Principal's Message
The merry month of May is upon us! Time flies by when you are having fun. I can honestly say I am humbled by the experiences of our school community throughout the course of this school year. Many times, when I reflect on what has gone well and what needs to continue to improve, my list of pros outweighs the cons. Our students and staff have diligently worked to focus on building relationships, fostering connections, and being intentional with instructional time. Our school culture radiates positivity, support, and growth. As I tell our students every morning, I am one proud school principal.
As we continue to finish out the school year strong, we are eager to formally assess the growth our students have made. The Standards of Learning (SOL) testing mandated by the Virginia Department of Education will begin in early May. We are excited to see how our students at Monterey have grown over the course of this school year to meet accountability standards. The data collected from SOL tests not only shows us our strengths but also where we need to continue to grow and support our students with additional instruction and recovery efforts. Attached to this newsletter is the SOL calendar. With SOL testing starting on May 6, a few testing reminders are listed below.
Testing Recommendations:
- Be on time to school each day for testing. Testing begins at 8:30 a.m.
- Send your child to school in good spirits. Try to avoid unnecessary conflict.
- Plan all outside appointments after 2:30 p.m.
- Eat a good breakfast either at home or school on the day of testing.
- Get a good night’s rest. Students should plan on being in bed and asleep no later than 9:00 p.m.
- BELIEVE in YOURSELF!!! Your guardians and the staff at Monterey are behind you!!!
In addition to preparing for end of year testing, we at Monterey are still busy ensuring we are celebrating the hard work of our teachers, planning for end of year award ceremonies and promotions as well as planning a well-deserved Spring Cookout for our students. Once again, I will reiterate to the entire Monterey Elementary School community that I see you, I hear you, I care for you, I am here for you, I expect your best, I will help you achieve it, I am your school principal!!
Morgan Strother
Principal
End of Year Award Ceremonies
We will be celebrating all the hard work students have put forth this year during our End of the Year Award Ceremonies. Please see the dates and times below for each grade level's scheduled ceremony:
- Kindergarten: June 3rd at 9:30am
- 1st Grade: June 2nd at 11:30am
- 2nd Grade: June 4th at 11:30am
- 3rd Grade: June 2nd T 9:30am
- 4th Grade: June 4th at 9:30am
- 5th Grade: June 3rd at 6pm (Cap and Gown Pictures will be on sale during this event)
Preschool and Kindergarten Registration
A friendly reminder that registration for preschool and kindergarten is now open. If you have a child who will be starting school in the fall, please see the links below to apply/register.
Yearbooks Are On Sale Now
Yearbooks are a great way to remember this school year! The cost is $20. You can send cash or check to school with your child.
SOL Tickets and Prizes
In preparation for the SOLs, during the month of May, our students (K-5) will be participating in the SOL Countdown Ticket program. Each day, students will earn a ticket for being at school on time and ready to learn as well as a second ticket for making good choices during the school day. Each Friday between April 25th and May 23rd, students’ tickets will be drawn for prizes!
Message From the PTA
Monterey’s teachers and staff work extremely hard all year, and it was wonderful to see the outpouring of appreciation from the Monterey community during teacher appreciation week!
Spring Ice Cream Day:
As we enter the last several weeks of school, the PTA will be hosting another ice cream day on May 19th. Ice cream will be on sale for a $1 during recess. If you are interested in volunteering for ice cream day or end of year events (i.e. field day), please email Amanda Fulton (afulton@rcps.info) or Tracy Laughlin (tlaughlin@rcps.info).
Upcoming Meeting:
Please email tlaughlin@rcps.info for information about the next PTA meeting.
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/
Monterey Elementary
Anthony Swann~Assistant Principal
Website: Monterey Elementary School / Homepage (rcps.info)
Location: 4501 Oliver Road Northeast, Roanoke, VA, USA
Phone: (540) 853-2933
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MontereyElementary