Family Communication

Happy Friday, Mustangs Families,
We had a wonderful week of learning and engagement at Miller this week. Even with spots of rain, our students were LEADing their learning regardless of the weather conditions. They were asking deep questions, persevering through challenging math concepts, and showcasing their writing skills! So many wonderful things and amazing teaching and learning happen daily with our students.

At our school board meeting, it was shared that Miller will be opting in to receive Community School Funding. Please participate in a brief survey below to share your thoughts and exchange all of the possibilities for Miller from your perspective. Providing your name and contact information puts you in our opportunity drawing for a Miller Swag Bag! Thank you in advance for your feedback and participation.

Next week on Thursday, we are hosting our Fall Festival! Thank you to those who have donated candy, your time, and energy to another amazing community event! NOTE: There will be food items for sale ranging from $1-2- cash only! See PTA details below- can't wait to see you there!

Warmly,
Ms. Sylvester

A community school in California is a public school that functions as a neighborhood resource hub, partnering with families, local agencies, and community organizations to integrate healthcare, social services, and expanded learning alongside standard academics. Rather than focusing solely on traditional instruction, California’s Community Schools Partnership Program (CCSPP) structures these schools around four core pillars:

• Integrated Student Supports: On-site or closely linked access to physical health clinics, mental health counseling, vision/dental care, nutrition assistance, and housing/social service support.
• Expanded and Enriched Learning Time: Extended-day programs, free after-school care, summer learning, tutoring, and community-based experiential projects that build on standard classroom instruction.
• Active Family and Community Engagement: Treating families and neighbors as equal partners, offering adult education (such as ESL or financial literacy), and creating a welcoming campus environment.
• Collaborative Leadership and Practices: Shared decision-making councils involving teachers, school staff, parents, students, and community partners to determine school priorities and allocate resources.
• The Goal: Eliminate non-academic barriers to learning—such as poor health, trauma, food insecurity, or lack of transportation—so students are healthy, supported, and ready to succeed academically.

Please take a moment to spark some of our work ahead by providing your initial thoughts on our community survey linked below:

We are still collecting socks for Socktober during the last week in October! Thank you to all of those who have donated. We will be delivering our socks to Interfaith in Escondido.

This week, we continued to practice the "E" in LEAD, which is EMPATHY by describing some of the ways others fill our personal buckets. Students participated in this extension of our theme this month with their Band Buddy Teachers and schoolmates! Our multi-aged groups shared through words and pictures how others fill their bucket. Ask your students about it, we are sure that they have something special to share!

Congratulations to the classes, specifically Mrs. Mushet's Kindergarteners and Mrs. McDowell's TKers, who set the bar incredibly high with a 98.5% daily attendance rate for the month of September! Check out their victory photos with Mustang Stuffie, who gets to visit the top attendance class every month!

• October Tallying: We are finishing up our October tallies next week! The winning classrooms for October will be revealed next Friday at our school-wide assembly. If your student attended 94.5% for the month of October, they will receive a brag tag to add to their collection and our honorary Mustang stuffie for the month of November.

• November Sneak Peek: A brand-new theme is launching for November’s challenge and collect those turkey feathers! Get ready to rally your classmates! The top 3 classes will earn a Pizza Party before we send off for our November break.

We are thrilled to invite you to our annual Fall Festival: Trunk or Treat event.

Date: Thursday, October 29th, 2026
Time: 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: Miller Elementary

The event will have:
Trunk Or Treat (Costumes are optional but encouraged), Photo Booth, Tiki's Shaved Ice (for Purchase), Coffee, Hot Cocoa, Games & Activities, Food & Snacks will be available for purchase at the PTA Booth (cash only) which will include pizza hot dogs chips/popcornwater/juice.

Volunteer Opportunities:
We are still looking for a few more volunteers to run a Trunk or to help with our planned activities. Donate Candy at the front of the school (PTA will be matching candy donations)!

If you have any questions, call or email Veronica Casanova at (760) 432-2470 or [email protected]