Pawprints

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Sept. 25: Chat with Interim Superintendent, Dr. Darneika Watson

Sept. 26: School Site Council Meeting via Zoom

Sept. 27: PTA Dine Out - Baja Fresh

Sept. 28: Progress Reports are sent home

Sept. 29: Spirit Assembly - “Responsibility”

Oct. 3: DLI Parent Night @ 6PM

Oct. 4: Walk to School Day

Oct. 5: PTA Association Meeting at 7pm

CHAT WITH INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT, DR. DARNEIKA WATSON

GUSD Interim Superintendent, Dr. Watson, will be visiting Monte Vista on September 25 at 9:00am to meet with Monte Vista families. Parents/Guardians are cordially invited to attend this meeting, when Dr. Watson will share information and answer questions about what our students learn at school and how parents can get more involved in their child’s education. Please keep in mind that this meeting is for Monte Vista families only. It is an opportunity for you to ask questions and share feedback directly with our Interim Superintendent. If you would like to submit a question before the meeting, please fill out this Google Form. You may also ask questions during the meeting. Feel free to email Principal Babayan if you have any questions.

DUAL LANGUAGE IMMERSION NIGHT

On October 3rd at 6:00pm, parents of our DLI students are invited to join us for an information night which will include a presentation about language acquisition from Dr. Nancy Hong, Director of Dual Language Immersion and Magnet Programs. We will also have a panel of parents who have had extensive experience with their children in the program during the second part of the night to provide a parents’ perspective on the program and answer questions about their experiences with the program.

PANORAMA SURVEY

Beginning Monday, September 25th, students in grades 4-6 will be participating in the Panorama Survey to gather actionable data on socioemotional learning at school sites. A letter with more information was sent home through ParentSquare. If you have any questions or do not want your child to participate, please contact Jessica Isco, Teacher Specialist at jisco@gusd.net

SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL

Our first School Site Council Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 26th via Zoom (https://glendaleusd.zoom.us/j/88071669642). The meeting agenda is posted on our website and in our school office. All Monte Vista parents are able to attend School Site Council meetings.

GIRLS ON THE RUN

Hello 3rd - 6th grade girls!

Girls on the Run is starting up again for this Fall 2023 season. Mrs. Pardo and Mrs. Smith will be the coaches. See the flyer that was sent home. The season will start on October 3. Space is limited. If you are unable to participate this season, due to limited space or other, Spring season will also be offered.

Best,

Coach Pardo and Coach Smith

SCHOOL FOCUS FOR 2023-24

Based on our data from last year, our instructional priorities for the current school year are as follows:

• We will provide engaging and differentiated instruction to all students in mathematics incorporating real-life problem-solving scenarios.

• We will foster students’ social-emotional well-being with a focus on emotional regulation through community building and mindfulness strategies.

BOOKMARK CONTEST

The La Crescenta Library would like to invite students to participate in LA County Library’s 44th Annual Bookmark Contest, an annual program that encourages a love of books and reading while also promoting creativity, artistic expression, and community engagement. For more information, click on this link.

VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

All volunteers who work directly with students, will need to obtain the following clearance in order to do so:

• TB Clearance

• Registration on our RAPTOR system

• * Fingerprinting - for more than 15 hours per week (obtained through the district’s Human Resources Department). Please see the Front Office if you will be volunteering for 15+ hours during the school week.

NOTE: COVID Vaccine and negative test is no longer required.

CAR SIGNS

Help the process during Monty Lane pickup by printing the linked car sign (pdf or Word) and adding your child’s grade and teacher’s name. Then, place the sign on your dashboard on the passenger side of your car during pick up.

MEAL APPLICATIONS

Even though school meals are free this year, we need all families to fill out a meal application online whether or not you feel you would qualify. We need 100% participation. This helps our school receive funding and so much more. Apply at mealapp.gusd.net. Thank you.

JOIN THE PTA

We are in our final week of our membership campaign! Let's get all our classes to 100%! As of this week, we are at 97% of our goal school wide! Please see the current classroom membership %: Doom 74%, Sesay 77%, A. Kim 83%, Gershen 79%, S. Kim 96%, Fong 87%, Nakano 84%, Smith 80%, HARVEY 123%, Stephan 96%, CHO 113%, VROMAN 104%, BLESSINGER 127%, H. KIM 122%, Pardo 86%, Weingarten 59%, TAHK 117%, Nelson 83%, R. KIM 114%, Oh 83%, Son 95%, C. Kim 92%, Yniguez 83%, Kang 89%, Widholm 91%, LEE 106%. If you are joining online, please include your child’s name and teacher. There are currently 15 members that I don’t know which class they’re in.

EACH CLASS that receives 100% membership, which is ONE PTA MEMBERSHIP PER STUDENT, will receive popsicles! We will also identify the highest percentage in membership for primary and for upper grades and those classes will receive a special pizza party! The deadline for classrooms to earn both incentives is September 29, 2023.

We can accomplish this goal by getting one PTA Member per student at Monte Vista. Each $10 membership positively impacts ALL students through advocacy at local, state, and national levels.

