SMCOE Sponsors School Safety Training and Countywide Summit

School safety is a top priority for San Mateo County school districts, and the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) is leading the way. SMCOE is bringing key stakeholders together for several planned events intended to address school safety and provide multiple opportunities for reflection and training.  

Even before the Newtown, CT tragedy, SMCOE had planned a training session for school district teams on March 5. Now that session is full and has a long waiting list. A second training has been scheduled for April 30 and it's almost full, too.

At these trainings, school district teams will have the opportunity to review current plans and focus on areas needing revision and improvement. Nancy Magee, SMCOE Administrator, Board Support and Community Relations, will present an overview of best practices to consider in developing a school safety plan. "We're not going to have all the answers, but by asking critical questions, each team can discuss and create a plan that meets their needs." Then in the fall there will be follow-up trainings to bring the teams back together.

County Superintendent Anne Campbell, along with Congresswoman Jackie Speier, County Supervisors Adrienne Tissier and Don Horsley, and County Sheriff Greg Munks are jointly sponsoring a county summit on school safety on April 29. School and school district personnel; law enforcement; County Mental Health; the Boys and Girls Club; the YMCA; early care and education, PTAs at the local, regional and state level; state and local government officials; and business leaders will all be invited to attend. "At the summit, we will examine such concerns as prevention and mental health supports, and strengthen community collaboration through relationship building," says Magee. A countywide taskforce on school safety will be created after the summit, with representatives from these constituencies, to continue the work.

SMCOE's Respect! 24/7 Initiative, which has been working to address bullying in schools, also ties in directly with school safety. A new part of this initiative is the launching of the Respect! 24/7 Superhero of the Month. Each month students from four levels--K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12--will be selected from nominations received from around the county. "We're looking for students who have created a new service project on campus, or taken action as an upstander rather than a bystander," notes Magee. Teachers, administrators, parents, and fellow students are all invited to submit nominations. The nomination form and the selected Superheroes will be highlighted on the Respect 24/7 Facebook page.

In May, Respect! 24/7 will highlight Digital Citizenship Month in California. Throughout the month, schools will be encouraged to teach classroom lessons that educate students about their digital footprint, cyberbullying and the positive use of digital tools. Common Sense Media and the California Writing Project will be provide the curriculum. Stay tuned for details.

SMCOE Leads the Way on Common Core Implementation

The Curriculum and Instruction Services (CIS) division at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) has been leading the charge in implementing the Common Core State Standards throughout school districts in San Mateo County, in the region and at the state level.

CIS content specialists have been to every district in the county providing training and support. "The need is great," says Lori Musso, CIS administrator at SMCOE. "The California Common Core State Standards are rigorous, relevant, and consistent. The standards were designed to ensure that all students are college and career ready, and able to compete in the global marketplace."

 The County Office has been following the "trainer of trainers" model, where SMCOE provides training for district teachers and administrators, and these educators in turn train other teachers and administrators in their respective districts. In this way, the educators go back to their districts and have the autonomy to do what works best for their districts. 

Musso leads the monthly Council for Instructional Improvement (CII) meetings for associate superintendents and curriculum directors throughout the county. Common core implementation is a standing item at each of these meetings. A series of professional development sessions throughout the year, geared to district and site administrators, teacher leaders and teachers, have been held at the County Office on all facets of common core implementation. (Check here for a complete listing.)  

SMCOE staff have also been leaders in common core implementation at the state and regional level. Working with the state Curriculum and Instruction Steering Committee, Gary Waddell, Lori Musso and April Cherrington developed a toolkit to guide the implementation of the new standards. SMCOE CIS staff have also been involved with other County of Education Offices in the planning of a regional event on "Math and the Common Core" to be held on March 20, 2013 at Skyline College.

"Common Core State Standards will have a huge impact on instruction," says Musso. "The implementation means a big shift to increasing rigor, and more collaboration across disciplines, particularly in middle and high school. The standards give schools an opportunity to have a school-wide focus on building literacy across the curriculum."

"For any school district, common core is the biggest thing to come along and for the next five years we'll be focused on it," says Heather Olsen, director of curriculum and instruction in the San Mateo-Foster City School District. "Never before have we set the reset button like this. The implementation will require deep thinking and enabling students to communicate what they've learned. The staff at SMCOE are the experts on common core. We go to them regularly with questions and we know that they have the in-depth knowledge of common core that we need."

