The MPUSD Insider is the weekly internal newsletter for MPUSD all staff.
Of Interest to Staff
Thank You, SchoolsFirst - A special thank you to SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union for sponsoring the morning treats at yesterday's Back-to-School Kick-Off! Their partnership helps make events like these even more welcoming for our MPUSD team. SchoolsFirst is also helping make this year's MPUSD Insider even more fun by providing gift cards for our weekly trivia and other activities. Be sure to check each edition for your chance to play and win. We'll share more details in next week's Insider. Thank you, SchoolsFirst, for your continued support of MPUSD!
Car Week: Plan Ahead for Increased Traffic - Monterey Car Week returns August 7 - 16, bringing thousands of visitors to the Monterey Peninsula. While increased traffic can make commutes more challenging, Car Week also provides a significant boost to our local economy and supports many charitable organizations, including some of our own schools, as students and extracurricular groups volunteer at events to earn donations. With more than 30 events taking place throughout the week, families and staff are encouraged to plan ahead and allow extra travel time. The County of Monterey offers real-time traffic updates through its website and social media channels, and provides an interactive event map, schedule, and helpful traffic tips to assist both residents and visitors.
MPC and CSUMB Start Dates: Plan for Increased Traffic - As the new academic year begins, expect heavier traffic throughout the Monterey Peninsula. Monterey Peninsula College begins its fall semester on Monday, August 17, and California State University Monterey Bay starts classes on Monday, August 24. These start dates typically bring increased congestion on Highway 1, Highway 68, and surrounding roadways. Please plan ahead, allow extra travel time, and travel safely.
ParentSquare Changes - Each new school year, staff may change from one school site to another. While they may be attached to their new site, they may still be receiving information from their former site. We have received several requests to delete a staff member from one site and/or add them to another. We are working through the many change requests we have received over the past several days. Thank you for your patience as we work through these. Your school site administrator and school office secretary should also have access to the Frevvo form created by IT that can either add staff to multiple sites and/or delete a staff member if they are no longer at that school. Once the form is completed it takes one evening to activate and sync with ParentSquare to add/remove staff.
MPUSD Way
Know Someone Living the MPUSD Way? Don't keep it a secret! - We know amazing things are happening every day across our schools and departments, but we can't celebrate what we don't know about. If you've seen a student, colleague, supervisor, team, or volunteer making a difference, demonstrating the MPUSD Way, or creating a memorable moment, let us know. Big or small, we'd love to hear about it. Provide a few sentences or a couple bullet points and we'll do the rest. MPUSD Way Submission Form.
Service Mindset - A big shoutout to Nikki Stanley, School Office Supervisor at Crumpton Elementary School, for exemplifying the #MPUSDWay and our "service mindset." Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh recently shared with all elementary school sites that Nikki's proactive outreach to families is a great example of what it means to put "every person matters" into action. By encouraging families to complete their Returning Student Confirmation and supporting those who need extra assistance, Nikki is helping ensure every student is ready for a successful first day of school. Thank you, Nikki, for going above and beyond to serve our families and for leading by example.
Every Person Matters - Angie Diaz Roman at Monterey Adult School exemplifies the #MPUSDWay through her exceptional leadership, enthusiasm, kindness, and unwavering work ethic. She goes above and beyond in serving our staff, students, and community, always communicating with professionalism, care, and positivity. Her genuine appreciation for her students and colleagues shines through in everything she does, making her a valued teammate and a joy to work alongside. Thank you, Angie, for making a difference every day and for showing what it means to put people first.
We're Better Together- Renee Mondragon, also at Monterey Adult School, embodies the #MPUSDWay through her welcoming spirit, positive attitude, and unwavering dedication to serving others. She consistently goes above and beyond to recognize and respond to the needs of students and staff, creating a supportive and caring environment for everyone she meets. Her calm demeanor, strong work ethic, and commitment to getting the job done make her an invaluable member of the Monterey Adult School team. Thank you, Renee, for the difference you make each day and for showing what it means to lead with kindness and service.
Districtwide News
Plan Ahead! MPUSD Calendars Available - The 2026 - 2027 district calendars are posted on MPUSD’s website. Find the full districtwide calendar, plus specific calendars for preschool, elementary/TK-8, and high school, including early release days and parent-teacher conferences. Looking further ahead? The 2027 - 2028 districtwide calendars is also available.
Communications Resources at Your Fingertips - To support your planning and promotion efforts throughout the year, the Communications Department has created a master calendar highlighting key breaks, holidays, and recognition months celebrated across MPUSD. Custom graphics for each of these are also available for districtwide use. Also available is the MPUSD Branding Guide developed to ensure consistency in how we represent our district. All of these resources are housed in the School Leaders Toolbox and will be regularly referenced in The MPUSD Insider.
MPUSD Community Updates - Each week on Saturdays at 10 am, the district sends out a weekly MPUSD Community Updates. If information is pertinent to all staff we pull it into The MPUSD Insider, but in case you would like to see the actual community/family publication we shared last week, you may check it out here.
Information to Share with Families
Families prefer to hear from their teacher and school site over the district. We often send our community partner fliers out on Peachjar (the district's electronic flier system) and district information in ParentSquare. Occasionally we will put community partner information in our district ParentSquare. Each week, if there is information of interest for families, we will add it here for you to share to families.
Board of Education
Board of Education Meeting- The Board of Education met last week on Tuesday, July 28. If you miss the meeting and want to know what actions the Board took you can check out the newly formatted Board Highlights or watch Spotlight on Board Highlights below. The Board meets again on Tuesday, August 11, and you may access the agenda on August 6 here.
Hot Off the Reel
Back-to-School Kickoff Video - If you would like to see the :90 second video we shared in yesterday's Back-to-School Kickoff celebration, take a moment to watch it again below.
Reminders: Info in Previous Editions Worthy of Repeat
First Day Fruit Baskets and Snacks - Now in its 13th year, the annual fruit baskets are coming to school sites and departments today. And, this year, snack packs will also be added.
New MPUSD Website Update - Our new MPUSD district and school websites launched on June 8, and we've spent late spring and summer training staff, refining content, and resolving issues. While we're still making improvements, we appreciate your help! If you spot something that needs attention, please let your principal, school office supervisor, or the Communications team know. If you help manage your school's website, join our virtual ParentSquare Smart Sites training on August 26 from 3 - 4 p.m. by registering HERE. Previous training recordings and additional ParentSquare resources are also available.
