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Welcome to Dateline!
Greetings!
Welcome to the September 2012 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 to join our mailing list ( click here, or the link button at the left column).
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Professional Development / Opportunities
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Principals Academy
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The Association of California School Administrators' (ACSA) intensive seven-week academy for new or aspiring principals has been completely redesigned to meet the challenges of the new millennium and the standards for CCTC's Professional Clear Administrative Services Credential non-university programs. The focus is on developing and refining applied leadership and management skills required of principals at the K-12 school levels.
Dates and location: The 70 hours of instruction will be held over seven weekend sessions (once a month), Friday evenings, 5:00-9:00 and Saturdays, 8:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m., during the months of September-April; Willow Creek Center, Concord
Fee: ACSA members, $1,155; non-members $2,310
For info: Contact ACSA's Educational Services Department at (650) 692-4300 or visit their their website
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Common Core Resources
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Common Core Resources are now on the CCCOE's website! The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were developed through a state-led initiative to establish consistent and clear education standards for English language arts and mathematics that would better prepare students for success in college, career, and the competitive global economy. In August 2010, the California State Board of Education adopted the standards, which will become the foundation for curriculum design, instructional practice, and formative, interim, and summative assessments used at the state and local levels. Our Web page offers transition documents, teacher resources, and County led presentations on the Common Core State Standards.
The Contra Costa County Office of Education is dedicated to supporting our schools as they begin their transition to the California Common Core Standards. Our goal is to support districts as they build capacity at all levels to best service teachers, students, and school communities. Please check the CCSS web page for ongoing updates and information.
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Upcoming Events / Field Trips |
11th Annual County-Wide Shelter-in-Place Drill
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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 10th annual county-wide exercise. Guidelines for this program will be sent out to all districts and school principals in September. Schools can use the time for training, running brief drills, or conducting more detailed emergency exercises.
Date: November 7, 11:00 a.m.
For info: Contact Lori McDonald at (925) 313-9296 or visit the CAER website
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The California ShakeOut
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The California ShakeOut drill is held annually on the third Thursday of October each year. (Other states are also holding ShakeOut drills.) More than 8.6 million Californians participated in 2011, practicing Drop, Cover, and Hold On, as well as other aspects of family, school, and organizational emergency plans.
Date and location: October 18, 10:18 a.m.; throughout the state of California
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28th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day
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California Coastal Cleanup Day is the premier volunteer event focused on the marine environment in the state. In 2010, more than 80,300 volunteers worked together to collect more than 1,100,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from our beaches, lakes, and waterways. California Coastal Cleanup Day has been hailed by the Guinness Book of World Records as "the largest garbage collection" (1993). Since the program started in 1985, over 800,000 Californians have removed more than 15 million pounds of debris from our state's shorelines and coast.
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MyVote California Student Mock Election was created to help high-school and middle-school students discover the importance of elections and the power of their votes in our democracy. Working with the California Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools and the Constitutional Rights Foundation, in coordination with the National Student/Parent Mock Election, the Student Mock Election will stir students' interest in voting by tapping into the excitement of the presidential campaign season. As students learn about the candidates and issues, they discover how government and politics affect every part of their lives. They gain firsthand knowledge of how citizens make their voice heard in our democracy, and experience the power of their votes when they are joined by thousands of California students and millions more across the United States who will vote in student mock presidential elections this year.
Date: October 30 (Mock Election Day) For info: Contact MyVote at (916) 651-3070 or visit their website
Deadline: Register by September 21 to receive classroom materials by mail; register by October 29 to print classroom materials from website
Fee: Free
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Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grants
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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 2012 application grant cycle closes October 12
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Dow Community Grants Program
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The Dow Community Grants Program is a $15,000 (total) competitive grant program designed to support eligible community non-profit organizations, schools, municipalities, or county governmental agencies/departments that have identified science, education or environmental projects that will enhance the quality of life within our community. (The community includes Antioch, Bay Point, and Pittsburg.) It provides the opportunity to diversify the amount of charitable funding Dow provides to the community. Under this program, organizations are invited to submit proposals for grants between $2,500 and $5,000.
For more info: Visit their website
Deadline: September 6
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Clean Hands Make a Healthy Classroom
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An important way to keep your pupils healthy and to stop the spread of germs in the classroom is to promote clean hands by teaching good hand hygiene. The Contra Costa Health Services has compiled a list of hand-washing tips, including downloadable materials and a sample lesson plan.
For info: Visit their website
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A 2005 act of Congress states that all educational institutions receiving federal funding must observe September 17 as Constitution Day, which celebrates the 1787 signing of our founding document. According to the guidelines put forth by the Department of Education, teachers and schools are free to design Constitution Day programming that best addresses the needs of their students.
Date: September 17 (This will be the 225th anniversary of our nation's founding document.) For info: Visit their website
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Mt. Diablo Astronomical Society
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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.
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PBS Teachers is a Web portal for pre-K thru 12-grade educators. Through this site, teachers can access thousands of free lesson plans, local and national educator resources, teacher professional development, videos, blogs, and much more.
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The Children's Oral Health Program
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The Children's Oral Health Program is part of the Family, Maternal and Child Health (FMCH) Programs in Contra Costa Health Services. It was founded in 1977 to provide preventive dental services to children in low-income areas of the county. The program works in collaboration with schools, preschools and community partners to increase access to oral health services, by linking families with no- or low-cost resources.
For info: Contact the program at (925) 313-6280 or visit their website
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Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention Student Poster Contest
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The 4th Annual Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention Student Poster Contest was created to raise awareness of employee slip, trip, and fall
injuries, which are the number one cause of injury countywide each year. These injuries can be painful and costly, as well as preventable! Students are to design an original, 11 x 17 vertical poster following the established guidelines. There are four grade categories: 4th & 5th grades, middle school, high school, and college. All school districts in Contra Costa County are eligible, except Mt. Diablo USD. First-place winners will receive $100 and winners' art or primary teachers will receive a $100 gift card to a local art supply store. Second-place winners will receive a $25 gift card.
For info: Contact Denise Schreiner at (866) 922-2744, ext. 270, or visit the contest's Web page
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Learn more about what science and math resources are available to you at the upcoming Lindsay Wildlife Museum Educator's Resource Fair. New this year to the Fair, will be workshops to help educators learn more about the new direction of instruction for California students in science and math. These workshops will feature the Next Generation of Science Standards / Core Curriculum in an easy to understand format.
Date & Location: October 1, 3:30-5:30 p.m. (Fair), 4:00-7:00 p.m. (workshops); Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Walnut Creek
For info: Contact Connie Loosli at (925) 627-2922, or visit their website
Fee: Free
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Published by the Contra Costa County Office of Education Communications Office77 Santa Barbara Road, Pleasant Hill, California 94523Joseph A. Ovick, Ed.D., Superintendent of SchoolsEditor: Peggy Marshburn; 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
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