Volume XLVI, Issue 7 Mountain View Elementary School □ A National Blue Ribbon School Ned Schoenwetter, Principal [email protected]5465 Queen Ann Lane Santa Barbara, CA 93111 805-681-1284 www.mtview.goleta.k12.ca.us Inside this issue: It is hard to believe that it is almost April. The school year is flying by. As the days become longer, it is easy for students to fall out of their routines. You can help your child keep up their academics by maintaining a consistent time and quiet place to do homework every night. Have them work near you so that they can ask questions, if needed. Do not give them all of the answers, but ask questions that guide them to the answers and make them verbalize their thinking. This will help develop their problem-solving skills and become more independent. If your child’s homework is too difficult, takes too much time, or is not challenging enough, please talk to your classroom teacher. They will be happy to make modifications to help your child succeed. Upcoming Events Join us at our Camino Real Night on Tuesday, April 8. Come hear the Mountain View Band, enjoy a magic show, and enjoy food at a variety of restaurants. Each restaurant donates a portion of the day’s profits to the Mountain View PTA. This is a very fun event for all of our families. Mountain View will administer the Smarter Balanced Field Test between April 14 and 25. Fifth and sixth grade students will test the week of April 14 - 18, and third and fourth grade students will test April 21 - 25. This is the new version of the state testing that our students take every spring. The Smarter Balanced Assessments are testing concepts taught in the new Common Core State Standards that will fully guide our instruction next school year. This year’s test scores do not count and the school and parents will From the Principal’s Desk APRIL 2014 MOUNTAIN VIEW Elementary School From the Principal’s Desk PTA Corner: Presidents’ Letter Fundraising News Nurse’s Notes 6th Grade Promotion Ceremony Happy Birthday from the Library Honorary Service Awards Spring Music Recital Spring Fling: Online Auction and Boots and Bandana Bash Farmer’s Market Friday Folder Sponsorship Book Swap Movie Madness Thank You Bike/Walk to School Day Spring Pictures Mt. View Student Film Festival The Kids Zone Mountain View MAGIC Program April 2014 Calendar not receive any student results. The state is “testing the test.” From now on, the assessment will be taken electronically. This year, each class will take portions of the test on desktop computers, laptops and iPads to see the pros and cons of each format. On Friday, April 18 at 11:45 a.m., the PTA will hold our annual Honorary Service Awards. Every year the PTA honors a select group of parents and staff members for their exemplary service to our school and students. The honorees are kept secret until the event and it is a fun surprise to see who gets the awards. Friends and colleagues put on fun skits, create videos, and even sometimes roast their friends at the event. The food and decorations are always wonderful. Please join us for this incredible event. Thank you to Paula Cassin and Mindy Sofro for coordinating the celebration. Our Spring Open House and GATE (H.L.T.) Expo will be held on Thursday, April 24 at Mountain View. Your family is invited to visit the classrooms from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Fourth, fifth, and sixth grade Higher Level Thinking (H.L.T.) projects will be on display in the Multipurpose Room along with our Art Show. The PTA will host an Ice Cream Social from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. outside the Multipurpose Room. We look forward to seeing you there. I hope your family has a relaxing Spring Vacation. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Sincerely, Ned Schoenwetter, Principal
Transcript
Volume XLVI, Issue 7
Mountain View Elementary School □ A National Blue Ribbon School
It is hard to believe that it is almost April. The school year is flying by.
As the days become longer, it is easy for students to fall out of their routines. You can help your child keep up their academics by maintaining a consistent time and quiet place to do homework every night. Have them work near you so that they can ask questions, if needed. Do not give them all of the answers, but ask questions that guide them to the answers and make them verbalize their thinking. This will help develop their problem-solving skills and become more independent. If your child’s homework is too difficult, takes too much time, or is not challenging enough, please talk to your classroom teacher. They will be happy to make modifications to help your child succeed.
Upcoming Events
Join us at our Camino Real Night on Tuesday, April 8. Come hear the Mountain View Band, enjoy a magic show, and enjoy food at a variety of restaurants. Each restaurant donates a portion of the day’s profits to the Mountain View PTA. This is a very fun event for all of our families.
