MPE Weekly Family Newsletter September 21-25

We are heading into a busy and exciting week at Morello Park with our Ice Cream Social/Tie Dye night on Tuesday afternoon followed by Student Council Elections on Wednesday, our first DEI Assembly on Thursday and Coffee with the Principal and City of Martinez on Friday.   Please sign up to volunteer if you can for Tuesday.   I hope to see all of your there at the Ice Cream Social!   

It is a great week to be an MPE Eagle and sure to be a lot of fun!  

A few updates this week:

Don't forget to join us for Coffee with the Principal on Friday at 8:20 am.  We will be hearing a report on safe walking and biking routes to school.  There will also be an opportunity to give the city input on their recommendations.

The MRC-MEF Fun run is coming up on Sunday, September 27th and we would love for a good number of our Eagles to show up and wear your purple.  This is an important fundraiser to make sure our school libraries stay open, along with a number of programs throughout the district.  Please participate if you can:  

A friendly reminder that student sales are not allowed on campus.  We have had reports of needoh and candy sales, which are not permitted at school per our district policies and Ed Code.  Thank you for your support with this.

We appreciate all of the effort you are making at drop off and pick up to continue to keep the process safe.  We are improving every day with efficiency and following the protocols.  We have gotten some reports that there have been an increased amount of people making u-turns at the front causing near accidents.  Please do not make u-turns during pick up and drop off times.

I want to wish good luck to all of our brave students running for Student Council this week!  We are so proud of all of you for preparing your materials and stepping into leadership roles.  We can't wait to hear your speeches!

I also want to end with an appreciation for our Green Team students and teachers.  They have started out this week with an amazing effort and are setting wonderful examples for all of our Eagles.  Thank you to all of you for doing your part to make an impact at MPE!

Why attendance matters for TK and K: 

• Regular attendance allows children to benefit from participating in quality early education. Research shows that students who miss too many days of early childhood schooling have weaker literacy and numeracy skills. This is especially true for children from families living in poverty, who gain the most when they attend but lose out more when they are absent. 

• A habit of attendance IS a school readiness skill. Along with social-emotional and readiness skills, consistent on-time attendance is a habit that lasts. Children who are chronically absent in TK are far more likely to be chronically absent in later grades.  

• Good attendance reflects strong parent engagement. Attendance improves when families feel welcome and supported and when they understand what their children are learning in a program. Attendance often improves when parents are encouraged to problem-solve with staff members when their child is missing too much school.

If your Kinder or TK student is struggling with daily attendance, please reach out to your teacher and we will work with you to develop a support plan.

Walk N Roll: We are thrilled to share that Walk N Roll received a 2026 Leadership in Sustainability Award from Sustainable Contra Costa—and was also selected for the People’s Choice Award!

What began as a weekly program at one elementary school has grown into a countywide effort helping families make walking, biking, carpooling, and transit a regular part of getting to school. Walk N Roll is now operating at 20 schools throughout Contra Costa County, building lasting transportation habits while reducing school traffic, increasing bike ridership, improving air quality, and strengthening school communities.

Receiving the People’s Choice Award makes this recognition especially meaningful, reflecting the enthusiasm and support of the community that has helped Walk N Roll grow.

These awards belong to the parent volunteers, staff AND families who show up week after week and make Walk N Roll successful. They also reflect the investment and support of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority and the Bay Area Air District, whose funding has allowed the program to expand and reach more families across the county. We are incredibly proud of how far Walk N Roll has come—and even more excited about where it is going next. See ya on Wednesday!

Come hear what we’re working on, share ideas, and find out what’s happening behind the scenes at Morello.

Whether you want to jump in and help or simply stay informed, we’d love to have you there.

We’re excited to share that a Morello Park Dads Group has formed with the PTA!

This is a new opportunity for Morello dads to connect, get involved, and build community within our school.

Interested in learning more or getting involved? Reach out to Alain Karet at avkaret@gmail.com.

We had our first Harvest of the Month lessons on Monday and Tuesday this week, focused on the Mango.  I observed one of the 5th grade classes and it was such a lively and exciting lesson. Thank you to our volunteers for bringing such a special program to our school!  One of the 5th grade classes is pictured enjoying the lesson here.

HOM is looking for more volunteers to keep the program going.  Please email Morgan at me.ozols@gmail.com if interested in volunteering.

 

We have so many parent run programs that contribute to making MPE a special community - Harvest of the Month, FAME, Book Club, Dads Club, and many more.  We are very lucky to have your support.  It makes our school feel connected to have so many families involved.

If there's anything we can do to help make getting volunteer approval easier for you, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.  We would love to see as many families as possible on campus.  

Have a wonderful week MPE Eagles!