Weekly Wednesday Update
Wednesday, March 3rd
Message from Principal Wells
This is a bittersweet time for many Colts - filled with excitement for starting Stage 4 but also sadness for those leaving existing classrooms. Our teachers will make sure that any students changing classes will feel welcome before starting on March 10th.
Beautiful things happen when we come together as a community-- and last week’s Zoom events really demonstrated our Strengths of Community! We thought you might like to see the movie we showed at our Schoolwide Morning Meeting and in the opening session of the evening event. Since the movie is a 5 minute highlight and goes quickly, here is the original slideshow with some additional embedded videos.
Please give us your feedback on last month’s events on this survey.
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
Asynchronous Student Work for March 8 & 9
Here is Mountain View students’ asynchronous work for March 8 & 9.Teachers are also sending this home in Seesaw and Google Classroom.
March 11: Mark your calendars for 6:00pm.
Not only will next week be the first week in Stage 4, we are thrilled to have Lorenzo Dickerson joining us for our monthly Equity/Anti-Racism Family Zoom! We will be viewing his documentary “Albemarle’s Black Classrooms” together and then families will have the opportunity to ask more about the film, process, and the importance of being informed about our community’s history.
Stage 4 Updates (NEW)
Teacher Assignments: We know everyone is eager to learn teacher assignments. We have worked to minimize changes for students while honoring family and teacher preferences for in-person or virtual. We are in the process of contacting families this week since Parent Portal will not be active with new assignments until March 10th. This process is in addition to teachers contacting their new students.
Safety Orientation for New Stage 4 students:
5th graders who will be in-person at Walton will have a special Q&A with Mr. Walton this Thursday at 6:00pm on Zoom.
K-4th graders who will be in-person at Mountain View for the first time will have an orientation on Monday, March 8th at 6:00pm on Zoom.
Snack donations for students accepted: If any families would like to donate pre-packaged snacks for students, we can always use them! Please drop them off in the main office at any time.
Meal Delivery Service for Virtual Students: Meal bus delivery service will continue to operate Monday to Friday. Monday to Thursday will be limited delivery to virtual-only students, siblings and to the 4th-12th grade students at home on their virtual days (M/W or Tu/Th). Students that are attending school will receive their meals at school. Friday will be home delivery to the full set of meal bus service (similar to stage 3 Friday run) Meal pick-up locations will remain open as posted. Meals will not be sent home with students from school. Students presently on the meal bus route will continue this service on their virtual school days. Students who are not on the meal bus service list, but wish to be added can do so through the link: https://survey.k12insight.com
- Immersion and Discovery Update: We have been able to continue these programs for most of this school year -- and for that we are pleased. Stage 4 requires us to use staff differently in order to create small in-person classes of 10 or less. We did our best to think creatively, but starting the week of March 8th there will not be FLES classes for the rest of the year. Immersion will also look different; Spanish literacy will be offered on a limited basis by a teacher or teaching assistant depending on the partnership. We know that families may be concerned their child(ren) may lose their Spanish and we want to direct families to this blog post from last April with suggestions for how to support them at home. Last but not least, we are seeking YOUR HELP in offering clubs or read aloud opportunities in Spanish to help our children maintain their language learning. Email MountainViewAdmin@k12albemarle.org to offer ideas and assistance.
Stage 4 Reminders (Repeated from last week because there is so much information)
We appreciate your understanding, patience and support as we do our very best to plan for each child’s learning experience. We are excited about what we will be able to do in Stage Four to help your child learn and grow with us at an even higher level!
Q&A Session on Stage 4: Here is the session recording and the slides from our Family Q&A. As always, you are welcome to reach out to any Mountain View administrator to ask questions - we are here to support you/ your child in this transition.
Masks: For students that will start in person learning March 10, here’s a reminder about masks. Please start having your child wear their mask for long periods of time now.
Essentials, Intervention, Talent Development, and Friday Clubs: As we shared in our Q&As, Stage 4 will require the assistance of all of our teachers and counselors, making it necessary for our Essentials, Talent Development, some Intervention teachers and our school counselors to postpone their support of classes/clubs. Details for individual students will be shared once schedules are finalized.
Reminder: Greetings & Zooms from Libraryland!
During Stage Four we will pause online checkout. In lieu of online checkout the Mountain View library page will highlight online reading activities, choice boards, and other literature tie-ins. We will continue to have our bonus Zoom library classes on Friday mornings. Jefferson Madison Regional Library also has online activities and drive-by checkout. I will post a review of our wonderful county-provided resources in Seesaw soon! Thank you! - from Ms. Roberts
Zooms from Library Land
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.
NEW: Monday, March 8 – all grades
11:30-12:00 – Story Time Yoga
1:30-1:45 – Read Aloud and nature scavenger hunt challenge to do afterwards
NEW: Tuesday, March 9 – all grades
9:00am-9:30 – Story Time Yoga (a new story)
10:30am-10:45am – Read Aloud and design a bookmark challenge to do afterwards.
Ms. Roberts hopes to see you there!
Join Zoom Meeting here
Meeting ID: 956 8759 0360
Passcode: 891617
Watercolor Paints available for pickup on Friday
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
Recipe for Apple Turnovers with Royal Icing from Chef Poindexter
Due to popular demand, we are sharing Chef Poindexter’s recipe and photos of his finished turnovers from last Thursday’s Zoom. Enjoy!
