STOCKTON – If there was one theme at the Outstanding Student Awards celebration for the San Joaquin County Office of Education Career Technical Education (CTE) programs it was what brought the award-winning students to class.

They came to work.

Teachers heaping praise on the award winners lauded their students’ drive in the classroom, and many of the students being praised were already primed to join the workforce, if they weren’t already there.

CalWorks CTE instructor Chris Faix was prepared to say a few words about one of his students at the recent ceremony at the Federal Building in downtown Stockton, even though the student wasn’t there to receive it.

The student was working a paying job, Faix said, stressing the importance of awards such as these.

“We get to recognize our students who excel,” he said. “It’s good to let them know: Your hard work pays off.”

James Vong, 20, knows that. He’s been learning carpentry, plumbing and other trades, and he was ready to learn more in his next year in the YouthBuild San Joaquinprogram. “I’m excited and honored to be getting an award,” he said.

His teacher Richard Mendez said the student is both dependable and a leader. “He’s that go-to guy,” Mendez said of James. “I know I can walk away, and when I come back, that job is going to be done exactly the way I told him how to do it.”

Award winners included a mix of high school and adult students.

Students won awards for their participation, attendance and proficiency for a wide-range of career-oriented programs, including culinary arts, medical assisting, small business management, film, cosmetology, warehousing and sports medicine.

Even if the high school students didn’t go into the same careers they studied in school, CTE prepares students for more than one line of work, said Chris Kleinert, Director of Career Technical Education. “I think that anything that is job-related in high school will help prepare students for the world of work. We all must go to work at some point.”

Claudia Maritza Lazara is an adult student at the Career Academy of Cosmetology. “I’ve always wanted to be in the beauty industry,” she said. She already had a job lined up.

And because of all that she has learned in the cosmetology program, she felt ready for it.

“I feel confident. I feel prepared.”

(Pictured, from left, YBSJ student James Vong and his teacher, Richard Mendez, who nominated James for an Outstanding Student Award.)

STOCKON – Tethered balloons hovered over uncut celebratory cake in a large conference room at the San Joaquin County Office of Education as the Class of 2015 lined up outside, dressed in bright blue caps and gowns that matched the decorations inside.

“That’s my baby girl,” said Pat Bearden from Manteca, as she waited for the music to start and her daughter Katey Clark to enter the room with the procession. “I’m proud of my daughter. She’s achieved a tremendous amount. She has learned so much.”

Clark, 21, was one of about 20 graduates at the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) Special Education Programs ceremony. It included students from Tracy Unified School District as well as students from SJCOE special education programs. 

Graduation marked the start of the next stage in the students’ lives, but it also meant the end of participation in special education programs that had been, for some students, a part of their lives since they were preschool aged. At 22, students reach the maximum age to receive public education. They graduate.

Along the way, the teachers got to know their students well. They spoke about the students at the ceremony, recognizing the challenges, growth and triumphs they had witnessed over the years.

The crowd of family members and supporters would sometimes break into applause or laughter as teachers told stories about each student. It was followed by slideshows that showed pictures of students, from their infancy to the present day.

Then the procession music played once again, and the Class of 2015 marched out to share the moment with family, teachers and others over slices of cake.

To view a photo album of the graduation ceremony, please go to the San Joaquin County Office of Education Facebook page by clicking here.

Find out what’s going on in San Joaquin County schools by reading May’s issue of e-Chalkboard.Published by the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE), e-Chalkboard is a countywide newsletter providing parents and school district staff up-to-date information about schools across the county.

Here’s a peak at the stories featured in this month’s issue:

• Hundreds of students from schools across the county mastering multiple languages were recognized at the State Seal of Biliteracy and Pathways Awards.
• Jefferson Elementary School District is putting its school bond to good use, modernizing schools while preserving its heritage.
• A Lincoln Unified School District student reached the finals in the 2015 California State Elementary Spelling Bee.
• SJCOE Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services has a message for parents about new statewide tests and scores coming out this summer.
• Schools in Manteca, Stockton and Lodi helped students incorporate physical activity into their daily routines.
• And a calendar of countywide events for teachers and students, alike.

