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Contra Costa County Office of Education December  2015
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Welcome to the December 2015 issue of  Dateline. This informative newsletter is for all those in Contra Costa County who work in education. Please tell your fellow teachers and administrators, as well as your friends who would be interested in joining our mailing list ( click here, or the link button at the left column). 

Professional Development / Opportunities

Secondary Number Talks
"Something wonderful happens when students can learn they can make sense of mathematics in their own ways, make mathematically convincing arguments, and critique and build on the ideas of their peers."
Number Talks support implementation of the California Standards. Participants engage in discourse, conversations, and alternative thinking in mathematics.  This workshop is framed around the Making Number Talks Matter book, written by Cathy Humpreys & Ruth Parker. This resource and lunch is included in the price of the workshop.
Date and location: December 21, 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., CCCOE, Pleasant Hill
For info: Contact  Christen Schwartz, Mathematics Coordinator, at  (925) 942-3435; To register, visit the event's Eventbrite page and  Flyer
Fee: $175
La Cucina Matematica
La Cucina Matematica features two enthusiastic mathematics educators sharing resources and ideas to incorporate the California Standards in extremely engaging ways. 
Date and location: January 27 , 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., CCCOE, Pleasant Hill
For info: Contact  Christen Schwartz, Mathematics Coordinator, at  (925) 942-3435; To register, visit the event's Eventbrite page
Fee: $175
Hands-On Digital Media in the Classroom Webinars
KQED is offering a variety of free webinars and a hands-on workshop this school year to support the effective use of digital media in the classroom. Each webinar is focused on a specific topic. The webinars will be held on Thursdays from 4-4:30 p.m. The  30-minute presentation will be part lecture and part interactive exploration of media integration.
Topics/Dates:
  • Arts Integration with Public Media, December 10
Registration: Sign up  at www.kqed.org/pd for one or more free webinars, and/or attend a hands-on workshop; participants do not need to register for all webinars to join.  
Fee: Free
21st Annual Distinguished Speaker Series - The Best Practices in Teaching Leadership

Over the past 20 years, the Distinguished Speaker Series (DSS) attracts more than 1,000 educators per year from 5 local counties and over 30 regional school districts. Internationally renowned speakers, authors and consultants have been inspiring participants to make a difference in their classroom, school and community.
Dates and location : December 5, January 30, March 5, and April 9, all seminars are held 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; 
For info: Contact Jeannie Harberson at 925-631-4936, or visit their
Fee:  $65 for individual sessions  (academic credit available)
Big Ideas Fest 2015
Big Ideas Fest is a unique four-day immersion into collaboration and design with a focus on modeling cutting-edge thinking in K-12 education. Attendees will hear from inspiring speakers and take part in action collaboratives designed to incubate solutions to address education's most pressing challenges.
Dates and location: December 2-5; Hayes Mansion, San Jose
For info: Contact them at ( 650) 728-3322 or  email, or visit their website
Fee: $695 covers registration and meals (only)
The Inaugural California Conditions of Learning Symposium

This year CCCOE is excited to announce the inaugural California Conditions of Learning Symposium: Engage, Teach, and Lead. As educators move forward with meeting the demands of the California Standards, CCCOE's Symposium will enhance and strengthen best practices for all teachers and their students. This inaugural event will highlight and showcase Literacy, Science, Early Learning, Technology, English Language Development, Mathematics, and Integrated Learning. 
Date and location: January 28, 7:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m.; San Ramon Valley Conference Center, San Ramon
For info: Contact Seta Ho at (925) 942-3396, or visit the program's Eventbrite for details and registration
Fee: $175
Administrative  Leadership Program (ALP) 

Contra Costa County Office of Education is a local program affiliate with the Association of California School Administrators and the New Teacher Center that offers an alternative program for the Professional Clear Administrative Services Credential. The ALP provides two years of on-site individualized coaching by certified Leadership Coaches to beginning school administrators. Driven by the California Professional Standards for Educational Leaders, candidates create an individualized plan for demonstrating performance standards that will determine the focus for coaching. At the end of two years, candidates who successfully complete all program requirements will be recommended for the Tier II Professional Clear Administrative Services Credential. 

