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Contra Costa County Office of Education January  2016
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Greetings!

 

Happy New Year! Welcome to the January 2016 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

Pleasant Hill Literacy Institute 
Join Kylene Beers and Bob Probst as they lead this two-day institute that offers attendees the perfect opportunity to work with colleagues and learn strategies that will help all readers (especially struggling readers) develop the skills they need for attentive and engaged reading. Built upon their books Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading and Reading Nonfiction: Stances, Signposts, and Strategies, this workshop provides hands-on work with practices that change the way students read.
Over the two days, they'll look at strategies that help all by sharing:
  • Methods for encouraging engagement, building relevance, and promoting rigor
  • Strategies for close reading of fiction and non-fiction texts
  • New ways of teaching vocabulary
Dates and location: March 7 and 8, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Pleasant Hill Community Center, Pleasant Hill
For info: Visit this Eventbrite site for additional info and registration
Fee: $175 for both dates
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 : January 30, March 5, and April 9, all seminars are held 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.;  Saint Mary's College, Moraga
For info: Contact Jeannie Harberson at 925-631-4936, or visit their
Fee:  $65 for individual sessions  (academic credit available)
The Inaugural California Conditions of Learning Symposium

This year, the 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 Marsha Tokuyoshi at (925) 942-3385, 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). The workshop 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
12th Annual Young Children's Issues Forum 2016

Join your local state legislators, local elected officials, business leaders, families, early childhood educators, and the community in a dialogue about the current movement to elevate the quality of Early Care and Education services for all children and promote increased compensation.
Certificate of professional growth hours available. 
Date and location: March 12, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.; Pleasant Hill Community Center, Pleasant Hill
For info: Contact Ruth Fernandez at 925-942-3413 or visit the event's Eventbrite listing
Fee: $15

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,, Concord. SuperQuiz scoring-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 p.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 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

Resources / Contests

Creative Educator
Looking for ideas to engage your students across the curriculum? Check out Creative Educator for project-based learning, professional development, and other resources. Articles include Five Hallmarks of a Creative Project and The Power of Play. 
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
Law Day Art Contest

This annual contest provides a wonderful opportunity for students, grades 9-12, to learn about our legal and justice system, while getting creative and winning prizes. Students are allowed to submit an art piece, which may be represented in two-dimensions to be entered in the Law Day Art Contest. Students are encouraged to use their creativity and create art pieces in any medium desired (including, but not limited to, drawings, paintings, films, photographs, graphic novels, comics, etc.). This year's theme is Magna Carta: Symbol of Freedom Under Law
For info: Contact Tara Blasingame or visit their  website
Deadline: March 31
Coastal Art and Poetry Contest 

To encourage youth to reflect on the beauty and spirit of our state's beaches and ocean, this special contest challenges California students to create artwork or poetry using a California coastal or marine theme. Prizes, awarded to five separate grade-level categories, include $100 gift certificates to an art-supply or book store. Winners and honorable mentions will receive tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific.  Each winner's teacher will receive a $50 gift certificate for education materials,
For info: Contact  The California Coastal Commission at (800) COAST4U, or visit their website 
Deadline: Jan 31 

 

77 Santa  Barbara Road, Pleasant Hill, California 94523

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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

 

Follow us at @cocoschools