Mountain View will administer the Smarter Balanced Field Test between April 14 and 25. Fifth and sixth grade students will test the week of April 14 - 18, and third and fourth grade students will test April 21 - 25. This is the new version of the state testing that our students take every spring. The Smarter Balanced Assessments are testing concepts taught in the new Common Core State Standards that will fully guide our instruction next school year. This year’s test scores do not count and the school and parents will
From the Principal’s Desk
APRIL 2014
MOUNTAIN VIEW Elementary School
From the Principal’s Desk
PTA Corner: Presidents’ Letter
Fundraising News
Nurse’s Notes
6th Grade Promotion Ceremony
Happy Birthday from the Library
Honorary Service Awards
Spring Music Recital
Spring Fling: Online Auction and Boots and Bandana Bash
Farmer’s Market
Friday Folder Sponsorship
Book Swap
Movie Madness Thank You
Bike/Walk to School Day
Spring Pictures
Mt. View Student Film Festival
The Kids Zone
Mountain View MAGIC Program
April 2014 Calendar
not receive any student results. The state is “testing the test.” From now on, the assessment will be taken electronically. This year, each class will take portions of the test on desktop computers, laptops and iPads to see the pros and cons of each format.
On Friday, April 18 at 11:45 a.m., the PTA will hold our annual Honorary Service Awards. Every year the PTA honors a select group of parents and staff members for their exemplary service to our school and students. The honorees are kept secret until the event and it is a fun surprise to see who gets the awards. Friends and colleagues put on fun skits, create videos, and even sometimes roast their friends at the event. The food and decorations are always wonderful. Please join us for this incredible event. Thank you to Paula Cassin and Mindy Sofro for coordinating the celebration.
Our Spring Open House and GATE (H.L.T.) Expo will be held on Thursday, April 24 at Mountain View. Your family is invited to visit the classrooms from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Fourth, fifth, and sixth grade Higher Level Thinking (H.L.T.) projects will be on display in the Multipurpose Room along with our Art Show. The PTA will host an Ice Cream Social from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. outside the Multipurpose Room. We look forward to seeing you there.
I hope your family has a relaxing Spring Vacation. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Sincerely, Ned Schoenwetter, Principal
Spring is here! Wait, did we even have a Winter?
Here is the wrap-up of the past month and a glimpse of what’s ahead.
At our March 12 General PTA meeting, we officially voted in our 2014-2015 PTA Executive Board — the new board members are shown below.
2014-15 PTA Executive Board:
What a stellar group! Every position has been filled. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful group of parent volunteers. Thank you for helping make your school so special and your children’s education a priority. Please thank these volunteers for stepping up to help with the PTA. Kudos to Eden Jasiorkowski and the Nominating Committee for their efforts in recruiting this great group. Thank you so much to Emy Berger, Dana Joffe and their Fifth Grade helpers for coordinating the after-school movies during conference days. We still need your help in making our $95,000 goal for MAGIC. In previous years, we have always made the goal; but as of today, we still need $20,000. Your donation contributes to our children receiving additional specialist time and an amazing, well-rounded education. What would it be like without PE? Art? Computer? Science? Music? At Mountain View, 75% of the specialist budget for these programs comes from MAGIC support and this is why our students receive so much additional specialist time. It costs $275 per student, about the cost of a typical summer camp, to give your child these important specialists for the entire school year. If you have donated, THANK YOU for your support. If you have not donated yet, please get those checks in — even if it’s just a partial contribution — and let us fund our enrichment programs.
