Monte Vista TK-8 Community News

1)Our Grades 6-8 Soccer and Volleyball teams continued are revving up for their upcoming game season which start as early as this week!

2) We began rehearsals for Seussical Jr. with over 60 students grades 1-8 working together.

3) Our morning meetings this week for all grade levels, kicked off the character trait of the month of RESPONSIBILITY. Students across grade levels had so many ideas around how to be responsibile at school and at home!

4) Grade levels continued to dig into their first quarter inquiry arcs as well as their adopted curriculum across the subjects. They also scheduled a common lesson that they teach and come back to debrief on with their plan-do-study-act cycles, which looks at their work through the lens of GLEAM (grade level thinking and standards, engagement, affirmation, and meaningfulness).

5) Dr. Ashby and Ms. Wessel continued their goal setting sessions with teachers for the school year.

6) The Soul Patrol trainings had around 150 students present as they learned how to teach/use Stop, Walk, and Talk, monitor safety on the playground, learn about active supervision, and explore Playworks games to teach students to play.

7) Our PTO board members and committee coordinators met for their once a month evening meeting on Zoom, ironing out details for Read-A-Thon, Book Fair, Trunk or Treat, and more!

8) Many students were able to receive low-cost physicals for their Sportsnets accounts, so they can participate in the grades 6-8 sports seasons of the school year.

9) Our co-teachers were trained on how to use a lesson plan reflection tool through the lens of GLEAM (grade level thinking and standards, engagement, affirmation, and meaningfulness). Meanwhile, our teaching staff reviewed chapter 2 of The Power of Inquiry book, reviewed and reflected on our rough draft Problem of Practice Support tool for their upcoming instructional rounds with our leadership team, and they got to explore resources around how to strengthen curriculum instruction to have grade level rigor.

10) Our Music Parent Council had their first general meeting of the school year on Zoom! This is a subsidiary of our General PTO, and we are so thankful to have this council to especially fund and enrich our grades 6-8 music program!

Looking forward to an amazing 26'-27' school year. Days 24-27, here we go!

Jay jay, chirp chirp!

BOOK FAIR | September 28–October 2

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to the Monte Vista Mini Gym! Prepare for the fair by creating an eWallet for cash-free shopping for your student. We also need volunteers to help set up and keep the fair open. Volunteer shifts are only one hour, so please click here to sign up if you can!

DINING OUT AT ROSINE’S | Wednesday, September 30
Support Monte Vista while enjoying breakfast, lunch, or dinner at Rosine’s in downtown Monterey! Dine in or order takeout anytime from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mention “Monte Vista PTO Fundraiser” when ordering, and a portion of your purchase will help the PTO fund student clubs, events, and activities.

LOST AND FOUND | Missing Something?
Our volunteers check tags and other common places for names, stickers, and labels. When we can identify an item’s owner, we make every effort to return it directly to the student or their teacher. Labeled items are separated and only unmarked items left unclaimed for multiple months are donated.
If you can't visit the Lost and Found racks regularly, submit a Lost Item Request and our volunteers will keep an eye out for the item.
A special thank-you to our Lost and Found coordinator, Sasha, another Monte Vista mom who volunteers her time around a full-time job. You are awesome!

CURIOUS ABOUT VOLUNTEERING? | September 9 or September 16
Want to get involved but aren’t sure where to start? Join us for a virtual Volunteer Information Meeting from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. We’ll talk through our upcoming events, the different ways you can help, and what volunteering actually looks like. There will also be plenty of time for questions! Choose a date and join us. Whether you’re interested in helping with one event or several, we’d love to have you!

CRAFTY BLUE JAYS WANTED! | Help with the Winter Shop
Do you sew, knit, crochet, paint, make jewelry, or simply love to craft? We are looking for handmade donations for the Winter Shop! Last year, donated creations brought in more than $1,800 for the PTO. The PTO may be able to reimburse approved supply costs. See flyer for more details.
We also have a little creative side project in the works and would love to hear from anyone interested in volunteering their sewing or crafting skills. Email Taylor at mvebluejayspto@gmail.com if you might like to help!

