The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) continues updating its dedicated COVID-19 website with resources and materials to assist administrators, educators, and families. Some of the items are highlighted below.

Check the site regularly for new information, and share the link with your school community. Contact [email protected] with any questions or comments.

Teachers can get a head start with units of study written by SDCOE's content experts to supplement their core curriculum for the first eight to 10 weeks of the new school year. Over the summer, our curriculum and instruction team spent hundreds of hours pouring through state standards in all content areas for all grade levels and came up with essential learnings for students. Use them as a jump start and as a model for future planning.

We know there was learning loss over the spring, and teachers will have less time in face-to-face learning with students, so these K-12 units of study are integrated across content areas, rigorous, designed to accelerate learning in a short amount of time, and include social and emotional check-ins. Teachers can download the units, customize them, and upload them into their district's learning management system.

There are a lot of distance learning resources out there for teachers and parents, but here are a few that are created and curated by SDCOE.

As Zoom continues to be an essential part of the new learning environment, make sure you are skilled in how to take advantage of all its features. SDCOE has created a Zoom training playlist on its YouTube channel. Browse 11 different videos from beginning to advanced to hone your remote teaching skills.

The SDCOE COVID-19 website features additional resources, such as simple PDF guides to walk you through learning the basics of the platform.

Middle and high school students can check out a free virtual summit on suicide prevention. The LivingWorks Youth Summit from 1 to 2 p.m. Sept. 15 will raise awareness of the role suicide prevention training can play in schools and include performances and motivational speeches from singer Tate McRae and inspirational content creator Lavendaire, among others.

Learn more about the LivingWorks Youth Summit. A registration code for the free event will be released by the California Department of Education closer to the event date.

Earlier this year, San Diego County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Gothold joined California Department of Education State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, in partnership with LivingWorks, to announce the launch of a free online suicide prevention training program available to middle and high school staff and students throughout the state.

Through a partnership with DonorsChoose, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has set aside $250,000 of shareholder funding to match donations that help support local teachers with distance learning and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) projects.

Teacher STEM and distance learning projects of $1,000 or less at schools within SDG&E's service territory in San Diego County are eligible to receive matching funds from SDG&E on the DonorsChoose platform. In support of equity for schools in disadvantaged communities, SDG&E will provide a double match for eligible teacher projects at schools in disadvantaged communities as determined by CalEnviroScreen.

This is the third year of SDG&E's partnership with DonorsChoose to support teachers in the San Diego region. This year, the program has expanded to support teachers with new needs caused by the pandemic, such as supplies that can no longer be shared among students and equipment needed to enhance distance learning.

Download an informational flyer. Teachers can visit the DonorsChoose website to apply, and also view the matched projects at DonorsChoose.org/SDGE. The match program will run until funds are exhausted or through Dec. 31.

Teachers and school leaders are among the members of the public who have an opportunity to help shape rubrics focused on essential skills students need to be successful in work and school.

SDCOE, in collaboration with the San Diego Workforce Partnership, are developing draft rubrics and an informational poster to support student growth in the classroom as well as the workplace, helping to set clear expectations for instruction, internships, mentorships, project-based learning, and more.

The public is invited to provide feedback on the criteria listed in the draft rubric to ensure that the essential skills are captured in a meaningful way while also giving students clarity on what it means to have these skills. Review the rubrics and comment. The public comment period runs through Sept. 18.

NALEO Educational Fund has resources directed at educators and school administrators to help motivate Latino families to complete their census forms before the Sept. 30 deadline.

The ¡Hazme Contar! back-to-school toolkit focuses on the importance of counting all children in the household, and contains bilingual messaging and talking points, sample social media templates, and videos. Visit the NALEO webpage to learn more about this campaign. Click here to view and download the toolkit.

The U.S. Census Bureau has created a free educational program, Statistics in Schools (SIS), for use in every classroom from pre-K through 12th grade. SIS uses Census Bureau data to create activities, materials, and resources to enhance learning across a variety of subjects.

Fun Facts are student-friendly fact sheets that tie statistics from the census to holidays, anniversaries, and other observances. They can easily be used for learning at home by students in all grade levels and across different subjects. View and download the Back-to-School Fun Facts sheet and teaching guide. View all of the available Fun Facts sheets.

Faculty from the University of San Diego and Roger Williams University have collaborated to develop guides specifically for teachers and administrators about how to approach racial justice in the classroom and throughout the wider school community.

As a companion to the guidebooks, there are two free panel events for the K-12 school community. The Sept. 2 panel is for administrators and leaders, and the Sept. 5 panel is aimed at teachers. Click the panel links for more details, including links to register and to download the companion guidebooks. Contact Melissa Burgess with any questions.

Local educators can get free registration for the upcoming Go Virtual! Career Pathways Conference, which will offer opportunities to find new strategies for high-quality career-ready instruction in classes impacted by COVID-19.

The conference, hosted by SDCOE, will feature breakout sessions and keynote presentations from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 14 and 15. Registration is open now as is the call for presenters. The deadline for presenter submissions is Sept. 10. Contact Lydia Campos with any questions.

SDCOE's Outdoor Education department is creating a virtual learning space at the East County Regional Education Center to be able to conduct live, interactive, videoconferencing programs.

The department is gearing up to provide an engaging, alternative, instructional format of the Splash Science Lab, the Green Machine, and new programming. One- to four-hour block schedules will be offered to K to 8 classes throughout the county. The virtual learning option will mirror the content and level of engagement of the onsite programs. The new virtual programs will be available to be scheduled by early October.

Visit each program's webpage using the links above for sign-up information, coming soon! For questions, contact [email protected] or 858-290-5986.

