News

Principal's Message

Dear Mustang Families,

It is with great anticipation and excitement that I welcome you to the 2026-2027 school year!
Our first day of school is Wednesday, August 12, and it will be a minimum day.
Dismissal times can be found on the following page. We look forward to welcoming our new Mustangs and reconnecting with our returning students. This is going to be a wonderful year filled with meaningful learning, memorable experiences, and opportunities for every student to grow. I hope this letter provides you with the essential information needed for a successful start to the school year. Throughout the year, I will continue to keep our Monroe community informed through our "Mustang News," which will be shared via HESD CONNECT. The Monroe office will be open to the public beginning Monday, August 3, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at (559) 585-3745.

We are excited to continue the transformation of our Monroe campus! In the spring of 2026, we celebrated the completion of our beautiful new Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten building. This fall, the renovation of our 10s and 20s classroom wings is expected to be completed in early September, allowing some of our students to move into fully remodeled classrooms that have been completely rebuilt from the inside out. Construction will continue throughout the 2026-27 school year as crews move on to the 30s and 40s classroom wings and the remaining phases of our campus modernization project. Throughout this process, our construction and Facilities teams have been working tirelessly to keep the project moving while preparing Monroe for another successful school year. We appreciate your patience and support as Monroe continues to transform, and we cannot wait to share the finished campus with our students, staff, and families.

As we begin another school year, we are proud to reflect on Monroe's continued success. Last year, our school was once again recognized as an Educational Results Partnership Honor Roll School, adding to the recognition our staff and students have earned in recent years, including the National Blue-Ribbon Award and recognition as a U.S. News & World Report Top Elementary School. While we are grateful for these accomplishments, our focus remains where it has always been: providing every student with an exceptional education and continuing to build on the tradition of excellence that makes Monroe such a special place.

Continue Reading Full Parent Letter - Click Here

Jennifer Levinson
Principal

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Beginning the next school year, we are excited to begin using the new HESD Connect app for important school communication! Please make sure to set up your Focus Parent Portal account and download the HESD Connect app as soon as possible!  We need for 100% of our parents to download the app before the last day of school.

 

Beginning July 20th, all student information verification (formerly known as 1st day packets) will be completed through the app. One great new feature is that parents will be able to see their child’s teacher assignment immediately after submitting the verification forms — no waiting! 

 

To stay informed and ready for the new school year:

 

Thank you for helping us make communication faster and easier for all families!

 

Monroe Bus Routes 2026-2027
MonroeBusRoutes26-27 (PDF)

 

Student Drop-Off & Pick-up Safety

At Monroe, safety is our top priority! To ensure our students stay safe during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up, we need your help. Here are a few reminders:

  • Drop-off Zone: All students will enter and exit through the front of the school near the office.  Students should only be dropped off in the designated drop-off area along the curbside near the fence. They should exit the vehicle on the right side, in the far-right lane only. If your child needs help getting out, please park and walk them to the gate to keep traffic moving.
  • Parking Lot Safety: Please do not drop off your child anywhere else in the parking lot and ask them to walk alone. If you’re not using the designated drop-off area, a parent must accompany the student to the gate.  
  • Keep the Line Moving: After dropping off your child, please keep the line moving and avoid waiting until they enter the campus. If you’re concerned about your child walking in alone, please park and walk them to the gate.
  • Crosswalk Use: For everyone’s safety, always use the crosswalk when walking your child to the gate and avoid walking between vehicles.
  • Avoid Peak Times: The parking lot gets very congested between 7:50 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. If possible, try to drop off your child earlier to avoid this busy time.
  • Arrive on Time: The expectation is to have your child in their line by the first bell at 7:57 a.m. 

Working together, we can ensure our students stay safe, arrive at school on time, and are ready to learn.  Thank you for your cooperation!

Student Transportation

For optimal safety, security and most importantly, consistency for all students, please make sure your child knows how they will be getting home at the end of the day.  Any changes to your child's transportation after school will only be accepted until 9:00 am each day.  Exceptions will be made for extreme emergencies only.  Please help us keep your child safe and secure by adhering to this policy.

