Montera Middle School eBulletin
August 11, 2024 WELOME BACK TOROS!
Important Dates
Special Schedule: SS-a-SS (S = Special Schedule / a = Minimum A Day)
Monday August 12
- 9:15 - 3:30pm: First Day of School (Special Schedule 8 Class Day)
- 3:30 - 6:00pm: ELP (Extended Learning Program) Begins
Wednesday August 14: Donors Choose 50% Matching
Monday August 26: Breaking Down the Walls + Wellness Day
Monday September 2: Labor Day (No School)
Thursday September 5, 5:30pm - 7:30pm: Back to School Night
Thursday September 19: End of Marking Period 1
Action Items
- Complete Registration / Data Confirmation
- Order PE Uniforms
- Order 2024-25 Montera Yearbook (with discount!)
- Turn in Immunization Records (if you haven't previously)
- Complete Sport Interest Form
- Complete Volunteer Interest Form
- Register for ELT (Expanded Learning Time)
- Add a Second Email (to receive eBulletin)
Important School Information
Getting to School
- Campus opens at 8:30 AM for drop-off.
- Drop off/pick up is in Montera’s back parking lot off Scout Road. Please see this map of the traffic flow.
- Please DO NOT pick up/drop off in front of the school on Ascot - it's too dangerous.
Please DO NOT park in the Joaquin Miller parking lot - they need that space for their own students.
- If possible use AC Transit . Montera students get free bus passes through the Alameda County Student Transit Pass Program. Current pass holders MUST RENEW. Please view the FAQs about the Transit Pass Program for important information. Buses drop off and pick up by the gym. Ple
- Parking is extremely limited and drop off/pick up are more congested during the first week of school. Please plan ahead, leave extra time and be patient with others. If you do manage to park, please keep your goodbyes as short as possible to free up space for other new families.
Finding your Class Schedule
- Class schedules are available on Aeries.
- On the first day of school, first period information (teacher and room number) will be posted around campus and in the MUR.
- Students will proceed to their first period classroom. Complete class schedules will be distributed in first period. (Period 1, Not Period 0)
- What is Period 0? Period 0 is Advisory, which is a shorter class students have before or after lunch. See the Bell Schedule below for when Advisory happens for each grade
- Montera teachers, staff and volunteers will be located throughout the campus to help students find their first class.
- There's a campus map here.
Caregivers are welcome to walk their student(s) to class before 9:10 AM.
If two classes are listed for one period, they are semester long classes. The first class listed is for the first semester / second class listed is for the 2nd semester.
Check out Toro Tips for more information and answers to your questions.
2024-2025 School Schedule
- Monday 8/12, Tuesday 8/13, Thursday 8/15 and Friday 8/16 are Special Schedule days, when students have all 8 periods in one day; Wednesday 9/14 is a Minimum A day
- The 1st bell (Warning Bell) rings at 9:10 AM. Students must be in their classes, focused and ready to learn, by the time the 2nd bell (Tardy Bell) rings at 9:15 AM.
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday school ends at 3:30 PM and Wednesday (Minimum Day) ends at 1:50 PM.
- Find the full 2024-25 bell schedule here
Online Registration / Data Confirmation
All families must complete data confirmation, also known as registration. This is where families update contact information, opt in or out of things like media releases, and acknowledge existing district policies. The process is entirely online through the Aeries parent portal, accessible at parent.ousd.org.
We ask all families to complete the data confirmation ASAP! To complete data confirmation on-line, visit parent.ousd.org before school starts!
For additional info and tutorials on the data registration process, review the links below:
Video walk-through of data confirmation on laptop
Slide deck reviewing process on cell phone
Questions? Contact Dr. Williams (latoya.williams@ousd.org) or Assistant Principal Ms. Rasheed (anisa.rasheed@ousd.org)
Dress Code & Cell Phone Policies
DRESS CODE: Please review the full Dress Code Expectations and Redirections here.
- NEW No slides or Crocs allowed Why? Unsafe, have led to serious injuries on campus. What shoes are okay? Shoes that are secured to foot or ankle.
- Clothing that is free from inappropriate images, writing, or logos (i.e. drugs, weapons, alchohol)
- Clothing that is free from rips or holes that expose upper thigh areas, buttocks, or genitalia.
- Clothing that is not revealing including see-through clothing.
- Clothing and clothing styles that do not reveal your undergarments (i.e. sagging or lowering your jeans, pants, shorts, or skirts. )
CELL PHONE POLICY:
- Students must keep their cell phones (including phone watches, internet-enabled watches, tablets etc.) locked in their lockers and turned off while at school.
- Updates to cell phone policy will be provided to students and parents during our orientation (August12 - 23)
PE Uniforms
Get all the details about PE uniforms and place an order here. Your child’s PE uniform will be delivered to Montera and distributed to them upon arrival. (Don't worry, students aren't required to dress for PE the first week of school.)
Lockers
- Students who didn't attend Summer Bridge or Registration will get locker assignments during the first two weeks of school.
- All students assigned a locker must provide their own combination lock
2024-25 Yearbook - Order NOW and Save!
Order your 2024-25 Montera yearbook before September 30 and save 10% off the regular price of $34.85 AND cross a task off your back-to-school to-do list! (Yearbooks will be delivered to the school in May.) Order from Treering HERE.
P.S. We're looking for a volunteer Yearbook Coordinator to take over for the 2025-26 school year - if you can make a Google Slides presentation, you have most of the skills you need to help guide the Yearbook Club as they produce our yearbook. Get in touch with the current coordinator now at MonteraYearbookClub@gmail.com and you can shadow her this year and learn all the tricks before you take over!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
1st Day of School
Do you know your way around Montera and want to share in the back-to-school excitement while helping ease a little angst of the first day of school? We need adult volunteers to help students find their first classes and direct parking lot traffic from 8:30-9:30am on Monday, August 12th. It's a short commitment that will make a big difference! Sign up to volunteer here.
