Part of the daily practice for Manteca Day School’s seventh- through eighth- grade staff is saying their goodbyes to students as they depart off campus to mark the end of the school day.

They’re presence also helps them to develop a rapport with the youngsters referred here by Manteca Unified’s Child Welfare and Attendance.

“But these relationships take time,” said instructor Brett Nansel on Monday. “Consistency is the key.”

He along with campus monitor Raynaldo Espinoza, who, according to first-year site administrator Lori Guzman-Alvarez is the “eyes and ears” of the program, has been with Manteca Day for the past 10 years.

Guzman-Alvarez spent the past six years as vice principal at Sequoia School, where part of her duties was handling discipline. She noted that the estimated 100 students were district referrals caused by behavior or attendance issues.

“Students are typically placed here on a district discipline review board or school attendance review board contract. They must meet the requirements of their rehabilitation plan in order to return to their home school site,” said Guzman-Alvarez, who relies on the support of her experienced staff.

Nansel, Espinoza and D’drea Black, who spent the past eight years as counselor, are among her key personnel.

She referred to Black, who wears many hats at Manteca Day, as the school’s “best kept secret.”

Black, for example, is the test coordinator and conducts new student orientations once every week. She also provides formal parent information sessions and informal parent / family counseling support.

 “But the most important thing Mrs. Black does is working directly with students to help them get through the various issues that are obstacles to their success,” Guzman-Alvarez said.

She described Espinoza as a master of surveillance.

“Little can happen on campus without Ray knowing about it,” said Guzman-Alvarez. “Mr. Espinoza monitors the dress code with precision.”

Manteca Day students must abide by a strict dress code.

“Attendance is also a big factor,” she said.

Her staff is devoted to making sure students of the second-year campus that was once home of the Sequoia Annex are in class each day.

Nansel, who teaches history/government/psychology, may be easy going and friendly with people but, when it comes to his students, he is extremely serious, according to Guzman-Alvarez.

“Mr. Nansel is like a professional sports league coach who is constantly in the huddle with his students, reminding them of the steps to take for success,” she said.

Guzman-Alvarez added, “Brett is never too busy to pull a student aside for a one-to-one talk on the value of making good choices.”

He and others in the program stride to help each student focus on learning and meeting the goals of their rehabilitation plans.

“It starts with behavior,” said Nansel. “If we get that in line, the academics will follow.

“I think it’s important that we address the needs of each individual.”

Manteca Day School is located at 737 W. Yosemite Ave., Manteca.

For more information, call (209) 858-7386 or log on to www.mantecausd.net.