SCOE Spotlight, News & Updates from Solano County Office of Education- 4th Qtr 2019

SCOE Spotlight

Volume 1 Issue 2 4th Qtr, 2019

N E W S & U PDAT E S F R O M S O L AN O C O U N T Y O F F I C E O F E D U CAT I O N

Multi media Don’ t miss hyperli nks to video, applications , and more

Breakfast with Tony Thurmond

California Superintendent of Public Instruction Joins SCOE’s Education Forum Breakfast, pg. 10

Students Take Center Stage SCOE Celebrates Students Success with a Red Carpet Film Premiere, pgs. 4-5

IN THIS ISSUE: Connecting Students to Local Building & Construction Trades, pg. 3 This & That Student Gift Shop Redefines SCOE Microenterprises, pg. 3 SCOE Launches $1.7M Student Mental Health Initiative, pg. 6 FBI Data Helps Shape Solano County School Safety Symposium, pg. 7 Solano Youth Summit Inspires Future Leaders, pg. 8 Addressing Opportunity Gaps with Universal Design for Learning, pg. 12

SCOE Spotlight

Solano County Office of Education

In A Nutshell SCOE Provides • High-need special education services and transportation • District staff training, professional development, and technical assistance and support • Juvenile court and community school programs at Solano County Juvenile Detention facility and Golden Hills Education Centers • Student wellness, and early learning training for educators and community members • Workforce development/ college and career readiness, and student enrichment programs for Solano students

SUPERINTENDENT’S CORNER Welcome to the 4th Quarter issue of the SCOE Spotlight, Solano County Office of Education’s digital and print publication connecting our community to the essential services, opportunities, and support that SCOE provides to students and Solano school districts.

Fall seemed to whiz by, and here we are already wrapping up 2019. I am proud of the accomplishments of our SCOE teams in partnership with our community partners this quarter. As you will see in this issue, we stayed focused on our priority areas and created positive and meaningful impact on the educational experience for Solano students.

It remains an honor and privilege to serve you as your County Superintendent of Schools. I extend warm winter and holiday wishes to all Solano County families, educators and community members, and I look forward to continuing SCOE’s work in 2020, alongside our community partners. Together we will further a promising and fruitful future for our children and community.

Special thanks to Ray and Nena Posey of Ray’s Cycle in Vacaville for bringing Santa to SCOE’s TC McDaniel Center preschool.

Solano County Office of Education’s Priority Areas • High Quality Teaching and Learning Environments • Job Readiness & Skill Development

Lisette Estrella-Henderson Solano County Superintendent of Schools

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• Education Advocacy & Leadership • Equity & Enrichment for All Students • Student Safety & Wellness • Fiscal Stability for Solano School Districts

SCOE Spotlight

Partnering with Local Trades for Career Exploration In November, more than 200 students from Solano and Napa counties got firsthand looks at local building and construction trades. The students took a tour of training centers that included carpenter trade centers and sheet metal workers in Fairfield, plumbers and steamfitters in Vacaville, and iron workers in Benicia. Students were able to see state-of-the-art equipment used in different trades and ask questions directly to labor leaders and trainers.

The tour is an annual event sponsored by Solano County Office of Education in partnership with the Napa-Solano Central Labor Council, the North Bay Apprenticeship Coordinators Association, and the Napa-Solano Building Trades. SCOE provided transportation so that students could travel to trade centers. The unions involved were the Sheet Metal Workers Local 104, Carpenters Regional Training Center, Ironworkers Local 378, Heat and Frost Insulators Local 16, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 180, and Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 342.

The trade tour for students is a valuable community partnership that provides students with an opportunity to explore career options here in Solano County. The local apprenticeship program offers high school graduates free training using classroom instruction, on-the-job experience, and the ability to earn income while they are learning trade skills.

Community Partnerships

JOB RE ADINESS & SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Q4 2019

For more information, contact Bright Nichols-Stock, SCOE Coordinator of College & Career Readiness, at bnichols-stock@solanocoe.net or call (707) 399-4806.

