Grand opening scheduled for Merced College academic building

An open house will be held at the Allied Health Center, the newest academic building at Merced College, at 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 18. The Merced County Chamber of Commerce will conduct a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility, while faculty and students will lead tours.

Elementary students take gardening to a new level

Second grader Amelia Boyd's favorite part of the Julien Elementary Garden Celebration is the taste testing. Along with tasting the variety of plants, she danced to garden songs, learned about nutrition, and studied the process of photosynthesis on Friday.

Education Notes

CSU Stanislaus application deadline nears First-time freshmen that hope to attend California State University, Stanislaus in September 2010 must submit applications by Nov. 30. The deadline comes earlier than in years past due to a CSU system-wide effort to reduce student enrollment. State budget cuts have forced the reduction in students, according to CSU Stanislaus President Ham Shirvani. As new admissions for 2010 winter and spring terms were closed in July due to budget cuts, ...

Mt. View gym construction delayed

The project to construct a new Mountain View Middle School gym, originally scheduled to open this month, has been beset by delays that will push the project back well into the new year.

DUSD board candidates answer tough questions

The six candidates vying for two available seats on the Denair Unified School District board gathered on Wednesday to debate the issues at hand in their Nov. 3 election.

Parents learn how to support their child’s learning

The Turlock Unified School District is seeking parents' help in making sure their children are prepared for the rigors of school. In an effort to better cement the collaboration between parents and educators, the district is offering classes for parents through the Parent Institute for Quality Education.

School administrators, student leaders prepare for a ‘positive’ Harvest Bowl

The Harvest Bowl is a chance for the Pitman and Turlock high football teams meet in battle on the field with tackles, interceptions and touchdowns, but with local competition brewing, other problems often come to surface.

TUSD board candidates field questions on the budget and Joe Debely Stadium

The budget, accepting money from the city's Redevelopment Agency to refurbish Joe Debely Stadium and the achievement gap were all issues brought up by attendees of the second Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees candidate debate held on Monday at Turlock High School.

Osborn teacher dedicated to his students’ success

For the past 17 years, teacher Robert Lopez has been going to work everyday with the goal of helping his students succeed in life.

Student test scores fall short, once again

For the third year in a row, the Turlock Unified School District has not met state test score expectations and is once again been categorized as a program improvement district.

School district reviews new policies suggested by the state

Among the new and revised policies the California Department of Education sent to the Turlock Unified School District for review and possible adoption was an environmentally friendly district plan.

Teachers jobs are safe, so far, says TUSD

At Tuesday's Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting, superintendent Sonny Da Marto announced that there will be no layoff notices sent out this year. As of Tuesday night, no pink slips will be sent to teachers for layoffs in the 2010-2011 school year.

Program provides students with food for their families

Children from low income families in Stanislaus County often get free breakfast and lunch at school. But what do they eat for dinner and weekend meals when their families cannot afford food? Foster Farms and Second Harvest Food Bank of San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties hope to answer that question with the Food 4 Thought pilot program in Stanislaus County schools.

Stanislaus County slams tobacco use with training for local high schools

Stanislaus County is working toward maintaining a healthy community from fitness to nutrition to tobacco use prevention. On Tuesday, the Stanislaus County Office of Education continued their fight for a healthy community by hosting the fifth annual Protecting Health and Slamming Tobacco Youth Coalition: Tobacco Slam Training.

Governor rewards Hickman’s healthy students

Taking part in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign "Fit for the Future," Hickman went above and beyond which won them the Gold Country Regional Award in the 2009 Governor's Challenge.

CSUS botany professor’s dream closer to realization

An arboretum intended to celebrate California's diverse collection of plant life – and a former California State University, Stanislaus professor – could break ground as soon as mid-October. But that's only if California State University, Stanislaus can raise the final $30,000 needed to pay for the project, more than 30 years in the making. The brainchild of former CSU Stanislaus botany professor Wayne Piece, the Trans-California Pathway Project would transform a vacant ...

