Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The first of two informational meetings for community volunteers willing to serve as mentors for students in the Denair Unified School District drew 11 people at lunchtime Thursday.

All filled out applications and soon will undergo background checks conducted by Sierra Vista Child & Family Services officials. The district is working with Sierra Vista to start the program as soon as February.

A second meeting for potential mentors is set for Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., also at the district office. It will be another chance for people to ask Sierra Vista representatives about the program.

Sierra Vista a nonprofit based in Modesto that operates a similar system with the 30,000-student Modesto City Schools District.

Superintendent Terry Metzger said her goal is to identify community volunteers willing to meet one-on-one for an hour each week with a student.

The meetings will be held during school hours on the child’s campus. Students from all grade levels and mentors will be matched based on teacher referrals and Sierra Vista’s expertise. Mentors can request students in a particular age range as well as indicate a preference for working with a boy or girl.

“Once we know how many mentors we have, we’ll start making matches,” said Metzger, who was excited about Thursday’s turnout.

The partnership is an extension of a larger mental health pilot program that began last fall, also in collaboration with Sierra Vista. A full-time mental health clinician is stationed at Denair Middle School to work with students and their families from all DUSD campuses.

The program is funded by the Legacy Health Endowment, whose mission is to provide financial and technical support to improve the health of people living in Stanislaus and Merced counties. The nonprofit was created in 2014 as part of Tenet Healthcare’s acquisition of Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock.

One of Legacy Health’s grants funds a program directed by Sierra Vista that focuses on the mental health of people living in southeastern Stanislaus County. Research by Sierra Vista shows that some children and teens in the area can be adversely affected by their socioeconomic status or rural living conditions.

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Two informational meetings are scheduled this week and next for community volunteers willing to serve as mentors for students in the Denair Unified School District.

They will be a chance for those interested to learn more about the soon-to-begin mentoring program from by Sierra Vista Child & Family Services officials. Sierra Vista a nonprofit based in Modesto that operates a similar system with the 30,000-student Modesto City Schools District.

The meetings will be held at the DUSD administration office. They are scheduled for:

• Thursday, Jan. 10 at noon
• Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 5:30 p.m.

Superintendent Terry Metzger said her goal is to identify community volunteers willing to meet one-on-one for an hour each week with a student.

“We’re very excited,” she said. “We feel like we have a number of students who can benefit from another caring adult in their lives.”

She already has reached out to local service clubs and said the response has been positive. All mentors will undergo a background check and screening conducted by Sierra Vista, which also will provide training.

The weekly meetings will be held during school hours on the child’s campus. Students from all grade levels and mentors will be matched based on teacher referrals and Sierra Vista’s expertise.

“It could be a conversation in the library or shooting hoops outside,” Metzger explained. “Most often, these students just need someone to be there to listen. They need an adult. Sometimes they’re being raised by their grandparents or caring for their younger siblings. They need someone who can be there for them.”

The partnership is an extension of a larger mental health pilot program that began last fall, also in collaboration with Sierra Vista. A full-time mental health clinician is stationed at Denair Middle School to work with students and their families from all DUSD campuses.

The program is funded by the Legacy Health Endowment, whose mission is to provide financial and technical support to improve the health of people living in Stanislaus and Merced counties. The nonprofit was created in 2014 as part of Tenet Healthcare’s acquisition of Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock.

One of Legacy Health’s grants funds a program directed by Sierra Vista that focuses on the mental health of people living in southeastern Stanislaus County. Research by Sierra Vista shows that some children and teens in the area can be adversely affected by their socioeconomic status or rural living conditions.

“That can lead to greater risk of anxiety, depression, and self-harm, including drug or alcohol use,” Metzger said.

The presents have been unwrapped and the Christmas decorations packed away. Another page has turned on the calendar. It’s 2019 – time to file away all those fun holiday break memories and get back to school.

Class resumes Monday at 8 a.m. for students and teachers in the Denair Unified School District.

The second semester includes plenty of excitement, important tests and milestone events, capped off with graduation for the Denair High Class of 2019 on May 24.

There is a lot of work to be done between now and then.

One districtwide initiative that will begin with the new year is an increased emphasis on attendance.

There are many critical reasons that all students should attend school, yet even in a district like Denair with consistently high attendance rates across all its campuses, there are students who are chronically absent.

Superintendent Terry Metzger wants to remind students and parents that regular attendance is essential to establish a path toward academic success – at all grade levels. Students who fall behind and miss valuable classroom time sometimes have a hard time catching up.

“We want students to be on time, every day, and stay for the whole day,” she said.

School also provides an important social outlet for children and teens. Sports, band, clubs and other extracurricular activities are part of a well-rounded education and reinforce skills like teamwork, respect, trust and responsibility.

Starting Monday, all of the DUSD campuses will begin flying a special flag when attendance is 95% or higher that day.

Also Monday, a social media campaign will begin on the district’s various Facebook pages. The theme is “It’s Not the Same Without You. YOU Matter!” Over the upcoming months, the district will share a mixture of fun and serious reasons while all students should come to class every day.

In addition, each campus has plans to reward and acknowledge students with perfect or high attendance.

DHS Attendance Flag

The Denair Municipal Advisory Council has posted the MAC Agenda for their January meeting, scheduled for January 8, 2019. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm. The meeting will be held in the DUSD Leadership Center/Board Room, located at3460 Lester Road, Denair, CA 95316.

I. Introduction and Roll Call

II. Public Comment*

III. Approval of the minutes from the December 4, 2018 meeting

IV. Agency Reports and Updates:

A. Public Safety:

i. California Highway Patrol

ii. Stanislaus County Sheriff

iii. Denair Fire Department

B. Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors

C. Denair Public Library

D. Denair High School Leadership

E. Denair Unified School District (DUSD)

V. Informational Items

VI. Correspondence

VII. Action Items

A. Nomination and Election of MAC Officers

i. Chairperson: Nomination:________ / Vote:_______

ii. Vice-Chair: Nomination:_______ / Vote:_______

iii. Secretary: Nomination:_______ / Vote:_______

B. Denair High School Football Team State Championship Recognition

C. Consider supporting or opposing the County’s recommendation to change the Denair Municipal Advisory Council’s membership from elected to   appointed.

D. Provide a recommendation on the Honest Choice Use Permit Application to allow for commercial cannabis business operations.

VIII. MAC Comments and Topics for the Next Agenda

IX. Adjournment: Next regular meeting – Tuesday, February 5, 2019

*PUBLIC COMMENT: Please limit comments to five (5) minutes, or as directed by the Chairperson. Matters under the jurisdiction of the Council and not on this agenda may be addressed by the general public at this time and the Council may consider adding the item to the next month’s agenda for further consideration. However, California law prohibits the Council from taking action on any matter that is not on the posted agenda unless it is determined to be an emergency by the Council.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Clerk of the Board at (209) 525-4494. Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the County to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.