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Lake County Education in Bloom
I am really not much of a gardener, but I love the way that daffodils just seem to pop out over night. I know they really don't, but it seems that they suddenly just appear! I know that throughout the year, time, effort and care are needed to make this miraculous moment happen, but I really don't think about it until I see the beautiful blooms.
I think this year education in Lake County is kind of like that patch of daffodils that blooms all at one time. This is the year that many local and state initiatives are coming into bloom. It is good to know that that we are finally seeing the results of a lot of hard work on behalf of our students.
One of the major "blooms" this year has been the approval and implementation of the new Local Control Funding Formula known as "LCFF." The new funding formula shifts flexibility and responsibility more to the local level and provides funding based on the number of students in two critical categories, English Language Learners and Low Income students. Lake County schools will see significant improvements in funding levels with a long term goal of raising school funding levels back up to a similar level of education funding in 2007.
A second "Bloom" is the adoption of the Common Core State Standards. California is one of 45 states to adopt common standards affording all of our students the opportunity to demonstrate higher order thinking skills and practical applications of what our students know and learn. Lake County teachers are busy preparing lessons and instructional units that align with the new Common Core Standards. Recently, a group of over 200 teachers participated in four days of professional development and unit development to begin our transition to the common core. Lake County teachers continue to demonstrate a collaborative spirit in sharing newly developed units with one another and with teachers in neighboring counties.
The Common Core professional development opportunity was possible due to our third education "Bloom," Marymount California University. Marymount, now located at the "Lucerne Castle" is our newest education partner in Lake County and will be providing university level coursework for college students and continuing education programs for practicing educators.
Other Lake County education "blooms" include the continued growth of the Literacy Task Force and the initiation of the Early Childhood Education Task Force, which will focus on developing Parent Engagement strategies.
Lastly, the opening of the children and families services center known as "The Hub" in Upper Lake, will serve as the pilot program for future expansion into all Lake County communities. The Hub, located on the Upper Lake High School campus, will coordinate and expand existing services to students and families thereby by making services more accessible in the local community.
All in all, this school year is filled with optimism and opportunity. I am looking forward to working with you to make this the best year so far for our students. Thank you for your continued commitment to quality education for all of our students in Lake County.
Have a great school year!
Wally
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LCOE Communications - Input Needed
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Our goal is to help foster positive communication throughout Lake County. In an effort to develop our priorities for the coming year, we are asking you to complete a short survey to gain your opinions and insights into our communication efforts and where we should focus in the year ahead. This survey will only take 3-5 minutes to complete. Thank you in advance for your time and participation!
Click here to complete the survey. |
Kelseyville Unified School District | September 3rd Konocti Unified School District | August 14th Lake County Office of Education | August 14th Lakeport Unified School District | August 14th Lucerne Elementary School | August 22nd Middletown Unified School District | August 13th Upper Lake Unified School District | August 14th |
The Little Read is a special part of Lake County's Big Read, designed especially for elementary students and featuring two picture books celebrating the Chinese Moon Festival: Moon Cakes by Loretta Soto and The Moon Lady by Amy Tan, a story from The Joy Luck Club rewritten for children. Help your students become part of the Little Read community by sharing these outstanding read-alouds with them in October!
Join us as we present a variety of activities designed to make it easy and fun to share the Little Read books with your students!
This workshop includes:
A complimentary copy of each Little Read book (one set per Lake County public elementary school).
An activity guide for both books for each participating teacher.
Fabulous refreshments!
This is a free event, but please register so we'll have materials and snacks for you!
To register, contact Carla Hoff via email: c2hoff@yahoo.com
Click the link for more information on the Big Read. | Link |
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A New Vision for LCOE Clearlake Campus
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Lake County Office of Education announced the new vision for their Southshore Campus, located at 6945 Old Highway 53 in Clearlake. Formerly the campus housed LCOE's alternative education programs. Those programs were relocated to the Hance Education Center on Argonaut Road in Lakeport last year in effort to consolidate programs and spending. The Clearlake Campus is now home to two exciting programs: The Creativity School and the Career Technical Education/College-Going Initiative Department. According to LCOE Senior Director, Brock Falkenberg, "These programs enable us to fully utilize this facility. We are pleased to be able to provide additional jobs and services in our Southshore communities."
Click the link to read more about the Career Technical Education/College-Going Initiative and the Creativity School, both providing services at the Clearlake Campus. | Link
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| The Exceptional Child & The Inclusive Early Childhood Program offered at Marymount California University in Lucerne |
 Early childhood educators are increasingly presented with children exhibiting a wide variety of developmental disabilities, and medical and behavioral conditions. This course, taught by Dr. Laurie Daly, will expand the toolkit of early childhood educators for managing problem behaviors and recognizing the importance and impact of early intervention.Click the link for more information and to register. | Link
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John Lindblum, Lake County News
More than 200 Lake County teachers and administrators converged on the imposing three-story building and grounds of what originated as the 80-room Lucerne Hotel 87 years ago.
