Volume I | October 26, 2020

Please forward this newsletter to your teachers and colleagues.

Updates

VCOE Career Education

CA Department of Education

Please join our HQ CTE bi-monthly meetings to convene on all things CTE in Ventura County. Register now to join our HQ CTE Webinar on November 12 at 9 am. Our Community College partners will be joining us for a presentation on Vertical Alignment and Student Transitions to Community Colleges. Dr. Scott McNutt is our new K12 Pathway Coordinator and is here to serve districts with CTE programming. He may be contacted at smcnutt@vcoe.org The State Board of Education will review and approve 2020-2021 CTEIG Awards at their January SBE meeting. Note, this is a postponement from the original projected November meeting date. For LEA's awaiting more information on the new WBL Data to be reported in Cal-Pads, no new information is available since the Cal-Pads Update Flash #184 of July 27, 2020. We will keep you posted as more information becomes available.

Program Spotlight: STEMbassadors

The STEMbassador program at De Anza Academy of Technology and the Arts (DATA) in Ventura Unified School District is an exceptional CTE program. The STEMbassadors started as a group of students who went through the manufacturing program at DATA Middle School and then tried out for the STEMbassador program. With grant funding, these students build makerspace carts that contain a laptop, 3D printer, and CNC machine for teachers across campus to integrate with their curriculum. The STEMbassadors provide teacher training, troubleshooting, and any repairs needed on the equipment. Twenty-six teachers from three school districts in Ventura County already have been trained. That in itself is a terrific story of a dedicated and visionary teacher/advisor, Alex Wulff, and his talented and dynamic students.

Enter COVID-19 and the increased need for PPE. The STEMbassadors stepped up by making a significant contribution to the first responders and essential workers that keep our community thriving. At the height of the demand for PPE, Mr. Wulff and his current and former students rallied to use their equipment to manufacture over 20,000 face shields for nurses and doctors at local hospitals as well as for Ventura police and fire departments and local businesses. All of this work could not have been done without significant funding from a coalition of partners. Business partners for the STEMbassador’s work during COVID include ECA Medical, Scosche Industries, American Plastics, and Associated Pacific Machinery. Students had the opportunity to be part of real world problem solving, logistical planning, working in teams, and excelling in the face of fear and uncertainty, all the while being introduced to careers in manufacturing.

Industry Spotlight: Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the production of goods. Products manufactured in Ventura County include food, clothing, pharmaceuticals, aircraft parts, and electronic equipment. The design and build process is highly engaging and can be a lucrative and enjoyable industry in which to work. There are several outstanding project based manufacturing teachers and programs throughout Ventura County as well as a large number of manufacturing businesses in our region. Ventura College recently developed a Manufacturing Apprenticeship program.   Mike Bastine is the Advanced Manufacturing Regional Director for the South Central Coast Region. His primary role is to help foster K-14 manufacturing programs and align secondary and postsecondary levels with the needs of industry. Educators who are interested in finding out how Mr. Bastine might be able to assist your program may reach out to him at michael.bastine@canyons.edu.

Industry Fact: There are over 950 manufacturing businesses in Ventura County employing more than 25,000 people.

STEM Pipeline

This past spring VCOE and our Navy partners collaborated to connect FIRST Robotics teams throughout Ventura County with funding. If you missed out and are interested in starting a FIRST team and would like to be considered for funding, please complete this form. Due to a collaborative partnership, Navy funding is limited to FIRST activities. Registration information and the tentative timeline for FIRST Robotics scrimmages and tournaments are available at firstinspires.org. Events are slated to be held remotely this year. We have started initial planning for our annual Hackathon and Seaglide events. The Hackathon tentatively is scheduled for late January. Designed for all grade 9-12 students, it will encompass activities targeted for females in lieu of a separate June event. Both Hackathon and Seaglide are being designed to take place remotely. We are soliciting teachers interested in being on planning teams for either event. Teacher Joe Chacon is our point of contact for Hackathon and may be reached at jchacon@vcoe.org. Pathway Coordinator Scott McNutt is our point of contact for Seaglide and all additional inquiries and may be reached at smcnutt@vcoe.org. Please let us know the point of contact at your school site for all STEM and Robotics activities. Join our email list now. We strive to keep all teams informed about Robotics related items, whether your team be FIRST, VEX, or other. Enter your information here.