Montera Middle School eBulletin
January 21, 2024
Important Dates
This Week's Block Schedule: AB - A - AB
Monday January 22, 3:30- 5:15: Afterschool Theatre Begins (Register Here)
Wednesday January 24, 9:30am - 11am: Prospective Families Tour
Friday January 26: Last Day to Order See's Candies
Wednesday, February 7, 6:30pm: Montera Jazz Band @ OUSD Jazz Festival
Thursday February 8, 6pm - 7pm: PTO Board Meeting (Board Only - Join Here)
Friday February 9, 5pm - 7pm: Valentine's Dance (Volunteers Needed)
Thursday February 15: End of 4th Marking Period
Sunday, February 25th, 9:00am: Montera 5K Run for Education SIGN UP HERE
Action Items
URGENT NEED
Needed: Garden Lead
Do you love creating beautiful natural green spaces? Interested in making Montera’s garden areas more drought-tolerant, native, and inviting for students? We need you! As The PTO Garden Lead, you would:
- Work with our Garden Lead Teacher, Mr. Knudtson
- Help choose plants to put in this spring
- Help make our MUR garden space into an edible garden
- Organize community garden workdays
Contact: president@monterapto.com
Upcoming Events
Montera 5K / 1m Run for Education - REGISTER OR VOLUNTEER NOW!
What: 5k and 1 Mile fun run in nature
Date: Sunday, February 25th
Time: 9:00am
Location: Joaquin Miller Park
Become a Fundraiser: Sign up to run the race and become a fundraiser
- Create a unique donation link
- Send to family/friends
- Put on social media
- Set up
- Course Monitors
- Finish Line
- Clean Up
VOLUNTEER HERE ***** REGISTER HERE
Prospective Family Tours and Info
Do you know families interested in Montera? Please share registration links for a Virtual Info Night and Family Tour with families considering Montera next year:
Final Tour Date: Jan 24, 9:30-11am
Montera Jazz Band @ OUSD Jazz Festival
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 7
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Skyline High School
The OUSD Jazz Festival will feature middle & high school jazz bands in OUSD, including the Montera Jazz Band! Come hear a night of great music by young musicians.
Valentine's Dance
Date: Friday, February 9
Time: 5pm - 7:30pm
Location: Montera MUR
Who: All grades
***Parents needed to chaperone, bring drinks and pick up pizza Sign up here.***
INTRODUCING Montera's Spring Benefit: Hella 90s Party
DATE: Saturday, April 13
TIME: 4-8pm
LOCATION: Zanzi, Downtown Oakland
WHO: Adults only
WHAT: Food, Drinks, Music, Auction
Can you:
- Help with the event?
- Help get donations?
Email: auction@monterapto.com
Ride for a Reason
WHAT: Bike ride to Sacramento (45, 68, 109 mile routes)
WHEN: Saturday April 20
WHY: Fun and Important fundraiser for Oakland Schools
Last year the Montera PTO received $10,000 from Ride for a Reason. Let's make it happen again this year! How?
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Montera sponsors a rest stop. We need 6 volunteers. Please Contact: president@monterapto.com
School Information
A Note from Ms. Saephan on Recommendations
Families who have submitted requests for Principal/Counselor recommendations and transcripts - they will be completed before the deadline. Recommendations for schools who had January deadlines should already be completed. Transcripts are in the process of being submitted. All transcripts for Montera students applying to Bishop O'Dowd were sent directly to Admissions on Friday after school. If you find that something has not been completed and the deadline has passed, please reach out directly to let us know and we can reach out to the respective schools. If you are looking for an update on teacher recommendations, please reach out directly to the teacher. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Erica Saephan
School Counselor
Counselor Connect Request Form
We are Montera! We are ONE!
Afterschool Theatre - Spots Still Available!
Class begins TOMORROW after school. All Levels Welcome! Theatre games, improvisation, scene study, and more! No experience necessary, just an open mind and a willingness to have fun! Register Now! Class Max: 20 students
Class: After School Theatre Club
Teachers: Teaching Artists Carla Gallardo & Adam Kuveniemann
Dates: Mondays January 22nd through April 29th
Time: 3:30 (meet in the MUR) - 5:15
Location: Meet in the MUR then proceed to classroom (TBD)
Payment: $265 for the semester
PTO Community Meeting - Links to Slides and Recording
Did you miss the PTO Community Meeting? Check it out here!
