MPE Weekly Family Newsletter 8/24-8/27

Posted Date: 08/23/26 (06:00 PM)

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Weekly Family Newsletter

8/24/26-8/28/26

Upcoming Dates and Events

8.27 Harvest of the Month Meeting, 8:20 am

8.28 Color Wars

8.28 Coffee with the Principal, 8:20 am

9.1 School Picture Day

9.1 Back to School Night, 5-6:30 pm

9.4 Minimum Day

9.7 Labor Day Holiday, No School

9.8 PTA Meeting, 7pm

9.9 Dining Night Fundraiser, Pizza My Heart

9.22 Ice Cream Social/Tie Dye Event

9.25 Coffee With the Principal, 8:20 am

9.25 Color Wars

Principal's Message & Weekly Updates

We’ve officially wrapped up our first full week of school, and the energy across campus has been fantastic.

It’s been wonderful watching our students settle so smoothly into their daily classroom routines, build strong connections, and jump headfirst into learning. Here is what's happening around campus:

Eagle Pride Awards: We will be drawing our very first Eagle Pride winners this Monday to celebrate students demonstrating exceptional kindness, responsibility, and respect.
New Math Curriculum: Our classrooms are buzzing as students dig into our new math curriculum. They are engaging in hands-on problem-solving, collaborating with peers, and tackling new concepts with incredible effort.

Important Updates:

Back to School Night, Sept 1:

Back to School Night is on Tuesday, September 1st from 5-6:30 pm. This event is for Parents only. Below is the schedule:

5-5:30 PM - 3rd, 4th and 5th grade Classroom Presentations

5:35-5:55 PM - Principal Presentation and Introduction of Staff in the MUR

6-6:30 PM - TK, K, 1st, 2nd Classroom Presentations

AdvantaScan will be on campus that evening to offer Live Scan services. Please bring your live scan forms, valid ID or passport, and payment with you (venmo, cash, check, or debit/credit cards).

Color Wars

This Friday is the first Color Wars of the year! On the last Friday of every month, we hold a friendly competition to see which grade level has the most Eagle spirit. Students are encouraged to wear their grade's assigned color, and the class with the highest participation wins the coveted Color Wars trophy for the month!

Here are the colors for each grade:

TK - Pink

K - Purple

1st Grade - Orange

2nd Grade - Red

3rd Grade - Yellow

4th Grade - Green

5th Grade - Blue

Site Council:

We are looking for a few parents to join site council this school year. Site council helps shape our school's academic goals, safety plans and budget priorities. We meet once a month on Tuesday afternoons at 3:15. If you are interested, please email bshahvar@martinez.k12.ca.us. Our first Site Council meeting is September 22nd.

Drop Off and Pick Up:

Thank you for your patience as we moved the cones around several times figuring out the safest and most efficient method for drop off/pick up. We are using the lane closest to the sidewalk to exit and enter cars, the same procedure for both times. Thank you for moving all the way up to keep the line moving and for keeping all of our Eagles safe!

Green Team:

Green Team is starting soon! If your 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader is interested in being a part of this important team, applications will be available in the school office beginning Friday, August 28th and due to their teacher by Thursday, September 3rd.

Applicants should have an interest in community service and environmental stewardship, a responsible work ethic, good attendance, and will need prior approval from their classroom teacher.

If you have questions, please reach out to Mrs. Conner, Mrs. Ellenwood, or Ms. Renaghan.

Soaring Into Success

Attendance Update

A teacher stands in front of a classroom of diverse students, some with hands raised, in front of desks with books.

MPE Attendance Weekly Stat

We have done a great job with attendance so far, hitting 98% attendance most days. Thank you MPE Families! We dropped a little on Friday to 96% and would like to see the numbers go back to 98% next week. Please be sure to send your child to school every day - consistent attendance has a tremendous impact on student success. Below are tips from Attendance Works to maintain great attendance habits:

Keep Your Child Healthy and in School!

