Weekly Wednesday Update
Wednesday, March 31st
Inspiration from our students
This week our children have continued to amaze us with their insights, persistence, flexibility and resilience! We wish there was a great way to capture the little moments that make each day special. A few highlights of classroom visits-- both at Mountain View and at Walton in person and online this week -- include:
Lots and lots of reading groups!
Artistically creating “Math Mottos” that also double as life-lessons (for example - “Be the best you and do your best work...Do amazing things….Never give up)
Designing slideshows and running morning meetings for their classes
Reading aloud stories in English and Spanish
Learning about ‘meteorizacion o degradacion” with an impromptu trip outside to the courtyard between classes
Students exploring cardinal directions (North, East, South, West) through making maps
Lots of math work -- fractions and decimals, addition and subtraction, number talks
Science work on parallel circuits, magnetic poles, etc.
Learning letters and sounds of the alphabet - both English and Spanish (preschool welcome us to class with “queen waves” and “quacks”
Learning the syllables that form the foundation of Spanish words (ca, co, qu, que, etc.)
Virtual study of functional documents and students have written some phenomenal “how to” paragraphs
Reminding ourselves to stay a safe distance, and wear our masks
Keeping healthy with lots of movement -- both inside and outside classrooms
Students learning and showing how to be responsible through asynchronous school counseling lessons on Responsibility for the month of March.
Celebrating the 100th day of school with teachers (not counting asynchronous days) - through counting, art, original word problems and jumping jacks!
And SO MUCH MORE!
I was in a virtual class this week, and students spoke about how their class was like a puzzle -- only when everyone is present the puzzle is complete. This is a beautiful metaphor for how we feel supporting each and every precious child at Mountain View everyday. We want all children to feel loved and a sense of belonging in our school. We wish you all a safe spring break between April 5-9.
Front Office Closed During Spring Break
Our front office team, custodial staff, teachers and administrators have worked extremely hard over the past few months to open Stage 4 for our students and families. We all need to take care of ourselves and rest and so will close the office to walk-ins during spring break, April 5-9. However, we will check voicemail (434-293-7455) and texts (434-981-1241) once a day. We appreciate your understanding so we can give our students, families, and staff our full attention again from April 12 through June 15.
If your child gets sick over spring break, please notify the school nurse at bfortune@k12albemarle.org so that we can continue to keep our Mountain View school community safe.
Learning materials need to be picked up by Friday at 2:30 p.m.
3rd and 5th Grade Families
Over the last few years, the state has shifted towards a more balanced assessment model which includes locally developed assessments in addition to traditional Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. In 3rd grade, the state has eliminated SOL assessments Social Studies and Science while students continue to take a traditional SOL in math and reading. In 5th grade, the state has eliminated SOL assessments in Social Studies and Writing while students continue to take a traditional SOL in math, reading, and science. In Albemarle County, we developed and are administering performance assessments that measure content knowledge and the skills of social studies and science. This summer, you will receive a report of your child’s achievement on these performance assessments as well as the state assessments in math and reading. If you have questions about the local assessments, please contact your child’s teacher.
Snack Donations Needed & Accepted
We are always in need of healthy/ pre-packaged snack donations. Please drop them off in the school office at any time between 8:30-1:30.
Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Food Drive: April 12-April 30
Hello Mountain View students, parents and staff. It’s time to support our Blue Ridge Area Food Bank! This year we are having a competition to see which elementary school can donate the most cans of food. Mountain View Elementary is the best school so we are going to win! Please drop off donations in the barrels at the bus drop off side door or the lobby. We are so excited to give to others so that everyone has plenty of food to eat.
Any questions contact Ms. Rooks at 434-964-6733 or drooks@k12albemarle.org.
Changes in Bus Routes
Our transportation department has been working hard to balance out busses with the increase of ridership since the planning survey for Stage 4, and as of this Thursday some routes will change to comply with the CDC guidelines of one student, plus one sibling per seat. You will receive a letter from transportation if your child is affected by this change (busses 3, 194, 56, or 80.) It was upsetting to some children to have a new bus driver for Stage 4, so we look forward to partnering with you in this change.
