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Monday, November 16
Start of Hexmester 3, new PE or Elective classes for all students
Spanish World Language, first cultural family night, view video here all week
Tuesday, November 17
MPCSD Speaker Series, "Mental Health and Learning: Living in Uncertain Times," 6:30 pm, via Zoom here
Wednesday, November 18
General PTO Meeting, 9:00 - 10:30 am, Zoom link here
Thursday, November 19
Makeup Picture Day, 12:00 - 4:00 pm, Hillview back parking lot, appointments here
Curative Covid Testing, 3:00 - 8:30 pm, Hillview Register here
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Monday, November 23
No School - Staff Development Day
Free 7-Day Meal Kits from LunchMaster, delivery time CHANGE 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, Thanksgiving week, Encinal carpool line
Tuesday, November 24
No School - Staff Collaborative Day
Wednesday, November 25
No School - Thanksgiving
(through Friday, November 27)
Wednesday, December 2
Hillview Conversation Chat, “How to Communicate with Your Middle Schooler: The Disarming Technique”, 6:00 pm, webinar here
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Quicklinks bottom of newsletter
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Dear Hillview Families,
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, I am encouraging all Hillview students to participate in StoryCorps’ “The Great Thanksgiving Listen.” As their FAQ states here, this assignment (although I would call it a labor of love), requires students to “create an oral history of the contemporary United States by recording an interview with an elder, mentor, friend, or someone they admire.” Watch this brief overview here to understand how TGTL works. Your child can use a number of tools to participate, including the StoryCorps App - if interviewing in person - or StoryCorps Connect, which will allow them to connect and interview someone virtually. This Thanksgiving we are likely to be farther apart from loved ones, and it is more important than ever to connect in other ways. In addition, engaging in TGTL builds Hillview’s core skill of compassion, because as StoryCorps notes, “Truly listening to someone reminds them that their lives matter and reminds us all of what matters most.” We hope you’ll check out these resources with your child and encourage them to participate!
In other news, Hillview has now welcomed back all of its Hybrid students for at least one week on campus. We hope that in-person learning can continue, yet San Mateo County has not been immune from the increased spread of COVID that other parts of the country have been seeing. Please be assured that MPCSD is continuously monitoring the data in our community, and we should prepare ourselves for a return to Distance Learning if case rate and positivity rate continue to increase.
Each and every Hillview family can do its part to slow the spread of COVID in several ways. First, we again encourage you not to travel this Thanksgiving. If you do choose to travel, we recommend that you quarantine for 14 days after your return, and you can work with the Hillview office to complete an Independent Study Plan (ISP) for the time period where your child is missing in-person learning. If you must celebrate Thanksgiving with those outside of your immediate household, we recommend that you gather with no more than three households, and observe all the precautions of social distancing, frequent handwashing, and face coverings. Finally, we encourage all Hillview families to take advantage of COVID testing. Curative here will again be offering testing at Hillview this Thursday, November 19, with slots currently available from 3:30 - 8:00 pm. There may be other testing dates at Hillview on November 24 or 28, and December 1 or 5. Stay tuned for more details, and for more testing options in our community, refer to MPCSD’s web page on Testing and Contact Tracing here. Regular testing provides critical information to families and helps ensure that students are not coming to school unknowingly with the potential to spread the virus. Thank you.
All the best,
Willy
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Hexmester 3
Hillview students will move into their new hexmester elective or PE classes tomorrow Monday, November 13. Academy teachers have been reminding them about this upcoming change, but it may be helpful for you to see the full year's schedule. Refer to this one-pager here, to see what PE and elective teachers your child will have. We have also included a key at the bottom of the one-pager to indicate what the date ranges of our six hexmesters are.
The video here will teach you how to view the classes your child will be attending during each class period while at school.
Hexmester 3 electives will be updated in PowerSchool as of Monday morning, the start of hexmester 3, and will not show in PowerSchool until then.
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Makeup Picture Day
Thursday, November 19, 12:00 - 4:00 pm, back parking lot of Hillview
Appointments are in 5 minute increments; each student should have their own appointment. Picture tents will be set up in the back parking lot.
Schedule an appointment with iClickSmiles here.
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Purchase your School Photos
Ready for purchase at iClick. Look for more information that was emailed to you on ordering school photos or your may find the information here.
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Students may use iPads at Lunch and Brunch
There has been a policy change at school; students may use their iPads during brunch and lunch this year. We want to provide more activity options for students at school.
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8th Grade Parent Information |
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Student Presentation Night
Wednesday, December 9, 5:00 - 6:00 pm, Zoom here
For parents and prospective students interested in hearing more from TIDE Academy, join us for this informative meeting.
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Free 7-Day Meal Kits delivery time CHANGE
Monday, November 23, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, Encinal carpool lane
The families who preorder boxed meals with The LunchMaster, note the new time. The Free 7-Day Meal Kits will have a new delivery time for Monday of Thanksgiving week.
Additional information is available here about the free 7-day meal kits.
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Spirit Wear for the Holidays!
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Get your Hillview cold-weather Gear at 20% off!
Just in time for the holidays, get 20% off your purchase in the Hillview Spirit Wear Store powered by SquadLocker here.
Check out the new jackets, blankets and warm hats (yes you can wear them IN the classroom!) Use code HILLVIEWNOV20 at checkout (offer expires November 18).
Make sure you order your gear before November 30 to ensure a Christmas delivery.
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Each week a staff member will be randomly selected to share a little bit more about themselves so the Hillview Community can get to know them better.
Leonardo Schneiderman
Teaches 6th grade science and has been at Hillview for 2 years.
When not teaching Leo enjoys playing soccer, climbing, American Ninja Warrior workouts, snowboarding, biking, swimming, and running.