A regular attendance routine is important for your child’s well-being, learning and long-term success. Below are tips to keep your child healthy and avoid unnecessary absences from school.

Nutrition, Sleep and Exercise

• Ensure your child eats a good breakfast every morning.

• Maintain a regular bedtime and morning routine.

• Keep screens out of the bedroom and limit use prior to bedtime.

• Encourage your child to stay active for at least 60 minutes a day.

Hygiene

• Stress hand washing, particularly before eating, and after using the restroom.

• Remind your child to brush their teeth twice a day.

• Avoid close contact with individuals who are sick. Don’t share cups, utensils, hair brushes or combs.

• Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, or cough/sneeze into an elbow.

Safety

• Make sure your child wears a seatbelt and/or appropriate car seats during car rides, and a helmet when using a bike, skateboard or scooter.

• If your child walks to school, help them find a safe route to school and to travel with at least one friend. Have a backup plan in case of bad weather.

Engagement

• Make sure your child feels safe and connected at school. Involve them in afterschool activities.

• If you are worried that your child may be suffering from anxiety, talk with your teacher to discuss the challenge and identify what can help your child. If your child is missing class because of challenges with behavioral issues, contact the school and/or your child’s health care provider for support and resources.

• Monitor your child’s attendance and academic progress and seek support when needed.

Wings of Support

PTA Corner

Welcome to Our PTA!

Walk N Roll Wednesdays are back! Walk N Roll isn’t about kids biking or walking alone-we’re here to encourage families to walk and roll together, neighbors to walk and roll together and start the day in an active way if you can. And for those who need to drive to school-please drive slow, look out for our walkers and rollers and let’s all get to school safely! We’ll see you on Wednesday!

We’d love to see you on Friday at 8:20 AM, for Coffee with the Principal!

The PTA will have coffee and donuts ready, so grab a treat, pull up a chair, and enjoy a relaxed morning connecting with our school community.

This is a great opportunity to:

Hear what’s coming up at Morello
Get a behind-the-scenes look at what’s been happening on campus
Listen to updates from our principal
Ask questions and share your thoughts

Thank you PTA! We had a beautiful welcome back brunch and lunch this past Friday for the MPE staff. Thank you to all of you who contributed to such a lovely celebration. We felt very appreciated and it was a perfect way to celebrate our first full week together.

If you haven't joined PTA, join today at this site below:

https://jointotem.com/ca/martinez/morello-park-elementary-pta

Joining is one of the easiest ways to support our MPE eagles! We encourage everyone to be a PTA member.

Nesting Notes

I have had a wonderful time observing our Eagles in math lessons engaging in our new Eureka Math curriculum! We are noticing that lessons require students to reflect, question, explain their reasoning and put so much thought into solving math problems. The new approach teaches students to be reflective and persistent in their math work. Ask your student about math this week and encourage them to explain their thinking. Our teachers and students are doing an amazing job of learning in a new way and I'm excited to see how they grow with Eureka Math.

Welcome Cassandra Firmin our new Music Teacher! On Monday, we will welcome our new Music Teacher and we are very excited to have her join the team. We are looking for a few parent volunteers to help Ms. Firmin get the program started. If you are cleared and can help out, please email bshahvar@martinez.k12.ca.us.

Staff Introduction: Sarah Brooks, Typist Clerk

You may have noticed a not so new face in our office, Sarah Brooks (pictured in this section). She recently joined our MPE team officially as our Typist Clerk or Ms. Lisa's Right Wing. We are thrilled to have her on board and have already noticed how efficient and caring she is with all of our MPE Eagles. Please encourage your student to say hi to Ms. Sarah when they see her in the office. She enjoys hiking, spends most of her time watching her kids play sports and her favorite MPE tradition is Field Day and Harvest of the Month. Thank you Ms. Sarah for bringing so much warmth to our office!

**Lost Keys

We found a set of keys that may belong to one of our students. If your student is missing keys, please come see Ms. Lisa to retrieve them.