The Merced City School District is pleased to announce the promotion of Mr. David Garza to Rivera Elementary Principal for the 18-19 school year. He previously served as Assistant Principal for Rivera Middle School. The Board of Education approved this promotion at the June 26 meeting. Mr. Garza will be taking over for Ms. Catherine Puckett, who retired at the end of the school year.
Personnel will now be recruiting for two assistant principal/learning director positions. To learn more, please visit our employment web page.
It’s hard to believe that another school year has already come to an end! The past few weeks were packed with excitement for students and staff throughout the Merced City School District. After months of hard work, they had a chance to enjoy a variety of celebrations…from talent shows and dance festivals to awards ceremonies and graduations.
As we look back on the 2017-2018 school year, many different milestones and achievements come to mind. One that really stands out is the opening of our state of the art STEAM Center in August. This was a project many years in the making, which came to fruition thanks to the dedication of countless people including Board members, administrators, teachers, classified staff, parents, and community partners. All of our students in TK-8th grade had an opportunity to visit the center this year to experience hands-on learning in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math, which complemented their classroom lessons. We saw many of those priceless “lightbulb” moments as children made the connection between challenging topics and their real world applications. Those moments made all of the planning and hard work worthwhile.
We also began the process of building Innovation Labs at all of our middle schools, we completed a districtwide solar array project that is projected to save more than $7.9 million in energy costs over the next 25 years, and we finished dozens of Measure M modernization projects at several campuses. The year also included educational excursions to Yosemite National Park, Farm 2U, Merced Symphony Children’s Concerts, and many other eye-opening destinations all around us. Our students excelled in the county spelling bee and STEM fair, and they won the inaugural MCSD Invitational Battle of the Books! One group of students even made history by defeating high school teams to win a quiz competition. Our students shined in sporting events, performing arts showcases, and leadership programs. We were equally as proud of those who showed great personal progress and those who gave back to our community in a variety of ways, from cancer fundraisers to random acts of kindness.
It really has been a wonderful and fulfilling year, and we know the best is yet to come. Through our Local Control Accountability Plan, we are working with stakeholders to ensure that students throughout our district have the resources they need to succeed. We are analyzing what’s working and where we can make adjustments to continue to improve. We are using modern technology to enhance experiences for students, staff, and families, while never forgetting the power of interpersonal relationships. We hope everyone has a wonderful break, and we look forward to seeing many of you at our Summer Academy, starting June 18!
All MCSD students entering 6th, 7th or 8th grade are invited to participate in a free dance camp!
It will be held July 30-August 3rd from 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. at the MCSD STEAM Center, located at 2900 Green Street (next to Ada Givens Elementary).
Join us to learn more about dance technique, color guard, and musical theater. Each morning will begin with instruction in dance technique. Special sessions will address proper alignment for the best leaps and turns. Time will be given to each middle school to introduce choreography for 18-19 school year projects. There will also be information on injury prevention and maintaining a healthy lifestyle as a dancer.
Participants in this camp will have an opportunity to perform at the MCSD Staff Welcome at the historic Merced Theatre on August 10.
Registration forms should be dropped off or mailed to the address below by July 16:
PDC
Attn: Laurelyn Kennard
1730 E. Brookdale
Merced, CA 95340
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Hundreds of students, parents, and staff from all 18 Merced City School District campuses came together Thursday evening for the fourth annual STEAM Fair. It was held at the district’s new cutting edge STEAM Center, which opened in August next to Ada Givens Elementary.
This event was a chance for the schools to showcase work done throughout the year in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. It featured a variety of interactive student displays, performances by school bands, a solar car station, and an educational drum circle facilitated by special guest presenter, Dr. Craig Woodson.
Community partners from UC Merced, Mercy Medical Center Merced, the City of Merced, and Castle Air museum also set up booths with hands-on activities, from science experiments to CPR training. It was an opportunity for students to see how professionals in our community use STEAM every day. Children also had a chance to meet JiJi the ST Math penguin, which is the mascot for a computer program they frequently use in the classroom.
The Merced City School District is home to an award-winning STEAM program that combines daily classroom curriculum with educational excursions and visits to the STEAM Center. The facility provides a 21st century space for all of the district’s TK-8th grade students to enjoy collaborative, hands-on learning. It also allows groups of teachers to work together and learn from one another, and it provides a place for additional community collaboration and special events, including the STEAM Fair.
Students from five Merced area middle schools went head to head in the inaugural “Merced City School District Battle of the Books Invitational” at Tenaya Middle School on Friday, April 20.
The competitors came from four MCSD schools: Cruickshank, Hoover, Rivera, and Tenaya as well as McSwain Middle School. Multiple teams from each school competed throughout the day in a literary competition that focused on 10 novels they read in advance.
The titles included such works as, “A Ring of Endless Light” by Madeleine L’Engle, “Bud, Not Buddy” by Christopher Paul Curtis, and “On the Far Side of the Mountain” by Jane Craighead George. The questions required the students to remember specific details from each story.
The day began with four rounds of competition in classrooms throughout the campus before students came together in the multipurpose room to hear the results.
Rivera students Julia Nies, Elena Santos-Gonzalez, Tianna LiWang, and Kaylie Escobar-Islas earned a perfect score to take first place in the small group contest. The girls also helped Rivera win an exciting rapid fire tiebreaker against Hoover to claim the trophy for the most overall points for their school.
MCSD Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Paula Heupel says, “It was thrilling to see all of the students so excited and knowledgeable about literature. The teacher librarians from each of the participating schools did a tremendous job of organizing this inaugural event, and we look forward to the continued success of this competition in the future.”
The Merced City School District would also like to acknowledge and thank all of the staff members and volunteers from our district and others who helped make this opportunity possible, beginning with MCSD teacher librarians Maria Dietz, Rhonda Sancibrian, Seanna Haslouer, Joette Klemin, and McSwain librarian Ronda Douglas. They did an exceptional job of planning and running this event together. Also a special thanks to MCSD elementary teacher librarians Pang Moua, Diane Pust, Angelica Ozuna, and Nikki Kline as well as Susan Mikkelson (Merced High School teacher librarian), Allyssa Sepulveda (Delhi High School coordinator of library and digital media services), Travis Harding (Atwater High School teacher librarian), Tara Woodall (Golden Valley High School teacher librarian), Julie Cook (Buhach Colony High School teacher librarian), Tony Doyle (El Capitan High School teacher librarian), Jil Borden (Livingston Middle School library media teacher), Danny Ambriz (MCSD Information Technology application specialist), and college student Noelle Haycraft. They all offered support in a variety of ways, from serving as moderators to running the technical components. We appreciate you all!
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