Montera Middle School eBulletin
February 15, 2026
This week's school schedule: ---B -a- aB
Upcoming Events:
Monday, February 16: President's Day (No School)
Wednesday, February 18 & Thursday, February 19: Parent/Teacher Conferences (more details to come)
Thursday, February 19: Minimum Day (Dismissal at 1:50pm)
Thursday, February 19: PTO Meeting (6:30pm via Zoom)
Friday, February 20: AAMA Fathers Breakfast (9:00am)
Monday, February 23- Friday, February 27: Black History Spirit Week
Wednesday, February 25: Black History Night Gala (6:00-7:30pm in the MUR, RSVP here)
Thursday, February 26: Lunar New Year Celebration (Sign up to volunteer)
Saturday, March 14: Montera's 2026 Benefit (Adults Only, Buy Tickets Here)
February PTO Meeting on Thursday
Join us for the PTO meeting on Thursday, February 19 at 6:30 pm via Zoom. We’ll share important updates, highlight upcoming events, and discuss ways families can get involved. A meeting reminder and the agenda will be sent out on Parent Square the day of the meeting.
Meeting ID: 816 9772 7172
Passcode: Toros!
AAMA Fathers' Breakfast on Friday
African American Male Achievement students and their fathers are invited to the AAMA Fathers' Breakfast on Friday, February 20 at 9am.
If you are a parent of an AAMA student please check Parent Square or RSVP here: Fathers Breakfast
For any questions, please contact Mr. B at bycha.buxton@ousd.org
Huge thanks to all the Montera staff and volunteers who chaperoned and brought snacks, drinks and pizza.
Shout-out to the SYL classes and Mr. Buxton for the awesome planning and setup, you all knocked it out of the park!
Check out the photo booth gallery here.
Lunar New Year Celebration - Adult Volunteers Needed
The fourth annual Lunar New Year Celebration at Montera will be on Thursday, February 26th from 2:30 - 3:30 PM. There will be food, music, and fun activities. We are looking for adult volunteers to help with food preparation, set-up, host an activity, and/or supervise.
If you are available, please sign-up here: Lunar New Year Celebration - Adult Volunteer Sign-Up or email Ms. Saephan at erica.saephan@ousd.org. Thank you!
Spring Sports Preview
This spring, Montera is planning to offer the following programs:
Baseball
Ultimate Frisbee
Wrestling
Girls Softball
Boys Volleyball
Track
Boys & Girls Futsal
Possibly Lacrosse
Possibly Golf
The spring season will begin the last week of March.
We are currently seeking parent-volunteer coaches, especially for our spring programs. If you’re interested in joining the Montera Toro Team and supporting our student-athletes, please contact AD Price at martin.price@ousd.org as soon as possible.
Go Toros!
1) Order Your 2025–26 Montera Yearbook
Although the yearbook pre-sale has ended, it’s never too late to order your copy! Yearbooks will be delivered to the school in mid-May. Scan the QR code or CLICK HERE to order from Treering. The cost is $34.85 plus tax.
2) First-Time Ordering?
If you haven’t ordered before or are new to Montera, you’ll be prompted to create a login and add your student(s) information. When selecting a teacher, please choose “N/A (Not Listed/Applicable)” from the dropdown menu.
3) We Want Your Photos!
If you have great shots from school events or campus moments, email them to MonteraYearbookClub@gmail.com and include student names and short captions. Photos should be in JPG format and at least 500kb to print clearly.
California funds schools through Average Daily Attendance (ADA). This means that every day or period a student is absent or tardy, our school loses funding. Unexcused absences cost our school thousands of dollars each school year. Every minute counts!
Reminders:
AVOID picking up students during lunch - loud speaker announcements during lunch disrupt classes in session.
AVOID picking up students 20-30 minutes before the dismissal bell. This allows students to finish their school day without disruption.
Dismissal is at 1:50 pm on Wednesdays and 3:30 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
Remember, school starts at 9:15! Please help your student arrive on time each day and reinforce the importance of showing up to 3rd & 7th period after lunch!
