2023-2024 Teachers of the Year Finalists

Four teachers have been selected as finalists in the 2023-24 Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year Program during surprise visits to their classrooms on Monday.

Joseph Alvarico (Mt. Diablo Unified School District/Ygnacio Valley High School), Annalouisa Gonzalez-Ortega (Liberty Union High School District/Freedom High School), Patricia Ogura (West Contra Costa Unified School District/Hercules Middle School and Hercules High School) and Danya Townsend (Mt. Diablo Unified School District/Olympic High School) will now compete to be named one of two Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year.

The four teacher finalists were selected from 21 candidates nominated by their school districts, CCCOE and the Contra Costa Community College District. County Superintendent of Schools Lynn Mackey made the surprise announcements Monday morning while visiting their classrooms. Joining in on the visits were school principals, school administrators, district superintendents, parent leaders, and the educators’ families and colleagues.

Two of the four finalists will be chosen as Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year. The announcement will be made at the 51st annual Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year celebration at Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek on Thursday, September 21, 2023.

2023 Classified Employees of the Year

Seven classified school employees were recognized for their support of students and schools in Contra Costa County at a reception held on Thursday, April 20, 2023. The seven were selected from 17 nominees from school districts throughout the county and will now represent Contra Costa County in the State of California Classified School Employees of the Year (CSEY) program.

The 2023 Contra Costa County Classified Employees of the Year are:

Lauren Buck, a cafeteria supervisor at the Knightsen Elementary School District;

Janna Evans, a lead adult re-entry transition specialist at the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE);

Robert Luis, an instructional assistant at CCCOE;

Jay Morrow, a network systems administrator at Mt. Diablo Unified School District;

Joe Malley, maintenance/craftsperson at Lafayette School District;

Christopher Raymundo, a district fiscal advisor at CCCOE; and

Ronald Rivett, a bus driver at MDUSD

Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Curriculum & Instruction

CCCOE's Curriculum & Instruction team develops instructional materials to support those monthly resolutions. The materials are intended to provide resources and prompt discussions as part of the Social Justice Standards in elementary and secondary grade levels.

APA Heritage Foundation Events & Activities

During the month of May, explore Asian American & Pacific Islander culture through films, foods, and books. The APA Heritage Foundation works with our Official Celebration Partners the Asian Art Museum, the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and the San Francisco Public Library to compile a Celebration Guide with a list of activities and events in the San Francisco Bay Area taking place in May.

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AAPI Fest 2023

Celebrating the fifth AAPI Fest, highlighting LOCAL Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) culture and contributions! Saturday, May 13, 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. at Classic Bowling Center 900 King Drive Daly City, CA 94015.

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California Natural Resources Agency Events & Activities

The California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) and its supporting departments, invite you to celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Through virtual and in-person events, CNRA departments, commissions, and conservancies will be honoring Asian leaders in the environmental field, who work to protect the environment for current and future generations and encourage others to become environmental stewards.

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On TV: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month — May 2023

KQED is proud to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month starting in May with a special TV programming lineup.

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Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month for Kids & Families - 510 Families List

May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month in the U.S., and there are lots of ways to learn and celebrate with your children. Find events, storytimes, and dance performances, as well as movies and books! 

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May Activity Guide for Mental Health Awareness

Mental Health is how we cope with everyday life. Some days you might feel more confident or let things roll off your back more easily. On other days, maybe the stress has you feeling sad or anxious. These are completely normal things to feel and normal ways to feel them. It's when the feelings get to be so overwhelming that they make living your normal, everyday life a challenge. When things like just getting out of bed, spending time with friends or doing your favorite activities become something you just can't do, that's when your mental health is becoming a problem, and possibly a mental illness. Trying to tell the difference between what expected behaviors are and what might be the signs of a mental illness isn't always easy. There's no easy test that can let someone know if there is mental illness or if actions and thoughts might be typical behaviors of a person or the result of a physical illness.

Tools 2 Thrive

The toolkit includes sample materials for communications and social media as well as printable handouts on the following topics:

• Adapting after trauma and stress
• Dealing with anger and frustration
• Getting out of thinking traps
• Processing big changes
• Taking time for yourself
• Radical acceptance

#HOPE For CHANGE

#HopeForChange reminds us to spread and rely on the hope that carried us through a year of change. These activities follow physical distancing guidelines and are built off the past year that changed many of our self-care activities.

Acceptance of Emotions Through Art

Expressing Your Experiences

What Inspires You in These Times of Change?

Put the MOVE in Mental Health MOVEment

"I Am" Affirmation Boards

English Learner Professional Development Opportunities

There are multiple ways schools can recognize and promote biliteracy TK-12, through the State Seal of Biliteracy and new Pathways to Biliteracy Recognition! Our Multilingual California Alliance Project is supporting the implementation of these programs with a series of webinars for educators, school leaders, and families. Join one or all of our webinars to learn more and get the resources you need to advocate for biliteracy in your community! 

