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Monday, October 5
Hexmester 2 begins, students rotate to new PE or elective courses
Tuesday, October 6
MPCSD Speaker Series “Permission to Feel: A Conversation with Dr. Marc Brackett”,
6:30 pm, register for Zoom here
Parent-Teacher-Student Conference day
Wednesday, October 7
Picture Day, 10:45 am - 4:00 pm by appointment only, photo stations at back parking lot, appointments here
Parent-Teacher-Student Conference day
Friday, October 9
PTO Executive Board Meeting, 9:00 - 10:30 am, via Zoom
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Monday, October 12
6th Grade Parent orientation about Return to School, 4:30 - 5:45 pm via Zoom
Tuesday October 13
Parent-Teacher-Student Conference day
District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC), 4:30 - 6:00 pm on Zoom here
Wednesday, October 14
Parent-Teacher-Student Conference day
Thursday, October 15
"MPCSD Governance and Finance 101",
5:00 - 6:00 pm, register for Zoom here
Monday, October 19
BLUE 6th grade students in Everest and Vesuvius academies in-person week (Olympus BLUE is the DL academy)
Monday, October 26
GOLD 6th grade students in Everest, Olympus, and Vesuvius academies in-person week
7th and 8th Grade Parent orientation about Return to School, 5:00 - 6:15 pm via Zoom
Monday, November 2
BLUE 7th and 8th grade students in-person week
Monday, November 9
GOLD 7th and 8th grade students in-person week (Mavericks and Pioneers GOLD remain the DL academies)
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Quicklinks bottom of newsletter
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Dear Hillview Families,
Big news dropped on Thursday night, with MPCSD’s Board of Trustees voting to have Hillview 6th graders return to campus for modified, in-person learning starting Monday, October 19. 7th and 8th graders will follow on Monday, November 2, assuming San Mateo County continues to maintain its red tier status. Hillview completed its planning for this day back in August, and now we need to educate our students and families on the new protocols for returning to school in-person. These details will include submitting daily health screenings via ParentSquare, designated entry points for each stable cohort, temperature checks at the start of school, one-way walking routes around campus, brunch and lunch protocols, and of course our emphasis on the “Four Pillars”: health and hygiene, face coverings, social distancing, and limited gatherings. We are so excited to have our students begin to return to campus, and we are prepared to have them enjoy their days in a safe and orderly fashion.
6th grade parents and guardians may learn about these details next Monday, October 12, from
4:30 - 5:45 pm, when we host a live Zoom to go over the most important information. The 7th and 8th grade even will take place on Monday, October 26, from 5:00 - 6:15 pm via Zoom. In the meantime, our website will be populated with those details students and parents need to know.
I hope you received my email yesterday asking you to complete our second Distance Learning survey of the year here. This quick survey will give us valuable feedback on your child’s experience in the last month, which may be different from the experience of the first two weeks of school.
Thank you, and more than ever in the next two weeks (especially if you are the parent of a 6th grader), watch your inboxes for updates and invitations from Hillview to gain greater clarity on what school will look like starting Monday, October 19 for our 6th grade BLUE students in Everest and Vesuvius academies.
All the best,
Willy
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Download the ParentSquare App
With our return to hybrid learning set for Monday, October 19 for 6th grade and Monday, November 2 for 7th and 8th grade, we are reminding parents to download ParentSquare and get acquainted with the app, as it will be our health screener tool.
For many parents, this is a familiar tool, but for those who have never used it before, we've attached a quick video tutorial here on how to use ParentSquare to submit a health screener every morning before school begins.
When we return in hybrid mode, this health screener will be mandatory, along with a temperature check upon arrival to campus, for all students.
For more information and how to create an account on Parent Square visit Parent Square and Health Checks here.
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Use Schoology for Student Progress
Hillview just marked the mid-trimester point October 2. Now is a great time to check in on your student's classes.
We want to encourage all Hillview parents to begin checking the learning platform, Schoology, to monitor their student's progress.
