MUSD WEEKLY UPDATE
Weekly News From Morongo Unified School District
A MESSAGE FROM OUR SUPERINTENDENT
What a great way to start the school year. I’ve been so impressed by the level of dedication, enthusiasm, and positivity across the schools in the Morongo Basin. We’re definitely riding the Energy Bus. Visiting sites and interacting with staff members, students, and parents has been extremely rewarding, and I know this is going to be a high-accomplishing and successful school year. Everyone has shown remarkable effort in connecting with students and families and strengthening the social-emotional support needed for students to thrive. Mental health and safety are at the heart of our work to provide the most impactful and memorable educational experiences for our Morongo Basin community. This is the foundation needed to ensure we provide academic rigor and relevance preparing our students for the future, today!
At Morongo USD, each of you has contributed to making our motto a reality:
Where Students Come First! Go Morongo USD!
Dr. Vargas
WELCOME - NEW MUSD EMPLOYEES
We welcomed many new faces to the Morongo Unified School District at the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year. Despite ongoing labor shortages, MUSD has been working hard to fill vacancies with qualified and dedicated staff to support all of our students. At New Teacher Orientation, on August 16, 2022, 38 teachers participated in onboarding activities. Additionally, 7 more have been hired and onboarded since that date. 3 Classified New Employee Orientations have also been held over the last 2 months, welcoming 24 new employees to the District.
In an effort to continue to fill the remaining vacancies across the district in a variety of positions, MUSD is participating in both in-person and virtual recruiting fairs and job fairs and advertising through a variety of mediums. If you know anyone interested in working in education, please encourage them to apply for certified, classified, and management positions on Ed Join. It takes a village and we are excited about and appreciative of all of our new and returning staff that work every day to better the lives of our students and our community. Thank you MUSD staff!
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Morongo Unified School District’s first day of school was August 22nd. Principals at every school site welcomed their new and returning students back to school for an exciting and engaging year. Students and their families said goodbye to summer vacation and hello to new adventures and opportunities.
SUMMER INSTITUTE
NUTRITION SERVICES ANNUAL TRAINING
Annual “back to school” training was held for Nutritional Services staff on August 17 & 18. The training focused on food safety, menu compliance, and customer service, but the agenda also incorporated hands-on food play. All staff enjoyed the opportunity to compete in creating FUN fruit and vegetable displays, which could be used for students and staff. Drum roll please . . . the winning display, created by YVHS Nutritional Services staff.
MUSD HVAC PROJECT 2022 - AC REPLACEMENT
Morongo USD has been working on energy-saving initiatives since 2015 utilizing Proposition 39 Energy Funds. With Phase 1 (2015) and Phase 2 (2018), this energy initiative funded LED lighting upgrades at 6 elementary schools and the replacement of all AC units at Yucca Mesa Elementary School. In 2019, we began planning a district-wide HVAC replacement project (Phase 3). Unfortunately, funding was not available at that time. In late 2020, ESSER Funding became available with allowable expenditures to include indoor air quality projects. The District budgeted $6M to replace 174 HVAC units at 9 school sites focusing on units that were 30+ years old. Ninety-Seven AC units were replaced over this summer. The remaining equipment will be installed by the end of 2022. As part of this upgrade, all schools are getting replacement “smart” thermostat controls which will allow for online monitoring and remote adjustments.
Morongo Unified School District
Website: www.morongousd.com
Location: 5715 Utah Trail, Twentynine Palms, CA, USA
Phone: 760-367-9191
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMUSD
Twitter: @Dr_Vargas_MUSD