Seeking Wellness Day Volunteers - Monday August 26
Our first Wellness Day is coming up Monday, Aug 26. We are seeking volunteers to lead or assist in facilitating an activity or workshop with the kids. You can propose an activity (yoga, improv, art, dance, etc.!), or help facilitate a Breaking Down the Walls Workshop with our 6th graders with no experience needed. Please contact our PTO President Melissa Schmidt if you can help!
More Ways to Engage
There are many ways to get involved at Montera! Please complete this form and let us know how you'd like to VOLUNTEER!
- Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) Board
- Social Club
- School Site Council
- Volunteer coaches & assistant coaches
- Event planning & supervision (Fall Fest, dances, field trips, cultural events)
- Fundraising- Annual Auction Party, Annual Fund,
- DonorsChoose & other fundraisers
- Campus & garden Beautification
- And more!
Email president@monteraapto.com with any questions.
Toro Tips
TOO MUCH EMAIL?: We usually try to keep messages to one per day on ParentSquare, but some busy times of the year require additional emails. If you want to limit the number of separate emails you get from Montera through ParentSquare, change your notification settings from Instant to Digest and you'll get all our messages in one email at the end of the day. Click here to learn how!
Check out Toro Tips for more tips, info, and answers to your questions.
Extended Day Learning Program (Afterschool)
Envisioneers @ Montera Extended Learning Program
Program Hours: 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM and 1:49 PM - 6:00 PM (minimum days) / Begins FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Sign Ups/Status: Signing up for the afterschool program is on a first-come first-serve basis.
Currently: Space Available! Find registration info here.
Cost and Program offerings: Sliding scale monthly tuition based on your family’s gross income.
Learn More: Visit the website to learn more.
Email mabel.m@theenvisioneers.org with any questions.
Montera Sports
Please fill out the following Sports Participation Interest Form if your student would like to join or try out for a sport. This form will be available during the school year as well if your student needs time to consider.
Student athletes are required to submit a health form signed by a doctor. If your student plans to participate in sports at Montera, you can have your student's doctor complete the following health form over the summer. Another document will be sent to you in August titled "2024-25 OAL Middle School Sports Participant Registration," where you will be able to submit the doctor's form.
Sports Heath Form English
Sports Health Form Spanish
Sports Health Form Chinese
Check back for more Montera Fall Sports Information!
Email all questions to sports@monterapto.com More About Montera Sports
Support Our School
Seeking Donation of a Used Golf Cart
Montera is in need of a golf cart to transport supplies and equipment around the campus. Do you know of a used golf cart that might be donated or sold for a small price to the school? Please contact Principal Dr. Williams.
August 14 - 50% Matching - Let's Fund Montera's Projects!
On August 14 the Gates Foundation will match all DonorsChoose project donations 50%, so when you give to support Montera teacher projects your money will go even further!
Find all open Montera requests here and help these teachers start the school year off strong:
Some of the projects you can help fund!
- Science Lab Materials - Ms. Esquivel: Help me give my students the lab materials they need to have an effective lab experience throughout the year.
- The Wonders of DNA - Ms. Esquivel: Help me give my students gel electrophoresis apparatuses and practice materials as they explore the wonders of DNA.
- Books That Celebrate Neurodiversity - Mrs. Solly: Help me give my students books and materials that celebrate neurodiversity, linguistic/dialectical differences and learning differences.
- Lights! Camera! Media Arts! Help Us Launch Our New Program! - Ms. Recco: Help me give my students essential supplies for our new Media Arts Program.
Save at Sports Basement & Support Montera
DATE: August 9-16
LOCATION: Sports Basement (online or in-person)
Shop at Sports Basement and save on back-to-school gear! Basementeer members get 20% off, and non-Basementeers save 11%. And if you designate Montera as your beneficiary in your Basementeers membership, the school gets 10% of your purchase value, too! Click the image to download a flyer and learn more!
Annual Giving - Invest in Your Children — Invest in Montera
Make your donation today! The Montera Parent-Teacher Organization funds school needs big and small not covered by the school budget — from essential things like books and classroom supplies to the extras that enrich students' lives, like field trips and music programs. We can't do it without you —your tax-deductible donation ensures that our kids keep on getting the things they need to thrive. Your donation helps sustain our success!
The 2024-25 PTO Budget is: $215,960. 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.
Meet Montera!
Our 2024-2025 Administrators
Dr. Williams, Principal, latoya.williams@ousd.org
Ms. Rasheed, Assistant Principal (8th grade), anisa.rasheed@ousd.org
Ms. Woods, Assistant Principal (7th grade), velisa.woods@ousd.org
Mr. Cooper, TSA/Admin in training (6th grade), samuel.cooper@ousd.org
Welcome to our new teachers for 2024-25!
- Mr. Alvarado: 6th grade Math/Science
- Mr. Anderson: 7th grade ELA & two electives
- Mr. Buxton: 6th - 8th grade African American Male Achievement
- Ms. Castaneda: 6th - 8th grade Music
- Mr. Codina: 7th - 8th grade Science.
- Mr. Lenoch: 8th grade PE
- Ms. Murray: 6th grade ELA/History
Events & Activities
RECAP: Pizza in the Park for New Families
Thank you to all the families who came on Saturday for our annual gathering for incoming families! We had a great turnout and it was great to see many new connections and re-connections made among parents and kids.
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.
How to Stay Informed
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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 eBulletin@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
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