Husky Nation Highlights

The following staff members were recognized for AUSD's "Spotlight" or "Beyond the Call of Duty" badges in the last week. Thank you for all you do for Husky Nation!

Ms. Khanh Nguyen (Kindergarten)

Character Strong is our schoolwide social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum.

• Our weekly student-led Monday Messages this month will connect to the theme of Perseverance.
• The Husky Spaw counseling space will host activities that connect to Perseverance throughout the month
• We will recognize our Students of the Month at the end of the month for exemplifying this theme.

We want to take a moment to acknowledge and thank Mrs. Alison Worthington for her diligent service to Monterey Highlands SSC over the last several years. Her engagement and thoughtfulness will be sorely missed on the School Site Council.

Mrs. Worthington has resigned from SSC effective 12/12/25 and accordingly, her seat is now open. A Special Election will be held for the balance of the term ending December 2026. Nominations for this seat are open and will close on Sunday, January 18, 2026 at midnight.

We're proud to announce the homeroom winners for our school-level round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. These students will compete in the live bee on Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 6:30pm in the Cafetorium. We can't wait to host our second annual spelling bee! Best wishes! Click the image for study tips.

4th-6th Grade Division (1 winner will advance to district-level)

• Adrian Chu - 4th Grade - Mrs. Shyu
• Isabelle Yu - 4th Grade - Mrs. Le
• Alexis Hawl - 4th Grade - Ms. Perez
• Eva Yee - 4th Grade - Mr. McNeil
• Ryan Bang - 5th Grade - Mr. McNeil
• Mya Lituco - 5th Grade - Mrs. K. Wang
• Vox Prak - 5th Grade - Mrs. J. Wang
• Harper Lee - 5th Grade - Ms. Adams
• Evan Wan - 6th Grade - Mrs. Acosta-Martin
• Isaacken Yu - 6th Grade - Mrs. Cheng
• Maxwell Worthington - 6th Grade - Ms. Lim
• Evelyn Qu - 6th Grade - Mr. Duong

7th-8th Grade Division (1 winner will advance to district-level)

• Chloe He - 7th Grade - Mr. Duong
• Takeo Zapata - 7th Grade - Mrs. Kaur
• Matthew Trinh - 7th Grade - Mrs. Vi
• Alyssa Camargo - 7th Grade - Ms. Guan
• Esther Li - 8th Grade - Mr. Choi
• Colin Date - 8th Grade - Mrs. Yu-Chen
• Shawn Li - 8th Grade - Mrs. Kawasaki
• Abbie Auyeung - 8th Grade - Ms. Kwan

After careful review of current nutritional guidelines, student health priorities, and regulatory considerations, the Food Services Department will be removing flavored milk options from our menus effective 1/5/26.

This decision was made to support our ongoing efforts to reduce added sugar in student meals and to align more closely with federal and state recommendations for school nutrition. While flavored milk has been a popular choice, it contains significantly higher sugar content than unflavored varieties. Reducing excess added sugar is an important step in promoting healthier eating habits and supporting the overall well-being of our students.

Unflavored milk options will continue to be available daily, ensuring students still have access to essential nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, and protein.

Our amazing Gateways to Success (GTS) Counseling Team is ready to launch our Confident Parent parent workshop series for parents of students in Grades 4th-8th.

Workshops run from 3-5pm on several Thursdays. There is still time to sign-up (click here)!

Questions? Please contact our Counselors - Mr. Perez or Ms. Lam

Calling all mathletes, problem-solvers, and curious minds!

Date: January 14

Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Location: Monterey Highlands Cafetorium

Kick off the evening with our PTA Association Meeting from 6:00-7:00 PM, then dive into an exciting Math Night from 7:00-8:00 PM—brought to you in collaboration with Mathnasium of Monterey Park!

• Delicious Food & Refreshments
• Fun Math Games & Activities
• Awesome Prizes

Come for the numbers, stay for the fun! Let’s make math an adventure for the whole family. Don’t miss it!

Calling all passionate professionals and tradespeople!

Monterey Highlands Elementary PTA is gearing up for an incredible 2026 Career Day, and we need YOUR expertise to inspire our students!

• Are you enthusiastic about your career?
• Do you have a unique story to share?
• We want a diverse range of speakers!

Join us in shaping young minds and broadening horizons. Whether you’re a scientist, artist, entrepreneur, or have a fascinating career journey, we want to hear from you!

