Toro Times Week 34

Students will attend periods 1, 3, 5, and 7 on Monday, May 12th. You can find the whole year's odd/even calendar here, the school calendar here, and our bell schedules here.

Thank you, PTSC for spoiling us all with a lovely Staff Appreiation Week. We definitely felt the love and support.

This week, Monte Vista’s Wellness Center and Wellness Peers hosted their 3rd Annual Mental Health Awareness Fair during both lunch periods. We had a variety of interactive booths, including:

• Benefits of Aromatherapy: Discover the power of scents for well-being.
• Pinwheels for Deep Breathing: Learn a simple yet effective calming technique.
• Rock Painting: Express creativity and mindfulness through art.
• Friendship Bracelet Making: Foster connection and positive social interaction with peers.
• Fitness for Fruit: Combine movement and sample a healthy snack.
• No Place for Hate: Learn how fostering unity, respect, and inclusion strengthens our well-being.
• Drum Circle: Experience the therapeutic benefits of rhythm and community with our friends from VCOE.
• Monte Vista Wellness Center: Spin the wellness wheel to win fidgets.
• VCOE Resource Table: Access mental health resources.
• Childhood Matters Booth: Engage in mindfulness activities that promote positive mental health.

Thank you, Mrs. Shakouri and Wellness Peers, for this amazing event!

Thank you Toro Musicians for an evening filled with great music during your Spring Concert! Thank you, Ms. Copsey, for your dedication to our musicians and for the time and effort it takes to put on these events.

Our goal is for MVMS to thrive and excel on CAASPP this school year! Our teachers have worked hard to prepare our students through rigorous instruction and meaningful learning. We use CAASPP as a measure of our student's learning and instructional program. We need your help in motivating and emotionally preparing our students to take on this challenging but meaningful task. Talk to your child and encourage them to do their best, let them know they can do it, and we all believe in them! Our students can do hard things!

How to Help Prepare your Child

You can help your child do their best by making sure to do the following:

• Explore the practice tests with your child at caaspp.org/practice-and-training/index.html so they can become familiar with the platform and setup of the tests. Another great resource to help prepare your child is https://ca.startingsmarter.org/.
• Sleep 10 hours or more every night!
• Eat a nutritious breakfast!
• Is at school every day and on time
• Charge your Chromebook every night.
• Bring a healthy snack
• And…that you talk to your child about their concerns and encourage them to do their best! This is an opportunity for our students to “Show ALL they Know”. Tell them to try their best and show us what they have learned.

You can find our CAASPP schedule here.

We will celebrate our students hard work later this month with the Kona Ice Truck. To earn the incentive, students must:

Here are the CHAMPS expectations for our students to follow. Reminding them at home will help their success at school.

Our lunchtime, flag football intramural continues this week.

Eat with your WEB Leader!

The Camarillo Police Department, Traffice Division, will host a Bike Safety presentation for all of our students during their advisory period. Now is a good time to talk with your child about the importance of wearing their helmet and following all bike rules.

Please see the calendar below for this week's activities on Monday, Wednesday, and every other Friday. This month’s theme is Self-Care and Self Love.

March had the student's growing plants and crystals as we watched the growth of the Bald Eagle eaglets. We experimented with yeast and learned about chemical reactions with household items. Finally, we enjoyed making slime, building with dominoes, and learning how to make origami items.

April we will program the bots and learn about gravity and the dynamics of air flow.

Students Dismissed at 12pm

In observance of Memorial Day, there is no school.

Open House - May 28th - Students Dismissed at 2:05

The Neon Dance has been rescheduled for May, 30th from 3:30-5:30pm.

As we approach the end of the school year, we have several exciting activities planned to celebrate our student's hard work. To ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience, I would like to inform you of our behavior expectations for these events. This is a time to create positive memories with their friends and classmates, so we expect them to follow our guidelines for success with a positive attitude.

8th Grade Expectations for Participation in End of Year Activities

8th grade students and parents signed a contract indicating they understood the end of year activities and potential consequences. A few reminders:

- To go to Magic Mountain, students need a 2.0 GPA

- To participate in Promotions, students need a cumulative 1.5 GPA.

To participate in promotion and end of year activities, 8th grade students must not have incidents resulting in Saturday School, suspension, or expulsion from February 14, 2025 on.

6th and 7th Grade Expectations and Requirments

These activities are a privilege and a celebration of their achievements. Let’s make sure they are memorable for all. Students with three or more Detentions, after-school detention, or any suspension from Monday, April 21st until the date of the activity will not meet the criteria to participate.

The following end of year activities are scheduled:

7th Grade Bowling Trip

6th Grade Park Field Day Trip

Parents, we need your help! As we continue through spring to summer, we need our students to remember our dress code. We need your support to address any dress code violations before your child leaves for school, this will prevent a potential unwanted interaction when your child is asked to adhere to the dress code.

While we are aware of current trends, we can be reasonable in the sense that sometimes shirts ride up with movement, we do need to remind students that their shirts must be capable of touching the top of their pants. We should not be able to see their abdomens or belly buttons.

When reminding students of the dress code, we are being met with resistance. Please review the board-adopted dress code and the progressive consequences in place when students are not following the dress code.

Dress code:

Students are expected to wear clothing that is suitable for the school activities in which they participate. Students shall not wear clothing that presents a health or safety hazard or causes a substantial disruption to the educational program. *See diagram above*

1. Clothing, jewelry, and personal items shall be free of writing, pictures, or any other insignia which is vulgar, lewd, obscene, profane, or sexually suggestive or which promotes the use of alcohol, drugs, tobacco, or other illegal activity.
   