Here is a link to the slides and recording from this week's PTO Community meeting:
- Slide presentation
- Zoom recording Passcode: Fh+ng8CJ
"Thank you to Andrea Johnson and Ethan Pintard for presenting! It was a really informative meeting, and Doc shared slides from her computer about next year's budget and planning if you watch the recording."
-Melissa Schmidt, PTO President
Yearbook Announcements
Last call for 8th grade baby pictures: If you'd like to include your 8th grader's baby photo in the yearbook, please email a high-resolution (minimum 500kb) JPG to monterayearbookclub@gmail.com by 1/31/24.
We're looking for Fall Fest photos! Did you take some photos of the dunk tank, student performances, bouncy house, costumes or other fun Fall Fest details? Please share them with monterayearbookclub@gmail.com.
Custom pages: Your yearbook purchase includes 2 custom pages that will appear only in YOUR student's yearbook - use them to include personal photos and special moments unique to your student. Make sure to submit your custom pages via your Treering account before 3/29/24. Instructions here: https://vimeo.com/489930325
Still need to buy a yearbook? It's not too late! Order here by 4/15/24 to ensure your book is shipped to the school in May - orders placed after that date may ship directly to you later: https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1014897661773030
See's Candies Valentine's Day Fundraiser for 8th Grade Activities
Dear Toro Community,
Chocolate for a good cause, what could be sweeter?
All orders will be shipped to your address. Deadline is THIS FRIDAY. Go Toros!
Montera Annual Fund
Here are a few of the many programs that the Montera PTO supports.
- $500 per teacher to spend on classroom materials.
- Funding to purchase clay and maintain the kiln for the ceramics program.
- Stipends for teacher-led lunchtime activities, such as Climate Justice and Cooking Clubs.
Invest in Your Children — Invest in Montera
We are asking families to give what they can. Suggested donation is $450 per student. Donations range from $10-$2,000.
- Make a one-time or monthly donation online via PayPal
- To donate offline, download this form and submit to Montera by mail or drop it off in the school office.
Fundraiser RoundUp
- ANNUAL GIVING FUND: Supports Montera PTO Annual Budget (suggested $450 per student)
- See's Candies Fundraiser : Benefits 8th Grade Activities Fund
- Donors Choose: Directly supports projects listed by our teachers
- 8th Grade Activities Fund: Supports 8th grade activities (Friendsgiving, Great Adventure, Picnic, Promotion Ceremony) Recommended $100 per 8th Grade Student
- Montera Relief Fund: Supports Montera Families in Need
- Sports Donations: Supports Montera Sports Program
- Music Donations: Supports Montera Music Program
Montera Sports
How to find game schedules: Montera Sports uses the Band App. Sync the Band team calendar with your iCal/Google calendar.
Looking ahead to Montera Spring Sports. Tryouts are held in March. Watch for updates on the website sports page and here in the eBulletin!
- Boys Baseball
- Girls Softball
- Coed Track & Field
- Boys Volleyball
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Wrestling
DONATE: Step up to the plate and help make Montera Sports a whopping success! DONATE NOW!
QUESTIONS: Any questions reach out by email to sports@monterapto.com.
Meet Montera
Mrs. Maggie Rogers (she/her)
Position: Librarian
What do the students call you?
Mrs. Rogers
What do you like best about the Montera Community?
I love the level of staff dedication. Teachers, paras, admin, and other staff are all dedicated to
supporting our Toros -- whether in the classroom, on the field, providing emotional support, or
keeping our campus clean.
What is one memory you have from when YOU were in middle school?
I actually loved middle school and have lots of good memories. But one funny memory was from
when I was living in Monterey. My school there looked a lot like Montera with outdoor hallways,
and we mostly ate lunch outside. One day I was just getting ready to bite into a piece of delicious
pepperoni pizza when a seagull flew overhead and something dropped onto my pizza! I think I
didn't eat pizza for a while after that.
What is something you do for fun outside of school?
I like to ride my bicycle in the Oakland Hills. I started training for Ride for a Reason and fell in
love with the activity. I also like to cook for other people so I host a lot of informal dinner parties
with my friends.
What are you looking forward to this school year?
