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The 2nd Annual MDUSD Career Technical Education (CTE) Fair for middle school students on Jan. 9th at Riverview MS gave 8th-graders from all middle schools in the District the opportunity to learn about careers within different industry sectors including hospitality, trades, and photography. They also had an opportunity to learn about the different career pathways in MDUSD high schools such as construction, engineering, auto tech, digital media and JROTC. "The goal is to help students begin to explore different career interests and see how the career pathways can support those career interests as they transition into high school," said Heather Fontanilla, MDUSD's Director of College & Career Readiness.

The event featured 10 different industry partners and 10 career pathways from District high schools, with teachers and high school students showcasing the work they do. It also included post-secondary education providers including MDUSD Adult Education, Diablo Valley College and Cal State East Bay.

To help keep students engaged, they were given a "BINGO Card" that asked them to visit booths for five organizations/industry partners, along with the career pathway information tables, to state which career pathway interests them the most, and to share feedback about what they learned, said Anna Ramos, MDUSD's Manager of Youth Development & Support Services, who coordinated the fair. "We were really intentional about bringing in business partners that tie to a career pathway, so students can see what they could do after they graduate from high school," she said, adding that Elegance Party Rentals and OhReilly Productions were "the hotspots" with their chocolate fountain and popcorn, and photo booth, related to the hospitality and photography career pathways. 

Middle school students were also able to participate in some hands-on activities, such as soldering a pipe and handling a drone, under the supervision of MDUSD Career Pathways high school students. "I enjoy working with my hands," said Concord HS junior Max Platt, a construction pathways student who was showing El Dorado MS student Jaime Bermudez how to solder. Max said "Mr T." (Tom Trowbridge) is a great teacher and he wanted to help attract more students to his construction program, which he called "a viable career pathway." Although Max may not pursue construction as a career, he said he is proud that he knows how to frame a wall and could even frame a house, build things and has learned some plumbing and electrician skills. Fontanilla said students in teacher Omar Edwards' patient care pathway at Ygnacio Valley HS are learning about drone operation to prepare them to earn their Remote Pilot's certification. "It ties it into his pathway as many first responders are using drones," Fontanilla said, adding that the district has received grant funding to set up a district wide drone program which has also been implemented at College Park HS with Carrie Wilkerson (Photography), at Concord High School HS with Jennifer Kennedy (Visual Arts), and in the Multimedia pathway Mt. Diablo HS. "We purchased materials for other pathways, but they haven't yet started implementation," Fontanilla said.

El Dorado MS Principal Megan Estenson was enthusiastic about bringing her students to the event. "I think it's wonderful," she said, adding that she appreciated the focus on trades such as construction to show students they have options that may not require a 4-year college degree. Some of her students have also visited a local union shop to learn more about trades. "The exposure to different fields has been good for our kids and helps give them goals for the future," she said. 

Mt. Diablo High School's new Auto Tech team was proud to talk about their new program, which started up this year and includes 111 students in five classes. Teacher Neil Bertson said he has worked in the industry for 35 years and has two master certificates from Ford, but he always wanted to teach, so he jumped at the opportunity. This year, he is teaching basics such as how to change tires, jumpstart batteries and change oil. He will add an advanced class next year that will include diagnostics, and may include welding. Students Dreama Melendez and Citlali Torres said they wanted to learn how to fix their own cars. "I like old school cars," said Dreama. "I want to save money and know how to do it myself." Cotati said she doesn't want to depend on her parents to fix her car. She plans to enroll in Los Medanos College and would like to learn how to weld. Student Juan Aguillar said students are giving Bertson feedback on what they want to learn. "We're helping him out in trying to build a plane while flying," he said.

High school career pathway programs that participated in the fair were: Art & Digital Media at College Park HS; Art & Digital Media, and Transportation at Concord HS; Art & Digital Media, Auto/Transportation Tech, Information Computer Technology, and JROTC at Mt. Diablo HS;  and Education, Engineering, and Health at Ygnacio Valley HS. Ramos said the fair was held earlier this year and counselors attended with students so that 8th-graders could learn about potential classes before filling out their high school course cards. Students interested in programs not offered at their "home" high schools would need to apply for an intra-district transfer. Check out the Middle School Social Media highlights below to see more photos from the Fair.

MDUSD Middle School students and staff members enjoyed the Career Technical Education Fair! Social media highlights included: Oak Grove MS counselor Mrs. Harris meeting up with a former student who was sharing her experiences in JROTC at Mt. Diablo HS, Pine Hollow MS students having a great time at the fair, and Sequoia MS students taking advantage of the amazing opportunity to interact with high school students and Career Pathways teachers. 

MDUSD's Food and Nutrition Services Department is launching new menus in January, 2025, with a total of 29 new recipes! Look for some exciting new options such as Turkey Sausage Egg Bites, Acai Smoothie Bowls, Tri-Tip Sandwiches (featuring Buckhorn Tri-Tip), Sweet Chili Teriyaki Chicken Wings, and a new Halal Lemon Chicken Plate with Turmeric Rice.  
 
