Issue: #71                                                     		September
 2016
In This Issue
Strategic Plan
New Charter School
Attendance Awareness
New Superintendents
New County Schools
Big Lift Inspiring Summers
We're on Facebook
Featured Article
SMCOE Board approves charter for Oxford Day Academy.
SMCOE Strategic Plan Unveiled
 

The San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) strategic plan--over 18 months in the making--was formally launched at a meeting of the entire SMCOE staff of more than 400 employees held at the College of San Mateo theater on August 31, 2016.

San Mateo County Board president James Cannon welcomed the crowd. "It makes me think of
Dr. Gary Waddell and Superintendent Anne Campbell introduced the plan to employees of SMCOE.
that hide and seek game from my youth--ready or not here we come," he said. "Change is coming to the San Mateo County Office of Education and thanks to Anne Campbell and her staff, and Fern Tiger Associates, we'll be ready." 

Superintendent Anne Campbell and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Gary Waddell alternated speaking in tag team style as they introduced the plan to the audience.They began by showing a YouTube video entitled "Did You Know in 2028?" which explored the changes coming to our world that necessitate a plan for the future.

"The San Mateo County Office of Education must embrace and respond to change," said Campbell. "We are at a crossroads and we must come together with a common purpose to meet the future as a thinking, relevant organization."

"This strategic plan is the culmination of an intensive process of reimagining ourselves--who we are, what we are doing today and, more importantly, what we will do in the future to support the students of San Mateo County, their schools, and districts," notes Dr. Gary Waddell, Deputy Superintendent at SMCOE. "As an organization, we are excited about the possibilities ahead as we work together to breathe life into our new vision statement, 'Equity and Excellence in Education -- Every Student, Every Teacher, Every School.' This is not a plan to sit on a shelf, but rather is a guide to transform the organization."

With the help and guidance of Fern Tiger Associates working with Superintendent Anne Campbell, Waddell and the SMCOE Cabinet, research and many interviews were conducted internally and externally and then compiled into a report on the findings. As a result of this process, SMCOE now has a new strategic plan entitled "Excellence and Equity in Education" that includes new mission and vision statements, and five strategic goals for the next five years.

The new
More than 400 SMCOE employees gathered at CSM to learn about the new strategic plan.
mission statement for the San Mateo County Office of Education is "Inspiring students, investing in teachers, invigorating leaders and involving communities." To accomplish this mission over the coming five years, SMCOE will focus its activities on five comprehensive and intentional themes: successful students, inspired teachers, effective districts, forward-thinking policies and continuous learning. Goals for the next two years--subgoals of the five strategic goals--are in place and with the help of facilitators, staff will be engaged in developing a plan for accomplishing them.

"San Mateo County is a unique place -- where creativity, innovation, and community-wide collaboration intersect.  We are proud of the tradition of excellence at the San Mateo County Office of Education.  The reality is that the County Office will be flat funded for the foreseeable future, so we need to be disciplined to ensure that we are doing what matters and is moving the needle for our students," says Waddell.

The program ended with another Youtube video entitled "Som Sabadell Flashmob," which begins with one base player playing Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" and ends with an orchestra and a crowd of pedestrians singing, illustrating the beauty and power of everyone coming together with one purpose.

More information about the SMCOE strategic plan can be found �here.

 
 

SMCOE Board Approves Charter
For Oxford Day Academy

  
 
On August 24, 2016, after a three-hour thorough review that included public comment, a report from San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) staff and county counsel, and discussion among the board, the San Mateo County Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the petition for Oxford Day Academy (ODA),a charter high school to be located in East Palo Alto, for three years beginning on July 1, 2017.

The authorization
ODA lead founder Dr. Mallory Dwinal answered questions posed by the SMCOE Board of Trustees at the August 24, 2016 meeting.
is subject to successful negotiations of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with the San Mateo County Office of Education regarding oversight and with the Sequoia Union High School District regarding special education services for ODA students.

The County Board's approval of the petition followed the denial of the petition by the Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD) in June by a 3-2 vote. After the 3-year authorization, ODA will be required to go back to SUHSD for reauthorization.