This & That Student Gift Shop at Vacaville’s Mc Bride Center SCOE’s Adult Transition program aids in the development of young adults with special needs as they transition to adulthood. Our microenterprises program helps students create products that lead to entrepreneurial opportunities and experiences. Through entrepreneurship education, our young people learn organizational skills, time management, leadership, interpersonal skills, and point of sale experience, which are highly transferable skills sought by employers. The program seeks to prepare young people to be responsible and independent by immersing them in real life learning experiences where they can integrate seamlessly into our community.

This winter, SCOE’s teachers, paraeducators and students began selling handmade gifts for the holidays. SCOE and the City of Vacaville partnered to house the This & That Gift Shop in the McBride Center as a pop-up holiday business.

The gift shop grew so popular, that KCRA3 and My58 news featured the store and the students, prompting record sales for the gift shop. Our staff and students have furthered their connection within our community through the microenterprise projects.

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Solano County Office of Education

Community Partnerships

SCOE Spotlight

Short Film P R E M I

JOB RE ADINESS & SKILL DEVELOPMENT

RED CARPET

E R E

In partnership with North Bay Regional Center, SCOE hosted Inclusion Films’ summer film camp. Founded by veteran filmmaker Joey Travolta, Inclusion Films’ short film camps teach teens and young adults with developmental disabilities the principles of filmmaking. Within the two-week sessions, campers developed, a script, act, and shoot their film with professional support and equipment. The program encourages communication, confidence, collaboration, and independence through acting and digital filmmaking.

To celebrate the success of our young filmmakers, SCOE hosted a red-carpet film premiere at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theater.

The day started with a kickoff breakfast and live broadcasts from Good Day Sacramento. Then the students were whisked off for hair, makeup, and to don gowns or tuxedos, much of which was donated by Solano County businesses. Finally, limousine buses carried students to the red carpet, where 500 family and friends were waiting to cheer their entrance.

The much-anticipated film, The Bizarre Zone, played on the theater screen. The film featured all fifty-eight students, behind the scenes footage, and the short films that the students created at camp. The evening was a magical experience for our young adults and their families. Moreover, film camp and the film premiere gave students an outlet for creativity, friendship, independence, and also recognized them as invaluable members of our Solano Community.

SPECIAL THANKS T O O U R PA R T N E R S

TO OUR DONORS

Futures Explored, Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District– WorkAbility I

Soroptimist International- Vacaville & Twilight Clubs, On Stage Vacaville, Dutch Bros

Vallejo City Unified School District – EmployAbility

Coffee- Fairfield, NorthBay Healthcare- Fairfield, Straight or Knot- Fairfield, Savers Thrift Superstore- Vacaville, Men’s Wearhouse,- Fairfield , Five Star Limo- Vacaville

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SCOE Spotlight

Q4 2019

Community Partnerships

The

Bizarre Zone

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SCOE Spotlight

Solano County Office of Education

Community Partnerships

SAFET Y & WELLNESS

Five New Student Wellness Centers SCOE Spearheads $1.7M Student Mental Health Initiative Educators and community leaders know that mental health can create significant barriers to effective learning. In order to better support student safety and learning, SCOE has applied for, and received, three grants totalling $1,763,530 to support the establishment of school-based wellness centers across Solano County.

Grants awarded to SCOE include $509,378 from the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant issued by the California Department of Education, and a grant from Solano County Behavioral Health (SCBH) totaling $954,152. These funds are earmarked to support school districts in opening and sustaining centers, and to open twenty-five wellness centers throughout Solano County.

Additionally, SCOE received a $300,000 Health Systems Development Grant (HSG) from the County Medical Services Program (CMSP). The focus of this grant will be to establish wellness centers in adult education schools and continuation high schools that have adult education programs. Adult program wellness centers will strive to strengthen and expand access to healthcare, and coordinate care provision within Solano County.

