Monte Vista TK-8 Community News

THE TERRIFIC TEN OF THE WEEK

1) We ended the first trimester of the school year! Many classes had some classroom-based assessments to time with gathering final data for composing trimester 1 report cards.

2) We had several classes and grade levels create posters with student commitments to stand up to bullying in observance of ending National Bullying Prevention Month in October. Also for ending October, we did the Monster Mash dance one last time at morning meeting on Hallow's eve and amidst orange and black attire that day on campus.

3) Our October dining out took place at Pizza My Heart, and it was soooo fun to see different families there spending time together!

4) All the Read-A-Thon Tier 1 to Tier 5 prize bags were passed out to students, and the Mario Treat Truck came out to the Tier 6 winners, which was over 150 students.

5) Our professional development for teachers was led by our instructional leadership team, largely bringing together GLEAM and Chapter 4 of the Power of Inquiry: Cultivating Curiosity.

6) Our girls volleyball season ended with wins against La Mesa. We are so proud of them!

7) Our grade level inquiry arcs continued strong with most grade levels still living in Exploration stage but some moving into the second of three stages, the Expression stage. (See first grade's picture of caterpillar larvae hatching into a butterfly.) Our 4th and 5th grade music classes had their music composition expo.!

8) Our YouthTruth Survey ended with great response rates! 95% of grades 3-8! 100% of staff! And drum roll...Family Survey was 40% response rate, which is the same strong level for us as last year! Thank you!

9) The Advanced Band and Orchestra Halloween Concert for primary classes was awesome!

10) The ALICE Intruder Drill was very successful!

Looking forward to an amazing 26'-27' school week, which will be Days 58-62.

Jay jay, chirp chirp!

Read-a-Thon Prizes Have Gone Out!

On Friday, 157 students came out for our Ice Cream Truck Party, one of the prizes included in the Read-a-Thon reward packages.

We also handed out the rest of the Read-a-Thon prizes on Friday. The PTO put together 256 unique prize bags, with different combinations of prizes depending on the levels students earned. Many students should have come home with some combination of bookmarks, dragon pens, Blue Jay notebooks, 3D-printed animals, Jay Jay trucker hats, ice cream truck tickets, and invitations to our Grand Prize Movie Party!

A special congratulations to our 20 Read-a-Thon grand prize winners, who will be joining Dr. Ashby for a movie outing!

Grand Prize Movie Party | Monday, November 9
Movie: The Cat in the Hat (2026, Animated, PG)
Location: Movie Theater at Del Monte Shopping Center

Parents of the winning students have already been contacted individually with the details. Congratulations again to all of our readers!

Coming Up: Friday Night Drive-In Movie!

Friday, November 13 | Upper Field at Monte Vista

Grab your blankets, chairs, and family and join us for a Friday night movie under the stars!

We'll be showing Free Birds, a Thanksgiving-themed animated comedy starring Owen Wilson. The movie follows two turkeys who travel back in time in an attempt to change the course of Thanksgiving and get turkey off the holiday menu!

Help us plan! We'd love to get an idea of how many families might attend so we know how much popcorn and other goodies to have on hand.

If you're thinking about coming, please click here to let us know! This is just an estimate to help us plan and does not commit you to attending. We hope to see you there!

November Dining Out: Habit Burger & Grill

Wednesday, November 18 | 4:00–9:00 PM

Join us at Habit Burger & Grill in support of the Monte Vista Blue Jays!

Habit will donate 20% of net sales from the event to our PTO. It's an easy way to support our school while enjoying dinner with the family.

Location: 2120 California Avenue, Sand City, CA 93955

How to participate:

Enter code GIVEBACK when ordering at the in-restaurant kiosk, through the Habit Burger & Grill mobile app, or at habitburger.com.

You can also show the fundraiser flyer or offer on your phone to the cashier when ordering.

Ever wonder how much our dining-out fundraisers actually raise? Here's what we've brought in from three recent events:

Rosine's: $500
California Pizza Kitchen: $825
Pizza My Heart: $543

That's $1,868 raised for our Blue Jays just for grabbing a yummy meal with your family and friends! Thank you to all the families who continue to show up, participate, and support our school community. We have more fun things planned, and we're looking forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming events!

Calling All Crafters! Winter Shop Donations Needed

Do you knit, sew, crochet, paint, bead, work with wood, or enjoy making handmade items? We'd love your creations for our upcoming Winter Shop! Students will have the opportunity to shop for affordable, handmade gifts for family and friends, with everything priced between $1 and $10.