On May 16th, eleven of our Migrant students grades 6-12 had the opportunity to participate in the Fifth Annual Migrant State Speech and Debate Tournament. Our students returned home having placed as follows: Michelle Becerra, Commodore grade 6, 2nd place;  Maria Murillo,  Montezuma grade 7, 2nd place in extemporaneous;  Jenifer Hernandez, Edison HS grade 10, 3rd place in extemporaneous and 3rd place in prepared; Claudia Ramirez, Tracy HS grade 11, 3rd place in extemporaneous.  Other students attending this event were:  Abigail Escobar, East Union HS 9^th grade; Ulises Montoya, East Union HS 9^th Grade;  Jesus Becerra, Linden HS 10^th grade; Alejandra Machuca, East Union HS 11^th grade;  Brenda Murillo, Stagg HS 12^th grade; Julio Cacique, Cesar Chavez HS 12^th grade, and Juan Reyes, McNair HS 12^th grade. 

The experience elevated our students’ self-esteem, and they were able to network with students from 22 regions allowing them to practice and improve their social and emotional skills. This was an awesome opportunity that exposed our students to a new learning experience that they will never forget. One of the students made the statement in reference to the hotel accommodations, “teacher, next year I’m coming back and I’m bringing all the French Camp kids with me.  I will for sure not want to miss being rich for three days." 

Not many students have what it takes to become a National Merit Scholar, but Jasper Gebhardt is one of them.

The graduating senior from BrainworX at San Joaquin County Office of Education’s Venture Academy Family of Schools is one of only four students from San Joaquin County schools to earn that distinction.

To reach this point, students were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors from across the country who looked at everything from academic record, standardized-test scores, recommendations and leadership in school and community activities. When the competition from the nonprofit National Merit Scholarship Corporation began, there were 1.4 million juniors from about 22,000 high schools competing.

That number gets winnowed down to only 7,600 Merit Scholars. But Jasper is an exemplary student. He started at BrainworX at age 11 and he was admitted into Princeton at the age of 14.

To read more about this amazing student in this profile in The Record, please click here.

Twenty-two graduates interested in pursuing careers in business have help obtaining their goals with the 2014-2015 CB Merchant Services Business Scholarship.

CB Merchant Services donated $11,000 for the scholarships paid out through the San Joaquin County Office of Education Educational Foundation (SJCOEEF). The scholarship is shared among 22 participating high schools in San Joaquin County where one student from each high school is nominated for a $500 scholarship.

Scholarship winners earned their awards by showing an interest in business.

The award criteria specify the graduating senior must show interest in pursuing a college education or advanced training in the field of business or a business-related major.  In addition to the desire to major in business, the student should have demonstrated the ability, interest, and enthusiasm for the field of business as a high school student.  This could have been accomplished in a high school class, through employment or by individual entrepreneurship.

It is the hope of CB Merchant Services that this donation will assist students in obtaining further education that will ultimately contribute to the population of responsible business people in San Joaquin County communities.

The generous contribution shows CB Merchant Services’ continued choice to promote education and benefits to local high school youth.

This year, the awardees are:

• Thomas Thrush, Jr., Bear Creek High School
• Erandi Albor, Cesar Chavez High School
• Matthew Bacuyani, East Union High School
• Alexander Woods, Edison High School
• Shelby Cornett, Escalon High School
• Adriana Ozornio Caballero, Franklin High School
• Kshitij Shah, John C. Kimball High School
• Michael Li, Lathrop High School
• Mark Russell, Lincoln High School
• Emilia Garliepp, Linden High School
• Jahred Nunes, Lodi High School
• Christopher Iorio, Manteca High School
• Christian Barrios, Merrill F. West High School
• Amandip Singh, Ripon High School
• Alexis Lee, Ronald E. McNair High School
• Jakob Gallagher, Sierra High School
• Michelle McGuire, St. Mary's High School
• Ali Khan, Stagg High School
• Wilhem Kautz, Tokay High School
• Salma Price, Tracy High School
• Jonathon Mendez, Venture Academy Family of Schools
• Edgar Huizar, Weston Ranch High School

For more information on the CB Merchant Services Business Scholarship, please contact Sarah Almquist in the SJCOE Administration Office at salmquist@sjcoe.net.

Educators from across California came to Stockton for the launch of the 2014 English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Framework at an event organized by the California Department of Education (CDE) and the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE).

