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Friday, May 14 Superintendent Update: Graduation, promotion planning, 6th Grade at Crespi, Mandarin School Home, Dr. Hurst's First Day
Friday, May 14, 2021
Dear WCCUSD Community,
We are in the final weeks of the school year, with graduation and promotion planning in the final stages. High school graduations will be in-person events this year with limited capacity, and you can view the graduation schedule here.
The end of the school year is Wednesday, June 9. For students participating in in-person instruction, the program concludes the week ending on Friday, June 4. Monday, June 7 to Wednesday, June 9, will be Distance Learning to provide schools time for summer preparation and materials collection.
As we end the year, there are several changes ahead. Summer school this year will be our most extensive ever. Schools will be contacting families about the summer school program offered at your campus.
Next year, there will be related changes at Crespi Middle and Pinole Middle schools and the West County Mandarin School.
Crespi Middle School is piloting a 6th Grade program focused on STEAM and easing the transition to middle school for students and families. 6th Grade students at Crespi will experience middle school in two cohorts with multiple periods and different teachers to simulate middle school. Crespi will have a wing of the school dedicated to just 6th Grade. If you are interested in the program, contact Principal Guthrie Fleischman (gfleischman@wccusd.net) and visit Crespi’s website.
The Extensive Support Needs program at Crespi is expanding to include students and families from Pinole Middle School. The Special Education team held a parent informational meeting on Thursday going through the expansion. You can view the video here and access the PowerPoint Presentation here.
The West County Mandarin School has a permanent home and will have its modern facility located on Pinole Middle School’s campus that is physically separate from the middle school. You can find more details on West County Mandarin’s new home here.
The move to Pinole Middle aligns with the District’s goal of building the International Baccalaureate program that began last year at Pinole Valley High School. West County Mandarin received its IB authorization today, and Pinole Middle is in the IB planning process. So congrats to West County Mandarin for becoming a fully certified International Baccalaureate program joining Pinole Valley High as part of the IB team.
Finally, an exciting and most noticeable change for next year is the start of Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Chris Hurst’s tenure. Dr. Hurst officially starts Monday.
Dr. Hurst joins us from the Othello School District, where he spent the past five years as Superintendent, and previous to that, he was an Associate Superintendent in Oceanside, California. Welcome, Dr. Hurst.
Please look for Dr. Hurst’s Entry plan on the District’s social media accounts and website on Monday. Please be sure to also check your email and text message for links to the plan.
I will lead this Wednesday’s Board Meeting as my last Board meeting before turning the reins over to Dr. Hurst. I will split the graduations with Dr. Hurst and be here through the end of June to advise and answer any questions.
My final community message will be next Friday, May 21. Have a great weekend.
In community,
Matthew Duffy