It is my pleasure to welcome back new and returning families to a great year at Winter Gardens Elementary! I am excited that you are a part of our amazing learning community where parents, teachers, and students work together to build our school community. I welcome and value your positive energy and dedication to excellence in education, and I look forward to working with you and your children. Our skilled and devoted staff are already planning and preparing for your child(ren). Our hard working custodians have spent the entire summer thoroughly cleaning the facility, and our much appreciated office staff is registering new families. We are looking forward to this school year with anticipation and excitement.

Please remember to visit our school website and social media platforms regularly for current news and upcoming events (@WGEPenguins). Because a strong partnership with you will make a great difference in your child(ren)’s education, we want you to be involved in school, volunteer when available, and communicate with your child’s teacher as needed with any questions, concerns, or celebrations! You can pick up volunteer forms in our front office. Our teachers are easily accessible via email or through ClassDojo, and will communicate with you in a timely manner. Home/School partnership is the reason Winter Gardens continues to excel.

I’m honored to serve as the principal of Winter Gardens Elementary. It is great to be a part of a community where students, teachers and staff, and parents care for each other and strive to build meaningful positive relationships that support academic and social-emotional growth. As your principal, it is important to me that everyone stepping through our doors is excited to be here! This attitude enables us to meet the challenges of academic excellence in a positive, fun, and nurturing environment. My door is always open and I welcome your input. Please feel free to call or email me to discuss any concerns you might have throughout the school year. I am looking forward to working with you and your family. Go Penguins!!

In Partnership,

Melvin Cortez, Ed.D.

Winter Gardens Elementary Principal

323- 268-0477

cortez_melvin@montebello.k12.ca.us

We will have new dismissal procedures. Teachers will no longer be dismissing students at the main entrances. We will open up the campus in the afternoons beginning at 2:25. You will pick up your student in the lines where they get picked up in the morning. Teachers will be escort students to these lines at 2:30 and our Yard Supervisors will be supervising the areas. If students participate in the after school program, they will be guided by one of the after school program staff. Any student not picked up by 2:40 will be taken to the office by our friendly Yard Supervisors to wait to be picked up. On the first two days of school, parents will be able to come onto campus in the morning to drop off the students and meet and greet their new teachers. Beginning Wednesday, August 16th, the school will continue to be a closed campus until 2:25 pm, when we will allow parents to come into the school and pick up their student. Parents will not be allowed to go into the main building during this time. You will be asked to wait for your child in their respective lines. We hope this new dismissal procedure creates a more welcoming and safe environment. As always, if you have questions about this procedure you can ask our Yard Supervisors or any of our staff member that will out in the playground.

Winter Gardens Elementary focuses on positive behavioral and intervention support for our students. We teacher our 3 behavior expectations daily: Being RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, AND SAFE. Below is the matrix that you will see in every classroom and throughout the school. Please help us review these behavioral expectations at home with our students so that it can become a common language in our school community.

Our new PTA board will be selling new PTA memberships and T-shirts during the first week of school in the area next to the office. Please stop by and get to know our new wonderful PTA board members and support our first fundraiser of the 2023-2024 school year!

We are beginning a new community partnership with TCI Dedicated Logistics, a local commercial trucking company that will be offering free backpacks and school supplies to our students on Friday, August 18 after school. You can find them located next to our PTA booth. This will be a first come, first serve basis while supplies last. We're grateful to begin this new partnership!

Review below for all upcoming events for the first month of school, including TK and Kindergarten Early Dismissal for the first week of school, the Principal Informational Meeting, PTA meetings, and other wonderful school events and activities! In addition, you can also access all the school events for the entire year in our school website calendar by clicking on the "Parent Meeting" image on the right.