In 2019, SCOE put the grant funding to work and assisted with opening five school-based wellness centers in Solano County, the first being Golden Hills Education Center in Fairfield. Dixon Unifed opened centers for students at Tremont, Gretchen Higgins, and Anderson Elementary schools. Vallejo Regional Education Center also opened a wellness center connecting adults to wellness resources.

These centers are part of a pilot program to pave the way for twenty more centers planned across Solano County.

The new wellness centers will provide welcoming places for students to de-stress, practice coping strategies, and face challenges that impact their ability to learn and thrive.

School-based wellness centers can also create opportunities to destigmatize mental health, foster open dialogue with students around issues like suicide prevention or bullying, and teach coping strategies that build resilience and help students manage stress before negative behaviors or violence occur. We are excited about the potential for the centers, and grateful for the funding and community partnerships that have made them possible.

For additional information contact Nicola Parr, SCOE Director of Student and Program Support, at NParr@SolanoCOE.net.

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SCOE Spotlight

OPERATION RECOGNITION Granting retroactive high school diplomas to our honored veterans.

Who is eligible?

Community Partnerships

M a r c h 5 th, 2 0 2 0

Q4 2019

• Individuals who served in the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War, or Vietnam War and were honorably discharged.

• Japanese-American citizens who left high school due to internment in World War II relocation camps.

• All recipients must have been enrolled in a high school prior to enlistment in military service or internment in a World War II relocation camp.

• Families may apply for an Operation Recognition diploma on behalf of an eligible person who is deceased.

APPLY HERE SAFET Y & WELLNESS

Coming Together for the Solano School Safety Symposium Police and FBI Data Helps Shape the Discussion This fall, Solano County Office of Eduaction partnered with other Solano County agencies including the District Attorney Office, Sheriff’s Office, Probation, and Health & Social Services to collaborate on school safety.

The group also partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and the Vacaville Police Department to bring data, research, science, and systems to Solano school districts through the Solano County School Safety Symposium.

More than 300 attendees from local school site teams, law enforcement, and public safety agencies attended the event held at Sunrise Event Center in Vacaville. The focus of the Symposium was to help schools and school resource officers apply strategies and data to assess threats and prevent school violence. Discussions were geared toward building our capacity as a community to understand behaviors, identify threats, and implement interventions and supports for students.

The Symposium was a great step in continuing our efforts to support students and keep our schools safe. This collaborative work will continue in Spring of 2020 with a Solano County School Safety Symposium for parents and guardians. We are grateful for the overwhelming community support for school safety and the great work each agency is doing to support students.

Solano County Health& Social Services

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SCOE Spotlight

Solano County Office of Education

Community Partnerships

EQUIT Y & ENRICHMENT

Solano Youth Summit Inspires Future Leaders Solano Teens Study Distracted Driving In October, SCOE’s Friday Night Live teams participated in “Road Watch”, a one-hour state-wide data collection event to assess driving behaviors near schools and other youth-centric locations during a high-traffic time.

FNL chapters everywhere counted the number of distractions observed in an identified intersection, and reported the data to the California Friday Night Live Partnership (CFNLP) for analysis, to develop a snapshot of distracted driving behaviors in California.

Road Watch is a great way to engage young people in a data collection process and show the value of doing assessment to understand and address an issue.

Boys & Men of Color Conference Students from our Golden Hills Vacaville and Fairfield campuses recently took a field trip to the 8th Annual Boys and Men of Color Student Conference at Sacramento State.

The purpose of the full day summit was to focus on galvanizing community power and inspiring youth action to create system change. By mobilizing young people and inspiring dialogue between youth activists and local leaders, the summit addresses issues related to improving health, safety, and educational outcomes for Boys and Men of Color in our area. This was an amazing day for staff and students, and we look forward to continuing the important dialogue around these issues with our students.

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Solano County Office of Education recently co-sponsored the Solano Youth Development Summit, held in Pollock Pines, California. The three-day conference for students provided a forum for youth to express their views on various issues while participating in activities to build alliances among diverse groups and improve communication between youth and adults.

