| September 2013 | Published by the California Department of Education STEM Office |
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Message from the Statewide Coordinator
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As environmental educators, we all know how critical it is to adapt to change. It might be hard to believe, but the CREEC Network is in its 16th year, and the original CREEC website and resource directory was developed fourteen years ago!
Web-based search technology has come a long way since WestEd developed our original site which was cutting edge at the time, and provider data has also become quite outdated, so, we're making a change!
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Announcing the New CREEC.org!
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I am happy to introduce you to the new CREEC.org website and online resource platform, developed and funded by a cash and service grant from the Frieda C. Fox Family Foundation, with ongoing staffing and technical support by The Children's Nature Institute in Los Angeles.
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Our new site is built on the highly successful Education by Nature platform, which has evolved based upon the original work of The Environmental Volunteers' Science by Nature collaborative project in the SF Bay Area, where 17 nonprofit providers now serve over 1070 schools in two counties. California teachers will have easy access to the most current information about local EE programs and collaborations, finding the right teacher professional development programs and classroom or field trip programs for students to meet their needs! CREEC is excited about delivering this enhanced support for teachers to incorporate high quality EE materials and programs into their curriculum!
Easily Locate EE Programs and Local Providers Ready to Work with You!
 Search by "Topics" such as food and agriculture, green energy resources, or environmental careers! Search by "EEI Units." The 85 units are searchable, identifying experiential learning opportunities that bring the curriculum to life! Search by Region and/or Grade! Find local programs and online materials that suit your needs.
Easily stay in touch with your Region Coordinator, and get News and Events! Our new "My Region" feature will let you access the most up to date events calendar and news in a streamlined format for busy professionals!
Thank you in advance, for your patience, through the month of September, while we work with thousands of providers to update their resources and content standards-based programming. Change isn't always easy, but we're excited about this one!
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| Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI) News |
 The California EEI Curriculum
Check out this great resource for teaching both the Common Core State Standards and
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
All 85 EEI units are in the process of being aligned to both sets of standards, with the first 16 completed and online! EEI's new correlation guides give teachers and EE providers specific examples of how EEI lessons support Common Core and NGSS instruction.
Take advantage of Continuing Education Units!
Starting September 9th, teachers can receive
Continuing Education Units (CEU) just by Teaching the EEI Curriculum!
You'll simply teach your class the EEI Curriculum unit of your choice, engaging students with new and exciting standards-based and Common Core connected curriculum. Selecting the unit you want to teach ensures you can stay on your schedule -- and of course, curriculum materials are included in the course cost!
By completing this convenient and flexible online course, you will earn one (1) university credit issued by the Department of Extended Learning at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM). For the course syllabus, cost, how to register and future course dates, visit the CSUSM site.
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Join Us in Welcoming Two New CREEC Regional Coordinators
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Nate Ivy, Region 4
Serving Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco,
San Mateo, and Solano Counties
 Nate coordinates the Service-Learning Waste Reduction Project (SLWRP) for 30 secondary schools enrolling over 30,000 students in Alameda County, California. SLWRP provides training, technical assistance, and other support to teams of teachers and students to help them reduce waste at school, at home, and in the community.
Prior to joining the Alameda County Office of Education, Nate taught American Studies at Irvington High School and served as the school's service-learning coordinator.
Nate is proud to serve you as CREEC Region 4 Coordinator!
He hopes to improve access to high-quality, action-oriented, environmental education for all students in the San Francisco Bay Area. Welcome to CREEC, Nate!
Crystal Howe, Region 9a
Serving Imperial and San Diego Counties
 Crystal Howe is a teacher of biology, chemistry, and earth science in San Diego Unified with National Board Certification in science, an administrative services credential, and 11 years of experience in science education. Recently, Crystal was accepted as a San Diego State University Noyce Master Teacher Fellow, a five year program to build leadership among science teachers in San Diego County. Crystal earned her B.S. in Chemistry from UC San Diego, M.S. in Instructional Leadership, and Single Subject Teaching Credentials in Chemistry, Biology, and the Geosciences.
Crystal is excited to begin her new role as CREEC Region 9a Coordinator. She is looking forward to learning about all of the programs that are available in San Diego and Imperial Counties related to environmental education. Mostly, Crystal is excited to help connect these programs to the teachers who need them. Welcome to CREEC, Crystal!
