• Welcome Back! Classes resume Monday, January 6.
• 2025-2026 Academic Calendar: Next year's calendar is now available to download from the website calendar page. Click the "Download Academic Calendars" drop-down menu to view and print.
• Upcoming Holiday: There will be no classes on Monday, January 20, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
• Calling all Pirate Parents – Start off the new year with us! Our Friday fitness activity for January will take us to Fuel Cycling for a 45-minute class. You can go at your own pace while we have a great time together! Visit your Pirate Page and follow the link to register with Fuel Cycling.

Lower and Middle Division

• Late Start: On Tuesday, January 7, we will have a regular late start – Lower Division: 8:45 a.m.; Middle Division: 9 a.m.
• After School Program: Please complete your registration (located on your Parent Pirate Page) for the upcoming workshops, free play and carline. Placements will be communicated the week of January 6; new workshop assignments will begin on January 13. If you have questions about the program, please contact Maddy Springfield. Free play will be available the week of January 6.
• Parents Association: Our next meeting is Monday, January 13, via Zoom. Parents will sign up for the committees launched at our last meeting. Stay tuned for more details. Please contact Gina Nobida with questions.
• Carline Procedures: Keeping our students, faculty and staff safe is of the utmost importance to us. Please adhere to the following guidelines – we appreciate your cooperation.
  • Never block a driveway.
  • If you are walking down to pick up your child, please use the green paths.
  • Do not arrive for your designated drop-off/pick-up time early. We have intentionally staggered all times to reduce the congestion on the neighborhood streets.
  • Minimize driving up Dolores Street and past the school; consider a side street to maintain the flow of traffic leaving campus.
  • Adhere to the 15 miles per hour speed limit on Dolores Street and in the surrounding neighborhood.
  • Follow the directions of our safety staff. They are in place to assist pedestrians and maintain the natural flow of traffic.
  • Yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
  • Headlights must be on during inclement weather.
  • Avoid blocking private driveways.
  • Turn off your engine if you are parked or waiting in the carline.
  • Restrict cell phone use in the parking lot.

Lower Division

• Lice Check: As a precautionary measure, all Lower Division students will be checked for lice on January 6. We've partnered with Lice of America to conduct thorough checks. Please have your student come to school with their hair completely down, dry, brushed and without any product. If lice or nits are identified during the screening, we will notify you privately and provide treatment onsite. After treatment, they will need to be picked up so they can wash their hair. For additional information, please contact Nurse Heidi.

Middle Division

• Welcome Back: When classes resume on Monday, January 6, we will begin on Day 1.
• Outerwear Reminder: Please label your children's outerwear. If items are labeled we can better help you find items left on campus.
• Writing Contest Recognition: Congratulations to Justin Kim and Gabriella Jackson, who received honorable mentions for their writing in the Monterey Weekly short story contest for their submissions Life of a Typical Middle School Kid (Justin) and My Escape from Reality (Gabriella). You can read their submissions here.

• Resident Families: This upcoming weekend, January 10-12, is a closed weekend. All residential students are required to prioritize being present on campus to spend time together after returning from break.
• Sexual Health and Ethics: Grade 9 will attend a lesson on sexual health and ethics on Monday, January 13, focusing on the basics of anatomy, along with best practices to stay healthy and safe. The next issue of Week Ahead will include resources for parents and guardians as you partner in these important conversations. If you have any questions please contact Sarah Koshi, Director of Student Leadership and Wellness Curriculum.
• Mental Health Workshop: On Tuesday, January 14, Molly Hansen, a licensed marriage and family therapist from Ohana, will return to campus to speak about mental fitness and building resiliency skills. Ohana, a part of Montage Health, is Monterey County's transformative mental health program for kids, teens and parents. Please click this link to read more about Ohana and the resources and services provided.
• Attention Rising Grade 10 and 11 Families: You may apply to be considered for a leave of absence to attend an approved semester or year-long program. Requests for the 2025-2026 school year must be submitted to Aimee Bates, Head of Upper Division, by January 15. You can learn more about our semester and year-away program policies in The Navigator.
• Fall Semester Reports: Reports will be available on Pirate Pages on January 16. Reminder: the deadline to add or drop a spring semester elective is Friday, January 24.
• Winter Formal: With the theme of New York City Lights, the winter formal on January 18 promises to be a memorable evening for students. This event will be at Wave Street Studios from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. Attire will be formal, and students may bring outside guests, provided they submit a completed guest pass by January 13.
• Choral Concert: Save the date for the Upper Division concert, Friday, January 24.
• Grade 12 Parent/Guardian Transitions Gathering: Now that college applications are complete, join us on Thursday, January 30, at 6 p.m. (Zoom will begin at 6:30 p.m.) in the Learning Commons. We'll discuss how to savor these final months before graduation and how to prepare seniors for their next adventures. We will also use the opportunity to talk through the logistics of graduation week and all of the celebrations that lie ahead. Register here.