Contra Costa Herald

News Of By and For The People of Contra Costa County, California

Over 450 student athletes participate in East County Special Olympics soccer event

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A few students from the Krey Special Education Elementary School in Brentwood. Photos by Jonathan Lance, CCCOE

By Jonathan Lance, Communications Specialist, Contra Costa County Office of Education

On Thursday, October 26, 459 student athletes hit the football field at Liberty High School for the annual Special Olympics Schools Partnership Program Soccer Events. The student athletes’ ages ranged from kindergarten to transition students (ages 18-22), with 271 males and 188 females.

CCCOE Liberty Special Education Transition School teacher Marissa Arata, and two of her students, Bronte and Nathan.

Throughout the busy morning and early afternoon, the student athletes took part in soccer skills drills or tournament play, or both. The day was filled with plenty of determination, encouragement, and celebration in achievement – plus a lot of smiles.

Sherri Roberti, Contra Costa County Office of Education’s (CCCOE) Special Olympics Schools Partnership Program coordinator and special education teacher, said, “We would like to thank Liberty High School’s teacher, Summer Rodriguez, who always does a fabulous job of helping to organize her Leadership Students, who serve as event volunteers.” Roberti continues, “Summer and her students worked tirelessly throughout the entire day. She and Liberty High School graciously hosts two events per year, [soccer and track] and do a wonderful job with both!”

The event’s East County participating special education classes came from the following schools: Krey, Los Medanos, and Turner elementary schools; Hillview, Martin Luther King, Edna Hill, O’Hara Park, Park, and Rancho Medanos middle schools; Antioch, Deer Valley, Freedom, Heritage, Liberty, and Pittsburg high schools; and Deer Valley, Gateway Program, Heritage, and Liberty transition schools.

The Special Olympics Northern California Schools Partnership Program is a unique education program in K-12 schools. It unifies students with and without disabilities through sports and whole-school involvement activities that provide them with the knowledge, experience, and skills necessary to create and sustain school communities that promote inclusion, acceptance, and respect for all students.

Assemblywoman Baker’s UC out-of-state student admission bill signed by Gov. Brown

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Coauthored by Assemblyman Tim Grayson (D-Concord)

Assemblywoman Catharine Baker (R-San Ramon) announced Governor Brown has signed Assembly Bill 1674. This measure will help ensure out-of-state students admitted to the University of California (UC) must meet or exceed academic qualifications of California resident students. Assemblywoman Baker jointly coauthored this important legislation with Assemblymen Tim Grayson and Kevin McCarty.

Last year, the non-partisan, independent State Auditor found that the UC admission practices have heavily disadvantaged California resident students in order to admit more nonresident students, who pay higher tuition. The audit revealed that UC admitted nearly 16,000 nonresidents with lower academic qualifications than California resident students, and actually adjusted admission standards to make it easier for nonresidents to gain admission.

“The University of California needs to put California students first, and not tip the admissions scales unfairly to nonresidents,” said Baker. “Hard-working and highly-qualified California students should not be turned away from admission simply because they pay lower tuition than a nonresident student.”

AB 1674 was supported by California Competes and the California Federation of Teachers. This bill received unanimous, bipartisan support in both the Senate and Assembly prior to receiving the Governor’s signature.

Baker represents the 16th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Alamo, Danville, Dublin, Lafayette, Livermore, Moraga, Orinda, Pleasanton, San Ramon, and Walnut Creek.

Diablo Valley College awards most Associate Degree Transfers in state

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PLEASANT HILL, CA – Diablo Valley College (DVC) has been recognized by The Campaign for College Opportunity as the state’s top community college awarding 824 Associate Degrees for Transfer during the 2015-16 academic year, granting 258 more than the previous year.

The Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) program was created in partnership between the California community colleges and California State Universities (CSU) to make the transfer process between the two public higher education systems as efficient and seamless as possible. Following a specific 60-unit pathway that identifies almost all the courses a student needs to take, the program accelerates the length of time a student studies at a community college before transferring to a CSU. Completion of the ADT program at a community college earns students an Associate Degree, and guarantees students who meet the CSU’s minimum eligibility requirements priority admission to a CSU campus, though not necessarily to a particular campus or major.

“DVC is already the top transfer institution for students going to UC Berkeley, so our faculty and staff embraced the challenge of helping our students transfer to the CSU system,” said interim president Ted Wieden. “The ADT program helps students take only the courses they need to transfer.  Kudos to our counselors and our Transfer Center for their focus and dedication to helping our students achieve their higher education goals at DVC.”

Jake Brymner, State and Federal Policy Manager for The Campaign for College Opportunity applauded DVC’s ADT success for making a clear transfer pathway for their students a priority. “The numbers confirm they are leading the way in the state,” said Brymner. “At a time when California needs a more educated workforce, DVC is stepping up to ensure their students can reach their educational goals. Congratulations DVC.”

