newsgallery Record-breaking 1,100 students attend Expanding Your Horizons event Hands-on STEM activities key to conference

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1 THE NEWSLETTER of THE TULARE COUNTY OFFICE of EDUCATION newsgallery Record-breaking 1,100 students attend Expanding Your Horizons event Hands-on STEM activities key to conference Sarah Godinho, a junior biology (upper photo) Sarah Godinho, a junior biology student at Fresno Pacific University, discussed the physiology of the heart with attendees at the annual Expanding Your Horizons conference. (lower photo) In the Let s Build a Whale session, students built a life-size, inflatable orca. major at Fresno Pacific University, had the challenging task of holding the attention of elementary and middle school girls at the annual Expanding Your Horizons Conference (EYH). Looking young enough to be the girls big sister, Sarah accomplished the challenge with an engaging discussion about the anatomy and physiology of the heart. At the conclusion of her presentation, entitled We Heart Cardiology, Sarah brought out several sheep hearts for the girls to inspect themselves. After first showing them the proper way to put on and take off medical gloves, she and the girls eagerly explored the hearts chambers, valves and vessels. On November 14, 1,100 girls attended the annual conference on the College of the Sequoias Visalia campus. Read more at tcoe.org/newsgallery. December January 2016

2 Students work alongside scientists on conservation and restoration projects Weekend offers real-world science lessons Over the weekend of November 14-15, 31 Tulare County high school students came to the Circle J-Norris Ranch to work alongside 12 teachers, scientists and Americorps volunteers on real-world conservation and restoration projects to benefit the program. Circle J-Norris Ranch is a 630-acre ranch in Tulare County s blue oak woodland in the Springville area. It is operated as a field trip campus by Tulare County Office of Education and is SCICON s sister campus. Students performed studies under the guidance of professional scientists and made Field Science Weekend participants helped to propagate recommendations for projects that will the California wild rose for future plantings, a valuable plant maximize wildlife habitat quality on the for wildlife. ranch. This year, scientists led students to evaluate the quality of bird habitats, pastures, soil, water, plants and animals. In addition, they also were involved in several service projects, including propagating California wild roses, setting up wildlife cameras, planting native plants and removing noxious weeds. Granite Hills High School science teacher Stacy Vehrs said that she sees a significant change in how her students engage in science. Read more at tcoe.org/newsgallery. Longevity Awards dinner recognizes 79 employees for over 1,300 years of service Employee service milestones celebrated Among the honorees at the Longevity Awards was 35-year honoree Andrea Clark. She is an instructional assistant with Special Services Severely Handicapped Program based in the Pixley School District. December January 2016 T he annual TCOE Longevity Awards dinner was held on Wednesday, November 4 at the Visalia Veterans Memorial Building. The dinner was hosted by the Human Resources Division. This year, 79 employees were honored for service milestones of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 45 years. The longest-serving employee this year was Marina Gonzales who celebrated her 45th anniversary with the Tulare County Office of Education. Ms. Gonzales is an instructional aide for the Severely Handicapped Program, serving students at Tulare Western High School. Human Resources Director John Rodriguez shared with the audience that the 79 employees honored this year had contributed a total of 1,345 years of service to the students of Tulare County. Read more at tcoe.org/newsgallery.

