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Welcome to Dateline!
Greetings!
Happy New Year! Welcome to the January 2013 issue of Dateline. This informative newsletter is for all those in Contra Costa County who work in education. Please tell your fellow teachers and administrators, as well as your friends who would be interested in joining our mailing list ( click here, or the link button at the left column).
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Professional Development / Opportunities
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3rd Annual CCCOE STEAM Colloquium
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Full STEAM Ahead: Pathways to the Future is the title of the 3rd Annual CCCOE STEAM Colloquium, which is a forum to discuss and share best practices in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education. Participants will include STEAM educators, business leaders, and community organizations. The colloquium will feature outstanding breakout sessions and keynote speakers.
Date and location: February 8, 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., San Ramon Valley Conference Center, San Ramon
For info and sponsorship opportunities: Contact Hilary Dito at (925) 942-3396, and be sure to follow STEAM Colloquium updates on its Web page, as well as Twitter #steamcolloq
Fee: $40 per person (early bird price ends January 11); $30 per person (teams of three, pre-registered at same time)
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Digital Citizenship Webinar Series
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A webinar series, produced in partnership by the CCCOE, AT&T, and Region IV CTAP, will be covering the issues surrounding digital citizenship. These presentations are directed to school-district or school-site administrators, teacher leaders, and technology managers. The one-hour sessions are presented by nationally recognized guest speakers, representing such services as NetSmartz and Common Sense Media. Each webinar will leave time for questions from the participants.
Dates: Multiple sessions, January-February
For info: Visit their website
Fee: Free
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A Road Map to Kindergarten� Seminar
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A Road Map to Kindergarten� is designed to promote meaningful conversations between parents, educators, and community members about the importance of planning for and facilitating children's smooth transitions into kindergarten. This seminar will introduce participants to the attractive and easy-to-follow guide, as they learn about the 16 important steps for parents to follow as they prepare their children for a successful start in school.
Fee: $40.00, participants can register on Eventbrite
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The Distinguished Speaker Series
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This Saturday seminar series provides a broad range of opportunities for professional educators to learn research-based techniques and strategies from local and national professionals. Keynote and breakout sessions cover a variety of topics and grade levels, and provide practical and purposeful tools for both general and special educators to improve teaching practice. Networking opportunities with educators from other schools and districts are another key benefit. The program meets BTSA Induction professional development requirement. Graduate academic credit or continuing education units may also be earned.
Dates and location: February 23, April 6, and May 11, all seminars are held 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.; Saint Mary's College, Moraga
For info: Contact Patrice Young at 925-631-4936, or visit their website
Fee: $65 for individual sessions; Graduate academic semester units are available for a special rate of $165/unit (maximum of six units per year).
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CCCOE Common Core State Standards Speakers Series:
Assessment and the Common Core State Standards
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CCCOE Common Core State Standards Speakers Series:
Text Complexity and its Role in the Common Core State Standards
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Upcoming Events / Field Trips |
High School Mock Trials (Law Professional volunteers needed)
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The CCCOE is looking for additional members of the California Bar Association and second- and third-year law students to serve as scorers and judges at the upcoming 32nd Annual Contra Costa County Mock Trial Program. New volunteers will be joining more than 100 practicing and retired Bay Area lawyers, district attorneys, public defenders, and judges, as well as Bay Area college law students, who will be returning as Mock Trial scorers and judges.
Dates and locations: February 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, and 26, 5:00-7:30 p.m.; Martinez courthouses
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Academic Decathlon (volunteers needed)
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Bay Area Environmental Education Resource Fair
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For 36 years, educators, parents, and students concerned about the environment we share, have been coming to the Bay Area Environmental Education Resource (BAEER) Fair for the latest in classroom materials, environmental education programs, and information about field trip sites. More than 70 exhibitioners will be on hand to provide a variety of events, demonstrations, interactive opportunities, and workshops.
Date and location: January 19, 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Marin Civic Center Exhibit Hall, San Rafael
Fee: Sliding scale
For info: Visit the BAEER website
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The 10th Annual Get Real Academy
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The 10th Annual Get Real Academy, presented by Soroptimist International, is a life-skills conference for high school senior girls focusing on life after high school. Seminars throughout the day will include such topics as money management, women's health, domestic and workplace violence issues, insurance, career success, and job search tips. Sign-ups are now being taken.
Date and location: March 1, 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.; Embassy Suites, Walnut Creek
Deadline: February 13
Fee: Free
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Emergency Shelter-in-Place Preparedness Grants
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The Contra Costa County Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER) provides up to $2,000 grants to improve the preparedness of Contra Costa County schools and agencies in responding effectively to shelter-in-place emergencies. The proposed drills and exercises must have a stated list of objectives and goals that must be addressed.
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The Captain Planet Foundation
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The Captain Planet Foundation funds grants to promote understanding of environmental issues for school-age children. Grant amounts range from $250-$2500, with applications reviewed three times a year.
Next Deadline: February 28
For info: Visit their website
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Do your students need help finding scholarships for college? Have them visit FindTuition.com. This free site has approximately 1.7 million scholarships and grants, worth more than $7 billion. Users can search by eligibility, major, college, and many other categories. They can also find scholarships and grants that match their individual strengths, be they academic or athletic.
