The State Superintendent of Instruction, University of California, and the CSU Chancellor’s Office are proud to collaborate with Tulare County Office of Education to host the 2nd Annual “Breaking Barriers” Professional Development Conference in Tulare County.
Administrators, counselors, teachers, support staff, and college faculty members are invited to learn of recent case studies and local model schools in California that are paving the way with transformational strategies. Join us as model schools share their approaches to eliminating barriers to learning while creating seamless transitions to higher institutes of education.
The keynote speaker will be Robyn Fisher Ed.D., President/CEO, R.T. Fisher Educational Enterprises, Inc. (RTF). Since founding RTF in 1999, Dr. Fisher has subsequently co-founded and chaired an umbrella of initiatives directed towards academic excellence in the Bay Area’s communities of color, including both the African American Regional Educational Alliance, Inc. (AAREA), and The Choose College Educational Foundation, Inc. (CCEF). She currently serves as the Project Director for the California Academic Partnership Program, California Demonstration Project (CAPP CDF).
• COLLEGE READINESS
• HEALTH & WELLNESS
• SEL TRAUMA & POVERTY
• CAREER READINESS
• COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
• BUILDING RESILIENCE AND RELATIONSHIPS
• UNIVERSAL ACCESS AND EQUITY
• SCHOOL SAFETY
• COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP
Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018
Tulare County Office of Education in Visalia
Registration Cost: $125
Registration Information: http://tulare.k12oms.org/147-152650
WANT TO GET MORE INVOLVED?
In Region XI, the following councils/committees have open positions in 2018/2019:
• Business Services Council
• Career Technical Education Council
• Human Resources Council
• Member Services Council
• Retirement Committee
• Student Services / Special Education Council
Go to https://www.acsa.org (click on About Us, then Committees & Councils) to view descriptions of each council/committee and contact information if you would like to learn more. To apply, click on the following link to download the application: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8f4wgSPhwgMQmN2QVVoLWZOa2c
The 15th Annual Ordiz-Melby District Cup Golf Tournament will be held Saturday, April 7, 2018 at Sundale Country Club in Bakersfield. The event is sponsored by ACSA West Kern Charter and raises funds for scholarships.
The tournament offers two divisions — Open and District. All District team players must be current or retired district employees to qualify for the District Cup. All other teams will be eligible for the Open Division awards Prizes for the District and Open division teams are: 1st Place, $400; 2nd Place, $300; and 3rd Place, $200. The winning district will be allowed to showcase the District Cup for one calendar year before it’s up for grabs again next year. Awards will also be given to those who are closest to the hole on all Par 3s. Shotgun scramble starts at 12:30 p.m. Team entry fee: $380 (four-person team). Individual entry fee: $95 (we will place you on a team).
Lunch, generously provided by Colombo Construction, will be served at 11:30 a.m.
For more information, contact Terry Wolfe by email at bernardwolfe@aol.com or by phone at 661.565.2773. Click here to download the event package.
West Kern Charter will again present the Educational Leadership Award at the annual end-of-the-year dinner on Thursday, June 7, 2018. The nomination form (link below) should be submitted to Ruscel Reader no later than Wednesday, May 16, 2018. It can be emailed to ruscelreader@hotmail.com or mailed to her at 5001 College Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93306. Direct questions to Ruscel Reader: 661-703-0412, ruscelreader@hotmail.com.
By Dr. Julie Boesch
Superintendent/Principal
Maple Elementary School District
Westside Small School Districts Collaborative just wrapped up an incredible three full days of training for over 212 Kern County educators! This collaborative is made up of a group of 14 small school districts on the west side of Kern County. The superintendents from each district meet monthly to share best practices, tour classrooms, hear presenters and find new ways to leverage resources by working together as a team. This year, with over 212 participants from the majority of these districts, administrators and special guests, the collaborative surpassed our vision of providing quality training and collaboration opportunities to teachers who often feel isolated among our small, rural districts.
We kicked off our three-day extravaganza with nationally known speaker Julie Adams who shared her expertise on brain science, cognitive growth, developing as a leader and implementing common core standards with students. That day ended with a highly engaging session from our own Joost Demoes on cultivating wonderment and excitement around the world of mathematics! We also had three incredible technology sessions including presenters from Kern County who shared their expertise on student engagement, Google and Stop Motion Film Festivals.
Our second day was an amazing opportunity to increase our skill set for supporting and teaching our English Language Learners with Dr. Jill Hamilton-Bunch. Dr. Hamilton-Bunch advanced our knowledge of teaching methods, philosophy for serving students’ needs, and principles of language acquisition. Our teachers were able to collaborate and work in teams with support from an expert as we get ready to serve each of our students with high quality teaching.
To cap off this amazing training we were honored to have Dr. Joe Sanfelippo guide us on a journey through finding ways to share our story using technology. Each and every one of our schools and districts are working hard every day to serve students and Dr. Sanfelippo provided tools and encouragement for sharing the great work that we do by having students and staff create a positive social media presence – helping us tell our story. The afternoon sessions were self-selected sessions created by local area educators from across the county who guided their colleagues as they explored all things Google from tips, tricks, ideas and hacks, Slides and Docs to organizing a paper- free environment, the resources and practical application were invaluable to our teachers who eagerly participated in each session.
Helen Keller said “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” Together we were able to provide our teams with truly high quality learning and we can’t wait to demonstrate what we have learned as we serve the students of our districts!
