Issue: #56                                                         

March 2015
In This Issue
Featured Article
STEM Fair award winners gather at SMCOE.

Bay Area ECET2 Conference Celebrates 

And Inspires Teacher Leaders

  

 

Nearly 100 teacher leaders from across the region gathered at the San Mateo County Office of Education on Saturday, March 14, 2015

for the Bay Area Elevating and Celebrating Effective Teachers and Teaching conference (ECET2). Inspired by similar conferences that have taken place across the country, this was the first of its kind in northern California.  The day-long event gave teachers the opportunity to get inspired, learn from each other and recharge their batteries.

 

After welcoming remarks from County Superintendent Anne Campbell, and ECET2 committee members 

Keynote speaker Alex Kajitani challenges teachers to be leaders at the ECET2 conference.

and teacher leaders Stacey Tachiki and Cregg Ramich, keynote speaker Alex Kajitani, 2009 California Teacher of the Year, spoke about the meaning of teacher leadership, the power of building a network with other teacher leaders and the importance of stepping up to make change happen.
 

"We must end the silent conspiracy," he said. "If you just sit there and don't complain, no one will ask anything of you. But no sweeping education policy is going to fix education. It's up to us and we can't do it alone.  And having a support network is a robust antidote to teacher burnout."

 

Breakout sessions in the morning, led by teachers, focused on such topics as collaborative instructional strategies, Common Core implementation, and using social media as a tool to engage students in the classroom as well as collaborate with fellow educators.

 

Following lunch, Stefania Shaffer, Burlingame Intermediate School teacher and published author, gave a TED-style inspirational talk on why she teaches and the power of connecting with individual students. When she received a note from a former student thanking her for her kindness and loving attitude, she remarked, "Everything she took away from my class had absolutely nothing to do with my lesson plans."

 

In the afternoon, teachers met in "Colleague Circles," where they had the chance to address real problems of practice and brainstorm tangible solutions for each other. The day ended with prize drawings, including tickets to local attractions such as the Aquarium by the Bay, Happy Hollow, and Sonoma Raceway, and a grand prize iPad mini.

 

 

Zap the Gap Conference Zeroes In

On the Achievement Gap

  

Closing the achievement and opportunity gaps was the focus of the eighth annual San Mateo County Office of Education's (SMCOE) Zap the Gap conference held on March 9, 2015. Approximately 100 superintendents, district and site administrators, teachers, school board members, and County Office managers attended and had the chance to reflect and learn from each other about this important issue.


"The Zap the Gap conference has been an important arm of our work in our effort to close the achievement gap in San Mateo County," notes Dr. Gary Waddell, Deputy Superintendent at SMCOE. "While only one component of our work to ensure that all students are on a road to success, days such as this are an opportunity for those doing this critical work to learn together, deepen their knowledge, and build a community of practice in the service of our students."

 

This year's conference followed a different format from past years. Facilitator/trainers from the National Equity Project led conversations throughout the day and gave participants the chance to talk with colleagues they might not ordinarily interact with. Many of the conversations centered on Common Core implementation and the role of equitable practice in effective implementation of the Common Core.

 

Participants engaged in a number of activities throughout the day, focusing on such topics as the power of unconscious stereotypes in influencing our work with students and their perceptions about themselves as learners. At the end of the day, participants, working in triads, talked about what they would take back from the conference to their schools and how they might further transform their practice to promote equity in the classroom.

 

As a follow-up, the National Equity Project will return to SMCOE to work with the Instructional Services Division staff around deepening their practice around issues of equity.

 

"In the long run, equity is an over-arching construct that informs and drives the work we do at the County Office.  The end game of these focused efforts is to eliminate the historic predictability that race, zip code, and language status have on success in school by supporting the critical work that our schools and districts are engaged in on behalf of their students," adds Dr. Waddell.  

 

  


STEM Fair Awards Ceremony

Draws a Crowd

 

On March 12, 2015, it was standing room only at the 27th annual San Mateo County STEM Fair awards ceremony, sponsored by Oracle, Gilead and the San Mateo County Office of Education, and held at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE). More than 75 awards in eight categories were presented to talented students in fifth through 11th grades from 56 public and private schools throughout San Mateo County, as their family and friends looked on.


Mark Nolan, Outdoor Education Director at SMCOE, emceed the event and displayed a PowerPoint with photos of the projects. He interviewed each 

A middle school student receives the RAFT award.

student award winner as they came up to receive their awards. When he asked one student "Would you think of patenting or selling your invention?" both he and the audience were surprised and delighted by the student's response: "Oh no, I created this to help people, not to make money."


In addition to the awards by category and grade level, several special awards from industries and organizations were also announced. Jeff Bass, Director at the Hiller Aviation Museum, presented the Hiller Aviation award to a middle school student who designed a navigation system for model airplanes. 

 

The Association for Women Geoscientists presented their Sage Award to a deserving female student.  

Ravenswood educator Ken Nadeau received a special award from SMCOE.

"We were thrilled to have this special award," notes Doron Markus, Science and Engineering Coordinator at the SMCOE STEM Center. "It aligns with our goal of getting more girls involved in the STEM fields." 

 

RAFT gave an award for a project that emphasized recycling. The middle school student winner had repurposed banana peels into briquettes that can be used in a grill instead of charcoal. Fittingly, the trophy he received from RAFT included recycled items including plastic bananas.