Local children get a lesson in American history

School district lists accomplishments, goals for future

Turlock Unified School District Superintendent Sonny Da Marto is proud of the successes the district saw in the 2010-11 school year and is looking forward to an even better - and more tech savvy 2011-12. Da Marto submitted a report to the TUSD Board of Trustees Tuesday night that listed the district's accomplishments for the 2010-11 school year - 75 in all. "If I have to pick one that stands out I ...

Chemistry students get laptops instead of textbooks

The 160 Honors Chemistry students in the Turlock Unified School District each received brand new laptop computers this week as part of a pilot program. The netbooks are on loan to the students for the school year to aid in the online component of their chemistry class. "They can view tutorials, complete assignments and tests, download lecture notes and amend them as we go through the lecture. It is going to allow students ...

Turlock High students have good showing at debate tournament

The Turlock High School Speech and Debate Team had the following students place at the Delta Charter Novice Tournament on Aug. 27: · Giana Amador and Bryce Brenda: 1st place in Lincoln Douglas Debate · Corey Garcia and Bryce Brenda: 1st place in National Extemporaneous · Sidney Bragdon: 1st place in Original Oratory · ...

TUSD makes gains in test scores

The Turlock Unified School District saw another year of growth in test scores, as the newest Accountability Progress Report was released by the state on Wednesday. The district recorded a 13-point gain in its Academic Performance Index, or API, going from a score of 760 in 2010 to 773 in 2011. "I'm very, very pleased with that over the last three years, we've had growth over time of 8.7 percent in test ...

Turlock High puts learning on fast track

During the morning announcements on Friday, Turlock High principal Dana Trevethan read the answers submitted by students to Thursday's "Question of the Day." The question: Where did Turlock High rank among Stanislaus, Merced, San Joaquin and Tuolumne county high schools in regards to the recently released academic performance index scores? The answer: seventh. After reading the correct answer over the school's public address system, Trevethan went on to list the rank, ...

EDUCATION: PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Turlock Unified School District recently released the names of students who scored perfect 600s on their California Standards Tests in the 2010-2011 academic year. TUSD had 132 students who got a perfect score on at least one subject and seven students who reached perfection in more than one subject testing area. The CSTs include testing for general math, English-language arts, geometry, algebra 1, algebra 2, summative high school math, integrated high school math, history-social ...

Parents get a chance to learn more about teachers, curriculum

Back to School Night was a trip down memory lane for many Turlock parents. They sat in child-sized chairs at child-sized desks surrounded by picture books and finger paintings. They sat quietly while teachers explained the year's curriculum, and some even had snack time. "Back to School Night is a time for teachers to connect with parents," said Janet Wheeler, a second grade teacher at Julien Elementary School. And what better way ...

eCademy opens doors to first class of students

eCademy Charter School is the newest addition to Turlock Unified School district, but it isn't your typical K-12 school. The school has a physical site at Crane - several classrooms and two mobile units under construction - but most of the high school level courses offered by the school take place online.

Stanislaus students start new year with higher costs

It may not seem like fall, with leaves still on trees and thermometers showing numbers reminiscent of video game high scores.

EDUCATION: GRADUATION DAY

Turlock Unified School District seniors who completed their studies over the summer were honored at their own graduation ceremony at the Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday night. Students from Turlock High School, Pitman High School, Freedom High and Roselawn were in attendance.

TUSD employee retires after 25 years of service

The Turlock Unified School District Board of Trustees honored Oliver Middaugh on Tuesday for his 25 years of service to the district. Middaugh spent the last quarter of a century as a district maintenance worker.

Local students see another year of progress in state testing

For the second year in a row, students in the Turlock Unified School District have made strides in core academics, according to state test results released Monday.

Students, parents need to prepare for college life

The last New Student Orientation wrapped up at California State University, Stanislaus on Friday. Local colleges and universities across the country are preparing to welcome a new freshman class. The majority of these students will be teenagers fresh out of high school and ready to start their adult lives. The first year of college brings its own unique set of challenges for these freshmen, but campus advisors say that a ...