Makes 8
Total time 30 minutes
2 Tbsp Butter
3 Large Apples, cored, peeled, diced
1/3 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Tbsp Corn Starch
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
2 sheets Puff Pastry, thawed
1 Egg
1 Tbsp Water
1 cup Powdered Confectioners Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Step 1: In a large skillet over medium heat, add Butter (2 Tbsp) and let it melt. Once melted add Apples (3) , Brown Sugar (1/3 cup) , Corn Starch (1/2 Tbsp) and Ground Cinnamon (1 tsp) and cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove apple mixture from skillet and place them in a bowl to cool. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Sprinkle some All-Purpose Flour (to taste) onto your work surface, unfold each sheet of Puff Pastry (2 sheets) and roll it out a bit bigger on all sides. Cut each puff pastry into four squares, add about two tablespoons of the apple mixture in the center of each one, and fold it in a triangle shape. Using a fork seal the edges.
Step 3: Make egg wash by whisking together Egg (1) and Water (1 Tbsp) . Place them in the prepared baking sheet and brush them with the egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and lightly golden brown. To make vanilla glaze mix Powdered Confectioners Sugar (1 cup) Milk (2 Tbsp) and Vanilla Extract (1/2 tsp) in a bowl until it has the right consistency. Drizzle over each apple turnover and serve!
Reminder: Charlottesville Symphony Preludes Visit on Zoom on March 12
Students and their families are invited to attend this year’s C’Ville Symphony Preludes visit ONLINE, on Friday, March 12 from 1 pm – 2 pm! Click here for details. Join us as four very talented and dedicated principal musicians demonstrate, compare and contrast their instruments (viola, trombone, harp and flute). This is a unique opportunity for students to interact with local symphony musicians in a smaller setting than the larger fall semester concerts. As always these high quality events are offered free of charge. Spanish language interpretation will be provided. Please join us at Sra. Guevara’s Zoom link (see below). See you then! Meeting ID: 962 7610 7409 Passcode: v836&! One tap mobile +13017158592,,96276107409# US (Washington DC) +13126266799,,96276107409# US (Chicago)
Upcoming School Events
Thursday, March 4 at 6:00pm - Q&A for hybrid 5th graders who will be going to Walton for Stage 4 *NEW*
Meeting ID: 910 4978 3153
Passcode: 215640
Friday, March 5
10:00am – K-2 library lesson with Ms. Roberts
10:35 – 3-5 library lesson with Ms. Roberts
Meeting ID: 956 8759 0360
Passcode: 891617
For any of Mrs. Canine’s art students who haven’t received their watercolor paints, grades k,3, and 4, curbside paint pick up is available from 12-3pm.
Monday & Tuesday - March 8 & 9 - Asynchronous learning days for all students so teachers can prepare for Stage 4. Links sent to students in Seesaw and are also available here.
March 8 at 6:00pm - Safety Orientation/Q&A for new Stage 4 students (6:00-6:45pm) in English & Spanish
Zoom link Meeting ID: 990 8644 1369 Passcode: 378540
Wednesday, March 10 - First day of school for Stage 4
PK-3 in-person students come to school
PK-5 virtual students start/resume classes online
4th grade Monday/Wednesday in-person students come to Mountain View
5th grade Monday/Wednesday in-person students come to Walton
4th & 5th grade Tuesday/Thursday in-person students do asynchronous activities
Thursday, March 11 - Equity Zoom/ screening of “Albemarle’s Black Classrooms” and Q&A with Lorenzo Dickerson (6:00-7:00pm) on Zoom Meeting ID: 982 1835 9148 Passcode: MJKN0=
4th grade Tuesday/Thursday in-person students come to Mountain View
5th gradeTuesday/Thursday in-person students come to Walton
4th & 5th grade Monday/Wednesday in-person students do asynchronous activities
Friday, March 12 - Charlottesville Symphony Virtual Preludes Assembly 1-2 pm on Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 962 7610 7409
Passcode: v836&!
Thursday, March 18 -COLTS-CARE - Family Zoom on “C” (6:00-7:00)
Phase 4 Fun & Funds
LET’S MAKE PHASE 4 A SUCCESS AND GET OUR KIDS OUTSIDE! 🌳 ☀️
How can you help? Donate money to help buy:
⁃ Waterproof mats for learning and eating outdoors ⁃ Tents for teachers to pop up outside ⁃ Individual toys for recess ⁃ Teacher Appreciation supplies
As many teachers and students return to the building for phase four, we would like to support their transition by equipping them with supplies to make outdoor learning a viable option as well as supporting them in other ways.
Specifically, we would like to provide students with yoga mats to sit on outdoors to protect them from a wet ground. These could potentially be used for students to sit on while eating outside as well as for instructional learning outside. In addition, we would like to provide any teacher with tailgate/ pop up tents to have outside their doors to provide shade and/or protection from elements as students spend as much time outdoors as possible. Lastly, we would like to use the money to buy individual toys for students to use at recess such as jump ropes and hula hoops.
Any remaining money would be used for teacher appreciation efforts such as buying rolling carts for teachers and providing them with lunch and treats.
As we know, fresh air and sunshine can provide immeasurable benefits to students as well as improve safety measures during these unprecedented times. Please join us in supporting our heroic teachers in their return to the building and to help our children have the best and safest return to school as possible. Any donation amount will be deeply appreciated.
Please make donations via PayPal to Mountain View Elementary School PTO via the link on the PTO page: https://www.calepto.org/donate-today?fbclid=IwAR3-uHPzZHMxKBfECN5c0McA29MeLxkzGRJLIrAay8G7lrapUJnmGKjkcHA.
Checks can also be written to MVES PTO and mailed to school. Please put “Phase 4 Fun and Funds” in the memo line.
Any questions? Email Katie Rooney at carterkd@gmail.com
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
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