Montera Middle School eBulletin
September 7, 2025
Important Dates
This week's school schedule: AB -b- AB
( b = Minimum B Day)
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, September 11 - Crazy Sock Day! (See below for details)
Wednesday, September 17 - Thursday, September 18 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (Minimum Days, 9:15-1:50pm)
Thursday, September 18: Montera PTO Meeting (6:30-7:30pm via Zoom); End of the Marking Period
Friday, September 19: No School (Professional Development Day)
Monday, September 22 & Friday, September 26: Picture Days!
Friday, October 3: Montera Under the Stars Movie Night (6:30-9:00pm, details below)
Monday, October 13: No School (Indigenous People's Day)
Saturday, October 25: Montera's Fall Fest! (2:00-5:00pm)
Support the Annual Fund
Annual Fund Update: How Your Contribution Supports the Principal & Leadership Team
Dear Toro Families,
Thank you to everyone who has already made a gift to support this year’s annual fund goal of $50,000. We’re getting closer! The annual fund supports important programs and all the behind the scenes work we don’t always see. The funds we raise will help support the people who work tirelessly to build a stronger, more connected and responsive school - Principal Williams and the dedicated administrative team.
Your tax deductible gift to the annual fund will help support:
Professional development and training opportunities that help staff grow and bring new strategies into the school.
Campus improvements initiated by the principal - from beautification efforts to safety or maintenance upgrades.
Events and enrichment that promote school culture, student belonging, and family engagement.
Flex funds to address urgent or unexpected needs - whether it's replacing a broken piece of equipment, funding a student program, or supporting a teacher-led initiative.
Our goal is to raise $450 per student. A gift - no matter the size - will make a difference. Consider a smaller monthly gift if $450 does not fit your budget. And if you can give more, we encourage your generosity. Give online today or return this form with a check.
Check with your employer to see if your contribution will be matched!
Montera's Fall Fest
Fall Fest is back on Saturday, October 25 from 2:00-5:00 pm. Entry is FREE and there will be food, music and fun for the whole family!
We still need volunteers! Join the Fall Fest committee as one of three leads, or help out on the day with set-up, activity shifts, or clean-up. Every bit of help makes a big difference!
Fall Fest Coordinators: Hector Salazar & Catrina Vrankovich
Food Lead – OPEN: Organize food vendors and concessions, including snacks, drinks, and coordinating volunteers for serving.
Haunted House Lead – OPEN: Plan the Haunted House and lead set up the night before Fall Fest. (There is plenty of Haunted House décor stored at the school to help bring this to life)
Entertainment Stage Lead – OPEN: Coordinate the stage setup and work with the Activity Lead to organize the performance schedule.
Raffle Lead: Melissa Schmidt
Decorations Lead: Nikki Neal
Use the button below to volunteer, or send an email to president@monterapto.com
Upcoming Toro Fun!
Montera Under the Stars Movie Night
Friday, October 3, 2025 • 6:30–9:00 pm
Meet on the Montera blacktop for a movie night under the stars! Snacks will be on sale. Please bring lawn chairs, blankets, or mats to sit or lie on while watching the movie. All students must be accompanied by an adult.
We’re also looking for parent volunteers to help with this event - sign up here.
Crazy Sock Day!
🧦🧦🧦Thursday, September 11 at lunch:
Toros, it's time to turn up the spirit! Show off your wildest, boldest, craziest socks in the courtyard, and rep that Toro pride like never before!
It's a Vibe!
Questions? See Ms. Saephan
Volunteers Needed: Overnight Field Trips
Join Our 6th and 7th Grade Overnight Field Trips
Our students are going on amazing adventures with Oakland Goes Outdoors this year, and we need your help. Please consider chaperoning one of our upcoming camping trips.
6th graders are going to the world-famous Slide Ranch in Marin County, Sept. 30-Oct. 2
7th graders are staying in the Presidio with breathtaking views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the week of Oct. 20.
Students will be sailing, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing and more throughout this year. Check out an Instagram video of last year’s climbers.
We need parent chaperones to make these trips happen! Reach out to teacher Melissa Quiter at melissa.quiter@ousd.org to ask questions or to volunteer for these upcoming trips!
Please note: To chaperone any school field trip, you must be registered with the EdFund as an unsupervised volunteer. Here are some helpful links on how to check your status or start the process:
Clubs at Montera
➗📐 Math Tutoring Club ➕📏
From Ms. Villela-Smith:
Hello families! I am hosting a drop in Math tutoring club on Tuesdays (6th grade) and Wednesdays (7th/8th grade) during lunch. Students can bring exit tickets, homework they don't understand, or their workbooks if they need extra help or if they need to study for an upcoming test. There's no need to sign up. Students can show up (until capacity is met)!
6th grade will meet in Ms. Rosenberg's room (P6).
7th/8th grades will be in Ms. Allen's room (208).
