Dear Quetzal Families,

I am back!!! It was so exciting to be back at school and seeing our students, community, and staff! Thank you so much for your patience, support, and kindness during my leave of absence. A special thanks to Mrs. Lambert for taking care of our school and community, and to our wonderful teaching and office staff for doing what they do best: Take care of our students and provide a top of the line dual immersion education!

I am looking forward to our walkathon next week. Thank you to our amazing parent team who has been working on this wonderful and fun event.

October is drawing to a close and with it comes the assessment window for Trimester 1. Students are taking their reading and math assessments these weeks. Please talk with them about showing what they know and having a focused mindset toward any assessment they take. The trimester ends Nov. 4 and report cards go home before Thanksgiving break.

We are holding our first Parent University session this month! Join us for an evening with Jaime Koo. She is the Parent Engagement, Leadership and Instructional Services Coordinator for Santa Clara Office of Education. She will be presenting on the topic of Effective Communication strategies that parents can put into practice to nurture healthy relationships with their children. We are excited that she can come and speak to the Mistral community and we hope to see you on October 27 at 6 p.m. on Zoom. Don't miss this great opportunity!

Please remember our costume guidelines for our Monday's Halloween Train event:

• Students will wear their costumes to school. We will have our train event at 9am. Please send them with regular clothes in their backpacks, so they can change afterwards.
• Ensure that the costumes are appropriate and follow this guidelines:

• No violent costumes: No pretend “prop” weapons such as guns, knives, or swords. We encourage costumes that show joy and festivity.

• Costumes should embrace equity, inclusion, and diversity.

• Please don’t send accessories that would distract from regular classroom instruction.

• Teachers will send any additional information if needed by Friday.

Great to be back!

Claudia Olaciregui, Principal

Exciting news about this year's walkathon! We have 4 new vendors who will be selling homemade Mexican food favorites from one of our own Mistral families and delicious pupusas from a former Mistral mom and her team. Also brand new this year! Our local Baskin Robbins will be selling ice cream. The owner proudly helps several school fundraisers and we are thrilled that he is joining the Walkathon vendor team. Another first is a cotton candy machine. Again another Mistral family is contributing their candy making machine and lots of sweet fluffiness to support our school. All of these vendors are donating a percentage of their sales to Mistral. We hope all these wonderful vendors will return for many years to come. Please bring your friends, families and appetites!

* Big thanks to Trader Joe's for donating cutie oranges and some bananas for our lap 30 prize. Also lap 15 is the stamp prize. New this year - customized Mistral Quetzal stamps!!

The Walkathon is less than 1 week away. We still need a lot more parents to help us. We have sign up sheets at the entrance of each classroom and on Konstella. If you cannot make the scheduled time - no problem. We will accommodate your availability even just 30 minutes of your time is needed.

In the event of an emergency, it’s possible that circumstances are not safe enough for us to release students as we typically do at the end of the school day. In an emergency, parents should not rush to school, but instead wait for updates from email, on mvwsd.org, social media and text/phone calls. So we know all students are accounted for, our schools will release students systematically to authorized adults when it’s safe. Please review our parent-student reunification procedures here. At Castro/Mistral if we have evacuated, you will come to the student release tables at the edge of the field by the basketball courts and speak with personnel there.

Next week, we will have both our Earthquake drill and our practice of what to do in the case of a dangerous intruder. Students will watch the brief dangerous intruder video on Friday, Oct. 28th in their classroom with their teacher.

The Mountain View Police will be practicing alongside us during the earthquake drill. Please do not be concerned if you see police vehicles on campus during the week of Oct. 24.

You can help us by reassuring your child that drills are our way of practicing for an emergency. These things may never happen, but if they do, we’re better protected and are more able to help ourselves and others.

October 27

• Parent University @ 6 pm Zoom

November 1

• SSC Mtg @ 5:00 pm Zoom

• End of 1st Trimester- Minimum Day Dismissal at 12:10pm

• Walkathon 12:15 - 3:45

November 11

• Veterans Day - No School

• Thanksgiving Holiday - No School

Drafts available: Single Plan for Student Achievement

Each year, our schools create Single Plans for Student Achievement (SPSAs or “site plans”) that guide the work for the coming year. These plans help us prioritize programs and strategies that will best serve our students. In the fall, elected parent representatives from School Site Councils and English Language Advisory Committees work with principals and school staff members to create a draft that is reviewed and approved by the MVWSD Board of Trustees. Parents and staff members may give feedback through Nov. 7 to their principal and elected parent representatives to SSC and ELAC. You may review the draft plans here.