ODA is an innovative high school, designed to meet the needs of currently low-achieving students who predominantly reside in the East Palo Alto and Redwood City areas.

The school is student-centered and is designed to increase engagement by focusing on personalized learning, research, design-thinking, service projects and civic engagement. Instead of classrooms, students will meet in "learning studios" for four hours per day with teachers and social emotional learning coaches (SELCs). 

 They will have internships in the community as well as work in groups of four each semester on an issue they care about to improve their community, such as cleaning up litter or access to affordable housing. Through individual tutorials based on the Oxford model with academic instructors, students will engage in oral defense of their academic work, tie it to their community service projects, and meet UC California's A-G requirements.

The school is slated to open in the fall of 2017 with a freshman class of 68 students and will eventually grow to serve 272 students. Initially the school will have five teachers and 2 SELCs. The school has already been awarded numerous nonprofit grants and has an initial operating cushion of $1 million.

The Board received 32 written comments from community members in support of the school. In addition, about 40 community members, many wearing ODA T-shirts, were present at the meeting. A high school student, currently enrolled at the Khan Lab School; Martha Hanks, a resident of East Palo Alto and a teacher in East Palo Alto for more than 40 years; and Helen Wong, representing the California Charter School Association, spoke in support of the school. SUHSD Superintendent James Lianides explained the reservations expressed by his district in denying the petition.

ODA Lead Founder Dr. Mallory Dwinal answered concerns raised by the board, including how services for English language learners would be delivered, and how the school intends to meet requirements for safety and restorative justice for students. Dwinal agreed to implement the recommendations of SMCOE's staff report, as well as work collaboratively with SMCOE staff throughout the authorization period.

"It is our great honor to be the newest charter school of San Mateo County," says Dwinal. " Oxford Day Academy (ODA) is designed to cultivate multicultural social leadership amongst young people in the East Palo Alto community, and we take this charge very seriously. Over the course of the past year, we've seen our parents, young people, and community supporters pour their hearts and soul into the creation of this school; we are thrilled to make this type of advocacy and engagement an integral part of the school experience. "   
 
 


  
September Marks Attendance and 
CMT Awareness Month
 
  
As students head back to school, districts around the county will be shining a light on two very different but important issues this month--reducing chronic absenteeism and recognizing the signs of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), also commonly called hereditary sensory and motor neuropathy, and one of the most common inherited nerve disorders.

September is nationally recognized as both Attendance Awareness Month and CMT Awareness Month. To help spread the word about these two initiatives, the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) is providing a wealth of resources to school districts around the county.

Regular attendance is a key factor in student achievement. A state-by-state analysis of national testing data highlighted on the Attendance Works website  demonstrates that students who miss more school than their peers consistently score lower on standardized tests, a result that holds true at every age, in every demographic group, and in every state and city tested. The good news is that there are simple tools schools can use to take significant steps to reduce chronic absenteeism, and it begins with creating awareness of the importance of regular attendance.

The County Office recently sent a survey to school principals asking what kinds of things they had done to promote attendance awareness and what assistance they needed in furthering their efforts.  As a follow-up, SMCOE has gathered a multitude of resources and posted them on the SMCOE website. School districts can find here downloadable sample back-to-school letters to parents in English and Spanish, an article for school newsletters, board resolution and social media posts; bookmarks; a checklist of things to do to foster attendance awareness during Attendance Awareness Month; a fact sheet and toolkit. More resources are also available from the national organization, Attendance Works. SMCOE will also offer more targeted assistance to school districts that request it.

CMT Awareness Month
Attendance Awareness Month has been recognized in past years but this will be the first year that SMCOE is joining in efforts to promote CMT Awareness Month. SMCOE board trustee Susan Alvaro, who suffers from CMT and went undiagnosed until later in life, brought this initiative to the County Board and Superintendent Anne Campbell's attention. Symptoms of the disease--clumsiness, nerve pain, numbness and weakness in the calf muscles--may appear in childhood, and the disease can be fatal if left untreated. There is no cure but once diagnosed, palliative care can help alleviate the symptoms. "This campaign is similar to the campaign in recent years around autism -- we want to create increased awareness about CMT," notes Alvaro.

