 | | Featured Article | | Christi Harter leads the new STEM Center at SMCOE. |
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Christi Harter Leads SMCOE STEM Center
Dr. Christi Harter couldn't be happier in her new post as Director of the San Mateo County Office of Education STEM Center. "I've wanted to do this level of work--professional development in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)--for a long time."
Her career path has provided tremendous preparation for the position, and even though she did not officially start at SMCOE until July 1, 2011, from the moment she accepted the position last spring, she's been working behind the scenes.
Harter has been a high school math and Spanish teacher, post-secondary and middle school technology teacher, grant writer and coordinator, instructional math coach, teaching and research assistant in the areas of educational technology and instructional design strategy for technology integration, and a Principal Intern. Most recently, she was the Career and Technical Education Coordinator and AVID District Director for Spokane Public Schools. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Northern Colorado in Educational Technology.
She's taught in Ghana, Minnesota, South Dakota, Colorado and Washington state. Throughout her career, she has also found time to coach high school basketball, softball, and track teams.
The STEM Center will officially open in late November or early December after renovations have been completed in what was previously the SMERC Library at SMCOE. The plan is to offer STEM-related professional development on site, host video conferencing and Webinars, as well as develop an electronic library of resources and archived trainings. "With the help of technology and live video streaming, we can open our training to teachers not only in San Mateo County but also around the world," notes Harter.
Harter is currently working on the design of the center, determining what technology will be available for training purposes, and developing a website for the STEM Center. One exciting STEM collaborative effort is taking place between the SMCOE STEM Center and the San Mateo Workforce Development Board with area schools and after-school programs that will be participating in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program . Also in the works are grant-writing, planning for a Resource Fair, the STEM Fair for students (formerly the County Science Fair) and the STEM Conference.
Learn more about Dr. Harter and the STEM Center here
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Anti-Bullying Symposium at SMCOE Brings Together School Leaders
On September 16, 2011, 75 administrators, counselors, school psychologists and school board members from around the county attended the Anti-Bullying Symposium at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE). Entitled "Conditions for Learning and the Bullying Challenge," the symposium
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Keynote speaker Jenee Littrell talked about anti-bullying initiatives at the SMCOE symposium. |
featured keynote speaker Jenée Littrell, a long-time leader in addressing social justice issues in education and director of Project SHIELD, a safe schools/healthy students grant.
The morning session served as a kick-off for a series of events to be held at SMCOE this year focusing on anti-bullying measures schools can take to create positive school cultures. This first event marked the beginning phase of implementation of the San Mateo Grand Jury's recommendations on how school districts and SMCOE can effectively address the problem of bullying in our schools.
County Superintendent Anne Campbell welcomed the participants, noting "The subtleties and issues around bullying today are immensely more complex than in the past, which makes the work of educators more difficult. We know that learning takes place when kids feel safe, and they can't learn when they feel threatened."
After hearing keynote speaker Jenée Littrell, participants met in school district teams to examine their current anti-bullying policies and to begin the process of making them clear and consistent. They then shared best practices with other district teams.
Learn more about the Anti-Bullying Symposium here |
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Virtual Pre-K Forges Family and Preschool Connections
More than 2,600 preschool children are building kindergarten readiness skills at home and their families are forging connections with their preschools thanks to Virtual Pre-K, an ambitious program supported by the Early Childhood Quality Improvement Project (EQuIP) at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE).
The term "Virtual Pre-K" might conjure up visions of preschoolers floating in cyberspace. But in actuality it's a nationally based program designed to solidify home-school connections for preschoolers and their families through hands-on activities that support the preschool curriculum. "The real meaning of Virtual Pre-K is that learning happens virtually anywhere - in the home, school and community," says Jeanie McLoughlin, Director of EQuIP at SMCOE.
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Jeanie McCloughlin displays Virtual Pre-K resource materials. |
Funded by First 5 San Mateo, Virtual Pre-K is in its third year of implementation in San Mateo County, and the number of families, schools and preschoolers involved has been steadily growing. Virtually all state- and federally-funded preschool programs in the county, in 28 organizations at 50 school sites with 94 classrooms, are now taking part, making San Mateo County the second largest user of Virtual Pre-K in the nation.
Learn more about Virtual Pre-K here
See the Virtual Pre-K website here |
Latino Report Card Event Focuses on Achievement Gap
On the morning of September 30, about 80 to100 business and community members, education leaders, elected officials and students will gather at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation in San Mateo to delve into the Silicon Valley Report Card--to learn more about its focus on education and to begin to explore how to improve education for Latino students in San Mateo County.
Dr. Gary Waddell, San Mateo County Office of Education Deputy Superintendent, and the Honorable Memo Morantes, San Mateo County Board of Education Trustee and co-chair of the Latino Leadership Council, have been working with several sponsoring organizations to plan the program.
Ron Gonzales, president and CEO of the Hispanic Foundation in Silicon Valley (as well as former mayor of San Jose), will introduce the Latino Report Card. County Superintendent Anne Campbell will speak about the Education section, and Judith Greig, president of Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, will also address the group.
A panel of education community members including Michelle Griffith, principal at Garfield Elementary School in Redwood City; Peter Fortenbaugh, executive director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula; Renée Zimmerman, executive director of Family Connections, a Latino college student; and representatives from county preschool and after-school programs will also discuss the Report Card. Participants will then have time in break-out groups to continue the discussion.
"Everyone knows we are not doing as well as we can for Latino students, but we do have hope," said Morantes. "We will highlight excellent programs from Pre-K on up. This event will help us focus on how we can bring successful programs to our community and how we can move our grade from a 'C' to an 'A.'"
For more information and to register for the event, contact Alexandra Rodriguez at NHORA, (650) 580-8736; or Connie Guerrero at LLC of San Mateo County, (650) 465-2024.
Learn more about the Latino Report Card event here
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SMCOE To Host Transitional Kindergarten Conference
On October 10, 2011, the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) will host an all-day Investigating Transitional Kindergarten Conference. Superintendents, school board members, administrators, kindergarten teachers and early childhood program directors are invited to come learn about the state legislative mandate for Transitional Kindergarten, the timeline for implementation and valuable resources.
A panel of presenters will include: San Mateo County School Superintendent Anne Campbell; Whit Hayslip, former Assistant Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District(LAUSD); Janet Lopez, Senior Policy Analyst at Preschool California; Sharon Keplinger, Coordinator of the Young Fives Program at the Palo Alto Unified School District; and invited representatives from early implementing districts in LAUSD, Orange County and Fresno County.
As a result of the passage in September 2010 of SB 1381, the Kindergarten Readiness Act, districts will gradually be moving up the kindergarten eligibility age over the next four years. This year children must be age 5 by December 2 to register for kindergarten; next year they must be 5 prior to November 1; in 2013 they must be 5 prior to October 1 and in 2014, they must be 5 by September 1. The law also says districts can provide a year of transitional kindergarten for children with September-December birthdays during this period while the law is being phased in.
The SMCOE conference on October 10 will focus on what a Transitional Kindergarten program should look like, and will provide answers for districts on how to implement the program. Early adopters will talk about their process and attendees will have the opportunity to meet SMCOE staff who will be available to assist with the transition.
To register for the conference, go to the SMCOE website and click on "Upcoming Events." Then enter "Transitional K" in the search box.
For more information contact Lori Musso, lmusso@smcoe.k12.ca.us or Nirmala Dillman ndillman@smcoe.k12.ca.us
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About the San Mateo County Office of Education
The San Mateo County Office of Education provides a variety of instructional, business and consulting services to the County's twenty-three public school districts, charter schools, the Community College District, and County Office of Education staff.
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