Notes from the PTA Presidents Corner
This month, you will receive an email inviting you to go to the Mountain View PTA online auction at www.32auctions.com/cougars in order to bid on and buy fabulous items donated by great local businesses. The online auction runs from Friday, April 18th, to Friday, May 2nd. Don’t miss your chance to bid on and win fun summer camp experiences, beautiful hotel getaways, exciting events, and more! All proceeds from the auction benefit the Mountain View PTA. And on Saturday, May 3rd, put on your favorite jeans and boots and party with Mountain View friends, faculty, and staff at the 2014 Boots and Bandana Bash at the Frog Bar & Grill, Glen Annie Golf Course – featuring good food, great music, games, dancing, and more. You won’t want to miss it! Buy your tickets now!! Plan on not cooking (lunch or dinner!) on Tuesday, April 8th. The Family Fundraising Day at the Camino Real Marketplace is always a fun, casual way to dine. Thanks to Jane Gray for arranging the world-famous Mt. View Band to perform as well as other entertainment. Most of the restaurants at the Marketplace will be participating to support of our PTA, too. Be sure not to miss it! The PTA Honorary Service Awards will take place on April 18th. This is a great way to honor those whom you think have made large contributions to our school. If you’ve never attended, you should – there are some very funny skits, memorable moments, and creative presentations. Most attendees end up laughing and/or crying, but always enjoying! Please plan to attend this luncheon. It is a wonderful celebration of the people who do so much for our school community. Thanks to Paula Cassin and her committee for planning this great event. Please RSVP ASAP! Please save the evening of April 24th for our Open House and Ice Cream Social. You will have an opportunity to visit classrooms, see GATE projects, and enjoy an ice cream sundae. Thank you to Samantha Kuskey, for stepping up to manage the Ice Cream Social this year. Additional thanks to Wendy Halleck and Chris Wong for coordinating the Art Show. We are looking forward to many more great events this spring. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, suggestions or comments. Hope you have a wonderful Spring Break! Alexa Avila, PTA President [email protected] Yael Brennan, PTA Executive Vice President [email protected]
3rd VP, Programs (Carnival): Nancy Schley, Denise Sommer, Devon Stewart
4th Vice President, Events:
Chrystal Sturm, Kate Moak, Melissa Renda
Parliamentarian: Eden Jasiorkowski
Treasurer: Stephanie Young
Recording Secretary: Lisa Spencer
Corresponding Secretary: Alexa Avila
Historian: Anita LaBau
Auditor: Summer Wahlberg
Fundraising News
C@MINO RE@L M@RKETPL@CE
F@MILY FUNDR@ISER
TUESDAY, APRIL 8 11:00 AM to Closing
Visit the Camino Real Marketplace for lunch and/or dinner and help support the Mountain View PTA!
At 6:00 PM, join the Mountain View School Band and Tom Tourville, “The Magic Man,” for an evening of great music, entertainment, food, school spirit and fun at the Camino Real Marketplace.
As an added bonus, it is also “Telescope Tuesday.” Volunteers from the SBAU will have their telescopes set up and will teach us all about the stars, planets and the visible universe.
After listening to our amazing Mountain View Band and Mr. Tom Tourville, stay and eat at BLENDERS, KAHUNA GRILL, GINA’S PIZZA, or NEW BAJA GRILL. Each of these restaurants has generously agreed to donate 25% off their proceeds to the Mountain View PTA.
Fliers with tickets for each of the food vendors were sent home in your Friday folders. Please make sure you bring these tickets and present them when ordering your food to ensure the PTA receives the funds.
DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS SPECIAL EVENT!
Our AMAZON program is underway and we have already earned valuable dollars for our PTA! If you have not already done so, please make sure you have updated the LINK when accessing the Amazon program. Follow the directions below:
Step # 1 – Visit the Mt. View website at http://mtnview.goleta.k12.ca.us/
Step #2 – Scroll over the PTA tab and locate “Get Involved” on the drop down menu.
Step #3 – Click on the Amazon Associates Program and then click the icon.
You can also go directly to the link below and BOOKMARK it:
We submitted 1,772 Box Tops in March! That is amazing!! Thanks to you all who have diligently clipped and submitted box tops to the office.
Keep up the great work!
Who doesn’t like a clean car? Another way to give back is by getting your car washed. Fairview Car Wash, located at 42 N. Fairview, will donate $4 to Mountain View for each car wash
and give you a free car wash upgrade every time you use its Community Commitment Card. The Community Commitment Cards are available in the school office, so please stop by and get one!
A quick reminder about the eScrip Program: As of November 1, 2013, only purchases made with: CASH,
CHECKS, DEBIT CARDS and VONS GIFT CARDS will provide money back to our Mt. View PTA. Credit cards no longer provide that benefit. We are still earning money, so thanks for being attentive and using your Vons Card!
Happy Birthday from the Library!
