Placer County Office of Education

Drum roll please....Placer County Superintendent of Schools Gayle Garbolino-Mojica is pleased to announce the 2021 Placer County Classified School Employees of the Year: Child Nutrition - KATHERINE VOIGT from Roseville Joint Union High School District Maintenance, Operations & Facilities - JOSE MACIAS from Rocklin Unified School District... Office & Technical - RONDA BLACK from Placer Union High School District Para-Educator & Instructional Assistance - MICHELE BERNI from Newcastle Elementary School District Support Services & Security - JULIE SUMMEY from the Placer County Office of Education Transportation - DEREK BOSSERMAN from Tahoe Truckee Unified School District #GoldinEducation

Do you wonder what you can do to help us serve our most vulnerable students in Placer County? Volunteer and/or donate to our Backpack/Resource Drive-thru events! These events will serve our students experiencing homelessness. Thank you for your consideration!

Meet 2021 Placer County High School Teacher of the Year RACHEL STEWART. Ms. Stewart teaches Independent Living Skills as well as serves as the Special Education Department Coordinator and Assistant Athletic Director for Woodcreek High School in the Roseville Joint Union High School District. Ms. Stewart has been instrumental in promoting the peer mentor program at Woodcreek that matches student mentors with students in the Independent Living Skills classes. She is directly re...sponsible for building this program so students can create new friendships and foster relationships with their peers. She also helped her students to create a club on campus called Cool Kids Coffee. This is an opportunity for students in her program to learn social skills and job-related duties, while also serving coffee to staff members. Her impact on students reaches beyond just her school and district. For the last six years, Ms. Stewart has been instrumental in creating a Unified Sports Program for Placer County. Working with other districts and schools across the county, she has helped build a sports program where students get to compete with their peers in a variety of athletic events. This is a fun and safe way for students from all learning backgrounds to get together to play sports and do other activities while promoting inclusion and friendship. Teachers like Ms. Stewart are what makes Placer County #GoldinEducation.

The Classified School Employee of the Year Program honors outstanding employees in six categories who help create school environments in which our students learn and thrive. This year, we are thrilled to honor 36 amazing classified employees who make Placer County #GoldinEducation. The final 2021 Placer County Classified School Employees of the Year in all six categories - Child Nutrition; Maintenance, Operations & Facilities; Office & Technical; Para-Educator & Instructional Assistance; Support Services & Security; and Transportation - will be announced Friday, May 21. Stay tuned!

Meet 2021 Placer County Middle School Teacher of the Year DANIELA SOLLEY THOMPSON. Ms. Solley Thompson is a life long learner with more than 20 years of teaching experience. She teaches English Language Arts for sixth graders at Glen Edwards Middle School in Western Placer Unified School District. "Her teaching style reflects 21st Century logic and she embraces the use of technology. In addition, she focuses on the whole child and practices mindfulness activities with deep br...eathing, guided meditations, or visual relaxation with students," shared Garbolio-Mojica. She is the English Department Curriculum Lead and serves on the Leadership Team and the Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) Committee for her school. Last spring and summer, she also served on the Middle School Task Force to help develop the instructional plan during the school closure due to COVID-19. New this year, Ms. Thompson is serving as the staff advisor to the Confidence Club, which is a new endeavor initiated by students to help peers during this challenging time. Ms. Solley Thompson will represent Placer County and go through the state application process in the California Teacher of the Year Program. Thank you for making Placer County #GoldinEducation.

Following state guidance for "Private Venues and Events," we celebrated 18 exemplary educators on Monday, May 10 at the Rocklin Event Center Garden. #GoldinEducation

Meet 2021 Placer County Elementary School Teacher of the Year DIANE WELCH. Ms. Welch has spent 25 years as an educator supporting children and their families and is currently an elementary school teacher at Sierra Expeditionary Learning School (SELS) in the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District. Academically, Ms. Welch develops five-month thematic curricular units, called expeditions, based on Next Generation Science Standards and California Social Studies Standards. They in...clude extensive English Language Arts standards, hands-on projects, fieldwork, expert presentations, student presentations and performances as well as community service. Ms. Welch creates these expeditions in such a way so that all students are challenged and successful while honoring their individual needs. Ms. Welch is well regarded for her work with traditionally lower-performing students, students with multiple needs and English Language Learners. Over the years her students have designed picture books of historical Truckee, provided informational tours of Old Town, connected many times with the Senior Center as well as performed numerous chautauquas and Reader’s Theater for the community. Teachers like Ms. Welch are what makes Placer County #GoldinEducation.

Education innovation and a commitment to excellence are just a few of the hallmark characteristics of the Placer County Teachers of the Year Program. This year, we are thrilled to honor 18 exemplary educators who earned top honors in their local school districts and charter school systems. They are what makes Placer County #GoldinEducation. The final 2021 Placer County Teachers of the Year in Elementary, Middle School and High School will be announced next Friday, May 21. Stay tuned!

Following state guidance for "Private Venues and Events," we celebrated 36 amazing classified school employees on Monday, May 17 at Morgan Creek Golf Club. #GoldinEducation

More exciting announcements. Placer County Superintendent of Schools Gayle Garbolino-Mojica is pleased to announce the 2021 Placer County Teachers of the Year: Elementary - DIANE WELCH, Sierra Expeditionary Learning School (SELS) in Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Middle School - DANIELA THOMPSON from Western Placer Unified School District (and our county representative to the statewide California Department of Education Teacher of the Year Program)... High School - RACHEL STEWART from Roseville Joint Union High School District #GoldinEducation