Dear Mountain Families,

A HUGE thank you to the Mountain parent Club (MPS) for a wonderful Taco Movie Night. It was fabulous to see so many families there enjoying the event together.

Our "Drive for Schools" fundraiser is underway. Your student will be bringing home packets of tickets to sell to family and friends. 100% of the proceeds from every ticket sold stays at Mountain Elementary and goes to support our Visual and Performing Arts programs. MPC has a lot of fun prizes planned if we meet certain fundraising goals.

We will also be sending home bright yellow NSLP forms. We need every family to complete this form and send it back to us. The data provided by families on this form is required in order for us to receive funding for many programs that we provide for students, including out academic intervention, universal meals, etc. This information may also qualify your student for special programs, such as free afterschool enrichment. It is critical that 100% of families complete the form. Thank you in advance!

Warm regards,

Megan Tresham

I often get asked by curious community members why Mountain has a Universal Meals Program. Surely kids at Mountain don't need free lunch, or so the thinking goes. My answer is twofold:

1.) Universal Meals (2 meals per school day at no cost to any student who requests them) is required by California Education Code

2.) Food insecurity is a real issue in our community. USDA data shows that food insecurity has risen in the last year and is up significantly since 2021. There are many students at Mountain Elementary whose families rely on the meals we serve to offset the cost of food at home.

We've heard an increase in comments from students that they aren't "allowed" to eat school meals or that the meals aren't healthy. A few things to consider when discussing our school meals program at home:

1.) For students who rely on this program for two of their daily meals, hearing that their classmates aren't allowed to have the food or hearing negative comments about the quality of the food causes shame and embarrassment . There are students at Mountain who have chosen not to eat because their classmates have make these comments.

2.) All the food served as part of our program meets strict federal and state nutrition guidelines. All meals include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and are low in added sugar and salt. Here is just a sampling of the menu from the past few weeks: Tikki Masala, Chana Masala, Chicken Fiesta Bowls, Quesadillas, Raviolis, Past Alfredo with Chicken... the list goes on.

For more information on the rise of food insecurity in the US, please read this article from K-12 Dive or the latest COE Community Update written by Santa Cruz County Superintendent Dr. Faris Sabbah.

Mountain has space in a few grades for THIS school year. If your student has a sibling you'd like to enroll, or you know of a student looking for a change, please reach out to our office,

Additionally, we have opened out TK and Kinder registration for Fall 2025. The enrollment interest form is available on our website and linked HERE. 1st-6th grade interest form is HERE.

We've added a few things to the wishlist- an item of note, a small vacuum for the office and library. After Taco Movie Night and popcorn making, we realized there was a big need :)

This year, we have two vacant positions on the School Board and we are looking for candidates to serve as a trustee. Trustees provide a vital component to the management of a school district, helping provide public input and transparency in our community.

Serving as a School Board Trustee means attending our regular board meetings once a month, reviewing information about the meeting, and attending regular meetings with the Superintendent to keep informed on the district between meetings.

If you are interested in serving, applications are available in the office or by emailing Superintendent Tresham directly. To be eligible, applicants must live in the Mountain Elementary School District, must be a registered voter, must be a citizen of the state, and not otherwise disqualified from holding a civil office.

Applications are due in the office by 4 p.m. Monday, September 30, 2024. Interviews will be held at the October 10, 2024 Board Meeting. After conducting the interviews in open session, the Board will finalize their selection and make the provisional appointment. 

Please feel free to reach out with any questions about the positions or nature of the role.

Art 4th-6th Grade: Wednesdays, 9/4-10/16  12:45pm -2:00pm

Advanced Band: Wednesdays 9/4-12/11 2:15pm -3:30pm

Beginning Band: Wednesdays 9/4-12/11 12:45pm -2:00pm

Lego STEM: Mondays, 9/9-12/16  2:45pm -4:00pm

Art 1st-3rd Grade Wednesdays (begins 10/23-12/11) 12:45pm -2:00pm

Karate has been cancelled due to low sign-ups.

Our Art Teacher, Susan Haight, needs help collecting small recyclable containers like water bottles, yogurt containers, etc. (liter size and smaller), cardboard tubes, and boxes smaller than a shoe box. Anything that kids could use to create the base for an animal sculpture. Please drop anything by the front office!

Mountain Elementary School District offers many opportunities for parents/guardians to provide insights and supports on the governance and operations of the school. We are looking for representatives to serve on these three committees. Each Committee meets approximately 4 times a year. Please let me know if you are interested in serving for the 2024-25 school year.

The School Site Council/Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) is composed of teachers, parents, staff, and community members. The purpose of this group is to provide input on our Local Control Accountability Plan and other important plans, actions and decisions relevant to the running of the school district. The PAC also focused on the importance of Diversity and Inclusion as well as ensuring our Visual and Performing Arts and other programs are thriving.

First Meeting is October 9, 6-7:30 p.m.

Mountain Elementary School has Board-sanctioned committees, Budget and Safety & Facilities. Parents play an important role in these committees along with members of the board,and certificated and classified staff. 

Budget: This committee meets four times a year to review the district budget and to discuss impending legislation and other potential issues related to school funding. Members learn the ins and outs of school finance to learn how and why decisions are made.

First meeting is September 23, 3:30-4:30 via zoom.

Safety & Facilities: This committee meets four times a year to discuss facilities projects and repairs and to review and give feedback on our Comprehensive School Safety Plan. 

First meeting is September 24, 3:30-4:30 via zoom.

Volunteers are an important part of our school community and there are so many things that would not happen without their help.

If you are interested in volunteering in the classroom or on field trips and have gone through the fingerprinting/live scan process for Mluntain Elementary in a previous school year, please complete the RETURNING VOLUNTEER FORM.

If you are new to Mountain or have never completed fingerprints/live scan for our school, please fill out the NEW VOLUNTEER APPLICATION.

No volunteer may participate in any class activity or field trip without first completing this appication and all required steps listed therein. This includes parents who only plan to drive their students. Thanks for your support.