EXCELLENCE IN ACTION: MONTEREY COUNTY'S EDUCATIONAL RESPONSE TO COVID-19 | |
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The Monterey County Civil Grand Jury (Grand Jury) is an investigative group that reports on the operations of local government in Monterey County.
In their findings, issued in a report released on May 9, 2022, the Grand Jury commended Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE) – in addition to Monterey County school districts, teachers, and classified staff – for their initiative and flexibility in meeting the challenges of COVID-19 transitions.
MCOE, in particular, was commended for meeting the needs of districts, teachers, students, and families. MCOE’s efforts in increasing financial monitoring, becoming a PPE distribution hub, creating professional development for teachers and staff, fundraising for technology, and serving as a communications center was also highlighted in the Grand Jury’s report.
“From the MCOE Superintendent to the newest part-time classroom aide, county educational employees went beyond their job descriptions in meeting the needs of students and their families during the pandemic,” the Grand Jury report stated. “Despite a lack of preparedness at many levels of government, MCOE, school districts, and staff responded to the impact of the pandemic in a timely manner.”
MCOE extends a sincere thank you to all educators, classified and certified staff, and administrators for your hard work throughout this pandemic. This praise coming from the Grand Jury is a testament to the dedication you all have to the students and families we serve.
Click below to read the full report:
2021-2022 Monterey County Civil Grand Jury Report – Excellence in Action: Monterey County’s Educational Response to Covid-19 Link
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EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT:
DR. ROBERTO NUNEZ
| Congratulations to MCOE’s very own Dr. Roberto Nunez, who won the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Region 10 Central Office Administrator of the Year Award! | |
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Dr. Nunez is a K-12 administrator and educator who has served as a high school, middle school, and elementary school principal for over 20 years. As the Director of Leadership and School Systems at MCOE, Dr. Nunez is leading and developing the Transformative Leadership Center at the county level. He has presented on topics of Cultural Proficiency and Transformative Leadership throughout the last several years. Dr. Nunez has displayed in his actions as an administrator what it truly means to be a transformative leader by advocating for scholars of color having more access to a 21st century education, disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline, and mentoring and supporting the next wave of administrators in Monterey County on how to lead with equity and access for all scholars.
On behalf of all of us at MCOE, congratulations once again Dr. Nunez! You are well deserving of this award.
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ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION STUDENTS WIN POETRY CONTEST | |
Mr. Scott Davis is an English teacher at MCOE Alternative Education’s Silver Star Center. Each year, Mr. Davis encourages his students to write and submit poetry for the Robert Campbell High School Poetry Program. This program was established to recognize and promote excellence in high school poets
and develop an interest in creative expression through the written word.
Students in Mr. Davis’s class began to prepare their poems in February, with full creative control of the content, style, and form of their poetry. After assisting the students in polishing their poems, Mr. Davis submits their work to the Robert Campbell High School Poetry Program. This year, out of over 500 student submissions across Monterey County, three Silver Star Center students were recognized for writing award-winning poems.
These students are:
Bradley Contreras, 11th Grade
Josiah Sanchez, 12th Grade
Amaris Spence, 12th Grade
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Congratulations to these blooming poets!
To view the award-winning poems, click below:
Award-winning poems from Silver Star Center Link
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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT:
JOCELYN MEXICANO
| The Every Student Succeeding Award is given out annually by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA). One student from each geographic region is recognized for overcoming the odds and achieving success. This year, Region 10’s (Monterey, Salinas, San Benito, Santa Cruz) student honoree was Jocelyn Mexicano from Soledad Unified School District! | |
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Jocelyn, a senior at Soledad High School, has persevered despite a challenging upbringing. Living without her biological mother physically present has been difficult, but thanks to the support of her siblings, grandparents, and support team at Soledad High School, Jocelyn is optimistic about her future.
“Jocelyn has faced many challenges during her school year, but she has come a very long way,” says Soledad Unified School District Superintendent Randy Bangs. “Jocelyn continues to overcome obstacles and has worked diligently to recover her credits to be on track to graduate with her peers during the graduation season. Thanks to her perseverance and her support systems, she is finding much-deserved success. Her story is truly inspirational.”
Congratulations to Jocelyn Mexicano for this outstanding accomplishment!
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MONTEREY COUNTY VIRTUAL MATH FESTIVAL | |
The MCOE Math Festival is a fun, non-competitive event that is conducted to help students engage with mathematical principles in a way that doesn’t traditionally feel like mathematics.
Students were greeted into the second annual virtual festival with a warm welcome from County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Deneen Guss before the event administrator went over the expectations for the day: communication, critical-thinking, collaboration, and creativity. Students had the opportunity to choose which virtual table to attend based on their interests. Table facilitators included California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) professors, CSUMB students, MCOE Teaching and Learning Team members, Greenfield Union School District (GUSD) teachers, and a Big Sur Unified School District (BSUSD) teacher.
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Students from Gonzales Unified School District, GUSD, BSUSD and Salinas City Elementary School District registered for the virtual festival. Five students were chosen to win a $50 Amazon gift card based on their display of communication, critical-thinking, collaboration, creativity, and utilizing mathematical principles while engaging with the table activities during the Festival. These students were Peter, Itzara, Estrellita, Maria, and Yuridia from Vista Verde Middle School!
Thank you to our wonderful MCOE Educational Services team for hosting this event for Monterey County students!
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CLASSIFIED SCHOOL EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION WEEK | |
This week, the week of May 15 to May 22 is Classified School Employee Appreciation Week!
Thank you to our outstanding classified school employees who go above and beyond for the students we serve! Our custodians, paraeducators, food service staff, instructional aids, office assistants, technicians, specialists, and so many other classified school employee positions play integral roles in providing a safe educational environment for our students to thrive in.
Thank you for your continued commitment. Your hard work is so appreciated!
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WELLNESS CENTERS OPEN AT EL SAUSAL
AND LA PAZ MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies have taken place at both El Sausal and La Paz Middle Schools to celebrate their new Wellness Centers! The ceremonies were held May 11, 2022, at each school site.
Salinas Union High School District (SUHSD) Superintendent Dan Burns gave opening remarks at each ceremony and explained that the vision for each Wellness Center is focused on giving students and the community additional resources for success.
"We have a lot of resources available for students academically. However, the Wellness Centers go beyond academics to support students in all of the other attributes that lead to their academic success," said Superintendent Dan Burns. "They're really about building the heart and soul of supporting people in the community, especially our young people who are going through difficult times."
The Wellness Centers provide safe, supportive environments on school campuses where students can go to discuss a variety of issues from depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, self-esteem, family life and stress to violence, gender identity, sexual orientation, and behavioral health needs. Wellness services provided to youth are free and confidential. Students can be referred to wellness services by school staff members, parent/guardian/caretaker referral, or by coming directly to the Wellness Center.
SUHSD now has seven total Wellness Centers. Next year, they hope to complete their vision of opening a Wellness Center at each of their schools.
For more information on Salinas Union High School District’s Wellness Centers click the link below:
SUHSD Wellness Centers Link
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Email stories to saytar@montereycoe.org
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MONTEREY COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
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