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Dear Miramonte Community,
At this week’s AUHSD Governing Board meeting, the Board highlighted and honored Miramonte’s very own Peer Tutoring Program! This was a special evening to recognize the outstanding work by all of the student tutors and staff advisors who make up the Miramonte Peer Tutoring program.
At the Board meeting, our senior leaders in the program spoke to their experiences as tutors, shared what makes the program so impactful, and answered questions from the Board members. Our students were so excited to share about their fantastic program and grateful to be recognized by the Board.
I am so proud of our 86 peer tutors and our staff advisors for running a program that makes such a positive difference for so many students at Miramonte. If you would like to know more about our Peer Tutoring program, please view the student presentation to the Board here. And, if you think your child would benefit from peer tutoring, please have them let us know by completing this form while logged in with their district email.
Finally, just another reminder that next week we have a big week of school activities, including our GO MATS! Week hosted by the Leadership Class, the 8th Grade Visit, and our annual Open House. Please go to our school website for more details and all the latest information.
Thanks and have a great weekend! Go Mats!
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Dear Miramonte Families,
Open House is next Thursday, and we are so excited to finally be back in person for this special evening! Come out to hear the latest updates from our administration, check out classrooms, and chat with our fabulous teachers. Join us at 5:30 p.m. for a reception hosted by Parents' Club. We look forward to seeing you there!
Definitely check out the robust list of upcoming Parent Ed events on the calendar below -- there are topics to suit every interest. And be sure to mark your calendar for our next Parents' Club meeting on Wednesday, February 15.
Did you know there is a special election on March 7th? The Parents' Club Board recently voted to endorse and support Measure Z to keep quality teachers in Orinda TK-8 schools. Click here to learn more about Measure Z.
Enjoy your weekend!
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January 20 & 23-27: Counselors available for registration questions at lunchtime in front of Counseling office (for students)
January 21: Public Speaking Congress 3 & PF 3 Tournament
January 23: Club Day #2; lunchtime (for students)
January 24: Spring Sports Fair; lunchtime (for students)
January 24: Parent Ed: Sports and Wellness; 6:00-7:30 p.m.; Zoom
January 25: Volunteer Fair; lunchtime (for students)
January 26: Open House; 5:30-8:00 p.m. (session details coming soon)
- 5:30-6:00 - Reception hosted by Parents' Club
- 6:00-6:25 - Principal's presentation
- 6:30-6:55 - Session 1
- 7:00-7:25 - Session 2
- 7:30-8:00 - Session 3
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7:30-8:00 - Class of 2023 Parent Meeting in Library (during session 3)
January 27: Elective Fair; lunchtime (for students)
January 28: Public Speaking IE Speech 3 Tournament
February 1: AUHSD Governing Board Meeting; 7:00 p.m.; District office
February 3: All District "Night in New Orleans" Dance; 7:00-9:00 p.m.; Acalanes High School; Hosted by BSU
February 6: Boosters Meeting; 6:00-7:30 p.m.; MHS Library
February 6: Spring Sports Begin
February 7: Parent Ed: Substance-Free Athletics; 6:30-8:30 p.m.; MHS Library and Zoom
February 7: Parent Ed: Beyond the Binary: Helping Parents Support Their Kids with Navigating Gender; Zoom
February 9: Class of 2025 Moms' Night Out
February 13: Parent Ed: Challenge Success "A Healthier Approach to College Admissions"; 7:00-8:45 p.m.; MHS Theater
February 15: Parents' Club meeting; 9:30 a.m.; location TBD
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ONE-Miramonte Fundraising | |
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Thank you so much to the 230 Miramonte parents who filled out our survey. We deeply appreciate the time you took to share your valuable thoughts and opinions with us. We will share a summary of the responses soon, but in the meantime, we want to clear up some confusion that was apparent from the replies.
What does ONE-Miramonte pay for?
Approximately 28% of respondents either don’t know or aren’t totally sure where the money they donate to ONE-Miramonte goes. Each spring, Mr. Campopiano consults with the department heads at Miramonte and arrives at a budget that is voted on by the Parents’ Club. Here’s a link to the 2022-2023 One-Miramonte budget in both a list and graphic form.
In short, a little over half of the money donated to ONE-Miramonte goes to pay the district for the extra class sections that allow MHS to have a seven-period day and offer more class choices to students. Wellness and the College & Career Center are the next largest areas to receive supplemental funds, but every class gets some funding. Everything in the budget goes to benefit ALL Miramonte students. Without parent donations to ONE-Miramonte, the school would be an average California high school. Parent support and fantastic teachers combine to make Miramonte one of the best schools in the state.