In recognition of CMT Awareness Month, SMCOE will be compiling CMT resources for schools. to explain what it is, what it looks like and how to support students with CMT. In addition, the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation (HNF) has a school outreach program to help teachers become aware of the symptoms and adapt their classrooms for students who may have physical disabilities due to CMT. Resources can be found on their website as well as on the CMTA website.

 


 

New Superintendents Take the Helm in Brisbane and JUHSD

 
The new school year brings new leadership for the Brisbane School District and Jefferson Union High School District (JUHSD). Ronan Collver became the superintendent for Brisbane and Dan Burns takes the reins for JUHSD. Both officially assumed their posts on July 1, 2016.

Collver had been in Humboldt County for 24 years where he had served as a teacher, school administrator and superintendent. His broad background includes facilities management and finance.

Born in Oakland
Ronan Collver looks forward to enjoying his new role as superintendent of the Brisbane School District and exploring the Bay Area.
with family ties in the Bay Area, Collver and his wife Laura raised their two children in rural Humboldt County, and now with an empty nest decided they wanted to relocate to a more populated area but continue to work in a small school district. "I wanted a small district because there's more involvement with the kids and their parents," says Collver.  His wife Laura is a teacher and secured a teaching position with the nearby San Bruno Park School District.

Since July he has been getting to know the school community and superintendents in neighboring districts. He's enjoying getting reacquainted with the Bay Area and all it has to offer including the Warriors, Oakland A's, concerts, great food scene and the beach in Half Moon Bay.

Dan Burns hails from the Salinas Union
Dan Burns, new superintendent of the JUHSD, plans to focus on college and career readiness.
High School District where he served for 25 years as a high school principal and most recently as Associate Superintendent of Instructional Services.  He was recognized for his leadership and commitment to high expectations for all students and in 2011 he was awarded the ACSA Secondary Principal of the Year and in 2016 he was recognized by the region as the ACSA Curriculum and Instruction Leader of the Year.

He plans to focus on college and career readiness, creating exemplary conditions of learning and providing the best opportunities for students in early adulthood. He noted that JUHSD has "some unique pockets of excellence," and he plans to shine a spotlight on these throughout the county.

He's also zeroing in on enrollment trends and is well aware that many families are being forced out of the area because of non-affordable rents.

In his short time in the superintendent's chair Burns has been "looking at the DNA of the district and what stakeholders value." He's also been working with the school board, addressing protocols and processes, and hosted a district-wide leadership retreat to create common ground.
Burns and his wife Suzette have two grown children. Suzette has taken a post at the San Mateo County Office of Education in the payroll department in a similar capacity to the job she held in Salinas. They are both looking forward to being involved in community activities and adjusting to the many microclimates of the Peninsula.
 
 
  

New Year Brings New Schools
To San Mateo County

The start of a new school year brings the opening of two new schools in San Mateo County. Hoover Elementary School in Burlingame and Arroyo School in San Carlos opened with great fanfare in August.

The dedication of Hoover School in Burlingame drew a large crowd.
At the dedication ceremony for Hoover School on August 20, 2016, Burlingame School Superintendent Maggie MacIsaac thanked the community, trustees, architects, facilities manager, school staff, parents, city council and state legislature representatives for their support. "It takes a community to bring a project like this to fruition," she said.

Hoover School had been an elementary school in Burlingame from 1932-1979 until it was closed and later sold due to declining enrollment. The district bought the property back in 2010 and then began the process to remodel and add an additional building to the two-acre building site and five acres of wooded hillside to accommodate increased enrollment in the district. The new and remodeled buildings, which include 12 classrooms (and a first for Burlingame--its own preschool program for special education students), a multipurpose room, cafeteria, playground and staff parking lot, enhance the Spanish revival style architecture originally designed by William Weeks, who also designed McKinley Elementary School and Burlingame High School.