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Hexmester 2 begins tomorrow, Monday, October 5
Each hexmester students will rotate electives and PE teachers:
- All 6th grade students and 7th grade students in Mavericks and Cloud Nine Academies will move from PE to elective classes
- All 8th grade students and 7th grade students in Pipeline Academy will move from elective classes to PE classes
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Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences
The conference scheduler is now open! Please see the Hillview website, conferences section here, for more information including the link to sign up for conferences, directions for how to schedule a conference and the minimum day bell schedule. Our conference scheduler will close at 11 pm on Sunday, October 11.
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School Picture Day
Wednesday, October 7, 10:45 am - 4:00 pm, photo booth stations at back parking lot, by appointment only here
- we request that all students attend for a school-issued photo ID
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students may walk or bike to school, or you may drop off your student at the turnabout, then park where available
- photos take no more than 5 minutes
- students must wear a mask and maintain a 6 feet distance from others at all times
If you miss this event, we will run a makeup day on Tuesday, November 3, details TBA.
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Yearbooks available at a $10 discount
Want a copy of last year’s yearbook? Hillview still has limited quantities waiting just for you! They can be purchased for a discounted rate of $35.00. Come to the office 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, Monday-Friday with a check made out to Hillview and claim this beautiful addition of Hillview memories!
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Private School - Recommendations and Transcripts
All forms and information due by November 24
Tis the season for applying to private schools. In order to help make sure the process runs smoothly, Hillview requires students and parents to adhere to our private school application process.
Go to the Hillview website under High School Transition/Private School for specific information and details here. The Student Information Form and process checklist are here. All forms and information are due no later than November 24. Questions? Contact Monica Bosch here.
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One Community Campaign- A BIG Thank You!
A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the One Community Campaign here! We are crunching the numbers and will announce our final participation level and amount raised in the next few weeks. Please check if your company offers a corporate match here to increase the impact of your donation.
Your continuing support makes our district the amazing place it continues to be.
If you missed the deadline - it’s not too late! here.
See here what other parents have to say about why they support our schools here.
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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.
Aruna Dutta
Teaches math and has been at Hillview for 6 years.
When not teaching Aruna enjoys traveling, biking, reading, and hanging out with her family and friends.
Favorite Quote: "Let your smile change the world, but don't let the world change your smile.”
Favorite Movie: She has two: The Pursuit of Happyness, and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Black raspberry AND mint chocolate chip.
Favorite Subjects as a Middle School Student: English and math
Words of Wisdom for Hillview students: Always believe in yourself. Math is no different from anything else you do - the more you practice, the better you get.
While academic achievements are a measure of your success, they don't define who you are as a person.
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Having a sense of humor is important, as is the ability to laugh at yourself. Making mistakes is okay - just learn from them. As you make your way through middle school, high school and beyond, you're probably going to have bad days, where everything that could possibly go wrong, does go wrong. You're probably going to come across tough lessons, tough chapters, tough subjects, tough situations. Just remember that these things will pass, and you will be stronger for having gotten through them.
What you probably didn’t know about me: I had a strong Southern accent for the first 10 years of my life.
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Staff October Birthdays
Marianne Santo, Wilber Villalta, David Babington, Ling Ling Wong, Kelly Slaughter, Willy Haug
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Donate Gently Used Books - A Book Drive for Oak Knoll
October 5-16, bins by the Hillview office and Oak Knoll office
Every year Oak Knoll collects gently used books to share with students.
We are looking for books that kids will be excited to read: Dogman, Bad Guys, Narwhal and Jelly, Elephant and Piggie, National Geographic Kids, I Survived, Keeper of the Lost Cities, Refugee, anything by Rick Riordan. The books will be distributed to students so they have more access to great books!
Any questions? Contact Jacqui Cebrian here.
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After-School Athletics - Goes Virtual with TopYa!
The After School Athletics team has teamed up with TopYa! to offer three unique virtual competitions for our Hillview students set to kick off mid October and last through November 20. TopYa! was created on the premise that almost everyone receives joy when they learn and accomplish something whether that be in sport, school, work or a personal passion.
Students can choose from one or all three of the following bundles:
Challenge Volleyball - follow skill development path designed by former Team USA Volleyball player
Challenge Soccer - improve your foot skills in a soccer development path
Challenge Cross Training - follow a path to improve general fitness
Students will compete both as individuals AND as an Academy team across all Hillview grades for some great prizes. Students can progress at their own pace through a series of challenges within each of the above disciplines and will be guided by human coaches through a digital platform to help skill development.
