The MPUSD Insider is the weekly internal newsletter for MPUSD all staff.
Of Interest to Staff
Reading is Key Nominations - The Reading is Key Awards for the 2025 - 2026 school year nominations are open. Please take a few minutes to nominate a colleague or team who is demonstrating strong literacy practices and making a meaningful impact on student learning. The nomination form is linked here. Thank you for your continued commitment to our students and to ensuring that reading truly is the key to their success. Learn more about Reading is Key and our 2024 - 2025 winners. Pictured below are winners we visited last week from Del Rey Woods Elementary, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School of the Arts, Monte Vista TK-8, and Ord Terrace Elementary.
In Case You Missed It | Once a Student. Always MPUSD. | Introducing the MPUSD Legacy Employee Program - Some of the people shaping the future of Monterey Peninsula Unified School District once sat in our classrooms themselves. The MPUSD Legacy Employee Program honors employees who began their educational journey as MPUSD students and later returned to serve the district as educators, leaders, and support staff. Each honoree receives a gold Legacy Pin, a visible symbol of pride, connection, and lifelong belonging. These full-circle journeys are a powerful reminder that what starts in an MPUSD classroom can lead anywhere, including right back here, making a difference for the next generation. If you attended an MPUSD school and now work for MPUSD, complete the Legacy Employee Form so we can recognize and honor you. Also, hot off the press, read about those who have shared with us already in the MPUSD Newsroom.
MPUSD Way
Don't be shy! Share about a colleague and we will highlight them in this section. Just send their name and a brief bullet or two of what they've done and we'll do the rest!
** Only two more editions this school year to give a shout out - May 26 and June 2.**
Service Mindset- Reneé Altamirano Corbishley of the Educational Services department embodies a true service mindset and is a ray of sunshine to everyone around her. She approaches each interaction with patience and kindness, always taking the time to explain processes, support with contracts and purchases, and guide others through the many complexities of district systems. No matter how many questions are asked, she never makes anyone feel uncomfortable for not knowing the answer and is always willing to help without frustration or judgment. Her positive attitude, calm support, and dedication make her an incredible asset to our district. Reneé consistently makes others feel supported, capable, and valued.
Service Mindset - Chato Geronimo (Mr. C), a supervisor at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School demonstrates an extraordinary service mindset through the patience, compassion, and care he shows students every single day. He has a remarkable ability to stay calm and supportive during students’ hardest moments, helping them feel safe, valued, and understood. Whether he is holding a boundary firmly but respectfully to help a dysregulated student stay safe, or sitting alongside kindergarten students until they feel comfortable with a substitute teacher, he consistently goes above and beyond to meet students where they are. The deep relationships he builds with students are a reflection of his kindness, empathy, and unwavering commitment to their well-being. We are incredibly fortunate to have Mr. C as such an integral and trusted part of our school community.
Positive Culture - Lindsay Burks, an Accelerated Learning Specialist at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, brings positivity, warmth, and dedication to our school community every single day. Lindsay knows nearly every student on campus by name and supports so many of them through intervention, personalized instruction, and meaningful relationships that help students feel seen, supported, and successful. Beyond her formal role, Lindsay is deeply woven into the fabric of our school community. She coaches a sport each season and has helped propel our school as a leader in elementary athletics. She also led the charge to ensure teachers felt appreciated and celebrated during Teacher Appreciation Week, bringing joy and thoughtfulness to the entire staff. Lindsay is always willing to jump in wherever support is needed, and her “go where I’m needed” mindset makes our school a stronger, kinder, and more connected place every day.
Every Person Matters - This week’s MPUSD Way shout out, submitted by her peers at Los Arboles Middle School, recognizes Danielle Borde for the incredible impact she makes each day as Attendance Intervention Specialist and Tier 1 Lead. Recently featured in MPUSD’s first podcast, Danielle shared how she partners with students and families to identify root causes and create personalized solutions that support improved attendance and student success. Beyond that work, she helps bring joy and connection to campus through dances, field trips, PBIS activities, the student store, and countless Tier 1 initiatives that make LAMS such a vibrant and supportive place for students. Thank you Danielle for living the MPUSD Way and making a difference every day!
Positive Culture- A special thank you to Malissa Burns for stepping up to support the Marina High School Northern Stars Club and guiding students as they presented a community project they have been developing since last year. She also encouraged and supported student Luis Urias as he served as MC during the Ohana Youth Symposium, helping empower student voice and leadership. Marina High also recognizes Ms. Fisher and Mr. Sam for helping make last Friday’s Community Carnival a welcoming, fun, and successful event for families and students. Working alongside Link Crew leaders, they helped ensure the event was well organized, safe, and full of opportunities for students to lead and serve the community. These moments reflect the Marina High spirit creating meaningful opportunities for students to lead, connect, and shine.
Leadership as the Lever - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School Principal Main gave a shout out to the school’s Instructional Leadership Team of Brooke, Elizabeth, Nicole, Katie, Jasmine, and Denise for their dedication, collaboration, and leadership. Through their thoughtful work and shared commitment to improving instruction, the team has helped guide important conversations around the school’s Problem of Practice focused on writing. Their insights and teamwork are helping lay the foundation for impactful work that will continue into next school year. Thank you for your leadership, commitment to continuous improvement, and dedication to student success!