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Upcoming Conferences
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October 9-12:
North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Conference,
Baltimore, MD Website
October 25-27: California Science Teachers Association Conference, Palm Springs, CA Website
October 24-26: National Science Teachers Association, Area Conference, Portland, OR Website
November 18-19: 1st Annual California STEM Conference, Sacramento, CA Website
March 27-29, 2014: Green Schools National Conference, Sacramento, CA Website
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Grants, Awards, and Contests
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GreenWorks! Grant Program Deadline: September 30, 2013
The Project Learning Tree GreenWorks! grant program provides funding for service-learning projects led by students, such as school/community native plant gardens, forest improvement projects, streamside restoration plans, recycling programs, and energy conservation projects. Grants are available in two award levels: traditional GreenWorks! grants up to $1,000 and GreenWorks! grants up to $3,000 for registered PLT GreenSchools! Applicants must have attended a PLT workshop, have a project that involves service learning, have at least one community partner, and must secure a 50 percent match (in-kind or cash). Applicants for the Registered PLT GreenSchools! grants must register on the PLT GreenSchools! website, have an established Green Team, have completed one or more of the PLT GreenSchools! Investigations, and have a project based on the findings of one or more of the PLT GreenSchools! Investigations. Contact: Jackie Stallard, 1-202-463-2754; jstallard@plt.org
Bright Schools Program
The Energy Commission is reopening the Bright Schools Program and is accepting applications. The Bright Schools Program provides a wide range of technical assistance to public K-12 school districts. - Conduct energy audits; - Review existing proposals and designs; - Develop equipment performance specifications! All publicly funded California K-12 school districts are eligible for assistance from the Bright Schools Program. Please call the Public Programs Office at (916) 654-4104 or by E-mail at pubprog@energy.ca.gov or visit http://www.energy.ca.gov/efficiency/brightschools/index.html
Save Energy and Win Awards
Deadline: November 15, 2013
Registration is now open for America's Home Energy Education Challenge (AHEEC), a national student competition for grades 3-8, administered by NSTA for the Department of Energy. The competition gives students the chance to learn about energy, develop techniques for reducing energy consumption, and save money in their own homes by reducing household energy use.
Teams of kids, grades 3-8, can win up to $10,000 in prizes for their school or organization. Team registration ends November 15-register today! Visit homeenergychallenge.org
Wyland Water is Life Art Challenge
Enter your classroom into the Wyland National "Water Is Life" Art Challenge and receive a free canvas mural kit for your class, along with art tips from renowned muralist and conservationist Wyland, and a teacher lesson booklet based on national art standards. Over $2,500 in classroom prizes to give away. To register for your free mural canvas kit, sign-up on the form to the right or call 800-WYLAND-0. While supplies last! http://www.wylandfoundation.org/artchallenge/
Get to Know Contest
Spring is officially here and with it more opportunities than ever for kids to get outdoors and connect with nature! The Get to Know Contest is a nationwide opportunity for kids (19 years and younger) to get outdoors, get inspired and share their outdoor experiences through art. Kids can enter with art, writing, photography, video and music and all entries will be showcased in the online galleries, allowing youth to share their own works and inspiration with the world! Encourage your students to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity. Just for participating, kids have a chance to win some wild prizes including art supplies, books, cameras and outdoor gear! The Get to Know Contest launches on April 8th and will run until November 1st, 2013. For more information, please visit www.gettoknow.ca
Take on the EcoChallenge: October 15-30, 2013
Change can be tough, and sometimes it takes a kick-start to make it happen. Every October, the NW Earth Institute challenges people to choose one action to reduce their environmental impact and stick with it for two weeks. As an individual or with a team, participants pick a category-water, trash, energy, food or transportation-and set a goal that stretches their comfort zone and makes a difference for them and the planet. Choose your EcoChallenge: Rich parked his car for two weeks. Mark went on a 100-mile diet. Carrie cut her family's trash by 80%. Steve set up a grey water system and saved 150 gallons of water. What will you do? Register online at www.ecochallenge.org
Take the Challenge and Enter to Win a Water Test Kit
World Water Monitoring Challenge is an international education and outreach program that builds public involvement in protecting water resources around the world by engaging citizens in basic monitoring of their local water bodies. In 2012, approximately 250,000 visits were made by participants to monitoring sites in 66 countries. Test the quality of your waterways, share your findings, and protect our most precious resource! To get more environmental educators involved this year, WWMC is hosting a giveaway. Like WWMC on Facebook and enter to win a complimentary water test kit and t-shirt. http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org/
Green Ribbon School Award
Deadline: December 27, 2013.
