More Highlights
2012 Santa Cruz County Science Fair Invites Discovery
When you wash your fleece clothing and other synthetics, are you feeding bite-sized plastic to the bottom of the marine food chain? Answering...
Gary Taubes, science journalist, tells Capitola audience his nonprofit will fund nutrition research
CAPITOLA - Award-winning science journalist Gary Taubes presented his hypothesis on why we get fat Wednesday night to a rapt audience...
Stellar Santa Cruz County Spellers
For close to 30 years, the most gifted spellers from school sites across Santa Cruz County have been coming together to show off their superior word formation knowledge...
Natural Bridges High School Community Service: LiMPETS
This spring Natural Bridges High School and Green Careers Center students are participating in the LiMPETS Program as part of Community Service Fridays...
Third Annual Together for Kindergarten Community Forum
More than 200 early educators, kindergarten teachers and administrators from across the county gathered on Feb 29th for the 3rd annual Together for Kindergarten Forum
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Alternative School, Y.E.S., serves teens overcoming drug addiction
SANTA CRUZ — Tucked away behind Youth Services on Mission Street is a one-room school with a garden in back
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Students Engage in Community Service While Learning Local History
On community service Fridays, for the past several weeks, Ponderosa High School students have volunteered
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California’s Common Core State Standards Make their Debut
Educators across our county are spending time this year becoming familiar with the new Common Core State Standards...
No More Drama: Getting Everyone on the Bus and Becoming a Real Professional Learning Community
“When people are educated, they are in power!” This was one of many “nuggets” starting off...
A Message from the Superintendent: It’s About Helping Educate Children
After several months of discussion, the County Office of Education made a business decision last week to purchase a building to accommodate some of the services...
Students Create Film Depicting Daily Life at the Small, One School District
Upon hearing that the Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s Inside Education participants would be visiting the campus to learn more about small schools...
Art Teachers Do Art!
There has been a decline in arts programs in Santa Cruz schools over the last couple of decades which makes it tempting to focus on what isn’t happening, rather than the high quality arts...
Project Impact Special Education Interns Earn Credentials
Three years ago, the Santa Cruz County Office of Education saw a serious need in our county and worked hard to find a way to fill it. Realizing that many districts were struggling...
BASTA: Education and Law Enforcement Join Together to Help Students Get Out Of, or Avoid Gangs
Broad-Based Apprehension, Suppression, Treatment and Alternatives (BASTA) is a new spin on an old effort to convene the...
San Jose Mercury article on Teen Peer Court
In the fourth session since its start last month, on Tuesday 12 teen jurors will decide the punishment for a student defendant represented by two teen defenders, facing off against two teen prosecutors. As in other successful programs in Santa Cruz, Palo Alto...
Good Turnout for Screening Of ‘American Teacher’ Film
On Saturday Nov. 19 the County Office of Education, with the Teacher Salary Project and the Santa Cruz New Teacher Center, co-sponsored a screening of the documentary “American Teacher” at the Nickelodeon Theater in downtown Santa Cruz...
Natural Bridges High School students offer environmental instruction to Bay View first-graders
The first-graders watched with excitement as water washed doughnut sprinkles and soy sauce - representing pollution - from the hills and fields...
Forestry Challenge 2011
Students from our newest Alternative Ed High School Program, Ponderosa High School and Green Careers Program, just returned from three days at the Santa Cruz Forestry Challenge...
A winning Head Start: Program for children from migrant families gets national recognition
The family day care home is one of more than 70 that provide care to hundreds of Santa Cruz County children through the Central California Migrant Head Start Program...
Do Grades Reflect Student Learning?
An Important Conversation among County Educators
Last year, middle school principals shared their frustrations around the fact that during this time of accountability and aligning instruction. ...
Lights! Cameras! Education!! – Innovative Project Deserves an Academy Award!
On September 29th, as school was kicking into gear, the Digital Connections Project was kicking-off with its 2011-2012 premier event...
Teaching and Learning in the Mobile Era
Administrator training. Teacher training. Is there an app for that? Well, not exactly, but the Santa Cruz County Office of Education did host two iPad workshops—one for administrators and...
'Bike Tech at School' program offered at five area high schools
The Santa Cruz Sentinel published an article on September 20, 2011, about the growth and success of the Regional Occupational Program (ROP) 'Bike Tech at School' program...
2011 Summer Public Safety Academy: Engaging Students in Exploring Public Safety Careers
This summer, the Regional Occupational Program (ROP) of the Santa Cruz County Office of Education held it’s first ever Public Safety Academy...
Narrowing the Language GAP: Bolstering Lesson Engagement and Language Development for ALL Students
Recently, nearly 300 teacher leaders and administrators from across Santa Cruz County gathered at the Cocoanut Grove...
Summer Arts Institute for Teachers is a Hit!
It’s been some years since the County Office of Education has held an Arts Institute for teachers. During the last week of June, however, in collaboration with the Museum of Art...
Natural Bridges High School 2010-2011: Another Very Good Year!
Watch a slide show from the Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s Natural Bridges High School & Green Careers...
Hartman School’s Community-Based Mural
When Bonnie Dankert became Lead Teacher for the Juvenile Hall’s Hartman School, a school site from Santa Cruz County Office of Education’s Alternative Education Programs...
