A Message from Merced County Superintendent of Schools
Friday, April 16, 2021
Good afternoon MCOE!

It’s been quite a week with Merced County moving to the Red Tier, Week of the Young Child is celebrating its 50th anniversary and another MCOE banner is hanging above G Street.

The banner above G Street is for National Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Family Resource Center at MCOE is partnering with the local organization ACE Overcomers to inform the community about adverse childhood experiences and resources to screen, treat and heal.

You may have seen MCOE in the news lately for Family Roundtables hosted by our early Education Department that help parents relieve the anxiety of these stressful times. 

Read about this and more below!

In this week’s newsletter: 

  • Family Roundtable: A Safe Space for Parents

  • Week of the Young Child backpack giveaway

  • Merced County now in Red Tier

  • ABC30 Education Spotlight focuses on ACEs and National Child Abuse Prevention month

  • COVID-19 Testing

Steve's signature
Steve M. Tietjen, Ed.D.
Superintendent Message
Great news this week as Merced County moved into the Red Tier for reopening the economy and school districts are planning in-person graduations. 

Most of the schools in the county that planned to open for in-person instruction have opened and school districts are busy planning for next year with a focus on in-person instruction and how to do it in the safest way. 

We are upgrading HVAC systems in our classroom and office buildings across the county with ionizers that can kill viruses. 

We have all learned so much in the past year and as we prepare for the next year, I would like to hear from people across MCOE to find out how we can all work more efficiently and be the most prepared. 

Thank you for all you do and have a great weekend! 
Around MCOE
Family Roundtable: A Safe Space for Parents
Family Roundtable
MCOE's Early Education Department offers a weekly virtual family round table for parents struggling with the COVID-19 health crisis.

Sessions are free and held via Zoom every Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Topics include job loss, death of loved ones, difficulties adjusting to distance learning, parenting issues, and COVID-19 vaccine concerns.

For more info, call (209) 381-6793, ext 6156
Week of the Young Child
April 10-16 is National Week of the Young Child and this year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the event. The Early Education Department hosted a backpack giveaway this week in Merced, Los Banos and Livingston.
Backpacks
Backpack Giveaway
Around Merced County
Merced County Now in Red Tier
Merced County received good news this week when the state moved it into the red tier for reopening the economy. Merced was the last county in the state to move from the purple tier to red, which allows indoor operations at movie theaters, restaurants, gyms and health clubs.
Merced County in Red Tier
Education Spotlight: ACEs Aware
Watch the latest ABC30 Education Spotlight segment featuring an interview with Dennis Haines from MCOE's Family Resource Center and ACE Overcomers' founder Dave Lockridge as they discuss the importance of treating Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Staying safe during COVID-19
Employee COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19 Testing
Next week, COVID-19 testing will be available at mobile sites and in Merced at the Main Complex.

Testing after being vaccinated is recommended by the California Department of Public Health.

Thank you for doing your part in keeping our community safe.
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