Montera Middle School eBulletin
September 28, 2025
This week's school schedule: AB -a- AB
Upcoming Events:
Monday, September 29 - Wednesday, October 8: Candy Gram Sales!
Tuesday, September 30 - Thursday, October 2: 6th Grade Field Trip to Slide Ranch
Thursday, October 2: Fall Sports Meeting (6:00-7:00pm via Zoom)
Friday, October 3: Montera Under the Stars Movie Night (6:30-9:00pm, RSVP here)
Monday, October 6: Building a Health(ier) School Community Night (5:30-7:30pm in the MUR)
Monday, October 13: No School (Indigenous People's Day)
Tuesday, October 14: Coffee with Doc (9:30-10:15am, Room 303)
Tuesday, October 14 - Friday, October 17: SPIRIT WEEK!
Tuesday, October 14 - Tuesday, October 21: Halloween Dance Ticket Sales
Wednesday, October 15: Fall Wellness Day (11:00am-1:00pm, Parent Volunteers Needed)
Thursday, October 16: PTO Meeting (6:30-7:30pm via Zoom)
Monday, October 20 - Thursday, October 23: 7th Grade Field Trip to Rob Hill (Presidio SF)
Friday, October 24: Picture Day Retakes
Saturday, October 25: Montera's Fall Fest! (2:00-5:00pm)
Wednesday, October 29: Halloween Dance (5:00-7:30pm in the MUR)
Friday, October 31: Halloween Costume Contest
Dear Montera Families,
Did you know your gift to the Annual Fund could be matched by your employer - doubling your impact at no extra cost?
Many companies, big and small, participate in matching gift programs. That means a $500 contribution could become $1,000, moving us closer to our $50,000 goal by October 15!
Companies like Disney, Pixar, Airbnb, Google, Apple, Salesforce, Kaiser, Microsoft, Epic Games, Visa and many more offer this benefit.
It’s easy! Just submit your receipt through your employer’s matching gift portal or HR.
While the suggested contribution amount is $450 per student, a gift—no matter the size—makes a lasting impact on the student experience at Montera. Our goal is to see 100% of Toro families make a contribution of any amount! Your gift matters!
Give online today or return this form with a check.
Montera Under the Stars Movie Night
Join us in the Montera MUR Courtyard for a movie night under the stars on Friday, October 3, 2025 • 6:30–9:00pm. We will be showing Lilo and Stitch (2025).
- No entrance fee
- Snacks will be available for purchase - CASH ONLY
- Bring lawn chairs, blankets, or mats to get comfortable while you watch
- All students must be accompanied by an adult
Please RSVP by October 2, 2025 at 9:00pm.
🎃Halloween Dance
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 | 5:00-7:30 pm
Get ready for a spooky good time at Montera’s Halloween Dance!
Ticket Sales:
Dance tickets will be sold during school, Tuesday, October 14 - Tuesday, October 21 (cash only)
Students must have a signed permission slip in order to purchase a ticket
Permission slips will be handed out at school, and we will also link it in the eBulletin so families can print from home
Parent Volunteers Needed: Please check out the available slots here and sign up.
A huge shout-out to Georgia for designing this Halloween Dance flyer!
Join us for Community Restorative Night on October 6, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:30pm in the MUR. Dinner will be served. This adults-only gathering will focus on open conversation, partnership, and mutual support as we continue working toward a stronger school community. This restorative night is a follow up to the Building a Healthy School Community presentation shared at the PTO meeting on September 18.
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:
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!
Students should not be picked up within 30 minutes of dismissal. Dismissal is 1:50 pm on Wednesdays and minimum days and 3:30 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
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.
At Montera, we love to celebrate Toro attendance milestones! To cap off the end of the marking period - on Friday, October 26, students enjoyed a fun lunch time event with music, songs and treat bags filled with chips and Capri Suns!
Fall Wellness Day
When: Wednesday, October 15, 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
We are seeking support from parent volunteers to lead/co-lead lunchtime booths. The time commitment would be ~11:00-1:00pm to allow time for set up and clean up. We are hoping to get 8-10 volunteers if possible.