The Campaign for College Opportunity (The Campaign) is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring student access and success to higher education in California. Founded in 2003 by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the California Business Roundtable, and the Community College League of California. The Campaign’s mission is focused on substantially increasing the number of students attending two- and four-year colleges in the state and who complete their college education. For more about The Campaign, visit http://collegecampaign.org .

Diablo Valley College (DVC) is one of three colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District. For nearly 70 years, Diablo Valley College has provided quality education to the community it serves. The larger of DVC’s two campuses is located in Pleasant Hill while the newer San Ramon Campus serves the south county in Dougherty Valley. Between its two campuses, DVC serves more than 22,000 students each semester with a wide variety of program options. DVC is not only recognized as one of California’s best community colleges, but it also leads the state in transfer to four-year institutions. For more about DVC, visit www.dvc.edu .

Governor signs Sen. Glazer bill to return greater local control to school districts

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SB 751 would eliminate the limit on reserves for most small school districts and raise it to 10 percent for others

SACRAMENTO – School districts will have a greater ability to manage their own fiscal affairs under a bill that Gov. Jerry Brown signed on Wednesday.

The bill, SB 751, jointly authored by Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo and Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, eliminates the reserve cap for most small school districts and substantially reduces reserve fund obligations for large school districts.

“This measure significantly reverses an ill-advised law limiting local school reserve funds. School districts will now be able to more fully prepare for a rainy day, which may be right around the corner,” Glazer stated. “I would hope that eventually we can eliminate any type of cap on school reserves and keep the state out of micromanaging local school districts’ budgets. I want to thank Senator Hill and the California School Board Association for their leadership on this critical local control issue.”

Glazer represents most of Contra Costa County in the California State Senate.

Community college district reopens campuses in Contra Costa County

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Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College-Pleasant Hill Campus, Diablo Valley College-San Ramon Campus, Los Medanos College-Pittsburg Campus, Los Medanos College-Brentwood Center, will resume a regular class schedule and student services beginning today, Friday, October 13.  Outdoor sport activities will continue to be limited until further notice, but indoor activities including theater performances will still be held as scheduled.

The weather forecast for this weekend calls for increasing winds that may hamper firefighting efforts and contribute to poor air quality.  We encourage students and staff to continue monitoring email, website and social media over the weekend for any updates.

County college district closes schools due to poor air quality

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Contra Costa College, Diablo Valley College, Los Medanos College, and centers at Brentwood and San Ramon, will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, October 12, due to poor air quality as a result of the fires in Solano and Sonoma counties.

The District will evaluate the situation and provide an update as new information becomes available.  We encourage students and staff to continue monitoring email, website and social media.

Gov signs Frazier bill helping youth recognize early warning signs of domestic abuse

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Adds instruction on adolescent relationship abuse and intimate partner violence to sexual health education

SACRAMENTO – Middle and high school students in California public schools will receive education on how to spot the early warning signs of abusive relationships under a bill authored by Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Discovery Bay) that Gov. Jerry Brown signed on Saturday.

Frazier’s bill, AB 643, adds instruction on how to recognize early warning signs of adolescent relationship abuse and intimate partner violence to sexual health education at California public schools, for grades 7-12.

“Domestic violence invariably leads to tragedy – broken families, long periods of incarceration and far too often homicide,” Frazier said. “It leaves untold suffering in its aftermath. It consumes law enforcement and other emergency resources. AB 643 gives our children the knowledge they need to help stop this destructive behavior before it becomes tragic. I thank the governor for recognizing the importance of this early education and its potential to prevent future suffering.”

Frazier authored AB 643 after a constituent, Sonia McClellin, came forward to relate the story of her sister’s murder at age 24 by an abusive boyfriend. Ms. McClellin asked Frazier to find a way to help educate youth to recognize the type of behavior that led to the tragedy that took her sister’s life.

“On behalf of my sister Deborah and my entire family, I would like to thank Assemblymember Frazier and his staff, who tirelessly saw this process through to the end,” McClellin said. “If any good can come of my sister’s tragic death, it would be that we now having something in place to educate our youth in an effort to prevent domestic violence from happening in the first place.”

Assemblymember Frazier represents the 11th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Antioch, Bethel Island, Birds Landing, Brentwood, Byron, Collinsville, Discovery Bay, Fairfield, Isleton, Knightsen, Locke, Oakley, Pittsburg (partial), Rio Vista, Suisun City, Travis AFB, Vacaville and Walnut Grove.