That's all for this week's PTO News! — Your Monte Vista PTO Board

**No school on Monday, September 7th, in observance of Labor Day Holiday

**GET READY FOR IT--PICTURE DAY IS ON SEPTEMBER 9th! See flier below.

1) Thank you to our 8th grade parents for finalizing turn-in of Outdoor Science School paperwork and monies. We are excited to have 50 students going on this trip to Cambria September 14th-18th. Also, we have trained 6 strong Monterey High students to support our staff members and parent chaperones who are attending. In addition, we have an exciting week planned for the 15 students who will be on site with Ms. Simpson.

Meanwhile, our grade 5 students and staff and parent chaperones are very close to completing their online registration for Outdoor Science School in Mt. Hermon, Santa Cruz, the week of September 28th-October 2nd. Some final reminders will go out this week to support our final needs for completion.

Regular past correspondence emails about Outdoor Science School

8th grade follow up email

5th grade follow up email

2) Our first School Site Vision Council meeting is on Thursday, September 10th 3:30-4:30PM. Calendar invites have been sent to the participating parents and staff members. Our first ELAC (English Advisory Committee Meeting for multilingual families) will be September 24th at 6PM on Zoom. Our district ELAC meeting will be the following month (see district news further below).

3) Read-A-Thon kicks off in a few more weeks, on September 28th, so get ready to have a spot in your home and time of day for your child to read or be read to at home, and we have a Book Fair that same week with an awesome RIGHT TO READ FAMILY TIPS NIGHT on Tuesday, September 29th, where we will have dinner, the Book Fair open, and some great stations and giveaways that provide some tips and love for reading hacks! The evening will be from 5:30PM-7PM.

4) Our Grades 1-8 Fall Afterschool Enrichment Clubs forms will be going out possibly as early as September 14th or 15th!! Stay tuned! We have some really exciting ones planned and some new ones too. Here are some hints: Buenos Dias, Mulligans and Birdies, Adobe Online Suite, Sets and Spikes, Broadway Babies, Micro Bits, and more!!

5) We are down to our last 3 students to confirm annual registration. Texts/emails will be sent out to help us wrap it up for our school this week. We will also get $1000 for having everyone registered. Yay!

MAIN ENROLLMENT/CONFIRMATION LANDING PAGE

ENROLLMENT

CONFIRM REGISTRATION

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MPUSD NEWS HOT OFF THE PRESS FROM MARCI MCFADDEN (see fliers further below):

Your Voice Matters: Join us for our District English Learner Advisory Council - MPUSD families are invited to participate in our District English Learner Advisory Council (DELAC) meetings during the 2026 - 2027 school year. DELAC provides parents, guardians, and caregivers with an opportunity to share their voices, learn more about district programs and services, and help shape how we support multilingual learners across MPUSD. All parents, guardians, and caregivers are welcome. Childcare and dinner are provided. Visit our website or see flyer below for dates, times, and location.

Board of Education Meeting- The Board of Education meets this Tuesday, September 8 at a special location of Marina High School. Open session begins at 6:30 p.m. and you may access the agenda HERE. We will not be on AMP-TV this evening due to the location change, but you can always Zoom into the meeting. If you miss the meeting and want to know what actions the Board takes, you may read Board Highlights later that evening or watch Spotlight on Board Highlights later in the week.

September is Attendance Awareness Month - Every school day matters! September is Attendance Awareness Month, a reminder that being at school each day and on time helps students stay connected, keep pace with learning, build confidence, and develop habits for success. At MPUSD, each day counts and every person matters. We also know challenges can sometimes make getting to school difficult, and our schools are here to help. Learn more about why attendance matters and how MPUSD supports students and families. Also, throughout the month we will highlight what attending every day means to our students and staff in video reels on our social media, YouTube channel, and in this newsletter.

UPDATED: Free Food for MPUSD Families - NOTE: The Ord Terrace Elementary School time has changed to 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. We are excited to share chef-prepared, take-home meals for MPUSD families. Visit one of four school sites on various days, including Central Coast High School, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, Ord Terrace Elementary, and Seaside High School.

