From a recent article in the Argus:

From Our President

Dear Mission Valley Friends,

It has been a quiet couple of months since our last newsletter. January and February are the months when the MVSA volunteers catch their breath, recovering from the rush of activities in the fall and preparing for the coming rush of springtime events. Things to look forward to in the coming months are Classroom Celebrations for Valentine’s Day, Cook’s Night Out and Jogathon in March, and MVSA elections and May Dance in May. Then the last few weeks of school become a flurry of large activities, Letter Reward picnic, 6th Grade Promotion, and Staff Appreciation. But of course there have been many ongoing activities, which do not get as much attention as the big events. Safety Patrol, FAME, Technology, Disaster Prep, Library Helper, Yearbook, Membership, Boxtops and Copy Committees have been working steadily throughout the winter months.

This year, I am in the interesting position of being the parent of both a Kindergartener, in his first year at Mission Valley, and a 6^th grader, in his last year here. It has been a very bittersweet experience. I have reflected much on how far my 6^th grader, Jamie, has come since he was in Kindergarten as I see the contrast daily between him and my younger son, Alex. As he went off to science camp last month, he hardly gave me a backward glance on his way onto the bus. He was happy, excited, and completely ready to take on the challenges of a week away from home and family.

I know that a lot of that confidence had to do with the fact that he would be with the teachers he loves and admires. He knew that they would be there for him in the absence of his parents. I thank all the Mission Valley teachers who took a week out of their regular lives to make this magical week happen for Jamie and his 6^th grade friends. But it wasn’t just his current teachers who helped prepare him for stepping out into the world, away from the security and familiarity of Mission Valley School. It was all the teachers he has ever had, who have taught him how to learn, the school’s caring staff that makes learning at Mission Valley a fun and structured occasion each day, and the parent volunteers, who’ve shown him through their dedication that his education is important to more than just him and his parents.

As Jamie steps out of the security of Mission Valley into the unknown that is Junior High, I’ll be nervous, sure, but I will also know that he is ready.

Filiz Crocker

February MVSA Meeting

Please join us for our monthly meeting on February 9 at 7pm in the Teachers Lounge next to the school office. We will be discussing many technology related issues including the possible purchase of new classroom computers, subscribing to Accelerated Reader online and Discovery Education. As always we’d love to hear your ideas and opinions. Last month we had a lively discussion on fieldtrips. Refreshments and free babysitting is provided.

March MVSA Meeting

Announcing a Cookie Contest in March! We would like to see more involvement at our monthly meeting. We want to hear your thoughts and ideas. In order to entice you to attend, we’ve decided to hold a cookie party contest. The classroom with the largest number of parents represented at the March MVSA meeting will win a cookie contest. So mark your calendars and join us March 9 at 7pm. And don’t forget to sign in.

Cooks’ Night Out

Mark your calendars for our next Cooks’ Night Out at Sweet Tomatoes on Tuesday, March 2nd. The fundraiser benefits the MVSA and lasts from 5pm to 8pm. You will need to purchase a drink with your dinner and give the Cooks’ Night Out flier to the cashier when paying.

We will send home the flier with your student the week before the fundraiser. You are welcome to give copies to friends, family and neighbors. The only restriction we have is that we absolutely can’t hand out fliers in and around the restaurant. Come join us for a fun evening with school friends and good food. See you there.

We Need YOU!

The MVSA desperately needs your help. The executive board elections will be in just a few months and we need candidates to run for almost all positions. Our president, vice president, and recording secretary have all reached the two-year term limits in their positions. It is time for some new members to join the MVSA leadership to infuse some new ideas and enthusiasm. All the retiring board members still have students at our school; so they will still be around to help.