Thank you to Finn Marx who celebrated a recent birthday by adopting
A Ghost in the House by Ammi-Joan Paquette,
a new picture book for the library.
Many Happy Returns! Linda DuBois
Forming Healthy Relationships
Manners go far in this world and respect for others will also take you a long way. In order for young people to build healthy, non-violent relationships, adults must instill in them at an early age the importance of respecting themselves and others.
The components of a healthy relationship should include:
Mutual respect
Willingness to compromise
Shared decision-making
Support for each other’s ambitions
Acceptance of friends outside of the relationship
Boys should be taught that manliness does not mean being tough or in control and that strong men exhibit deference and compassion to others, including women and girls. Help girls to understand that abuse in a relationship is never acceptable and victims deserve protection and support.
Signs of an unhealthy relationship might include:
Bruises or unexplained injuries
Mood swings, depression, anxiety
Low self-esteem
Loss of interest in school or extracurricular activities
Incessant phone calls, emails or text messages from a boyfriend/girlfriend
Isolation from friends and/or family members
It is important to remind boys and girls as they move into adolescence and adulthood, that confusion, ambiguity and doubt abound. This should be a time for fun, affection, growth and discovery and no person should take advantage of someone else’s uncertainty or insecurity.
Find more information at www.giverespect.org
N o t e s
Nurse’s
SAVE THE DATE Mountain View School
6th Grade Promotion Ceremony
Monday, June 2 — 5:30 PM
Who Has Gone Above and Beyond at
Mountain View School? The nominations are in and the time has
come to recognize those teachers, parents and staff members who have gone
“Above and Beyond” this school year!
Honorary Service Awards Luncheon Friday, April 18th at 11:45 AM
in the Multipurpose Room
Please join us for some memorable moments as we honor the recipients of this year’s Honorary Service Awards and showcase
the wonderful contributions they have made to the school with skits and video tributes.
Spring Music Recital Monday, May 5
On Monday, May 5, from 6:15 to 8:00 pm, Mountain View students who are studying music will have a chance to perform for the Mountain View Community. In order to perform, the students must be enrolled in formal music lessons and must return a form which includes the name of their performance piece(s) and their music teacher’s signature. See Friday folders for the form. Please alert your music teachers so that they can help with planning.
We’re very excited about giving our children the chance to share their talents with their school friends and to praise and validate them for all their hard work.
Toni Mackie, Music Specialist
Mountain View 2014 Spring Fling
EVENT ROUNDUP
Online Auction Visit the Spring Fling online auction at www.32auctions.com/cougars to bid on fun items ranging from summer camps and outdoor adventures to idyllic hotel getaways — from car washes to cowboy hats! The online auction opens Friday morning, April 18 and closes Friday night, May 2. All proceeds to benefit Mountain View and its students.
Bid and win!
Boots & Bandana Bash
This year’s Spring Fling takes place on Saturday night, May 3rd, at the picturesque Frog Bar & Grill at Glen Annie Golf Club in Goleta.
Wear your favorite jeans and boots and come ready to party!
Your ticket to fun includes BBQ, music, cards, dancing and fun times with friends and faculty at Mountain View.
Raffle prizes include fine wine, taxi rides home, and more!
Tickets are $60 per person. Don’t wait! Please make checks payable to “Mountain View PTA”
and mail or deliver payment to the school office — or pay online at http://mtnview.goleta.k12.ca.us/pta/auction/
The venue is close, the views are great,
and laughs are guaranteed!
