Important Dates to Remember
Dec 19 Lunchtime Karaoke Day
Dec 19 Pajama Day – Wear your favorite cozy pajama’s!
Dec 22-Jan 5 December Break – No School
Jan 6 Students return to school
Jan 12 3:15-4:15 pm - School Site Council – Zoom
Jan 13 6:30-7:30 pm School Info Night (for new families) - In Person in the MUR or Zoom
Jan 19 Martin Luther King Day – No School
Jan 20-Feb 6 Open Enrollment/School Registration - www.mvwsd.org/register
Jan 21 5-7 pm Registration Help Night - MUR
Jan 26 5:15-6:15 pm 2nd Grade Story Time
Jan 26-30 5th grade Science Camp - Walden West
Feb 13 End of the second trimester – Minimum day
Feb 16-17 Washington & Lincoln Day – No School
Feb 18-20 Winter Break – No School
Roar Recognitions
Corbin U. – Room 1
Jonathan L. – Room 2
Kai H-H. – Room 3
Percival W. – Room 4
Mateo S. – Room 5
Aida F. – Room 6
Graham G. – Room 7
Aira A. – Room 8
Sasha B. – Room 9
Leo T. – Room 10
Aina G. – Room 11
Cara W. – Room 12
Shelby H. – Room 13
Leo M. – Room 14
Ruth F. – Room 16
Brooklyn C. – Room 17
Emma B. – Room 18
Celine K. – Room 21
Logan L. – Room 22
Karthik R. – Room 31
Landels News
Dear Landels Families,
As this year comes to a close, I want to take a moment to recognize some of our accomplishments in 2025:
- Students made tremendous gains in both reading and math (proficiency up 13% in each)
- We implemented structured writing instruction (The Writing Revolution) as a way to improve and promote written and verbal communication
- With the help of the Landels PTA, we held multiple events (Multicultural Festival, Math Night, Walkathon, and the Holiday Fair) to bring our community together
- We’ve come together to support our community by organizing a food and clothing drive, book giveaways and a Halloween costume swap
Thank you to our teachers, staff, parents and students for making it happen! Looking forward to what 2026 will bring!
We will be closed for Holiday Recess from December 22nd to January 5th. Teachers will be spending January 5th participating in professional development and planning for the start of January. We look forward to welcoming our students back to school when we resume on January 6th!
Let the Landels Winter Reading Challenge begin!
Use the Challenge form that came home in your student's backpack (or print your own from the e-version attached) to help your child keep track of each day they read over winter break! All students that participate will receive prizes, including gift cards to In-and-Out.
Wishing all families a happy, healthy and safe winter break. See you in the New Year!
Pieter Dolmans
Health Notice: Head Lice
We’ve had several cases of head lice at school. Head lice are common among school-aged children and are not related to cleanliness. As a precaution, we encourage families to check their child’s hair at home and continue to monitor regularly. If you find lice or nits (eggs), please begin treatment promptly and notify the school office. Children may return to school once treatment has started. Thank you for your partnership in helping keep our school community healthy. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.
Library Update from Ms. Katy
The Landels Library has been busy! We've added 46 brand-new books to our shelves in the past month, have welcomed an average of 15 students to our cozy before-school library time each morning, and currently have 59 overdue books.
We’ve also been enjoying these library activities:
• Writing a Collaborative Story for NaNoWriMo by adding one word each day
• Voting on Accessibility Tools in our “Accessibility Helps Everyone” poll, where students learned about accommodations that help everyone
• Creating a Kindness Chain where students wrote a kindness action on a paper strip to add to our window chain for this month’s Character Strong theme of empathy.
As we head into break, I wish all our students lots of joyful reading. Remember to ask your student this very important question: “How many nights per week should you be reading?” Answer: 6 - 7 ;)
TK/K afterschool sports program. Registration is due on December 19
Our school, in partnership with Kassirer Sports, is offering a session for the afterschool sports program for TK and Kinder students starting in January. Please see the attached flyer or www.kassirersports.com for more information and registration. Registration is due on December 19. Sign up now to secure your spot.
Finance LEAP Class - Sign up in the office
3-4pm Open to Grades 4 & 5
Session info: Join our “All about Money” LEAP class — fun, interactive sessions designed to teach kids the basics of money management. Through games and real-life examples, children will learn about earning, saving, spending wisely, and setting financial goals. Perfect for building good money habits early and sparking financial confidence for the future!
Please have your student attend all 5 sessions.
Friday, 1/09
Friday, 1/16
Friday, 1/23
Friday, 2/06
Friday, 2/27
MVWSD News
The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, December 18, at 6 pm.
Some of the topics include:
· Budget Reductions Update
· Organizational Meeting
· Resolutions for Rose Filicetti and Special Education Awareness
· 2026-27 School Year Calendar Adoption
For meeting details and agenda, please click here: https://www.mvwsd.org/trustees.
mCLASS DIBELS Early Literacy Assessment Scores (grades K-2)
K-2 students recently completed a reading assessment. Families can access their student’s mCLASS DIBELS Home Connect Report through their Powerschool Parent Portal on January 12, 2026, after 4:00 p.m. Reports are available on the PowerSchool Parent Portal at https://ps.mvwsd.org/public/ under “Parent Reports” for each of your K-2 students. Steps for accessing reports on PowerSchool Parent Portal are here: Accessing PowerSchool Parent Portal Reports. If you have difficulty logging into the PowerSchool Parent Portal, please contact your school’s office.