The U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) recognition award honors schools that are exemplary in reducing environmental impact and costs; improving the health and wellness of students and staff; and providing effective environmental and sustainability education, which incorporates science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), civic skills and green career pathways. The recognition award is part of a larger U.S. Department of Education (ED) effort to identify and disseminate knowledge about practices that are proven to result in improved student engagement, higher academic achievement, and graduation rates, and workforce preparedness, as well as a government wide goal of increasing energy independence and economic security. This is a two-step process. The first step is to complete and submit the online application in order to be selected as a state nominee. If your school is selected, you will be asked to complete the second step of the process by providing additional information for the nominee package that will be forwarded to the U.S. Department of Education. For more information and a link to the online application, visit: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/fa/sf/greenribbonprog.asp
The Lexus and Scholastic "Eco Challenge" AIR and CLIMATE! Registration opens: October 14, 2013
$500,000 in grants and scholarships will be offered to mddle and high school students, grades 6-12. To participate in this STEM competition teams, comprised of 5-10 students and a teacher advisor, must: define an issue, make a plan to address the issue, implement the plan, and report on the results. Up to 16 teams in each challenge will win $10,000 in grants and scholarships!
For more information and a set of official rules, visit: http://lexus.scholastic.com/
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Opportunities for Students and Teachers
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Visit the CREEC.org events calendar, where regional coordinators and providers will be posting event listings, new this year!
September 7: Project WET Workshop, in Chico
This exciting workshop at the Chico Creek Nature Center will focus on ways to enhance water, science, and mathematics education by integrating the hands-on activities of Project WET with the place-based units of the California Education and the Environment Initiative - with a unique Nature Center twist. Educators will experience inventive ways to connect students to our amazing local environment and waterways using these Common Core aligned materials. Join us at the Chico Creek Nature Center for a day of education, fun, and get a free Project WET 2.0 book when you complete the training!! Email Kurt
September 19 & 20: Project WET & EEI Teacher Training, in Santa Maria
The City of Santa Maria Utilities Department and CREEC Network Region 8 invite you to attend a very 'hands-on' workshop integrating the activities of Project WET and the place-based units of the California Education & the Environment Initiative (EEI). A copy of Project WET Guide 2.0 and EEI materials for each participant are included in this FREE training! Call Myra Ritchie at: (805) 925-0951 Ext. 7235 or Website.
September 25-26: Project WET Workshop, in Sacramento
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) invites you to engage students in learning about water resources, water conservation and key related science concepts with the award winning, interdisciplinary water education program. Learn about fun, hands-on, standards based activities and lessons that can be used in classrooms, after school programs or other settings. This is STEM learning at its best! Participants will receive the new Project WET 2.0 guide. Email Suzette Bienvenue , 916-732-5175 or register by calling 916-732-6738.
September 28: Project WET - Wild About Wetlands Workshop, in Redding
The California Waterfowl Association and Turtle Bay Exploration Center invites you to experience wetland and watershed water education concepts through the the interdisciplinary, 'hands-on' activities of Project WET and the Wild About Wetlands program. Come enjoy a wonderful day and walk away with your own set of curriculum materials and a wealth of ideas on how to use the activities to enhance your existing curriculum! Email Jan or call 530-242-3108
September 28: Project WET Workshop, in Los Vaqueros Reservoir
The Contra Costa Water District invites you to attend a Project WET workshop focused on the water issues in our county. Every workshop participant will receive a copy of Project WET Activity Guide 2.0, have multiple opportunities to experience Project WET activities and enjoy a continental breakfast and lunch. Email Gina Oltman or call (925) 688-8010
September 28: The Living Desert, in Palm Desert
Play an active role in a full day of investigation and hands-on activities that will enhance your ability to provide education about this valley's most precious resource - water. You'll walk away with a better understand of how water is managed and used in the Coachella Valley, as well as the sixty-four, interdisciplinary and Common Core aligned activities in the Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide 2.0 plus excellent online resources. What's even better is that this workshop is FREE! Email Marie Perry 760-398-2661, ext. 2550 Space is limited!
