A Very Successful Shelter-in-Place Drill Held at Marchus School

On November 6, it was a very pleasant and quiet autumn Wednesday morning at Contra Costa County Office of Education’s Marchus School, in Concord, when all of sudden, the County Warning System siren went off! Immediately following, a campus PA system directed all students and personnel into their classrooms and offices, and to close the doors behind them.  The Marchus School was participating with nearly 200 other Contra Costa County schools and day-care centers in the 12^th Annual Countywide Shelter-in-Place Drill to practice safety procedures in the event of a nearby hazardous material release or other incident requiring them to shelter-in-place. 

This countywide drill is directed by the Contra Costa County Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER). CAER’s Executive Director, Tony Semenza, who was on the Marchus campus during the drill, said, “Each year we are encouraged with the increased number of participating schools CAER works with.  CAER will continue to work with all the schools and childcare centers in our county to be sure that they know how and when to shelter-in-place. Teachers and students should all know shelter-in-place procedures just as they are trained about what to do in case of a fire or earthquake.  I encourage everyone to join us in preparing for the worst so that we may do our best during an emergency.”

This annual safety event gives children and their caregivers an important opportunity to practice responding to the Community Warning System (CWS) alerts, which includes a series of sirens along the waterfront from Richmond to Antioch. The CWS sounds a siren when there has been a dangerous chemical release or other disaster that requires a shelter-in-place. These alerts are also sent via radio, TV, and Social Media postings.

 

Hazardous material releases can result from many sources in Contra Costa County, including accidents at chemical treatment plants, wastewater treatment facilities, facilities that store and/or manufacture hazardous materials, refineries, but also from collisions involving trucks or trains that transport chemicals. The possibility of accidents, make it important for the county’s youngest members to recognize and respond correctly to shelter-in-place alerts.

Tony Semenza of CAER & Jack Grossman of Marchus School

Long-time Marchus School teacher and campus emergency coordinator Jack Grossman said, “The kids are always so cooperative when we hold our drills.” No argument from the members of CAER who were on hand to monitor the drill. As soon as school Administrative Assistant Michelle Kiernan gave the announcement over the PA, doors began closing up tight, and the few students and staff that were outside quickly followed into their classroom. At the same time, the school’s HVAC system went immediately into shutdown (so no dangerous air would pump into the campus buildings).

During the ten-minute shelter-in-place drill, the CAER people were able to check the entire campus to make sure all specific emergency measures were taken. After everything was checked, it was then back to business.

Semenza also reported, “This was a very successful drill, and I am so impressed with the different emergency plans that Grossman has generated for all types of emergencies this school could encounter: fire, bomb threat, earthquake, chemical spill or air quality, and intruder. Jack has each emergency readied with a campus-wide warning signal and specific procedures.” Grossman says that the school practices one of these drills a month.

Thanks to Grossman, Marchus School was able to secure an emergency grant from CAER earlier this year.  He used the money to purchase portable toilets, emergency supplies, and canopy tents. “We are equipped to safely stay on campus for three days, if needed,” says Grossman.

It was a very impressive drill, and quite notable how Grossman and other Marchus employees work so hard to keep their students and fellow employees safe.

The San Francisco-Bay Area Common Core State Standards SUMMIT

Dr. Joseph A. Ovick

To assist local educators in transition and implementation of the California Common Core Standards in their schools, Dr. Joseph A. Ovick, president, California County Superintendents Education Services Association (CCSESA), and Contra Costa County superintendent of schools is convening the San Francisco-Bay Area Common Core State Standards SUMMIT on October 29-30, at the Concord Hilton. This thought-provoking two-day workshop will feature numerous noted speakers and practical breakout sessions.

 “The Contra Costa County Office of Education [CCCOE] is dedicated to supporting schools and districts as they begin transitioning to the California Common Core Standards,” reports Dr. Ovick. “With the implementation of the Common Core, educators will work collaboratively to implement curriculum, assessment, and ongoing professional development. Our goal is to support districts as they build capacity at all levels to support teachers, students, and school communities. The Common Core provides a means for all students to be college and career ready and to thrive in the 21st century workforce.”

Visit this Web site to review the SUMMIT’s presentations and breakout sessions. In addition, attendees will have tremendous opportunities to network with colleagues and other professionals who can share personal knowledge about Common Core State Standards.

The SUMMIT registration fee is $110.00 per participant. Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided on both days.  For more information about the San Francisco-Bay Area Common Core State Standards SUMMIT, please contact Marsha Tokuyoshi at (925) 942-3385. Participants can register online at Eventbrite. The Concord Hilton is located at 1970 Diamond Boulevard, Concord.

About California Common Core State Standards

The mission of the California Common Core State Standards is to provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.

