Pawprints

Feb 12: No School - Lincoln’s Birthday

Feb 16: Sweetheart Parent-Child Dance, 6 PM (Date change from 2/9)

Feb 19: No School - Presidents’ Day

Feb 21: Principal for a Day

Feb 27: Kids Heart Challenge Event for Upper Grades (during PE)

Feb 28: PTA Dine Out Night at New Moon

Feb 29: Kids Heart Challenge Jump Rope Event for Primary Grades (during PE)

Mar 1: Spirit Assembly for February - “Honesty”

Mar 1: Last day of Kids Heart Challenge

Mar 1: Minimum Day

Transitional Kindergarten is coming to Monte Vista for the 2024-2025 school year! If your child turns 5 between September 2, 2024, and June 2, 2025, you can enroll them in TK for the 2024-25 school year. If you live out of the Monte Vista area, you will need to apply at your homeschool.

How to Enroll: all TK, Kindergarten & new grades 1-6 to Monte Vista: Please go to www.gusd.net/montevista and click on the enrollment icon on the top of the page. Follow the steps to do the pre-enrollment and upload documents, in Step 4: use the Calendly link (which will be available on 2/13/2024) to make an appointment. If you have any questions, please call the front office at 818-248-2617. Thank you!

Starting in August, the kindergarten schedule will be extended and will be similar to 1st-3rd grades. The district Full Day Kindergarten Committee is currently working on details in regards to the new schedule/program and you can find more information about it using this link. Scroll down the agenda on the right and click on Section I, item # 3.

California's Universal Meal policy requires us to provide access to free breakfast and lunch to our students every school day. We have been offering free breakfast before school and now have 2nd chance breakfast available during morning recess.

Breakfast: Before-school breakfast will now be served 7:45-8:00. If students arrive after 8:00, they will need to wait until morning recess for 2nd chance breakfast. Students are able to have only one free breakfast per day. Therefore, if they eat before school, they will have to pay if they want to eat again during recess time. Students who would like to have 2nd chance breakfast during their morning recess must walk directly from their classrooms to the cafeteria at the beginning of their recess time. Students will not be allowed to get breakfast if they play first and then decide that they want breakfast towards the end of recess.

After-School Snacks for CDCC/YMCA: Beginning on Feb. 1, the cafeteria began to serve students who are in after-school care. Previously, snacks were provided by the CDCC department, but now the cafeteria will serve more freshly prepared food.

Hello 3rd - 6th grade girls! Girls on the Run is starting up again for the Spring 2024 season. Mrs. Pardo and Mrs. Smith will be the coaches for this season. See the flyer that was sent home. The season will start on March 5. Space is limited. If you are unable to participate this season, due to limited space or other, Fall season will also be offered.

Best,

Coach Pardo and Coach Smith

As we look ahead to 2024-2025, we are asking families to let us know your plans for next school year. On February 2, you received an intent to return survey from GUSD Student Support Services. Please complete the survey form by Tuesday, February 20. You must complete a separate survey for each student who currently attends a GUSD school. Thank you for your support!

The Foothill Municipal Water District (MWD) announced their annual “Being Water Wise Is…” student art contest is now open and ready to accept student artwork entries (available for all students in grades K-12). Artwork winners in the Foothill MWD contest will be entered into the Metropolitan Water District Art Calendar Contest - a regional art contest that encompasses most of Southern California with 26 participating water agencies - for a chance to have student artwork featured in an upcoming MWD calendar.

Informational packet and entry information available here.

Want to view last year’s GUSD winners? Click here. Last year’s winner was our very own Sophia Doh!

Entries accepted through May 31, 2024.

We have a lot of talented students at Monte Vista and what better way to share those talents than by being part of Monte Vista’s talent show which will be held on Friday, April 12th! For more information and the permission slip, click on this link. Permission slips are due on February 28th.

For those who applied online for the Korean DLI program, please check your email after 4 PM on February 14, 2024 to see the lottery results of Korean DLI application for the next school year. You have 5 calendar days to accept or decline the offer.

Follow Monte Vista @montevistagusd (Instagram) and @Monte Vista Elementary - GUSD (Facebook) to meet our staff and see all of the amazing things that are happening at our school!

Name of PTA: Monte Vista Elementary School

Date: January 23 and 29, 2024

The nominating committee met on January 23 and 29, 2024 to consider all eligible candidates for the 2024-2025 term of office. On behalf of the nominating committee, the following slate of officers for the association's consideration are:

POSITION: NAME

President: VACANT

1st VP Programs: Brenda Sullivan

2nd VP Head Room Rep: Mary Klausner

3rd VP Ways & Means: Janny Kim

4th VP Hospitality: Joelle Elhaj

5th VP Membership: Meghan Ulfeldt

Secretary: Vatsala Oberman

Treasurer: Alodie Garcia

Financial Secretary: Christie Jeon

Financial Reviewer: Geny Kim

Historian: Kristin Siebenaler

The Nominating Committee: Brenda Sullivan, Hury Babayan, Jill Firstman, Vatsala Oberman, Meghan Ulfeldt, Judi Doom

If you are interested in serving as PTA president, please reach out to Jennifer Park at montevistaptaca@gmail.com to learn more.

Details to follow in next week’s Pawprints!

Black History Month

February marks Black History Month, which is a dedicated time to celebrate and honor the achievements, contributions, and history of Black people, particularly in the United States. This month-long commemoration aims to highlight the struggles, resilience, and triumphs of the Black community throughout history, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and acknowledging their impact on various aspects of society. Black History Month serves as a platform for education, reflection, and the promotion of equality, fostering a deeper understanding of the diverse narratives that have shaped the cultural fabric of the nations involved. More information and resources can be found at the following links.

Black History Month

Black History Month Resources

Lunar New Year

February 10th marks the beginning of the lunar calendar year, also known as Lunar New Year. This is one of the most important celebrations of the year among East and Southeast Asian cultures. The New Year celebration is usually celebrated for multiple days. Lunar New Year is also called the Spring Festival in many countries. It is known as Chūnjié in Mandarin, while Koreans call it Seollal, and Vietnamese refer to it as Tết Nguyên Đán. More information can be found at the following websites.

Lunar New Year - Wikipedia

Chinese New Year celebrations: Chinese New Year 2024 | Facts for Kids | Lunar New Year | Dragon

Korean New Year celebrations: Discovering Korean New Year Seollal for Kids

~DEI Committee

NEW! 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

GROCERY & LABEL REWARD PROGRAMS

Did you know that our PTA can earn money when you grocery shop at Ralphs? Learn more HERE.

~ Emily Geller, Grocery & Label Programs Chair

Monte Vista Elementary serves students in grades K-6. We are a National Blue Ribbon School offering one of GUSD's DLI programs in Korean. Recently, Monte Vista has been selected as a 2023 California Distinguished School!

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