3 Horacio Sanchez coming to Visalia in January for two conferences Behavior expert to address achievement In January, the Tulare County Office of Education and the Tulare Charter of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) will team up to bring Horacio Sanchez to Visalia. Mr. Sanchez, a leading authority in emotional disorders and the development of resiliency, has been a teacher, school administrator, mental health director and consultant to the Departments of Education in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and other states. He is currently the president of Resiliency Inc., which provides behavioral resolutions through mental health and educational programs. Mr. Sanchez will speak to ACSA administrators and their guests at the organization s annual Winter Conference, January 19 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. The following day, he will be the keynote presenter at a conference organized by Educational Resource Services (ERS). His presentation on January 20 is entitled Steps for Closing the Achievement Gap. Both events will be held at the new TCOE Administration Building and Conference Center at 6200 S. Mooney Blvd. in Visalia. Mr. Sanchez combines neuroscience, research and best practice in the field of education to help agencies and educators modify instruction in order to improve academic performance for all students. The first thing that has to be understood concerning the achievement gap is that it is not merely an academic issue that can be extinguished through academic strategies alone, said Mr. Sanchez. The achievement gap is an outcome of the whole child: genetics, temperament, environment and life experiences. Institutions working with children and adolescents must understand how to create environments that maximize behavioral and academic performance. Horacio Sanchez is also the author of a new book entitled A Brain-Based Approach to Closing the Achievement Gap. For information on registering for the ACSA Winter Conference, call Yolanda Valdez, superintendent of the Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District, at (559) To register for the ERS conference, visit bit.ly/steps2016. Tulare County mother selected Farmworker Woman of the Year Migrant Ed helps select award winner The 13th Annual Farmworker Women s Conference was held on Friday, November 6 at the Visalia Convention Center. Each year, conference organizers recognize one woman as the Farmworker Woman of the Year. This year, the Migrant Education Program Region VIII had the honor of nominating the woman who would receive the honor. Concepción Santiago is the mother of two children who attend Kings River Union School in Kingsburg. Mrs. Santiago immigrated to the United States in For the past eleven years, she and her husband, Rogelio Soto, have resided in New London, but continually migrated throughout California in search of agricultural work. Mrs. Santiago was selected as the 2015 Farmworker Woman of the Year for her commitment to education, which she has maintained despite the challenges of migrating for work in agriculture. Read more at tcoe.org/newsgallery. Read more at

4 spotlight (photo 1) On November 4, over 300 educators and community members gathered at the Visalia Convention Center to honor the nominees, finalists and winners in the 21st Annual Excellence in Education Awards program. The winners in the three awards categories are pictured with Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Jim Vidak (r) and include (l-r) School Employee of the Year Evelia Alvarez, a school counselor at Pioneer Middle School in the Porterville Unified School District; Teacher of the Year Chris Cumiford, a social science teacher at Visalia Technical Early College High School (VTEC); and Administrator of the Year Leticia Treviño, principal at Golden Valley Elementary in the Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District. Finalists and nominees were also honored, including TCOE's Lorena White, a finalist in the school employee of the year category. Mrs. White is the web developer with the Information Systems department. To see a complete list of the finalists and nominees and to watch the video created in honor of the award winners, visit tcoe.org/excellenceineducation. (photo 2) This fall, Travis Brown (l) joined the Beginning Teachers Support and Assessment (BTSA) program as the induction program coordinator. Mr. Brown had been the principal at Strathmore Elementary School. Barbara Leal (r) was promoted to BTSA induction program director following the retirement of Ron Koop. (photo 3) Lisa Lemus has joined the Educational Resource Services ELA/ELD team. She holds a master s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis on literacy and has a decade s worth of teaching experience in general education classes, special day classes, and as an education specialist. Along with other members of the ELA/ELD team, Mrs. Lemus will support Tulare County teachers and school districts in building students literacy skills for the 21st century. (photo 4) Marty Frolli has joined the Instructional Services Division as the new Leadership Support Services Administrator. Mr. Frolli, who had been a principal for Visalia Unified for over 16 years, will be working with Tulare County districts supporting the development of their Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAP). He will provide both technical assistance and serve as a facilitator to connect districts to best practices through leadership and learning forums being developed by Educational Resource Services. On November 6, University Preparatory High School (UPHS) held a Veteran's Day assembly. (photo 5) UPHS principal Eric Thiessen, a Lieutenant Commander in the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps, read the names of local veterans in attendance, which included five World War II servicemen. The UPHS choir also performed. Read more at tcoe.org/newsgallery. 4 5 Read more at

