If there were a crisis on your campus, how would you respond?  Did you know that California Government Code and California Education Code require schools to have emergency and crisis response plans and to use the Incident Command System, a component of the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS)?  This workshop is designed to provide participants with the awareness, knowledge, and skills to assist school personnel in developing Crisis Response or disaster preparedness plans that meet the Federal and State requirements, including SEMS. It will help schools connect with community agencies that most often respond in an emergency situation.

Date and location: March 16, 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; CCCOE, Pleasant Hill

For info: Contact Madelyn Blair at (510) 670-4199; online registration (Keyword Search - Class number: PD1705 or 'Crisis Response')

Fee: $40 

A webinar series, produced in partnership by the CCCOE, AT&T, Region IV CTAP, and East Bay Computer Using Educators, will be covering the issues surrounding digital citizenship.  These presentations are directed to school-district or school-site administrators, teacher leaders, and technology managers.  The one-hour sessions are presented by nationally recognized guest speakers, representing such services as NetSmartz and Common Sense Media.  Each webinar will leave time for questions from the participants.

Dates: Multiple, Feb.-May

For info: Visit their website

Fee: Free

The Reynolds High School Journalism Institute is an intensive two-week journalism training program for high school teachers and staffers. Instruction is based on the core tenets of journalism and the skills needed to produce a top-notch scholastic publication. In 2011, they will select 175 teachers for the program, and will pick up all costs.  The 175 attendees will be picked on the merits of their applications. 

Dates and locations: There are five separate locations and dates during the summer

For info: Visit their website

Deadline: March 1

Fee: Free

Contra Costa County businesses will once again join our county's K-12 educators to produce the annual Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair, this coming spring. 

Dates and location: March 31, April 1-2; Los Medanos College, Science Building

For info: Contact April Treece at (925) 672-3759 or visit the Science & Engineering Fair's website

Deadlines: Applications that need pre-approval Feb. 4, all others Feb. 25

Fee: $25

The purpose of this annual presentation is to provide a forum for discussion among legislators, local officials, and the community regarding current children's issues.  This year's event will feature key-note speaker Delaine Eastin, former California state superintendent of public instruction.  Eastin's keynote address will be followed by a panel presentation and discussion by state legislators and local elected officials who will speak about the current status of young children's health, education, social, and child-care services.  Along with gathering information and network opportunities, the attendees will also be welcomed to ask the panel questions for additional discussions.

Date and location: March 19, 9:00 a.m.-12:00 noon; Los Medanos College

For info: Contact Ruth Fernández at (925) 942-3413 or review the event's flyer

Fee: Free

The National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) announces the SSEP for the proposed final flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis, which would also be the final flight of the U.S. Space Shuttle Program.  A school district can reserve an experiment slot in a real research mini-laboratory to fly on Atlantis, and hold a real experiment design competition for numerous teams, up to 3,200 students.  Individual schools can also participate. SSEP was designed as a keystone national STEM education initiative to engage and inspire America's next generation of scientists and engineers.  A suite of programming engages the entire community, embracing a Learning Community Model for STEM education.

For info: Contact Dr. Jeff Goldstein or visit their website

Deadline: March 15

Through this national contest, students, grades 5-6, across the country are encouraged to help others learn ways to protect against tick and mosquito bites and the diseases they can transmit. State-contest-winning students, one from each grade, will earn a $50 prize, and will then be eligible for the national grand prize of $1000.

For info: Contact Alison at (800) 789-3300 or visit the event's website

Deadline: April 18

The Google Science Fair (GSF) is a global competition that any student, aged 13-18, from around the world is eligible to enter.  Students can enter as individuals or as teams of up to three, submission will be made online.  The competition will culminate in a "once in a lifetime" celebratory event at Google headquarters, in California, in July 2011, where finalists will compete for internships, scholarships, and prizes in front of a panel of celebrity scientist judges including Nobel Laureates, tech visionaries, and household names.

For info: To sign up for fun and free resource kits for your classroom or school (with bookmarks, stickers, posters and more!), visit their website

Deadline: April 4

Join the Judiciary of California and Constitutional Rights Foundation in celebrating the Bill of Rights with the Second Annual First Amendment Cartoon Contest.  The contest is open to K-12 students nationwide.  Six winners will each receive a $50 gift certificate.  In addition, up to five entries will receive honorable mentions.  Winners and honorable mentions will be announced on Law Day, May 1, 2011.

Deadline: March 18

For info: Visit their website and/or download the contest flyer 

EarthTeam is an environmental network for teens, teachers, and youth leaders.  The site has projects and activities for action, curriculum, and lesson plans for teachers, and more.

For info: Contact EarthTeam at (510) 704-4030 or visit their website

This website provides scientific information intended to help educate the public about natural resources, natural hazards, geospatial data, and issues that affect our quality of life. Discover selected online resources, including lessons, data, maps, and more, that support teaching, learning, education (K-12), and university-level inquiry and research.

For info: Visit their website

The Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) Seminar is a 50 Minute PowerPoint Presentation, which is done in a classroom setting.  Presented by Contra Costa Kops for Kids, their mission is to help prevent drug abuse, gangs, violence, and juvenile delinquency in Contra Costa County by providing athletic, educational, and other programs for at-risk youth.  The object of Positive Mental Attitudes is to bring the concept of positive mental attitudes to the students at the high school level who are least likely to have such an attitude.

For info: Contact Program Coordinator Sharon Stevenson at (925) 827-1998 or visit their website

East Bay Computer Using Educators (EBCUE)  is proud to announce the 2011 Doug Prouty Classroom Grant Program. This program seeks to fund K-12 classroom teachers who want to implement creative, innovative, and student-centered uses of technology and support student achievement in core curriculum: English/language, arts, math, history/social science, and science.  Grant amounts can go up to $1,500.

For info: Contact Eileen C. Walters at (925) 942-3435

Deadline: March 15

The applications for the Siemens Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) Academy Summer of Learning programs are now open. The Summer of Learning program will also offer two all-expenses-paid programs for STEM educators (one from each track):  

Siemens Teachers as Researchers (STARs): Siemens STEM Institute Siemens Teachers as Researchers (STARs): STARs gives 20-middle and high-school STEM educators the opportunity to spend two weeks engaging with top scientists and researchers on mentored research projects at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, America's largest, multi-purpose, national research laboratory.

Siemens STEM Institute: The Institute selects a diverse group of 50 STEM educators to attend a week of STEM immersion at Discovery's world headquarters outside of Washington, D.C., where they will hear from guest speakers at the forefront of STEM, take field trips to leading institutions, and network and collaborate with peers from across the nation.

For info: Visit the their website 

Grant deadline: February 15