Montera Middle School eBulletin
May 4, 2025
Important Dates
Block Schedule: AB - a - AB
Sunday May 4, 9pm: Online Auction Closes BID NOW
Saturday May 10, 12:00pm - 2:00pm: New Student Welcome
Tuesday May 13:
- 5:30pm - 7:30pm: Montera Heritage Potluck (PLEASE RSVP)
- 5:30pm - 7:30pm: Montera Expo / Family Night
Thursday May 15, 6:30 - 7:30pm: PTO Meeting
Friday, May 16, 5:30-7:30PM: Spring Sports Banquet
Saturday May 17, 5:30 - 8:30pm: 8th Grade Dinner Dance
Wednesday May 21, 9:15 - 10:00am: Coffee Chat with Dr. Williams
Friday May 23, 9:15 - 3:00pm: 8th Grade Picnic
Tuesday May 27: 8th Grade Promotion (4:00pm Arrival, 4:30pm Ceremony)
Wednesday, May 28: Field Day for 6th & 7th Grade
Thursday May 29: Last Day of School
TONIGHT
LAST CHANCE TO BID!
YES, THERE'S STILL TIME (but just 3 hours)
There's just A FEW HOURS LEFT of the online auction ! Check it out BEFORE 9PM TONIGHT and grab some really great deals on everything including summer camps, vacation stays, restaurant gift cards, music and dance classes and so much more! This auction has something for everyone Check out all the great options and place your bids here BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE: https://paybee.io/@montera@32
Anyone can bid, so please share this link with your friends, family, and neighbors who want to support Montera, too.
THANK YOU!
Thank you to everyone who came out for May-di Gras to support Montera! Huge thanks to our benefit committee Christy Ambrose, Tiffany Grissette, Elizheva Hurvich, Nicky Neal and Emily Quinn for putting on a fantastic event. Thank you to our awesome DJs Alain Grissette and Michael Addicott for rocking the tunes. Big thanks to Mike Geddes for being our emcee and auctioneer. Thank you Raine Dougan for leading guest check-in. And thank you to Zanzi for hosting us again! Much gratitude to all our auction bidders and winners. We’ll share fundraising totals next week after the online auction closes!
EVENTS
OPEN HOUSE - Montera Expo Night
TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2025
5:30PM - 7:30PM
OPEN HOUSE Montera Expo Night
PRESENTED BY LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE
Celebrating Our Scholars! Join us for an exciting evening filled with:
- Interactive Science Activities
- Art Walk & Wood Shop Gallery
- Classroom Exhibits and more!
Don't miss out on this opportunity! Come explore the campus and witness the creativity and innovation of our talented students!
Montera Heritage Potluck - Tuesday May 13
Hello Toros,
Join us for a fun and tasty Heritage Potluck to celebrate our different cultures and traditions! Bring a dish that’s special to your heritage and share its story with us.
Date: Tuesday, May 13th
Time: 5:30-7:30 PM
Location: Montera Middle School, Room 303
RSVP Here: Montera Heritage Potluck RSVP
We can't wait to enjoy the food and stories from all our diverse backgrounds!
See you there!
-SYL
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Give to the Annual Fund
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
Montera Sports
REGISTER | INTEREST FORM | DONATE | LEARN MORE
QUESTIONS: martin.price@ousd.org or sports@monterapto.com
SPRING SPORTS UPDATES:
ULTIMATE FRISBEE: Today in Tracy, Toros Ultimate played in 20-30 MPH wind ALL DAY LONG. Our team showed so much resolve and character. We lost 9-1 to a well-established 'King' team (MLK Jr. MS in Berkeley) who took home the trophy today. We played great defense and made them work for every point, even managing to score. Next we tied the 5th seed from Albany. The wind was such that the final score was 2-2. Ultimate does not typically end in a tie. But we didn't have 20 min to play one more point.
In the play-offs we lost to Stacks, an established club team from Campbell. Their coach was perhaps savvier in recognizing when to call half-time which gave them the next downfield score and an inevitable victory, 6-5. Finally, we played Revolucion, from Tijuana, Mexico. We fought hard and scored one upwind point which allowed us to lock in the win, 3-2.
Spirit circles occurred after every game and our players couldn't wait to shower their opponents with accolades. Our kids bonded with each other and players from other teams.
A 1-2-1 record is pretty fantastic for this team 6 weeks into their Ultimate journey. Most everyone there had 1-2 years of experience inside multi-year programs. Facing these conditions, the best of the best would have struggled today. Nevertheless, fun was had by all.
Thanks for supporting us in this event. It was so worth it.
Spring Sports Banquet:
Montera Spring Sports Banquet: Friday, May 16th 5:30-7:30PM in the MUR.
Please use the link below to volunteer and RSVP!
Montera Middle School: Spring Sports Banquet 5:30-7:30PM Friday, May 16 2025
SCHOOL NEWS
Join the Montera PTO Board Next Year!
