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County Superintendent of Schools joins celebration on Capitol Hill

County Superintendent of Schools Jon Gundry and Dr. Yee Wan, Director of Multilingual Educational Services, represented the Santa Clara County Office of Education on Capitol Hill April 21 to celebrate April as National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month. 

A resolution was passed unanimously by the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) and introduced to the House of Representatives by Congressman Mike Honda. Dr. Wan is also the current president of NABE. 

"The Santa Clara County Office of Education is committed to promoting success for English learners," Gundry said. "Today's resolution is a chance to spotlight our bilingual/multilingual learners at the national level and further our commitment to support their success." 

There are more than 4.4 million English learners in America's public schools, including many from immigrant families. In Santa Clara County, 24 percent of students enrolled in 2014-15 were categorized as English learners and approximately 15 percent were fluent English proficient students, according to the California Department of Education. NABE is a national organization committed to excellence in bilingual and biliteracy education for students through enrichment programs, professional development and advocacy.

NABE currently represents more than 3,500 bilingual education teachers, administrators, school board members, researchers and parents.

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Event discusses the barriers, importance of engaging immigrant communities in early learning

Immigrant communities are the heart of Silicon Valley. Not only do they help fuel the economy here, but they also represent a large share of the young child population. Nearly 75 percent of low-income children under the age of 5 in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties come from immigrant backgrounds. 

The Santa Clara County Office of Education, the San Mateo County Office of Education and the Heising-Simons Foundation hosted an event about the challenges and opportunities of engaging immigrant communities in early learning opportunities on April 21 at Educare California of Silicon Valley.

The conversation began with Gina Adams and Erica Greenberg. They discussed findings from the Urban Institute's series of reports about early learning and immigrant communities in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. The presentation was followed by a moderated discussion with the researchers and a question-and-answer session about countywide early learning initiatives from Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, Deputy Superintendent at the SCCOE; Anne Campbell, Superintendent of the San Mateo County Office of Education; and Avo Makdessian, Director of the Center for Early Learning at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

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SCCOE nominates six classified employees from across the county

Omar Gutierrez is not just a long-time employee of East Side Union High School District, but someone who went through the school system there, attended college locally and decided this was home. While working on his degree almost 15 years ago, he became an employee and has been serving students and his community ever since. 

Gutierrez is one of six people with similar stories of exemplary service who were nominated by the Santa Clara County Office of Education for the California Department of Education's (CDE) annual Classified School Employee of the Year recognition program. An enthusiastic response was received from staff within the SCCOE and from the county's school districts, with more than two dozen nominations across the six categories. 

The following countywide honorees were considered by the CDE for the following categories: 
  • Child Nutrition: Keli DaSilva of Gilroy Unified School District; 
  • Maintenance, Operations and Facilities: Adan Barajas of Oak Grove Elementary School District; 
  • Office and Technical: Omar Gutierrez of East Side Union School District; 
  • Paraeducator and Instructional Assistance: Victoria Santiago of Morgan Hill Unified School District; 
  • Services and Security: Eva Chesnut of Moreland School District; and 
  • Transportation: Jesus Contreras of Campbell Union School District.

The Santa Clara County Board of Education will recognize the honorees during Classified School Employee Week at the May 18 meeting. Awardees were announced by the CDE earlier this week.

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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.

April 20:
April 6:
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.
In This Issue
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SCCOE full STEAM ahead during inaugural symposium 


Leading with imagination, innovation and integration was the theme during the first annual STEAM symposium hosted by the Santa Clara County Office of Education on April 22 and 23. Deputy Superintendent Dr. Mary Ann Dewan kicked off the multiday event with a welcome during the presymposium on April 22. Board of Education member Grace Mah was also in attendance. 

"Our STEAM team's goal is to promote high-quality, integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics in instruction," Dr. Dewan said that morning. "And that focus helped build the program full of rich activities and conversations that you see scheduled throughout the event." 

The morning of April 22, Dr. Maureen Carroll and Dr. Amber Levinson co-presented an interactive keynote address focused on the design-thinking process - an innovative, human-centered approach to defining and solving complex problems. After the address, participants split up and attended engaging hands-on field experiences at nine different locations. 

"The goal was to showcase the work of the STEAM team in the county by highlighting the teacher's programs and/or partnerships over the past two years," STEAM Director Cecilio Dimas said. "The field experiences were connected to our partners or our direct work." 

James Lick Observatory
Options ranged from technology integration at Alta Vista Elementary School to project-based learning at Bullis Charter School, Silicon Valley Career Technical Education, The Tech Museum in Partnership with Meadows Elementary School, James Lick Observatory and more. 

During the symposium on April 23, there were two renowned keynote presenters. Dr. Ken Wesson talked about creativity and the brain and Dr. Eric Mazur challenged us to rethink how we assess students and our learning outcomes, especially with student engagement. Participants were also able to attend workshops facilitated by the keynote speakers in the afternoon and receive deeper learning opportunities for integrated learning.  

Dimas said there were many highlights of the symposium, but especially enjoyed "the high energy and high enthusiasm of the participants engaging with the keynotes and engaging with each other," he said. "It was rewarding for the participants to see firsthand what STEAM can look like, and help teachers gather resources in their journey with STEAM education." 
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SCCOE will host orientation for superintendents across county

County Superintendent of Schools Jon Gundry will host an orientation for superintendents across Santa Clara County on Monday, May 9 at the Ridder Park office. For questions or more information, contact Ruby Parra at (408) 453-6878.
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Upcoming Events

Below is a list of some of the many upcoming events supported by the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Check the "Events" column of our website for regular updates: 

Inaugural SPRINCHELLA youth-to-youth conference [May 14]Springchella is a youth-to-youth conference for middle school students in Santa Clara County.  This event  is an opportunity for middle school students to spend time with high school leaders who believe in themselves and making healthy choices such as being drug, alcohol and tobacco free.

 

20th Young Artists Showcase [May 24]The Santa Clara County Office of Education will hold its Silver Anniversary celebration of the Young Artists 2016 Showcase. The competition was open to public school students, grades pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, in Santa Clara County. View the list of this year's winners.

 

Step into Teaching [June 18]Step into Teaching: Opportunities in Silicon Valley Public Schools will help attendees learn about and prepare for a teaching career. The day will begin with a keynote speaker who is an expert in the education field. Participants will also hear about how to navigate the credentialing process, opportunities with potential employers, compensation and retirement. Registration is required, and is currently open.

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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 Office of Education | 1290 Ridder Park Drive | San Jose | CA | 95131-2304