The Four Corners

Updates for Lake County District Superintendents

 From Wally:

 I am looking forward to next Monday's Superintendents' Council meeting for a few reasons:

 The first is we have a few items on the agenda that I am sure will generate a healthy discussion. Please review the agenda and plan how you can contribute to the discussions.

 Secondly, this will be my last Superintendents' Council meeting since my last day is officially October 31st. It has been a pleasure and honor to work with you these past four years. I am proud to have served with each of you.  Thank you for your good work on behalf of all our students.

 Lastly, next Monday's meeting will be a significant step in the Transition Plan for Brock to assume his new position as County Superintendent. I am sure you will join me in welcoming him to his new role. I am confident that Brock, with your help and support, will do a great job!

 Thanks! See you Monday.

 Wally

 

From Brock:

 

There is one item that I feel is important to announce, but is not on the agenda for the Superintendents' Council. 

 

The Lake County Office of Education has received the School Climate Transformation Grant.  The grant will be used to support the following goals:

 

Goal 1: Decrease office disciplinary referrals and assure fair practices.

Goal 2:   

Attendance rates improve annually.

Goal 3:   

Suspensions and expulsions decrease, including those related to possession or use of drugs or alcohol or violence.

Goal 4:   

All Project schools implement PBIS with fidelity every year. 

Goal 5:   

Actual and perceived school safety, positive school climate, and high rates of "school connectedness" rise among students, staff, and parents.

Goal 6:  

Academic achievement improves among the schools served.

 

Partner School Districts are Kelseyville, Upper Lake Elementary, Konocti, and Lucerne.  The grant will provide $2.9 million over 5 years to pay for trainings, a data system, evaluation, substitute time for education staff (to attend training), district and county PBIS Coaches, and for years 2-5, a Clinician and Counselor to provide direct school-based mental health services.

 

Rob Young led the effort on this for LCOE.  We look forward to the positive results of this work. 

 

I am looking forward to our meeting. 

 

Brock

COUNCIL CORNER

• Agenda

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Sonato Final

To date, 971 people have joined The Hero Project.  Our advertising and social media campaigns are well underway, with over 500 followers and 20 organizations in the process of becoming Allies.

Thank you for your district's support in distributing our first monthly theme postcard.  We will continue to distribute those on a monthly basis, and we will be supplementing with banners that we will be asking to hang on elementary school fences as the program progresses.

We are in the process of administrating our first monthly challenge.  Please help us by encouraging your families to take the monthly challenge.  Please ask your social media administrators to follow The Hero Project on FaceBook and share our status updates with your families.  This will help us support your parent engagement initiatives.

Our registration form includes information about schools children attend, and we will be exploring ways to utilize this data to support your district's parent engagement efforts as the program develops.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, concerns or ideas about how The Hero Project can collaborate effectively with your schools, staff and parents -- smascari@lakecoe.org

Visit our website - www.lakecountyheroproject.com

Follow us on Facebook

Forward this email to your parenting staff members to JOIN and TAKE THE CHALLENGE.

Hilliard City Schools in Ohio implemented a creative solution to address a communication challenge faced by all districts -- involving, or even reaching busy parents.

Online Lunch sessions with the superintendent have provided a vehicle to share information and engage parents by addressing questions and providing facts to counteract the neighborhood rumor mills.  Today's families have so many time commitments that their usual PTO meetings and "Coffee with the Principal" gatherings brought out the same, small groups of parents. Typically these people were either already highly involved or critical and negative.

To reach more parents and maintain a more positive environment, Hilliard created the Online Lunch. The Hilliard Director of School-Community Relations shares, "Using an online video conferencing tool, we have an avenue for parents to still maintain their busy schedules, while also using technology to stay informed about their local schools."

The Online Lunch has created a convenient and positive way for people to truly engage while also being flexible enough to fit into crowded schedules. The first one-hour Online Lunch had 50 participants. In addition, the session was recorded and posted online, where it had more than 100 views.

Since Online Lunch was begun, four and five programs have been held per year. As more people participated and watched, the feedback became more and more positive.  A stay-at-home mom reported she set up her laptop while she fed lunch to her toddler. Parents used their lunch hour at work to log in.

Even staff members logged in during their lunch or conference periods. More people feel connected and informed. They're grateful they don't have to adjust their schedules to be involved.

Online Lunch enables parents to have direct access to school personnel and discuss questions that are important to them, and the sessions save time for everyone.  If you're looking for an alternative way to engage parents and community members, think about moving the discussion online.

COMMUNITY CORNER

All invitations have been distributed for the 2014 Educator of the Year Award Event. Please click here to RSVP.

Superintendents will be invited to read a tribute to each honoree from your district.  You are also welcome to designate another staff person to read your tribute(s). 

Watch for an email within the next week to fine-tune these details and arrangements, and feel free to email Shelly Mascari in the interim with questions or concerns about your participation -- smascari@lakecoe.org

LCAP CORNER

 

 

All Superintendents and CBO's are invited to attend. We will review the new LCAP template and discuss the requirements of metrics and data tracking.  Please bring a device to access your LCAP or a hard copy of your LCAP for reference on goal implementation.

 

For more information, contact Stephanie Wayment at swayment@lakecoe.org.