Husky Nation Highlights

Parent Conference Week are scheduled for September 23-27, 2024. Your child’s teacher(s) will be working to schedule conferences with you. We encourage parents/guardians to schedule an in-person conference with your child’s teacher(s). A virtual zoom option is available if needed. Please let your child’s teacher know if you will need translation (available in Mandarin or Spanish).

Reminders for parents/guardians attending conferences:

• Check-in through the Front Office/Gate 1 to obtain a visitor badge.
• Present a current Photo ID upon arrival.
• Conferences are scheduled for 15 minutes.
• MTThFr (9/23, 24, 26, 27) are all MINIMUM Days (12:09, 12:10, 12:30 dismissal)
• Wed 9/25 is a normal short Wednesday schedule (12:39, 12:40, 1:00 dismissal)

National Walk to School Day is on October 2, 2024. The Partnership for a Walkable America started the event in 1997 to raise awareness about the need for walkable communities. The day's goals include improving health, reducing traffic, and lessening environmental impact.

On Wednesday, 10.2.24 at 7am, join us at Casuda Canyon Plaza (corner of Casuda Canyon and Garvey in the Mathnasium shopping center) as Monterey Park Police Department escorts students, staff and families to school!

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

Help us ensure that Monterey Highlands School receives the maximum amount of federal funds.

The collection of household income is a necessary step to receive thousands of dollars in federal funds for the school that your child attends. All families should complete the Alternative Income Form(AIF), irrespective of their household income.

One AIF per student is necessary. Thank you for helping our school!!

Thank you to all parents who take the time to report their child's absence. Unfortunately, we still have many parents who are not reporting absences.

This is a friendly reminder to please inform us that your child will be absent and the reason why. Timely notifications help to ensure that all students are accounted for and can assist us in providing a complete daily Absentee Report.

You can report all absences to Rebecca Rodriguez, Attendance Manager via email to rodriguez_rebecca@ausd.us, or calling the school office @ 626-570-6220.

Thank you for all your help and support !!

Character Strong is our schoolwide social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum. We are continuing our implementation of this curriculum this year! Our weekly student-led Monday Messages in September will connect to the theme of Respect. Students in every homeroom exemplifying this theme will be recognized at the end of the month during our Student of the Month breakfast.

As we work to build a more inclusive and welcoming school community, it is critical to remind our students that their language matters. It is one of the best ways to show respect to ourselves and others.

Unfortunately, there is no shortage of biased and prejudiced language on TV, in movies, video games, music lyrics, social media posts/comments and more. Our children often repeat language they hear normalized on these platforms.

During our LEAD Expectations Assemblies with every grade level we reiterated that we do NOT use language at school that makes anyone feel bad about: skin color, race, religion, food/customs, hair style, body shape (no body shaming), ability/disability, mental health, etc. This type of language is not LEAD.

Please remind your child about the importance of their words as we will continue to do at school. We appreciate your partnership!

Now through October 4, your membership makes a difference! We’ve set exciting goals and rewards to give back to our Huskies.

Membership Rewards:

• Various reward tiers unlocked as we grow!
• When we hit 500 members, the PTA will purchase a giant outdoor chess set and new sports equipment for our Huskies to enjoy!

Raffle Alert: For every parent, relative, or friend who joins the PTA, the student linked to them will earn 1 entry into a raffle for awesome prizes! The more family and friends who join, the more chances your child has to win! More information about rewards and raffles is available here.

Support our school and help us reach 500 members! Join today by clicking here.

For more information about Reflections, please visit bit.ly/mhreflections

Get ready for our BIGGEST school community event of the year!

Mark your calendars for Friday, October 25th from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM for a spooktacular time at our annual Spooky Bash!

Planning is already underway, and we can’t wait to share more details soon. Stay tuned for updates—it’s going to be a frightfully fun event!

We are grateful for our volunteers. Here are some of our volunteer needs at this time:

Ongoing PTA Volunteer Opportunities:

• Interested in helping plan and organize our PTA events? Let us know by submitting your interest here! (PTA)
• Interested in being a judge for our Reflections Art Program? Let us know by submitting your interest here! (PTA)

Ongoing School Volunteer Opportunities:

• Morning Valet: Please sign up here if you are interested in lending a hand!
• Husky Store: We're looking for volunteers to help re-open our Husky Store in October! Please contact Mr. Perez, School Counselor if you are interested!
• Library: Our Library continues classroom visits and lunch hours! Contact Mrs. Sarah Taylor, our new Librarian, if you are interested in being a Library Volunteer!

If you feel your child may need some support, check-ins or possibly a referral for counseling services, please connect with our Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Mr. Christian Perez - perez_christian_1@ausd.us.

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.

Useful ASB Information:

• ASB Fundraiser Request Form
  
• ASB Approved Fundraisers

ASB produces our monthly Wonderful Wednesday virtual assembly. In the month of September, 7th Grade teaches us how to show Respect. Our morning PA messages to start the week will also focus on this theme.

This past summer, two of our Husky Nation students participated in a Summer Camp experience at Whittier College, organized by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), which advocates for equity and access for women and girls in higher education and the workforce.

This weekend, Hazel Sim and Yuner Xu (both 8th graders this year), gave short presentations on their Summer Camp experiences at the First United Methodist Church in San Gabriel. Their summer camp experiences were generously sponsored by the Monterey Park Womens' Club.

Way to LEAD Hazel and Yuner!!

The Apollo Afterschool program publishes a newsletter periodically to update everyone on their fun and exciting programs. Enrollment is open!

• 9/23 to 9/27 - Parent Conferences
  
• 9/22 - Mock Trial Practice @ Library, 5-6pm
• 9/24 - English Learning Advisory Council Meeting, Library @ 8am
• 9/24 - Mock Trial Practice @ Library, 4:30-6pm
• 9/25 - No Adventures Afterschool, please pick up your child at Dismissal
• 9/26 - Erika's Lighthouse Parent Meeting, Cafetorium @ 5:30pm
• 9/26 - Mock Trial Practice @ Library,4:30-6pm
• 9/27 - Student of the Month in Cafetorium @ 8am
• 10/1 - Mock Trial Practice @ Library,4:30-6pm
• 10/2 - MPPD presents National Walk to School Day (meet at Casuda Canyon Plaza) @ 7:00am
• 10/2 - PTA Reflections Submissions are Due at midnight
• 10/3 - Safety Committee on Zoom @ 3pm
• 10/3 - Mock Trial Practice @ Library,4:30-6pm
• 10/4 - Parent Engagement Meeting - PBIS and LEAD on Zoom @ 9am
• 10/8 - AUSD Board of Education Meeting
• 10/8 - Mock Trial Practice @ Library,4:30-6pm
• 10/9 - Parent Engagement Meeting - English Learner Night, Cafetorium @ 5:30pm
• 10/9 - PTA Association Meeting, Cafetorium @ 6:30pm
• 10/10 - Mock Trial Practice @ Library, 4:30-6pm
• 10/11 - Minimum Day (Site Professional Development)
• 10/11 - 4th Grade Walkthrough CA On-Site Experience
• 10/31 - AUSD Food Fair (please call school office to RSVP)

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