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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)
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Monday, November 30
Hillview Site Council new parent position application due
Wednesday, December 2
Hillview Conversation Chat, “How to Communicate with Your Middle Schooler: The Disarming Technique”, 6:00 pm, webinar here
Wednesday, December 9
PTO Executive Board Meeting, 9:00-10:30 am, virtual meeting
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Quicklinks bottom of newsletter
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Dear Hillview Families,
In this season of gratitude, I hope that you and yours are spending time reflecting on what you are thankful for. While there is a lot of distressing news these days, the exercise of gratitude can help us see the positives and support our well being. After five weeks of in-person instruction, we won’t have the pleasure of seeing students this coming week as we engage in professional development and take time to rest and recharge. We look forward to seeing our GOLD students again on November 30.
As I did in last week’s message, I encourage you and your child(ren) to check out The Great Thanksgiving Listen here as a powerful opportunity to connect to a family member or loved one and create an oral history during these 5 days off. I also implore you, as Superintendent Burmeister did in his Friday message: Do Not Travel this Thanksgiving. Traveling and gathering incurs a high risk given the rate of COVID-19 spread in our state and nation. If you do travel, please act responsibly for the good of our community and so that we can continue to reap the benefits of in-person instruction by quarantining for 14 days after your return.
For those of you following the news, San Mateo County did roll back to the red tier last Tuesday. MPCSD’s Board of Trustees has scheduled a special meeting at 5:00 pm, December 3, to discuss what triggers would return all students to Distance Learning. Also be on the lookout for Curative COVID testing events at Hillview on December 4 and December 11 (the November 23 and 24 dates are already filled). MPCSD is hopeful to soon announce a permanent Curative kiosk that will greatly increase the capacity for community testing. Stay tuned for more news on this topic.
All the best,
Willy
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Hillview is making a change in how we create Independent Study Plans, also known as ISP's. From next week forward, when you request an ISP from Ms. Bosch here she will create a Google doc and give the student editing rights. The student will be responsible for entering and completing the work missed using Schoology as a guide. As a reminder, the work for an ISP will be a less robust alternative to what students would have done had they been present in class.
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Seeking Parent for term through 2021-22
Applications due Monday, November 30
Hillview Site Council has an immediate opening for one parent position for a nearly-two-year term from December 2020 through June 2022, due to a current parent member has been elected to the MPCSD School Board. Interested parents should submit their nominations by Monday, November 30. More information is provided here. Questions? Contact Karen Dearing here.
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iPad internet OFF over Thanksgiving Break |
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To support and promote family time and some needed time away from screens, the Hillview school iPads will have internet access turned off over Thanksgiving Break. Internet access will turn off on Sunday morning, November 22 and turn on again Saturday morning, November 28.
This will happen over all of our breaks from school, including Winter Break, February Break, and Spring Break.
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Hexmester 3 began November 13
Hillview students have now moved into their new hexmester elective or PE classes. Refer to the one-pager here to see your student's PE and elective teachers and the full schedule for the year. A key at the bottom of the one-pager indicates the date ranges of the six hexmesters.
Here is a video that will provide instruction on how to view the classes your student will be attending during each class period while at school. Hexmester 3 electives are currently updated in PowerSchool.
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Parent Information
Presentations for parents and students from TIDE Academy, Serra High School, and Everest Public High School available below in Community News.
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Hillview Conversation Chats
"How to Communicate with Your Middle Schooler: The Disarming Technique"
Wednesday, December 2, 6:00 pm. Register in advance here for this webinar here.
An opportunity for parents AND students to engage in thoughtful discussions about issues affecting our middle school students today. These events are intended for parents and students of Hillview Middle School.
Come join Jeff Gielow, MFT, in a fun and inspiring evening workshop designed for students and their parents and guardians, around learning how to effectively communicate in authentic ways. This presentation will include strategies for overcoming common pitfalls and barriers to closeness with your middle school student that you can work on together. Both of you will be taught radically different ways to approach disagreements, and learn to turn conflict into connection. Practical tools will be shared around communicating with each other, followed by a Q and A session.
