McSwain Elementary School

05/09/2026

Hello Mustangs!

This is the newest episode of Mr. Lance Talks!

In this episode, Mr. Lance meets with three student representatives who are part of the McSwain CEI Initiative. The focus of the initiative is bringing together staff, students, parents, community members, and administrators to create an action plan focused on making McSwain the best school possible. This committee began at the start of the school year and has just completed its planning for next year!

Listen as Mr. Lance speaks with Jasmine Jang, Liliana Parsons, and Kleton Wilson about future initiatives and their vision for continuing to strengthen the McSwain community!

Click here to listen! Tune in and enjoy this new episode!

What is the Mr. Lance Talks Podcast?

This year marks Season 3 of the Mr. Lance Talks podcast! We extend our gratitude to all former guests and to Mr. Lance for his continued dedication to this engaging series.

Each episode features:

Insightful Discussions: Conversations ranging from community topics to broader issues.

Special Guests: Interviews with local heroes, community leaders, students’ families, and guests who bring unique perspectives.

Fun and Learning: A blend of learning, connection, and community spirit.

How to Join:

Subscribe to our podcast channel on Podbean

You can click this link to subscribe. You will be asked to downlaod the Podbean app which is avalibale on android, PC, and the Apple store.

Tune In for weekly episodes.

Engage with us through comments and feedback.

Click Here!

CEI

04/30/2026

Thank you to everyone that came out to our open house tonight!!! Thank you, parents, students and families for coming out tonight and shout out to our students and teachers for showcasing the amazing work we do, day in and day out!!

04/24/2026

Hello McSwain Community,

We would first like to thank the parents and community members who participated in our McSwain Book Club this year. We truly appreciate everyone’s thoughtful engagement and contributions throughout the experience.

Our final parent workshop of the year will focus on restorative practices. This training will center on how parents can implement restorative approaches at home and what it means to take a restorative mindset when supporting children.

As part of this workshop, we will be providing a copy of the restorative practices book, Better Than Carrots or Sticks. This book promotes replacing traditional punishments (“sticks”) and rewards (“carrots”) with restorative practices. It emphasizes building community, repairing harm, and fostering intrinsic motivation rather than simple compliance. These strategies support student-led problem solving, strengthen relationships, and help develop social emotional skills that lead to lasting positive behavior.

Please join us for this free parent workshop on May 5th at 6:30 PM in the West Campus Cafeteria.

We look forward to seeing you there!

04/20/2026

We are incredibly proud of our McSwain Academic Pentathlon team! Their hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence truly showed, and they represented our school with pride.

Competing at this level takes focus, perseverance, and teamwork—and our students rose to the challenge every step of the way. We thank each of them for the time and effort they put in to prepare.

A special thank you to Ms. Wagner and Ms. Pena for serving as our advisors. Your guidance, support, and belief in our students made this experience possible.

We are proud of our team and grateful for the adults who continue to create opportunities for our students to shine.

04/17/2026

Huge shout out to our junior Olympic track students who were competing today at Merced College. We wish them the best of luck and thank them for representing our Mcswain Mustangs!!! Also shout out to our coaches Mr. Will, Mr. Huerta, and Mrs. Perez for helping our students prepare for the event and for a great track season.

04/02/2026

Hello Mcswain Families! The staff had dress up days this past week. The dress up days included:

Monday: Crayon Box- Each grade level or department wore a different color

Tuesday: Baseball Day- Spring Training

Wednesday: Super Heros

Thursday: Tourist on Vacation

Dress up days are not only important for students, but for staff as well. Dress up days like these are important to bring everyone together and showcase spirit! When staff feel good, that positivity carries into classrooms and directly impacts students. Happy teachers = Happy students. Go Mustangs! 🐴 💙

Wishing Everyone a Happy Spring Break!

03/31/2026

Congratulations to Ms. Rocha and Ms. Nichols!  They were recognized last night at the Merced County school board Association dinner for being Grant recipients, they presented on how students at Mcswain are able to utilize their smart boards in the classroom to help build joy learning and happiness. Congratulations to our teacher teachers.

03/28/2026

03/27/2026

Hello McSwain Community,

Today, our 6th grade classes attended the Drug Store Project. This new event, hosted in partnership and spearheaded by McSwain and Winton Unified, brought together schools from Planada, El Nido, Ballico, and Merced River to educate students about the risks of substance use while promoting safe and healthy decision-making.

More than 500 sixth grade students from across Merced County participated in this interactive experience, which featured realistic scenarios and hands-on learning activities designed to highlight the real life consequences of drug and alcohol use.

I would like to thank our 6th grade team for their support in the planning and development of this program. Their efforts have helped establish a strong foundation that will allow us to continue offering this experience for future classes, in alignment with the work of our Safety and Wellness Committee.

I would also like to extend my appreciation to our community partners, including the Merced County Sheriff’s Office, CHP, CAL FIRE, SWAT, Behavioral Health, Sheriff’s Aviation, Department of Probation, Department of Corrections, District Attorney’s Office, Juvenile Hall, AMR, Merced County Office of Education, and the Carlos Vieira Foundation. Each of these groups provided informational booths and hands-on activities that supported meaningful, real world learning for our students.

In addition, thank you to Buhach and Atwater High School for providing student volunteers, many of whom are former Mustangs, who helped lead student groups throughout the day. Their leadership and connection to our school made a strong impact.

Additionally, thank you to the parents who attended and to our student actors who helped bring the scenarios to life.

As this was our first time helping lead this initiative, our next steps will focus on expanding the program. Our goal is to bring all sixth grade students across the county to this experience and align it with Red Ribbon Week in the Fall.

Great job, Mustangs!

Best,
Mr. Pannu