The conference attended by teachers, instructional coaches and administrators on Monday, June 1, 2015 was the latest in a series of launch events since the California Board of Education adopted the framework last July to support the implementation of the California Common Core State Standards for ELA and Literacy and the California ELD Standards.

The framework’s co-authors joined other experts in a day of workshops that would prepare the 350 educators who attended the conference at SJCOE on Monday, to bring what they learned back to schools throughout California.

The framework is a roadmap educators follow to bring the standards into the classroom, from before kindergarten on through high school. California’s ELA/ELD Framework is the first in the nation to integrate the two interrelated sets of standards into one guiding document.

“This is the first time ever that English Language Arts and English Language Development have been combined into a single framework. It ensures that we teach literacy not just in ELA/ELD but across all content areas,” said Jane Steinkamp, SJCOE Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services. “This comprehensive approach to language and literacy will benefit all students as they learn to read, write, communicate and prepare themselves for college, careers and civic life.”

While all students will receive a rigorous, standards-based 21st-Century education, attention to the specific needs of English learners (ELs) is woven throughout.  “English Language Development is no longer treated as isolated content,” Steinkamp said.  Effective instruction for ELs is discussed in depth, and guidance on implementing both integrated and designated ELD is provided. 

The day began with introductions from Steinkamp as well as from Tom Adams, CDE Director of Curriculum Frameworks & Instructional Resources Division; and Jo Ann Isken, Chair of the California State Board of Education’s Instructional Quality Commission.

Presenters at the conference included framework co-authors: Pam Spycher, Senior Research Associate at the California Comprehensive Center at WestEd; and Nancy Brynelson and Hallie Yopp Slowik, both Co-Directors of the Center for the Advancement of Reading, California State University Chancellor’s Office.

Karin Linn-Nieves, Director of SJCOE’s newly formed Language and Literacy Department, has been part of the CDE’s statewide rollout team that presented on Monday.  All of the professional learning her department provides is grounded in the framework. 

“The most exciting thing for us is that both the teachers and their students that we have been working with on framework implementation have been very enthusiastic about what is happening in their classrooms,” she said.   

Linn-Nieves believes the ELA/ELD Framework has the potential to impact teaching and learning in profound ways in the coming years for all students. 

(Pictured, from left, Framework Co-authors Nancy Brynelson, Pam Spycher and Hallie Yopp Slowik.)

Friends, family and supporters of the Class of 2015 turned out to wish their graduates well at the Venture Academy Family of Schools (VAFS) Commencement Ceremony.

The Wednesday, June 3, 2015 event was held at the A.G. Spanos Center at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. It’s the first time VAFS held its ceremony at this venue, because the growing San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) charter school needed something bigger than it had in previous years.

That is because 228 graduates makes this the largest graduating class since VAFS was chartered in 2001.

Graduating seniors took part in the ceremony. Valedictorian Valeria Cervantes spoke.  Alexandria Cirella danced. Leslie Watts sang. Other students played a role, too.

SJCOE officials were also on the commencement agenda.

County Superintendent of Schools James A. Mousalimas and VAFS Director Kathleen Focacci addressed the graduates as the ceremony began.  San Joaquin County Board of Education Vice President Janet Dyk gave the official Acceptance of Class, which ended the ceremony.

The A.G. Spanos Center erupted in cheers, and the graduates from the Class of 2015 marched out into their futures.

A military-style residential program designed to help at-risk teens receive a quality education stayed on track with the announcement of a lease agreement between the U.S. Army and the California National Guard that will bring the Youth ChalleNGe Program to the Sharpe Army Depot in Lathrop.

“Serving at-risk youth is a core mission of the San Joaquin County Office of Education,” San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools James A. Mousalimas said. “The National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program brings a five-and-a-half month residential program to this community that gives the opportunity to these youths to get out of their environments and into a structured environment run by the National Guard and an educational program provided by the San Joaquin County Office of Education.”

Last week, Mousalimas went on a tour of the Sharpe Army Depot with Brigadier General James L. Gabrielli, Congressman Jerry McNerney and California Assemblywoman Susan Eggman. “This program would not be coming to San Joaquin County without their leadership and determination,” Mousalimas said.

The effort to bring the program to San Joaquin County is four years in the making. It will be the first Youth ChalleNGe program in Northern California and only the third in the state. Statistics show that the program has been effective in assisting the at-risk teens it is designed to reach. After the students leave the residential component, they continue into a 12-month mentorship phase.