5/9 & 5/16, 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Free

This Trainer of Trainers has been specifically designed to support secondary site administrators, TOSAs, and coaches with limited time to support educators’ knowledge and implementation of Integrated and Designated ELD. Participants will become acquainted with the guidance, framework, and research about high-impact instructional strategies that build comprehension, active engagement, and language in all four domains, as well as how the ELD standards support student development in content areas. 

5/18 at 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

or

5/23 at 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

More Professional Development Opportunities

CCLA Online Courses for Learning Acceleration 

The California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration (CCLA) offers access to free self-paced courses that provide evidence-based strategies to boost learning acceleration in the classroom.   

Available Online Courses: 

Learning Acceleration Introduction Course: This course provides an understanding of what learning acceleration is and why we need it. It introduces the five components of CCLA: mastery of priority content, evidence-based strategies, Universal Design for Learning, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and social-emotional learning practices. 

Online Content Courses: These courses support evidence-based strategies to accelerate learning in math, literacy, and language development. 

Audience: All TK – 12 educators 

Cost: FREE 

Website & Online Course Access 

Behavior Supports in the Classroom: How to Implement Reinforcement Strategies

The CDE Diagnostic Center, Northern California will offer training on Behavior Supports in the Classroom. Participants will increase their understanding of why students engage in problem behavior; learn specific explanations on how to implement positive behavior strategies within the classroom environment from the Prevent, Teach, Reinforce model; and create an action plan to enhance classroom positive behavior supports.

Audience: Teachers Supporting Students with Behavior Needs

Date/Time: May 8, 2023, 3:00 p.m

Location: Virtual

Cost: Free

Register

Email contactus@dcn-cde.ca.gov or call 510-794-2500 to learn more.

CPIN – California Preschool Instructional Network  

Nuggets at Naptime – Family Partnerships and Culture Series with a CoP 

Audience:  PK and TK teachers, assistants, administrators, coaches, family day care providers and other early learning professionals 

Dates/Time: May 17, 31, June 7, 28, 2023,12:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.   

Location: Virtual 

Cost: Free 

Register 

Registration closes May 10, 2023 

Additional CPIN Sessions Offered

California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration (CCLA) Mathematics Community of Practice 

The Mathematics Community of Practice (CoP) is a space for learning and collaboration. Together, we will leverage the expertise of each other to gain knowledge and deepen understanding of learning acceleration in mathematics utilizing evidence-based practices and the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP). 

Audience: TK-12 Educators   

Date/Time: May 18, 2023, 3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 

Location: Virtual  

Cost: FREE 

Registration & Flyer

California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration (CCLA) Literacy Community of Practice 

The Mathematics Community of Practice (CoP) is a space for learning and collaboration. Together, we will leverage the expertise of each other to gain knowledge and deepen understanding of learning acceleration in mathematics utilizing evidence-based practices and the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP). 

Audience: TK-12 Educators   

Date/Time: May 23, 2023, 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Location: Virtual  

Cost: FREE  

Registration & Flyer 

John Muir Laws Nature Journaling 

You will come away from this workshop inspired with best practices and practical tools for teaching nature journaling, and you will be prepared to put them into practice with your students. 

Audience: TK-12 Educators  

Date: June 9 & 10, 2023

Location: Virtual 

Cost: $70 or apply for a scholarship

Register

Virtual California Early Literacy Conference (June 14–15)

The Sacramento County Office of Education is pleased to announce the virtual California Early Literacy Conference: Everyone Has the Right to Read. This free, two-day conference will feature evidence-based practices in elementary literacy, sessions on literacy for multilingual learners, special education, assessment, SEL, trauma-informed practices, literacy coaching, and more.

Audience: TK-6

Date/Time: June 14–15 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Location: Virtual

Cost: Free

Register

Cal Academy of Sciences Teacher Workshops 

Explore phenomena-based instruction, engineering design process, writing skills in science and STEAM integration in these summer offerings.  

Audience: TK-12 Educators  

Date: June and July 

Location: In person at the museum and online 

Cost: $35 - $75

Register

Summer of CS 

Seasons of CS is funded by the California Department of Education and the Educator Workforce Investment Grant (EWIG). The Educator Workforce Investment Grant (EWIG) in Computer Science was awarded to UCLA and its CSforCA coalition, along with the CDE Foundation and Sacramento County Office of Education to implement Seasons of CS professional learning program across California's Statewide System of Support. Seasons of CS is a research-backed professional learning model for K-12 educators, paraprofessionals, administrators, and counselors who are interested in bringing computer science to their students. The goal of this program is to expand systematic capacity for equitable, scalable, and sustainable computer science education in California. No computer science experience is necessary. Review our FAQ, check out this overview slide deck, view the Office Hours zoom recording, or contact us at seasonsofcs@cdefoundation.org. 