"We've been busy this semester with recipe development," said Alexandra Emmott, Director of Food and Nutrition Services & Warehouse. "We're working towards our department's goals, which include increasing scratch cooking and investing in the local economy." The USDA recently changed the rules for breakfast to make it easier for schools to serve protein at breakfast - these high protein bites, along with the Acai smoothie bowl, are made possible by the change in these rules!

The Department is offering more multicultural foods to serve the District's diverse student population. "We've heard the student and community demand for more Halal options and have several new offerings," Emmott said. "All our hot dogs and deli turkey are now Halal; we also have halal chicken thighs on our high school menus. In January, we're rolling out a Halal Lemon & Herb Chicken and Rice Plate with Flatbread at both middle and high schools." And elementary students will be offered Sweet Chili Teriyaki Wings for the first time in January. "These are a student favorite in middle and high schools," Emmott said. 

Here is an sampling of some of the new menu items:

• Halal Lemon & Herb Chicken and Rice Plate - Featuring Halal Chicken from Oakland-based Cream Co. (on Middle and High School menus in January).
• Our version of LAUSD's famous coffee cake - ours uses organic California-grown whole wheat flour from Early Bird Farm and Mill (on all school menus January-March).
• A delicious Roasted Winter Vegetable and Orzo salad with a pesto dressing (on High School menu in February).
• Our Acai Smoothie bowl made with Sierra Nevada yogurt, Acai, and Chia Seeds - topped with frozen strawberries and fresh fair trade organic bananas (on all school menus January-March).
• Chicken Bahn Mi Sandwiches (Vietnamese) - made with Halal chicken thighs (on High School menu in February).
• Sweet Chili Teriyaki Wings (on Elementary menus starting in January). No Antibiotic Ever (NAE chicken) and served with locally grown organic Calrose rice.
• Turkey Sausage Egg Bites - inspired by Starbucks' egg bites, these will be on the menu at all schools starting in January.
• Buckhorn Tri Tip Sandwiches! We're bringing in Buckhorn's famous Tri Tip and serving it up on a toasted La Brea Bakery Roll (at our Middle and High Schools in January). 
• Honey Lime Slaw - Cabbage is the January Harvest of the Month and we're pairing this zippy slaw with the Tri Tip Sandwiches at our Secondary sites and with a BBQ Chicken Sandwich at our Elementary sites.  

You can follow our Food & Nutrition Services Department on Facebook, Instagram and X and can find monthly menus on their website.

December 19, 2024 Update: The Board approved the calendars as presented.

As MDUSD has worked to plan the school year calendars for the next two years, our Human Resources Department has sought input from parents, staff, students and employee bargaining units to develop a schedule that best meets the needs of all.

The School Board expects to vote on the proposed 2025-26 and 2026-27 school year calendars on Wednesday, Dec. 18 after a presentation that will include the results of a calendar survey conducted in October. Of the 5,811 survey responses received, 69.2% were from parents, 20.8% were from staff members and 10% were from students. The complete results are here.

A majority of respondents said it was “very important” to complete final exams before winter break, were satisfied with the 2024-25 calendar, found the Fall Break to be helpful for their overall well-being, urged the District to keep the Fall Break in future years, and were pleased with the lengths of the Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring breaks. 

The best time to start and end the school year got mixed results, with nearly half of respondents preferring to start in late August, compared to 35% preferring mid-August and about 15% supporting early August. Nearly 43% preferred that the school year end in early June, compared to 24.1% preferring late May, 21.8% preferring mid-June, and 11.2% stating they were flexible.

Similarly, preferences for more 3- or 4-day weekends were also mixed, with 35.6% preferring more 3-day weekends, 22.1% preferring more 4-day weekends, 17.9% asking for fewer longer weekends, and 24.3% stating no preference.

Elementary parents and staff members were also surveyed about Parent-Teacher conferences. The majority of respondents were satisfied with the length of time they spent in the meetings, felt they should happen later in the year, and felt they were valuable in understanding children’s needs and progress. 

But elementary respondents were split on their satisfaction regarding the number of minimum days allocated for the conferences. Thirty-three percent were satisfied or very satisfied with the current number of 8 minimum days, 30.2% were neutral, and 35.8% were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. Of the 3,238 responses, 641 were from elementary staff members. Among these staff, 32.7% were satisfied or very satisfied with the number of minimum days, 34.5% were neutral and 32.8% were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.

Based on feedback from the surveys and meetings with employee bargaining groups, the Human Resources Department is proposing calendars that:

• Start August 6, 2025 (and 2026)
• End June 2, 2025 (and 2027)
• Include 6-day Fall Breaks that extend from the first full week of October through Indigenous People’s Day
• End the first semester/2nd quarter before Winter Break
• Include 6-day Spring Breaks that extend from the first full week of April through the following Monday  
• Do not yet include dates for Elementary Parent-Teacher Conferences

Update: You can watch the Board discussion of this item here.