Is your Student Too Sick for School?
As we move through the winter months, when the flu and other seasonal illnesses are common, it’s important to know when your student should stay home to rest and recover, as well as to prevent the spread of illness. Please take a moment to read the attached MVWSD’s Back to School Health Guidance flyer. It includes information on when your student should stay home, illness prevention tips and current COVID guidelines. Thank you for helping to keep our school community healthy and safe this winter!
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Parent Reports Now Available
Social-emotional learning isn’t just something students practice at school—it shows up in how they manage frustration, collaborate with others, and navigate relationships both inside and outside the classroom. Families are key partners and play an essential role in reinforcing these skills.
This year, MVWSD launched a new SEL survey in grades 3-8 that provides helpful data points for both parents and staff. Fall parent reports are now available in PowerSchool, and winter results will be coming the first week of December.
This is not an assessment, but a tool to understand how students are doing and where they may need support. Counselors will review individual student data confidentially and will contact families if they see areas of concern. At the school level, aggregated data may help guide SEL lessons or schoolwide activities.
The Parent/Guardian Report offers a table organizing students’ average rating for each of seven (7) topics from their most recent SEL Screener survey.
Students self-reported in six key areas:
• Self-efficacy
• Self-management
• Positive feelings
• Supportive relationships
• Challenging feelings
• Emotion regulation
Parents will see some sections of the report include a “Try This!” This feature lists simple strategies and conversation starters you can use at home. If you have questions about your child’s report, please reach out to your school counselor.
Next up, teachers will receive training on how to access and use their students’ SEL data.
Click here for an easy guide to locating your child’s SEL report in PowerSchool and understanding how to read it.
Open Enrollment for 2026-27 starts in January
In January, the Mountain View Whisman School District will be opening student enrollment for fall 2026.
For CURRENT students in transitional kindergarten-7th grade: Parents will be asked by email to confirm enrollment from January 20 to February 6.
For families enrolling NEW students: Submit your child’s information during the enrollment period held January 20 to February 6. Please check www.mvwsd.org/register for details about school information meetings held in January.
Meetings will be held in person with childcare and Spanish translation provided. Meetings will also have a virtual link option. Click here for details: mvw.sd/26meetings
· Transitional Kinder Night for all schools: Jan. 7
· Neighborhood elementary school info nights: Jan. 13
· Choice elementary school info nights: Jan. 14
· Preschool Parent Information Night: January 29 (English) and February 5 (Spanish)
Click here to learn which program is right for your young learner: mvwsd.org/kinderready
Register here for email updates about registration: http://mvw.sd/help
Please check www.mvwsd.org/register for how to locate your neighborhood school, how to explore school options and the four steps to register.
MVEF December Challenge Grant - Your Gift to MVEF Can Go Twice or Even Three Times as Far!
Join us in supporting local public schools in Mountain View during December with our Challenge Grant Match!
Thanks to generous donors, every dollar donated through December 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $26,000 — including gifts made through employer portals, DAFs, and stock donations. Double your impact today!
Employer Matching
You may even be able to triple your impact with employer matching programs. Check here whether your company matches.
With major tax changes ahead, 2025 is an ideal year to give — especially for donors who itemize — before current rules expire.
Your donation is 100% tax-deductible and helps ensure every MVWSD student benefits from a well-rounded, enriching education. Donate now — one-time or recurring!
MVEF wishes all our MVWSD families Happy Holidays and a wonderful start to 2026!
PTA News
To get an overview for PTA sponsored events: Please sync the Konstella Event calendar to your personal one by clicking here! We're on Facebook and Instagram! Don't forget to follow us.
After School Enrichment classes: Price reduction on Let's Play in Spanish!! Available Thursdays for TK, K, and Grades 1-2. Also, a couple of last spots still available in Choir for Grades 3-5 on Wednesdays! Request a spot here. Finally, there is still time to register for some of our other wonderful class offerings. We encourage you to register ASAP. Most classes start immediately when students return to school the week of Jan 7th.
Dear Landels Families,
As we wrap up a wonderful first part of the school year, the PTA would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our entire school community—families, teachers, staff, and volunteers—for your support, energy, and generosity. Together, we’ve already accomplished so much, and we’re excited for what’s still to come in the new year.
We hope everyone enjoyed the Holiday Fair, and we’d like to give a special shout-out to Mirta for her incredible work organizing such a joyful and successful event. Wishing you all a restful holiday season filled with warmth, laughter, and special moments with loved ones.
Happy Holidays and we hope to see you at our PTA Association Meeting on 1/9/26 at 8:30am!
FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Explore Holiday Break Activities with InPlay
Looking for ways to keep your student engaged over the holiday break and throughout the school year? Explore InPlay’s free activity guide! Sponsored by Santa Clara County and MVWSD, this searchable guide lists hundreds of free, low-cost and tuition-free activities that support your child’s growth and learning.
City of Mountain View Teen Center Drop-In Holiday Activities
Location: The View Teen Center - 263 Escuela Avenue
Open to 6th – 12th graders
All activities are available during drop-in hours.
Ugly Sweater Ornament Decorating- Wednesday, Dec. 17
Gingerbread House Building Competition - Monday, Dec. 22
Click here for more information
Flyers
December Break Reading Challenge
Is your Student Too Sick for School?
TK/K afterschool Kassirer sports program
December Lunch Menu
2025-26 School Calendar