The best way to get to know Montera and the great community here is to join the PTO Board! We have open positions in 2025-26, some require just an hour or two a week, and it's not too soon to jump in! Nominate yourself or someone else here (https://forms.gle/nrMWn2QE9BmU96sLA)
IMPORTANT! California Healthy Kids Survey
It's not too late to complete the California Healthy Kids Survey! The CHKS is California’s largest statewide survey of resiliency, protective factors, and risk behaviors and leads to a better understanding of the relationship between students’ health, behaviors and academic performance.
Our goal is to get 100% Montera student and parent participation. As a reminder, the CHKS is anonymous and the data is used by the school to identify areas of continuous improvement of school safety, culture, health, etc. CHKS survey results are also used to raise and maintain state grant funding for student services and programs.
Families, if you have not done so already, please use this link to fill out the Parent survey.
8th GRADE NEWS
8th Grade Activities
8th Grade Dinner Dance: Saturday, May 17 5:30 - 8:30pm
Picnic in the Park: Friday, May 23 9:15 - 3pm8th Grade Promotion: Tuesday May 27, 4:00pm arrival 4:30pm Ceremony
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR ALL ACTIVITIES: SIGN UP
Questions: 8thgradeactivities@monterapto.com | MORE INFO
6th Grade News
Spots Available for 6th Graders - Trip to Japan!
Dear Montera 6th Grade family:
We’re going to explore Japan on an educational tour in Summer 2026, and your student is invited! We are hosting a virtual meeting on Tuesday, May 6, from 6-7 PM for families to learn more. Please register for the meeting using the highlighted link below (for security reasons, it’s the only way to get the meeting location!)
Why this opportunity now?
We have witnessed first-hand the transformative impact these travel experiences have on students, and we deeply believe in these opportunities for our students to grow in
independence and confidence, develop teamwork and collaboration skills, a better
understanding of the world and their place in it, and to set themselves apart in their futures, and we are excited to see this growth in your student.
We would like to give families as much time as possible to spread out the cost and fundraise
(the trip price we’ll discuss at the meeting also includes a limited-time $200 discount).
Please visit this link to register for the meeting (for security reasons, you must register for the meeting in order to receive the meeting link): https://bit.ly/4jvFPGd We’ll cover all the details, including the itinerary, activities, academic and scholarship opportunities, and the cost of our trip. There are limited spots on this tour, so we would love to have you attend this meeting to learn more about this exciting opportunity!
Dr. Emrick & Ms. Recco
Toro Pride Pics
Career Week was a huge success! | Our Toro Musicians gave us two nights of beautiful music!
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.
Come See MONTERA ALUMS in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
A charming and hilarious musical that blends humor, heart, and a bit of chaos. With a quirky set of characters and witty dialogue, this show explores themes of adolescence, the pressure to succeed, and the awkwardness of growing up, all through the lens of a regional spelling bee competition. Featuring a mix of catchy songs and comedic moments, it’s definitely one of those shows where both the absurdity of the competition and the emotional vulnerability of the characters create a blend of humor and heart that resonates with audiences.
TICKETS : https://forms.diamondmindinc.com/bishopodowd/spellingbeeplay?token=481507736
DATES: May 2 - May 11 7pm Fridays & Saturday, 2pm Sundays
The James T. Bill '55 Theater at Bishop O'Dowd
9500 Stearns Ave, Oakland
Camp Galileo - Discount & Montera Fundraiser!
USE CODE: MONTERAMS50 for $50 off your purchase + $50 donation to Montera for every family registration!
What’s Camp Galileo All About?
~Convenient Location: Glenview Elementary, 4215 La Cresta Ave, Oakland, CA 94602
~ Simple Scheduling: Weekly sessions with 8-9am morning and 3-6pm afternoon extended care options
~Engaging Curriculum: K-8th STEAM projects, hands-on collaboration & outdoor play every day
~Summer Fun: Water days, fun machines, rubber, chicken cheers, skits, songs & more!
~Spectacular Staff: Our experienced staffers facilitate friendships & make camp magic
~Innovation for All: Camp scholarship information & applications available on our website
Mr. D's Music Club - Performing Arts Summer Camp
Mr. D’s Music Club is a multi-award-winning performing arts summer camp where kids ages 8–13 spend a fun-filled week singing, dancing, acting, and creating art in a joyful, supportive environment. Each week features a brand-new theme that inspires our talented teaching artists to create original choreography, imaginative scripts, unique art projects, and one-of-a-kind playlists full of songs kids love to sing.
Our focus? Building confidence, making friends, and celebrating creativity—without the pressure of perfection. Each camp week culminates in a high-energy performance for friends and family, where every camper shines.
Teens ages 14–15 can join our Leader-In-Training program to gain experience, build skills, and be part of the fun.
Sibling and multi-camp discounts available. Financial aid is offered. Conveniently located in Upper Rockridge. Learn more at mrdsmusicclub.com
Montera families can enjoy $25 off with promo code: MrDsLovesMontera2025 (expires 5/4/25)
Thank You to our Sponsors!
There's still time for your business to become a sponsor and get months of advertising in the eBulletin, on the Montera website, and at the Benefit! Want to become a sponsor? Please contact president@monterapto.com
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Montera Middle School
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.
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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