Each year, two groups of approximately 200 male and female students will participate in the program at Sharpe Army Depot. As part of the program, they will also engage in thousands of hours of community service in San Joaquin County.

The benefit of the program goes beyond the students going on to finishing high school, entering college or getting jobs.

“It’s going to benefit these young men and women, it will benefit their families and it will benefit this community,” Mousalimas said.

The first class of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program could move in and begin instruction as early as January 2017.

To read more about the program and the announcement of the lease agreement making it possible to bring the program to San Joaquin County, please follow the links to stories in local media: The (Stockton) Record, News 10 and the Manteca Bulletin.

For more information about the program, please follow this link to a National Guard Youth ChalleNGe website.

(San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools James A. Mousalimas, left, on a tour of the future home of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program with California Assemblymember Susan Talamantes Eggman and Congressman Jerry McNerney.)

Twenty outstanding graduating seniors from San Joaquin County high schools have been awarded a total of $65,000 in scholarships from the Friedberger Educational Fund to continue pursuing their education.

Each of the students was awarded $3,250, paid out in installments over four years. In the 51 years since the first scholarship was awarded, the Friedberger Educational Fund Scholarship has awarded more than $2.6 million to local students.

The fund was established in 1963 by William Friedberger, a prominent Stockton physician and longtime Medical Director at San Joaquin General Hospital. He established the fund in memory of his father and mother – Arnold and Lotta Friedberger. They were 19^th-century pioneers to the Mother Lode and Stockton from their native Germany. The Bank of Stockton has been the fund manager since it was established.

To qualify for the scholarship, nominees must meet a list of criteria. The list includes: need for financial assistance, excellent schoolwork, outstanding character, leadership, public service and intent to enroll in an institution of higher learning in California.

Each high school in the county may nominate one applicant per year. The schools can either be public or private.

The applications are reviewed by a three-member awards committee, which included representatives of San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools James A. Mousalimas and Stockton Unified School District Interim Superintendent Julie Penn. San Joaquin County Board of Education Area 3 Trustee Peter Ottesen was the third committee member.

The San Joaquin County Office of Education would like to congratulate the 2015 Friedberger Educational Fund Scholarship awardees.

They are: 

• Allison Beteta-Escobar, Tracy High School
• Valeria Cervantes, Venture Academy Family of Schools
• Ian Collis, Linden High School
• Kai Dillingham, Humphreys College ABLE
• Teresa Duong, Weston Ranch High School
• Nayely Esparza-Flores, Stockton Early College Academy
• Patricia Estrada, Cesar Chavez High School
• Gena Farley, Lincoln High School
• Marissa Gutierrez, Sierra High School
• Jessi Heffington, Lodi High School
• Asianya Jones, Lathrop High School
• Adriana Juarez, St. Mary’s High School
• Jasveen Kaur, Stockton Collegiate International Schools
• Javier Mexicano, Edison High School
• Margarito Meza, Franklin High School
• Kathy Nguyen, Ronald E. McNair High School
• Mahir Pepic, Manteca High School
• Jessica Sierra Ornelas, Millennium High School
• May Simpson, Bear Creek High School
• Julianne Victorino, Escalon High School

The San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) would like to congratulate Cassandra deWood, the 2015-16 San Joaquin County Teacher of the Year.

The Tom Hawkins Elementary School seventh grade science teacher sets a high bar for her students and does everything she can to make sure they have what they need to reach those lofty educational goals. It is for those reasons – and much, much more – that deWood received this year’s award.

The winner was announced at the Fifth Annual San Joaquin County Classified Employee and Teacher of the Year Awards Celebration Dinner on Thursday, June 11, 2015.  She also received $1,000 from Premier Community Credit Union, a long-time supporter of educators in San Joaquin County and co-sponsor of the annual awards banquet for teachers and classified school employees.

“At the end of the day, Ms. deWood pairs high expectations with incredible scaffolds,” writes Tom Hawkins Elementary School Principal Christina Orsi when nominating deWood. “The result is successful students.” The school is located in the Jefferson Elementary School District in Tracy. Principal Orsi provides examples of how those students describe deWood as somebody who pushes them to do their best; is always willing to help; makes learning about science fun; and cares about helping them.

