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: PD1706 or 'Crisis Response')

Fee: $40 

Judy Pal, of 8-10 Communications, will lead the upcoming CCPIN program, titled: Messaging: A Critical Element of Crisis Communication and Response. 

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

The 2011 Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair welcomes all to attend and view numerous projects submitted this year by county middle- and high-school students.  Attendees can observe the presentations and experiments up close, as well as talk to the students who entered them.

Date and location: April 2; 10:00 a.m.-12 noon; Los Medanos College (Science Building), Pittsburg

For info: Visit their website

Fee: Free

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 $1,000.

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

Deadline: April 18

The Contra Costa County Water District's 75th Anniversary Video Contest is open to students attending high schools in the Water District's service area.  Entries can be either a team or an individual effort.  Prizes of $150, $100, and $50 will be given to the first three finishers, as well as matching funds to their schools.

For info: Contact Marianne Hook at (925) 688-8307 or visit their website

Deadline: April 15

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 

Do Something and Hewlett Packard (HP) are providing funding and HP computers to K-12 schools that reduce their carbon footprint. Four winners will receive a $1,000 grant and an HP Pavilion DM1 laptop, and one grand prize winner will receive a $5,000 grant and 5 HP Pavilion DM1 laptop computers to power even more green projects!  Eligible schools must make concrete efforts to reduce their environmental impact during an eight-week competition. Winners will be chosen based on their school's energy saved, garbage reduced, number of people involved, and innovative quality of actions and ideas. 

For info: Contact Do Something or visit their website

Deadline: April 1