Montera Middle School eBulletin

Block Schedule: AB - a - Ab

Monday January 20: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - No School

Tuesday January 21, 9:15-10:00am: Coffee with the Principal

Thursday January 23, 6:00 - 7:30pm PTO Meeting IN PERSON at Ghost Town Brewing - All are welcome!

Monday January 27:

• Valentine Candygram Sales Begin (lunchtime in the MUR Courtyard)
• Valentine's Dance Ticket Sales Begin (lunchtime in the MUR Courtyard)

Thursday, February 6, 2:30 - 3:30: Lunar New Year Celebration

Sunday February 9: OUSD High School Application Deadline

Friday February 14: Valentine Dance

Wednesday February 19, 6:00 - 6:30pm: 8th Grade Parent/Guardian Zoom Meeting

2024-25 BELL SCHEDULE | TORO TIPS | SUBSCRIBE TO CALENDAR | THE MATADOR

Tuesday January 21

9:15-10:00am

MUR

Please join us for our first Montera PTO meeting of 2025 IN PERSON at Ghost Town Brewing in the Laurel! Thursday Jan 23, 2025 ⋅ 6pm – 7:30pm

Let's come together to kick off the new year and get excited about planning upcoming events like the spring benefit and 8th grade activities. Please come by and say hi even if you can only be there for part of the time.

View upcoming agendas and propose agenda items in the PTO meeting agendas doc.

Thanks,
Melissa

The third annual Lunar New Year Celebration at Montera will be on Thursday, February 6th 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 2025 SignUpGenius or email Ms. Saephan at erica.saephan@ousd.org. Thank you!

Send a sweet message to a friend, teacher, staff or yourself with a Candygram! Students can buy Valentine's Candygrams at lunch in the courtyard beginning January 27 - February 10. $2 for each candygram. All candygram proceeds go toward the 8th grade fund.

We need candy donations! If you can donate bags of candy, please drop them off at the front office by February 7th.

DATE: Friday, Feb 14

TIME: 5pm - 7pm

LOCATION: Montera MUR

TICKETS*: $10 Tickets sold at lunch starting Jan 27 *Permission slip required

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Sign Up HERE.

WARRIORS VS. TRAILBLAZERS

DATE: MONDAY, MARCH 10TH | 7:00 PM

LOCATION: CHASE CENTER

DEADLINE TO ORDER: FEBRUARY 14, 2025

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE

Gather your family and friends and join Montera Middle School at Chase Center as your Golden State Warriors take on the Portland Trail Blazers!

• The first 75 ticket purchasers will be invited to sit in the lower level before the game to watch the players’ warm-up!**
• A limited number of tickets are available. Enjoy exclusive savings and pay NO taxes, surcharges, or fees when securing your tickets through this offer.
• Getting to Chase Center – Visit www.chasecenter.com/transportation-guide to learn more about game day transportation information and more. *REMINDER – Your game day ticket is also your all-day Muni ticket!

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: ANDREA JOHNSON ajohnson_personaltrainer@yahoo.com

Rates can increase based on factors affecting supply and demand.

*All Fan Experience Programs are contingent upon fullfilment of FEP ticket minimum.*

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SECURE YOUR TICKETS!

• Oakland-based nonprofit SupplyBank.org - sending help and resources to school communities.

• The American Red Cross is accepting donations online.

• The California Fire Foundation is taking donations to provide aid and resources for both fire crews and residents.

• The California Community Foundation is accepting donations to its Wildfire Recovery Fund.

• Friends in Deed is accepting donations to help homeless and at-risk residents.

• The L.A. Dream Center is serving as an evacuation center for residents forced to leave their homes.

• The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank is acting as a first responder for this disaster.

• World Central Kitchen’s Relief Team is providing water and food to first responders and families.

• The California School Employees Association offers the Dorothy Bjork Assistance Fund for members who need emergency assistance.

• The California Teachers Association provides members with assistance through the Disaster Relief Fund.

• The California Federation of Teachers also provides a CFT Disaster Relief Fund for members.

The Montera Annual Fund pays for supplies, events and facilities improvements not covered by the OUSD budget. It's the most flexible, general way to support our school. https://montera.ousd.org/get-involved/fundraising (See the sidebar on this page for more ways to donate, too.)

Our Giving Tuesday page has links if you want to donate directly to Sports, Music or 8th Grade Activities:
https://montera.ousd.org/get-involved/fundraising/givingtuesday

All my kids will be in high school next year, so these are my last few months editing the Montera eBulletin! Ideally someone interested in taking over next year will shadow me and/or take over before the end of this semester so that I can pass on all the info! This is an ideal position for someone who has less time to come onto campus for hands-on volunteering and who enjoys editing text and either creating or finding images to bring the newsletter to life. The time I spend adds up to just one or two hours a week (sometimes more, sometimes less). We use Smore to edit the newsletter, which is a simple platform to learn, and I use Canva to create logos and images, but this is not required. If you are organized, detail oriented, and like to get the scoop on the school schedule...this is the job for you! Email me (Christy): ebulletin@monterapto.com if you are interested!

Thanks to The Oakland Public Education Fund and our 8th Grade English teacher Mr. Behar, Montera has a recording studio that is open for students to record songs! Two 8th Grade students recorded their song on Friday to officially open the studio for School of Rap. Soon there will be a schedule for after school recording sessions.

