can test on Jan. 9 before students return to school on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Please see this letter for what to do after testing. Thank you for participating in this safety measure 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.

Open Enrollment for 2023-24 starts in January

In January, the Mountain View Whisman School District will be opening student enrollment for next fall.

For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 24 to February 10.

For families enrolling NEW students: Please check www.mvwsd.org/register for details about virtual school information meetings held in January, 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.

Better Together: Exploring Differences

For the month of December, we explore how our experiences are similar to and different from those of people from different backgrounds. We will also explore Disability Awareness while building literacy around this important topic. The resources linked through the digital copy of this infographic (attached) help you and your students explore themselves and others respectfully and meaningfully with activities meant to enlarge our perspectives about people with disabilities. Please see https://www.mvwsd.org/bettertogethermvwsd.

The View Teen Center: December (flyer attached to email on Dec 12)

The View Teen Center is a free facility in Mountain View (263 Escuela Ave) for all Mountain View and Los Altos 6th - 12th grade students. The center is open Monday through Friday: 3:30 - 7 p.m. and Saturday: 1 - 6 p.m, and features a game room, makerspace, kitchen, computer/study room, outdoor area, and much more! See attached flyer for details about upcoming December events and programs or visit their webpage for more information.

Health and Wellness Parenting Tip: Instructions

We give our kids dozens of instructions each day: Get ready for school. Wash your hands before you eat. Do your homework. Sometimes our kids follow our instructions, and sometimes they do not. One way to increase follow through is to give effective instructions. For example, making eye contact with your child and gently telling them to turn off the TV is likely to be more effective than yelling at them from another room.

To provide effective instructions:

Think about a few things that you would like your child to do and try using these tips to provide effective instructions.

Instead of saying… Say….

“Don’t bother me.” “Please work on your homework.”

“TURN OFF THE TV!!” “Please turn off the TV.”

“I told you to stop playing video games.” “If you don’t stop playing video games in the next 5

minutes, then you won’t be able to play tomorrow.”

These tips came directly from the free, online Everyday Parenting program created by parenting expert, Dr. Kazdin.

To learn more parenting tips click here.