National School Counseling Week is February 5 - 9, 2024. This Week highlights the unique contribution of school counselors within our schools and the tremendous role they play in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. Please, take a moment to thank your school counselor(s).

Sessions are framed by the four Principles of the English Learner Roadmap policy and focus primarily on deepening knowledge about and implementing quality teaching and learning practices for EL students. The Strand will feature guidance provided in key CDE resources.

Audience: EL Leaders, Secondary Teachers & Teacher Leaders in all Content Areas 

Location: Virtual

Dates: 2/5, 3/4, 4/15

Time: 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. 

Cost: Free

Registration

CPIN – California Preschool Instructional Network   

CPIN invites you to attend our FREE regional professional development sessions for PK/TK teachers, IAs, home based providers and others in the early learning field – virtually and in person.    

Topic: Mathematics – Number Sense in Spanish 3 Part Series   

Audience: PK and TK teachers, assistants, administrators, coaches, family day care providers and other early learning professionals.  

Date(s): February 20, February 21, and March 6

Time: 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.  

Location: Virtual    

Cost: Free   

Registration   

Topic: VPA – Visual and Performing Arts: Dance, in Spanish   

Audience: PK and TK teachers, assistants, administrators, coaches, family day care providers and other early learning.  

Date: February 29

Time: 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.  

Location:  Virtual    

Cost: Free   

Registration

Topic: Building Bridges for Supporting Children Experiencing Homelessness 

Audience: Early Childhood Administrators, Program Directors, TK, and Early Learning Programs/Providers  

Date:  March 22

Time: 8:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. 

Location: Pleasant Hill Senior Center, Pleasant Hill 

Cost: Free 

Registration

*Participants need a Workforce Registry (WFR) Number to enroll in these sessions. More information about the WFR can be found at caregistry.org.   

California Dyslexia Initiative Online Resources

The California Dyslexia Initiative presents a free, statewide professional learning bundle for California educators offered in partnership with the Sacramento County Office of Education and Glean Education. This professional learning opportunity is focused on building awareness and capacity to support struggling readers and students at risk for or with dyslexia throughout the state.

On-Demand Dyslexia Online Course Bundle: This three-part online course covers the topics of understanding dyslexia and dysgraphia, intensifying instruction for struggling readers, and serving students with dyslexia for school psychologists.

Audience: Educators K-12 

Date: Participants have until October 1, 2024, to complete

Location: Virtual

Cost: Free 

Registration

Dyslexia Training Series: In collaboration with the CDE Diagnostic Center Northern California, the California Dyslexia Initiative presents a three-part webinar series covering topics such as screening, assessments, and intervention to support struggling readers and students with dyslexia.

Audience: Educators K-12 

Date: December 14, January 18, and February 15, 2024

Location: Virtual

Cost: Free 

Registration

Adult Wellness and Care - Early Education Teacher Development

Join us for a 3-part series, focused on trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences scores (ACEs). This series will help you build your classroom to be trauma informed and will also highlight the importance of adult wellness and self-care.

Audience: PK, TK and Kindergarten Teachers 

When: February 5

Time: 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Cost: Free 

Registration

(Please note that the date was originally January 23)

Hands On Computing

This interactive workshop provides a hands on experience to learn how you can utilize hands on computing through plugged and unplugged activities for culturally sustaining and engaging learning for all students in ALL content areas! 

Location: In-person or virtual

Date: February 6

Time: 3:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

Audience: K-8 Educators 

Cost: FREE 

Registration

Fertile Ground – California Dance Education Association 

This The 2024 statewide conference serves as a platform for mentorship, allowing seasoned professionals to guide and inspire the next generation of dance educators. The goal is to create a supportive environment where educators can share their knowledge, experiences, and resources to enhance their teaching practices. 

Audience: Dance educators K-12 

Date: February 9-10

Location: Cal State East Bay Hayward 

Cost: $95 

Registration

Recentering CA ELA/ELD Framework Webinar Series 

This series is designed for educators who want to learn more about California’s recommended literacy policies and practices, as well as why the ELA/ELD Framework is as relevant today as it was in 2014, how it is organized what it offers, how it can be used, and how it supports Superintendent Thurmond's Literacy Campaign of "Reading by Third Grade and Beyond."

