SLOCOE eNews SLO COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION

A s I complete my second year as your superin-

tendent, I continue to be impressed with your dedica-tion, concern, and ability to serve our community. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing recently award-ed twenty-one organizations out of sixty-five applicants a grant to provide a pathway for classified employees to obtain a teaching credential. Our office was one of the success-

ful applicants This means we will be able to offer 45 classified employees throughout San Luis Obispo County an opportunity to earn a subsidized teaching

credential. We are also in the process of the final selection on two additional state grants in the areas of Career and Technical Education and Arts Education. What this means for our office is that we will once again grow in certain areas as the changing landscape requests different services than we provided in the past. This change is both exciting and challenging

because we will need to reduce program offerings in some areas of our office and grow in other areas. Since starting in this field thirty years ago, I have discovered that no two years are exactly the same, and it seems that the last few years have presented significant change. What will 2017 bring for our workplace? I have stated before, and believe that successful organizations must stay ahead of a shifting landscape. Here are a few of the trends we will face in 2017:

We will face increased efforts to adjust our program offerings to the needs and requests of the local community.

Our programs will continue to present individualized educational experiences for students and employees. Additional flipped learning in the classroom and office will continue to be part of our landscape.

We will experience more advancements in assistive technology.

Increased safety and security for students and employees will be a central theme in the workplace.

Collaboration will remain a central theme in 2017.

Please remember that when we work together, we are much stronger. Once again, thank you for your service.

Jim Brescia

Thank You for Your Service Pam Ables, Certificated Senior Coordinator, ESS Mallory Diaz, Administrative Specialist, Grizzly ChalleNGe Betty Ellison, Executive Assistant, ESS Teresa Jimenez, Administrative Assistant II, SPS Melissa Kliss, Registered Nurse, SPS Patty Ouimette, Teacher for Severely Handicapped, SPS ESS—Educational Support Services; HR—Human Resources; MOT—Maintenance, Operations, & Transportation; SELPA—Special Education Local Plan Area; SPS—Student Programs & Services

Welcome Back to the SLOCOE Family Diane McCarthy, Cook, Rancho El Chorro, ESS

For Those Who RSVP'd by the deadline:

SLOCOE Holiday Party 5 pm, Monday, December 12

Rancho El Chorro Auditorium (Mini Tree Decorating Contest & More)

DecEMber 2016

~ TRANS IT IONS ~

Successful organizations must stay ahead of a

shifting landscape.

SLOCOE eNEWS 2

M eet Roxanne Garispe, Credentialed

Nurse. When you love what you do, and do what you love, the glow is there for all to see. Roxanne, new to SLOCOE from Dinuba Unified School District, wears her heart for her students on her sleeve and raves about the special education team she joined. As a cre-dentialed nurse, Roxanne helps plan individualized health and educational services for medically fragile students at Meadowlark Education Center; deaf and hard of hearing students at Santa Margarita Elementary School; and alternative ed-ucation high schoolers at Chalk Mountain Commu-nity School. She has 31 years of experience as an RN, and 15 years as a credentialed school nurse. Roxanne exults in rare victories, like seeing a medi-cally fragile student come out of a wheel chair in order to walk with a cane, or watching another student use an iPad eye tracker to spell out a request to the therapist that students call “Mr. Bill.” In her free time, Roxanne loves to paddleboard and spend time with her family—her self-employed husband, grown son who is a pharmacist, daughter who is finishing her studies, and two Pomeranian dogs. She loves life here on the coast. Welcome to SLOCOE, Roxanne!

Did You Know . . . your insurance coverage through SISC provides access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)? Need assistance with money or legal ques-tions? Maybe you are seeking a counselor. EAP provides 24/7 access to live people at 800-999-7222, or if you prefer, online resources via an-themEAP.com. There is no need for paperwork or an appointment, and you can seek help for any concern: childcare and parenting, emotional well-being, work and career, addiction and recovery, financial issues, or life events. For more informa-tion, please see Employee Assistance Program. Your privacy is protected, and no one will know you have contacted EAP without your writ-ten permission.

Put a Holiday Smile in Your Heart! Preschool Wish Lists are posted on a wall display across from the kitchen in the Main Office. Staff are invited to take an ornament with a child’s name off the tree, sign up to purchase a gift costing no more than $25 for a child, and then send or bring the gift, fully wrapped, with the ornament (or child’s name and school site) to Nancy Norton by December 12. Call 782-7298 for more information.

M eet LeAudrey Koenig, Adminis-

trative Assistant II for SELPA. LeAudrey, whose name is pronounced “Lee Audree,” is a recent transplant from the Beardsley School District in Bakersfield, where she supported special education programs. (LeAudrey’s name comes from her mother and grandmother.) She loves her new co-workers in the SELPA office, saying every-one gets along well, and she feels cared about as an employee. She also loves the people and natural beauty of the Central Coast. “Moving here has been like a breath of fresh air,” she says. In the SELPA office, LeAudrey provides essential support for the Workability program, workshops, and meetings for children who are being referred to Therapeutic Learning Classes all over the county. All of LeAudrey’s family, including her 24-year-old son, live in Bakersfield, and she recalls visits to Morro Bay with them prior to her move here. In her free time, LeAudrey is an avid Oakland Raiders fan. (She has the handbag to prove it!) She also loves to go fishing (deep water, fresh water, “all types of fishing”) and camping with her friends. She joins a group of women friends for a week in July every year at Balch Park, located in the southern Sierra mountains. Welcome, LeAudrey!

Leave a little Sparkle wherever you go!

SLOCOE eNEWS 3

Mock election day at Loma Vista Community School on November 8 enjoyed 100% voter participation from Sharon O’Gara’s students, with “I Voted” stickers and cookies for all who turned in completed ballots to the ballot box. Paige Lee-brick’s class also participated in the Mock Election. Official voting booths were loaned with the help of Probation Officer Tyler Gibson, whose wife works for the SLO County Recorders Office. Before voting, the students carefully studied the can-didates and propositions, and also discussed how to handle disagreements. Photos at Left: Michael Gray, Assistant Principal; Sharon O’Gara, Teacher

A FEMA-evaluated disaster drill on November 2 gave SLOCOE’s team a passing grade for its participation. Photos Below: Peggy Edwards, Controller; FEMA evaluators; Kim Burke, Phone Team Leader.

Got Google Questions? Get Google Answers! Even better, visit the Google campus. Be sure to ask these two Google visitors all about their day, and what they learned. Photo Below: Phil Trott and Karen Donaghe.

Creating a mem-orable mission statement can begin with draw-ings, as Business Ser-vices staff learned at a September retreat. Below (L-R): Suzie Hargreaves, Adrianne Goodman, Peggy Edwards, Michelle Mayabb, Meghan Knable, Jacki Seibert, Sheldon Smith, Sonia Stuart.

~ Recent Happenings ~

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