FARMER’S MARKET
Mountain View Community: If your trees (or neighbors’ trees) are laden with citrus — grapefruits, tangerines, lemons and limes, please keep to us in mind as we LOVE your
donations!!! We encourage you to share some of your bounty with our families. It is a tremendous benefit to our school community. We even have a team of students who will come and pick your goodies, all the while earning community service hours. Just send an email to Mona Lehman at [email protected] and we'll do all the work! Thank you to all the families who shopped and sold us out (again) this month! What a gift to have an empty table!! Thank you to Given Farms for the gorgeous produce! Being organic and local, the flavors cannot be matched — not to mention the freshness!! We are in the courtyard on the 1st Thursday of each month, our next Farmer’s Market is on:
Thursday, April 3, 2014 1:20- 2:30 PM
In this week’s CSA box was a beautiful head of fennel. It is a healthy and tasty addition to the box! Not surprisingly, fennel is high in vitamin C, potassium, folate (a B vitamin) and is a very good source of fiber. It can be eaten raw or cooked. It is quite a versatile bulb. The recipe this month uses it in its raw form which is the best way to get 100% of the nutrients. Enjoy!! Head to a Farmer’s Market and try a new vegetable or fruit! Share your recipe with us! Your Farmer's Market Team! Jessani Johnson, Jeannette Todd & Mona Lehman
Corn, Beet, Avocado Salad with Fennel Bulb
3 to 4 ears of corn, shucked and cooked (or 2 cups thawed frozen corn) 2 to 3 roasted beets, peeled and cooled (or already cooked packaged beets) 2 to 3 avocados, diced ½ fennel bulb, sliced very thin Fresh dill, minced (to your taste) 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) 3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard Salt and pepper to taste
Cut the corn off the cobs. In a serving bowl, add the corn, beets, avocado and fennel. Toss in the dill. Add a pinch or two of salt. Whisk EVOO, vinegar and mustard together and toss with the veggies. Taste for salt and pepper. ENJOY!
A note from Mona: As with all these recipes, omit that which you don’t like and add what you do like — and send your modifications to me!!
PRIME SPACE AVAILABLE:
The back of the Friday folder is available for
2014 – 2015!
Do you want to make a donation to support your school
and promote your business at the same time?
The sponsor for next year’s Friday folder will be chosen by a sealed bid auction. To be considered, please submit your name and contribution amount in a dated, sealed envelope to the school office by FRIDAY APRIL 25th.
In previous years, this space has been awarded for a $1,500 contribution. If two offers are received for the same amount, the first bid received will win. The sponsor will need to submit their artwork to the school for approval after the auction close.
Movie Madness Success!! The after school movies held during both parent-teacher and student-led conferences were a huge
success and well attended by students. The students enjoyed a few hours of entertainment and got to spend time with friends. All of the donations will support the many activities planned for next year’s 6th grade class.
Thank you to the parent volunteers and staff who helped organized these events. Our 5th grade students also exhibited wonderful enthusiasm in providing assistance to parents and showed leadership during both events. Many thanks go to the 5th grade students!
Emy Berger After School Movie Coordinator
BOOK SWAP Do you have extra books sitting around your house that you have outgrown or finished reading??
Clean out your bookshelves and make room for new books!!
Mountain View will have a book swap on Thursday, April 10. This book swap is free to all Mountain View students.
When: Thursday, April 10 Where: Shade Structure, After School
Students can bring in books that they have already enjoyed to exchange for books that they have not read. Books should be gently used, but not abused, and age-appropriate for Mountain View. (Upper grade level books are especially needed.)
And parents, there is also a PARENTS TABLE for any books that you would like to share.
Don’t wait for the Book Swap to bring
in your books! Books may be dropped off in the school office at any time. A big THANK YOU to everyone who has brought in books for the book swaps — we could not have these swaps without you!! Our last book swap for this school year will be in May, so watch for the date in the next Viewpoints and on Parent Square.
If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help at the Book Swaps, please contact either Anita LaBau at [email protected] or Debbie Cox Bultan at [email protected].
Our fabulous Office Manager, SUE FOREMAN, is RETIRING!
Please join us for a luncheon to celebrate her 20 years at Mountain View — it promises to be a memorable event!
Mountain View is having a new photographer take for our
student Spring Pictures this year. Eric Isaacs, who publishes our school yearbook, is going to take the individual photos. He is hoping to have two gorgeous days for outside photos.
Pictures will be taken on the following days:
Eric Isaacs of EMI Photography will be sending home a composite for parents to view — much like Ray Photography does with the fall photos.
Mark your calendars!
WED., APRIL 16 THURS., APRIL 17
Grades 4th—6th Grades Kindergarten—3rd
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Bike/Walk to School Day
will be on Wednesday, May 7.
Don’t drive to school — walk, bike or scooter there instead!