Audience: Educators and Administrators 

Location: Virtual

Date(s): February 13; March 12; April 9; May 14 

Time: 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. 

Cost: Free 

Registration

Resources & Recordings  

Contra Crisis Center Suicide Prevention Training

A brief overview on suicide prevention in which participants will learn how to compassionately discuss and how to help someone who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Audience: School staff, students, parents, and community partners

Location: Virtual

Date: February 20

Time: 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

Registration

Arts, Media and Entertainment (AME) Pop-up Institute 

The goal at the AME Institute is to strengthen the pipeline from public education to the creative industries, ensuring that all students, and particularly those furthest from opportunity, get access to the high-wage creative industry jobs of today and tomorrow. 

Audience: K-12 Educators and Administrators 

Location: San Francisco, various locations 

Date: February 23 

Cost: $150 

Registration

Revisiting the CA ELD Standards Webinar Series 

A webinar series hosted by CDE Multilingual Support

Division, in collaboration with Region 15 Comprehensive Center

Audience: Educators and Administrators 

When: Wednesdays 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. 

Location: Webinar

Date: February 28; March 20; April 24; May 22 

Cost: Free 

Registration

Parent Liaison Collaborative:

CCCOE's WISP is launching a Parent Liaison Collaborative for the 2023-2024 school year. The goal is to establish a nurturing network for parent liaisons across all Contra Costa County school districts, focusing on improving mental health communication between parents and schools. This collaborative is for school partners who support caregivers and families.

Audience: Educators and Support Staff

Date: February 28

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Location: In-person or Virtual

Registration

Mixed Media Portraits Art PD 

Learn about the California Arts Framework and experience a model lesson titled "Mixed Media Portraits."   

Audience: 4th, 5th, and Art teachers 

When: February 29

Time: 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. 

Where: Shadelands Art Center, 111 Wiget Lane, Walnut Creek, CA 

Cost: Free 

Registration

20th Annual Young Children’s Issues Forum 

Advocacy to Advance Equity for All Children 

When: March 2 

Where: Senior Center 233 Gregory Rd., Pleasant Hill  

Audience: PK – Adult, Families, Community Members 

Cost: Free 

Registration

2024 CDE California All Titles Conference

Early registration is now open for the 2024 CDE California All Titles Conference, “Serving the Whole Child Through School Transformation." Join us for two days of informative workshops, inspiring keynote speakers, and networking opportunities with your colleagues at the CDE and in the field. Participants will learn and engage with promising practices, practical strategies, and innovative ideas ranging from program support, accountability, and professional development to supporting equitable learning experiences for all students. Advance registration is required, and space is limited.

Date: March 6-7

Location: Los Angeles

Cost: $700+

Registration

Suicide Prevention and LGBTQ+ Ally Trainings

CCCOE's WISP is offering two nationally recognized trainings from The Trevor Project, the world's largest suicide prevention and mental health organization for LGBTQI+ young people.

The CARE Training:

The Connect, Accept, Respond Empower Training provides adults with an overview of suicide among LGBTQ+ youth and the different environmental stressors that contribute to their heightened risk for suicide.

The Ally Training:

Designed to create dialogue around being an adult ally for LGBTQ+ youth by informing participants about common terminology, the "coming out" process and challenges at home, in school, and in the community.

Audience: Teachers and support staff

Date: March 19

Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Location: Virtual or In-person

Registration

Forestry Institute for Teachers (FIT) Summer Sessions  FIT provides forest-based training in environmental literacy with award-winning environmental education curriculum that support and enhance the Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core State Standards, Career and Technical Education Standards, and STEAM-based instruction. 