Parent University: Social Emotional Learning at School and Home
Date and Time: 10/26/22 5:30pm Registration Link: https://mvw.sd/pu102622

Having challenges guiding your students with their emotions, feelings and behavior at home? Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from Karin Jinbo, district Director of Health and Wellness, and Brian White, the Health and Wellness Coordinator. The panelists will be sharing about our district-wide goals for student Social Emotional Learning, along with strategies and resources that you can apply at home that support your student’s social and emotional growth. We hope to see you there!

To submit questions prior to the event, go to mvw.sd/questions. We will do our best to address your question during the session.

Survey: Help MVWSD and the City make walking and biking to school safer for our students.

The Mountain View Safe Routes to School Program is working to improve safety and encourage healthier, more active lifestyles.

Your feedback is important! This survey and your responses will help us make walking and biking to school safer for our students. Go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MVSRTS2022 to complete the survey by Oct. 31.

My Digital TAT2 Webinar: Supporting Young People's Digital Health and Well-Being

Parents are invited to attend a webinar with My Digital TAT2 about supporting your student’s digital health on Thursday, November 3rd from 6:00 - 7:15 PM. Learn about what young people are doing online and how they are affected, and strategies for how to support responsible, mindful, and healthy use of the internet, social media, and gaming. Hosted by Landels Elementary, but all are welcome. Click here to register.

Available now: Updated COVID boosters for ages 5+

The updated COVID-19 booster is now available for everyone ages 5+! #GetBoosted to keep yourself and your family safer with the most protective doses yet. Find updated boosters for ages 5+ at http://www.sccfreevax.org, your pharmacy, or healthcare provider.

Become a Key Donor to MVEF

Donations of any amount are meaningful in accomplishing the MVEF mission to provide art, music, hands-on science, athletics, and other resources for our schools. Donors who give $2,000 or more (including employer matching) during a calendar year are known as “Key Donors” – support at this level is “key” to the successful achievement of each year’s funding goal! Donations of $5,000 or more qualify for the Leadership Circle of Giving. Some donors achieve the Key Donor level by signing up for monthly payments. To make a donation of any amount or to join the Key Donor or Leadership Circle groups, click here.

Health and Wellness: Parenting Tip

In honor of National ADHD Awareness Month, we must understand and bond with our children to maintain a close connection with them. However, it may be difficult for us to know the intent behind our hyperactive child’s words and actions. Initially, it may feel like a whirlwind, but we are a part of our child’s treatment.

Here are some signs that your child may have ADHD:

1. Inattentiveness. Your child may have trouble listening, paying attention, organizing, and remembering things. They may also be unable to follow directions, get distracted, and have low effort in their schoolwork.

2. Hyperactivity. Your child may constantly be in motion (e.g., fidgeting) and unable to sit still. They may jump, climb, and play when it’s time to be quiet. They may also rush instead of taking their time, making careless mistakes.

3. Impulsive. Your child may interrupt and yell out. They may do things without thinking and do things they know they shouldn’t do (i.e., lacking self-control and losing their temper). They may also struggle with sharing, taking turns, and waiting.

These behaviors may seem like the child is “just misbehaving,” leaving us very stressed and frustrated. But identifying the signs of ADHD 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: Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth: In Our Families, Our Friendships, and Our Community

Join us for a discussion with LGBTQ+ author Kristin Russo on Thursday, November 10, 2022 from 7:00 - 9:00 pm (LAHS Eagle Theater) on supporting and mentoring LGBTQ+ young people in families, communities, and at school. During our event, Kristin will walk us through some terms and concepts developed in her book This is a Book for Parents of Gay Kids, and through My Kid is Gay, a first-of-its-kind digital presence, inclusive of videos, advice, and resources, dedicated toward helping parents and allies understand Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual children and teenagers. Register for this free event here.

Thank you to those who attended our recent event, "Friendship in an Age of Loneliness" with Adam "Smiley" Poswolsky. For those who were unable to attend or would like to view it again, here is the link.

MVHS Sports Boosters Golf Tournament

MVHS’s Sports Boosters will be hosting their fifth annual Golf Tournament on Sunday, October 30, 2022 at Shoreline Golf Links. For more information and ticket purchase, visit https://mvhssportsboosters.org/golf-tournament.