Dateline Masthead
Contra Costa County Office of EducationOctober 2012
In this issue
The San Francisco-Bay Area Common Core Summit
Common Core Resources
Mathematics Series for Young Children
Big Ideas Fest
County-wide Shelter-in-Place Day
The California ShakeOut
2nd Annual Bay Area Science Festival
MyVote
Unlocking Potential and Reaching for Excellence
Public Education Week
Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grants
Chevron Fuel Your School
Raytheon-Engineering is Elementary Teacher Scholarship
Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair
Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention Student Poster Contest
Acknowledge Others
Quick Links
Join Our Mailing List
Welcome to Dateline!
 
Greetings!

 

Welcome to the October 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).  

Professional Development / Opportunities

The San Francisco-Bay Area Common Core Summit 
The Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE) is proudly 
hosting the San Francisco-Bay Area Common Core Summit to 
address next steps in implementation with a focus on policy, 
assessment, and specific instructional strategies animplications.
What you'll discover at the Summit:
  • Effective alignment of instruction to the rigorous demands in Math and English Language Arts
  • Strategies for integrating technology and 21st century skills into the curriculum
  • Cutting edge changes to assessments based on current trends in California and the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium
  • What early implementers have learned about the transition 
Dates and location: October 29-30; Hilton Concord

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

Fee: Registration is $110 per individual participant; continental breakfast and lunch will be provided on both days

Common Core Resources 

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.  

Mathematics Series for Young Children

The Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE),  Local Planning Council for Child Care and Development, and  California Preschool Instructional Network are presenting a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) professional development series titled Mathematics Series for Young Children. Participants can attend one, two, or all three of the trainings. They will learn about research in early STEAM, be familiar with the California Preschool Learning Foundations in mathematics, and explore how STEAM can be integrated in the classroom.

Dates and location: October 11: Number Sense, November 8: Geometry, and January 10: Measurement, the courses will be held 6:00-9:00 p.m.; held at the CCCOE in Pleasant Hill. 

Fee: $15 per person; dinner will be provided. 

For info: Contact Ruth Fernandez, CCCOE, at (925) 942-3413, registration is open on Eventbrite.  

Big Ideas Fest

The Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education  is hosting the 3rd annual Big Ideas Fest. This three-day gathering of the nation's most creative makers and doers in education brings together champions across K-12, higher education, and informal learning, to participate in a truly unique interactive experience. You'll hear from inspiring speakers and take part in action collaboratives designed to incubate solutions to address education's most pressing challenges.

Date and location: December 2-5; Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay

For info: Contact via  email or visit their website

Fee: $730 covers registration and meals 

Upcoming Events / Field Trips

County-wide Shelter-in-Place Day
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 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

For info: Visit their website
2nd Annual Bay Area Science Festival

The 12-day Bay Area Science Festival will provide a wide range of science and technology activities: lectures, debates, exhibitions, concerts, plays, workshops, etc., held at a variety of locations throughout the Bay Area.

Dates and locations: October 21-November 4, complete calendar; held at numerous sites throughout the Bay Area

For info: Visit their website

Fee: Check specific events for admission fees, but many are free  

MyVote

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 October 29 to print classroom materials from website
Fee: Free
Unlocking Potential and Reaching for Excellence

California Association for the Gifted (CAG) is presenting a one-day Northern California Symposium for educators and parents, entitled Unlocking Potential and Reaching for Excellence. Close to 50 workshops will be offered, facilitated by seasoned educators from throughout California. Educator workshops are suitable for K-12 teachers, administrators, and counselors, including sessions specific to elementary, middle, and high school, and specialized sessions pertaining to teaching science, math, language arts and social studies. This event is suitable for all educators, plus there will be workshops geared toward parents of GATE students. 

Date and location: November 3, 2012, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; American Canyon High School
For info: Contact Karen Littell, or visit their website 
Fee: $75 for full day ($50 for CAG members) including morning refreshments and fully catered lunch 
Public 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. This year's theme, Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility. Use the online toolkit for activity ideas, templates, and downloadable materials. The week-long celebration features a special observance each day of the week. They include:

Grants / Scholarships
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 2012 application grant cycle closes October 12 
Chevron Fuel Your School

Chevron is awarding $5 million to public schools in only 13 counties across the US, including Contra Costa County! For the next few months, you can post your project on DonorsChoose.org. There is $400-$2,000 available to fund STEM related education. A lot of this money has been left on the table in years past, because not enough people apply. 

For info: Visit Chevron Fuel Your School 

Deadline: November 30

Raytheon-Engineering is Elementary Teacher Scholarship Program

The Raytheon-Engineering is Elementary Teacher Scholarship Program  is now accepting applications. During the 2012-13 school year, Raytheon will grant awards of $3,000 each for selected elementary school teachers nationwide whose applications best demonstrate innovative methods of generating student enthusiasm about engineering concepts. 

For info: Entry forms for the 2012-13 program can be found on their Web page 

Deadline: November 16.

Resources / Contests

Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair 
Contra Costa County businesses will once again join our county's educators to produce the  8th Annual Intel-Affiliated Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair, this coming spring.  The program is for grades 7-12 students.

Dates and location: March 15-17; Los Medanos College, Science Building

For info: Contact Liz Ritchie at (925) 684-4995 or visit the Science & Engineering Fair's website

Deadlines: Pre-approval project deadline is October 30, (post-marked);  

Final project approval deadline is January 18, 2013 (postmarked)  

Fee: $20 per student 

Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention Student Poster Contest
The 4th Annual Slip, Trip, and Fall Prevention Student Poster Contest was created by the Contra Costa County Schools Insurance Group (CCCSIG) 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

Deadline: November 9

Choose Civility

Acknowledge Others - The Choose Civility Principle for October

Acknowledgement comes in many forms: remembering someone's name, paying a thoughtful compliment, summarizing what was just said for a newcomer to the conversation, holding a door open to let someone through, welcoming, thanking, and just plain saying "Hello."

 

The author of Choosing Civility, Dr. P.M. Forni, relates that a simple "Hello" or "Good Morning" is the most basic form of acknowledgment. A simple greeting confers honor and acknowledges the other person's presence. It sets a positive tone, puts people at ease, and wishes them well.

 

Action Step: Decide on a way that you will acknowledge others that you may not have been in the habit of acknowledging previously. Challenge yourself to do this at least once each day - a wave, a smile, a nod, a verbal greeting...

 
About CCCOE's Monthly Focus

Choosing Civility, by Dr. P.M. Forni, lists twenty-five rules of considerate conduct. Over this school year, the CCCOE will consider ten of these principals. For additional information about our Choose Civility initiative, please visit our website.

CCCOE Logo

Published by the Contra Costa County Office of Education Communications Office
77 Santa Barbara Road, Pleasant Hill, California 94523
Joseph A. Ovick, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools
Editor: 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