Patriot Day | September 11 - On September 11, MPUSD joins communities across our nation in observing Patriot Day and remembering the lives lost on September 11, 2001. We honor the victims, the heroes who responded and served, and all those forever impacted by that day. We will never forget.

From Coach Brandi Hobson (PE teacher and athletic director):

Hi everyone! Here is the schedule and important information for this week’s volleyball and soccer activities. Please make sure your scholar knows which group they are reporting to.

Parent Square Message for the Week with MORE details click HERE

• JV: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday — 2:30–4:00 PM
• JV: Wednesday — 1:00–4:00 PM
• Varsity: Monday–Friday — 4:00–6:00ish PM

GIRLS SOCCER

Parent Square Message for the Week with MORE details click HERE and HERE

Practice This Week

• Tuesday: 2:35–3:45 PM
• Wednesday: 1:00–2:00 PM

BOYS JV SOCCER

Parent Square Message for the Week with MORE details click HERE

Practice This Week

• Tuesday: 2:45–4:00 PM
• Thursday: 2:45–4:00 PM

BOYS VARSITY SOCCER

Parent Square Message for the Week with MORE details click HERE

Practice This Week

• Tuesday: 2:30–3:45 PM
• Thursday: 2:30–3:45 PM

September 2nd- Seussical Jr. Musical rehearsals begin (Mondays-2:30-3:45PM, Wednesdays, 1-3PM, and Fridays, 2:30-3:45PM)

September 7th- Labor Day holiday, No School

September 14th- Fall Clubs Forms go out to students and parents (priority turn-in as soon as possible from this date but definitely by September 21st, most clubs will probably have filled up + club confirmation emails sent out early the week of September 28th)

September 9th- Fall Picture Day Grades TK-8

September 10th- School Site Vision Council Meeting (calendar invites sent to parents & staff)

September 14th-18th- Outdoor Science School 8th grade at Camp Ocean Pines, Cambria, CA

September 24th- English Language Advisory Council Meeting 6PM-6:30PM (calendar invite coming)

September 28th-October 2nd- Outdoor Science School 5th grade at Mt. Hermon, Santa Cruz, CA

September 28th-October 9th- Annual Monte Vista TK-8 Read-A-Thon & Scholastic Book Fair

October 5th-9th- FALL BREAK (no school)

October 12th- Return from Fall Break (turning in Read-A-Thon logs and donations during this week)

October 23rd- Trunk or Treat Halloween Family Event at Monte Vista from 5:30-7:30PM

+ Grades 6-8 Halloween Dance from 6PM-8PM.

September 28th- Jonathan Blumenfeld (4th grade)

The fifth week of school was a rebound week with our daily attendance and attendance bands. We stayed above 95% all week, but we never climbed to or above 96%. For those families who had students out, please turn in the independent study packets the day they return to school after the absence (a new state requirement). Otherwise you have to recover through Saturday Academy or a future after school tutoring attendance recovery program.

Our Chronic Absenteeism rate went from 17.9 to 13.4%, which I am thankful, but it is still above our goal of 7%. Our average daily attendance rate is also at an all-time low of 95.5%, which is well below our goal of 97% for this school year.

Our percentage bands for attendance had a little bit of a positive rebound this week. Satisfactory level was at 75% compared to 62% the week before (566 students--100 students more than last week--YAY YAY YAY). 88 students in the yellow at risk area (decrease of 62 students from last week)--YAY YAY YAY, 73 students in the orange moderate chronic (decrease of 33 students from last week--YAY YAY), 25 students in the light red (one less than last week--meh), severe chronic area, and 3 students in extreme chronic (one more than last week--oh man). Anyone who stays in moderate, light red, or dark red areas (moderate, severe, or extreme chronic) is considered to have chronic absenteeism. We will work with these families to make sure independent study packets are turned in the first day they return to school after the absence(s). Otherwise, they will have to do Saturday Academy or possible after school tutoring attendance recovery (latter program is still pending based on staffing).

We will continue in the 26-27 school year to climb back up to 96% average attendance rate ( and even climb to 97%) and then upping our goal to get no more than 7% chronic absenteeism since we made our goal of below 10% this last school year with 8%. As of now, we are sitting at 13.4%...eek.