Teachers from San Ramon Valley, West Contra Costa named county Teachers of the Year

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2017-18 Contra Costa County Teachers of the Year: Marissa Ware, San Ramon Valley USD & Paula Raj, West Contra USD. Photo by CoCo Office of Education

Close to 500 friends, family and colleagues attended the annual Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year (TOY) Dinner Gala at the Concord Hilton Hotel, on Thursday evening, Sept. 28 to see Marissa Ware and Paula Raj awarded with the 2017-18 honor. Ware teaches in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District and Raj teaches in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. The county TOY program is produced by the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE).

After being named TOY by their respective Contra Costa County school districts, then passing a rigorous application screening, followed by a panel classroom observation and interview, and concluding with a speech presentation, the two winners will represent Contra Costa County as its 2017-2018 Teachers of the Year. Ware and Raj will then participate in the California State Teacher of the Year Program.

The festive evening included the 22 celebrated TOYs from throughout the county (see this year’s Class of 2017-2018), along with their families and friends, as well as numerous educators (K-college), business executives representing the sponsors, local government, and local political representatives. The El Cerrito High School Jazz Ensemble, directed by Keith Johnson, provided the evening’s musical entertainment and Contra Costa County Superintendent of Schools Karen Sakata served as master of ceremonies.

Each of the four finalists, including Kari Stewart of the Walnut Creek School District and Tom Trowbridge of the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, were introduced by a former student, with an inspiring five-minute speech – the same speeches given at the TOY Speech Presentations in early August.

This year’s two Contra Costa County TOYs join the long list of other finalists, dating back to the 1972-1973 school year.

Contra Costa industrial businesses open doors to students for Manufacturing Day this Friday

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Central County high school students get first-hand experience of modern manufacturing

WHAT:

This Friday morning, close to 250 Contra Costa County Career Technical Education/Regional Occupational Program (CTE/ROP) high school students will be visiting local modern industrial businesses, in observation of Manufacturing Day.

National Manufacturing Day, started in 2012, is an annual celebration of modern manufacturing, during which manufacturers invite their communities — including students, educators, business people, media, and politicians — to their facilities in a collective effort to educate visitors about manufacturing career opportunities and improve public perceptions of manufacturing. By working together during and after Manufacturing Day, manufacturers will begin to address the skilled labor shortage they face, connect with future generations, strengthen the public image of manufacturing, and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the whole industry.

WHO:

More than 250 students, currently attending CTA/ROP engineering/industrial-related courses at Antioch High, Mt. Diablo High, Concord High, and Ygnacio Valley High will be visiting local modern manufacturing businesses to get a first-hand look at their hosts’ operations, and possible career opportunities.

The Contra Costa County CTE/ROP serves nearly 12,000 students annually with classes in 34 high schools throughout Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Currently, there are 399 state-of-the-art career development classes in this program. CTE/ROP focuses on career preparation and exploration, hands-on experience, and academic excellence to prepare students for success in college and future careers. CTE/ROP provides students with the newest equipment, rigorous academic standards, and classes in emerging technologies. All of the CTE/ROP classes and programs are directed by and funded through the CCCOE. For more information about CTE/ROP classes, visit their website.

WHEN:

Friday, October 6, 2017; primarily between 9:00-11:00 a.m.

WHERE:

Fresenius (dialysis equipment manufacturer), 4040 Nelson Ave. Concord

Dow (Dow Chemical operations), 901 Loveridge Rd. Pittsburg

Bishop-Wisecarver (producers of custom complex assemblies, linear motion solutions and optimal embedded intelligence systems), 2104 Martin St., Pittsburg

QuickMount (solar roof mounts), 2700 Mitchell Drive, Walnut Creek

Granberg (chain saw mills and accessories), 1051 Los Medanos St. Pittsburg

DA’s office expands education outreach on cyber-bullying, campus and online safety for kids

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Starting on September 14, 2017, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office Sexual Assault Unit, in conjunction with the Silicon Valley Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, expanded an outreach program directed at parents, teachers and students on the topics of cyber-bullying, campus sexual assault awareness and online safety for kids.  The presentations are aimed at educating parents and teachers on new trends involving social media, as well as providing students with information and tools to improve campus safety and prevent online exploitation.

“The effort was started last year, first at DVC,” according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Paul Graves. “The first presentation in a high school was at Campolindo in Moraga.”

“Since then we’ve been working with police officers and those in our office on the task force,” he continued. “Campus sexual assault awareness is geared toward high school seniors and community colleges, due to the content. The cyberbullying and online safety for kids is for everyone, but mainly targeted to middle school students and parents, with presentations for both,”

“We’ve been working to have somewhere for schools to call to have presentations made for students and parents,” Graves added.

Schools, community organizations and parent/teacher groups who are interested in learning more can call Deputy District Attorney Lauren Whalen at 925-957-8603.