Happy Summer Monroe Families!

Posted Date: 6/17/24 (5:44 PM)

Monroe Families-

Officially, Happy Summer! This is our final email as we head into the summer before we start communicating again in August!

THANK YOU for a great and engaging year in so many ways. Without you so much of what we did would not be possible- from supporting students and staff to chaperoning dances and activity nights where you got a glimpse of modern day dance moves (from the students) to timeless and classic moves from our staff (70s, 80, 90s, early 2000s music of course). Additionally, your feedback through surveys, volunteering in the cafeteria, supporting our staff appreciation weeks, and more- for this and beyond, we're so thankful!

The school year flew by as usual but we were able to make it feel meaningful and relevant in so many ways and because of your support and collaboration we accomplished so much as a Community:

School Registration- a perfect way to make everyone feel welcome and set the tone for the year!
Open House- 100 pizzas and so many people- thank you Track Town and Papa's Pizza!
Parent-Teacher Conferences- great conversations and great food (thank you parents)!
FLEX version 3.0- nearly 5,000 students ATTENDED Supports and 25+ Enrichments offered throughout the year!

WEB- 40+ amazing 8th graders leading and guiding our 6th graders throughout the year!
Fall Activity Night and Winter Social- always a fan favorite because of the various activities!
Field Trips, Field Trips, Field Trips- Mt. Pisgah, Model United Nations, UofO, AVID, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Spark Lab, African-American Youth Leadership Conference and more!
Talent Show- so many fun and unique talents- speeches, dances, singing, and comedy acts!
School play- super funny and well orchestrated by Mr. Newbold, Ms. Pitts, and students!
8th Grade Student vs. Staff Volleyball Game: the students won...
Mustang Merch- new t-shirts and hoodies, coolest middle school merch around. Even City Manager Sarah Medary was caught wearing one on a Zoom call- FACTS.
Cross Country- brought it back for the first time in years! Plenty of engagement and exercise all around!
Track and Field- 100+ students represented in positive ways and many brought home district championships!
Food Drive- led by the 7th grade team, so much food donated to Food for Lane County to serve our community!
Music Concerts- so many awesome and engaging events where our students represented themselves so well in the community!
8th Grade Student vs. Staff Basketball Game- not sure how we are going to top THIS ONE. Students won...
5th Grade School Tours- a great sneak peak into middle school!
Art & Music in the Courtyard- legendary as usual! 500+ people, food trucks, great music, perfect weather, and inspiring Art!
Spirit Weeks- so many fun outfits from students and staff!
Affinity Groups- NASU, GSA, BSU, LSU, MDB, JSU, AAPISU were all up and running all year!
Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB)- our students represented and engaged!
Winter Holiday Food Baskets- supported over 50 families during the holiday season!
Student of the Month assemblies- a great way to have fun while honoring our amazing students!
8th Grade Camp Harlow trip- another successful trip! Go karts, a rockwall, pool, and plenty of sunburns!
Mustang Shout Outs- hundreds of cards written to students highlighting why they're awesome! Students loved these as they often hung them in their locker or kept them in their binder!
Site Council- parents engaged monthly over Zoom to not only support students through resources, but also to collaborate on issues and questions!
Monroe Parent Organization (MPO)- you do more than we can ever imagine! THANK YOU!!!!
Ecars + EWEB- students and Science team representing all over KEZI, KVAL, and The RG!
Yearbook- amazing and inspiring from start to finish!
Sheldon Seniors- courtyard walkthrough to honor the Seniors at Sheldon!
8th grade promotion walkthrough and dance- a memorable and family friendly experience to recognize our outgoing 8th graders!
Field Day- dunk tank, kickball, Kona Ice, Connect 4, Jenga, corn hole, popcorn, basketball, and 4 square!
and much more!

Additionally, we'll be saying goodbye to a handful of amazing staff members. They have done so much collectively to serve our students and families over the years. We wish them the best with their next adventures-

Dave Wines, PE Teacher
Michael Dempsey, English Language Development teacher
Roxy Alexander, SPED Educational Assistant
Mike Tomaso, SPED Teacher (retiring)
Sue Gardner, Speech Pathologist
David White, 6th Grade Spanish Immersion Teacher
Sydney Arndorfer, 6th grade English Language Arts/Social Studies

Here is a sneak peek as to what's to come:

introduction of new staff members.
new vestibular entrance into the school (camera, speaker system).
cell phones- off and away in lockers all day.
4 minute passing time (down from 5 mins.)
7 class period day + Connect (up from 6 periods)
3 quarters of PE (27 weeks) & 1 quarter of Health (9 weeks) for all students (similar to this year for most students)
Connect Colors (different t-shirt color for each students representing their Connect Colors to build cross grade community).
and more!

As you can see this is why people often say "Monroe is a special place." Even though there were many challenges as well we can always count of relationships rooted in care, connection, and collaboration between staff, students, and families. I'm so incredibly proud of the work this year from everyone and even more so, I'm grateful I got the privilege of supporting everyone along the way during this unique time. THANK YOU parents, guardians, aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings, and more for entrusting us with your most precious and cherished gift...have a stellar summer and looking forward to seeing you next year and in the community because that's who we are, a Community connected by Monroe that extend beyond its walls.

-Sun Saeteurn

Best,

Stephanie Pérez

Secretary

Monroe Middle School

perez_s@4j.lane.edu

Phone: (541)790-6324