Through various workshops and general sessions, participants learned ways to create positive change in their communities and engage their peers to become actively involved. Some of the topics featured at the summit included: tobacco use/vaping awareness education, alcohol and other drug prevention education, mental health and stress management, violence prevention education, health and nutrition, successful project planning, financial planning, developing/applying for grants

for youth organizations, public speaking, and team building.

Solano youth were involved in all aspects of the summit including planning, presenting, and documenting.

These experiences will carry over into other leadership roles our young people endeavor to create.

The Youth Development Summit was made possible through a partnership formed by Solano County Office of Education’s Youth Development Department with the Solano Youth Coalition, Solano County Public Health, Fighting Back Partnership, Kaiser Permanente, Vacaville Police Department’s REACH Coalition, the Solano Family Justice Center, Solano Community College, Travis Credit Union, Timeline Media Productions, Buckingham Charter School Film Department, and Solano Youth Voices.

View

SCOE Spotlight

Numerous studies and surveys have noted that computing, science, engineering, and mathematics (C-STEM) fields have remained predominantly male with low participation among women. To address this gap, SCOE is gearing up to host more Girls In Robotics Leadership (GIRL) camps this summer for Solano girls. GIRL camps focus on motivating young women to learn computing and STEM concepts through a fun and exciting robotics and Arduino based curriculum. GIRL campers learn robotics, develop code, invent products, and explore college and career paths with female mentors from within C-STEM fields. With help from donors, SCOE was able to bring this free opportunity to more than 80 girls last year, and we are hoping to continue this widespread opportunity in 2020.

Special thanks to Soroptimist International Central Solano Club for sponsoring GIRL Camp 2020.

Organizations interested in sponsoring GIRL Camp can contact Lilibeth Pinpin, Director of Innovative Programs and Student Success, at lpinpin@solanocoe.net or (707) 399-4439.

Grants

Community Partnerships

Gearing Up for Girls In Robotics

Q4 2019

EQUIT Y & ENRICHMENT

Cultivating Visual & Performing Arts William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has authorized a grant, in the amount of $96,000, to SCOE for visual and performing arts. This grant will enable SCOE’s Educational Services Department to support planning, engagement, and arts education for teachers throughout Solano County. The grant will also help provide professional learning for staff within SCOE and local school districts. We are looking forward to continuing to expand our work and impact for students and staff related to visual and performing arts in Solano County.

Mental Health Support for Students Solano County Office of Education was recently awarded $15,000 by Kaiser Permanente in support of SCOE’s school-based wellness center initiative.

The funding will support two Master Social Workers or Marriage and Family Therapists who will intern for SCOE. The interns will provide mental health support to schools with wellness centers, co-facilitating therapeutic support groups for students addressing grief and loss, trauma, girls empowerment, anger management, and more.

We are so grateful for our partnership with Kaiser Permanente!

Connecting Students to Coding Applications Coding is everywhere in the modern world, and students at Golden Hills Education Centers in Fairfield and Vacaville are getting glimpses at the power behind coding. Weekly robotics classes in the maker spaces at both campuses are giving students hands-on exposure to coding, robotics, and engineering concepts through engaging lessons and projects. Students are using EV3 and Mindstorm® technologies to learn graphic programming language and engineering concepts. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts are also combined in the program.

Students learn real-life skills aimed to help to them succeed in a technology-based job market. The basic understanding of coding, which is essentially building with digital blocks, gives students an understanding of the applications of coding, its relevance, and the opportunities available to them in a wide variety of careers.

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Job Readiness & Skill Development

SCOE Spotlight

Solano County Office of Education

SCOE’s 3rd Annual State of Education Breakfast Forum

State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond

FULL STEAM AHEAD Preparing Solano students for the workforce of 2020

SCOE’s third annual Solano State of Education Breakfast forum was the largest ever, with fifty-one elected officials in attendance alongside Solano business leaders and educators. The annual forum brings school district superintendents and Solano leaders together to briefly share about developments happening for students in Solano County.

