San Diego County Office of Education

The annual #StufftheBus fundraiser is now rolling! More than 20,000 school-age children in San Diego County have been identified as homeless, and this population has been especially impacted by the #COVID19 #pandemic. SDCOE and San Diego County Credit Union along with iHeartMedia Inc., and Ralphs and Food 4 Less grocery stores aim to collect online and in-store monetary donations to purchase much-needed pencils, pens, binders, crayons, backpacks, and more during the Stuff the Bus campaign. Just $25 can buy a new backpack filled with supplies for a student experiencing homelessness -- and be one less thing for them to worry about. Learn more and donate through July at: https://bit.ly/3jsc6Cs San Diego County Credit Union

Do you know an ordinary person with extraordinary courage? Nominate someone who has saved a life, helped a neighbor in need, or made a difference in their community through the American Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties' annual Real Heroes Awards at https://rdcrss.org/2UWadUn. The awards honor people making an impact through their bravery, dedication, and humanitarian service. Categories include the Youth Hero and Good Samaritan Hero. Nominations are due by July 30.

Here's a tool for your mental health and wellness toolbox. When you or your student is in need, try counting down to calm with some mindfulness practices. Take a breath, look around you and notice: 5 things you can see 4 things you can physically feel 3 things you can hear 2 things you can smell... 1 thing you can taste #mentalhealth #wellnesswednesday #mindfulness

San Diego Unified School District teacher and 2015 County Teacher of the Year Khamphet Pease encourages girls to take STEM-related classes and inspires them to pursue careers in these fields. "Having more women and girls involved [in STEM] ensures a diverse and talented STEM workforce and prevents biases in the products and services that they make." Her efforts are highlighted in the The San Diego Union-Tribune and featured on a recent episode of Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove. https://bit.ly/3dP4jLv

Thinking about a career change? Anyone with 3,000 hours of experience in an industry sector may be able to turn that into a K-12 teaching position as a career technical educator. Engage and inspire middle and high school students with your real-world knowledge and skills. Learn more: https://www.sdcoe.net//teaching-career-technical-education

How do students who identify as Middle East and North Africa feel when the class topic turns to 9-11 or terrorism? What does racism look like for them and how have they been supported by adults in their lives? Listen and learn with us as we hear from our next student panel at 3 p.m. Feb. 10. Get the link to join the conversation and find other equity learning opportunities at https://www.sdcoe.net//Professional-Learning-and-Events.as.

How do you keep hope alive when you're feeling low? When you're going through a stressful time (like month 11 of a pandemic) sometimes you have to start with the small things and take one step at a time. Bonnie Hayman is a school counselor at La Mesa Arts Academy and the San Diego County Middle School Counselor of the Year. She created this acronym to share with students and families and we turned it into this artwork. Feel free to share this as needed And let us know in the comments how you keep hope alive. #mentalhealthmatters #sdcounselors #nscw21

Equity Conference 2021 speakers shared tools and thought-provoking ways to teach, discipline, dialogue, and lead differently so we can better meet the needs of all students. The presentations are now available to watch on-demand for anyone interested in learning more about educational equity, diversity, and inclusion. Learn more and view the videos at https://sdequity.sdcoe.net/Presentations. #equity #EquityisLoveinAction #EDI #allstudents

We appreciate you, K-12 school counselors. The past year hasn't been easy, but your efforts to support students and families have made a big difference. Between preparing students for college and career, being there for them emotionally and socially, and helping with students' academic plans, school counselors wear a lot of important hats. During COVID-19 school counselors have been critical in connecting students and families to school supports and resources. This w...eek is National School Counseling Week, an effort to bring awareness to the importance of school counseling, and an opportunity to thank a school counselor in your life. Be sure to tag a counselor in the comments *If you're a school counselor or school/district admin and not registered to attend the San Diego School Counselor Conference on Feb. 3-4, go to https://www.sdcoe.net//school/Pages/school-counselors.aspx for registration details. It's only $30 for two days of virtual learning sessions and celebration of school counselors! #NSCW21 #sdcounselors

We're gearing up for the annual Black College Expo in San Diego County on Feb. 18. Even though it's virtual this year, high school students will still have the opportunity to get on-the-spot college admissions and scholarships. Learn more about more than 50 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and local 2-year and 4-year colleges from your home for free. There will also be live learning sessions on college topics and support for completing the FAFSA. Students and teachers can register to attend at https://hopin.com/events/black-college-expo-san-diego Students can get the chance to earn scholarship money through National College Resources by submitting a short, simple essay by Feb. 8: https://www.thecollegeexpo.org/stu/win-dollars-landing-page

Starting today, you can celebrate this spooktacular season with SDCOE employees! This month, some of our colleagues submitted a boo-tiful photo of their decorated home, their costume, or their jack-o-lantern to be entered to win a donated gift card. The photos will be uploaded throughout the week as they're submitted. Vote for the one you like best by liking the photo! The pics with the most likes on Halloween will win a gift card donated by our employee association for managers and @CSEAChapter568. Happy haunting!

