Superintendent Newsletter

🌈🍀Happy March!

March has been a busy and exciting month across Merced City School District. As always, I’m grateful for the strong partnership we share with our families and community in supporting our students each day.

One of our district’s key priorities is early and sustained literacy, and this month marks the beginning of our ELPAC testing window, which will continue through May 31. This important assessment helps us measure how our English learner students are progressing in their English language development across listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The results guide instruction, help us monitor student growth, and identify students who may be ready for reclassification as fluent English proficient—an exciting milestone for many of our students and families. Thank you to our teachers and staff for supporting students through this process.

We also had a wonderful time celebrating Read Across America throughout the District. I had the opportunity to visit classrooms, read with students, and even dress up as the Lorax! These moments are a joyful reminder of the power of books to spark imagination, curiosity, and a lifelong love of reading. Thank you to our teacher librarians and staff who work so hard to make reading come alive for our students.

We also continue to make improvements to our facilities to support safe, welcoming learning environments. We recently celebrated the completion of the Franklin Elementary Phase 3 Modernization Project, which includes new Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten classrooms designed to better support our youngest learners. Fencing projects at Hoover Middle School, Fremont Elementary, and Muir Elementary will also begin soon, helping strengthen campus safety. Later this month, we look forward to breaking ground on our new Engagement Center, which will serve as an important hub for connecting families with resources and support.

Building strong relationships across our community continued to be a cornerstone of our work. We were excited to welcome back the Young Women’s Conference on March 21 in partnership with UC Merced and United Way, providing an inspiring opportunity for young women across Merced County.

Thank you for your continued partnership and for everything you do to support our students. Together, we will continue creating opportunities for every child to learn, grow, and thrive.

Warmly,
Mrs. Julianna Stocking
Superintendent
Merced City School District

As we prepare to welcome our 6th graders to their new middle school homes this fall, our district and site leadership teams have been hard at work behind the scenes. From mentorship programs to campus safety walkthroughs, we are ensuring that every student feels known, welcomed, and safe from day one.

Save the Date: Get the Full Update

We invite all families of incoming 6th and 7th grade students to attend one of our upcoming Parent Nights, where important information will be shared about schedules, transportation, and student support systems. Remaining sessions will be held on April 22 at Hoover Middle School and May 6 at Rivera Middle School.

What We’re Working On Right Now:

• Collaborative Site Walks: Safety, Technology, Transportation, site principals, and the Deputy Superintendent’s office are physically walking every campus to ensure every classroom is "Day One Ready."
• Student Support Systems: Our counselors are already training 7th and 8th-grade student leaders to act as "mentors" for our new student arrivals.

-Safety First: We are finalizing secure campus perimeters and stress-free traffic patterns for a smooth first morning.

“We aren’t just moving grade levels; we are building a supportive bridge to your child’s future. We can’t wait to see you at our upcoming meetings!”-Francisco Romo (Deputy Superintendent)

Our 5th–8th grade STEAM Fair winners recently received a "behind-the-scenes" look at healthcare technology! Students toured Mercy Medical Center Merced, exploring how patient care works from the 7th floor to Labor and Delivery. The highlight of the trip? Students "scrubbed up" to learn about the daVinci Surgical Robot system directly from the surgical team!

The California Department of Education recently released the Annual Determination letters, and MCSD has shown significant improvement. While a few years ago the district faced double-digit delays in IEP timelines, we are now down to just three—all of which involved students who transferred into the district mid-year. We want to thank our site administrators for their dedication to meeting these vital student support timelines.

Merced City School District is proud to celebrate the completion of the Franklin Elementary Phase 3 Modernization Project, marking a major milestone in enhancing learning environments for our youngest students.

Franklin Elementary, which serves over 500 students, now features nine new Transitional Kindergarten and Kindergarten classrooms, replacing outdated portable buildings with modern, engaging spaces designed to support early learning. The project also included the modernization of existing classrooms, upgraded energy-efficient lighting, and the addition of new campus features such as an entrance canopy, digital marquee, and flagpole.

Students will also benefit from a new play structure and outdoor learning space with shade coverage, creating more opportunities for both play and instruction outside the classroom.

This project is part of the District’s continued commitment to providing safe, high-quality learning environments and was made possible through the support of our community through Measure O and Measure M.

We thank our families, staff, and community members for their ongoing support in helping bring these improvements to life for our students.

Did you know??....

MCSD is on social media. Come hang out with us daily as we share exciting photos, videos, and information about current and upcoming events. If you are a parent, you might just see your little one get featured!

Instagram & Facebook: @MercedCitySchoolDistrict