Principal’s Message:
Hello Dolphins,
As part of our new Social Emotional Learning curriculum, Character Counts, our students learned about Kindness during the first month of school. In the month of October, our school will be reinforcing our learning about kindness. All month long, we’re celebrating kindness at our school! If a teacher or staff member catches students being kind, they will get a Caught Being Kind Ticket. Students should bring their ticket to the office and they’ll be featured in our Kindness Hall of Fame that week in our Monday message and outside the Wellness Center.
Everyone who makes it into the Kindness Hall of Fame by the end of October will be invited to a Kindness Party in November!
I hope to see all the Castro Dolphins at our party!!!!
Conference Reminder
Parent-Teacher Conferences are important as we partner up to support our students’ growth and development. If you have not already done so, please schedule your Parent-Teacher Conference with your teacher. The scheduling window is now open.
On September 26th, parents received the scheduling link via email from your child’s teacher. Conferences are scheduled for the week of October 13- 17, 2025, when we will have minimum school days ending at 11:55am. You will be able to select from available time slots between 12:30 pm and 4:00 pm, each day of conference week. If none of these times work for you, please be sure to contact your child’s teacher, directly.
If you have technical issues, please email Principal Vern Taylor directly at [email protected]. For all other questions, please contact our front office staff: Miguel Meza at [email protected], Gloria Rocha Lopez at [email protected], Evelyn Antunuez at [email protected], or Judy Navarro at [email protected]. You can also call us in the school office at 650-526-3590.
In Partnership,
Principal Taylor
Events Calendar
October
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1st
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Food Pantry, 2pm - 4pm
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2nd
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SSC Meeting, 3pm - Office
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9th
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Teacher-In-Service Day - No School
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9th
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SSC Meeting, 3pm - Office
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10th
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Recess Day - No School
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13th
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Make-up Picture Day
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13th - 17th
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Parent Teacher Conference Week - Minimum Day
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15th
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Food Pantry, 2pm - 4pm
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20th
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Asian Art Museum - Field Trip
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24th
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Principal Coffee, 8:15am - Staff Lounge
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28th
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Parent U Speaker Series: Mental Health Topic, 5:30pm - Zoom
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29th
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Food Pantry, 2pm - 4pm
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29th
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Día de los Muertos Family Celebration (in-collaboration with Mistral), 5pm - MUR
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November
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5th
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Food Pantry, 2pm - 4pm
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7th
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End of Trimester - Minimum Day
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11th
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Veteran’s Holiday - No school
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21st
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Principal Coffee, 8:15am - Staff Lounge
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24th - 28th
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Thanksgiving Holiday Recess - No school
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In this Newsletter
School News:
Afterschool Arts Reminder
Dia de los Muertos Family Event - Wed, Oct 29, 5:00–6:30 PM Location:MUR
Reporting an Absence
Flyers:
2025 -2026 School Year Calendar - Here
October Menu Here
District News:
The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, October 2 at 6 pm.
Mental Health Resources for Students
In 2024–25, YOUR donations to MVEF made a big impact!
Community Partners
2025 Mayor for a Day Essay Contest - Flyer
Upcoming Programs at Mountain View Public Library - Flyer
Searching for Volunteers to Serve the Community!
Learning Challenges events for Fall 2025
The Walden West Autumn Adventure is happening again!
School News
Afterschool Arts Reminder
Registrations for Arts Wheel Rotation 1 will end on October 5
Arts Wheel is a new, free, after school class for students in grades K-5. There will be three opportunities, or “rotations”, for students to participate this year. The first rotation will take place from October 20 to December 19 (8 weeks total). For more details, please review the details below.
Remember: if your child is already participating in after school YMCA or Beyond the Bell (BTB), they will automatically participate in the Arts Wheel through their after school program - no need to register!
If your child is not already participating in YMCA or BTB, you can sign them up for Arts Wheel using the link below. Registrations will close on October 5. The principal will notify all families who signed up to confirm rosters and details by October 13.
Click here for Arts Wheel Rotation 1 registration
What is it?
The Arts Wheel is a new, free, weekly after school class for our students in grades K-5. We will have multiple fun themes over the course of the year such as Crafts, Painting & Murals, and Digital Photography & Graphic Design. The classes will be taught by local teaching artists Shivika Nayyar, Eddie Ramirez, and Sophie Twitchell.
Why is it called a “Wheel”?
Each after school class teacher will spend 8 weeks at a school before moving on to another school for the next “rotation”. This way, all participating schools will be able to experience the topic in which each teacher specializes.
How frequent are the classes, and how long is each class?
The once-per-week classes will be approximately 45 minutes long and take place over 8 weeks. For Rotation 1, our Arts Wheel teacher will be on campus daily
Who is it for?
**If your child is already participating in after school YMCA or Beyond the Bell, they will automatically participate in the Arts Wheel through their after school program - no need to register!**
If your child is not in YMCA or BTB, you may register during the registration period using the link provided.
Questions?
