Tag Archives: Denair Middle School

Denair Unified Kicks Off New School Year on Wednesday

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Years of Service Recognition
Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Classroom doors will swing open and Denair Unified School District students will return to class Wednesday at 8 a.m. to begin the 2015-16 school year. There have been some significant changes in the few short months since students and staff started their summer break.

A new elementary school, Denair Elementary Charter Academy, has been formed. It cleared its final administrative hurdle in July when it received approval from the State Department of Education. Already, it has generated widespread interest among parents. Enrollment has swelled to 510 students, about 35 more than at the end of the last school year.

  • Three new principals have been hired. Alecia Myers takes over at Denair High School, Travis Manley is the new leader at Denair Middle School and Dawn Allen will oversee Denair Charter Academy.
  • New teachers have been added on every campus and a learning director has joined the DECA staff.
  • Thanks growth at the elementary level, enrollment is holding steady at about 1,275 students. That number is likely to increase as out-of-district independent study high school students enroll at Denair Charter Academy in the coming months.
  • The district’s administrative offices are poised to move from portable buildings the state no longer approved of to three remodeled former classrooms on the old Denair Academic Avenues campus.

There were plenty of smiles and hugs Tuesday morning as Superintendent Aaron Rosander welcomed teachers and staff members for a full day of training. Eighteen employees were honored for years of service ranging from 10 to 30 years for what Rosander called “the greatest profession on the planet.” Continue reading “Denair Unified Kicks Off New School Year on Wednesday” »

DUSD Graduation Ceremony Information

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CoyoteGradHat

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Graduation season is upon us! Below is a comprehensive listing of all Denair Unified School District graduation ceremonies. None of the events require tickets for entry.

The Denair Charter Academy 8th Grade promotion ceremony will take place on Tuesday, May 26, 2015, at 6:00 pm, in the Denair Middle School Coyote Center. Doors open at 5:30 pm.

Denair Charter Academy will be will be presenting the Class of 2015 on Wednesday, May 27, 2015, at 7:30 pm, at Jack Lytton Stadium. Gates open at 7:00 pm.

The Denair Middle School 8th Grade graduation will take place on Thursday, May 28, 2015, at 7:00 pm, at Jack Lytton Stadium. Gates open at 6:00 pm.

Denair High School will be presenting the Class of 2015 on Friday, May 29, 2015, at 7:30 pm, at Jack Lytton Stadium. Gates open at 6:00 pm.

DHS Staffing Adjusted to Reflect Enrollment Decline

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

No teachers are losing their jobs, but four instructors will have reduced class schedules in 2015-16 because of projected enrollment declines at Denair High School.

There are 305 students currently at the high school, but only 270 are expected on campus for the first day of the 2015-16 school year when it begins Aug. 12. That disappointing trend required Denair Unified School District trustees to vote unanimously Thursday night to pare back the number of classes offered. If enrollment picks up, some of the teaching hours and classes could be restored.

Superintendent Aaron Rosander stated, “While it’s unfortunate to layoff even partial teaching positions, this reduction is necessary due to a downtick in enrollment at the high school. Having said this, the overall enrollment trend for the District is beginning to show improvement. This should ultimately have a positive effect on Denair High School in future years”.

The district needed to reduce teaching hours by the equivalent of two full-time positions, or 12 classes, trustees were told. The resignation of a part-time Spanish teacher provided one period. The teaching loads of four other teachers were reduced by one, two or three periods each to make up the balance.

No subject was eliminated. Small reductions occurred in English, math and science, civics and economics, world history, PE, health, computer science and Spanish.

Denair High School continues to perform well overall. Its graduation rate is among the highest in Stanislaus County. And the school stood out in the California High School Exit Exam, or CAHSEE, results released this week. Continue reading “DHS Staffing Adjusted to Reflect Enrollment Decline” »

Bush and Delworth Assume New Administrative Roles in 2015-16

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Aaron Delworth and Michelle Bush

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Two veteran educators will move into different leadership roles in the next school year within the Denair Unified School District, which has launched a statewide search to fill the vacancies their new assignments will create.

Michelle Bush will take over as the senior director of curriculum and instruction, student support services and state preschool. For the past two years, she has been the principal at Denair Charter Academy.

Aaron Delworth will become the full-time principal at Denair Middle School. He has been principal at Denair High School and the middle school the past two years.

“These changes are made solely to enhance the effectiveness at each of our schools and across the district,” Superintendent Aaron Rosander said in a note to the staff.

Bush began teaching in the district in 1991 and previously was the principal at Denair Middle School for three years. She will replace Fawn Oliver, who plans to retire at the end of this school year after working in various administrative roles since 2001.

“Michelle’s many talents and skills will be put to powerful use in this new capacity,” Rosander said.

Delworth, a Denair graduate, has worked as a teacher and administrator in the district since 2004. The new role returns him exclusively to the middle school, where he served as principal from 2010-13.

“(He) has extensive experience at the middle school level. His full-time leadership at DMS will undoubtedly be welcomed and invaluable,” Rosander said.

New principals will be recruited for the high school and DCA, Rosander said, and are expected to be in place when the new school year begins in August.

DMS Sixth Graders Take To The Hills

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Outdoor School Teachers

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Six dozen sixth-graders from Denair Middle School are spending a week in the woods at the Foothills Education Outdoor Center, learning about geology, ecology and natural history. The camp has been a popular extension of the students’ science curriculum for decades and something they eagerly anticipate.

This year, the 72 students were accompanied by DMS teachers Linda Richardson, Patty Guillen and David Rodriguez as well several Denair High School students, who attend as camp counselors.

Students arrived at the 143-acre campus Monday and return Friday afternoon. The lessons are conducted by the Foothills staff naturalists and are very interactive. Students take nature hikes during the day and night, learn about the Me-Wuk culture and have trips to nearby Calaveras Big Trees State Park and Moaning Cavern Adventure Park.

Boys and girls sleep in separate cabins and share meals in a large cafeteria. At night, there is dancing and presentations around a campfire.

This year, six-graders from Hart-Ransom School in west Modesto are at the camp at the same time as the Denair students.

“We are one of the few schools that are able to attend for the full five days of camp,” said Denair Principal Aaron Delworth, who enthusiastically recalls the camp from his own days as a sixth-grader in the 1980s.

The $284 cost per student for a weeklong stay – paid for by parents — has persuaded many school districts to reduce the number of days spent in Sonora. Not Denair. Delworth said students hold fund-raisers to reduce their families’ costs. The Parents Supporting Education group underwrites a portion of the fee. Other parents and community members make contributions, Delworth said. And there are scholarships for some families available from the Stanislaus County Office of Education.

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