Each challenge path requires registration and a registration fee of $19.99 (scholarships are available). Registration details will be both on the website and will be announced in upcoming newsletters.
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District English Learner Advisory Committee
(DELAC), Tuesday, October 13, 4:30 - 6:00 pm, via Zoom here
DELAC is a committee for the parents of students who are learning English. At our October meeting, we will be learning about the MPCSD English Learner program and goals, the roles and responsibilities of DELAC and participate in a discussion about how we can support our students’ success in school.
In addition, since we’re one of 140 districts statewide with an overrepresentation of certain ethnic groups in special education, parents will be able to learn about this issue and provide feedback to the district.
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School Board Update, Special Meeting October 1
The School Board has voted unanimously to begin returning the rest of the grades, 2 through 8, to in-person school beginning on October 19. All grades will follow the Hybrid Alternating Week model as outlined in MPCSD's Reopening Plan here.
Grades 2-6 will return October 19, followed by grades 7 and 8 on November 2. This will give each sixth grade cohort a chance to adjust to middle school on campus before the other grades return. Any further reopening depends on San Mateo County remaining in the red or substantial tier of California's Blueprint for a Safer Economy here through next Tuesday.
Additionally, the state now uses an equity measure here to account for the disparate COVID positivity rates between communities of color and majority white communities; the measure has the potential to change the county’s position on the tiers. However, if MPCSD reopens within the red tier and then the county moves back into purple, schools do not have to close again.
MPCSD looks forward to more students returning to campus over the next few weeks. Look for communications from the district, your school administration, and teachers about parent orientations and health and safety protocols that all returning students must follow.
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Want to Learn More about How MPCSD Works?
"MPCSD Governance & Finance 101" is for YOU!
Thursday, October 15, 5:00 - 6:00 pm, via Zoom. Register in advance here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
The pandemic's effect on our schools has created a boom in interest in our School Board meetings, and one advantage of meeting over Zoom is the ability for so many parents to attend. However, we realize that many people may not understand just how our district governance and finance operate.
School Board President Stacey Jones will offer a brief primer on how the district runs and be joined by Superintendent Erik Burmeister and MPAEF Executive Director Carrie Chen to answer additional questions about our policies, procedures, and finances. This is the perfect meeting for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of how the governance and finance of our public schools work.
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“Permission to Feel: A Conversation with Dr. Marc Brackett”
Tuesday, October 6, 6:30 pm, via Zoom, register in advance here
A discussion between Dr. Marc Brackett and MPCSD Superintendent Erik Burmeister on emotional regulation, emotional intelligence, and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in MPCSD schools.
Marc Brackett, Ph.D., is the Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and a Professor in the Child Study Center of Yale University. He is the lead developer of RULER, an evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning that has been adopted by nearly 2,000 pre-K through high schools across the United States and in other countries. Listen to Dr. Brackett and Superintendent Burmeister as they discuss the importance of social emotional learning (SEL) in schools, and learn about how MPCSD schools are using Dr. Brackett’s framework.
Register in advance here for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Interested in buying Permission to Feel? Read about and purchase the book at Kepler's here.
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M-A Leadership presents Trick-or-Treat Street on Wednesday, October 28 M-A Leadership will be hosting our annual Trick-or-Treat Street celebration. This event helps give back to our community by providing a sanctuary for young children to enjoy their Halloween trick-or-treating. This is an invitation to come to spend the evening with us (and drive-through) with your children from 5:00 - 8:00 pm at Menlo-Atherton High School. More information here.
Menlo Park Safe Routes to School Due to COVID-19 and distance learning, the Menlo Park Safe Routes to School program invites you to celebrate the International Walk to School Week by taking a walk to anywhere! You can walk with your family around the block to your favorite local store and to the park. Test your route to school and check the Walk and Roll Map here of your school to see suggested safe routes. Before your walk, learn more about the rules of the road and safety tips in the Menlo Park Walk & Roll Activity Book here or watch the Pedestrian Safe Journey Videos, available in English and Spanish here, and take the quiz! Don’t forget to take a selfie or picture during your walk and share your experience by tagging @CityofMenloPark.
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