The forum is an opportunity to make community connections to further our opportunities, partnerships, and collaborations for students. This year’s theme was about preparing our young people for the workforce of 2020 with science, technology, engineering, arts, agriculture and medical science (STEAM). Each Solano school district touched on one aspect of STEAM, sharing their innovative programs with the community through a series of videos produced by SCOE in partnership with each district.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond joined us as a keynote speaker. He expressed the importance of continuing our work to close the opportunity gaps and address mental health for all students and staff. Superintendent Thurmond also talked about the lack of funding for education in California.

STEAM in Solano Video Series

Science Vacaville Unified School District

Technology Vallejo City Unified School District

Engineering Travis Unified School District

Arts Fairfield-Suisun Unified School Dist.

Medical Arts Benicia Unified School District

Agricultural Arts Dixon Unified School District

We appreciate the participation of our school districts as well as our business leaders and elected officials in these important community updates. We also extend our thanks to Travis Credit Union and Brandman University for their sponsorships of this year’s event.

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SCOE Spotlight

Q4 2019

Preparing the Local Work Force

Time Management Resume Writing Job Search & Applications Cover Letters Social Media Content Work Ethic Customer Service Teamwork Appropriate Dress Interview Techniques Mock Interviews The Work-Ready Certificate program is coordinated by the Solano County Office of Education and is presented in school districts throughout Solano County.

Employers interested in partnering with SCOE’s Work-Reday Certificate Program can contact Kim Lane, Work-Based Learning Specialist, at klane@solanocoe.net or (707) 399-4801.

Job Readiness & Skill Development

The Work-Ready Certificate Program for students is a three week workshop providing over twenty hours of work related instruction and support. The program helps students locate job opportunities, learn interview skills, and develop a resume. Workshop topics include:

Workforce Development connect2careers Guide In 2019, SCOE developed and released the connect2careers Guide, providing educators, business owners, and parents with tools and resources to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s careers.

View the Guide

Solano County Office of Education partners with various local and state resources to assist students with intellectual and/or physical disabilities in developing work and life skills that fit each individual’s unique needs and abilities.

Workforce development includes experience for students in businesses across Solano County. The program creates win-win partnerships between SCOE, our young people, and the businesses involved.

Local businesses can help young adults develop job experience, work skills and independence. Contact Susan Labrecque, Director of Resource Development and Transition Services, at slabrecque@solanocoe.net or (707) 399-4830 for more information.

Career Technical Education (CTE) Programs at SCC See what CTE opportunities await students at Solano Community College in this video.

Workforce Development program VIDEO Solano County Office of Education

Career Technical Education (CTE) Solano Community College 11

Education Advocacy & Leadership

SCOE Spotlight

Solano County Office of Education

Focus on Early Learning Solano County Office of Education is the lead agency for Quality Counts Solano. Quality Counts is a system-wide collaborative approach across multiple agencies that enhances the quality of early learning programs. Areas of focus include: improved learning environments, high quality teacher-child interactions, support of social-emotional growth for children, and other developmentally appropriate practices.

Recently, we partnered with First 5 Solano, Child Start, Inc., and Community Resources for Children of Napa to offer a series of comprehensive professional development on the California Collaborative on Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CA CSEFEL) Teaching Pyramid Framework.

The Teaching Pyramid approach provides a systematic framework that promotes social and emotional development, provides support for appropriate child behavior, prevents challenging behavior, and addresses problematic behavior. The intention of the training is to implement the Pyramid practices in early learning programs with leadership and teaching teams. In addition to the trainings, leaders of early learning programs (directors, family advocates, and family childcare owners) meet throughout the year to focus on program-wide policies and procedures related to the Teaching Pyramid.

Teaching teams (teachers and teacher assistants) also receive follow up coaching support to help implement strategies learned in each module training.

