The Roar of the Mountain Lions

Monterey Elementary - February 2025

Principal's Message

Dear Monterey families,

Monterey welcomes you to the month of February; a month where we celebrate love. We at Monterey have so much to be grateful for as we know teaching is a work of heart. Every day on the morning announcements, our students hear they are loved. We at Monterey want our entire school community to know they are loved as well. We are wishing you a month filled with peace, love, and joy.

February also brings another busy month of opportunity for our students:

February 18th will start our 8-week afterschool program. The program will continue to meet every Tuesday afternoon (3:00-5:15pm) throughout the months of February, March, and April.
We will hold another parent/teacher conference day on February 24th. Parents will have the opportunity to meet face to face with teachers or they can conference over the phone. This is a great time to talk about student growth. Every student at Monterey has personalized goals for their learning as well as for their social and emotional well-being. The partnership and collaboration between school staff and families is what continues to drive our students' success.

Every year, we continue to practice the safety of our staff and students. Every month we participate in a fire drill where we exit the building quickly and quietly. Our students have done a fantastic job of taking these drills seriously so that in the event of an unexpected emergency, we are more prepared and organized to stay safe. In addition to fire drills, throughout the year we also practice lockdown drills and bus evacuation drills. We conducted a bus evacuation drill in January. Students will participate in a lockdown drill in the month of February. Thank you for always reflecting and discussing with your child the importance of safety including always following their teacher’s directions. Being prepared helps keep our entire school community safe.

Also, don’t forget to check out our PTA and Calendar section of the newsletter below which highlights some of the school events that will take place. Thank you for always being so supportive of our efforts and sharing in our positive attempts to connect school and families.

Our school is filled with the greatest hope of this world and that is our students. Together may we continue to give our children the roots to grow and the wings to fly.

Love and Blessings,

Morgan Strother, Principal

Valentine Grams

Valentine Grams will be on sale Feb. 5th-11th in the gym from 7:40m-8:00am each morning. Each Valentine gram is $1 which includes a note and a blow pop. Students can send a Valentine gram to any student in the building.

Address & Phone Number Update

If there have been any changes with your address or phone number, please provide the updated information to your child’s teachers or call the school office (540-853-2933).

Snack Donations

Preschool applications for the 2025-2026 year will be available starting February 1st. Preschool Registration-Click Here to register.

Preschool Application Open Houses (Click the Images Below to Enlarge)

Attendance Reminders

If your child will not be at school or will be tardy, please call our main office at 540-853-2933. If your child missed school due to a doctor’s visit, please provide the doctor’s note. We will mark their absence EMD (Excused Medical). The only excused absences that do not count towards “truancy” are excused medical notes and court notes. All other absences are considered unexcused.

The Virginia State Compulsory Attendance Law states that after 5 unexcused absences, the parent will receive an attendance letter from our student support specialist, Mr. Anthony Drakeford. After 10 unexcused absences, a second letter will be sent as well as a meeting will be scheduled with administration and the student support specialist. If your child is experiencing any sick symptoms, please call our school nurse to discuss a plan of action. Thank you for helping our school community prioritize learning and ensuring that your child(ren) is at school daily.

Message From the PTA

Paint Night

The PTA is hosting the 5th annual paint night on Thursday, February 13th at 5:30 in the cafeteria. If you have any questions, please call the school office 853-2933 or email tlaughlin@rcps.info. We hope to see you there!

Upcoming Events:

Valentine's Grams: Feb. 5th-11th
Paint Night: Feb. 13th 5:30-7:00pm
Penny Wars: Feb. 26th- March 8th
Goodies with Grown-Ups: March 8th

PTA Meetings:

The next PTA meeting is February 10th at 5:30pm. This meeting will be held virtually. If you would like to attend any PTA meetings, please e-mail Ms. Laughlin at tlaughlin@rcps.info for more info on how to access our meetings.

Ways to support the PTA:

Consider linking your Kroger account to Monterey Elementary PTA through the Community Rewards. Kroger will donate a percentage of what you spend to our PTA at no cost to you.

We are always looking for more parent helpers and would love to have your help. Follow the Monterey Elementary PTA Facebook page for information about upcoming meeting and opportunities to help—https://www.facebook.com/montereyelementarypta/

Why should I join the PTA?

As a member of our PTA, you are supporting your student's school and educational successes. You are also a voting member. When you come to a PTA board meeting you can vote on how we should spend funds or how to improve a program. Please consider joining the PTA. There is a $7 fee for each member that joins. A portion of this fee pays for local and state PTA membership fees and a portion goes directly to our school’s PTA.

Although it’s a new year, it is not too late to join the PTA. If you have not joined the PTA yet and are interested, please click the box below!

Click Here to Join the PTA for $7