For info: Contact Marsha Tokuyoshi at (925) 942-3385, or visit the program's Web page

Dates: TBD over a two-year time frame

Fee$3,500 per year CCCOE-ALP for 2 years, plus $1,000** per year to ACSA/ACCP; total cost for the two-year program is $9,000

California NGSS Awareness and Implementation
This full-day workshop will engage participants with the fundamental shifts in teaching and learning called for by the California Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) includes hands-on activities to illustrate what it feels like to implement some of these shifts, and discussion concerning how to apply these ideas in participants' districts and schools.
Date and location: March 22, 8:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.; CCCOE, Pleasant Hill
For info: Contact Hilary Dito, STEAM Coordinator, at (925) 942-3435; Registration is available on this Eventbrite link, event flyer
Fee: $110

Upcoming Events / Field Trips

Cool Tools XII
East Bay CUE's Cool Tools, now in its 12th year, is a professional development and networking event for educators, with morning interactive concurrent sessions and afternoon intensive, hands-on workshops. Topics focus on integrating technology in teaching and learning. Presentation p roposals are currently being accepted for Cool Tools 2016. There will be two one-hour sessions and one 90-minute workshop.
Date and location: January 23;  Carondelet High School, Concord
For info: Visit their website  
Academic Decathlon (volunteers needed)

Come out and join the excitement, while helping our students with this outstanding event. The East Bay Regional Academic Decathlon is looking for volunteers to judge Essay, Speech, and Interview sessions, as well as the final event: SuperQuiz. There are four scheduled judging dates to choose from. 
Dates and locations: Essay Readings-January 20, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and January 21, 5:00-8:30 p.m.; CCCOE, Pleasant Hill. Speech and Interview Sessions-January 23, morning, CSU East Bay, Concord. 
SuperQuiz judging-February 6, 1:30-3:45 p.m.; Los Medanos College, Pittsburg.
For info: Contact Diane Morrell at (925) 942-3406 or visit the Academic Decathlon Web page; To sign up, click this link
High School Mock Trials (Law Professional volunteers needed)

The CCCOE is looking for additional members of the California Bar Association and second- and third-year law students to serve as scorers and judges at the upcoming 35th Annual Contra Costa County Mock Trial Program. New volunteers will be joining more than 100 practicing and retired Bay Area lawyers, district attorneys, public defenders, and judges, as well as Bay Area college law students, who will be returning as Mock Trial scorers and judges.
Dates and location: February 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, and 23, 5:00-8:00 p.m.; Martinez courthouse
For info: Contact Jonathan Lance, CCCOE, at (925) 942-3429 or visit the Mock Trial website 
Education Summit
First-Generation, African American, Latino, Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander Students, and their Families are invited to this Educational and college-related workshops for students of all ages. The college and resource fair will showcase Northern CSU campuses, community colleges, and area education vendors.
Date and location: February 13,   Cal State East Bay, Hayward
For info: Please call (510) 885-3516 or visit their Web page
Fee: Free
The 13th Annual Get Real Academy
The 13th Annual Get Real Academy, presented by Soroptimist International, is a life-skills conference for high school senior girls focusing on life after high school. Seminars throughout the day will include such topics as money management, women's health, domestic and workplace violence issues, insurance, career success, and job search tips. Sign-ups are now being taken.  
Date and location: March 3, 7:30 a.m.-2:15 a.m.,  Hilton Concord
For info: Contact  Bert Vigil
Fee: Free
Grants / Scholarships
The 2016 CAER Grants

The Contra Costa County Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER) provides up to $2,500 grants to improve the preparedness of Contra Costa County schools and agencies in responding effectively to shelter-in-place emergencies. The proposed drills and exercises must have a stated list of objectives and goals that must be addressed. 
For info: Contact Lori McDonald at (925) 313-9296 or visit CAER's website
Deadline: February 9
The 2016 Youth Garden Grants