The school is ready for its entering group of 170 students in grades K-4. (Fifth grade will be added next year.) Lisa Booth, who had been the principal at Franklin School in Burlingame, will be the principal. The stage is set for high-tech learning with Chromebooks for classrooms, gathering spaces for small and large groups of students, and a beautiful library with a corner window seat.


Arroyo School Becomes 4-5 School

On August 22, 2016, San Carlos Superintendent Craig Baker welcomed the crowd of parents, trustees, city officials and community members at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the official opening of Arroyo School. "It has been a five-year journey that all began with a conversation about 21st century learning," he said. 

Marie Crawford, Arroyo's
Fifth-grade teacher Maggie Stewart stands before a flexible wall separating two classrooms at Arroyo School.
principal, who had been assistant principal at Central Middle School, explained that the school, which will serve students in grades 4-5,  is based on the principles of the Five C's--community, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and citizenship.

One area of the school is brand new, with four classrooms and a "learning commons,"-- an open, airy gathering space with comfortable couches. This building connects with an older building that has been refurbished. The campus includes a community garden, playground and a maker space.

The school, which will initially serve 340 fourth and fifth graders, is designed to meet their developmental needs. With a focus on collaboration, new classrooms have sliding glass doors to provide for groups and classes meeting together. In addition, breakout rooms are available for small group work. "Our teachers have all been trained in project-based learning and will work in teams. We want our kids to be well known and well connected," notes Crawford. 

 
Big Lift Inspiring Summers 
Celebration Draws A Crowd

On July 12, 2016, nearly 70 community leaders gathered at Thomas Edison Elementary School in Daly City to celebrate the inauguration of The Big Lift Inspiring Summers program (BLIS). Participants heard from several illustrious speakers on the importance of summer learning and then toured classrooms to see this learning in action.

At the celebration of the Big Lift Inspiring Summers Program, visitors toured classrooms and got to see the program in action.
Through BLIS, four communities including six school sites in San Mateo County--Thomas Edison Elementary and John F. Kennedy Elementary in the Jefferson Elementary District; El Granada Elementary in the Cabrillo Unified School District; Pescadero Elementary in the La Honda-Pescadero Unified District; and Martin Elementary and Spruce Elementary in the South San Francisco Unified District-- offered a free five-week full-day summer learning program for entering kindergartners and first-graders. 

The program, which served nearly 800 children in this its first year, was geared toward students who wouldn't ordinarily have the advantage of an enriching summer, and included a literacy focus and fun enrichment component.

The speakers at the event touched on the importance of getting a good start and closing the achievement gap. Summer learning, they noted, is crucial in preventing the summer learning loss commonly known as the "summer slide."

"Early education is important and the best investment we can make," noted Bernie Vidales, Superintendent of the Jefferson Elementary School District, in his remarks."We should all think back to our summers as kids and we would wish that we had had a summer program like this," added County Supervisor Carole Groom.

Giving a national perspective, Ron Fairchild, founding CEO of the National Summer Learning Association, commented that summer is the time of year when the achievement gap grows and where inequality in learning opportunities is the greatest.

"The Big Lift is about summoning the community will so all kids get the very best start," said County Superintendent Anne Campbell. "The children in this program are crucial to the well-being of the economy and life of San Mateo County, and they need to be as prepared as they can be to succeed in the future."

After hearing from speakers, guests visited classrooms and saw children reading books and discussing vocabulary and concepts with their teachers, and engaging in child-friendly yoga. "Stand like a mountain, now wriggle like a snake!" announced one teacher as children followed along, striking yoga poses.

The Inspiring Summers program was a combined effort of BELL, the San Mateo County Library and the Bay Area Discovery Museum.  BELL, a national evidence-based summer learning program, provided the morning portion of the day focusing on literacy instruction with fun, developmentally appropriate activities. The San Mateo County Library in partnership with the Bay Area Discovery Museum provided afternoon enrichment activities, including STEM focused projects, field trips and yoga.

Major funding for The Big Lift is provided by the Social Innovation Fund and the County of San Mateo.
 

 

 
 
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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