Announcing the Second Annual
Mountain View Student Film Festival
The Second Annual Student Film Festival will be held this spring in late May or early June. It will take place in the Mountain View Multipurpose Room in the early evening. Mountain View students may submit videos they created or helped create. These videos should be no longer than five minutes in length — although longer videos will be considered.
Videos can be on any topic that is appropriate for an elementary age audience.
Videos can be submitted in various ways and in various submission forms:
Save your video to a USB drive
Burn your video to a CD or DVD
Upload your video to YouTube (Send the email address to me at [email protected])
Upload your video to www.dropbox.com user name: [email protected] password: cougars (Send an email to me at [email protected] and let me know the name of the video file.)
Videos can be submitted in various formats: “.mov” (preferred format), “.wmv,” “.avi,” “.mpg,” or “.m4v.” Videos may NOT be submitted on DVDs that are playable in
a DVD player. Video cameras are available for loan including a GoPro camera with a wrist grip. Editing help is also available upon request, as well as help with submission, formatting, etc. Last year we had a red carpet entrance, with interviews of the participants and prizes for all students. All submissions were included in the film festival. Email any questions, concerns, video topics, etc. to me. Phil Landfried, Computer Specialist [email protected]
Viewpoints is a PTA-sponsored newsletter featuring articles and information on Mountain View School. All articles are included at the discretion of the PTA President and School Principal.
To submit articles to be considered for publication in the Viewpoints, please email your article to Anita LaBau, Viewpoints Coordinator, at: [email protected].
The deadline for article submission appears in the monthly calendar published in each edition of the Viewpoints newsletter.
MOUNTAIN VIEW VIEWPOINTS
E A R T H
Name: ____________________________________
Teacher: ____________________ Grade: ______
How do you plan to celebrate Earth Day?
Below are a few things that you can do to help protect and preserve our planet!
Conserve water whenever you can — turn the water off when brushing your teeth and take shorter showers
Recycle your scrap paper in your classroom
Conserve energy whenever you can — turn off the lights and electronic devices when you are finished using them
Volunteer to help clean up a local beach or park
Bike, walk or scooter to school whenever you can
Throw your trash into a trash can — not on the ground
Plant a seed or flower
Create an Earth Day Acrostic Poem
Help Mountain View to celebrate Earth Day!
Using the template on this page, write an acrostic poem about Earth Day. Start each line with a letter from the word “EARTH.” Color your poem if you wish, cut it out and put it in the folder marked “EARTH DAY POEMS” located outside the school office — blank copies of this template will also be available outside the school office.
All poems received by Friday, April 18 will be displayed in the Multipurpose Room on Earth Day!
Below is an example of an acrostic poem: Earth is our home planet. Allow all living things to enjoy this home as well. Reduce, reuse and recycle whenever you can. Treat this home as a precious resource. Help to preserve our planet!
The MAGIC Annual Appeal continues. The campaign has brought in just over $75,000 toward the goal of $95,000. Thank you very much to the families who have already made a contribution in support of Mountain View’s enrichment program!
The last $20,000 is needed to maintain our curriculum in art, music, science, P.E., library and computer science at current levels. Our children’s education in these areas is unparalleled in this community. Although school budgets are no longer headline news, funding from the district for these programs has not increased and still covers only about 30% of the cost of our specialist program. The remaining 70% is raised mostly from parents, and also through business sponsorships and business matching. By asking everyone to share the cost we are able to reach our goal of fully funding the specialist program for less than $30 per student per month.
If you have forgotten to make a contribution to MAGIC we still need your help. Please drop your donation in the box in the office or go online at www.mtnview.goleta.k12.ca.us to “support” and “online donation.” You can make a one-time gift or set up a monthly amount through PayPal by clicking on “donate” and then marking the “make this recurring” box. Consider using online bill pay to make an automatic monthly payment in a convenient amount. MAGIC can also accept postdated checks. If the $275 per student cost of the program is not realistic, please give whatever level of support you can.
Our children receive an amazing education at Mountain View, let’s ensure that it stays that way.
Please remember to thank our Business Sponsors when you visit these local businesses!
Support MAGIC. Support our children. Thank you from the MAGIC Committee!
If you have any questions now, or throughout the year, please visit the school website or email us!