The ONE-Miramonte budget does not pay for sports or large student events, such as Junior Prom, Senior Ball, or Grad Night; those are funded by Boosters/sport-specific athletic contributions and Class Activity fund donations, respectively.
Why is our fundraising effort called ONE-Miramonte?
In the spring of 2020, the six parents’ clubs of the six Orinda schools and EFO came together to create the Orinda Network for Education. ONE is the fundraising collective of all six schools in Orinda, and has a board, a director, and an administrator. ONE raises funds from the broader community and corporate sponsors and also provides backend data support to the six schools' parents’ clubs. However, fundraising for each Orinda school is done on-site by a team of parent club volunteers from that school. At Miramonte, the Parents' Club calls our fundraising organization ONE-Miramonte to indicate that we’re part of the ONE collective, but all money raised through our fundraising stays at Miramonte and goes toward our budget. ONE-Miramonte does not pay for the operating costs at ONE, so all money raised by us stays on campus and goes toward supplementing what state funding alone would provide.
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Earlier today, the Parents’ Club sent this Miramonte Helping Hands email to our parent community. Please read the email to learn about the options to support the Morrissey family during this extraordinarily challenging time. And please know that the family is deeply appreciative of the outpouring of love from our generous Miramonte Community. Our community is truly an incredible and supportive place to call home. | |
Announcements & Parent Education Events | |
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Parent Education: Sports and Wellness, Tuesday, January 24
The next topic in the AUHSD Parent Education series is Sports and Wellness. Dr. Doug Gardner will present this webinar on Tuesday, January 24, at 6:00 p.m. Register for this free webinar here.
If you missed any of the previous sessions in the AUHSD Parent Education series, you can view the recordings here.
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Donations Needed for Open House
The Hospitality Team will be providing treats at the Parents’ Club reception at Open House on Thursday, January 26, and we need your help! Please consider donating food or drink items or helping out at the event. Sign up here to donate or volunteer. Thank you, generous Miramonte community!
If you have any questions, please contact Kim Washburn.
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Asian, South-Asian, and Asian-American Parent Happy Hour
Campolindo High School DEIB invites all Walamorinda Asian, South Asian, or South/Asian-American identifying parents/guardians to join them for an affinity space happy hour on Friday, January 27, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Free light appetizers; drinks for purchase. Please RSVP here.
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Parent Education: Parent’s Presentation of Substance-Free Athletics
Please join us for a parent presentation, “Substance-Free Athletics”, which will be held on Tuesday, February 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the MHS Library and on Zoom. Register here whether you are attending in person or on Zoom.
Debbie Berndt, former Miramonte parent and Director for Parents Movement 2.0 and Substance-Free Athletics, will present the Substance-Free Athletics training for parents. This nationally recognized youth prevention program has already been presented to Miramonte athletes and coaches.
Parents with athletes of any kind will find this information very useful. Interested parents without athletes should attend, too – the science is easy to follow and extrapolate into other parts of student life.
Find more information at this link.
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Parent Education: Challenge Success Presentation: "A Healthier Approach to College Admissions”
Monday, February 13, 7:00-8:45 p.m., MHS Theater
The college admissions process can be a source of stress and anxiety for students and parents alike. Parents of all grades are warmly invited to attend an interactive workshop with Margaret Dunlap, Senior School Program Director at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education Challenge Success program, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with Miramonte Principal Ben Campopiano, Andie Nishimi from Wellness, Ellen Conners from Counseling, Stephanie Brady from the College & Career Center, teacher Meredith Hawkins, and student Faris Banaja.
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Visual & Performing Arts News | |
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Save the dates for the upcoming performances of Grease! Ticket information coming soon.
♬ ♬ “Why, this car is automatic. It’s systematic. It’s hyyyydro-matic. Why, it’s greased lightning!”♬♬
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Schedule Changes
The deadline to drop a class without it appearing on the transcript is Friday, March 10.
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FuelEd
Students who received a D or F in a graduation-required course should email their counselor to see if they are eligible for remediation through a FuelEd course. Ninth graders are not eligible for FuelEd.
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Class Registration for the 2023-24 School Year
Registration for next year's classes will begin later this month. Students in 10th and 11th grade will be tagged in TeachMore and will be meeting by grade level during Academy sessions. Students in 9th grade will meet during their English class.
We ask that students and families who have questions about courses for next year email their counselor. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of questions we get, we are unable to have in-office meetings for every student to go over course selections. However, it is our experience that most questions can be answered via email. Of course, if a question cannot be answered via email, we will schedule a meeting.
Counselors will be available for students to ask specific registration questions during lunch in front of the counseling office January 20-27. Counselors will also be holding a Q&A session at Open House on Thursday, January 26.