Additionally, transportation is keeping a waitlist for any requests for alternate stops and for students needing home to school transport working closely with the staff at Mountain View Elementary.
Reminder: Arrival and Dismissal for Car Riders
We thank our families for your patience as we continue to refine our arrival and dismissal procedures. Although this can take some time, especially on rainy days, our number one priority is safety of students and staff.
Our parking lot is small for our size, but we are doing the best we can to move our 150+ car riders daily.
A few reminders:
Arrival time is 7:40 AM and pick up time is 2:20 PM
Drive slowly and please refrain from using your cell phone while in line
Once you drop off and/or pickup your child, please exit the parking lot slowly
Please work with your child to memorize their car tag number;
If there is any change to your normal dismissal routine, please notify the front office by 1:30 (as we send around dismissal sheets to classes daily). Knowing these changes in advance will also speed up dismissal time.
Reminder: Attendance for Virtual and In Person Learning
If your child will be absent, please call the front office at 434-293-7455, email MountainViewOAs@k12albemarle.org, or text 434-981-1241 with the reason for their absence.
Zooms from Library Land
Fridays:
10:00am – K-2: Each week we will look at fictional animal stories, nonfiction resources, and enjoy a drawing lesson at the end.
10:35am – 3-5: We explore the universe using NASA resources, images, and always conclude with a Kahoot challenge.
Ms. Roberts hopes to see you there!
Join Zoom Meeting here
Meeting ID: 956 8759 0360
Passcode: 891617
Reminder: Attendance: EVERY SCHOOL DAY COUNTS
On time every day is the Mountain View way!
Hello Families/Caretakers,
Please remember to contact your child's teacher and or the main office when your child will be away or out of school for any reason. If you and your family need help or assistance, please reach out to us directly at Mountain View Elementary School. In addition you can use the following link as a resource:
https://www.k12albemarle.org/our-division/return-to-school/covid-19-hotline
There are three (3) easy methods of communication:
Please include in your message your child’s name and the reason for the absence(s):
• Main office phone number: 434-293-7455
• Main office cell phone number: 434-981-1241 (text messages only)
• Front office email address: MountainViewOAs@k12albemarle.org
Golden Apple Nominations now open through April 30
We have incredible teachers at Mountain View! Please help us honor your favorite teacher by nominating them for a Golden Apple Award. This year, our sponsor, Better Living Building Supply and Cabinetry, will provide each award winner with a $500 grant to use in the classroom. Nominate your favorite teacher here using this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfyQM1hj7qvNJTg96S9LA57tpVIidQyeJa8Yb_gBwfsFD9c-Q/viewform
Lost & Found
Let us/ your child know if one of these items are theirs and we’ll get it back to them.
Mountain View PTO
We encourage you to to connect with our PTO on calepto.org or on Facebook: Mountain View Elementary School PTO
Our current Board members are:
Jenn McArtor, President (mountainviewcoltspto@gmail.com)
Brenda Hernandez/Laura Zamora, Co-Vice Presidents
Lauren Eddy, Treasurer
Lindsay Hauser, Secretary
Laura Handler, Parent Council Rep
Jeannie Ballard, Teacher Rep
Siobhan Saul, Volunteer Coordinator
Upcoming School Events
Friday, April 2 -
10:00am – K-2 library lesson with Ms. Roberts
10:35am – 3-5 library lesson with Ms. Roberts
Meeting ID: 956 8759 0360
Passcode: 891617
NO Math Club this week; we will resume April 16th
April 5-9: Spring Break (no school for students or teachers)
April 12: PTO Meeting (7:00pm on Zoom)
Mountain View Elementary
Email: MountainViewOAs@k12albemarle.org
Website: https://mves.k12albemarle.org/
Location: 1757 Avon Street Extended, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Phone: (434)293-7455
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MountainViewESPTO
Twitter: @MVESColts