"My Name, My Identity" campaign announced at CDE Global Education Summit
 "What's in a name?" Shakespeare's Juliet first mused more than 400 years ago. The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) kicked off a new program to help answer that question, the "My Name, My Identity" initiative, Thursday at the California Department of Education's Global Education Summit.  The initiative, a collaboration between the SCCOE and the National Association for Bilingual Education, is designed to build a more inclusive, respectful culture throughout the county by asking educators and community members to make a pledge honoring students, neighbors and coworkers by promising to learn how to pronounce their names correctly. Names have deep and important ties to both family history and culture, and making the extra effort to use a person's preferred name and pronounce it correctly is a small step that can create a big impact. Participants are invited to share the story behind their name, or that of their children, on the My Name, My Identity Facebook page, or by tweeting @mynamemyid_ using the hashtag #mynamemyid. "In the context of global education, we talk about how important it is for students to feel proud of who they are and to have the ability to connect with people from different languages and backgrounds locally, and also around the world," said Dr. Yee Wan, Director of Multilingual Education Services.  Assemblymember Kansen Chu's office was also on hand Thursday to present the SCCOE with a California State Legislature Assembly Resolution supporting the initiative, recognizing the importance of "building a respectful environment in school where a diverse perspective, culture and value is accepted, appreciated and celebrated." The initiative was unveiled before the 150 leading educators, institutes of higher education, policy makers, community leaders, and business partners, including Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, who attended the Global Education Summit. Attendees investigated the status of efforts that are promoting global education in California and began developing an action plan with recommendations for expanding and improving students' global competencies statewide.
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Third annual Heart & Soles 5K supports healthy food options for students
 122 salad bars were funded in 2014 and 2015 to help local K-12 students have healthy food choices in regional schools. However, 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 $3,100. Register today for the Heart & Soles 5K and support healthy options for all students. Proceeds from registration and sponsorships will provide salad bars to schools across the county that want them.
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Lawsuit impacts release of California student data; opt-out form available to parents
A recent lawsuit against the California Department of Education (CDE) is impacting all school districts across the state, including the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) and all public school districts in the county.
 In April 2012, two organizations, the Morgan Hill Concerned Parents Association and the Concerned Parent Association, filed a lawsuit against the CDE alleging widespread, systemic non-compliance by local education agencies with special education laws. The suit also alleges the CDE fails to monitor, investigate and correct such non-compliance in accordance with the law. The CDE denies these allegations and is actively defending the litigation.
The SCCOE was not involved in the lawsuit and is not the subject of any of the suit's allegations. Nonetheless, as a part of this lawsuit, the CDE has been ordered by the United States District Court to release all data it has collected on general and special education students since Jan. 1, 2008. None of this information may be used outside the context of this lawsuit; no student's identifying records will be disclosed to the general public.
 The SCCOE is committed to helping families stay informed about this issue and empowered to protect their children's data. Parents and guardians who do not wish for their students' information to be disclosed may complete and mail in an " opt-out form" to object to the release of student data. The "opt-out form" must be mailed by April 1, 2016.
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SCCOE leader shares innovative school practices in new book
 Before she served as the Santa Clara County Office of Education's Assistant Director of Alternative Education, Dr. Nicky Ramos-Beban helped lead a unique educational experiment: a charter school customized to the unique needs of its 200 students from East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park. Her experience as the principal of East Palo Alto Academy is the subject of the new book Be the Change: Reinventing School for Student Success, co-authored by Dr. Ramos-Beban and Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond.
"We wrote it really for teachers interested in working at, or creating a school that's centered around the needs of their students, "Ramos-Beban said. "It takes a whole school working together to lift complex structures like these, to fit your model to the students instead of trying to make students fit your model, so we wanted to share the structures we put in place to do that."
The book details systems and practices piloted at the Stanford University-affiliated East Palo Alto Academy that lead to substantial gains in academic achievement and student engagement. This includes year-long exhibition projects around content areas and habits of successful students, such as social responsibility; an intensive four-year advisory program to build staff relationships with students and parents; and a democratic method of conducting staff meeting and professional development sessions.
 "I hope teachers will be excited to build programs like these at their own site," Ramos-Beban said. "We're learning that it's not sufficient to simply 'teach well.' Schools need to be built up with support structures that wrap around the students."
Between collecting anecdotes from staff and students, writing the manuscript and editing the text, creating Be the Change was a five-year process. It is available in paperback and for Kindle e-readers.
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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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Santa Clara County Board of Education recognizes inclusion leader Charmaine Warmenhoven; reaffirms commitment "Person-First" terminology
 The Santa Clara County Board of Education celebrated the many contributions of Charmaine Warmenhoven, longtime friend and benefactor of the Inclusion Collaborative program, at its Feb. 3 Board meeting. The Board also passed a resolution supporting a new Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) initiative that will encourage local media outlets, governing bodies and community agencies to adopt "Person-First" terminology when referring to people with disabilities - a move guided by Warmenhoven's vision of a more inclusive, caring community for all people.
 The Inclusion Collaborative was created in 2004 to protect and uphold the right of students with special needs to access high quality learning and community environments. Specially trained staff promote the successful inclusion of children with special needs in child care, preschool programs, early learning environments, and the community. This is accomplished through professional development for educators and parents; local and statewide advocacy; and an innovative inclusion-centered teacher credentialing program. Warmenhoven, a longtime special education teacher and administrator, emerged as an early champion of the cause, providing leadership and financial support totaling over $1 million across ten years, covering staffing costs, stipends for attendees of the program's annual symposium, books, training materials and more.