2. Appropriate shoes must be worn at all times.
   

3. Hats, caps, and other head coverings shall not be worn indoors. No caps with the letter P.
   

4. Clothes shall be sufficient to conceal undergarments. See-through tops and bare abdomens are prohibited. Shirts must have straps.

5. No capes, blankets, or other draped items are to be worn that could pose a grab, trip or fall safety risk.

See progressive consequences below. Students will be expected to change or wear their PE clothes:

Based on parent, staff, and student input, we are making changes to our Chromebook policy. THe following message is being shared with students:

We want you to take a real break during nutrition and lunch to eat, relax, move around, and spend time with friends. These breaks are important for your well-being and help you stay focused the rest of the day.

Using Chromebooks during this time (unless you're working on homework) can:

• Take away from valuable social time

• Lead to distractions that affect your learning

• Increase screen time when you already use them a lot in class

Therefore, Chromebooks are not allowed at nutrition or lunch for gaming purposes. This is a shift happening at all of our middle schools.

If you do need to use your Chromebook for schoolwork/homework during these breaks, that’s totally fine, we just need you to go to the Makerspace so that we can have someone supervise that you are working on academics.

Thanks for understanding and helping us keep school a balanced, healthy place for everyone!

The following reminder was shared with your child in the Toros Weekly! Please help reinforce these expectations:

Please review the expectations for students our of class during instructional minutes. Those found wandering, especially with friends, will be issued detention. Your pass determines where you may be on campus. If you have a bathroom pass but end up somewhere else, you may also be issued detention.

Click the We Tip button above to report any incidents that administration and counselors need to be aware of to keep our students and staff safe.

We continue to see students sharing information among themselves that is inaccurate. Please help us reinforce that if they see or hear something that concerns them, that they tell an adult and let us investigate rather than perpetuate rumors. We appreciate your help with this!

If your student needs to request to see one of our amazing counselors, they can complete this Monte Vista Counseling Referral Form.

At MVMS we have explicit school-wide expectations that are taught and practiced with our students. Our three school-wide expectations are BE RESPECTFUL, BE RESPONSIBLE, and BE SAFE. Responding appropriately to negative behavior is based on our School Wide Positive and Progressive Behavior Plan. Click on the link below for the plan of progressive discipline strategies in place at MVMS.

Attached here is the Student/Parent/guardian Handbook outlining important information about our campus. Please help your student become familiar with this handbook, as it addresses campus information and expectations.

Monte Vista is honored to partner with No Place for Hate to create a school culture of respect, inclusivity, kindness, and acceptance. We need your help!

If your child has been impacted by hate or bias speech at Monte Vista, we would love to meet with you and learn about their experience. You can contact Mrs. Green or Mrs. Magana to partner with us to set a solid, foundational relationship where we can work together to support your student, you, and our school as a whole.

Please talk to your children about this important topic.

Beyond the Golden Rule
Summary for Beyond the Golden Rule
PBS Raising the Future: Teaching Kids How to Celebrate Our Differences
PBS: Talking to Young Children about Race and Racism

The MV staff are an amazing and dedicated staff, please help us recognize their hard work. If you would like to recognize a staff member who has made a positive impact on your student, please consider completing a Standing Ovation Nomination.

The PVSD Standing Ovation Program honors employees who go above and beyond in work performance, school and community involvement, leadership, and commitment to our district and students. Parents and community members can use this tool to recognize individuals for their contributions. To nominate an employee, please click here

Please join us for our PTSC meetings to share ways to increase participation and student activities at MV.

Website: https://www.pleasantvalleysd.org/Domain/14

If you have general school questions, please call the main office at (805)383-5335.

Attendance: Ask for Shannon

For the Health Office: Ask for Stacie

For Enrollment: Ask for Angie

Counselors:

Erik Goldman - EGoldman@PleasantValleySD.org

Claudia Michelson - Cmichelson@PleasantValleySD.org

Wellness Center Counselor (Extended Hours for Family Support):

Marilou Shakouri - mshakouri@pleasantvalleysd.org

Assistant Principal:

David Meggison - DMeggison@pleasantvalleysd.org

Co-Principals:

If you have a general question, suggestion, or concern for the co-principals, please email both.

Maria Magaña - MMagana@PleasantValleySD.org

Jessie Green - jgreen@pleasantvalleysd.org

This is a WONDERFUL resource for our military families. Our Military Family Life Counselor (MFLC) is available at (805)603-9892. Please see the MLFC brochure attached here. Our MFLC is not able to reach out to you, or speak with students, unless you provide permission. Please consider connecting your student to this amazing resource.

If you are moving out of the district over the summer and wish to continue with PVSD in person or through our Digital Learning Academy, please contact Martha

Vazquez at MVazquez@PleasantValleySD.org or call 805.389.2100 right away to save a spot. Yes, you can continue in the PVSD brand of schools in much of

southern California, including grades 9-12!

If you are moving within PVSD boundaries, please contact Martha Vazquez at MVazquez@PleasantValleySD.org or 805 389 2100 to discuss your options.

If you are leaving PVSD entirely, please be sure to fill out the Request to Un-enroll Form to ensure that records are delivered to your new school as efficiently as possible.

In Closing

We look forward to partnering with you this school year to ensure a positive, engaging, academically strong year for our students. Please contact the admin with any questions, suggestions, or concerns.

Thank you,

Mrs. Jessie Green and Mrs. Magaña, Co-Principals

Mr. Meggison, Assistant Principal

jgreen@pleasantvalleysd.org

MMagana@pleasantvalleysd.org

DMeggison@pleasantvalleysd.org