Audience: All TK-12 Educators 

Date: June/July 2023  

Cost: Free 

Website

Registration

Clear Administrative Services Credential (CACP) 

Are you a beginning administrator in need of clearing your credential? CCCOE partners with ACSA to provide a 2-yr. Induction program designed to meet this state requirement. Two cohorts are offered each year – fall and winter. The upcoming fall cohort begins August/September 2023, and the enrollment window is May 1-August 31. For more information, please visit our CACP website and complete our interest form. 

Audience: Beginning administrators 

Cost: $5000 per year (2-yr program) 

Preliminary Administrative Services Credential (PASC)  

Are you an aspiring administrator? CCCOE offers an 11-month program that results in earning a preliminary administrative credential. We also partner with National University to provide an option to earn a master’s degree. The application window opens June 2, 2023, for the cohort starting February 2024. For more information, please visit our PASC website and complete our interest form.  

Audience: TK-12 educators 

Start Date: February 3, 2024 

Cost: $8000 for the 11-month credential program 

Free Comic Book Days 

The Library is celebrating Free Comic Book Days from May 8 – 13. Visit your local library to enjoy free comics, take-home activities, and find out who won the bookmark contest. In-person events will include Superhero Training Academy and a superhero scavenger hunt. You can enjoy the fun from home as well by attending virtual events including a panel called Women in Animation: A Conversation with Pixar and an author chat with Victoria Jamieson, author of “Roller Girl” and “When Stars are Scattered.” Visit ccclib.org in May to get all the details.

May Celebrations

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month and the Library is celebrating both. Staff have compiled book lists to help you find great reads featuring Asian and Pacific Islander stories and voices. Programs scheduled as part of the celebration include a meditative tea tasting, movie night and a treasure hunt. Visit ccclib.org in May to read a staff blog about how mental health is impacting the Asian and Pacific Islander community and find resources that can help.

After School Meals in El Sobrante

The El Sobrante Library is serving after-school meals twice a week. The meals are provided in partnership with the West Contra Costa Unified School District as part of an effort to combat food insecurity and childhood obesity by serving healthy food to kids. The meals are available on Thursdays and Fridays from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for children and teens 18 and under.

Teen Volunteers Needed

The Library is looking for teen volunteers to help with the Summer Reading program. Teens must be entering eighth grade or above and parental consent. The time commitment is one to two hours per week. Contact your local library branch for availability and more information.

More Info

For more information on all Contra Costa County Library programs, resources and events, visit ccclib.org.

California Grant Portal

The California State Library has launched a new website that streamlines all available state agency grants for education, small businesses, nonprofits, individuals, tribal governments, and more!

Mental Health Resources

Recent events can be tough on children’s overall mental wellness and make access to resources even more important. Resources to help support children who have experienced these events are available on the California Health and Human Services Children's Mental Health Resource Hub web page. Additional resources for students and staff are available on the CA Safe Schools for All Mental Health: Student and Staff Support web page and on the CDE Mental Health web page.

Free Online Homework Help

The California State Library provides free online tutoring for California K-12 students, available through public libraries. Through HelpNow, live real-time homework assistance is available 24 hours a day by laptop, tablet, or phone from qualified tutors using state curriculum and standards. Live tutors fluent in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog are available from 10am to 10p., 7 days a week. Additionally, HelpNow features AI translation allowing tutors and students to communicate in nearly any language.

K–12 Online Content Project Adds PBS Video Collection

California public school students and educators now have access to over 1,200 streaming PBS videos covering topics in science, history, current events, music, and drama. The PBS Video Collection (Fourth Edition) from ProQuest, part of the Clarivate company, is the latest addition to the K–12 Online Content Project, a partnership between the California State Library and the Riverside County Office of Education for school library content and tools. Learn more on the California State Library PBS Video Collection web page, which includes highlights and a full list of video titles. Contact RousleySwank@cde.ca.gov with questions. 

Educational Programming of edTV 

Looking for some additional quality Monday-Friday educational programming at home or in the classroom? Check out the latest edTV broadcasts here.

Programs scheduled include (times are approximate):

• Library Storytime, 8:30 a.m.
• Betty McPeek's Circle Time, 8:45 a.m.
• Number Talk, presented by the Khan Academy and CCCOE , K-5 math lessons in English and Spanish: 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
• Farm to Taste, Mother-daughter culinary arts teachers at Mt. Diablo High School host healthy cooking show: 12:00-12:30 p.m.
• STEM in 30, Emmy-nominated program produced by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum: 12:30 -1:00 p.m.
• National Arts Gallery, outstanding stories about artists and art movements from around the world: 1:00-2:00 p.m.
• Classic Arts Showcase, performances, visual arts, and films that change every week: Airs most nights, depending on programming, 5:00 p.m.

edTV can be found in most of Contra Costa County on cable channels 32 (Comcast) or 99 (AT&T U-Verse). For info: Daily schedule can be found here.