About the PTA

Jog-a-thon

This is our biggest event of the year. We need lots of volunteers from planning to execution! The kids love this event – they prepare for it for weeks in advance. Students will collect pledges from friends and family members at either a flat rate or per lap. Each grade level will have a time-slot on Jog-a-thon day to run as many laps as they can. Then, students will collect their pledge money and turn it in to the school. It’s always a successful event and a lot of fun!

Giving Tree Gift Drive

Giving Tree is a time-honored Monte Vista tradition that helps support our penguin families who need extra assistance during the winter holidays. We have served hundreds of families over several years due to the generosity of the Monte Vista community. We provide much-needed clothing items, toys, books, and food bags (for Thanksgiving and Winter breaks). 

Monte Vista Mercado

The Monte Vista Mercado is back and will be held at Monte Vista on Saturday, December 2 from 9am-3pm! For those of you who don't know, the Mercado was a holiday shopping tradition that was held at MVES for many years on the first weekend of December. It's a community driven event where numerous vendors have booths set up in the gym, cafeteria and courtyard. There will be a variety of items for sale. Snacks and coffee will be sold by the PTA and we will have food trucks on site throughout the day.

Some of the teachers also work with their students to set up their own booths in the main building hallways.

We are asking you, our Community, to pass this along to anyone who may want to have a booth in the Mercado.  Many of us know local artisans who would love a place to sell some of their creations. We are just over a month away from the event and still have plenty of spaces we'd like to fill! 

Anyone interested can follow the link below to sign up. 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1jhcGmUubPdFNPonR_47K3fMnHcIBKstshbtrB9nXsOs/edit?usp=drivesdk

We will send more details about the event as we get closer to the day. Thank you so much for all of your help!

Boo-Hoo Breakfast

Boo-Hoo Breakfast is for Kindergarten parents on the first day of school for kindergarteners. We know how hard it is to drop off your little one in a scary new school (it’s harder on us than it is on them we think!). So please join us in the library (on the lawn during the pandemic!) after drop-off and enjoy some coffee and breakfast on us. We’ll also supply ample tissues for all the tears! Get to know other Kinder parents and learn about PTA opportunities to get involved.

Fall Picnic

This is a wonderfully-attended family event. Please bring a picnic basket with your dinner, a blanket, and your family to the front lawn of the school on this Friday evening. We will have lawn games and more! The weather is nice and the school year is kicking off! 

ABQ Aloft

During Balloon Fiesta, we have two wonderful crews and their balloons come to the playground grass to show students how the balloons work early one Friday morning. You can even get in a basket while the balloon is inflated! PTA will sell coffee, hot chocolate, and more! 

Art & Dessert Night

This event is a long-standing tradition at Monte Vista. PTA collects dessert donations that will be on sale in the cafeteria. The students will display their amazing art in the hallways of the school which will be open for viewing all evening. PTA also collects donations from local artists and Monte Vista families for a silent auction in the gym. The auction includes art of all mediums, jewelry, textiles, and much, much more. Also for auction are student-designed class plates, one per class, which are always popular and the bids can get heated! 

5th Grade Graduation

A bittersweet send-off to our lovely 5th graders! PTA hosts an ice cream social on the front lawn for 5th graders and their families. 

Monthly Staff Appreciation Lunches

Each month, a different grade level will “sponsor” a staff appreciation lunch by signing up to bring a dish for the teachers to enjoy. The teachers love and appreciate this day, and it’s very important to moral to have a successful lunch each month! PTA will reach out to parents for contributions when their child’s grade is sponsoring. 

Various Fundraiser Nights at Local Participating Restaurants

About once a month, PTA coordinates with a local restaurant to donate a portion of their proceeds for the day to Monte Vista. All you have to do is show up and mention the fundraiser! Restaurants include Da Vinci’s Pizza, Il Vicino, Olo, and others. 

1.  Teachers may ask for volunteers to help weekly, for an hour or so, to assist with either individual or small group work (committees). They may also ask parents to help with special activities, such as chaperoning field trips, assisting with classroom celebrations/parties, or preparing healthy food for classroom events. Keep in touch with your child’s teacher for more ideas on how you can help.

In order to assist on field trips, you need to have a background check completed. 

 http://www.aps.edu/police/background-and-fingerprinting/background-checks-for-prospective-volunteers

2. The PTA helps the school coordinate a number of educational and community events, such as the Science Fair, the Mercado, and Field/Fun Day. These are events that are hosted by the school. Parents are often asked to volunteer time to help both staff and students with such activities. Additionally, the school needs a few parents to serve as representatives on the Wellness Council and the Instructional Council (the school advisory body), which are both comprised largely of teachers and staff and enable parents to make valuable contributions to the school’s decision-making process. Contact the front office for more information if you would like to become involved in this kind of activity at the school.

3. The PTA also helps with raising money for the school and decides how it will be spent (e.g. curriculum and computing supplies, PE supplies, books, art/music education, and more). Every year, the PTA allocates money to every teacher that they can use for their classroom in any way they want (supplies, parties, field trips, incentives, etc.).  Joining the PTA allows you to play a vital part in these budget decisions and support the school.  In addition to choosing budget priorities, PTA members are asked to generate new ideas for school programs, additional special events for students, and ways to improve upon the existing PTA activities and efforts the PTA currently undertakes on behalf of the school. The PTA welcomes help in all ways, big and small!

There are many other things that happen at the school that parent volunteers facilitate under the aegis of the PTA, such as the scheduling and set-up for school pictures, and the Caring Connection (the school’s newsletter). 

If you would like to help with or take leadership for any of these activities, please contact us!

Meet the Monte Vista PTA Board for 2023-2024:

 President:  Chad Werenko

Treasurer: Jeremy Cok

Secretary:  Allison Phillips 

Vice President: Igancio Gallegos