Melisa Escarcega Occupational Therapist SPED/Student Services
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Growing Hearts and Minds: Increasing Inclusive Opportunities on an Integrated Campus The purpose of Growing Hearts and Minds was to develop an inclusive school garden learning space utilizing the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) on an integrated elementary campus. While the outcome was an accessible garden vs an inclusive garden, our students still enjoyed engaging in lessons in a new outdoor learning space, and they were noticed by others on our campus as active learners. The process revealed some challenges for increasing inclusive opportunities, but also inspired some creative solutions for developing a more inclusive campus.
Mentor:
Sandya Lopez, Director, Inclusion Collaborative
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Kristen Everett Behavior Specialist SPED
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Mindfulness in the Classroom The purpose of Mindfulness in the Classroom is to offer multiple coping strategies to help students self-regulate their behaviors in both the classroom and in their daily lives. Also, this program serves the staff by giving them mindful strategies that can foster their own social-emotional well-being as well as support their students.
Mentor:
Melinda Snavely, CEO, Healthier Kids Foundation
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Coach Rob APE Specialist SPED/Student Services
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Post Secondary Community Inclusion: Bridging the Gap from PE to Recreation & Leisure Acquisition
Physical activity is important in everyone’s life. In school, we engage in movement activities beginning in Pre-K, and continuing through high school. For our post-secondary students, physical activity engagement takes place in the community and we must empower our students to engage in recreation and leisure activities in a safe and equitable manner. This is where CBE/APE comes into play.
Mentor:
Kirsten Sarginger, Assistant Director Grants, Partnerships and Operations
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Jenn Mutch Science Coordinator Integrated STEAM/ Professional Learning and Support Division
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Waste Sorting and Sustainability at SCCOE The purpose of this project began with a concern about food waste and waste sorting at Ridder Park. There is a state law that guides what happens with our organic waste- SB1383 and luckily, we have created some guidance on how to sort the waste which includes signage, packing leftovers from catered events, and other changes. As a result of the meetings and discussion, there will be a “Lunch and Learn” series and the new Strategic Action 10 Team.
Mentor: Nabil Shahin, Director Integrated Data, Research, and Evaluation. Office of the Superintendent
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Marie Bobias Director Environmental Education II Environmental Education/Ed Services
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Walden West South Garden The purpose was to explore options related to initiation of garden programs at South County Annex, we interviewed teachers, principals, directors and school district office staff in the Gilroy and Morgan Hill areas. We explained that in Santa Clara County there is a lot of interest in climate change, environmental literacy, and garden education, with school gardens in approx. 50% of the schools and programs in the County, and we directed them to the County Growing Gardens Report. We shared that SCCOE leadership is interested in equity across the county programs and schools.
Mentor:
Michael Vallez , BFOD
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Gena Pacada Inclusion Collaborative, Educational Progress Division
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Heal, Dream, Create: A Makerspace Story Hear about how the South County Annex Makerspace came to life. What began as an idea of a place for teachers to create materials for students evolved into an inclusive space for students, educators, and SCCOE staff to develop, embrace, and celebrate their inner creativity. Remarkably, this journey also unfolded as a tale of profound emotional healing.
Mentor:
Dana Richards, PLSD
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Justin Fallon Administrative Assistant IV Charter Schools Department/Executive Services
Matt Daugherty Administrator Charter Schools Department
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Charter Schools Policies and Procedures Manual Development and creation of a unified document that encapsulates SCCOE CSD’s working protocols. In addition to explaining the procedures, the manual will also clearly establish the department’s approach to our oversight work. The end product should be a manual that will work as much as an external resource as an internal one.
Mentor:
David Hoffman, Workforce Development & Organizational Culture (Justin);
Deann Walsh, Continuous Improvement and Accountability (Matt)
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Ralph Davis Special Education Teacher Educational Service/Special Education/Severe Disabilities
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Unified Language:Facilitating Language Understanding Creation and implementing a portable document to assist departments when interacting with special education classrooms. Current prototyped form is the creation of a single sided standard business card size document. The current group that is sourced for deployment is the Information Technology Division.
Mentor:
John Gomez, Ed D, Early Learning Services
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Josephine DyLiacco Senior Buyer Purchasing/Business Services
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Standardization * Streamlining * Sustainability A lack in the standardization of office furniture at the County Office has led to inefficiencies in repurposing surplus furniture. The variance in furniture dimensions and the multitude of colors encompassing desks, cabinets, shelves, and chairs deviates from the approved color scheme and exacerbates an already compounding issue. This initiative, which standardizes all the county office furniture, aligns with the overarching goals of efficiency, resource optimization, and visual consistency within our organizational infrastructure.
Mentor:
Ana Reyes, Personnel; Jas Sohal, Purchasing
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Aime Quintero Family Advocate Early Learning Services: Head Start
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Recruitment Event Guide Book The Recruitment Event Guide book was created to support and guide anyone on what elements they need to facilitate and create a recruitment event. Areas that will be focusing are space, partnerships, and collaborations, along with other components.
Mentor:
Abby Almerido, Integrated Data
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Patricia Fierro Administrative Data Technician Foster/ Homeless Youth
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Administrative Central Hub The Central Hub is for all SCCOE administrative assistants and department personnel who need guidance in locating specific resources pertaining to the processes of a given task. It is being created as a ‘central location’ for new and existing admin staff to access information and documentation that can otherwise be found in various locations within our organization. The goal is to help support staff with procedural questions and expedite any lag time in completing a given task.
Mentor:
Matthew Tinsley Director I-Strong Start Pro • Strong Start
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Elvira Manuel Supervisor - Payroll Services Payroll Services (Internal) Business, Facilities & Operations Division
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Attendance & Leaves: Procedures and Contacts
Record attendance for absent employees promptly. Notify HR and Payroll for 3-5 consecutive absences to prevent overpayment. Contact HR for doctor note requests, keeping them separate from payroll. Only HR should handle leave requests. Lack of a Leave of Absence results in "Hours without Pay" or "Day without Pay." Timely communication between site/dept and HR is essential to avoid overpayment issues, which Payroll will correct in the next cycle.
Mentor:
Ruby Parra, Superintendent’s Office
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Ismael Gomez Senior Network Analyst Technology Infrastructure & Support/Technology & Data Services Division
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Improving Technology Support by Process and Procedure When it comes to getting things done, we often encounter confusion about ownership and responsibility within our technology support team. Many support tasks are not documented or recorded, making it difficult to know who to turn to for help or how to resolve issues. By creating clear procedures and processes that our team can reference, we can provide faster and more efficient support. This allows us to quickly find the right person to address an issue or access information to resolve it, rather than waiting days for a resolution.
Mentor:
Lee Anderson, Technology and Data Services Division
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Ingrid Campbell Contracts Analyst Business, Facilities, & Operations Division
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Agencywide Agreements Management System #BuildingPartnershipsTogether through collaboration in a structured and centralized repository that stores and manages agreements-related information, documents, and data.
Mentor:
Rodrick Ang, Technology & Data Services
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