*Please contact Mr. D (thomas.demerath@ousd.org) to schedule time to work on songs and prepare to record songs this winter and spring.

School of Rap's most recent video was filmed at Montera and 15 of Oakland's public schools plus a couple of landmarks and captures some of the beauty and spirit of Oakland. It will be featured in elementary school presentations by OUSD Sustainability, Waste Management and Stop Waste where kids learn about sorting waste. Watch the video and learn more here: https://youtu.be/gw8Ljxns-Hk?si=ZDcVx2UHU7VrT4SL

Follow here: @schoolofrap510 (IG) @planetecorap (IG & TikTok)

It's time to submit 8th grade baby photos for the yearbook! Eighth grade parents and caregivers are invited to submit baby pictures of their students for inclusion in the 2024-2025 Montera yearbook. Photos should be in JPG format and a minimum of 500kb to make sure they print well. Please email your photo to MonteraYearbookClub@gmail.com by January 31, 2025 and don't forget to include your student's name in the email.

8th Grade Parents and Guardians - there's still time to tour High Schools! Check out all the school tour information for OUSD High Schools here: Transition to High School

If you missed the OUSD High School Information Night hosted by Montera PTO, here is the Zoom recording for you: https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/play/ATJCVg-mgxbxI5rCSYwPO3abb8oT7eNvf_LChb-mFZLc9813v2rhZfZsu9WrpkMZ9El-Aht8VTwkp-gq.I29FTSZDKne02wMr

Passcode: ubHK7Wn. (the period is part of the passcode!)

IMPORTANT: The OUSD high school information application window is now open and will close on February 9th. Please make sure to go to www.chooseousd.org to complete the application before the deadline.

8th Grade Activities for 2024-25 - UPDATED INFO:

• Six Flags Trip: Wednesday, April 16th, 2025
• 8th Grade Dinner Dance: Saturday, May 17 2025

• Picnic in the Park: Friday, May 23 2025
• 8th Grade Promotion: May 28, 2025, 3pm* (subject to change)

All activities require VOLUNTEERS: Sign up here.

Questions: 8thgradeactivities@monterapto.com | MORE INFO

Trip Dates: March 27 - April 1, 2025

Links: Itinerary | Donate | Scholarship Application

Questions?: Contact Mr. Cooper, Trip Leader: samuel.cooper@ousd.org

REGISTER | INTEREST FORM | DONATE | LEARN MORE

QUESTIONS: martin.price@ousd.org or sports@monterapto.com

URGENT! JV BASKETBALL COACH NEEDED

Boys JV basketball needs a coach asap or they won't be able to compete. Please contact Martin Price, AD at Martin.price@ousd.org and sports@monterapto.com.

Seeking Soccer Coach Volunteers!

We are looking for soccer coach volunteers for Boys Varsity 2. If interested to find out more please email Martin Price, AD Martin.price@ousd.org and sports@monterapto.com.

Some great shots from the Adventure Club's Lady Bug Hike! Click here to see more Toro Pride Pics.

These and many more opportunities are available to our Montera community, OUSD, and beyond. Items appear in the eBulletin for 2 weeks. Please click here for the full list of current programs.

OpenBrackets is a nonprofit that teaches free computer programming lessons to youth. We take a unique approach to teaching; all our classes are designed and taught by high school students. Over the last four years, we taught classes to hundreds of students, providing them with a foundation to pursue futures in technology.

We would like to offer this opportunity to the students of Montera Middle School. Our classes are a good opportunity for students to explore different aspects of computer coding. Check out our website and registration link (openbrackets.us/register) for more info on our courses and organization.

We are excited to invite your students to participate in our Math Contest! This event will test your mathematical abilities, foster problem-solving skills, and provide a fun and competitive environment.

Event Details:

• Date: February 23rd, 2025
• Time: 9:30 am - 11:30 am PST.
• Location: Multiple Locations - Fremont , Milpitas ,San Jose , Cupertino
• Eligibility: Grade 1 - 6 students
• Registration Deadline: February 15th, 2025

The Math Contest will feature a range of problems, for specific grades designed to test both your speed and accuracy. Whether you're a seasoned math enthusiast or looking to test yourself, this contest is a great opportunity to explore your skills.

How to Register: To sign up, simply go to https://bayareachampion.com/. Be sure to register soon to secure your spot! There are limited spots at each location.

We look forward to seeing you there.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to bayareachampion@gmail.com.

Best regards,
BAC Team
Bay Area Champion
->Run By Youth Who Believe in Learning & Growing

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eBulletin is produced throughout the school year on a weekly basis by the Montera Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) except on holidays. It sometimes contains ads from our sponsors and/or services from the community. These advertisements do not imply endorsement of any product or service by OUSD, Montera Middle School, or the Montera PTO.

If you have news you'd like to include, please send it to eBulletin@monterapto.com by 5pm on Friday. Submissions may be edited for spelling, grammar, brevity and clarity. In addition, while we strive for accuracy, being human sometimes gets in the way. If you spot an important error, please bring it to our attention. Thanks!

We Are Montera. We Are One.

Email: communications@monterapto.com | Website: https://www.ousd.org/montera

Location: 5555 Ascot Drive, Oakland, CA, USA | Phone: (510) 531-6070

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