"The County Office staff have been great--April Cherrington, Lori Musso, Audra Pittman, Tracy Wilson, Kim Bambao and Liz Wolf--have all helped us train the trainers," adds Dr. Shawnterra Moore, Associate Superintendent, Educational Services and Categorical Programs at the South San Francisco Unified School District. "Every month, someone from SMCOE is out at our schools and working with administrators at the district office. Initially they provided us with an overview of the Common Core State Standards. Now as a district we're figuring out what our focus needs to be, whether it's text complexity or rigor, they're helping us plan what that will look like at the site level. They are amazing and they're always willing to help. Next year will be the real test for us as we move into implementation."

SMCOE Brings School Principals Together to Share Best Practices 

Once a quarter, Director Brian Simmons and his team at Networks for Success at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE), bring together a group of 19 principals from around the county as part of the Principal Influencer Network (PIN). Each of these principals is either a leader of a school designated as Program Improvement (PI) under No Child Left Behind, and/or is working diligently to close the achievement gap at their school.

The quarterly meetings are grounded in the day-to-day needs of these school leaders who are at various places on the will to lead vs. the skill to teach continuum--some have great leadership skills but are less strong in the area of teaching skills, and vice-versa. Some might need help getting staff to embrace a new idea or might want direction in a new teaching method, and they can get that knowledge from the practical experience of their peers. And because they are concerned with closing the achievement gap, there's a focus on cultural responsiveness and intentional instruction. In addition to the quarterly meetings, there's also an online community for the PIN, which is becoming a virtual community and a repository for information and ideas.

"Closing the achievement gap is a marathon, not a sprint," notes Simmons. "This group of principals is really committed to this work. Having the PIN has helped them forge relationships across districts in the county. It has become an incubator for good ideas and it has also helped to inform our work here at SMCOE. Learning from these principals, we can take the good ideas to scale across many districts."

STEM Conference at SMCOE

Draws a Crowd  

ReCycleWorks was one of many exhibitors at the STEM conference.

Dr. Carol Piraino Leads Portola Valley Elementary District into the Future 

For new superintendent Dr. Carol Piraino, the biggest job right now is leading her district through a strategic planning process, and launching new goals and priorities. With a steering committee of teachers, parents, current and former board members, and facilitators from Pivot Learning Partners, the district team is reasserting what they value and what they'd like to see for the future. 

 

Dr. Carol Piraino aims to strengthen what's already strong in the Portola Valley Elementary School District

"The more we have conversations, the more we find we have agreement on the big important things," says Piraino. "Everyone wants the children to be happy and fulfilled, and to consider the whole child--the academic performance but also character, and social and emotional learning. It's been a very positive discussion, a chance to talk about teaching and learning, and a learning process for all of us. It's been a great opportunity to hear from the community and I'm optimistic about the outcome."

 

The steering committee has been working on the plan since October 2012, and the goal is to present the completed strategic plan to the school board in May.

 

For her own goals for the district, Piraino says she aims to strengthen what's already strong in the district, and develop science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) opportunities. The implementation of Common Core State Standards will be a real shift, she says. "Where other reforms have come and gone, this is a significant change that will expand what goes on in the classroom. We are moving away from set content to problem solving, critical thinking and communicating effectively--the skills that are really needed in the 21st century and beyond." Her goal, she says, is to work closely with the community to provide the best possible schools that will prepare students for high school and college, give them a love for learning and support their natural curiosity.

 

She recently met with high school seniors who had been students in the Portola Valley Elementary School District. "It struck me how poised and mature they were. It was rewarding to talk with them and see what they had become," she notes. "I hope to continue these conversations."

 

Piraino brings a wealth of experience to her position as superintendent. She previously served as principal of Corte Madera School and then assistant superintendent in the Portola Valley School District. Before that she was principal of Walter Hays School in Palo Alto for 9 years, teacher and then Project Coordinator in the Ravenswood City School District for 10 years.

 

When she's not working long hours at the district, Piraino enjoys hiking, playing a little golf and spending time with friends and family. She's looking forward to a family reunion in Sicily this summer, where her grandfather was born, and where her father and her stepmother will be renting a house for three months so that family members can come and visit with them there.

 

 

This article is one in a series on new superintendents in San Mateo County.