The Burn Institute offers free fire and burn-prevention programs to students in grades K to 6. Fire Safe Kids is a 25-minute presentation currently being provided remotely and designed in a fun, interactive format to teach children about fire safety through video clips, music, and colorful illustrations.

Visit FireSafeKid.org for more information and to request a free virtual presentation for your class. More educational tools are also available at The Burn Institute website.

Junior Achievement can help your students build their financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness with a collection of self-guided, digital activity sheets that teach about fundamental economic principles. Educators can register here to access the resources site.

Also, teachers and students are invited to the Sept. 17 Virtual Lunch and Learn Speaker Series discussion with Claude Jones, senior director of software engineering at Walmart Labs. Open to students in grades 6-12. Visit the program page to register or to access previous series.

For questions or more information on these and other Junior Achievement programs, contact Jenni Preciado.

The East County Economic Development Council invites students, families, educators, and everyone interested in manufacturing to its 2020 Manufacturing Expo.

The Oct. 1 virtual event will take participants through an expo-hall experience and virtual scavenger hunt, with an opportunity to meet East County-based manufacturing companies, learn about what they do, attend business panels and resume building workshops, and explore career opportunities.

Visit the event registration page. For questions, contact [email protected].

Through the CA for All Listos California grant, the County of San Diego recently launched the Youth Emergency Readiness Ambassador (YERA) program to help spread emergency preparedness and public health safety information to hard-to-reach youth throughout the county.

Over the past month, 22 student youth ambassadors, ages 16 to 21, have worked in regional teams to develop outreach materials to share COVID-19 information and resources, general disaster and wildfire preparedness, Community Emergency Response Team programs, and Child Welfare Services resources.

The overall goal of the YERA program is to create a more resilient San Diego County by increasing the number of prepared, hard-to-reach youth in the county through age- and culturally-appropriate outreach carried about by their peers.

For more information on the YERA program, and to see what the regional youth groups have been producing as part of their outreach, visit readysandiego.org/get_involved/yera.html or email [email protected].

The Great Kindness Challenge is launching its second year of The Great Toy Giveaway, with help from The Toy Foundation. This program provides students the opportunity to put their compassion into action by being involved with distributing donated toys to children in need.

Two truckloads of toys are ready, and will be distributed as soon as it is safe. In the meantime, students are invited to write colorful notes of friendship that will be attached to each toy. With this personal touch, students everywhere can be part of this uplifting program to bring joy and comfort to children and families who need it the most. Visit this webpage to learn more. Notes must be mailed in by Sept. 30.

Kids for Peace invites students and their families to come together to share messages of love and hope while setting a record for the world’s longest paper-chain ever.

Once people are allowed to gather in groups, the chain will be assembled and officially measured for the Guinness World Record before it is cut into sections to display in hospitals, senior centers, libraries, and more. Visit the program page for details on the various ways to participate and step-by-step instructions for how to create the paper links. Submissions are due Jan. 5, 2021.

San Diego Family Magazine is helping parents navigate the back-to-school season with its September digital issue.

Find these helpful articles, and more:

Flip through the digital edition. More ideas and resources are available at sandiegofamily.com.

CHS Foundation and National Agriculture in the Classroom are offering grants of $500 to PreK-12 teachers to enhance student understanding of agriculture by incorporating agricultural lessons into the core curriculum. Funding is intended for materials necessary for projects related to agriculture, gardening, and other related topics. Teachers may propose creative classroom projects that use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and more. Because of COVID-19 school closures, grant applicants may apply for projects that use a virtual approach. Applications are due Sept. 15. Teachers have until next June to complete their project. Visit the grant webpage for more information.

Any full-time classroom teacher in San Diego County can apply. The program is designed to assist educators in funding innovative learning opportunities, including programs to support their students during distance learning. Ten grants of $500 each will be awarded in November. The application deadline is Oct. 2. Visit ccu.com/teachergrant for more details and to apply.

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) Magna Awards recognize school districts for programs that showcase exemplary school district leadership, creativity, and commitment to student achievement. Priority will be given to school districts that help underserved children succeed. The 2021 program will focus on equity in education and recognize district programs that remove barriers to achievement for vulnerable or underserved children. Three grand prize winners will showcase their winning programs at a special master class session during NSBA’s 2021 annual conference next April. All winning districts will be featured in the April issue of American School Board Journal. The application deadlines is Oct. 30. Visit the grant web page for more information.

High school students with an interest in art and graphic design are invited to participate in the San Diego County Registrar of Voters Vote Safer San Diego public service announcement project. The goal is to use artwork to inform the public on how to vote safer during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Nov. 3 general election. Students with selected submissions will get the unique opportunity to have their work professionally published and featured in county websites and social media channels. View the project details and guidelines. Final designs are due Sept. 9 by 5 p.m.

The California Special Districts Association is looking for high school students to create a short video highlighting the ways special districts make a difference in California. Five finalists can compete for a chance to win up to $2,000, and $500 will also be awarded to the teachers of the winners. The application deadline is Sept. 30. Visit the contest web page for full details.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) will award five scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,500 to rising students in grades 9-12 who submit an essay about the importance of ethics and integrity in the community. The application deadline is Oct. 2. Visit the BBB scholarships page for more information

Spread the word about free and low-cost resources and opportunities for teachers and students, especially during these uncertain times, by sharing What's Happening with your colleagues. You can send them this link to sign up to have it delivered straight to their inbox each month. They can also email [email protected] and ask to be added to the mailing list.

Have feedback on What's Happening? Email the San Diego County Office of Education Communications department: [email protected]

858-292-3500 | www.sdcoe.net

The mission of the San Diego County Office of Education is inspiring and leading innovation in education.