Speakers will present to 4 classes for 15 minutes each, with 5 minutes reserved for questions. Career Day is targeted for our intermediate (4-5) and middle school grades (6-8).

Date: February 20

Time: 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Interested in being a Speaker? Let us know by simply completing this form. Let's empower the next generation together!

The Associated Student Body (ASB) oversees all fundraising and school activities at Monterey Highlands. The ASB Cabinet meets most weeks to review activity and fundraising requests. ASB meets weekly on Thursdays afterschool.

Useful ASB Information:

• ASB Fundraiser Request Form
  
• ASB Approved Fundraisers

ASB produces our monthly Wonderful Wednesday virtual assembly, which features Husky students telling us how they LEAD! This month's video for the theme of PERSEVERANCE is coming soon!

We're excited to support 6th Grade as they raise funds for Science Camp, which will be April 27-May 1, 2026 and 8th Grade as they raise funds for Promotion Activities in May 2026. We will hold parent meetings throughout the year to plan activities, provide updates on fundraising and more. Our next parent meetings are:

• 6th Grade Parent Meeting - Mon 1/12 @ 5pm on Zoom - zoom.us/my/highlands
• 8th Grade Parent Meeting - Mon 1/12 @ 6pm on Zoom - zoom.us/my/highlands

All grade level performances and both instrumental performances have been combined into this video, which is also posted on our school website:

Adventures Afterschool is a free, District-funded option for your afterschool child care needs. Space is limited. Target populations are prioritized for available spaces.

Apollo Afterschool is a convenient and engaging option for your afterschool child care needs.

Click here to read the biweekly Apollo Newsletter!

• 1/5/26 - School Reopens - Minimum Day (Staff PD)
• 1/6/26 - National History Day Workshop: Topic and Title Formulation, Library, 5-6pm
• 1/7/26 - LEAD Team Meeting, Library, 2:45-3:45pm
• 1/8/26 - National History Day Workshop: Topic and Title Formulation, Library, 5-6pm
• 1/12 - 6th Grade Parent Meeting, Zoom, 5pm
• 1/12 - 8th Grade Parent Meeting, Zoom, 6pm
• 1/13 - AUSD Board of Education Meeting, District Office/Zoom, 6pm
• Mock Trial Team will be recognized at this meeting by the Board
• 1/14 - School Site Council Meeting, on Zoom, 1:45pm
• 1/14 - PTA Association Meeting + Math Night, Cafetorium, 6pm
• 1/15 - School Spelling Bee, Cafe, 6:30pm (new date due to BoE conflict)
• 1/15 - The Confident Parent (Session 1 of 6), Library, 3-5pm
• 1/15 - National History Day School Registration Deadline
• 1/19 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday (NO SCHOOL)
• 1/22 - The Confident Parent (Session 2 of 6), Library, 3-5pm
• 1/23 - Shelter-in-Place Drill (before recess)
• 1/27 - English Learner Advisory Committee Meeting, Library, 8am
• 1/29 - The Confident Parent (Session 3 of 6), Library, 3-5pm
• 1/30 - Student of the Month (Perseverance), Cafetorium, 8am
• 2/3 - 8th Grade Portrait and Panoramic Photos
• 2/3 - AUSD Board of Education Meeting, District Office/Zoom, 6pm
• Drama Club will present a Preview of "High School Musical, Jr"
• 2/4 - AUSD Food Services BBQ Lunch
• 2/4 - LEAD Team Meeting, Library, 2:45-3:45pm
• 2/5 - The Confident Parent (Session 4 of 6), Library, 3-5pm
• 2/12 - The Confident Parent (Session 5 of 6), Library, 3-5pm
• 2/26 - The Confident Parent (Session 6 of 6), Library, 3-5pm




Save-the-Dates on these Upcoming Competitions!

• 2/28 - Math Field Day, Mark Keppel HS
• 3/7 - History Day LA, John Marhsall HS (Los Angeles)
• 4/11 - Science Field Day, Mark Keppel HS

CA PBIS Platinum Implementation Award - 2025

📥 Email: highlands@ausd.us

🌐 Website: www.montereyhighlandselementary.org
📍 Location: 400 Casuda Canyon Drive, Monterey Park, CA, USA
📲 Phone: (626) 570-6220