Audience: PK-12 Educators 

Date: June 16 - July 20 (multiple sessions)

Cost: $300 stipend upon completion 

Registration 

CCLA Mathematics Community of Practice

Collaborate on practical ways to integrate learning acceleration approaches to support student success! The Mathematics Community of Practice (CoP) is a space for learning and collaboration. Together, we will leverage the expertise of each other to gain knowledge and deepen understanding of learning acceleration in mathematics utilizing evidence-based practices and the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP). 

Audience: TK-12 Educators 

Location: Virtual  

Date(s): 5 sessions, August 2023 - April 2024, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.

Cost: FREE 

Registration

Flyer 

CCLA Hybrid Summit

This summit an inclusive space for educators to gain knowledge and deepen understanding of learning acceleration to reinvigorate classroom instruction to improve student outcomes.

Join us to:

• Create accelerated learning opportunities that are engaging, culturally relevant, and personalized to build student agency.
• Utilize effective formative assessment strategies to know where your students are and where they are going.
• Design transformative experiences that value and elevate moments with students

Audience: All Educators 

Location: Santa Clara County Office of Education/Virtual

Date: Saturday, March 16, 2024

Time: 8:30 – 2:30 p.m. 

Cost: $60 In Person/ $25 Virtual 

Registration

Flyer

CCLA Online Courses for Learning Acceleration

The California Collaborative for Learning Acceleration (CCLA) offers access to free self-paced courses that provide evidence-based strategies to boost learning acceleration in the classroom. 

Available Online Courses: Learning Acceleration Introduction Course: This course provides an understanding of what learning acceleration is and why it is needed. It introduces the five components of CCLA: mastery of priority content, evidence-based strategies, Universal Design for Learning, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and social-emotional learning practices. Online Content Courses: These courses support evidence-based strategies to accelerate learning in math, literacy, and language development.

Audience: All TK – 12 educators 

Location: Virtual

Cost: FREE 

Date: Asynchronous Online Courses

Website & Online Course Access 

CCLA Literacy Community of Practice:

The intent of this Community of Practice (CoP) is to leverage the expertise of others, to gain knowledge and deepen understanding of learning acceleration in foundational literacy skills and reading comprehension utilizing evidence-based practices and elements of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP). 

Audience: TK-12 Educators   

Location: Virtual

Date(s): 5 sessions, September 2023 - May 2024, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.

Cost: FREE

Registration & Flyer 

EV Chargers Coming to 15 Library Locations 

Contra Costa County received $15 million in funding from the US Department of Transportation to install EV Chargers at 15 county library locations. The DOTs Community Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program seeks to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in the places where people live and work. The County’s “EV 4 All” program will install Electric Vehicle Supplying Equipment (EVSE) at 15 equitably distributed county library sites located within 14 different cities, towns, and census-designated areas. The county libraries were chosen for this grant because they are active centers of their communities often near many services including retail, recreation, and city and/or county government offices. The library locations will provide convenient access to EV charging for residents across the county including in several low-income and disadvantaged communities. The county’s grant award is one of 47 in 22 states totaling $623 million announced by the Biden-Harris Administration. 

A New Digital Checkout Milestone

The Library reached another new milestone in 2023 with patrons checking out more than 1.9 million digital books, audiobooks, and magazines. Contra Costa County Library is number 50 of all standalone public libraries and one of 152 public library systems worldwide that surpassed one million digital checkouts in the last calendar year. In response to the increase in digital checkouts since the pandemic, the Library doubled its digital collection budget for 2023-24 and expects numbers of digital checkouts will continue to go up in the coming years.

Black Children's Book Week

Celebrated beginning on the last Sunday in February each year, Black Children’s Book Week is a global celebration of Black children and the people who ensure Black children are represented in books and other children’s media. Check out five books by Black authors and/or illustrators as part of the checkout challenge and earn a chance to win a prize.

Kindergarten Countdown

The Library is distributing Kindergarten Countdown activity kits to help prepare young children for school. Kits are available for children ages 4-6, while supplies last and will be available at most library locations beginning on February 7. The kits include tools to help children practice early literacy skills like talking, reading, singing, writing, playing, fine motor skills, and self-help. Recorded Zoom events in English and Spanish are available to supplement the learning materials and provide helpful tips. Contact your local library or visit ccclib.org/kindergarten-countdown for more information.

