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Contra Costa County Office of Education October  2015
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Greetings!

 

Welcome to the October 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

Free Hands-On Webinars/Workshops
KQED in collaboration with Contra Costa County Office of Education, 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.Thursdays from 4-4:30 p.m.  Webinars are 30-minute part lecture and part interactive exploration of media integration.
Topics/Dates:  
  • Engage in Participatory Media Experiences, October 8
  • News Education in the Classroom, October 15
  • KQED & NGSS with PBS LearningMedia, November 19
  • Arts Integration with Public Media, December 10
Registration: Sign up  at www.kqed.org/pd for one or more free webinar, and/or attend a hands-on workshop; participants do not need to register for all webinars to join  
Build Interactive Learning Experiences with KQED and PBS Productivity Tools
Join us at the Contra Costa County Office of Education for dinner and a hands-on workshop. Create media-rich learning experiences with PBS Productivity Tools for teachers. BYOD (bring your computer). This workshop is part of a series of free events. See all events in the series on KQED's website
Date and location: November 11, 4:00-6:00 p.m.; CCCOE, Pleasant Hill
Registration: Go to Eventbrite to register
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 : October 24, 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: $275 for entire series; $65 for individual sessions 
(academic credit available)
Empowering Educators
Empowering Educators is a teacher-training program designed for educators who work with at-risk students who fall within the gaps of our schools and our communities. Join a cohort or attend public workshops focused on supporting educators in creating classroom cultures that help everyone to thrive!
For info: Visit their website
Fee: Free
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)
Contra Costa Public Information Network (CCPIN)
What's In Your Media Toolbox? is the topic of the upcoming CCPIN meeting.  Social media continues to evolve as new platforms emerge, or seasoned platforms add new options. Do you have the right tools in your social media toolbox, and are you using them as effectively as possible? Learn what's out there, and share your own successes, at this event.
Date and location: October 29, 10:00 a.m.-noon; CCCOE, Pleasant Hill
For info: Visit the event's Eventbrite site for more info and to register: download flyer
Fee: Free, but space is limited
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

Upcoming Events / Field Trips

American Education Week
American Education Week presents all Americans with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are
making a difference in ensuring that every child receives a quality education. Use the
online toolkit for activity ideas, templates, and downloadable materials. This year's theme is "Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility." The week-long celebration features a special observance each day of the week. They include:
For info: Visit the program's Website
The California ShakeOut
The California ShakeOut drill is held annually on the third Thursday of October each year. (Other states are also holding ShakeOut drills.)  More than 10.4 million Californians participated in 2014, practicing Drop, Cover, and Hold On, as well as other aspects of family, school, and organizational emergency plans.
Date and location: October 15, 10:17 a.m.; throughout the state of California
For info: Visit their website 
Bay Area Science Festival
More than 200 science, technology, and engineering organizations from across the Bay Area will present the fun and excitement of science, through hands-on and interactive exhibits, science-themed performances and demonstrations, and family-oriented entertainment. The Bay Area Science Festival will also be hosting Discovery Days events. CSU East Bay, October 24;  Sonoma County Fairgrounds, October 24; and at AT&T Park in San Francisco on November 7. 
Dates and locations: October 22-November 7, calendar of events; held at numerous sites throughout the Bay Area
For info: Visit their website
Fee: Check specific events for admission fees, but many are free
Two Substitute Teacher Job Fairs in October
Looking for a flexible work schedule? Become a substitute! There is a continuing need for qualified individuals to work in educational programs within the Contra Costa County area. There will be two Job Fairs held in October.
Date and location: (1st Job Fair): October  6, 3:30-6:00 p.m.;  CCCOE , Pleasant Hill - (2nd Job Fair): October 13, 4:00-5:30 p.m.; Brentwood Union School District, Brentwood
For info: Review the events'  flyer

11th Annual Shelter-in-Place Day

Put this date on your calendar today! Community Awareness Emergency Response (CAER) invites all schools to practice and improve their site emergency procedures for shelter-in-place by taking part in this 11th annual county-wide exercise. Guidelines for this program will be sent out to all districts and school principals later this summer (reminder post cards have recently been mailed out). Schools can use the time for training, running brief drills, or conducting more detailed emergency exercises.

Date: November 4, 11:00 a.m.

For info: Contact Lori McDonald at (925) 313-9296 or visit the CAER website 

Grants / Scholarships
The Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grants
The Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grants (up to $5,000 per school) are now accepting their fall-cycle applications. These funding requests should have a permanent school-site impact, such as facility enhancement (both indoor and outdoor), as well as landscaping and/or clean-up type projects. Projects that encourage parent involvement and build stronger community spirit will be favored.
For info: Visit Lowe's Toolbox for Education  website
Deadline: The fall 2015 application grant cycle closes October 16
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 Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society
The Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society will gladly organize an astronomy night for your school, youth group, or community organization. Their members volunteer their time and their telescopes to bring the universe to you. They also provide knowledgeable speakers and activities on various astronomy topics, either in a classroom or in a meeting setting.

Fee: Free

For info: Visit their website 

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
YouSTEM
YouSTEM is a free web resource for K-12 students to find out about local STEM Programs. From lectures to internships, the site lists opportunities for students to explore different areas of interest. 
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. 


CCCOE Logo

 

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