Cassandra deWood is a state and county leader in science education, and she spearheaded her own district’s implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards. She’s been awarded the California State Science Fair Teacher of the Year Award and three of the seven finalists in this year’s San Joaquin County Science Fair came from deWood’s classroom.

Or, as Orsi puts it: “Ms. deWood is synonymous with excellence in science education.”

She involves the community in science education, too, through an annual Family Science Night and the “Hawkapalooza” music festival. Money raised at the festival buys science supplies for the entire campus. She also led efforts to bring 21^st-century technology into the school district. And in her classroom, she will stay late or at lunch to ensure all students and their parents have access to the technology.

Her dedication to students does not stop at science and technology. She teaches drama classes and volunteers over 100 hours a year creating the school yearbook. Her application will be submitted to the state for consideration as the California Teacher of the Year.

Four other outstanding teachers were recognized as finalists. Each received $400 from Premier Community Credit Union.

They are:

• Alyce Cook, Banta Elementary School, Banta Elementary School District
• Kristi Michaels, El Portal Middle School, Escalon Unified School District
• Gina Mickley, one.Chartville, San Joaquin County Office of Education
• Joe Sandoval, Bear Creek High School, Lodi Unified School District

Video profiles of all five Teacher of the Year finalists, including deWood, have been uploaded to the SJCOE Media YouTube Channel.

Also recognized on Thursday were the four San Joaquin County Classified Employees of the Year in four different categories.  Each received $400. They are:

• Child Nutrition: Shelli Nicholas, Dent Elementary School, Escalon Unified School District
• Maintenance, Operations & Facilities: John Azevedo, Dent Elementary School, Escalon Unified School District
• Office & Technical: Karen Head, Park View Elementary School, Ripon Unified School District
• Para-Educator & Instructional Assistant: Denise Alexander, August Knodt Elementary School, Manteca Unified School District

Also honored at the event were two retiring superintendents with long records of service in San Joaquin County: Joanne Oien at New Hope Elementary School District and William Draa, who had been superintendent at both Banta Elementary and Ripon Unified school districts.

The dinner began with opening remarks by San Joaquin County Superintendent of Schools James A. Mousalimas, SJCOE Assistant Superintendent Jane Steinkamp and Premier Community Credit Union CEO Russel Hagen.

The dinner was attended by school officials from districts across San Joaquin County as well as family members and other supporters of those being honored. California State Assemblymember Kristin Olsen handed out certificates of recognition, as did representatives of other elected officials representing the county in the state Legislature and the House of Representatives.

Sixth- through eighth-grade students get a crash course in coding at a two-day camp, one of the summer enrichment programs provided by the Office of Science and STEM Integration/Innovation at the San Joaquin County Office of Education.

Read more about the camp in this article in The Record.

When a delegation from Stockton went to Denver to make its case that Stockton deserved the distinction as an All-America City, the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) was there.

YouthBuild San Joaquin students James Vong and Zapata Mejia and program Director Sheilah Goulart were part of the group from Stockton that went to the Denver headquarters of the National Civic League.

That also meant they were part of the 38-member team delivering a 10-minute presentation to judges determining who would win the distinction.

“It was pretty intense,” Goulart said. “Our presentation was all about second chances.”

It corresponded to the National Civic League’s push to encourage cities to help vulnerable boys and young men succeed in school and in life. Stockton’s application focused on the Positive Youth Justice Initiative and the work being done by Stockton government, the San Joaquin County Probation Department and the Fathers and Families nonprofit organization.

Through YouthBuild San Joaquin and other programs, SJCOE has been part of the initiative and strong partners with the organizations involved. And that came through in the presentation delivered in Denver.

It was a 10-minute long poem, with different members of the delegation reciting different lines. It laid out the problems facing the city, then highlighted what was being done to help Stockton’s residents overcome those problems.

Goulart’s lines focused on the solution.

They were:

Positive Youth Justice Initiative exists/

Probation and youth build a new unity/

Working together to combat negativity/

Transforming lives--turning obstacles into opportunity/

Through leadership, hard work, and service to the community.

Stockton’s designation as an All-America City was covered in The Record newspaper and by CBS13 and KCRA.

