Monte Vista TK-8 Community News

1) Our staff was able to dig deeper and reflect on the feedback from our site instructional leadership team from the recent instructional rounds related to our GLEAM problem of practice (grade-level rigor, engaging, affirming, and meaningful).

2) Our Grades 3-6 and 7-8 Student Councils, Grades 5-8 School Culture Team, and our Grades 4-7 Soul Patrols were all finalized. What an exciting group of students to lead our school in different ways!

3) Dr. Ashby and Ms. Wessel continued their goal setting sessions with teachers for the school year, getting almost every teacher squared away for an ambitious year ahead.

4) Our 5th graders all were trained on their behavior contracts and guidelines for Outdoor Science School which is this upcoming school week!

5) Fall Enrichment After School Club forms are for the most part rostered, and we are hoping for confirmations to go out via Parent Square just before or at the beginning of Fall Break.

6) Our students continued to learn about responsibility, especially as it relates to READING! We did a dress like a book character day to celebrate the upcoming two-week Read-A-Thon that starts on September 28th!

7) Our soccer and volleyball teams played some REALLY REALLY competitively close games this week against schools like Palma and Carmel (soccer) and Madonna, Seaside Middle, and Pacific Grove (volleyball). Our girls varsity volleyball team procured a win against Seaside Middle while our JV volleyball girls got wins against Madonna and Seaside Middle. Way to go Blue Jays!

Looking forward to an amazing 26'-27' school year. Days 38-42, here we go!

Jay jay, chirp chirp!

READ-A-THON STARTS MONDAY! | September 28–October 11
Our biggest fundraiser of the year starts tomorrow! Have your Blue Jay read every day, log their minutes, and help them ask family and friends to sponsor their reading. Sponsors can give a flat amount or pledge per minute. Kids earn prizes based on minutes read OR money raised, plus daily raffles and grand prizes, including a movie theater trip with Dr. Ashby!

1. Download the full Read-a-Thon packet with all the juicy details.
2. Have your Blue Jay read and log their minutes every day using the Online Reading Log
3. Help your Blue Jay ask family, friends, and community members to sponsor their reading.
4. Visit the 99Pledges Sponsor Page, search for your Blue Jay, and select their name to make a pledge. (You can also use the Sponsorship Form in the packet.)

Last year, our Blue Jays raised an incredible $28,243 through the Read-a-Thon! Every dollar goes right back to supporting our students. This year, we're focusing on enrichment opportunities like after-school clubs and field trips for students in TK–8th grade.

BOOK FAIR IS HERE! | September 28–October 2
And speaking of reading...The Scholastic Book Fair opens Monday too! It’s perfect timing for your Blue Jay to pick out some new books and start racking up those Read-a-Thon minutes. Set up an eWallet for cash-free shopping here.

And a HUGE thank you to everyone who signed up to volunteer! Because of you, we have nearly every shift covered and can keep the Book Fair open all week.

DINING OUT AT ROSINE’S | Wednesday, September 30

Take a night off from cooking and support our Blue Jays! Dine in or take out at Rosine’s and mention “Monte Vista PTO Fundraiser” when ordering.
These easy Dining Out nights really add up! Last year’s Rosine’s fundraiser brought in about $600, and our recent California Pizza Kitchen night raised $825 for the PTO. All you have to do is eat!

REMEMBER THESE?! | Trunk or Treat, October 23
Last year our families absolutely crushed it with their trunks: Ghostbusters, Minecraft, Pokémon, Beetlejuice, Super Mario Bros., Cookie Monster, Addams Family, Silly Goose on the Loose, WWF Wrestling, Under the Sea...and so many more! We can’t wait to see what everyone dreams up this year. Your trunk can be elaborate, silly, spooky, or super simple. We just want you there! We already have some great themes lined up. Join the list! Claim your trunk spot here!

1) Read-A-Thon kicks off Monday, September 28th! It's finally here, so get ready to have a spot in your home and time of day for your child to read or be read to at home. See Read-A-Thon hard copy packets that went home with each child. We have tons of prizes for all levels of reading minutes and money donations students are able to collect. If every student (all 750) at the school is able to get an average of $40 in donations from family and friends, then we will easily meet an amazing amount of $30,000! We know some people might get less than that and some might get more than that, but the average is helpful to remember.

We also have an all-week Book Fair this week with an awesome RIGHT TO READ FAMILY TIPS NIGHT on Tuesday, September 29th, where we will have dinner, the Book Fair open, and some great stations and giveaways that provide some tips and love for reading hacks! The evening will be from 5:30PM-7PM.

2) Our Grades 1-8 Fall Afterschool Enrichment Clubs forms went home last week (and a copy was sent via Parent Square for reference). The sooner you turn in the better since rostering students based on preferences has already commenced. We have some really exciting ones planned and some new ones too.

3) Our next Dining Out Night is this week on Wednesday, September 30th at Rosine's on Alvarado St. It is an all-day one, so breakfast, lunch, or dinner...anyone's game!

4) A LOT of Volleyball and Soccer games happening for Monte Vista this week. See the Sports Update section further below to see if you want to catch any of our blue jays compete in the MTJAL league! We have already had a strong start with all teams securing wins to start!

5) Keep in mind we do not have school the week of October 5th-9th in observance of Fall Break. We will see you Monday, October 12th. Also, if you are leaving town early for any reason, please do an independent study packet for your child, and then return it completed the day your child comes back from Fall Break. Call Berenice Hernandez in the front office at 831-392-3890 or text Dr. Ashby at 831-901-7109.