This program year, over 150 early learning and care professionals are participating in this professional development opportunity organized by the Solano County Office of Education Early Learning Team in collaboration with our community partners. By supporting children early in their learning, students will be able to build strong foundations to build their K-12 learning upon.

Early Childhood Education Conference Solano County Office of Education is active in advocating for highquality preschool instruction, as well as early intervention and prevention for Solano County children 0-5 years of age.

To that end, SCOE organized this year’s region-wide Early Childhood Education (ECE) Conference held at Solano Community College. The theme of the conference was “Learning to Play, Playing to Learn.”

Almost 200 early learning professionals from across the region attended, including teachers and administrators from preschools, child care centers, transitional kindergarten programs, and family child care homes.

The conference featured keynote speaker Barb O’Neill with a lecture titled, “What if You Loved Challenging Behavior?” The conference also featured twenty-one breakout sessions on relevant topics like the importance of play, language and literacy, personnel and business practices for directors, mindfulness and resilience, inclusion, and quality early learning environments.

This conference continues to grow, and we look forward to new ideas and collaborations for next year’s conference. Thank you to SCOE’s early learning partners including First 5 Solano, Solano Family & Children’s Services, Child Start Inc., and Solano Community College.

Partnerships matter and are making a positive difference for Solano County kids!

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SCOE Spotlight

SCOE has developed trainings designed to support districts and teachers in adopting Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies aimed at making learning accessible to every student. UDL is designed to break down barriers to learning for all students by fostering equity.

What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?

UDL is an educational framework based on decades of research in neuroscience and endorsed by all the California State Curriculum Frameworks and the Every Student Succeeds Act. UDL is considered a best practice for teaching all students in an inclusive learning environment. UDL brings joy to teaching and learning by developing students who are expert learners.

How Do Teachers Apply UDL? • Start by embracing learner variability.

There is no such thing as the “average” student. Every student has different strengths and weaknesses.

• Get to know your students, their interests, strengths, and challenges.

• Proactively remove barriers to learning in your lesson design.

• Provide engaging options for students to express what they know.

• Be a facilitator, proactively removing barriers to learning by providing students options and choices that empower them to take control of their own learning

SCOE Program Manager for English Language Development Curriculum and Instruction, Amy Robinson, recently led a training with enthusiastic teachers from Travis Unified School District on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) instructional strategies.

Principles of UDL

Upcoming SCOE Professional Learning Workshops Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching & Supporting Kids January 9, 2020 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM at SCOE Main Office

Multiple means of Engagement: The “why” of learning • Allow students to make choices so they remain invested and engaged • Design activities with authentic learning outcomes • Provide varying levels of challenge Multiple means of Representation: The “what” of learning • Provide visual, auditory, and digital materials for each lesson • Provide scaffolds to support students with reading materials • Offer visuals like charts, pictures, movies, audio clips, and resources students can touch and manipulate Multiple means of Action and Expression: The “how” of learning • Allow students to use technology, resources, and tools to express knowledge, such as speech recognition software, dictionaries, graphic organizers, calculators, exemplars etc.

• Give students choices in how they express what they know • Provide feedback while students work Ask questions about creating flexible and inclusive instruction at EdServices@solanocoe.net or (707) 399-4435.

Youth Mental Health First Aid January 23, 2020 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM at SCOE Main Office Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) January 28 & 29, 2020 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM at SCOE Main Office Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Workshop February 25 & 26, 2020 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM More information available at (707) 399-4409.

Solano County Office of Education - 5100 Business Center Drive, Fairfield, CA 94534 - (707) 399-4400 - www.solanocoe.net

For Educators

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Q4 2019

In California, all kids count.

Children should be included on your 2020 Census form—and not just children related to you, but any kids that live at your address. That means your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and the children of any friends or relatives staying with you. Babies count, too! Even if they’re still in the hospital, as long as they were born on or before April 1, 2020, make sure the person completing the Census for your address includes them on the form.

For more information about the 2020 Census, visit 2020Census.gov. | #2020Census #CaliforniaForAll