Dateline Masthead
Contra Costa County Office of Education September 2010 
Table of Contents
How to Work Less, Produce More
Contra Costa Regional Area Energy Workshop
AB 430 Administrator Training Program
DELTA Studies Institute
Educators' Resource Fair
2011 United States Senate Youth Program
Chevron's Fuel Your School...
Chevron Classroom Challenge
Toshiba America Foundation
Lowe's Toolbox for Education
Constitution Day
Model United Nations
Countywide School Shelter-in-Place Drill
26th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day
MyVote
Quick Links
 
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Greetings!
 
Welcome to the September 2010 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 (see link button at the left column).
Professional Development / Opportunities
How to Work Less, Produce More, and Still Get the Job Done in a Sensible School Week
What if you could trim 20 hours off your work week AND multiply your time in classrooms by 500%?  This Breakthrough Coach two-day program is for site or central office administrators and their secretaries
Dates and location: Oct. 25-26, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.; CCCOE,
Pleasant Hill
Fee: $495 per team, of two (administrator and secretary)
For info: Contact Renai Lovely at (925) 942-3489; you can download the event's flyer or visit their website
Deadline: Sept. 3
Contra Costa Regional Area Energy Workshop
ConocoPhillips and the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project have partnered for the third year to provide teachers in 26 U.S. cities with an exciting and engaging curriculum to teach the topic of energy to students in today's classrooms.  The one-day energy classroom workshop will feature plenty of lesson plans, curriculum materials, and a set of Energy Infobooks for student research.  Along with meals, parking, and materials, all attendees' substitute reimbursements will be covered.

Date and location: Nov. 9, 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; Courtyard by Marriott, Richmond

For info: Contact W. Moss (800) 875-5029 or visit the program's website

Fee: Free

AB 430 Administrator Training Program
AB 430 is a State Board of Education approved training program that focuses on developing the leadership skills necessary for administrators to implement a coherent, effective standards-based instructional program to improve student achievement, including understanding the school's adopted textbook programs, developing professional learning communities, acting on assessment data, aligning fiscal resources, providing teacher support, and using technology resources.  Completion of AB 430 is accepted as Tier 2 for the Professional Administrative Service Credential.
Dates and locations: The 2010-2011 training schedules and sites are listed on the AB 430 website
For info: Contact Cheryl Hansen, CCCOE, at (925) 942-3445
DELTA Studies Institute
Delta Education for Learning, Teaching, and Action (DELTA) Studies Institute invites all K-12 teachers to join their annual DELTA Studies Institute.  This program includes a full day bus tour exploring the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta, a curriculum and implementation strategies dinner, and a project sharing dinner.  Attendees will learn to teach California State Science standards using curriculum that focuses on California's most important resource.  College credit is available.
Dates and location: September 18, Nov. 10, May 4; San Joaquin County Office of Education, Stockton
For info: Contact Conni Bock  at (209) 468-4880, or visit their website 
Fee: $25.00, those who complete the program will earn a $200 stipend
Resources / Contests
Educators' Resource Fair
This free open house event is the perfect opportunity for all educators to learn more about the many resources available in the area. Find out about field trips, classroom presentations, assemblies, and teacher workshops.  Attendees will also be able to pick up free curriculum and classroom materials. Apply for the scholarships available to event attendees only.  Attendees will have a chance to win scholarships to the upcoming Asilomar Math Conference and California Science Education Conference.
Date & Location: Sept. 21, 3:30-5:30 p.m.; Lindsay Wildlife Museum, Walnut Creek
For info: Contact Connie Loosli at (925) 627-2922
Fee: Free
2011 United States Senate Youth Program
The California Department of Education administers the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP), which is an annual scholarship competition funded by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation and endorsed by the United States Senate.  Each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia select two high school juniors or seniors to participate in the USSYP. The delegates receive a $5,000 college scholarship and attend a one-week, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. from March 5-12, 2011.
For info: Contact
Carol Smith at (916) 319-0577 or visit their website.
Deadline: Oct. 1
Grants / Scholarships
Chevron's Fuel Your School
Through a shared vision, Chevron is working together with DonorsChoose.org to help provide teachers with the supplies they need for their classrooms.  Chevron supports public education and the Fuel Your School promotion is designed to assist today's students and tomorrow's leaders, with the help of DonorsChoose.org. DonorsChoose.org is a non-profit organization that benefits the community and offers a convenient way for anyone to help students in need.
For info: Visit DonorsChoose.com
Chevron Classroom Challenge
Chevron is awarding $25,000 cash grants to ten public schools in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties (five schools from each county will receive such grants). Teachers can enter the Chevron Classroom Challenge by submitting eligible project requests that emphasize Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) education during the Fuel Your School promotion. The Chevron Classroom Challenge is looking for submissions that detail the creativity and innovative nature of the requested materials that support STEM education. Submissions will be judged and scored in the areas of hands-on and sustainable learning while supporting existing classroom curriculum and other criteria as detailed in the rules governing the Chevron Classroom Challenge.
For info: Visit Chevron's website
Deadline: Sept. 30
Toshiba America Foundation 
The Toshiba America Foundation's Grants Program for K-5 Science and Math education will be offering a number of grants, worth up to $1,000, for grade school science and math teachers who want to provide special in-class learning projects that would take place over at least three class sessions.
For info: Contact (212) 596-0620 or e-mail, or visit their website
Deadline: Oct. 1
Lowe's Toolbox for Education
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 2010 application grant cycle closes Oct. 15
Events / Field Trips
Constitution Day
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
For info: Visit their
website
Fee: Free
Model United Nations
The Contra Costa County Model United Nations program is an exciting, educational way for high school students to learn about global issues.  The Model UN simulates the activities of a UN body, such as the Security Council or the General Assembly.  Students assume the roles of diplomatic representatives to the UN as they consider contemporary international concerns.  Through this role-playing event, students develop a great understanding of world affairs and the complexity of international relations.
Dates and location: Nov. 5 & 6; Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill
For info: Contact Karen Rice (925) 942-3400 or visit the Model U.N. website
Deadline for sign-ups: Sept. 20
Countywide School Shelter-in-Place Drill   
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 9th 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: Nov. 3, 11:00 a.m.
For info: Contact Lori McDonald (925) 313-9296 or visit CAER's website
26th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day
California Coastal Cleanup Day is the premier volunteer event focused on the marine environment in the country.  In 2009, more than 80,600 volunteers worked together to collect more than 1,300,000 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 14 million pounds of debris from our state's shorelines and coast.
Date and locations: September 26; various water sites
For info: Contact the
California Costal Commission at (800) COAST-4U or visit their website
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, this program gives students a chance to make their voices heard on the candidates and issues that affect them and their families, while an exciting election season is in full-swing.  Once the votes are counted, students can compare their choices to those of their peers around the state, and then to the decisions made by adult voters in the statewide election held only a few days later.
Date: Oct. 26 (Mock Election Day)
For info: Contact MyVote at (916) 651-3070 or visit their website
Deadline: Oct. 25
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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; Robin Wood, 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.