Students will be getting math course recommendations from their current math teacher and pre-enrolled in the class for which they have been recommended. If a student wishes to take a math class they were not recommended for, they need to speak directly with their math teacher.
11th graders: Registration began today, Friday, January 20. Classes are due in the computer Monday, January 30.
10th graders: Registration begins on Wednesday, January 25. Classes are due in the computer by Tuesday, January 31.
9th graders: Registration begins on Monday, January 23. Classes are due in the computer by Thursday, February 2.
All students will be given a registration form to complete and return (with a parent signature) to their English teacher. Forms will be collected by counselors in English classes on the following days:
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11th graders: Monday, January 30
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10th graders: Tuesday, January 31 and Wednesday, February 1
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9th graders: Thursday, February 2 and Friday, February 3
Students who miss their registration presentation will be required to attend the make-up session during Academy.
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Miramonte Wellness Center | |
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Next week, there are two wellness learning opportunities for parents. In addition to the Sports and Wellness program on the 24th, there is a special program for parents who want to learn more about how to advocate for their SOGIE-diverse children.
Advocating for your Child at School - Wednesday, January 25, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
This Zoom workshop will feature school administrators who will share effective strategies for advocating for SOGIE-diverse children in K-12. You will also learn helpful information on California state laws that protect LGBTQI+ youth and how to utilize these laws. Know your rights, connect with parents, and gain inspiration from people doing this important work!
Register here, and be sure to use promo code "RAINBOWFREE" at checkout for a free ticket.
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Girls Basketball plays Acalanes tonight
The Miramonte Girls Basketball team plays Acalanes tonight, Friday, January 20, at home in the Matadome. JV plays at 5:30 p.m. and Varsity plays at 7:00 p.m. The team is 16-2 for the season - come out and support the team and their incredible season! Go Mats!
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Girls Soccer
The Miramonte Girls Soccer program consists of three teams this year – varsity (20 girls), JV (16 girls), and freshman (16 girls). There was a tremendous turnout for tryouts this year, and varsity coach Taylor Abbott wanted everyone to get the chance to play and have a positive experience.
So far this season, the varsity team has won every league game (3-0), and their total record is 6-2-2. The varsity team consists of a core group of returning senior players, a solid mix of juniors and sophomores, and six new freshman players. Several of the girls on the teams have no prior experience playing soccer. The teams are high energy and very enthusiastic – open to new ideas and big on building community and camaraderie.
Coach Abbott couldn’t be more impressed with the talent and spirit of the teams! He is a Campolindo High School alumni and attended the University of Southern California (USC) for college where he played soccer. Abbott currently coaches at East Bay Eclipse Soccer Club. Coach Juan Sanchez (Alhambra High School alumni) is the JV coach, and Coach Josh Jatoft (De La Salle alumni) is the freshman team coach.
Come out and support the varsity team at the following upcoming games:
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Saturday, January 20, against Campo (away) at 7:00 p.m.
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Saturday, January 28, against Acalanes (away) at 7:00 p.m.
Follow the team on Instagram @ladymatssoccer. Go Mats!
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Attention Families of Winter Sport Athletes
Boosters Needs Your Help - Become Part of The Team Behind the Teams!
Miramonte Boosters Club is a critical funding mechanism for Miramonte Athletics. Thanks to member donations, Boosters is able to purchase much-needed equipment, gear, and supplies for all of our athletic teams. More importantly, the club helps pay for the salaries of personnel, such as the athletic trainer and strength/conditioning coach.
The entire school depends on the Boosters’ Club to pay for big-ticket capital purchases!
Boosters donations are used to fund the following:
- Athletic Trainer
- Strength and Conditioning Coach
- Sports Medicine Supplies
- Weight Room Equipment
- Equipment for every Mats sports team including balls, nets, training aids, etc.
- Capital expenditures such as scoreboards, cheer mats, wrestling mats, ball boundary safety nets, gym wall pads, goals, and bench covers.
We seek 100% of families with student-athletes to join the Boosters’ Club!
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Class of 2025
2025 Moms, join us for Galentine’s Day!
Date and time: Thursday, February 9, 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Hosted by: the fabulous Stacy Crinks!
Location: 75 Donald Drive, Orinda
Tickets: $50 includes beverages, apps, and 2025 love!
Questions? Contact the Class of 2025 Parent Advisors
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Class of 2026
The Class of 2026 Casa Orinda Fundraiser is on Monday, January 30. Purchase the famous fried chicken dinners here. Following your purchase, please select your pick-up time here. Orders close at noon on Friday, January 27. Dinner orders are open to all families in all grades.
Questions? Contact the Class of 2026 Parent Advisors
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Connect with the Parents' Club: | | | | |
