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Contra Costa County Office of Education March  2016
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Welcome to the March 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
CCCOE Presents Number Talks
Number Talks support implementation of the California Standards in Mathematics (CCCSS). Participants engage in discourse, conversations, and alternative thinking in mathematics.

Secondary Number Talks 1.0, for grades 6-9 Instructors.  This workshop is framed around the Making Number Talks Matter book, written by Cathy Humpreys & Ruth Parker. This resource is included in the price of the workshop. 
Date and location: April 5, 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
For info: Contact Christen Schwartz at 925-942-3435 or visit this page
Fee: $175

Number Talks 1.0, for grades K-5 instructors.  This workshop is framed around the Number Talks book, written by Sherry Parrish. The book contains more than 850 purposefully designed number talks and a DVD featuring 19 number talks filmed in actual classrooms. These resources are included in the price of the workshop. 
Date and location April 6, 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
For info: Contact   Christen Schwartz at 925-942-3435 or visit this  page
Fee: $175
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 : 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)
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

Growth Mindset for a Transformative Classroom
Empowering Educators  presents  Growth Mindset for a Transformative Classroom, which is  a free  workshop where you will acquire techniques to facilitate reflection, insight, openness, and self-awareness that can help students to access their own knowledge, worth, ability, and desire to contribute to their community and their own health and happiness.  
Date and location: March 9, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Leona Lodge, Oakland
For info: Visit their Eventbrite platform for additional info and registration
Fee: Free
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) 942-3396; Registration is available on this Eventbrite link, event flyer
Fee: $110

Upcoming Events / Field Trips

The Intel-Affiliated Contra Costa County Science and Engineering Fair  (Volunteer Judges Needed)

The Contra Costa County 2016 Intel Affiliated Science and Engineering Fair will be held March 17-19. Judges are needed to ensure the 300+ science fair projects expected to be submitted by middle and high school students this year have an opportunity to be reviewed by our valued community members including business and industry. Judges will be welcomed with breakfast and an orientation. Judges commitment of eight hours is critical to the process, which includes morning review of poster boards and afternoon interviews with students. A complimentary lunch is also provided.
Date and location: March 18, 7:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.;  Los Medanos College , Pittsburg
For info: Contact Linda Mayo at (925) 937-0804 or visit the Science & Engineering Fair's  website; volunteers can register at this link
Expanding Your Horizons
Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) is a conference specially designed for middle school girls. Their mission is to inspire girls to recognize their potential and pursue opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Date and location: May 7, 9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill
For info: Contact Kathleen Thomas at 925-969-2037 or visit this website

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.
Dates and location: March 12, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.; Pleasant Hill Community Center, Pleasant Hill
For info: Contact Ruth Fernández at 925-942-3413, or visit the program's Eventbrite
STEM Summer Education Camps 

The STEM Initiative's goal is to provide STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) summer enrichment opportunities for high school students and teachers.The STEM summer camps offer the opportunity to explore theory and practice in week-long experiences that blend hands-on exploration, field visits to industry workplaces, problem-solving and presentations by experts, combined with college campus exposure and college credit. 
Dates and locations: Engineering, June 13-17, Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill; Discover  Engineering!, June 19-24, TBA; Biotechnology, CSU-East Bay Concord Campus, June 27-July 1, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.; Solar Energy, CSU-East Bay Concord, July 11-15, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., (The Solar Science Academy is by invitation-only); Environmental Sciences, CSU-East Bay, Concord, July 18-22, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
For info: Contact the program via email or phone (925) 246-1880 or visit the programs' website
Fee: Each camp has a different price point, see 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
Grants / Scholarships
The Warren W. Eukel Teacher Trust Fund

The Warren W. Eukel Teacher Trust Fund annually distributes three separate $10,000 grants to outstanding teachers. The Trust will select nominees who exhibit extraordinary commitment of personal time and energy on behalf of their students. Teachers can self-nominate, or be nominated by an administrator, colleague, or student. The award may be used in any manner the recipient wishes.
For info: Contact Peggy Toovey at (925) 945-0200 or visit their website
Deadline: May 15
Voya Unsung Heroes Awards Program
For nearly 20 years, and with over $4 million in awarded grants, Unsung Heroes has proven to be an A+ program with educators. The program's "alumni" have inspired success in the classroom and impacted countless numbers of students. Each year, 100 educators are selected to receive $2,000 to help fund their innovative class projects. Three of those are chosen to receive the top awards of an additional $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000.
For info: Visit their website
Deadline: April 30

Resources / Contests

Google Science Fair
The Google Science Fair is a global online science and engineering competition open to individuals and teams from ages 13 to 18. Submit a science or engineering project and win unbelievable prizes.
For info: To sign up for fun and free resources kits for your classroom or school, visit their website
Deadline: May 17
Fee: Free
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 systems, 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

 

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