I've been working to freshen up the library and make it easier for students to find books that
interest them. I've been rearranging sections and trying out new book displays. If I can improve
the access for students, I hope they will discover new and exciting reads!
Anything else you’d like to add?
I'm grateful that the Montera community is so supportive of the library. It's an honor to have the
best job at Montera!
Interviews conducted by parent volunteer, Grace Telcs.
8th Grade Activities and Information
- DONATION: Recommended 8th Grade Activity Donation $100 per 8th grade student: Contribute Here
- SEE'S CANDIES FUNDRAISER
- QUESTIONS: Activities Questions? Contact Teena Bowie
______________________________________________________________
8th Grade DC Trip:
Deadline to sign up is 1/08. African-American History in D.C. and Williamsburg | EF Explore America
- DC Trip Questions: Montera8thgradetrip@gmail.com
7th Grade Activities and Information
2025 DC Trip - Meeting RECORDING and SLIDES
SIGN UP For those who could not attend, here is a recording of the meeting as well as the Presentation Slides.
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.
Stanford Parenting Center Parenting Classes
We are the Stanford Parenting Center, an academic center seeking to empower parents with evidence-based strategies to help them foster healthy parent-child relationships and support their children’s mental health and well-being. The SPC works with the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Child Development at the Stanford University School of Medicine to connect parents with a team of world-class experts.
We offer webinars, parenting classes, free online video resources, and individual treatment options for a wide variety of parenting topics. We encourage you to visit our website for more information, and to check out our Instagram for bite-sized parenting research and event updates.
This winter, we are currently offering four online parenting classes:
Supportive Parenting for Little Ones with Big Feelings
Managing Challenging Behaviors
Mindful Parenting
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions
The Stanford Parenting Center
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Stanford University School of Medicine
Website: https://med.stanford.edu/childpsychiatry/clinical/parenting.html
Email: parentingcenter@stanford.edu
Help is Available for OUSD Community: Care Solace
OUSD has partnered with Care Solace to support our community’s mental health. If you or a family member are looking for help with your mental health or substance use, you can use Care Solace to anonymously find community therapists or treatment programs matched to your needs regardless of circumstances. Care Solace is a complimentary and confidential service provided to OUSD students, staff, and their families.
If you would like to use Care Solace to help you find a provider:
Call 888-515-0595 available 24/7/365 in any language.
Visit www.caresolace.com/oakland and either search on your own , OR click “Book Appointment” for assistance by video chat, email, or phone.
2nd Annual Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit
Kaiser Permanente Undergraduate & Graduate Medical Education is pleased to announce the 2nd Annual Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit in 2024!
The in-person event will be held at California State University, East Bay. The goal of the summit is to educate middle school through college students, parents, teachers, and community leaders on what it takes to become a medical professional while allowing them to establish and expand their networks. Kaiser Permanente Undergraduate Medical Education seeks to achieve these goals through robust discussions and activities with dynamic speakers and diverse panelists, educational breakout sessions covering an array of topics including communication skills, CPR workshops, interactive simulation activities, educational guidance from local counselors, and informative workshops for parents.
Audience
- Middle school students
- High school students
- College students
- Post-baccalaureate students
- Parents/guardians/caregivers
Summit Date & Time
- March 9, 2024
- 9:00 am – 3:00 pm (doors open at 8:15am for registration and breakfast)
Location
- California State University, East Bay, Hayward Campus: 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., Hayward, CA 94542
Attendee Registration
- Visit the website for more information and to register: https://residency-ncal.kp.org/pre-med-students/bmwc-youth-summit/
How to Stay Informed
Know someone who isn't receiving this eBulletin?
NOTE: If you are a student who would like to receive the eBulletin, you must use an email address outside of OUSD. Student OUSD email addresses are blocked from receiving email from addresses outside of OUSD.
Thanks to Our Sponsors
Want to be a Montera PTO sponsor and have your business promoted weekly in the eBulletin? Please contact president@monterapto.com.
Montera Middle School
eBulletin is produced 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 or Montera Middle School.
If you have news you'd like to include, please send it to communications@monterapto.com by 5pm on Friday. Submissions may be edited for spelling, grammar, brevity and clarity. In addition, while we strive for accuracy, being human sometimes gets in the way. If you spot something so off the mark we should hang our heads in embarrassment, please bring it to our attention. Thanks!
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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monterapto
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monteratoros/