Whether it's jewelry, ornaments, candles, keychains, knitted items, or something completely unique, we'd love to include it! Creations do not need to be holiday-themed, and the PTO can even reimburse crafting supplies. Start crafting now! Item drop-offs begin in November. See the flyer for more details and inspiration! Have a question about this? Write to Taylor to find out more: mvebluejayspto@gmail.com

Go Blue Jays!

1) November Parent-Student conferences are during the week of November 16-20. School all that week will be early dismissal at 12:50PM with no after school clubs, except Seussical Jr. Musical rehearsals (see special Seussical Jr. Parent Square email for rehearsal schedule that week). Aside from every day after school from 1PM-3:15PM, we will have an evening session for conferences on Monday, November 16th. Teachers will be reaching this week with conference sign-ups in Parent Square. We want everyone to come out--even if it means phone or virtual!

2) Dining Out Night for November is at The Habit in Seaside on November 18th.

3) This week we have English Language Advisory Committee on Thursday, November 5th, 6PM-6:30PM, with Google Meet link sent out. School Site Vision Council meeting is on November 16th from 3:30PM-4:30PM with Zoom link sent out.

4) Monterey High School is hosting an information night for all 8th grade families to learn about programs and academies for next school year--some of which requires applications this Fall. The meeting is on November 4th, Wednesday, from 6-7PM at Monterey High cafe.

5) Some important dates coming up in November:

Veterans Day holiday--no school on November 11th.

Drive-In Movie Night at Monte Vista on November 13th at 6PM.

Parent-Student-Teacher conferences the week of November 16th (see above).

Habit Burger Dining Out Night on November 18th.

And Seussical Jr. Grades 1-8 Musical on November 18, 19th, and 20th from 6PM-7PM.

MPUSD NEWS HOT OFF THE PRESS FROM MARCI MCFADDEN (see fliers further below):

MPUSD Earns Prestigious Golden Bell Award - We're proud to share that MPUSD has been named a 2026 California School Boards Association (CSBA) Golden Bell Award winner for its College, Career, Choice for All initiative! This statewide recognition celebrates our commitment to expanding access to rigorous coursework, college credit, career pathways and meaningful opportunities for every student. The honor marks MPUSD's second consecutive Golden Bell Award. Read the full news release.

Earn Saturday Academy Credit @ Monterey Peninsula College Family STEM Day - Join the Monterey Peninsula College annual Family STEM Day on Saturday, November 7, 2026 from 10 am - 2 pm. Be sure to check in at the MPUSD table to earn Saturday Academy credit for your child(ren).

High School Student Transfer Window Opens November 9 - Planning ahead for the 2027 - 2028 school year? MPUSD's High School Student Transfer Window will be open November 9 - December 11, 2026. This is the only opportunity for families of current 8th - 11th grade students to request a transfer from one MPUSD high school to another for the upcoming 2027 - 2028 school year. High school families (including incoming 9th graders) must submit their requests online during this window. Transfers are subject to space availability at each school. Need assistance? Visit your school's front office or contact the MPUSD Transfer Office at 831-392-3983, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. (closed 11 a.m. - noon). NOTE: The elementary, TK - 8, and middle school transfer window will open in January 2027.

Change Those Clocks - Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour when you go to bed Saturday evening as Daylight Savings Time ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1.

8th Grade Families | Early College High School - Current 8th grade students and families are invited to learn how students can earn up to two years of college credit before graduating high school - tuition-free! Explore MPUSD's three Early College pathways at Marina High, Monterey High, and Seaside High, and join us for an upcoming Parent Information Night, offered in English and Spanish. Applications open December 1, 2026. Learn more about the programs, information nights and how to apply!

Elementary, TK-8 and Middle School Parent/Teacher Conferences - MPUSD elementary, middle and TK - 8 schools will hold Parent/Teacher Conferences November 16 - 20, 2026. This is a great opportunity for families to connect with teachers, celebrate student progress and discuss goals for the remainder of the school year. Reminder: Early release schedules will be in effect all week (November 16 - 20). Families are encouraged to plan ahead for early dismissal and watch for additional conference information from their child's school.

• Elementary and TK - 8 Schools: 12:50 p.m.
• Middle Schools: 1:30 p.m.

Family Engagement Month - At MPUSD, we believe great things happen when families and schools come together.
Whether it's a conversation with a teacher (e.g., conferences as noted above), helping with homework or simply cheering your child on, every little moment of connection makes a difference. This month, we're celebrating our wonderful MPUSD families and the important role you play in helping our students shine. Together, we make a difference. We're Better Together.

National Native American Heritage Month - November is National Native American Heritage Month, a time to honor the rich histories, diverse cultures, traditions and lasting contributions of Native American and Indigenous peoples. At MPUSD, we celebrate their heritage and recognize the importance of preserving their stories and traditions for generations to come.