October 12,
Rancho Sonado, in
Silverado
Inside the Outdoors and the Santa Ana Watershed Association invite Orange County educators to join us for this exciting workshop integrating study of the Santa Ana River watershed with the interdisciplinary, 'hands-on' activities of Project WET! The Common Core and California standards aligned activities integrate real-life scenarios designed to supplement your existing curriculum and complement use of EEI (Education & the Environment Initiative) curriculum units, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math) Education and/or Service-Learning in the classroom. Email Erin Eberhardt
October 19: Project WET and the EEI, in
Carmichael
Celebrate Earth Science Week experiencing fun, hands-on, standards-based activities in the outdoor setting of the Effie Yeaw Nature Center - plus an introduction to water monitoring with the U.S. Geological Survey. Explore the use of Project WET activities and the EEI curriculum to engage your students in the study of water resources, water use history, water conservation and related concepts in the Sacramento region. You'll walk away with the Common Core correlated Project WET 2.0 guide and one unit of the new Education & the Environment Initiative (EEI) curriculum. Lunch will be provided. Email Us or call 916-732-6738 to register.
October 25, 2013, Project WET Workshop, in San Jose
All Santa Clara County educators are invited to participate in this FREE Project WET training, which includes hand-on demonstrations of the lessons and activities in the Project WET Guide 2.0. Participants will become "immersed" in the world of water and experience it firsthand and be able to supplement classroom science work with a FREE copy of the Project WET Guide 2.0 upon completion. Mark your calendar for this workshop! Email Kathy Machado or call her at (408) 265-2607.
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Environmental Education Resources - visit CREEC.org for more!
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Green 360, a great resource, connects students with the tools, information, and people
they need to make informed career choices and create pathways to green careers.  The Career Catalyst is a free online resource for students ages 14 years and older. It includes an interests inventory and is linked to the easy to navigate Department of Labor jobs database (1100+ jobs) that includes Green, Bright Outlook, and jobs associated with Apprenticeship. Users store selected information in a private virtual locker for future reference. The Catalyst is appropriate for all students, thinking about future careers that contribute to achieving environmental sustainability. Students can use the Career Catalyst independently or as part of a group in or outside of school.
Green 360 Online launches high school students on their pathway a green career. Students gain a real-world career context for environmental education. Students complete the course in up to fifteen, 45 minute sessions, from any location with internet access. Students also participate in their online community, learning about the environmental sustainability challenges we all face and the Changemaker roles addressing these challenges. For more information contact Laurie Maak, and Joanne Martens
Community EE: New Website and Guidelines Ready for Review and Feedback!
Community EE is an evolving practice that considers the value of intentional, authentic relationships with communities and environmental outcomes that consider community health and neighborhood wellness. The site collects your thoughts and feedback to ensure the practice is inclusive and reflective of a broad range of perspective. Please share this site with others you feel would have a stake in Community EE.
EECapacity encourages your review the 3rd draft Community EE Guidelines.
We need your feedback! Please take the survey where you can read the key character in more detail and contribute your thoughts. There are seven efforts (previously known as key characteristics) we believe lead to authentic relationships with communities, and ultimately to authentic learning and practice of EE with communities. Feel free to invite others in your circle to participate.
Research Bulletins Helps Bridge Research-to-Practice Gap
NatureBridge has partnered with NAAEE Member, Dr. Nicole Ardoin at Stanford University and her team of researchers to create semiannual Environmental Education Research Bulletins to help bridge the gap between research and practice. With an emphasis on field science, stewardship behavior, residential settings, and other topics, the goal is to synthesize and summarize recently reported research that may help environmental educators, organizations, and agencies critically reflect upon and improve their practice. While the bulletin is focused on topics most relevant to NatureBridge educators, many environmental educators are likely to find the bulletin helpful in keeping up with current research.
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News & Views is a publication of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Office, California Department of Education. Anne Stephens, Statewide Coordinator
Please direct inquiries to astephens@cde.ca.gov or 916-319-0241. Visit us @ http://www.creec.org |
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Copyright � 2013 Reprints and Permission: Although CREEC holds the copyright to this email, we grant permission to use our copyrighted text for a variety of education related purposes, and therefore encourage dissemination and sharing via social media and other reprint, reproduction or dissemination whether electronic or hard copy print.
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