Favorite Quote: Treat others how they want to be treated
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate
Favorite Subjects as a Middle School Student: Physical Education
Words of Wisdom for Hillview students: It’s all about practice!
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What you probably didn’t know about me: I worked as a rock wall belayer on a cruise ship
One more thing: I love teaching because I enjoy seeing the growth in self-esteem and confidence I see the students building in my class.
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First Cultural Family Night!
Monday, November 16 (cooking video anytime) here
Learn about another culture, try a new food, and partake in a fun activity as a family! Celebrate a traditional Spanish family get-together by cooking the famous Paella Valenciana dish alongside Señora Malone and her neighbor Edith from Spain. First get your Paella Ingredients List here.
Watch the pre-recorded link to the Spanish Paella cooking show the week of November 16 (any time at your leisure) here. Learn some interesting facts about Valencia, and the history of paella (pronounced pa/Eh/yah).
Have fun doing the Student Activity Packet together as a family! Enjoy the crossword puzzle, Paella art activity and more here!
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It is great to see our Hillview Hawks back on campus. While we have been able to get back into the classroom, we are not (yet!) able to get back on the sports fields.
The PTO After School Sports Program has partnered with TopYa! to provide a platform to sharpen our skills until we can get back onto the fields and courts.
Students can register TODAY! for one of three challenging sports bundles, delivered and coached through an app-based virtual program on their iPad or other device.
Bundles include VOLLEYBALL, SOCCER, AND CROSS TRAINING.
Students will compete against each other and with their Academy to earn great prizes including Bluetooth Headphones and Hawk Gear!
Each challenge path requires registration and a registration fee of $12.99 (scholarships are available). Registration is available here.
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The Menlo Park City School District wants to thank you for your unbelievable generosity to the MenloHelps program during these difficult covid 19 times. Our families have been overwhelmed by your kindness. Each and every recipient is grateful for the food donations, gift cards and clothes that have come their way since March of this year.
As we move forward into the holiday season we ask that you please consider us once again. Our MenloHelps page here on the district website outlines several options to help our families and allows you to donate directly so that we may purchase gift cards and groceries. Donations through our website allow us to limit the exposure to this terrible virus for our most vulnerable.
Thank you all for considering MenloHelps here. We can do this together!
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Curative COVID Testing
Thursday, November 19, 3:00 - 8:30 pm Hillview Middle School
Register for the testing event here. Each individual being tested needs their own registration.
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MPCSD Reopening Update
MPCSD has now fully reopened in hybrid mode, or to use the "Dial not a Switch" analogy, we are now dialed fully down in our response. All grades have been back in person for at least one week at this time. We are pleased to report that things are going well, and we appreciate all our families' help and support in following the health and safety guidelines. We would like to offer some information about two scenarios that we are now experiencing: guest teachers and case notifications.
Guest Teachers
During the pandemic, MPCSD is being exceptionally cautious in hiring and assigning guest teachers. The district's goal is to limit mixing of groups as much as possible, and that applies to guest teachers as well. Guest teachers follow all health guidelines and remain six foot distant from students and adults at all times, and are regularly tested for Covid. Additionally, MPCSD has hired dedicated guest teachers for each site to avoid mixing across campuses. We have welcomed many parents into the MPCSD family as guest teachers; if you have interest in becoming a guest teacher, reach out here.
Case Notifications
As expected, now that we are open we are experiencing Covid positive cases at our schools. We are pleased to report that so far our case numbers are very low and those who have reported cases have not contracted it or spread it at school. We are tracking Covid data on our website here. There is also a new One Pager about Case Notification (page 9) here. Thank you for your continued understanding and patience with this sensitive issue.
School Board November 12 Meeting
The Board heard Superintendent Burmeister's latest reopening update, including travel guidelines for the upcoming holidays and other recent edits to the county's Pandemic Recovery Framework.
In other business, the Board thanked and unanimously approved the resolution here for Mark Box for his dedicated service to the district as his term ends in December. New science materials were adopted, the contract for playground work at all sites was approved, and the annual staffing report here was presented. See the full meeting agenda with attachments here.
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"Mental Health & Learning: Living in Uncertain Times"
Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 6:30 pm, via Zoom
A webinar and live Q&A with Children's Health Council (CHC) experts to discuss what you can do to support your children
We know that stress and anxiety impact learning. With the complications of the pandemic and sheltering in place, we are finding more and more students feeling overwhelmed with distance learning, not free to see their friends, and feeling trapped at home. Join us to learn what you can do to help your children feel safe and supported. Register here.
CHC has been part of our community for almost 70 years and offers best-in-class learning and mental health services for children, teens, and young adults.
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We want to take the opportunity to show our appreciation for our business and realtor partners in the community. Thank you for your support!
Platinum
Mary and Brent Gullixson, Compass here
Silver
Dulcy Freeman, Golden Gate Sotheby's here
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Object presents: Saturday, November 21, 9:30 - 10:15 am, Zoom. Join us for a virtual workshop with Jennifer Widom here, Dean of Stanford's School of Engineering. In addition to her role at the college, Dr. Widom is a professor in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering and was the Chair of Computer Science at Stanford from 2009 to 2014. She will discuss her day-to-day work, her journey as a computer scientist, and the role of confidence in her success. Sign up here. Link will be sent after registration.
Ravenswood Virtual Toy Drive: 1,750 gifts Needed! Join the Ravenswood Education Foundation, neighbors, and local businesses in the annual effort supporting TK-8th grade students of the Ravenswood City School District. Toys and gift cards collected will bring some holiday cheer. Donate gifts via the Gift Hero registry here. Make a purchase through vendors affiliated with the website or choose to purchase in person at a local store. Deadline to drop toys off at the District office is December 4. Deadline to ship toys is December 1. More details here. Questions? Chrisie Wendin here.
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