West Kern Charter will again present the Educational Leadership Award at the annual end-of-the-year dinner on Thursday, June 8, 2017. The nomination form should be received no later than Wednesday, May 17, 2017. For questions or more information, contact Ruscel Reader by phone at 661-871-7158 or by email at ruscelreader@hotmail.com.
The Ambassador Program helps new members navigate ACSA’s vast structure, while providing that first and very necessary human contact — giving the organization a face and a name. Region XI has seven Charter Ambassadors:
• Tulare Charter: Tom Giampietro and Robert Aguilar
• Kings Charter: Bill Black
• West Kern Charter: Terry Wolfe
• East Kern Charter: Elaine Janson and Beverly Thompson
• Inyo/Mono Charter: Don Clark
Starting in January, each Charter will hold a monthly raffle for new members. Winners of the $25 Gift Card in January are West Kern Charter’s Adan Robles, Assistant Principal in McFarland and Kings Charter’s Ed Larking, Corcoran Unified.
ACSA’s Mentor Program is in its second full year of operation. The Mentor Program is one of the many professional development opportunities offered by ACSA, and, during the past year, our Regional Facilitators were responsible for establishing approximately 50 Mentor/Protége relationships. Feedback from participants has been very positive, and it is our hope that even more new administrators will take advantage of the program this year. We began with superintendents and have now moved on to include site administrators, especially principals, and district office staff. Basically, the program is open to all first and second year administrators that are new to their position.
Within the Association of California School Administrators, our goal is to improve the effectiveness of administrative leaders, thereby increasing the success of their students, and protecting the investment that is administrative personnel. District and school administrators are expected to be great leaders from the very beginning of their careers, but the framework to hone their leadership skills primarily occurs prior to their gaining practical experience. Mentoring is an excellent way to provide on-the-job, confidential, practical support for new administrators, and possibly the best aspect is that the service is absolutely FREE to ACSA members. Each and every time a district hires an administrator, the district is making a substantial investment. It simply makes sense to develop and protect that investment, and the Mentor Program is a great starting point.
You may wonder how ACSA can offer the Mentor Program at no additional cost to members or school districts. Thanks to the efforts of ACSA staff, we also have developed a budget with a funding source through our Legal Alliance which includes: Atkinson, Anderson, Loya, Rudy & Romo; Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP; Dannis, Woliver, Kelley; Fagen, Friedman & Fulfrost, LLP; and Lozano Smith. Funds provided by these firms have provided the support for the development and maintenance of the program. We are extremely thankful to these legal firms for their on-going support.
For all ACSA members who have recently taken on a new position, it is very easy to sign up for the Mentor Program. Simply go to the ACSA website, click on Member Services, and then click on the Mentor Program. This link will take you directly to an application where you can sign up to be a mentor or a protége. It’s that simple, and, remember, it’s free! Upon completion of the application form, you will be contacted by your Regional Facilitator. Questions? Contact Regional Facilitator Mike Berg, 559-906-4100.
The Kern County Board of Education has appointed Dr. Mary Barlow as Kern County Superintendent of Schools following the retirement of Dr. Christine Lizardi Frazier, whose last day was January 31, 2017. Barlow was sworn into office in January and will complete the remainder of Frazier’s term, which ends in 2018. The announcement was made during the Board’s December meeting, after Barlow received resounding support from a large cross section of the private sector, educational community and various partnering agencies.
“Dr. Barlow has proven herself as an extremely effective leader who is passionate about the services that KCSOS provides to students and in support of Kern’s local school districts. She is a champion for collaboration and the best person to lead KCSOS into the future,” said Donald Cowan, President of the Kern County Board of Education.
Dr. Barlow has spent the majority of her career in education, serving as a teacher, Director of Children and Family Services, and a district superintendent. During her tenure as Superintendent of the Kernville Union School District, she successfully modernized all district schools and constructed a new middle school while focusing on increasing student achievement. Under her leadership the district was named a California Distinguished School, Title 1 Academic Excellence District, and was recognized at the state level for its nutrition and wellness programs promoting student health.
Barlow joined the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS) in 2009 as the Deputy Administrative Officer for the Fiscal Crisis Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), an agency that provides fiscal intervention for school districts, county offices of education, charter schools and community colleges throughout California. In 2012, she was appointed as Assistant Superintendent of Administration, Finance & Accountability for KCSOS, leading the fiscal oversight and support for Kern’s 47 local school districts. Barlow was appointed Associate Superintendent of KCSOS in 2014, a role in which she has provided daily operational oversight of the county-run programs as well as the divisions that support 47 Kern County school districts serving more than 180,000 students.
Barlow attended Cerro Coso Community College at the Lake Isabella and Ridgecrest campuses before transferring as a junior to CSU Bakersfield where she earned her bachelor of arts in psychology in 1994. She went on to earn a master’s degree in Educational Management and an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership from the University of LaVerne.
Barlow serves the community in different capacities including the Association of California School Administrators, Kern County Treasurer and Tax Collector Advisory Committee, the Kern County Emergency Management Care Advisory Board, the Rotary Club of Bakersfield (Downtown), and past Co-Chair of First Five Kern Commission. She is a proud founder of the Kern River Valley Collaborative, a network of county, private and nonprofit agencies dedicated to delivering direct medical, dental, and social services to Kern River Valley children and their families.
“I’m humbled to be given this opportunity to continue to uphold the Kern County office of education’s unwavering commitment to being advocates for children in our community, “Barlow said. “I look forward to continuing to support our districts as they implement outcomes-based Local Control and Accountability plans, expanding our partnerships with the private sector around innovative Career Technical Education and college / career pathways and moving the educational community forward in terms of innovation and technology in the classroom.”