Montera Middle School eBulletin
February 22, 2026
This week's school schedule: AB -b- AB
Upcoming Events:
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)
Tuesday, March 10: Coffee with Doc (9:30-10:15 Room 303)
Saturday, March 14: Montera's 2026 Benefit at Zanzi (Adults Only, Buy Tickets Here)
Thursday, March 19: PTO Meeting (6:30pm via Zoom)
Wednesday, March 25: Career Day
Lunar New Year Celebration- Adult Volunteers Needed on Thursday!
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!
You are invited to present at Montera Middle School's Annual Career Day! Career Day will be on Wednesday, March 25th. If you have time and are able to join us, we would love to have you here. Please complete the form to let us know what times you are available and what you will need from us: Montera Career Day 2026 - Participant Sign-Up Form
If you know anyone else who would be interested in participating, please forward this message. Our goal is to have a speaker in every class, every period and the only way we can reach this goal is with everyone's support. In addition, we are also having a mini career fair for anyone interested in tabling during lunchtime. Thank you and hope to hear from you soon!
Erica Saephan
School Counselor
erica.saephan@ousd.org
Thank you to everyone who joined our PTO meeting on Thursday, 2/19 on Zoom. We appreciate you taking the time to stay informed, ask questions, and support the work we are doing for our school community! If you were not able to attend, no worries, you can catch up on everything we covered by reviewing the slides and you can also watch the recording here (Passcode: 6^G@?9YU).
Montera Rowing Initiative
March 17 & March 19
Montera Middle School has partnered with Eat. Learn. Play. and Oakland Strokes to launch a rowing initiative for any Montera middle school students who are interested in participating!
This exciting opportunity will:
Introduce students to the sport of rowing directly on our campus
Provide access to a non-traditional and growing sport
Build strength, endurance, and teamwork
Offer the opportunity to compete against other Oakland middle schools
During lunch on March 17 & 19, interested students will participate in on-campus rowing sessions and friendly competitions. Students may have the opportunity to represent Montera in inter-school rowing competitions. No prior experience is necessary — just interest, effort, and a willingness to compete with integrity.
Win with class. Lose with class. Compete with heart.
Spring Sports Season
Season begins the last week of March.
This spring, Montera plans to offer:
Baseball
Ultimate Frisbee
Wrestling
Girls Softball
Boys Volleyball
Track
Boys & Girls Futsal
Lacrosse
Golf
Boys Baseball Tryouts
Tryouts for Boys Baseball will begin on Wednesday, March 4.
Girls Softball Tryouts
Girls Softball tryouts will be Friday, March 6 at 3:45pm.
Tryout and sign-up information for all other sports will be shared soon.
Spring Coaches Still Needed
We currently need coaches for:
Boys Volleyball
Boys & Girls Futsal
Lacrosse
We are fully staffed for:
Girls Softball
Boys Baseball
Track
Wrestling
Ultimate Frisbee
If you are interested in volunteering as a coach and supporting our student-athletes, please contact:
AD Martin Price / martin.price@ousd.org
Your involvement directly impacts our students — building confidence, teamwork, and school pride.
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
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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