 The Inclusion Collaborative has grown to impact preschool, transitional kindergarten and K- 12 programs in 14 counties; five institutions of higher education; 91 school districts and 96 community agencies - impacting an estimated total of almost 1.4 million students and family members in 2015 alone.
"It is virtually impossible to imagine the Inclusion Collaborative succeeding in the scope and scale that it has without Charmaine's leadership," said Trustee Joseph DiSalvo. "Charmaine's vision has expanded beyond the boundaries of Santa Clara County, and is positively impacting the lives of children and adults with disabilities across the state."
As an advocate for inclusion, the SCCOE adopted person-first terminology as a matter of policy in 2011. For example, a child would be referred to as "a student with a disability," rather than a "disabled student," in order to emphasize the child as a whole, and that a disability is not the defining factor in their lives. The SCCOE and Inclusion Collaborative actively encouraged partner agencies to adopt the terminology as part of their organizational values. This effort was so successful that districts and agencies throughout the state adopted the same language and ultimately brought it to the attention of the California State Legislature; today person-first terminology is the standard for all California policies and procedures, in large part because of the initial advocacy of the SCCOE.
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Students swarm SCCOE for Santa Clara County Spelling Bee
 The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) was buzzing with excitement on Saturday as students from across the county swarmed the offices at Ridder Park Drive with their families, teachers and principals for the first county spelling bee competition.
"This was an exciting time for our students and their parents," said Dr. Christina Arpante, SCCOE English Language Arts/Development and Humanities Coordinator, who organized the countywide spelling bee. "Their love of spelling and for school really showed."
During the two-hour event, 30 fourth- through sixth-grade students from 11 different school districts and one private school participated in a "round" competition in which contestants are eliminated as they misspell a word.
"We had quite a large audience stay until the end," Arpante said. "It was a camaraderie among the students and families that was a joy to see."
Ria Kalra, a fifth-grade student at Lucille M. Nixon Elementary School in Stanford, was named "Queen Bee."
"It takes courage to get up in front of an audience of adults and peers, and show confidence and poise while knowing that one is likely to make an error at some point in this public event," Kalra's Principal Mary Pat O'Connell said. "I enjoyed watching all of the students and was quite impressed with their spelling skills! We are very proud of Ria at Nixon and know that she worked hard to prepare for the spelling bee. She provides a wonderful example for all of our students that effort and perseverance can bring success."
Kalra won first place on "progressive" after several head-to-head rounds against Le Hoang Hoai-Phuong, a fourth-grade student at Silver Oak Elementary School in San Jose.
"You do have to try hard, but it's also a lot of luck," Kalra said, referring to which word contestants are assigned to spell.
Hoai-Phuong earned second place, while Aarsh Patel, a sixth-grade student at Pearl Zanker Elementary School in Milpitas, took third.
Both Kalra and Hoai-Phuong will advance to the state competition, scheduled for Saturday, April 23 at the San Joaquin County Office of Education in Stockton, California.
For more information about the Santa Clara County Spelling Bee, visit the website.
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Jeff Schmidt named Region 8 ACSA CTE Administrator of the Year
 Jeff Schmidt, Career Technical Education (CTE) Coordinator for the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE), is the new CTE Administrator of the Year for Region 8 of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA).
"I was super surprised, mostly because in our region there are many passionate, experienced CTE administrators," Schmidt shared of his reaction.
 He has been CTE Coordinator with SCCOE since June 2014. Before that, he served as Assistant Principal and CTE Coordinator at the Silicon Valley Career Technical Education Center for one year, where he also taught CTE for nine years.
"I am passionate about the fact Career Technical Education can provide continuity in our education system for students, from kindergarten to career," Schmidt said. "I think that CTE is very important right now, for our nation and state. It allows students to be successful in many different ways, by helping them participate in career pathways and providing multiple options in addition to a baccalaureate degree to become successful."
Sheila Walters, Mathematics Coordinator and ACSA Region 8 Programs Co-chair, nominated Schmidt for the award.
"Jeff simply exemplifies what leadership is," she explained. "He is very professional, a collaborator, and someone who wants success for everyone - colleagues, educators, parents and students."
The ACSA Administrator of the Year Award is bestowed upon active members who have demonstrated a commitment to the success of all students and create positive, collaborative cultures and initiatives that empower educators, families and students to achieve great things together.
Schmidt will be honored at the Region 8 Annual Awards Ceremony at the Corinthian Ballroom
on Friday, May 13, 2016. He will continue on as the regional nomination for the State ACSA CTE
Administrator of the Year Award.
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Updates from the County Board of Education
Here's a summary of actions taken by the Board at its recent meetings.
Feb. 3:
- Recognized Employee of the Month, Charles Richion from General Services;
- Held a recognition for Charmaine Warmenhoven, Inclusion Collaborative benefactor; and
- Passed a resolution recognizing February as African American History Month.
Feb. 17:
- Held public hearing on the charter petition renewal of Rocketship Discovery Prep;
- Held public hearing on a material revision to the charter of Discovery II; and
- Passed resolutions supporting March as Arts Education Month and the "My Name, My Identity" initiative.
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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