Deadline: Ongoing
Fee: Free
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YouSTEM is a free web resource for K-12 students to find out about San Francisco Bay Area programs in STEM subjects. Most of the programs are free. Start exploring at their website.
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Fourth Annual First Amendment Cartoon Contest
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Join the Judiciary of California and Constitutional Rights Foundation in celebrating the Bill of Rights with the Fourth Annual First Amendment Cartoon Contest. The contest is open to K-12 students nationwide. Six winners will each receive a $50 gift certificate. In addition, up to five entries will receive honorable mentions. Winners and honorable mentions will be announced on Law Day, May 1, 2013.
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Coastal Art & Poetry Contest
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To encourage youth to reflect on the beauty and spirit of our state's beaches and ocean, this special contest challenges California students to create artwork or poetry using a California coastal or marine theme. Prizes, awarded to five separate grade-level categories, include $100 gift certificates to an art-supply or book store. Winners and honorable mentions will receive tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific. Each winner's teacher will receive a $50 gift certificate for education materials,
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Fifth Grade Story Contest
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The Berkeley Branch of the California Writers Club will once again sponsor the 27th Annual Fifth Grade Story Contest. Current fifth-grade students attending schools in Contra Costa or Alameda counties are eligible to compete for a number of cash prizes.
For info: Contact the Berkeley Branch of the California Writers Club via email or visit their website
Deadlines: March 15
Fee: $1 per submission, only one submission per student
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Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair
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Contra Costa County businesses will once again join our county's educators to produce the 8th Annual Intel-Affiliated Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair, this coming spring. The program is for grades 7-12 students.
Dates and location: March 21-23; Los Medanos College, Science Building
For info: Contact Liz Ritchie at (925) 684-4995 or visit the Science & Engineering Fair's website
Deadlines: Pre-approval project deadline was October 30, (post-marked); Final project approval deadline is January 18, 2013 (postmarked)
Fee: $20 per student
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Alliance for Climate Education (ACE)
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ACE is a national nonprofit, based in Oakland, that offers free multimedia assemblies on climate science and solutions. ACE has reached more than 600,000 students nationwide, and more than 100,000 students in the Bay Area. After the assembly, ACE helps schools set up Action Teams to take on eco-projects at school, and offers grants, scholarships, and leadership training for committed students. The program addresses state science standards.
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Annual LegiSchool Projects Essay Contest
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The LegiSchool Project's Center for California Studies is seeking entries for their annual essay contest. This year, students are asked to share their views on The DREAM Act. The contest is open to 11th- and 12th-grade students attending California high schools. Ten winning essayists will be selected and will receive round-trip travel to the Sacramento State Capitol to participate in the 17th annual Student Legislative Summit on April 10. LegiSchool Project is a civic education collaboration between California State University, Sacramento and the California State Legislator, and is administrated by the Center for California Studies.
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Accept and Give Praise - The Choose Civility Principle for December
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"I can live for two months on a good compliment." - Mark Twain
Accepting and giving praise has many benefits and can be a powerful relationship builder with family, friends, and co-workers. We can learn to embrace positive feedback and accept compliments graciously by giving thoughtful and sincere compliments to others. According to P.M. Forni, a compliment is a gift, one we are expected to acknowledge with the simple courtesy of a firm and heartfelt, "Thank you." *
Following are helpful guidelines for delivering praise.**
1. Be genuinely appreciative. While it is important to recognize the true home runs of performance, don't forget those who plug along solidly every day who are committed to doing a good job.
2. Deliver praise from your heart. Your appreciation of their efforts must be evident in your facial expression, your tone of voice, and how you phrase your praise.
3. Deliver praise as soon as possible. Genuine praise helps people feel good about themselves and even more committed to doing a good job.
4. Make praise specific by describing the exact behavior or skill along with your expression of appreciation.
5. Praise people publicly. The employees feel even better as they are recognized in front of their peers. It can take only seconds to deliver, yet the impact of consistent genuine, appropriate praise can be immediate and long term.
Action Step: One of the best ways to become comfortable giving and receiving praise is to practice. Today, select five people to acknowledge with sincere praise.
*Excerpt from P.M. Forni's book, Choosing Civility.
**Source: Center for Management & Organization Effectiveness
About CCCOE's Monthly Focus
Choosing Civility, by Dr. P.M. Forni, lists twenty-five rules of considerate conduct. Over this school year, the CCCOE will consider ten of these principles. For additional information about our Choose Civility initiative, please visit our website.
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Published by the Contra Costa County Office of Education Communications Office77 Santa Barbara Road, Pleasant Hill, California 94523Joseph A. Ovick, Ed.D., Superintendent of SchoolsEditor: Peggy Marshburn; Writer/Layout: Jonathan Lance, (925) 942-3429;Diane Morrell, Designer; June Stephens, Web Developer Dateline is distributed during the school year to all public schools in the county by the Communications Office. Information must be received by the first of the preceding month. Publication does not signify the Contra Costa County Office of Education endorses the event or program mentioned. Sincerely,
Jonathan Lance CCCOE
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