 |
Monday, November 30
GOLD hybrid students on campus this week
Hillview Site Council new parent position application due here
Wednesday, December 2
Hillview Conversation Chat, “How to Communicate with Your Middle Schooler: The Disarming Technique”, 6:00 pm, webinar here
Thursday, December 3
Board of Education special meeting-open session, 5:00 pm, virtual here
Friday, December 4
COVID testing, 3:00 - 9:00 pm, Hillview, tentative
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, December 9
PTO Executive Board Meeting, 9:00 - 10:30 am, virtual meeting
Friday, December 11
COVID testing, 3:00 - 9:00 pm, Hillview, tentative
Friday, December 18
Minimum Day here for in-person
11:15, 11:50, and 12:15 for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, respectively
Monday, December 21
No School - Winter Break
(through Friday, January 1, 2021)
Monday, January 4, 2021
No School - Teacher Work Day
_________________________
Quicklinks bottom of newsletter
|
|
|
|
Dear Hillview Families,
I hope these past four days have afforded you the opportunity to safely celebrate Thanksgiving with your immediate households. If you have traveled during the holiday, we ask that you act responsibly by quarantining for 14 days. Hillview stands ready to provide an Independent Study Plan (ISP) for the duration of the quarantine. Please see details below in today’s newsletter about how to arrange for an ISP.
We are all set to return tomorrow for our GOLD Hybrid students, even as we receive the news that San Mateo County has returned to the most restrictive Purple tier as of Saturday, November 28. The Adjusted Case Rate as of November 28 stands at 7.6; it should also be noted that our county’s positivity rate of 2.5% falls within the range of Orange status. Hillview and MPCSD can continue to provide an in-person program to our Hybrid students under this new status. Superintendent Burmeister and/or the Board of Trustees reserve the right to have all students return to Distance Learning.
To this end, the Board has agendized a special meeting here this Thursday, December 3, here to discuss those triggers that would return our schools to Distance Learning only. As you may already be aware, the California Department of Public Health has established standards by which schools must close: 5% of in-person students and staff testing positive for COVID 19 over a 14-day period OR 25% of the schools in a district needing to close will result in an immediate return to Distance Learning for all. Hillview and MPCSD have done exceptionally well with regard to these guidelines. Nevertheless, our Board and district is aware that conditions in our county are legitimate concerns for our stakeholders, and they have scheduled a public discussion to responsibly weigh all the factors at play.
While the news about COVID spread is of high priority to everyone, I also want to remind you and invite you to Hillview’s first Conversation Chat of the school year this Wednesday, December 2. Please see details below about “How to Communicate with Your Middle Schooler” with Jeff Gielow, MFT at 6:00 pm. Conversation Chats are opportunities for parents AND students to attend together and have important conversations that are relevant to middle school families.
All the best,
Willy
|
|
Hillview has made a change in how we create Independent Study Plans, also known as ISP's. Now 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.
|
|
Seeking Parent for term through 2021-22
Applications due Monday, November 30
Hillview Site Council has an immediate opening for a parent position for a nearly-two-year term from December 2020 through June 2022.
Interested parents should submit their nominations by Monday, November 30. This opening comes after a current parent member was newly elected to the MPCSD School Board.
More information is provided here. Questions? Contact Karen Dearing here.
|
|
Parent Information
Presentations for parents and students from Serra High School and Everest Public High School available below in Community News.
|
|
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:
-
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
|
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.
Brian Darmanin
Is Hillview’s Student Activity director and also teaches leadership, journalism and broadcast (during non-COVID times) and has been at Hillview for 10 years.
Pre-pandemic Brian loved travelling the world. He and his family once visited 10 countries in a single summer and love to find new adventures in exotic places. He also loves all things Disney and has been to every park except Hong Kong. Brian loves gaming and just got the new Xbox Series X for his birthday. 😀
Favorite Quote: Whether you think you can or think you can’t...you’re right.” -Henry Ford
Favorite Movie: Forrest Gump or Jurassic Park (the original!)
|
|
|
|
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Cookies ‘n’ Cream
Favorite Subjects as a Middle School Student: English
Words of Wisdom for Hillview students: Life isn’t always fair, but we need to make the best of it.
What you probably didn’t know about me: I love card games including Uno and Poker and I am the reigning 2020 World Series of Poker Winter Online Champion which won 1st place, some prize money, and a gold plated championship belt.
|
One more thing: I love the San Jose Sharks and used to have season tickets when we had the time and extra funds before we started a family. My last bucket list sports fan goal is to watch them hoist the Cup!
|
|
|
|
Black Friday + Cyber Monday are here! |
|
Black Friday + Cyber Monday are here! Shop for deals at smile.amazon.com and help raise money for MPAEF! |
|
Support MPCSD Helps - #GivingTuesday is December 1 |
|
Save the Date: #GivingTuesday is December 1
Since April, MPCSD Helps has been providing support to over 60 families in need with grocery gift cards and access to a community-built food pantry. As the holidays are fast approaching, the need to support our local community increases.
Our goal is to raise $6,000 for the MPCSD Helps initiative on #Giving Tuesday. Will you join us?
Our one-day goal for #GivingTuesday is to raise enough funds to provide each MPCSD Helps family with a grocery gift card to use for the upcoming holiday season.
Please mark your calendar to participate in #GivingTuesday
on December 1!
|
|
Cheeky Monkey Holiday Shopping Days are coming up next week Wednesday, December 2 - Friday, December 4!
|
|
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.
|
|
8th Grade Parent Information
|
|
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.
|
|
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 into 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!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
