Wall of Honor for Seal of Biliteracy & Pathway Awards unveiled
 The Santa Clara County Board of Education (SCCBOE) honored 12 county school districts and one charter school as partners in the Seal of Biliteracy and Pathway Awards program on Dec. 10 during a special recognition agenda item. At this time, the board also unveiled a new Wall of Honor installation designed to commemorate the initiative and the commitment of the SCCOE's partners to the promotion of language assets for all students.
 In 2010, the Seal of Biliteracy Consortium in Santa Clara County was established by seven Local Education Agencies, including the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE), to support school districts in providing multiple opportunities for the study of world languages, while also recognizing students who attain proficiency in two or more languages.
The Seal of Biliteracy was designed to be awarded by a school, district or county office of education to those students who attain proficiency by high school graduation, while a separate Pathway Award program was established to honor elementary and middle school students who meet the requirements of demonstrating proficiency in a language in addition to English.
 "We are thrilled to acknowledge the leadership demonstrated by our 13 partners with this initiative," said Board President Leon Beauchman. "They understand that the next generation of students will need to possess bilingual skills in order to engage with a rapidly changing world and communicate effectively with their peers around the globe."
The SCCBOE has actively supported the Seal of Biliteracy and Pathway Awards program since its inception as it underscores the organization's goal to improve educational equity and reduce access discrepancies to high-quality education for all students.
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Schools engage students in coding and computer science
 Earlier this month, students across Santa Clara County were engaged in a variety of activities related to computer science during Computer Science Education Week. From Dec. 8 to 14, schools highlighted computer science activities and participated in the Hour of Code, a global movement to introduce students to the basics of computer science.
 At Mount Pleasant STEAM Academy in Mount Pleasant School District, students participated in the Hour of Code by visiting Code.org and selecting several programs to participate in. Students were able to use the computer lab, iPads or Chromebooks to complete the coding activities, which ranged from introduction to JavaScript to drawing with code. Families were also encouraged to promote the Hour of Code activities at home with their children.
 Students in teacher David Martinez' class at P.A. Walsh STEAM Academy in Morgan Hill Unified School District practiced their coding skills by creating their own customized video games. "The Code.org website had little icons with pre-programmed directions built into the coding, so the students saw commands like "jump" or "turn left," but under those directions were actual codes written to make the software recognize the command. The students really enjoyed watching their customized order of things play out as a video game," said Martinez. "It was a great introduction to what coding is and how apps and video games are created. The next step I would like to take is to have the students write the actual code themselves."
Code.org is a nonprofit organization focused on the promotion of computer science education for all students. While computer science does not currently count for math or science credit in California schools, new state legislation signed into law in 2014 will attempt to address this issue by giving school district governing boards the power to award mathematics course credit to those students who successfully complete an approved computer science course. The law also encourages school boards to submit their computer science courses to the University of California for certification and addition to the school's "A-G" course list.
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Since 1852, the Santa Clara County Office of Education has provided vital services and resources to the county's 31 K-12 public school districts and more than 250,000 students. The SCCOE strives to provide advocacy and leadership on education issues, student programs that are models of excellence and indispensable services to schools and community partners. The SCCOE is committed to serving, inspiring and promoting student and public school success.
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Second annual Heart & Soles 5K supports healthy food options for students
 The Santa Clara County Office of Education has partnered once again with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation, the South Bay Labor Council and the San Jose/Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce to present the second annual Lam Research Heart & Soles 5K to provide salad bars to schools. The event will take place on Feb. 7 at 9 a.m. in Hellyer Park in San Jose.
 Last year, 48 salad bars were provided to local schools, but there are still many students that don't have access to fresh fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.
Studies show that kids who eat healthy meals have better educational outcomes and perform better on standardized tests, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that there is a 15% reduction in school absences when kids eat nutritious lunches. In the last 30 years, the percentage of overweight or obese children in America has tripled, but increasing children's intake of fruits and vegetables will help address this epidemic.
 New federal nutrition standards have doubled the amount of fruits and vegetables required to be served in school lunches, and salad bars are a simple way for schools to comply, but each salad bar station costs $2,825.
To register for the Heart & Soles 5K and support bringing salad bars to schools, click here. Proceeds from registration and sponsorships will provide salad bars to schools across the county that want them.
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Help close the opportunity gap for students in Silicon Valley
 In 2015, Educare of California at Silicon Valley (ECSV) will open its doors in San Jose's Santee Neighborhood, becoming the first "Educare" in California and joining the national 21-school network.
Educare is not a program, but rather an institute designed to improve the quality of early education, child development and family engagement. It's mission is to prevent the achievement gap from taking root.
To close that gap, help is needed to raise the last 5% of funds needed for construction.
 Construction of the 28,000-square-foot school is currently underway, and in less than a year it will directly serve 168 low-income children and their families with a research-based program proven to prepare children for kindergarten. Educare of California at Silicon Valley will be the state's leading teacher professional development institute and a place to scale best practices in high-quality early education throughout our region and state. It will house 12 high-quality classrooms for children 0-5 years old and spacious outdoor learning environments, providing direct year-round services to the students and their families, as well as the broader neighborhoods.
 The SCCOE has been part of a robust public-private partnership to bring Educare California. This effort, along with the Health Trust, Packard Foundation, Buffett Early Childhood Fund, FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, Franklin-McKinley and East Side Union High School districts and Silicon Valley Leadership Group has raised more than $13 million for the school's capital campaign.
"We are proud of this incredible milestone and believe that Educare is a game-changing endeavor that will improve the quality and scope of early education in California," said Jon R. Gundry, County Superintendent of Schools.
For more information on how to contribute to the Educare campaign, please visit the Educare website.
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Board elects new president
Here's a summary of some of the actions taken by the Board at its Dec. 10 meeting:
- Elected Darcie Green as Board President and Anna Song as Vice President for 2015;
- adopted the yearly calendar of regular County Board of Education meetings for 2015;
- held a public hearing on a petition from Wei Yu International Charter School;
- heard a presentation from the Technology Services Branch on the services they provide to both the County Office of Education and districts across the county; and
- honored Nada Cavigliano, Senior Buyer in Purchasing Services, as the Employee of the Month for December.
The Board of Education is the elected governing body of the SCCOE. Its seven members serve four-year terms and are elected by different regions of the county. Learn more about the members, and view their meeting schedule, agendas and minutes.
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