There is still time for parents to enroll their children in the PreK program at Denair Elementar State Preschool.

The program – which began last week – has room for another 18 students on top of the 30 who are already enrolled, said teacher and site supervisor Erica Prock.

The PreK program is open to all children who turn 3 years old by Sept. 2, 2024 as well as 4-year-old who are not who are not eligible for transitional kindergarten. 

PreK features play-based learning in which children are taught socialization skills, how to follow directions, rules and routines, health and safety practices and participate in cognitive development (shapes, letters, numbers, colors). 

“Our main focus is setting the foundation for starting their academic career,” said Prock, who teaches the morning class. There is also an afternoon class taught by Erin Davis.

“We take our students on field trips, we participate in various school and district activities, and we provide resources for our families as needed with local agencies,” Prock explained. “We also have parent meetings throughout the year where parents can build relationships and learn about some of our local resource agencies.”

Families must meet income guidelines to qualify for the state-funded program. 

Contact: Erica Prock or Erin Davis, Denair Elementary State Preschool teachers

(209) 634-9468 or eprock@dusd.k12.ca.us or edavis@dusd.k12.ca.us

Family: Husband, Marcus; 7-month-old son,  Max 

School: Denair Middle School

Subject taught: Moderate/ severe special education 

Experience and education: AA in human and behavioral science, BA in sociology and education and  specialist teaching credential in mild-moderate with an authorization in moderate-severe. This will be my fourth year teaching; I did three years as a K-5 SDC teacher. 

What attracted you to Denair? I attended Denair School K-12. I love the small-town feeling and how much the teachers and staff really cared about their students and all the community involvement. 

What most inspires you about teaching? Making a difference with a child in the slightest way. I have worked with many different students and families, and I love to see it all come together when a child makes progress not only at school but at home as well.

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? Being in a new school district and at a different grade level and learning the new ropes of everything. 

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? Any hands-on interactive activity!

What do you want your students to remember? I want my students to remember that kindness, hard work and creativity can take them far in life. It’s important to treat others with respect, put effort into everything you do and think outside the box to solve problems. These qualities can truly make a difference!

How can parents support what you do? Being open for communication and ready to support their students by helping me learn about what drives their child to succeed.

What would surprise people about your job? Working in special education is such a rewarding experience, but it takes a lot of time and analysis to do what is right for each student. 

What do you do for fun? I love spending time with my family and going camping.  

The first day of school – with all its accompanying excitement and nervous energy – went off without a hitch Wednesday for more than 1,300 students in the Denair Unified School District. Each of the four campuses planned fun welcome back activities that led to plenty of smiles, laughter and – especially in the case of parents dropping off kindergartners – even a few happy tears.

“There was an overall positive vibe amongst students and staff,” said Denair High Principal Breanne Aguiar.

“It was a fantastic first day,” added Denair Middle School Principal Gabriela Sarmiento.

No doubt, that upbeat feeling will continue as everyone settles into a new routine in what the district’s top official expects to be a consequential year. In meetings with staff, school trustees and community members, Superintendent Terry Metzger has focused on the ways the district plans to “provide an excellent education for all students.”

Among Metzger’s priorities for the 2024-25 school year:

• Addressing the chronic struggles of English learners across all grade levels
• Boosting math literacy among all students
• Maintaining mental health support systems for students as well as staff
• Continuing to reduce barriers to students’ academic success while increasing their sense of belonging 

English learners represent about 22% of Denair’s enrollment. Metzger said test results show the need to provide additional support for those students. To address the issue, class schedules this year have been adjusted to allow for specific Designated English Language Development time at the elementary level as well as grades 6-12. The district’s Expanded Learning Opportunity Programs (ELOP) also will focus on English learners for the next few years, just like it did during the summer session that just ended.

Math also will be emphasized in ELOP activities. Denair students – like most across the state – continue to struggle to meet math standards. Being literate in math includes critical thinking and logic, as well as arithmetic skills. Metzger said the district also is partnering with the Stanislaus County Office of Education to provide intensive professional development in math for teachers at all level.

In Denair and many other districts, mental health has been a priority since the pandemic revealed worrisome issues for students and staff. Social emotional learning (SEL) and its impact on classroom performance continues to be an area of emphasis. Denair has a team of seven mental health professionals who oversee outreach to all who need it. Metzger said the district’s menu of mental health supports include an active NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness) Club at Denair High, two SEL elementary programs and popular ROX (Rocking Our eXperiences) programs aimed at empowering girls at multiple campuses.

Reducing barriers and increasing a sense of belonging has been a theme championed the past few years by board members, administrators and staff members at every level. Efforts aimed at inclusion are seen in various initiatives across all campuses, Metzger said, as well as in the public reports from principals, district leaders and others that trustees hear at their monthly meetings.

“Trustees listen carefully to students, staff and parents and use that information when it comes time to make decisions,” Metzger said. 