Besides executive board positions there are some 30 plus committees that will be in need of leaders. Do you worry about what will happen to your students at school, when the next earthquake hits? Join the safety/disaster prep committee and help prepare. Do you love to throw a party? Join the letter reward, teacher appreciation, or hospitality committees. Does the traffic situation at drop-off and pick-up drive you crazy? Volunteer for Safety Patrol and help other dedicated volunteers who help create order out of chaos. Do you have a 6th grader? Look into the 6th grade promotion committee. Can you not volunteer during the school day? The membership, boxtops, Campbell’s labels, eScrip committees all work largely from home. Love reading and books? The book fair or library helpers could use your help. Love arts and music? Look into FAME or Multicultural Day committees. Is technology your thing? The tech committee needs you.

There truly are opportunities for every parent/guardian/grandparent to participate. Our strength is in our numbers. The more people that volunteer, the more we can get done without burning out existing volunteers. Many of these committees are still active this year. If you join them now, you can find out what they do, so you can consider leading them next year. Just contact the current committee chairs or the board for more information. The committee chair contact information is available on our website: www.mvsa-fremont.org and the board can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Please say YES! You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are making a difference and your children will be happy and proud of you.

A Note from Suman Gill and Filiz Crocker, Chairpersons of the Jog-a-thon Committee

Our spring Jog-a-thon is around the corner. On Monday, March 29th, our children will jog around the quarter-mile track at school for 20 to 30 minutes to have fun and raise funds for our school. Please be generous with your pledges. All of the funds collected will be used to assist in paying for school expenses not covered by the school district. With the district in a deep financial crisis, our school needs our help now more than ever.

Our goal is to surpass the $30,000 raised last year. In the past, your generous donations helped us fund a complete upgrade of our computer lab facility. We purchased 32 new computers, eliminating the need for students to share computers during their limited time in the lab. Jog-a-thon funds also go to pay our computer lab tech’s salary, so that everything runs smoothly in the lab and teachers and students can make the most of their time there. We also made donations to each classroom for needed supplies, bought new uniforms for our basketball teams, purchased books and supplies for our library and stocked our safety shed with water and food. One of the big purchases under discussion for this year’s Jog-a-thon income is new classroom computers for our teachers. Possibly even laptops that they can take with them between the classroom, staff room and home. We’ve also discussed landscaping and adding shade to the schoolyard.

But none of this will be possible without you. We can only do it with your help. Look for the fliers with more information coming home soon and please encourage your students to ask friends, family and neighbors for pledges.

From Vick Chan, Safety Patrol Coordinator

Before the Winter Break, the Safety Patrol team had a wonderful Christmas pizza lunch party to show our appreciation for our student patrol’s hard work and dedication. Also, thanks to Ms. Sonoda and Mrs. Nagata for the help before and at the party.

I would like to introduce our new parent patrols.  Please welcome Charu Gohel and Murthy Tanniru to the team.

Thanks to our 5th grader patrollers for taking care of the crossing and drive-thru duties while our 6th grader patrollers were at Science Camp. Also, thanks to our dedicated parents and Student Safely Patrol, the safely patrol operation went exceeding smooth during the severe weather the past few weeks.

Last month’s quiz: The team posts at three locations in the morning. The team calls those locations Denise/Mckay, the Drive-Thru, and Dumpster.  Why do we call one of the locations Dumpster?

Answer: As some of you might know, the school’s garbage dumpster used to be placed at the corner of the entrance to the teachers’ parking lot (i.e. the lot in the back). The team guards that entrance for crossing and has been calling that spot "dumpster" for many years, even though the dumpster was relocated to the back of the school yard several years ago.

This month's quiz: On average, how many of the following traffic violations does the safety patrol see each morning?

- parking the wrong way - making an illegal turn or u-turn

- parking or stopping in front of fire hydrant and red zone - speeding

- stopping and dropping off student in the middle of the street

(Look for the answers in our next Newsletter!)

Save the date -- Tuesday, March 2, 2010 is Cook's Night Out at Sweet Tomatoes on Walnut Ave.
 

Mission Valley Elementary School has been named an Honor Roll School by the California Business for Education Excellence (CBEE).  More information can be found on their website at http://www.cbee.org, and on their announcement below: