The MPUSD Insider is the weekly internal newsletter for MPUSD all staff.
NOTE: The MPUSD Insider will be on hiatus over Fall Break and will return on October 13.
Of Interest to Staff
In Case You Missed It | Interested in Learning More about Homeownership Opportunities - MPUSD employees have been invited to learn about a down payment assistance opportunity available through Marina Station, including potential down payment assistance and seller credits for eligible homebuyers. We are gauging employee interest and will coordinate an informational session after Fall Break where interested staff can learn more, ask questions and hear directly from the program representatives. Interested? Complete the brief interest form, and we’ll follow up with details about an upcoming session. Note: This opportunity and any related financial or real estate services are not sponsored or endorsed by MPUSD. MPUSD is sharing and facilitating access to this informational session as a resource for interested employees. Eligibility, financing terms and program requirements are determined by the participating providers.
YouthTruth Survey - Each fall, MPUSD participates in the YouthTruth Survey, giving students, families, teachers and staff an opportunity to share feedback about what is working well and where we can improve. The 2026 YouthTruth Survey will take place September 28 through October 30. Students, teachers and staff will participate in surveys designed for their experiences, while families have their own unique survey. MPUSD staff who are also parents/guardians: While you will participate in the staff survey for the school site where you work, we also hope you will complete the family survey for the school site(s) your child(ren) attend. Your perspective in both roles is valuable!
MPUSD Way
Know Someone Living the MPUSD Way? Don't keep it a secret!See a student, colleague, team, or volunteer making a difference? Let us know! Share a few sentences or bullet points and we’ll do the rest. Submit an MPUSD Way recognition.
We're Better Together - A big shout-out to Ms. Campaña, 1st grade teacher, and Ms. Jones, middle school teacher, at the Dual Language Academy of the Monterey Peninsula! Both stepped up and volunteered to attend science camp with our 6th grade students even though 6th grade isn’t the grade level either of them teaches! Science camp takes a team, and we couldn’t have done it without them. Thank you, Ms. Campaña and Ms. Jones, for stepping outside your regular roles to support our students and showing what it means when we say We’re Better Together!
Every Person Matters - A huge shout-out to Renee Corbishley in Educational Services, who is one of those people who makes you wonder, “How on earth do you do all of that?” Renee somehow keeps countless things moving across MPUSD while still making time to support individual school sites and the people working at them. She is a go-to source for guidance, answers, problem-solving and sometimes just the reassurance that you’re on the right track. What stands out most is that no matter how busy she is, Renee always takes the time to listen, explain, guide and help find a solution, and never makes you feel like you're bothering her. As one colleague shared, “I genuinely don’t know what I would do without Renee’s guidance and kindness.” Thank you, Renee, for being someone our schools and staff can count on and for everything you do to keep MPUSD moving forward.
Improve With Purpose - A big shout-out to Diana Verania at La Mesa School, who graciously accepted a change in grade levels at the end of the summer, stepping into a grade outside of what she had originally hoped to teach. Diana has embraced the change and is working incredibly hard for her students, staying late, going above and beyond to ensure they are learning, and creating a classroom where every student feels safe and welcomed while maintaining high expectations for academics and behavior. Thank you, Diana, for rising to the challenge, putting students first and showing us what it means to Improve With Purpose.
Learn Something New Every Day - A big shout-out to Manny Zamudio in our IT department, who went above and beyond to make sure Monterey High School IB Computer Science students had the technology they needed to successfully complete their projects. Manny met with the teacher to understand the course needs, researched the technical requirements and came up with a solution the school hadn’t even considered building a dedicated server environment students could access directly from their Chromebooks. Thank you, Manny, for your creativity, initiative and commitment to finding a way to make it happen for our students.
Every Person Matters - A big shout-out to Donna Manuel at Olson Elementary School, an invaluable member of the Olson team who brings professionalism, compassion and genuine care to everything she does. Donna’s deep knowledge of the Olson community and commitment to students and families can be seen across so many areas from attendance and the health office to her work on the Connection and Belonging Committee. She consistently goes beyond her core responsibilities to make sure students and families feel supported, welcomed and cared for. Thank you, Donna, for the many ways you show up for the Olson community and demonstrate every day that Every Person Matters!
Improve With Purpose - A big MPUSD Way shoutout to Marissa Schwartz in the Communications department, who has been hard at work refreshing our Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELO) family videos. This was no simple update, and took nearly a month. Marissa captured new footage, re-recorded our program leaders and produced each video in both English and Spanish to ensure all ELO families have clear, accessible information about program policies and procedures. She also approached the project with the future in mind, creating videos with a longer shelf life that can continue serving our families beyond this school year. It was a significant lift alongside the many other projects Marissa manages, and a great example of Improve With Purpose in action.
Every Person Matters - A big shout-out to Cruz Trotter at Central Coast High School, who made a new MPUSD team member’s very first day one to remember! Cruz was kind, professional, informative and welcoming, taking the time to make a new colleague feel not only supported, but immediately part of the Central Coast community. Thank you, Cruz, for showing how a warm welcome can make all the difference and for demonstrating from day one that Every Person Matters!
