Otter Town News - Week 8
October brings plenty of ways for Ortega families to connect, celebrate, and support our school! With Otterfest coming up on October 16, we’re looking forward to family fun, fresh local produce, and costume-swap treasures. Below, you’ll find ways to lend a hand, join the festivities, and learn about Measure T and the school programs it supports.
🦦 Help Make Otterfest 2026 Unforgettable
Otterfest is bringing the fun with carnival games, bounce houses, creative activities, and plenty of excitement for the whole family. But we can’t make it happen without our incredible Otter community!
Our goal: 9 volunteer shifts per classroom
Each classroom is being asked to fill nine volunteer time slots to help keep the games, bounce houses, and activities running throughout the event.
Whether you can give a little time or a lot, every shift makes a big difference—and volunteering is a fun way to be part of one of our school’s most exciting days of the year.
‣ Sign up for a volunteer shift
Together, we can make Otterfest 2026 a fantastic celebration for our students and families. Thank you for pitching in, Otter families!
Questions? Email fundraising@ortegapto.org.
🍎 Visit The HEAL Project at Otterfest
Stop by The HEAL Project table at Otterfest on Friday, October 16! We’ll be bringing a little bit of the farm to Ortega and would love to see you there.
Thanks to generous grant funding from Kaiser Permanente, we’ll be giving away FREE, locally grown produce harvested from The HEAL Project’s farm in El Granada. Come say hello, learn more about our farm and garden programs, and take home some fresh produce for your family.
Produce will be available while supplies last, so be sure to stop by! We can’t wait to see our Ortega community at Otterfest!
🎃 Halloween Costume Swap
A big thank you to everyone who has already donated! We’ll keep collecting gently used costumes October 5–7.
Costumes will be available to browse and take during Otterfest on Friday, October 16 — come find something fun and help give a costume a second life!
🗳️ Vote on Measure T
Measure T will be on the November ballot to renew an existing parcel tax that provides critical funding for Pacifica elementary and middle schools. A yes vote on Measure T will allow Ortega to continue funding:
- Library Media Techs (Librarians) at all of our schools
- School counselors
- Free Outdoor Ed for all of our 5th graders
If you would like to help the Measure T campaign, please visit this sign up genius for ways to get involved.
News
Fall Day of Service
Join us on October 18th, 2pm - 4pm for the Fall Day of Service at Ortega!
Read more ›Upcoming Events
Mon, Oct 12
Indigenous Peoples' Day — No School
Tue, Oct 13
PTO Meeting · 6:30 PM
Fri, Oct 16
Otterfest · 3:00 PM · Ortega North Schoolyard
Sun, Oct 18
Ortega's Fall Day of Service · 2:00 PM · Ortega garden
Fri, Oct 30
Halloween Parade & PTO Creepy Coffee
Ways to help
We need you
Otterfest
Otterfest is one of our favorite school community celebrations, filled with carnival games, bounce houses, fun activities, and plenty of opportunities for our students and families to enjoy time together.
Sign up ›We need you
Popsicle Sales
Sign up to sell popsicles after school on Wednesdays. Through October 7 there are two shifts: TK/K volunteers report to the PTO office at 11:45 AM, and grade 1–5 volunteers report to the school at 1:00 PM. From October 14, when TK/K dismissal moves to 1:15, there is one shift for the whole school — report to the school at 1:00 PM.
Sign up ›We need you
Drop-Off Attendant
Open doors and help kids exit cars in the morning. Volunteers should grab a blue vest inside the main entrance of the school. Expected commitment time is 30 minutes.
Sign up ›Community Events
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That’s the news from Otter Town.