In this edition ...

• Staff changes
• What to expect next year
• COVID-19 case reporting
• Staff Appreciation Weeks
• 5th/8th grade promotion celebrations
• Board meeting preview: May 6
• Community Check In on May 7
• Senior Citizen and SSI: Parcel tax exemptions
• Where to get COVID vaccinations
• COVID testing at Graham, Crittenden Middle Schools

Dear Parents,

As an educational organization, we value the professional growth of our educators and administrators, which ultimately is to the benefit of our students. With that in mind, I'm pleased to announce that two administrators will support the new Learning Recovery Plan that will be rolled out this fall designed for students to regain academic skills and social-emotional learning that they may have lost during the pandemic. To learn more about the Learning Recovery Plan process, please join the Board meeting this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Meeting details.

Mariko Kobata will return to a position she previously held as a MVWSD District Special Education Coordinator after serving as the assistant principal at Graham Middle School for two years

Ms. Kobata came to MVWSD in 2002 as an experienced special education teacher and taught at different schools in the district. Ms. Kobata’s special education teaching and school administration experience (throughout the district) will be invaluable to supporting special education students next year as part of learning recovery. She has a bachelor’s degree from University of Nevada and a master’s in educational administration from the University of Phoenix.

Terri Lambert, currently principal at Mariano Castro Elementary School with 28 years of administrative experience, has been tapped to serve as a District-level Educational Services Coordinator supporting the new Learning Recovery Plan in 2021-22. Her experience in serving students in need will contribute greatly to learning recovery for all students.

Ms. Lambert has been the principal at Castro for 8 years. Previously, she served as a principal in the Soledad Unified School District for 12 years. She has taught special education students and students from vulnerable populations. She has a bachelor’s degree from University of Windsor, Canada, and a master’s degree from San Jose State University.

Ms. Lambert and Ms. Kobata will begin their new posts on July 1. The District will update parents and staff about the process to fill the vacancies created by these changes. We will continue to support these schools and departments during this time of transition. Thank you for your support.

Respectfully,
Dr. Ayindé Rudolph
Superintendent

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 3-7, 2021. Always, and especially this year, we appreciate all of our #MVWSD teachers and their care of and dedication to our students and families. Thank you, teachers!

May 16-22, 2021 is Classified School Employee Week; a time when we celebrate the essential roles classified employees play in the lives of students and families. We are grateful for our food service employees, bus drivers, office staff members, custodians, maintenance and landscaping staff members, instructional assistants, therapists, tutors, psychologists, testers, EL coordinators, library technicians, nurses, at-risk intervention supervisors, school and community engagement facilitators and noon duty assistants. Thank you, staff members!

Videos, drive-through celebrations and other festivities are in the works for our fifth- and eighth-graders and their families. Please check your school’s newsletter for the details.

Due to the restrictions of holding in-person events as outlined by the California Department of Public Health, we are staying safe with socially distanced celebrations.

Video login information will be sent to parents and staff members soon. In order to better secure the videos and protect students’ privacy, the virtual ceremonies will be available for viewing on the ceremony date only. Parents may view videos in their PowerSchool Parent Portal accounts and/or QR code.

We look forward to celebrating our students’ accomplishments!

The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, May 6 at 5:30 p.m. Some of the meeting topics include: Learning Recovery Plan, construction updates and staff appreciation. Agenda and login information are here. The meeting is also streamed https://www.youtube.com/mvwsd.

Community Check-In with the Superintendent
Please join us for an informal, online conversation with Dr. Ayindé Rudolph Friday, May 7, 3:30 p.m. Spanish interpretation will be available. Click here to register

Homeowners aged 65 or older, and residents who qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) who reside in the Mountain View Whisman School District are eligible for an exemption for their principal residence from Measure B/parcel tax.

An exemption from Measure B/the parcel tax will be made available, upon application, to any owners of a parcel used solely for owner-occupied single-family residential purposes who:
* are receiving Social Security Income for a disability regardless of age;
* are 65 years of age prior to July 1 of the tax year; or
* are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, regardless of age, and whose yearly income does not exceed 250% of the 2012 federal poverty guidelines issued by the United States Department of Health and Human Services

For application and information, call 650-526-3500 or visit www.mvwsd.org.

It's even easier now. The County of Santa Clara announced that most County Health System vaccination sites will accept drop-ins for COVID-19 vaccines for everyone ages 16 and older. Same-day appointments and some drop-in locations across the county are available at sccfreevax.org.

Additionally, El Camino Health is continuing to administer free COVID-19 vaccines – by appointment – for those aged 16 and up who live or work in Santa Clara County at the El Camino Health clinic in Sunnyvale. Schedule an appointment at: http://ow.ly/CXZj50EzdT4

Regular, asymptomatic COVID testing for students is not required at this time however, parents may want to have students tested, especially after travel, to ensure that they are not carrying the COVID-19 virus.

Free, asymptomatic testing is available for students and parents at:

* El Camino Hospital or MV Center for Performing Arts. Dates: Ongoing. Schedule through El Camino Health here.

* Graham and Crittenden Middle Schools. Tuesday, May 11, 2021 at Crittenden MUR (Register here) and Wednesday, May 26, 2021 at Graham MUR (Register here). You also may schedule an appointment by calling 650-940-7022 and use option 4. Please mention you are with the Mountain View Whisman School District when calling.

If your child has symptoms of COVID or has had a known exposure to someone who may have COVID, please contact your child's pediatrician for testing information. If you do not have a health care provider, make a symptomatic testing appointment with a county provider here.