There's still time to submit your classroom wish list on DonorsChoose for a funding match to San Diego Gas & Electric. It applies to teacher #STEM and #distancelearning projects of $1,000 or less at schools within SDG&E's service territory in San Diego and Orange counties. Learn more and share: https://www.sdcoe.net/news/Pages/2020-SDGE-DonorsChoose.aspx #mondaymotivation #ThankATeacher

Special education teacher Laura Snow knows that one size does not fit all learners. Having a relationship with your students, knowing where they come from, and what they believe in opens the door for them to be successful. Her colleagues love her passion for children and her focus on what is best for all students at Pomerado Elementary in Poway Unified School District. Congrats, Laura, on being a San Diego County Teacher of the Year nominee! Get to know her better in this video and on Nov. 21, @coxcommunications will air a one-hour @sdccu special honoring Laura and all county teachers on @YurViewCalifornia. #CoxSalute #SaluteSunday #ThankATeacher https://bit.ly/3dXkbtS

Kelly Young is passionate about understanding the diversity and culture of her students and school. Young, who teaches 4th and 5th grade at Lindbergh Schweitzer Elementary in San Diego Unified School District, understands the impact of helping students extends throughout the community. She’s even inspiring some of her students to become teachers. Congrats, Kelly, on being a San Diego County Teacher of the Year nominee! Get to know her better in this video and on Nov. 21, @coxcommunications will air a one-hour @sdccu special honoring Kelly and all county teachers on @YurViewCalifornia. #CoxSalute #SaluteSunday #ThankATeacher https://bit.ly/3dW027C

We are taking students and helping them to become independent, self-reliant, good citizens of the world. Suzanne Catalanotto creates a safe space for her 5th-grade students Juniper Elementary in Escondido Union School District to disagree on issues, but still respect and love each other. Congrats, Suzanne, on being a San Diego County Teacher of the Year nominee! Get to know her better in this video and on Nov. 21, @coxcommunications will air a one-hour @sdccu special honoring Suzanne and all county teachers on @YurViewCalifornia. #CoxSalute #SaluteSunday #ThankATeacher https://bit.ly/3orzhwD

Erica Soto-Nauta, an English teacher at De Portola Middle School in San Diego Unified School District, prides herself on having positive relationships and mutual respect with her students. Her colleagues will tell you that she's focused on making connections with her kids and her students could not agree more. Teachers like Erica are making a huge difference for our future leaders. Congrats, Erica, on being a San Diego County Teacher of the Year nominee! Get to know her better in this video and on Nov. 21, Cox will air a one-hour San Diego County Credit Union special honoring Erica and all county teachers on YurView California. #CoxSalute #SaluteSaturday #ThankATeacher https://www.youtube.com/watch

Third-grade teacher Kim Arvidson encourages her students to be flexible and be kind, both philosophies that are helpful reminders for us all. Have you met Mrs. Arvidson? She’s amazing. You should meet her, shares one of her students at Empresa Elementary in Vista Unified School District. Congrats, Kim, on being a San Diego County Teacher of the Year nominee! Get to know her better in this video and on Nov. 21, Cox will air a one-hour San Diego County Credit Union special honoring Kim and all county teachers on YurView California. #CoxSalute #SaluteSaturday #ThankATeacher https://bit.ly/37Dii4C

Brian Lamb has been teaching adaptive physical education at Tierra del Sol Middle School in Lakeside Union School District for 40 years. He's as passionate about teaching today as the day he started. He loves what he does and is a constant source of encouragement for his students with disabilities, although he says it's his students who are an inspiration to him. Congrats, Brian, on being a San Diego County Teacher of the Year nominee! Get to know him better in this video and on Nov. 21, Cox will air a one-hour San Diego County Credit Union special honoring Brian and all county teachers on YurView California. #CoxSalute #SaluteSaturday #ThankATeacher https://bit.ly/37AiaTk

If this was a tough week for you, chances are it wasn't easy for your kids either. Between a pandemic, a divisive election, and navigating all the uncertainty, many are feeling a lot of stress right now. Even for adults, it can be tough to recognize the signs of stress. For young people, no matter the age, their brains and bodies are more vulnerable to the effects of stress and they often can't recognize or explain it. Give yourself and then your kids a big hug. We'll get t...hrough this. Find resources for managing stress at https://covid19.ca.gov/manage-stress-for-health/ and tips for staying mentally and emotionally healthy at home in the image. #staysafe #stressedout #COVID19 #pandemictired #weekend #saturdayselfcare #mentalhealthmatters

Each day this week FOX 5 San Diego interviewed one of the five 2021 county Teachers of the Year. See what each of these exceptional educators had to say Arah Allard: https://bit.ly/3okd57z Jay Tweet: https://bit.ly/37BUU7A Christine Hill: https://bit.ly/31CTFBk Paula Richardson: https://bit.ly/2FTm4eG ... Jose Melo: https://bit.ly/34qlFdk See more

Lurk back Monday to vote by liking one (or all) of the submitted Halloween photos from our SDCOE employees.

Four innovative school programs in San Diego County will be honored at the Classroom of the Future Foundation Innovation in Education Awards virtual show on Oct. 28. Find out what makes these programs exceptional; it's free to attend! This year the $5,000 Inspire Award goes to Escondido Union School District (sponsored by Lexia Learning), a $5,000 Innovate Award will be presented to Cardiff Elementary School District (sponsored by SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union), a $5,000 Achieve Award to Health Sciences High and Middle College (sponsored by National University), and the best-in-show $10,000 Impact Award goes to Cajon Valley Union School District (sponsored by North Island Credit Union). Learn more and register: https://wp.classroomofthefuture.org/free-tickets-to-the-17/

The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t stop expanded learning programs across the county from making a difference in the lives of students and giving them a safe place to experience joy and learning. For #LightsOnAfterschool today, we wanted to recognize the people in our before- and after-school programs who have kept supports and services to students going during this time. School sites have the flexibility this year to operate during school hours and fill the need in their communit...ies. (Learn more about ASES and ASSETs programs at https://www.sdcoe.net//extend/Pages/extended-learning.aspx). Expanded program staff, thank you for creating safe, fun spaces for students in a time of stress and uncertainty! Photo credit: LMSV Extended School Services and SVA Extended School Services