There are other perks to being a PTA member! PTA members can save money on everyday purchases thanks to these National PTA Member offers. PTA Benefits

Please review the Membership Flyer or on our Monte Vista website. You also join online on Totem.

~ Mary Klausner

DOLLAR-A-DAY CAMPAIGN -- Last week!

The deadline is fast approaching to contribute to our campaign! You don’t want to miss our on our incentive this year, which is a custom, one of a kind Monte Vista socks for families that donate $180!

Our PTA Dollar-A-Day contributions are what make these programs possible:

• Primary Music Program

• PE for Primary Grade students

• Monty’s Science Night

• Assemblies

• Carnival

• Red Ribbons Week

• and SO much more!

We suggest a contribution of $1 for each day of the school year, for a total of $180 per student. BUT ANY AMOUNT MAKES A DIFFERENCE! 100% of your contribution is tax-deductible and goes directly toward enriching our children’s education.

• Each student who turns in $180 will receive a pair of custom Monte Vista socks.

• Each family that contributes $180 or more will be recognized on the Monte Vista website.

Please look for the Dollar-A-Day Campaign Flyer for additional information. To qualify for these incentives, please remember to remit your donation by Friday, September 29, 2023.

– Brenda Sullivan

PTA DINE OUT at BAJA FRESH -- WEDNESDAY, September 27!

Take a break from cooking and get something FRESH! Join us on Wednesday, September 27th anytime between 3:00-8:00 pm at Baja Fresh in La Crescenta. The owner will generously donate 20% of the proceeds to our school. Order take out, delivery, or in-person, but you must type in or mention "Monte Vista PTA." Recommendations from the owner for an optimal restaurant experience:

• Order ahead (and early) online @ https://www.bajafresh.com/ and schedule a pick-up/delivery time (the ASAP times may get delayed to meet in-person orders).

• Dine-in service available but limited seating

• If ordering in person, wait times will be higher than normal

• Remember to mention or type in comments Monte Vista PTA

• Lastly, please be patient. The team is currently understaffed and working extra hard to make your order FRESH.

Your Dineout Chairs,

Margaux Chan and Danielle Bell

BACK TO SCHOOL PICNIC - Thank you!

What a wonderful time we had as a school community last Tuesday at our picnic! A special shout out to our Back to School Chair - Meghan Ulfeldt for organizing such a great event!

REFLECTIONS ART PROGRAM 2023-24 | I am Hopeful Because…

Calling all budding artists! Did you make something special over the summer you'd like to share with the world? Start preparing your submissions for this year's Reflections Program, "I am Hopeful Because...". Drawings, paintings, poems, stories, photography, dance, film, music and more are all welcome! All grades (K-6th) are eligible to submit entries as well. More information can be found here and the digital submission form is now OPEN! Entries are due by October 13th!

~ Jessica Baron, Reflections Chair

OCTOBER ASSOCIATION MEETING - October 5 over Zoom!

Join us over Zoom for our October Association meeting on Thursday, October 5 at 7 pm. Learn about what’s happening at Monte Vista, get construction updates and hear from Dr. Stepan Mekhitarian from the district about Monte Vista test scores!

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86148925887?pwd=VEdKeXcyZ3hDdC9aSExULzB1ZnMvdz09

Meeting ID: 861 4892 5887

Passcode: 466414

OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT - October 26

Join us for a Spook-tacular Movie Night Under the Stars!

Date: Thursday, October 26th

Time: 6:30 PM

Location: Lower Field

Get into the Halloween spirit with a special screening of "Addams Family 2"! Bring your blankets and snacks and join us for a cozy night under the stars. Popcorn will be available at the concession stand throughout the movie. The best part? There is no school the next day and the event is free, sponsored by our awesome PTA!

More details to follow!

~ Alena Betcheri, Movie Night Chair

DEI UPDATE

National Hispanic Heritage Month [Sep 15 - Oct 15]

“Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

“The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

“The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period.”

Source:

Link: Census.gov

LA County Library Events and Book Recommendations

National Hispanic Heritage Month: This Web portal is a collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

- DEI Committee

GROCERY & LABEL REWARD PROGRAMS

Did you know that our PTA can earn money when you grocery shop at Ralphs? Learn more HERE. Flyers will be available in this week’s Thursday folder!

- Emily Geller, Grocery & Label Programs Chair

MONTE VISTA PTA INSTAGRAM

Follow our PTA on Instagram @monte_vista_pta and get updates on what is happening with our PTA in real time! #instagram #pta #weloveMV

Monte Vista Elementary serves students in grades K-6. We are a National Blue Ribbon School offering one of GUSD's FLAG dual immersion programs in Korean. Recently, Monte Vista has been selected as a 2022 California Pivotal Practice (CAPP) Award Program winner!

Website: https://www.gusd.net/montevista
Location: 2620 Orange Avenue, La Crescenta, CA, 91214
Phone: (818) 248-2617
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/montevistagusd

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/montevistagusd