 

The SMCOE STEM Center gave a special award (created with a 3-D printer) to Ken Nadeau, educator in the Ravenswood School District, who went "above and beyond" in encouraging first-time students to enter their projects. Three students from the Ravenswood district received first place awards and will have the opportunity to enter their projects at the state level.


 

More than 100 judges--the vast majority volunteers from local industries such as Genentech, Gilead, Oracle and Impossible Foods--determined the awards with the help of the STEM Fair committee that included San Mateo County teachers and SMCOE staff.  All 36 first place winners will have the opportunity to submit their projects to the state STEM Fair, which will be held in Los Angeles in May. All 60 seventh through 12th graders who placed first, second or received an honorable mention may submit their projects to the San Francisco Bay Area STEM Fair in April.


 

  

   

Unaccompanied Minors Present Challenges for School Districts

 

 

Last spring, national news reports were full of stories about the increasing numbers of unaccompanied minors from Central America--estimates as high as 350 per day--crossing the border illegally into the United States. Schools in San Mateo County have felt the impact this year. Although the number is constantly in flux, at one point this school year there were 185 unaccompanied minors enrolled in San Mateo County public schools.

 

"Serving the needs of these students presents real challenges for school districts," notes Nancy Magee, Administrator, Board Support and Community Relations, at the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE). "The questions keep piling up, and we have more questions than answers."

 

Most students don't self-identify as unaccompanied minors and it is often teachers--particularly ELL teachers--who become aware of their status. The challenges are many.  Most are monolingual and may speak a regional dialect. They may not have had much formal schooling in their native country; they could be 16 years old but have not been in school since they were 6 or 7. These youth are here in the United States because violence or related trauma in their native country led them here, and in the course of their journey they may have experienced danger, fear, and ill health. They are most likely living with relatives they don't know well, and/or helping to raise younger siblings.

 

Their needs fall into three categories: academic needs and support, which include English language, reading and writing skills; acculturation and life skills; and mental health needs. 

 

Both the Sequoia Union High School District and the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) are working with their adult schools to help serve these students. Students who are not equipped to graduate from high school can then seamlessly transition to the adult school at age 18.

 

SMUHSD has developed a sheltered hybrid class for older students where they can develop English language skills, acculturation and life skills. They round out their academic program with an elective, where they get the chance to interact with other American students.

 

School districts, the Safe and Supportive Schools Program at SMCOE,  Behavioral Health and Recovery Services of San Mateo County, the American Red Cross of the Bay Area, Catholic Charities and other nonprofits are all working together to understand the issues and challenges, and put action steps in place. Nabila Massoumi, English Learner Services Coordinator at SMCOE, has also worked with school districts to provide professional development for ELL teachers around the needs of these students.

 

Since the fall, on the second Thursday of each month, community organizations, including SMCOE, have been meeting at the American Red Cross-led San Mateo County Immigrant Forum to share updates and knowledge about the needs of unaccompanied minors and all immigrant groups.  At the meeting on March 19, 2015, different organizations were represented and had the opportunity to hear from Navin Moul, Program Officer at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, about the organization's work  and their newly created website which provides immigrant resources in one central place.

 

"This is a dynamic situation. The more we can work together to put systems in place to support these students, the greater the chances for their ultimate success," says Magee.


 

 

Adult Schools and Community Colleges Collaborate Through ACCEL


For the past two years adult schools and community colleges in San Mateo County have been working collaboratively on the regional plan known as Adult Career and College Educational Leadership (ACCEL) San Mateo County, to rethink and redesign adult education. Mandated by the state legislature's passage of AB 86, the goal is to reduce redundancies in services for adult students, and create seamless transitions for students across adult schools, community colleges and community partners.

 

The San Mateo Union High School District, Sequoia Union High School District, Jefferson Union High School District, South San Francisco Unified District and Cabrillo Unified School District, along with the community colleges in their area, have formed regional action teams to create plans to address the needs in their geographic areas. Dr. Joan Rosas, Associate Superintendent at the San Mateo County Office of Education, has been a partner in the ACCEL planning, providing a support role.

 

"Most of the activity has focused on English language instruction," notes Larry Teshara, Director of the San Mateo Adult School, and a key partner in the ACCEL regional plan. "The goal is to set pathways so that students can move easily from one system to another." As part of that goal, the San Mateo Adult School has begun implementing a new program in reading and writing for non-native speakers that will ease their transition to community college.

 

In the north and south regions, the Jefferson Union High School District and the Sequoia Union High School District have been working on helping ELL students in their adult schools prepare for the GED, which will give them greater access to scholarships to the community college. The Sequoia District's adult school has also created a program in computer programming to ease the transition to the workforce. The adult school on the Coastside had been eliminated due to funding issues so the goal for that region has been to reinstitute their adult school program.

 

"Compared to other regions in the state,San Mateo County is ahead of the curve," adds Teshara. "We have a history of collaboration in this county." 

 

 

 

 

Check Us Out on Facebook

   

The San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) now has a page on Facebook. We'll be providing frequent updfacebook logoates on SMCOE events and education news of interest, adding groups of interest, and linking to other education organizations. Check us out and "like" us today on Facebook!  
  
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About the San Mateo County Office of Education
  
The San Mateo County Office of Education provides a variety of instructional, business and consulting services to the County's 23 public school districts, charter schools, the Community College District and County Office of Education staff. 
  
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