Summer is the time when mosquitoes multiply, increasing the risk of mosquito-borne illnesses.

The San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control Distrcit will be handing out free mosquitofish at different locations across the county this week. Placed in fountains, ponds or other places mosquitoes breed, these fish can help keep the mosquito population at bay.

Distribution Schedule:

June 23, 2015

Tracy, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Location: In front of the Tracy Community Center at 950 East St.

Lodi, 12:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. Location: Softball Complex parking lot at 401 N. Stockton St.

June 24, 2015

Ripon, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Location: Ripon City Hall parking lot at 259 N. Wilma St.

Escalon, 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Location: Hogan Park parking lot at 1051 Escalon Ave.

June 25, 2015

Manteca, 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Location: Manteca Senior Center parking lot, enter at 295 ?Cherry Ln

Lathrop, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Location: Manuel Valverde Park, 15557 Fifth St.

June 26, 2015

Stockton, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Location: Swenson Park Golf Course North parking lot at 6803 Alexandria Place

Fore more information, please follow the link, below, to the press releae from the San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District.

The San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) hosted its First Annual Welding Showdown before the end of the school year.

In total, 12 welders from SJCOE’s Venture Academy Family of Schools and Patterson High School took part.

John Herger, Welding and Mechanical Construction Instructor at Venture Academy, said the showdown came after a conversation he had with the instructor from Patterson High School. “Let’s do something together where these kids get a chance to show off what they did in the school year,” he said.

So that’s what they did, complete with a Bar-be-cue.

For the contest, students needed to show their skills in performing a series of 10 types of welds in a practical exam. These welds were judged by business partners and the welding instructor from San Joaquin Delta College. The top-five contestants all came from the Venture Academy Family of Schools.

They were:

• First Place: Ryan Boker, Delta VISTA
• Second Place: Jordan Boker, ImagineIT
• Third Place: Nathaniel Thompson, ImagineIT
• Fourth Place: James Harris, BrainworX
• Fifth Place: Anthony Parks, ImagineIT

(Pictured, from left, Jordan Boker demonstrates a welding technique, Nathaniel Thompson, Jordan Boker and Ryan Boker.)

Space is still available for teachers interested in learning more about strategies to help teach literacy for students in transitional kindergarten through second grade.

The training is offered through the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) Multilingual Education Department on July 21. It is open to teachers from districts within San Joaquin County.

Teachers will be introduced to a variety of effective close-reading strategies designed for students developing their literacy. This session will feature a weeklong model of an interactive read-aloud unit, complete with high-leverage literacy tasks, student work and a lesson-planning template.

There will be opportunities to apply new learning throughout the day. All lessons exemplify Common Core State Standards (CCSS) English Language Arts (ELA)/literacy with integrated English Language Development (ELD) using ideas advocated in the ELA/ELD Framework.

The session is from 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., July 21 in the Wentworth Education Center, 2707 Transworld Drive, Stockton. For more information, please contact Seng Kingkhilysack at (209) 468-4865.

For more information, including how to register, please visit: www.sjcoe.org/calendarDetails.aspx?ID=3297.

The San Joaquin Regional Conservation Corps (SJRCC) can help you get rid of unwanted computers, cell phones and other electronic equipment at a free e-waste collection July 10-11 at the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE).

The event will take place from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Friday and Saturday, in the SJCOE parking lot under the solar panels at 2707 Transworld Drive, Stockton.

Collected hard drives will be completely shredded in a securely monitored facility in Sacramento.  Other acceptable items for the collection include: stereo equipment, cell phones, printers and small household items.

For a full list of items being accepted and more information about the e-waste collection, please download the event flyer by clicking the link, below.

When Graphic Arts student Raul Gurrola designed the artwork that emblazoned a T-shirt for a local school district’s environmental celebration – he did more than just make a picture.

The 17-year-old high school junior started by coming up with an idea, then he worked with the organizers of Planet Party Day, an environmentally-themed event for sixth-graders in the Manteca Unified School District in spring.

The organizers wanted changes, and Raul made them.

The idea evolved.

When it was all over, Raul’s design was on the T-shirts and badges handed out to the Planet Party Day essay contest winners, declaring them Environmental Ambassadors.

For the Manteca Unified organizers, the resulting graphic was the right image to set the right tone for an integral piece of an important event.

