Daily Update 5/9/24

Hello, McSwain Community!

We hope you are well. Please see the information below.

NWEA Test
We are approaching the time for our students to participate in the NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) assessments, which will take place over the next few weeks. These assessments are crucial as they help us understand the academic progress of our students in various subjects.

The NWEA tests are adaptive and designed to align with each student’s learning level. They provide a personalized assessment experience that accurately measures performance—whether a student performs on, above, or below grade level. The results of these assessments will guide our teachers in tailoring instruction to meet each student's needs and support their growth.

Please ensure that your child is well-rested and has a good breakfast on the days of testing. Encourage them to do their best, but also remind them that these assessments are just one of the tools we use to gauge where they are in their learning journey.

Yearbook Information

Get your McSwain 2023-24 Yearbook!

We have a few yearbooks left! It is a first come, first serve. The cost is now $54.00

To order a yearbook, visit this website

Search for McSwain School and look at the special packages available for our students.

Vegetable of the Month

VEGETABLE OF THE MONTH……..CHICKPEAS!!!!

Our vegetable to Salute this month is Chickpeas!!

Chickpeas are known by many different names all over the world. Other names include garbanzo beans, a popular term in the US, Bengal grams, Egyptian peas, ceci beans, and Kabuli chana. Chickpeas come in a variety of different types and colors, not just the beige variety we are used to seeing in cans. Chickpeas can also be black, green, red, and brown.

These fun facts may make you want to eat this vegetable even more.

Some people think I am a bean, but I’m a seed, or a legume.

I grow on a plant on the ground in warm and dry climates. I can pull nutrients and water from the ground all summer long. But before harvest, farmers want me to dry out, so I am not watered! I also grow in a green pod all summer, and I’m ready for harvest (picking) in September.

I keep bugs away with a natural acid on my pod. When I am dried, the acid goes away.

Farmers are looking for a unified (one) color because most of me will be canned and blended into hummus.

At the grocery store, you will find canned or dried chickpeas. You can blend it (like hummus), add it to salads, roast it, and bake it. It can even be used to make desserts!

DID YOU KNOW

Chickpeas weren’t popular in North America until the 1990’s

India harvests the most chickpeas

Chickpeas are used across the world in many different dishes but are most popular in the United States for hummus

Let’s give them a try this month. You can eat them plain or in a salad!

8th Grade Sports Night @ Buhach High School

Congratulations to Our McSwain Writing All-Stars!

We are thrilled to celebrate the students of McSwain Elementary who participated in this year's Merced County Writing Festival! Your creativity and dedication to expressing your thoughts and ideas through writing have truly shone. We are proud of your hard work and the unique voices each of you brought to the festival. Keep up the great writing, McSwain Stars! Please click this link to see all of the amazing winners!