Morongo Unified School District - Our students. Our community. Our future.

Last week the Sherriff's Employee's Benefits Association and the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools awarded 10 of our local Twentynine Palms Elementary School teachers through the Shop With A Cop - Teacher Edition. Thank you for recognizing some of our amazing educators!!

It's National #FAFSA Week of Action! This initiative by the U.S. Department of Education aims to drive FAFSA completions so that more students can pursue their post-high school plans. Seniors, if you need support in completing your FAFSA please reach out to your counselor.

The Morongo Unified School District Board of Education recognized the Valedictorian and Salutatorian from YVHS and TPHS at their regular Board meeting. Congratulations to these outstanding students for this amazing academic accomplishment! TPHS Valedictorian, Lamar Noil TPHS Salutatorian, Harley Bessee YVHS Valedictorian, Kade Yakimow YVHS Salutatorian, S. E. Davis

Today is National School Librarian Day! Take some time to show appreciation to our wonderful school library technicians and librarians. Thank you for being an invaluable resource for our students and staff.

Looking for some fun learning activities over Spring Break? Students are invited to take the Spring Break Reading Challenge on Footsteps 2 Brilliance!

MUSD ELOP is hosting another Enrichment Wellness Camp! The camp is open to all west-wise elementary school students. Students will learn about making good choices, complete an art project with instruction from a local graffiti artist and enjoy healthy meals. They'll even be treated to a special performance by Marc Griffiths, a ventriloquist featured on Britain’s Got Talent. Sign up now at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1vtd2sU20SErSkG1J3tMlWBkNOuutr6YH0eGNjsqyFdU/viewform?pli=1&pli=1&edit_requested=true

CTE students shadowed Marines aboard the Combat Center last week. Our students were exposed to a diverse range of professions, including firefighters, paramedics, teachers, drone operators, doctors, ambulance drivers, K-9 trainers and more. Thank you MCAGCC for opening your doors to our students and thank you to all the Marines that shared their expertise and experience.

Our student poll workers are hard at work today supporting the Primary Election! Poll working allows students to gain hands-on experience in the electoral process, ensuring fair and smooth elections in our own community.

Adventure is calling! Oasis Elementary School students have been learning all about our local natural wonders through the special grant-funded Adventure Calling program with JTree this year. The program includes field trips into the National Park, a native garden at the school-site, outdoor learning and more. Last Friday two of the sixth grade classes presented skits on some of the things they've learned so far this year.

Twentynine Palms High School celebrated cultures from around the world on Feb. 15 at the 25th annual International Festival!

The Morongo USD Board of Education recognized the Steamcats 2 robotics team, 40471B, from TPJHS this week for their recent accomplishments in VEX competitions. Team 40471B has been working hard this season and their combined scores in recent tournaments qualified them for the 2024 CREATE US OPEN in Iowa!

We are thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the outstanding schools, classes and students who have soared to the top of the leaderboard on Footsteps2Brilliance during the first semester! Your dedication to academic excellence and commitment to learning have truly shone through, and we couldn't be prouder of your achievements. Footsteps2Brilliance is an innovative educational platform designed to inspire and empower young learners to excel in literacy and language development. Through engaging interactive activities and personalized learning pathways, Footsteps2Brilliance fosters a love for reading and equips students with essential skills for success. Our top schools, classes, and students have demonstrated exceptional enthusiasm and perseverance in their educational journey, and their accomplishments are a testament to their hard work and determination.

Smelly pens, scratch-off art, Paw Patrol adventures and more — the Scholastic Book Fair has been rolling through different school sites throughout the district. What was your students favorite book fair find?

It's National School Counseling Week! We at the Morongo USD want to give a big shout-out to our school counselors who provide academic, career, college readiness and social-emotional support to students. Thank you counselors for all that you do to support the students of the MUSD! Sophia Rodriguez – TPJHS Erin Hilliard – TPHS Robert Conway – TPHS Michelle Maclean – LCMS Mike Goddard – LCMS Tom Hovey – LCMS Julie Karchuc – YVHS William Gauthier – YVHS Sharon Gerber – YVHS Michelle Seymoure – ACCE Mike Toro - BRHS

Oasis Elementary School families had an amazing opportunity last night to participate in a special night sky viewing event. This event was put on by Joshua Tree Residential Education Experience as part of a larger grant-funded effort to provide outdoor education to the Bobcats. The event shuttled families from the school to the local Sky's the Limit Observatory for a special program about our beautiful night skies. Thank you Joshua Tree Residential Education Experience for providing this opportunity for our families!

The Arts at the Riverside County Office of Education hosted an art contest last fall for Día De Los Muertos; “The Return of the Souls.” Three La Contenta Middle School Lions entered the contest and were awarded for their amazing pieces! Shiloh Downward earned a second-place plaque in the category of acrylic paint on canvas. Lilli Mata earned a second-place plaque in the digital art category and Audry Hassing earned an honorable mention certificate for her sketch. Well done and congratulations to our Lion artists!

Every other week, PLUS students have the opportunity to visit Cascade Trails in Joshua Tree for our new Cascade PLUS Unity program, a community collaboration project with the Cascade Trails Mustang Sanctuary and PLUS. While there, students are guided by the mustang sanctuary’s owners, Marissa and Chris, to interact with a variety of animals including chickens, roosters, goats, dogs and of course the horses. PLUS students strengthen their own social skills and empathy by learning to read the body language of the animals. The PLUS program is a program under Morongo SELPA for students with specific social, emotional and behavioral needs.

Friendly Hills Elementary School is celebrating this week with awards ceremonies recognizing student success in the first semester. Check out these tk/k students who were awarded for their math skills, writing skills, citizenship and more!

Students from Palm Vista Elementary School visited the Twentynine Palms Branch Library to learn more about books and the power of reading. Thank you for having us San Bernardino County Library.

The Morongo USD Board of Education recognized Behavioral Instructional Assistant Satore Mark at their regular board meeting last night for her outstanding work with students in the district. Satore works with students at her home site, PLUS, as well at students at Twentynine Palms Junior High School and Condor Elementary School. "Satore has been flexible and tireless in her daily support of her home site of PLUS, as well as her willingness to loan her behavioral expertise and daily physical presence at TPJHS and CES," said PLUS Principal Andrea Gordon. "Unbelievably, she has extra energy to spare for the Home Hospital program! Satore is one amazing employee!"