5 upcomingevents gallerynotes December IMPACT Intern Program Information Meeting 6:00-7:30 p.m., Education Center For information, call Marvin Lopez at (559) Planetarium Public Show: Earth, Moon, and Sun 7:00 p.m., Peña Planetarium, Avenue 264, Visalia For more information, call (559) Kids Bird Count at Circle J (Grades 3-6) 9:00-11:00 a.m., Circle J-Norris Ranch, Springville For more information and reservations, contact Nancy Bruce at (559) Career Technical Education Credential Program Information Meeting 4:00-5:30 p.m., Educational Enrichment Center 2500 W. Burrel Ave., Visalia For information, call Norma Lovelace at (559) Preliminary Administrative Services Credential Program Information Meeting 6:00-7:30 p.m., Teleconference Room For information, call Donna Glassman-Sommer or Jesse Coronado at (559) Special Education Induction Clear Program Information Meeting 4:00-5:30 p.m., Educational Enrichment Center 2500 W. Burrel Ave., Visalia For information, call Norma Lovelace at (559) Planetarium Public Shows: Christmas Traditions Around the World and Mystery of the Christmas Star 7:00 p.m. Peña Planetarium, Avenue 264, Visalia For more information, call (559) CyberQuest (grades 4-12) 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Location TBA For information, call Will Kimbley at (559) Clear Administrative Services Credential Program Information Meeting 6:00-7:30 p.m., Teleconference Room For information, call Donna Glassman-Sommer or Jesse Coronado at (559) IMPACT Intern Program Information Meeting 6:00-7:30 p.m., Education Center For information, call Marvin Lopez at (559) SCICON and Circle J Christmas Bird Count 8:00 a.m., SCICON and Circle J-Norris Ranch, Springville For more information and reservations, contact Nancy Bruce at (559) For more events, programs and meetings, visit our online calendar at The 2015 Red Ribbon committee is pleased to report that $4,200 in donations was received from activities held during the annual event in October. Red Ribbon Committee chairperson Jennifer Fisher would like to thank the hard-working committee members, generous donors and staff who participated in the week s activities. TCOE staff and business partners donated 27 wonderful prizes for a raffle drawing. The proceeds from the week s events will be given to CASA of Tulare County, which advocates for abused, neglected, and abandoned children. More information, including a list of raffle winners, can be found at tcoe.org/redribbon. Since the Planetarium & Science Center opened to students on November 2, Supervisor Conan Palmer reports that the program is expected to see over 2,700 visitors through the month of December. This represents a 75% increase over the same two-month period last year. Student groups are coming from Tulare, Kings, Fresno and Madera counties. Teachers interested in booking a school tour for 2016 should call (559) More information on available programs can be found at tcoe.org/planetarium. The Community Based Instruction Class (CBIC) at Porterville College will host its annual Greenhouse Sale on Saturday, December 5 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Students in the program cast a variety of decorative birdbaths, statues, stepping stones, water fountains, benches and planters. Sales of the reasonably-priced items benefit the program. Porterville College is located at 100 E. College Ave. The CBIC Greenhouse is located on the north side of the campus parallel to Highway 190 and west of Plano Street. For more information, call (559) La Sierra High School will hold its first student art exhibition December 2 in the campus s Eagle Hall. The exhibition, entitled Fears, Values, Hopes and Justice for Whom?, will feature 100 pieces of art, including drawings, paintings and several sculptures from students in the military academy and the independent study program. Read more at tcoe.org/newsgallery. News Gallery Committee Editor: Robert Herman, Public Information Officer Contributors: Marlene Moreno, Jennifer Fisher, Lorena White, Shelly DiCenzo, Nancy Bruce, Helen Milliorn-Feller, Eloise Martinez, Paula Terrill, Tony Velásquez and Anabel Gonzalez. The News Gallery is published monthly with the exception of double issues printed for July/August and December/January. If you would like to receive The News Gallery, visit or contact Jennifer Fisher at (559) , or at jenniferf@tcoe.org. Tulare County Board of Education Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Jim Vidak President: Joe Enea, Trustee Area No. 5 Vice President: Chris Reed, Trustee Area No. 6; Trustees: Celia Maldonado-Arroyo, Trustee Area No. 1; Debby Holguin, Trustee Area No. 2; Tom Link, Trustee Area No. 3; Judy Coble, Trustee Area No. 4; and Patricia Hillman, Trustee Area No. 7