Kindergarten students will not be dropped off at their stop if there is not an adult present to take responsibility for the student and they will be returned to the school. 1st-6th grade students do not require an adult to be present at the bus stop. If your 1st-6th grade student requires assistance getting home from their bus stop, please ensure there's is an adult present to meet them, as no parent is required to be at the bus stop.

Student Pickup

Monroe Parking Lot:

  • Please only enter East entryway during your child's dismissal time.
    • Kinder: 2:07 pm
    • 1st-3rd: 2:27 pm
    • 4th-6th: 2:47 pm
  • If you arrive earlier than 5 minutes prior to your child's dismissal time, you will be asked to please park in the parking lot or you may circle around so that parents can pickup students who are already dismissed.
  • All students will exit through the West gate near the cafeteria.

Bus Area:

  • Only students riding the bus will be allowed to exit through the Cortner parking lot area.  

Cortner Gate:

  • For the safety of our students, all students will enter and exit through the front of the school. 
Monroe School Site Council & ELAC Meetings

Monroe School Site Council & ELAC Meetings

Monroe School Site Council Meetings and ELAC are on the following dates:  

SSC #1 - October 5, 2026

SSC#2 -  February 1, 2027

SSC#3 -  March 1, 2027

SSC#4 - April 26, 2027

AGENDAS CAN BE FOUND ON IN THE PARENT DOWNLOADS https://monroe.hanfordesd.org/parent-downloads  

 

Learn from Home Resources

Learn from Home Resources are posted on our HESD website. You will notice that resources are organized by grade level spans: TK-2nd, 3rd-5th, and 6th-8th. Please check out the resources to support continued learning for your child!
Thank you for your support!

https://www.hanfordesd.org/.

Classroom Interruptions

Student instruction time is the most valuable resource offered by the school district. Schools shall make every reasonable effort to eliminate unnecessary interruptions and activities that result in the loss of academic learning time.

Most communication is done via email in order to preserve class time and minimize interruptions to class time.  If a situation arises in which a message needs to be passed along to your child, please notify the office by 9:00 am.  This gives the teacher the opportunity to check their email at lunch and pass the message along to the student.

Messages received after 9:00 am have no guarantee of making it to your child.

We appreciate your assistance and cooperation with this matter.

Foggy Day Information

Here are several resources for you to know whether we will be on a foggy day schedule:

You can reach the Hanford Elementary Foggy Day Line at (559) 585-3652

You can tune in to PBS Channel 18 (Comcast Channel 8, Direct TV Channel 18 and Dish Channel 18) or KMJ Radio 580

If we are on a foggy day schedule, we will be listed as HANFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT

    Plan A: Buses are two hours delayed. Classes start on time.
    Plan B: Morning buses are canceled. Classes start on time.
    Plan C: Afternoon buses canceled

Parents will be notified through ParentSquare when a foggy day schedule is implemented for our bus riders. This ensures that everyone is promptly informed about any changes to the bus schedule due to foggy weather conditions.

Student Supervision

Before School: There will be no adult supervision on campus before 7:15 am. If your children ride a school bus, adult supervision begins upon arrival of the first bus. If your children walk to school or you drive them, do not allow them to come onto campus before 7:15 am.

After School: Supervision on campus after students are dismissed is until 3:00 pm at the designated pick up area in the Monroe Circle. All other students must leave the campus immediately after school is dismissed.

Visitors on Campus

No one will be allowed open access to the campus.  In the afternoon, parents may wait for their child’s dismissal in the designated areas only.  

 

HESD Mission

Everything we do must be for the expressed purpose of improving teaching and learning, therefore:

“Our mission is to provide an educational environment which reinforces basic cultural values, ethical behavior including respect for others, personal integrity, responsibility and accountability.  We will work together to provide students with a safe environment in which they can discover their potential and strengthen their motivation for living and learning.  As tomorrow’s leaders, students will be prepared to participate and function effectively in society.