Fabulous Fun Day for Special Education Students!
On Friday, May 20th, over 150 of the students enrolled in the Santa Cruz County Office of Education had a really exciting...
Watch Obesity Prevention Presentation Online!
Dr. Robert Lustig spoke to our community about obesity prevention. Now you can watch a recording of his presentation...
Environmental Education Resource Fair 2011
The room was packed with displays of petrified wood, watershed maps, garden seeds, gorgeous books—even a live bat! The Environmental Education Resource Fair was held...
Magic at the 18th Annual High School Poetry Competition Awards Ceremony and Poetry Reading
Poetry lives, and it was never more alive than this week, when half a hundred high school students read their poems out loud before a packed house of...
Math Contest 2011: Coming Together for a Fun Filled Day of Math
On May 7, 2011, more than five hundred fifth through eighth grade students came together on a prized weekend day at Aptos High School to...
Real DUI Court in Schools Addresses Teen Drinking and Driving
The frequency of driving under the influence is staggering. It is reported that four million people in the United States, 16 to 20 years old, drove while under the influence...
Chrysalis Autism Program Video
Learn more about the Special Education program's Chrysalis Autism Program for preschool through 3rd grade students by watching this 10 minute video...
Your Future is Our Business/ROP Video
Learn more about what the Regional Occupational Program (ROP) and Your Future is Our Business are doing to empower students in transitioning from schools to careers...
County Office of Education brings nationally-recognized authority on obesity prevention to speak to the community
In the midst of the worst storm of 2011, the discussion about a health crisis likened to a tsunami was being held down the street from the site of a water main burst in ....
Santa Cruz presentation teaches parents about gangs
Probation officer Gina Castaneda identified some of the signs: Buttoning all but the third or fourth buttons on a shirt. Buying shoes a size or two too big so the extra space can be filled with drugs...
2011 Santa Cruz County Science Fair
From a study of bird populations in the sandhills of the Santa Cruz Mountains to determining how many balloons it takes to lift a 7-year-old off the ground, the brightest young minds in...
Paint Like Picasso: The Fifth Annual Special Art Show
The County Office of Education hosted the fifth annual Special Education Art Show on Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011. The art show is the brainchild of Brook Knoll teacher Wendy Harrison and is open to any student with special needs in the county who would like to be...
IMPACT Teen Drivers comes to Santa Cruz County schools during National Distracted Driver Month
Santa Cruz CHP collaborates with IMPACT Teen Drivers, Santa Cruz County Office of Education, Youth Services, and Friday Night Live to bring an important message....
Second Annual Together for Kindergarten Community Forum
Almost three hundred teachers from preschools, kindergarten and first grade, who'd already put in a tough day's work, showed up to spend several more hours on the job at the Together for...
Students Shine in Mock Trial Competition
“Objection, your honor. That question requires a narrative,” said one Santa Cruz High School student in a firm voice last weekend during the final of the annual Mock Trial competition...
Impact Designs: Engineering & Sustainability Through Student Service
A new program that focuses on sustainable technologies, science and engineering while promoting civic engagement and...
Annual Santa Cruz County Spelling Championship
The county's top 125 young spellers, representing 40 schools, gathered at UC Santa Cruz on March 5th. Read the Santa Cruz Sentinel article...
Inside Education: An Innovative Look Inside Santa Cruz County Schools
The Santa Cruz County Office of Education and the ten local school districts have joined with professionals, community, business and civic leaders for a first-hand, interactive and participatory look at the public education system in Santa Cruz County.
2nd Annual Together for Kindergarten Community Forum
The forum brought together more than 300 educators, including preschool and kindergarten teachers, superintendents and school board trustees, packed the auditorium for Simitian's second annual "Together for Kindergarten."
Inside Education
An innovative look inside Santa Cruz County schools.
Lesson Studies and Algebraic Thinking
Opening Classroom Doors
Learn more about these workshops for teachers.
Improving Content Literacy: Leveling the Playing
Field for English Learners
New Teacher Project Supports Quality Teachers
and Teacher Retention!
Learn about a recent breakfast meeting hosted by the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Project.
Connecting Students and Teachers in a Digital World
Find out more about the Digital Connections project.
Santa Cruz County Reading Association
SCCRA in conjunction with the SCCOE and the Live Oak School District, sponors a series of professional development workshops. Find out more at their web site.
Learning Comes Alive in the Redwoods
At Santa Cruz Outdoor Science School, students experience a residential hands-on science program in the rich coastal redwood forest.
A Good Year at Natural Bridges High School
Watch the slideshow of a great year at Natural Bridges High School, a joint program of ROP and Alternative Education programs.
A Brief Look Inside Education
Watch a video with behind the scenes highlights from the Inside Education program.
Project IMPACT
A program designed to "grow our own" highly qualified teachers in school districts throughout the county
Santa Cruz City Schools’ Star Works
Resources for students preparing to enter the workforce.
Murals of Santa Cruz County Schools
See a sampling of public art created by Santa Cruz students with the help of art teachers and professional artists.
Physical Education for Body, Mind and Spirit
Get information on the Alternative Education program
ROP Promotional Video
Click the play button to start the movie (requires Quicktime plugin)
Migrant Head Start Book Lists
Recommendations of English, Spanish, and bilingual children's books