Below are some booths/activities we have had in the past but we are open to more ideas/activities!
Wellness Wall
Puzzle station
Yoga/stretching: Peace Garden
Lawn Games
Music
Wellness Wheel
Affirmation Station
Blender Bike
Badminton in the Courtyard
Volleyball on the Blacktop
Please contact our counselors if you can volunteer:
Nico Ramos (nico.ramos@ousd.org)
Erica Saephan (erica.saephan@ousd.org)
The informational zoom meeting about the Summer 2027 Korea trip for current 6th graders is being rescheduled for another night soon. Stay tuned for updates about the rescheduled meeting. We can't wait to tell you more!
Montera Travel Club
Place an order for your 2025-26 Montera yearbook before October 31st and save 10% off the regular price of $34.85 and cross a task off your back-to-school to-do list! Yearbooks will be delivered to the school in the middle of May. Scan this QR code or click HERE to order from Treering.
Oct 2nd Fall Sports Meeting
Join us for an important webinar hosted by Martin Price (Athletic Director) & Aquil Rasheed (PTO VP Athletics) as we discuss the behavioral expectations of student-athletes and parents. This session will highlight the values of respect, teamwork, and sportsmanship that help create a positive environment on and off the field.
Date: Thursday, October 2nd
Time: 6 -7PM
Location: Online Webinar Link | Passcode: Toros
This is a valuable opportunity for athletes, parents, and coaches to come together, set shared standards, and ensure our sports programs continue to be a source of pride for the Montera Sports community.
FREE Creative Arts After School Program on Wednesdays: Step It Up
Oakland School of the Arts (OSA) is launching the Step It Up program — offering FREE creative classes to BIPOC 5th–8th graders across Oakland. APPLIATIONS NOW OPEN! Programs include:
Creative Writing
Dance
Filmmaking
Fashion Design
Instrumental Music
Media Arts
Theatre
Visual Art
Vocal Music
Questions? Email stepitup@oakarts.org or visit the website to learn more or apply: Step It Up.
Come Mountain Biking with Us!
Is your middle schooler curious about mountain biking? Oakland's middle school development team, or DEVO, is excited to announce that our 2026 pre-season schedule is now available! Be sure to also check out the November 15th GRiT (Girls Riding Together) ride for all female-identifying and nonbinary middle school riders of all levels! Beginners welcome and loaner bikes available at ALL rides. Please complete an information or registration form and feel free to reach out to 7th grade mom and Skyline High School MTB Coach Becky Grigsby at rbgrigsby@gmail.com with any questions. Let's get more kids on bikes!
Fall Learning Series: The OUSD Budget
Session #2: Unpacking Our Centralized Budget
Monday, Sept. 29
5:30 to 8:00 PM
Zoom Link | Meeting ID: 857 8621 7149 | By Phone: 1-669-900-9128
Join us for a special learning series this fall about the OUSD budget and how district budgeting works. The purpose of this series is to support the participation of our community in the budget process and to help answer ongoing questions.
OUSD College & Career Night
Explore the future at the Oakland Unified School District College & Career Night! This event is open to all K-12 students and their families.
Come and meet representatives from a variety of colleges and universities and explore different career options. It's a perfect opportunity to get your questions answered and plan your next steps!
Date: Wednesday, October 15th
Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Location: Oakland High School Main Gym, 1023 MacArthur Blvd.
Admission is FREE!
Oakland Promise Fall Workshops
Oakland Promise offers a monthly Community Connections workshop on a variety of topics useful to OUSD families. TWO $50 Visa gift cards are raffled off to attendees at every workshop! Below are the next two events and click here for the annual schedule and multilingual flyers.
October 21: College Affordability
Learn about the factors that go into paying for college, including strategies that you can use to lower costs.
November 18: Financial Aid Literacy
We’ll be reviewing how to apply for financial aid, and what free money students can apply to to make college affordable!
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Montera Middle School
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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