2012-2013 Teacher of the Year finalists give their speeches

On August 20^th, the three 2012-2013 Teacher of the Year (TOY) finalists completed their third and final leg of their competition with TOY Speech Presentation.  This year’s finalists are Mona Keeler, San Ramon Valley Unified School District, Iron Horse Middle; Terryl Miller, Moraga School District, Los Perales Elementary; and Rona Zollinger, Martinez Unified School District, Vicente Martinez High.  Each candidate gave a three- to five-minute speech, titled, “What have I learned from my students.”

(l-r) Miller, Zollinger, Keeler

The Speech Presentation panel was made up of an impressive group of Contra Costa County representatives that included education, government, and business:

(standing, l-r) Contra Costa County Sheriff David Livingston; Contra Costa Times Account Executive Maxine Nelson; Contra Costa County District Attorney Mark Peterson; Contra Costa County Public Defender Robin Lipetzky; and Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Fire Chief Daryl Louder.                 

(seated, l-r) California State University, East Bay Teacher Education Department Chair Dr. Jeanette Bicais; Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Diana Becton; Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Jill Fannin; and Contra Costa Community College District Chancellor Dr. Helen Benjamin.

Eighth Annual Young Children's Issues Forum

The public is invited to The Eighth Annual Young Children's Issues Forum, to be held on Saturday, March 24, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., at the Willow Pass Community Center, 2748 East Olivera Rd., Concord.  This free annual community event is sponsored and organized by the Local Planning Council for Child Care and Development (LPC), and is coordinated by the Contra Costa County Office of Education (CCCOE).

The purpose of the program is to provide a forum for discussion among legislators, local officials, and the community regarding current children's issues. This year’s event will feature two panel presentations and discussions.  Ted Lempert, Executive Director of Children Now will be the guest moderator and will lead discussions of approximately 12 state legislators and local officials who will speak about the current status of young children's health, education, social and child care services.  There will also be time for questions from the audience after each panel.  Confirmed presenters include Assembly Members Joan Buchanan, Nancy Skinner and Susan Bonilla, Senators Mark DeSaulnier and Loni Hancock and County Supervisors Karen Mitchoff and Federal Glover.

Historically, the majority of the event attendees are early childhood educators, preschool teachers, program administrators, community college faculty, and representatives from community agencies.  Resources, services, and other information related to child care and education, a benefit to parents, will be available at the event.  The LPC hopes to encourage and foster parent participation, as well as participation of all early care and education professionals in the county, including private and state-funded child development centers and family care providers.

For more information about the annual Young Children’s Issues Forum, please contact the Contra Costa Local Planning Council for Child Care and Development Coordinator Ruth Fernández at (925) 942-3413.  This is a free event, but attendance registration is required.  Please visit the LPC website to register and for more details: www.plan4kids.org/events.html.

Miramonte High School's Mock Trial Team is County's Champion

After a number of speeches made by the coaches and individual awards given out to individual achievement participating students, the exciting Contra Costa County High School Mock Trial’s Awards Ceremony concluded with the naming of this year’s championship team: Miramonte High School (Orinda).

For the past four weeks (seven evenings), the Miramonte High School and fifteen other Contra Costa County high school Mock Trial teams have been battling it out with each other inside the superior courthouses in Martinez, in the Contra Costa County Office of Education’s 31th Annual HighSchool Mock Trial Competition. Miramonte High School will now represent Contra Costa County at the California State Mock Trial Competition in Sacramento, Calif., March 23-25. (The California state finalist team will then compete in the National Mock Trial Competition, held in Albuquerque, N.M. May 3-5.)

This year's 31st Annual Contra Costa County Mock Trial Championship team:
Miramonte High School (Orinda)

Teams from the following 16 Contra Costa County high schools competed in this year’s Mock Trials: Acalanes (Lafayette), Alhambra (Martinez), Antioch (Antioch), California (San Ramon), Campolindo (Moraga), Clayton Valley (Concord), Deer Valley Law Academy (Antioch), Dougherty Valley (San Ramon), Hercules Middle/High (Hercules), Heritage (Brentwood), Kennedy (Richmond), Las Lomas (Walnut Creek), Miramonte (Orinda), Monte Vista (Danville), Northgate (Walnut Creek), and Richmond (Richmond).

The top four teams finished in this order:

1. Miramonte

2. California

3. Northgate

4. Hercules

Mock Trial is an academic event for high school students coordinated by the Contra Costa County Office of Education, and sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundation. The purpose of this program is to teach students about the law and the workings of the legal system. To prepare, the students conducted legal research and received guidance on courtroom procedures from their school teachers and volunteer attorneys and judges, to acquire a working knowledge of the judicial system. 

This year, close to 100 Bay Area practicing and retired attorneys, senior law students, and sworn judges volunteered their time to serve as Mock Trial Attorney Scorers and Judges.