Any absence not verified by phone or email is marked “Unverified” and is considered unexcused.
If you know that your student is going to be absent, please call the main office at 510-879-3211 x1.
If your family is experiencing challenges with daily attendance, we are here to support you. Contact your grade-level principal or Ms. Ida at the number above for assistance.
Camp Galileo: Discount for You + Donation to Montera!
When you book Camp Galileo you can save money and support Montera by using our unique fundraising code, 26NFUNZNF. You'll save $50 off your purchase; Montera will receive a $50 donation for each family in return - a win-win! You can combine with an early bird promotion to save $50 a week if you book by Feb 28. View the finalized summer calendar at galileo-camps.com.
Free Computer Science Classes with OpenBrackets
OpenBrackets, a local non-profit which offers free Computer Science Classes to kids from underrepresented communities, invites Montera students to our free classes this spring! We have had over 200 students in the past semesters and are offering 3 free courses this Spring from March 9th to April 27th. We would love to let your students know about this opportunity! Our website and the flyer provided here has more information and instructions as to how to sign up.
Please contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you!
Sameeksha Kallesha Kumar
OpenBrackets
UC Berkeley's Academic Talent Development Program (ATDP)
Dear Montera Middle School,
On behalf of UC Berkeley's Academic Talent Development Program (ATDP), I am reaching out to let you know about an exciting scholarship opportunity available to your students this summer!
ABOUT ATDP
ATDP’s Secondary Division (SD) offers challenging and intellectually stimulating summer courses to high achieving and hardworking students who are currently completing 7th through 11th grade. SD courses are offered online or in-person on the UC Berkeley campus and are fast-paced yet rich in content, typically spanning 4-6 weeks.
ABOUT THE PATHWAY SCHOLARSHIP
While ATDP offers need-based financial aid to help all qualified applicants attend our program, the ATDP’s Pathway Scholarship is a competitive scholarship program reserved for exceptionally brilliant and hardworking middle and high schoolers. The Pathway Scholarship program awards a select group of highly qualified and dedicated students with:
Full tuition and fees for one SD On-Site course,
Access to a dedicated academic counselor, and
Additional community-building and learning opportunities to supplement their experience at ATDP.
ENCOURAGE YOUR STUDENTS TO APPLY!
We encourage all students who meet the following criteria to apply for the Pathway Scholarship program:
Must currently be in 7th through 11th grade
Must be applying for an SD On-Site course with ATDP this summer
Must be hardworking, academically motivated, and have demonstrated resilience and perseverance in the face of significant hardships
Must have demonstrated a need for financial assistance (e.g. FRLP eligibility)
All of the details on how students can apply for the Pathway Scholarship program can be found here.
The deadline for students to complete all components of the application is Monday, March 23, 2026.
If you have any further questions, feel free to email me (cirivera@berkeley.edu) or the ATDP office (atdpoffice@berkeley.edu) at any time.
Warmly,
Carlos Rivera Bernabé, M.A. (he/him)
Ph.D. Student, School Psychology
Berkeley School of Education | LinkedIn
University of California, Berkeley
Eat. Learn. Play. Kids Fun Run
Saturday, Mar. 21
10:00 AM
Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts (Oakland)
The Oakland Marathon and Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation are excited to invite OUSD students and families to take part in the Eat. Learn. Play. Kids Fun Run on Saturday, March 21.
All OUSD students ages 12 and under can register for free using code OUSDKIDS.
Parents, guardians, teachers, and other members of the OUSD community are welcome to join in the fun as well. Use code OUSDFAM to receive 25% off registration for the Kids Race, 5K, 10K, half marathon, or full marathon. Please register at oaklandmarathon.com.
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We Are Montera. We Are One.
Email: communications@monterapto.com | Website: https://montera.ousd.org/
Location: 5555 Ascot Drive, Oakland, CA, USA | Phone: (510) 531-6070