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

Your Voice Matters: Join us for our District English Learner Advisory Council - MPUSD families are invited to participate in our District English Learner Advisory Council (DELAC) meetings during the 2026 - 2027 school year. DELAC provides parents, guardians, and caregivers with an opportunity to share their voices, learn more about district programs and services, and help shape how we support multilingual learners across MPUSD. All parents, guardians, and caregivers are welcome. Childcare and dinner are provided. Visit our website or see flyer below for dates, times, and location.

September is Attendance Awareness Month - Every school day matters! September is Attendance Awareness Month, a reminder that being at school each day and on time helps students stay connected, keep pace with learning, build confidence, and develop habits for success. At MPUSD, each day counts and every person matters. We also know challenges can sometimes make getting to school difficult, and our schools are here to help. Learn more about why attendance matters and how MPUSD supports students and families. Also, throughout the month we will highlight what attending every day means to our students and staff in video reels on our social media, YouTube channel, and in this newsletter.

UPDATED: Free Food for MPUSD Families - NOTE: The Ord Terrace Elementary School time has changed to 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. We are excited to share chef-prepared, take-home meals for MPUSD families. Visit one of four school sites on various days, including Central Coast High School, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, Ord Terrace Elementary, and Seaside High School.

From Coach Brandi Hobson (PE teacher and athletic director):

Volleyball Weekly Update

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
🏐 Varsity Game vs. DLAMP
📍 Monterey High School
⏰ 4:00 PM
JV Practice: 2:45–4:00 PM

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
JV Practice: 2:45–4:00 PM
Varsity Practice: 4:00–6:00 PM

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
🏐 Game vs. LAMS
📍 Los Arboles Middle School
⏰ JV – 4:00 PM
⏰ Varsity – 5:00 PM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
Varsity Practice: 4:00–6:00 PM
No JV practice

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2
JV Practice: 2:45–4:00 PM
Varsity Practice: 4:00–6:00 PM

Please make sure athletes arrive on time, bring everything they need for practices and games, and communicate with their coach if they will be absent.

BOYS AND GIRLS SOCCER

Here is the schedule for this week:

BOYS
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
JV Practice: 2:45–4:00 PM

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
⚽ Varsity Game vs. Buena Vista
📍 Monte Vista — Home Game
⏰ 4:00 PM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
JV Practice: 2:30–3:30 PM
⚽ Varsity Game vs. LAMS
📍Los Arboles — Away Game
⏰ 4:00 PM

GIRLS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
⚽ Game vs. Buena Vista
📍 Buena Vista ​Middle School - Away
⏰ 4:00 PM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
⚽ Game vs. LAMS
📍Monte Vista - Home Game
⏰ 4:00 PM

Please make sure athletes arrive on time and come prepared with everything they need for practices and games. Please communicate with the coach if your athlete will be absent.

Good luck to all three teams this week! We’re excited to see everyone compete

September 2nd- Seussical Jr. Musical rehearsals begin (Mondays-2:30-3:45PM, Wednesdays, 1-3PM, and Fridays, 2:30-3:45PM)

September 7th- Labor Day holiday, No School

September 14th- Fall Clubs Forms go out to students and parents (priority turn-in as soon as possible from this date but definitely by September 21st, most clubs will probably have filled up + club confirmation emails sent out early the week of September 28th)

September 9th- Fall Picture Day Grades TK-8

September 10th- School Site Vision Council Meeting (calendar invites sent to parents & staff)

September 14th-18th- Outdoor Science School 8th grade at Camp Ocean Pines, Cambria, CA

September 24th- English Language Advisory Council Meeting 6PM-6:30PM (calendar invite sent)

September 28th-October 2nd- Outdoor Science School 5th grade at Mt. Hermon, Santa Cruz, CA

September 28th-October 9th- Annual Monte Vista TK-8 Read-A-Thon & Scholastic Book Fair

September 30th- Dining Out at Rosine's on Alvarado St.

October 5th-9th- FALL BREAK (no school)

October 12th- Return from Fall Break (turning in Read-A-Thon logs and donations during this week)

October 23rd- Trunk or Treat Halloween Family Event at Monte Vista from 5:30-7:30PM

+ Grades 6-8 Halloween Dance from 6PM-8PM.

September 28th- Jonathan Blumenfeld (4th grade)

The eighth week of school wasn't a total nose dive for us when it comes our daily attendance, but our chronic absenteeism rate plummeted! We were above 95% almost the entire week except Thursday where we almost 97%! Our chronic absenteeism rate went from 11.3 to 13.7%...ouch. A gentle reminder, for those families who had 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.

Our Chronic Absenteeism rate went from 11.3% to 13.7%, which is well above our goal of 7%, but with the new independent study requirements, we will take a while to calibrate getting lower again for students who are chronically absent. Our average daily attendance rate stayed at 95.7% (we are 95.9% for the month so far though), which is just below 96%, and a little distance to our goal of 97% for this school year.

Our percentage bands for attendance went down A LOT this week. Satisfactory level was at 63.1% (473 students--43 students less than last week--eek). 175 students in the yellow at risk area (increase of 22 students from last week--eek), 88 students in the orange moderate chronic (increase of 15 students from last week- eek), 14 students in the light red (3 more than last week--eek), severe chronic area, and only 1 student in extreme chronic (same as last week). 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 should kick off in November). 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.