At their monthly board meeting Thursday night, trustees:

• Accepted two large grants from the state – one worth $382,320 to improve heating and air conditioning systems on all four campuses and the other for $124,272 to address plumbing needs. Work is ongoing.
• Heard a report from high school ag teacher Roger Christianson about the county fair. He was joined by more than a dozen FFA members. The fair will be remembered for two things, Christianson said: the heat (“It was between 108 and 114 degrees every day”) and the success of Denair’s students, led by freshman Makenzie Miguel (two first-place market sheep, plus the Reserve Grand Champion Breeding Ram) and Jaydah Rodriguez (eight firsts, one second and one third in horticulture).
• Accepted a Teacher Residency Implementation and Expansion Grant worth $320,000. The money will allow the district to add three “residents.” Teachers College of San Joaquin (TCSJ) will provide aspiring teachers with both university coursework and on-the-job training by assigning them to a mentor teacher in Denair for a full school year.
• Approved an application from the high school for an Agricultural Incentive Grant of about $24,000. The money would be to create and develop programs that motivate students to accept challenges, take pride in their achievements and work to their highest potential. Students will learn about colleges and careers through real-life experiences. 

Family: I have three little sisters — Sienna, Soleil and Summer. My mom, Lourdes Crawford, is the learning director at Hughson High School and my father, Lane Crawford, is a chiropractor in Turlock, he runs his own business, Crawford Chiropractic. I recently got married so there is an addition to our family: my husband Rene. He works independently coding and creating websites for businesses.

School: Denair Middle School

Subject taught: I teach sixth- and seventh-grade English along with the yearbook class.

Experience and education: I started off my education at Modesto Junior College. There I received my associate degrees in sociology and Spanish. I continued my education through CSU Stanislaus and received my bachelors in Spanish. I also have passed the CSET in English and am currently interning through the credential program at Stanislaus. Along with this, I will be receiving the BCLAD when graduating from the credential program.

What attracted you to Denair? Denair’s community is one of the best. Everyone is so close and caring. They really treat you like family here.

What most inspires you about teaching? I’ve known all throughout high school that I wanted to be a teacher because I like helping others. The idea of being able to help my students makes me happy and that’s why I chose teaching as my career.

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? A challenge I look forward to tackling this year is handling everything that comes with teaching. It is my first year as a teacher so everything is new for me. However, I am confident that this year will be great and I’m very excited to start the school year!

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? My favorite activities as a teacher are escape rooms. It’s fun seeing students be so hands-on with assignments and working together as a group. It gives them a better understanding of the novel in a fun way and brings everyone closer!

What do you want your students to remember? I want my students to remember that their middle school experience was filled with good memories and happy thoughts. I hope they remember that their teachers cared about them and always had their support.

How can parents support what you do? Parents can support me by coming to me with any questions or concerns. No matter how little it may seem, I want parents to know that they can communicate with me and I am someone that they can reach out to.

What would surprise people about your job? Something that surprises people about my job is how beneficial it has been to be bilingual. Not many people know I am bilingual, but this really helps with communication with parents and students. Speaking both English and Spanish has made it easier for me to feel closer to the community. 

What do you do for fun?  For fun I love to spend time with my family. As of right now, my little sister loves playing Mario Kart with me. My family and I will all play against each other in races and it’s always fun!

This is one in a series of Q&A’s with employees new to Denair Unified in 2024-25.

Family: My parents, Mary Theresa and Marco Antonio; and my brothers, Scott and Anthony

School: Denair High School

Subject taught: Math 1(H) and Math 2(H)

Experience and education: I graduated from Orestimba High School in Newman and have a B.S. in computer science from CSU Stanislaus. I have been teaching for four years, though this is my first full year certificated.

What attracted you to Denair? I’ve always gravitated towards smaller areas and communities, so the jump from Newman to Denair was very mild. Also, I love the Turlock area.

What most inspires you about teaching? Seeing success in my students, both small and grand. It is forever gratifying to see something in them click or for something to finally make sense. Also, getting to know my students and see their challenges and helping them in whatever little ways I can. Getting to be a little piece of their life is just as rewarding.

What is a challenge you look forward to tackling this year? Adversity in math has always been a problem, and I think that comes a lot from mindset. People think they aren’t good at something, so then they aren’t. I want to break that mindset and show my students that they really can get good and be good at something if they stick with it and keep pushing.

What is your favorite teaching tool or activity? You will never hear me say a bad thing about Desmos. Visuals are fantastic and Desmos is all visuals.

What do you want your students to remember? Learning doesn’t start and end with school, we just give you good structure and guidance here. You learn throughout your whole life, so the best thing you can do for yourself is learn HOW to learn best while you’re here.

How can parents support what you do? Just keep them on task and make sure they’re keeping up with their notes, their homework, and any tests or quizzes coming up. Also encourage them to reach out and ask for help themselves, or to try new things.

What would surprise people about your job? How easy it is to have patience for your students. So many people have said, “I could never, I have no patience.” But when you like your job and your students, that’s way easier to do than it seems.

What do you do for fun? Video games and music. I recently beat the Shadows of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring, and just finished replaying Dark Souls III. I’ll probably go back to Minecraft soon since 1.21 just came out.