Districtwide News
Building Community Beyond the School Day - Shout out to the MPUSD educators who spent September 26-27 at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Educator Open House and Sleepover. While not everyone who attended is pictured, we love seeing this group representing MPUSD while taking time to recharge, build community and deepen connections with colleagues outside of the school week. There’s something special about seeing our educators enjoying one another’s company and the company of a few ocean critters! A great example of We’re Better Together in action.
Fall Break | No School - Monterey Peninsula Unified School District schools will be on Fall Break from October 5 - 9, 2026. We wish our teachers and staff a safe, restful and enjoyable break. School returns to sessionl on Monday, October 12, 2026. We look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready to learn!
September 30, 2026 is International Translation Day.- We celebrate the language professionals who help our students, families and schools stay connected. Meet Patty Gutierrez from Monterey Adult School, one of our many bilingual team members. Patty also serves as a Spanish interpreter at MPUSD Board of Education meetings, helping make important conversations accessible to our Spanish-speaking community. Thank you, Patty, and all of our bilingual and multilingual staff who help bridge language and communication across MPUSD.
Know Someone Who Would Be a Great Addition to the MPUSD Team - We’re growing our MPUSD team and we hope you can help us spread the word! If you know a parent, guardian, family member, friend or community member looking for a job, encourage them to join us for MPUSD’s Classified Job Fair on Saturday, October 17, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the MPUSD District Services Center in Del Rey Oaks. We’re hiring for a variety of high-demand positions, including behavior technicians, after-school program leaders, nutrition service assistants, early learning assistants, school site clerical/administrative positions, custodial substitutes and clerical substitutes. Share the opportunity with someone you know. Walk-ins are welcome or pre-register at the.mpusd.net/2026jobfair.
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
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Board of Education
Board of Education - The Board of Education met on September 22. If you missed the meeting and want to learn what actions the Board took, check out Board Highlights in English or Spanish or watch Spotlight on Board Highlights.
Special Location | October 13 Meeting - The next Board of Education meeting will be held in the community at Monterey High School on October 13. Open sessions begins at 6:30 p.m. We hope to see you there.
Hot Off the Reel
Monterey Adult School Named 2026 California Adult School Program of the Year - At the Monterey Adult School, we are opening doors, strengthening families, and making an impact across California. We’re proud to celebrate Monterey Adult School, named one of just two 2026 California Adult Education Program Model Programs at the Exemplary Tier, the state’s highest CAEP Model Program recognition. Through our Unlocking Doors program, Monterey Adult School brings together English language learning, parent education and community partnerships to help families build confidence, access resources and better support their children’s success.
Reminders: Info in Previous Editions Worthy of Repeat
CalPERS Health Enrollment Closes October 9 - This information only applies to teachers, psychologists, nurses, speech and language pathologists, athletic directors, and counselors. In case you missed the September 11 email at 5:31 pm from Benefits Coordinator Berenice Garcia, CalPERS Health Open Enrollment runs September 14 - October 9, 2026. Any changes made during Open Enrollment will take effect January 1, 2027. As of yesterday, eligible employees can make Open Enrollment changes through their myCalPERS account. For everything you need, including 2027 rates, FAQs, important links, and Open Enrollment resources, visit the MPUSD CalPERS Open Enrollment site. Missed the recent CalPERS presentation? Watch the recording or review the CalPERS PERSpective article, Open Enrollment Is Coming: How to Start Preparing. Need help accessing your myCalPERS account Contact CalPERS Customer Service at 888-225-7377.
Once a Student. Always MPUSD. - Some of the individuals shaping the future of MPUSD once sat in our classrooms themselves. Through our MPUSD Legacy Employee Program, we’re celebrating employees who attended MPUSD schools as students and later returned to serve our students and community as educators, leaders and support staff. Legacy employees will receive a special gold MPUSD Legacy Pin recognizing their full-circle journey and lifelong connection to our district. If you attended an MPUSD school and now work for the district, complete our Legacy Employee form so we can recognize and celebrate you. More on our website.
MPUSD Branded Art for Use - As a reminder, the main folder of all art is HERE. Please feel free to use for your communications.
Back-to-School MPUSD Way Theme Art Posters - By popular demand, posters of this year's Back-to-School MPUSD Way theme art was sent to school sites and departments last week. Need any of the images from this year's theme, including the MPUSD Way images, find them in this Google folder.
MPUSD District and School Logos - We often get asked for images of the district or school logos. They are in this folder in case you need them. If you don't see what you need, reach out to the Communications department. P.S. - reorder of school logo stickers are coming to your school site soon.
Help Us Spotlight Your School or Classroom - If you don’t tell us, we don’t know! Help us showcase the great things happening across MPUSD from classroom activities and student celebrations to staff highlights, special events and community partnerships. Have something coming up? Submit each event individually using our School Event Form so our Communications team can track opportunities and, when possible, stop by to capture the moment. Can’t have us there? No problem, we always welcome your photos and videos so we can help share your story.