The gathering of a full 40 percent of the county's K-12 educators for a Unit Planning for the Common Core State Standards, a three-year-old program, is the first significant use of the campus for Lake County education.
"The county of Lake and Marymount did an incredible job of renovation," said Tim Gill, senior director of Educational Services for the Lake County Office of Education who is overseeing the program. "We went from a building that had been shut down for years to a fully modern facility that has beautiful classrooms and meeting rooms, broadband Internet access and all the technological bells and whistles that we need."
Click the link to read more. | Link
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The Hub Launched Wednesday, August 14 with an Open House
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The Hub, a resource center serving children and families in the communities of Upper Lake, Nice and Lucerne, launched with an Open House last Wednesday, distributing free school supply goodie bags and snacks. Partner agencies, Redwood Children's Center, Lake County Office of Education, Healthy Start, Upper Lake Union High School District, Lake Family Resource Center, and Upper Lake Elementary School District are collaborating to provide resources for children, youth and families in the communities of Nice, Lucerne and Upper Lake through The Hub. According to Wally Holbrook, Lake County Superintendent of Schools, "We know that children benefit most when we all work together toward a shared vision for educated, healthy and successful children, strong families and thriving communities. This project is really a statement to the collaborative spirit of Lake County to find ways to better serve our communities."
Click the link to read more. | Link
 Sebastian and Santiago Rubalcava stopped by The Hub after their first day of school at Upper Lake Elementary.
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Join us for a workshop designed to connect teachers and administrators to the resources they'll need to focus on the Common Core State Standards and Smarter Balance! Click the link for more information and to register. | Link |
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Check Us Out at the Lake County Fair!
Stop by our booth in Fitch Hall and say hello!
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We are excited to announce that we have been awarded another Big Read grant to encourage and revitalize the role of literature in our community. The National Endowment for the Arts has partnered with Arts Midwest, and the Lake County Office of Education to provide an array of events for readers of all ages to connect with a Big Read selection, which this year is The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.
There are a number of ways for educators to participate in and support the Big Read:
Teach a short story by author Amy Tan, or Tan's non-fiction essay, "
Mother Tongue."
Attend the book launch party on October 5 at The Tallman Hotel.
Read (or re-read) and enjoy the novel. Watch our website for more information and calendar updates as they become available. County-wide Middle and High School ELA teachers are invited to an informal collaboration on Amy Tan's work as they prepare to participate in the October Big Read. Tuesday, October 1 at 4:00. Location TBD by teachers who have expressed interest in attending.
County-wide K-5 teachers are invited to The Little Read. See the article to the left for more information.
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2013 Lake County New Educator Welcome Reception
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For more information, contact lallen@lakecoe.org or call 707-262-4162.
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Gang Awareness and Suspension/Expulsion Processes
Round Table
SAVE THE DATE
August 27, 2013
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
LCOE, in partnership with the Lake County Gang Taskforce and Lake County Dept. of Probation, will be hosting a round-table discussion focused on:
Gang Awareness
Suspension/Expulsion Processes
The event will be held at the Hance Education Center (1510 Argonaut Rd.)
For more information email kandees@lakecoe.org
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Three veterans were awarded their high school diplomas by the Lake County Office of Education, for recognition for their service in the military during the Korean and the Vietnam Wars.
From left:
Michael Dondero, Vietnam Veteran
James Sparks, Jr., Vietnam Veteran
Lee Woodberry, Sr., Korean War Veteran
Their high school education was cut short due to their military service, and Lake County Office of Education launched the Operation Recognition Program to present long-overdue high school diplomas to these soldiers. Click the link to read more. | Link
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2013 Educator of the Year Award Night
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Mark your calendars for the Educator of the Year Award Event, November 2, 6:00 pm at the Soper Reese Theater in Lakeport. This special evening honors the Lake County Teacher of the Year, District Teachers of the Year, District Classified Employees of the Year, Early Childhood Educator of the Year, Leading the Field Award Recipient, and more. It is an inspiring evening for all. Watch for more information.
The 2013-14 Lake County Teacher of the Year is Erica Boomer from Upper Lake Union High School. Click here to read more about Erica and the qualities that make her an exceptional educator. |
Steps to Quality 2013/2014 Program
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We have two spaces remaining in our 2013-2014 Steps to Quality program! If you are an early childhood educator working in a licensed or license-exempt facility, this program provides inspiration, new knowledge, skills development, quality improvement and more, along with a generous stipend at the completion of the program.
Click the link for more information and to complete the pre-application. | Link
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Submit articles for future issues of The Education Briefs
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Do you have an interest story, event or relevant information to share in an upcoming issue of the Education Briefs? We would love to hear from you. Click here to complete the Media Request Form, or contact Shelly Mascari at smascari@lakecoe.org.
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