Dear CSD Families,

From September 15 to October 15, we are proud to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month — a time to honor the cultures, histories, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

This celebration is a wonderful opportunity for students and families to learn about the vibrant traditions, rich languages, delicious foods, and inspiring figures that have shaped our communities — and our country.

Why Does Hispanic Heritage Month Start on September 15?

Great question! September 15 is the independence day for five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. It’s also close to the independence days of Mexico (Sept. 16) and Chile (Sept. 18). What a festive week!

Celebrate at Home

Here are a few fun and easy ways to bring the celebration into your home:

• Cook Together: Try a simple recipe like homemade guacamole or arroz con leche (rice pudding).
• Read Aloud: Check out books by Hispanic authors or stories that highlight Latino heritage — your local library is a great place to start!
• Music Time: Create a playlist with Latin music styles and have a dance night!

We encourage all families to join us in celebrating this month — not only to recognize the past, but also to inspire a future of diversity, inclusion, and pride.

¡Gracias! Thank you for being part of our vibrant school community!

Take care,

Michael Chaix, Ed.D.

Superintendent

THE ONTARIO CENTER SCHOOL

By Principal Narrie Gavares

The Ontario Center School is so excited for all the fun things happening at school! We're off to a fantastic start this year and it has been a joy to see our students settle into a routine. The staff has been hard at work teaching the students about our academic and behavior expectations both inside and outside the classroom, and the students have been working hard to learn and follow them. We truly appreciate the village we have at TOCS—the parent support and collaboration in helping our students succeed are integral to the well-being of our school. This support is what makes our school so special, and we are so grateful for all you do to help us educate your children.

We are excited to kick off our annual school fundraiser, Step It Up! This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and it's a great way to show our school spirit while also helping us raise money for all the fun things our school does. Last year, our amazing school community raised over $17,000 and we were able to pay for field trips, assemblies, and even student prizes for our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program. We're already off to a great start and are on our way to matching last year's total. Let's work together to make this year's Step It Up fundraiser the best one yet!

We're so thankful for the generous support of our families and our community. Your donations are so important and truly make a difference in our students' school experience. If you’ve ever seen our students before a field trip, you would know that the bus rides are half the fun! We are so grateful for your help in making these kinds of fun memories for our kids and for making this a successful year for our students and our school. 

Thank you for everything you do!