For Raul – a San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) Career Technical Education (CTE) student – it was part of his coursework.

Developing an idea through constant communication with a client is part of what Raul and other Graphic Arts students learn, said teacher Tammy Lovett. “It’s all part of the process,” she said.

But Raul excelled at it, which is why he was given an award. His family members came to watch as he received a certificate from the SJCOE staff. The Manteca Unified organizers came, too, and gave him one, each, of the T-shirts and badges he made possible.

“It was a fun design to make,” Raul said.

He said it was the kind of task that would prepare him in the working world, where a company wanting to highlight its own efforts to go green could call on him to do the work.

High school students from around the county isolated and located genetically modified DNA in a Doritos corn chip at the Biotechnology Bootcamp for Kids, at the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE). The boot camp is an opportunity for sixth- to 12th-grade students to get hands-on biotechnology experience in a lab setting.

Students were surrounded by advanced science laboratory equipment and were exposed to procedures that they do not generally get in their high school classrooms.

“My school doesn’t have stuff like this,” said Scout Steinkamp, an 11th-grader at Linden High School. “I wanted to expand my knowledge.”

A common force among the participants was intellectual curiosity. Spencer Takechi, a 12th-grader from Stockton Collegiate International Schools, said that he is interested in the idea of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and that he wants to learn more about the science behind them.

Hosted by SJCOE’s STEM department, one of the goals for the boot camp was to provide students with experience that will help them develop skills they need to work in a research lab. Before the students completed the lab experiment, they first learned how to write in a research notebook.

Kirk Brown, director of STEM, taught the students how to correctly annotate their notebooks and how to properly display sketches of a lab. Basic skills, such as learning how to open a bottle of sterile water without contaminating it, and resetting a scale to zero, are necessary skills to learn if students are planning to work in a lab setting.

According to Brown’s co-teacher, Andrew Hutton, a recent UC Santa Cruz graduate and Tracy High School alumnus, the boot camp is intended to give students hireable skills for a science lab setting. Hutton said that students need to know practical skills in a lab setting if they want to be hired.

In fact, one of them already is. Sierra Gregory, an 11th-grader at BrainworX Academy of Venture Academy Family of Schools, works as a paid intern for STEM. She was a participant of the Biotech Bootcamp, but she also helps co-teach the boot camp for the sixth -to eighth-graders and the ninth- and 10th-graders, as well as help set up the lab for the 11th- and 12th-graders.

Daniel Van Lewen, a 12th-grader, and Nicholas Gagnon, an 11th-grader, both from Ripon High School, said they signed up because they wanted more lab experience. Van Lewen said he heard about the opportunity from his high school counselor and knew he would be able to use more complex tools and learn new procedures at the boot camp.

Each student at the boot camp was equipped with their own lab tools. According to Brown, most of the equipment was donated or purchased through grants. The boot camp is fee-based in order to cover the costs of the materials.

This is the third year for the boot camp and the first year that it has had juniors and seniors.

The boot camp lasts for three consecutive days for each grade group: sixth- to eighth-graders, ninth- and 10th-graders, and 11th- and 12th-graders. Other items on the agenda include cheek swabs to look at their own DNA to determine if they inherited a specific genetic element.

For more information about SJCOE STEM, please visit http://www.sjcoescience.org/

Friends, family and supporters of the Class of 2015 turned out to wish their graduates well at the Venture Academy Family of Schools (VAFS) Commencement Ceremony.

The Wednesday, June 3, 2015 event was held at the A.G. Spanos Center at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. It’s the first time VAFS held its ceremony at this venue, because the growing San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) charter school needed something bigger than it had in previous years.

That is because 228 graduates makes this the largest graduating class since VAFS was chartered in 2001.

Graduating seniors took part in the ceremony. Valedictorian Valeria Cervantes spoke.  Alexandria Cirella danced. Leslie Watts sang. Other students played a role, too.

SJCOE officials were also on the commencement agenda.

County Superintendent of Schools James A. Mousalimas and VAFS Director Kathleen Focacci addressed the graduates as the ceremony began.  San Joaquin County Board of Education Vice President Janet Dyk gave the official Acceptance of Class, which ended the ceremony.

The A.G. Spanos Center erupted in cheers, and the graduates from the Class of 2015 marched out into their futures.