Since 1982, National Gardening Association has provided the Youth Garden Grant to over 5,416 schools, nonprofits, and youth programs across the United States. Youth Garden Grant has contributed over 2.9 million dollars in funding to youth gardening initiatives and serves as National Gardening Association's longest standing grant program. This year we will present awards to 20 schools or youth programs. Twenty programs will receive a $500 gift certificate to the Gardening with Kids online store. Winners will also receive a tool package, plant starts, a raised bed, and a generous seed donation. 
For info: Visit their website 
Deadline: December 5  
The Captain Planet Foundation 
The Captain Planet Foundation funds grants to promote understanding of environmental issues for school-age children. Grant amounts range from $250-$2500, with applications reviewed three times a year.
For info: Visit their website 
Next Deadline: January 31
The Safeway Foundation's Grants

Safeway funds grant applications for communities where stores are located. Grants should focus on Safeway's priorities, including education. Grants are accepted throughout the year. Typical grants are between $2,500 - $10,000  For more information and to apply visit their website.
For info: Visit their website

Resources / Contests

The Aquarium of the Bay  

The San Francisco Aquarium of the Bay's education programs focus on inquiry-based learning and hands-on experiences. All of the Aquarium's education programs are taught by their staff of trained Naturalists, linked to California State Science Standards and include age-appropriate, STEM based activities.
For info: Visit their website
The Intel-Affiliated Contra Costa County Science and Engineering Fair

Contra Costa County businesses will once again join our county's educators to produce the 2016 Intel-Affiliated Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair, this coming spring. The program is for grades 7-12 students.
Dates and location: March 17-19; Los Medanos College, Pittsburg
For info: Contact Sia Gehrling-Sauer at (925) 684-4995 or visit the Science & Engineering Fair's website
Deadline: Final project approval deadline is January 15 
Fee: $25 per student ( A limited number of fees are  waived and are available for students with hardships)
The American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) website lets users create and administer online tests to their students and then compare their students' performance to national norms. You can assemble tests by selecting questions from more than 700 items that have been developed by AAAS Project 2061 to measure what students know in 16 key science topics. 
For info: Visit their website
Contra Costa Community Warning System
The Contra Costa County Community Warning System (CWS) is a comprehensive system designed to alert the public in the county of imminent threats to life or health. The system was developed by the Community Awareness and Emergency Response organization (CAER) and is operated by the Office of the Sheriff.  The CWS mission is to alert the public of imminent threats to life or health, inform the public of basic hazard information and guide them to resources to gather more detailed information.  The CWS uses a variety of tools to reach the public as quickly and reliably as possible such as:
  • Telephone notification (cell and landline)
  • Email
  • Texting
  • Social Media (Facebook and Twitter)
  • Sirens
  • Radio and TV
  • NOAA Weather Radios
  • Cable Television
For info: Contact the CWS Staff at (925) 313-9622 or visit their website
PBS LearningMedia™

PBS LearningMedia™ is the go-to destination for instant access to tens of thousands of classroom-ready digital resources, including videos, games, audio clips, photos, lesson plans, and more! You can search, save, and share with ease. 
For info: Visit their website
Fee: Free
KidsGardening.com

KidsGardening.com is a website that has plenty of ideas about plants and gardens, teacher resources, and grant opportunities. 


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77 Santa  Barbara Road, Pleasant Hill, California 94523

Follow us on Twitter: @cocoschools 

Karen Sakata, Superintendent of Schools

Editor: Terry Koehne; Writer/Layout: Jonathan Lance, (925) 942-3429;

Diane Morrell, Designer; June Stephens, Web Developer 

 

Dateline is distributed during the school year to all public schools in the county by the Communications Office. Information must be received by the first of the preceding month. Publication does not signify the Contra Costa County Office of Education endorses the event or program mentioned.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jonathan Lance

CCCOE