Please feel free to contact [email protected]
Dia de los Muertos Family Event - Wed, Oct 29, 5:00–6:30 PM Location:MUR
Join us for a Dia de los Muertos Family Event on Wednesday, October 29, from 5:00–6:30 PM, in collaboration with Mistral Elementary. Enjoy free pan dulce, hot chocolate, craft activities, and visit the Dia de los Muertos altars at both Castro and Mistral. This event is for the whole family—hope to see you there!
Questions? Contact School & Community Engagement Facilitators: Mr. Meza [email protected]g or Mrs. Rocha López [email protected]
Reporting an Absence
Please call the office at (650) 526-3590 or email [email protected] to report an absence or late arrival. Provide the following information: date of absence, student’s name, grade and room number, reason for absence, name and relationship of the person reporting the absence.
District News
The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday, October 2 at 6 pm. Open session will begin at 7 p.m.
Some of the topics include:
For meeting details and agenda, please click here: https://www.mvwsd.org/trustees.
Mental Health Resources for Students
As the school year starts, it's important for students to know that help is available for mental health challenges that may arise. Check out these posters for information. Other resources are available at our Virtual Wellness Center under the Mental Health tab. You can always reach out to your school counselor, too. We are here to help.
In 2024–25, YOUR donations to MVEF made a big impact!
Thanks to our amazing donor community, MVEF funded art and music for every TK–5 student (2,600+ art lessons, 3,850+ music lessons, 80+ concerts, and 560 recorders for 4th graders), hands-on science (695 Living Classroom lessons and 39 field trips), smaller middle school English classes, and robust middle school opportunities (sports, 45 clubs, musical productions, and more).
Made possible through the partnership of MVWSD, MVEF, PTAs/PACT—and YOU! Together we enrich learning for every student, every school.
Donate today to help continue this great impact! And don’t forget to check here if your employer matches.
From Our Community Partners
2025 Mayor for a Day Essay Contest - Flyer
The City of Mountain View invites elementary and middle school-aged residents to participate in the 2025 Mayor for a Day Essay Contest.
Topic: If you were mayor for a day, what is one problem you would solve? Maximum of 500 words per essay. Only one entry per person. One elementary AND one middle school-aged contestant will be selected by the Mayor. Winners will be recognized at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. All entries are due by 5 p.m. Friday, October 10, 2025.
Upcoming Programs at Mountain View Public Library - Flyer
Intro to 3D Printing and CAD
Mondays, October 6 & 13
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Ages 13-18, First Floor Program Room
Teens ages 13-18 are invited to join us for this 2-part workshop on 3D printing and CAD. Session 1 will cover 3D printing hardware and the slicing software Cura. In Session 2, participants will learn the 3D modeling software Onshape by modelling a car. All skill levels are welcome! Register here.
Searching for Volunteers to Serve the Community!
Recruitment is open for upcoming vacancies on several City of Mountain View boards and committees that weigh in on a wide range of matters. The openings are on the Board of Library Trustees, Environmental Planning and Parks and Recreation Commissions, and Downtown, Performing Arts, and Senior Advisory Committees. Find more information and the application form at MountainView.gov/Advisors.. Questions can be directed to the City Clerk’s Office at [email protected] or 650-903-6304. EPC applications are due 5 p.m. on Oct. 8. All other applications are due 5 p.m. on Oct. 15.
Learning Challenges events for Fall 2025
For local coverage of issues related to learning challenges and special education, please check out the Learning Challenges Committee.
Calm Down Kit Making Sessions
Volunteers will make Calm Down kits for classrooms throughout Mountain View and Los Altos and learn how to make their own for their home! Wednesday August 27 11-1, Thursday September 26 (5-7 pm), Tuesday September 30 5-7 pm. For location, contact [email protected].
Learning Challenges Committee General Meeting
October 7, 7 pm in person (TBA) and Zoom hybrid
We will be finishing up the Wellness Wish List and will likely need a work session to finish up packing orders for delivery to classrooms! For more info, email [email protected].
Evening Let’s Talk Parent Support group
October 15, 7 pm on Zoom.
IEP/504 support group. Have questions about the process to get help for your child? Have an IEP but are not sure how to make changes? Need to vent? This is your confidential group. Register here.
Missed past Parent Education events?
We have a YouTube channel with many of our past events including the recent talk on Assistive Technology, info on summer camps and recreational activities, Anxiety and Depression in Children with Learning Challenges, SMART Goals and IEP Troubleshooting, and more. Channel is here.
The Walden West Autumn Adventure is happening again!
Walden West is hosting its Autumn Adventure on Oct 25. For tickets and information, please click here: https://givebutter.com/autumn-adventure-25.
The event features:
* Hiking: 2 distances to choose from, including one for "wild things" (aka 5 and younger)
* Garden time: the garden will be open to sample some harvest and help with light chores
* Nature activities: educational activities and nature exploration on your hikes
* Campus tours: get to know science camp or revisit your memories from when you were there!
* Festive atmosphere: food, music, and crafts!
* Community: the magic of Walden West - including camp songs - will bring us together to officially kick off the 75th Anniversary of this amazing program
Have questions or want to volunteer at the event? Contact Andrea Maes, Walden West Foundation Executive Director at [email protected]