Our teens need us now more than ever! If you've been concerned about any of the following questions, this workshop is designed for you:
- How do I elicit more than one-syllable answers from my kids when I ask them a question?
- My middle school student stays in their room all day - should I be worried?
- How should I approach difficult or uncomfortable conversations with my middle school student?
Questions students may wonder about:
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How do I get parents to listen to me (i.e., get them off my back)?
- How do I get my parents to trust me?
If you have a question for Jeff that you'd like addressed during our presentation please fill out our question form here.
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Jeff Gielow is a former middle school counselor and current Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice. Jeff enjoys working directly with teens and parents and uses evidence-based, age-appropriate, TEAM CBT, and ACT tools and skill development, to increase one's psychological flexibility, mood, and engagement in life. Jeff provides quality high-speed treatment for mood disorders, behavioral concerns, relationship deterioration, as well as habits and addictions including procrastination and screens. Jeff invites you to reach out to him 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.
Julie Hilborn
Teaches 6th grade science and has been at Hillview for 2 years. She has also taught 7th and 8th grade science, math, English, media literacy and environmental science
When not teaching, she enjoys playing guitar and doing yoga and meditation. She also loves skiing, biking, and hiking with her 9 year old twin boys and husband (he is also a teacher).
Favorite Quote: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead.
Favorite Movie: The Gods Must Be Crazy, Dead Poets Society
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Favorite Subjects as a Middle School Student: Social Studies and Math
Words of Wisdom for Hillview students: Rise above the noise and fray. In calm silence, your heart and inner knowing will tell you what is true and right to do. Always follow your own inner voice, and you won't be led astray.
What you probably didn’t know about me: My favorite scientists are you, my students! But you knew that :). I used to be a Naturalist at Outdoor Ed. I have ridden my bicycle all over the world - through India, Burma, Europe and down the Pacific Coast from Vancouver B.C. to Santa Barbara, CA. I taught rock climbing in Zimbabwe and studied ecology in the Galapagos Islands. I love sharing the wonders of the Earth with students.
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MPCSD Reopening Update
MPCSD has fully reopened in hybrid mode. 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: guest teachers and case notifications.
Guest Teachers
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.
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MPAEF Online Auction It's For The Kids!
Our annual Spring Auction will take place all online between March 10 and March 15, 2021. Mark your calendar! No need to buy a ticket or book a sitter, everyone has full access to all auction items!
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Great Donations Make Great Auctions
Help us raise funds for our schools by donating COVID-friendly items such as small kid and adult parties, fun at-home activities (Lego and PlayMobil sets, board games, backyard toys), house stays, and nearby getaways, and gift cards (Amazon, Whole Foods, Apple, Starbucks, Cheeky Monkey, local restaurants, and nail salons).
Do you have other fabulous ideas or questions? Email your ideas here.
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Black Friday is Coming Up
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Black Friday is just around the corner on November 27 (as well as Cyber Monday, November 30). Shop for deals at smile.amazon.com or click image above and help raise money for MPAEF!
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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!
Silver
Bronze
Darcy Gamble, Compass here
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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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8th Grade Parent Information
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TIDE Academy Student Presentation Night Wednesday, December 9, 5:00 - 6:00 pm, Zoom here
TIDE is an acronym for Technology, Innovation, Design, and Engineering. Learn more about us by following the links on our site here! For parents and prospective students interested in hearing more from TIDE Academy, join us for this informative meeting.
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Everest Public High School located in Redwood City is a public and tuition-free high school here. We are part of Summit Public Schools here, a network of charter schools whose mission is to prepare a diverse student population for success in a four-year college and to be thoughtful, contributing members of society. We believe that every student is capable of college and career success, regardless of background or prior preparation. Currently enrolling for the 2021-22 school year. See our presentation here December 16, 4:00 pm.
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Serra High School Find out what makes a Serra education compelling for young men aspiring to successful college careers. Explore the teachers, students, and community that make Serra unique. Log in to one of our Virtual Padre Previews to learn about the rigor of our academics, our extensive extracurricular programs and the legendary Serra brotherhood! Visit the Serra website here and look for Virtual Padre Previews: Thursday, December 3, 7:00 pm and Thursday, December 10, 7:00 pm. Register here to join us!
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