Coffee and Cars at Central Coast High School - Community, collaboration and a love of cars came together at Coffee and Cars event at Central Coast High School in Seaside! Students stepped up as judges across several car categories, while teachers and staff helped make the event a success. It was a great reminder of the connections we build when our schools and communities come together.

Board of Education - The Board of Education mets this past week. If you missed the meeting, you may read Board Highlights. The next meeting is Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at the District Services Center.

Expanding Your Horizons | STEM Conference and Career Fair - Our community partner, The Lyceum of Monterey County, is offering an exciting opportunity for girls in grades 5–10 to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The Expanding Your Horizons Conference & Career Fair takes place Saturday, November 14, 2026, at Hartnell College in Salinas. Participants will enjoy hands-on STEM workshops led by women in STEM, connect with local professionals and discover exciting career possibilities. Registration is FREE and opens October 27. Space is limited to the first 300 participants. Learn more and register.

Most events are linked to MPUSD's website to receive more information. You may also access the district's school year calendar here. (Event dates subject to change. Check with your school site and this section regularly.)

11.10.26 Board of Education Meeting
11.11.26 Veterans Day | No School
11.23.26 Thanksgiving Break | No School
11.24.26 Thanksgiving Break | No School
11.25.26 Thanksgiving Break | No School
11.26.26 Thanksgiving Break | No School
11.27.26 Thanksgiving Break | No School

Girls and Boys Basketball season starting soon. Coach Hobson will come out soon with information about skill clinics and tryouts in November. Stay tuned.

November 5th- English Language Advisory Committee@6PM-6:30PM- Google Meet link sent out to all multilingual families via Parent Square

November 11th- Veterans Day - no school in observance of the holiday

November 13th- Monte Vista TK-8 Drive-In Movie Night

November 16th- School Site Vision Council from 3:30-4:30PM (Zoom link sent via email)

November 16th-20th- Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences, 12:50 dismissal all this week (Trimester 1 report cards are given out during conferences as well).

November 18th- Habit Burger Monte Vista TK-8 Dining Out

November 18th-20th- Seussical Jr. Musical performances from 6PM-7PM

November 23rd-27th- Thanksgiving Break, No School this week (return on Monday, November 30th)

November 30th- Students return to school

December 1st- Family STEAM Night 5:30PM-7PM including dinner (tentative date)

December 8th- Grades TK-5 Winter Music Concert and Art Exhibition

December 10th- Grades 6-8 Winter Music Concert and Art Exhibition

PTO sponsored Winter Shop dates in December to be announced soon

November 4th- Heather McSwiggin (Art Teacher for Grades TK-1 and Makerspace Grades TK-5)

November 20th- Brooke Metcalfe (2nd grade teacher)

November 22nd- Ashley Seidel (ELO Program Leader)

The twelfth week of school saw some dips in both daily attendance rate and Chronic Absenteeism--most likely due to some increase flus and colds. Good time to get independent study the first day of illness, so the work can be turned in upon return. We are so sorry for all those who have got hit with this recent wave. This last week, we were hovering just under 95% and even under 94% one day. This is well below our goal of 96%, and a little distance to our goal of 97% for this school year.

Our Chronic Absenteeism rate is now up to 11.7%, which is well above our goal of 7%. With independent study and after school tutoring absence recovery now being offered, we hope this rate can go down.

For those families who have students out, please turn in the independent study packets the day they return to school after the absence (a new state requirement). Otherwise you have to recover through Saturday Academy or a future after school tutoring attendance recovery program which will begin in November (but by invitation only). Also keep in mind Saturday Academy only helps daily attendance rate for a child but not their chronic absenteeism rate while Independent Study and After School Tutoring recovery helps both.

Our percentage bands for attendance went down even further this week. Satisfactory level was at 61.8% (down four percent--466 students--ouch). 200 students in the yellow at risk area (increase of 16 students from last week--ouch), 76 students in the orange moderate chronic (increase of 14 students from last week--ouch), 11 students in the light red (one less than last week), severe chronic area, and 1student in extreme chronic.

Anyone who stays in moderate, light red, or dark red areas (moderate, severe, or extreme chronic) is considered to have chronic absenteeism. We will work with these families to make sure independent study packets are turned in the first day they return to school after the absence(s). Otherwise, they will have to do Saturday Academy or possible after school tutoring attendance recovery (latter program kicking off in November--by invitation only). We will also continue to reach out to families who are lingering in these more at-risk areas of attendance.

We will continue in the 26-27 school year to climb back up to 96% average attendance rate ( and even climb to 97%) and then upping our goal to get no more than 7% chronic absenteeism.