Every Person Matters - Seaside High School'sRaquel Figueroa stepped up in a big way to support the Ocean Defenders Club. Raquel jumped in as an on-the-spot source of encouragement and support, sacrificing her own time, comfort, and even some of her food to cheer on and support students during the week’s activities. Thank you, Ms. Fig, for showing what it means to lead with heart and for always being there for our Spartans!
Powerful Teaching and Learning -Monterey High's Martha Tonkincontinually champions students, their talents, and the Monterey High community. One recent example is her support of graduating senior Logan Marchese, who was selected as a winner in the prestigious 2026 Weston Collective Scholarship Competition. Logan’s photography was chosen among 69 portfolio entries from across multiple counties, with only 30 portfolios selected for recognition and exhibition. Thanks to the encouragement and support of educators like Martha, students like Logan are empowered to pursue their passions and share their talents with the broader community. Thank you, Martha, for always uplifting students and helping their creativity shine!
Powerful Teaching and Learning - Charles Fleming of Monterey High brings passion, dedication, and energy to the school’s Vocal Arts program. Whether organizing performances, celebrating student accomplishments, supporting collaborations across the arts, or keeping families connected and informed every single week, Mr. Fleming consistently goes above and beyond to elevate music and student talent at Monterey High. From the AMP/Vocal Arts Spring Presentation to concerts, recitals, awards banquets, and countless opportunities for students to perform and grow, he helps create meaningful experiences that showcase the incredible talent, hard work, and creativity of MHS students.
Districtwide News
Enhanced Website Experience - MPUSD families, students, staff, and community members will see a fresh look and feel across our district and school websites. We are transitioning to Smart Sites powered by ParentSquare as part of our ongoing commitment to improving communication, accessibility, and transparency with our community. We have been working behind the scenes to design, organize, and migrate content to the new websites. We are currently in the final stages of reviewing pages and testing functionality ahead of the planned launch on June 8, 2026. We look forward to sharing this updated digital experience with our MPUSD community and continuing to strengthen the ways we connect, communicate, and serve our students and families. NOTE: We hosted one live virtual training for staff to learn the back end editing of our websites. If this is something of interest to you or in case we missed you, please reach out as we have another training on Wednesday, May 20 at 3 pm, and will host two more in July. There are also video archives to learn the back end.
Celebrating our English Language Learners - Help us celebrate the achievements of our English language learner students as they reclassify to fluent English proficient on June 1, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at our District Services Center located at 540 Canyon Del Rey in Del Rey Oaks.
MPUSD Community Updates - Take a moment to read the information shared with families in this past Saturday’s 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 share it each week in this communication with staff.
Information to Share with Families
Support AIM Youth Mental Health - Nahira, a junior at Monterey High School and AIM Youth Ambassador, is helping lead youth mental health advocacy through research, youth leadership programs, and AIM’s youth-led podcast, AIM-plified. Through her experience with AIM, Nahira says she discovered both her passion and purpose in youth mental health advocacy. “AIM helped me find what I want to do,” she shared. “It opened my eyes to a purpose I can take further in my life.” She also credits AIM with helping her gain confidence: “Not being afraid to do what I love.” Programs like AIM create opportunities for young people to build leadership skills, speak up, and help shape positive change in their communities. Learn more and how you can support.
Immigration Clinic will be in Seaside June 1 | ¡La Clínica de Inmigración será en Seaside el 1 de junio! - Catholic Charities Diocese of Monterey will be at Soper Field (220 Coe Ave, Seaside, CA 93955) on Monday, June 1, from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM for its Immigration Clinic. The team will provide trusted help with: Immigration Legal Consultations, DACA and green card renewals, and Family Preparedness Planning Assistance. This is not sponsored or endorsed by MPUSD, but is provided as a service announcement for those interested.
Board of Education
Board of Education Meeting - The Board of Education met last Tuesday. If you missed the meeting and want to know what actions the Board took, check out Board Highlights for view Spotlight on Board Highlights below. The Board meets again on May 26, June 9, and June 30.
Hot Off the Reel
Why MPUSD? - The latest Why MPUSD highlights Los Arboles 8th grader Jaiden. Read more about Jaiden here or take moment to watch the short video reel below.
Reading is Key - Literacy is a priority at MPUSD and our Reading is Key initiative highlights the work we are doing to ensure students are reading at grade level. This edition focuses on English language development and we visited La Mesa School. This week we also visited Monterey and Seaside schools to recognize and honor Reading is Key team members from the previous school year for the work they are doing.
Career Technical Education - This week students at Monterey High participated in mock interviews to build confidence. They learned how to look at job descriptions, write cover letters and develop their resumes.
Reminders: Info in Previous Editions Worthy of Repeat
Class of 2026 Graduation Ceremonies- Mark your calendars! MPUSD will celebrate the high school Classes of 2026 on Friday, June 5, 2026, at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center. This is a ticketed event, with tickets distributed through school sites in May. The graduations will be live streamed on MPUSD TV.
Recommitment to the Future Ceremonies | 8th Grade Promotions - The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District is proud to celebrate our 8th grade students as they take the next step in their educational journey with our Recommit to the Future ceremonies on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Ceremonies will take place at each school site (or designated location) at the following times below.
- Monte Vista TK-8: 9:00 a.m. - La Mesa School: 10:30 a.m. - Dual Language Academy of the Monterey Peninsula (at Oldemeyer Center): 11:00 a.m. - Los Arboles Middle School: 11:00 a.m. - Seaside Middle School (at Seaside High School): 4:30 p.m.