Pop-Up Prom Shop - Donations Needed

Donation Drop-off During Open Hours through March 20 - Concord Library

Do you have an old prom dress or bridesmaid dress collecting dust in your closet? Bring it to the Concord Library and donate it to the one-of-a-kind Pop-Up Prom Shop. Donations are needed for gently used dresses, suits, accessories, and other formal wear between January 12 – March 20. All sizes are needed, and clothing should be free of holes or stains. This spring, teens between the ages of 13-18 will be invited to find the perfect outfit for prom. 

More Info

For more information on all Contra Costa County Library programs, resources and events, visit ccclib.org.

California Grant Portal

The California State Library has launched a new website that streamlines all available state agency grants for education, small businesses, nonprofits, individuals, tribal governments, and more!

Grant Opportunity for High Schools: Peer-to-Peer Youth Mental Health High School Pilot Demonstration

The High School Peer-to-Peer Demonstration Pilot is a school-based youth-driven mental health grant opportunity with CCCOE's Wellness in Schools Plan (WISP) in partnership with the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). The project is a direct recommendation from The Hope, Healing and Health Collective (H3C).

The Children’s Partnership is committed to a collaborative partnership with the eight high school grantees, desiring to identify best practices for peer-to-peer programs that can be implemented statewide and serve as a model for national efforts.

California high schools are invited to apply here!

Download a PDF of the RFA

The application deadline is Friday, March 22, at 11:59 p.m. (PST).

Stipend Opportunity for Mental Wellness Club Advisors: School Mental Wellness Club Support

CCCOE's WISP has partnered with Bring Change to Mind, a national organization that empowers student to have conversations around mental health and create a culture of peer support within their schools. Through partnership, the goal is to help support mental health clubs in middle and high school across the county.

Training will include mentorship and funding to the mental wellness clubs, as well as access to online tools and materials. To learn more about this opportunity, please reach out to WISP Liaison Mary Lucido.

More Details

New CDE STEAM Learning Podcast

Listen today to a new and exciting podcast related to science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM). A collaboration from CDE and the CDE Foundation, The STEAM Learning Podcast allows listeners to explore innovative practices, new resources, and practical solutions benefitting our students and educational communities and features fellow educators and technologists. In the first episode, CDE Computer Science Coordinator Katherine Goyette and Karyn Warner, Associate Director of STEAM Initiatives at the CDE Foundation, talk with Stephen Callahan about the impact of the FabLab, a 7,000-square-foot makerspace at the San Joaquin County Office of Education, on student learning. Start listening to The STEAM Learning Podcast now on Spotify.

Poetry Out Loud

CCCOE, in partnership with Contra Costa County, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation, is hosting a Poetry Out Loud regional competition on Saturday, February 10, 2024.  

Directing Change Program Student Film Contest

(Submission Deadline: March 1)

The CDE is pleased to support the annual Directing Change Program and Film Contest, which is sponsored by the California Mental Health Services Authority. This statewide program invites California students from grades six through twelve to create 60-second films about suicide prevention, mental health, and other health-related topics to support awareness, education, and advocacy. Film submissions are due by Friday, March 1, 2024. For more information, including resources to support your school’s prevention efforts and how to submit, visit the Directing Change website. Please contact Stan Collins, Directing Change Program Coordinator, at Stan@SuicideIsPreventable.org, with any questions.

CA Parks Adventure Pass 

State Parks is offering the California State Park Adventure Pass, which provides free entry for fourth graders and their families at 54 amazing state parks throughout the state. 

Audience: 4th graders and their families 

Date: All of 4th grade school year 

Cost: Free 

Registration

Educational Programming of edTV 

Looking for some additional quality Monday-Friday educational programming at home or in the classroom? Check out the latest edTV broadcasts.

edTV can be found in most of Contra Costa County on cable channels 32 (Comcast) or 99 (AT&T U-Verse). For info: Daily schedule can be found here.