Additional Lunch Clubs
Travel Opportunities
We're excited to announce our travel destination for our current 6th graders in summer 2027! Get your KPop dance moves ready, because we're traveling to South Korea! We will tour Seoul, Busan, and the island of Jeju! We will learn about the history of Korea, modern pop culture, enjoy traditional foods, and even see where Dr. Emrick spent some of his toddler days. If you're interested, please let us know by RSVP-ing at this link for our informational Zoom meeting on September 25th from 6-8PM.
See you soon!
Montera Travel Club
A New 655 Bus Stop Bench and a Legacy!
As some of you may know, Greg Zaharoff, father of Owen (4th grade at Redwood Heights) and Jacob Wong (6th grade at Montera) passed away about four weeks ago. One of his last projects was to make sure Montera students had a safe place to sit while waiting for the 655 bus at Aliso and 35th. Each morning as he drove by, he noticed students standing on the curb.
This June, Greg connected with the SF Bay Area Bench Collective, a group of neighbors who build, install, and care for community benches. Thanks to their correspondence, a bench appeared at that corner last month, just weeks after Greg’s passing.
The bench not only makes the bus stop safer and more welcoming, it also serves as a lasting reminder of Greg’s thoughtful and inventive spirit.
Montera Sports
Parents and Guardians, make sure to review the sports registration requirements email we sent recently, and which are described in detail on our website. Students will not be allowed to participate without a valid physical and registration.
Reminder: All athletes must register with the afterschool program. There is no cost and no waiting list for these students. All athletes must be picked up promptly at the end of their practice time as students won't be supervised and won't be allowed to linger around campus.
Upcoming Practices & News
Parents and Guardians, please check your email for a BAND App invitation for your student athlete's chosen sport. If your student has made a Fall Sport Team, you have received an invitation to the parent communications on Band. Please check your spam and junk folders.
Co-Ed Kickball: OUSD has had to cancel this, unfortunately.
Girls Futsal:
Location: Gym
Practice Schedule: Tues 3:45-5:15pm & Wed 2:00-3:30pm
Boys Futsal: TBA
We need helper coaches! Boys Futsal will be cancelled if we don't find at least one more person to help the coach cover some Saturday games.
Co-Ed Cross Country:
Location: Field
Practice Schedule: Mon / Tues / Thurs after school
Cheerleading:
Location: Gym
Tryouts: Mon Sept 8 & Thurs Sept 11 - 3:45-5:30pm
What to Wear: Athletic shorts, a tank top or t-shirt, sneakers, and hair pulled back from your face and shoulders.
Monday & Thursday from 3:45-5:30pm will also be our regular practice days and times for the season. Games are typically scheduled on Saturdays. Game schedule will be provided at a later date.
Girls Flag Football:
Location: Field
All girls who attended tryouts made the team, so please make sure to check in with Coach Correa at practice. Girls are still allowed to come sign up for Girls Flag Football until rosters are finalized by the second week of the season.
Practice schedule: Mon & Fri 3:45-5:30pm
Boys Flag Football:
Location: Field
Practice schedule:
- 6th grade boys: Tues & Thurs, 3:45-5:30pm.
- 7th & 8th grade boys: Tues & Fri, 3:45-5:30pm.
Girls Volleyball:
Location: Gym
Practice Schedule:
- JV Yellow team: Fri 3:30-5:30pm
- JV Black team: Mon & Fri 3:30-5:30pm
- Varsity Yellow: Tues & Thurs 3:30-5:30pm
- Varsity Black: Mon 3:30-5:30 & Wed 2:00-4:30pm
- Clinic: We hope to begin this Thurs 3:30-5:30pm, to be confirmed
Afterschool Sports Seeking Coaches
We're currently looking for afterschool coaches and supervisors for the following sports:
Girls Volleyball Clinic: Varsity athletes have volunteered to help with coaching but we still need adult supervisors!
Boys Futsal: Coach needed to help with Saturday games
Girls Futsal: We have coaches but may need some help at some of the Saturday games
No experience? No problem! If you're positive, dependable, and enjoy working with students, we’d love to have you on our team. Training will be provided.
Interested or have questions?
Please contact Athletic Director Martin Price at martin.price@ousd.org.
Other Ways to Support Montera
Many 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.
Oakland Promise Offers Free College Scholarships to ALL OUSD Students
Thank you for attending Montera’s Back to School Night. Shoutout to the 11 families who claimed their Oakland Promise scholarship! All Oakland public school students between Kindergarten to 9th Grade are eligible for $500 to save for college. If you didn’t have a chance to do so at Back to School Night, you can still claim yours today. Check your email for a message from K2C@oaklandpromise.org. Follow the link to claim your students' funding. If you did not receive an email, you likely already have an account. Log in to monitor your students' funding by going to oaklandpromise.org/kindergarten-to-college. If you have any questions or need support, please email K2C@oaklandpromise.org.
Toro Pride Pics
Thanks for coming to Back to School Night!
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
How to Stay Informed
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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://montera.ousd.org/
Location: 5555 Ascot Drive, Oakland, CA, USA | Phone: (510) 531-6070