MCOE is excited to have Tammy Nguyen, former Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, as the new County Superintendent of Schools. Tammy has been with MCOE for 14 years and has a breadth of knowledge and experience to share that will help guide the agency in a responsible, respectful and reflective manner. Please congratulate Tammy on her new position!

Research indicates that the national reading level for 13-year-old students has declined to its lowest level in decades. Not only are students missing out on a world of fantastic books, magazines and other literary elements, low literacy levels are also associated with a greater chance of dropping out of school, less social connections in the community and poorer health. Like learning any skill, it is important to meet the learners where they are and teach to their style of learning. Author and educator Pam Allyn states that "...reading can be a highly nuanced and personal practice requiring teachers to apply an array of strategies. Explicit phonics instruction definitively helps many students advance their reading skills, but others will also need more help actively comprehending as they read, linking ideas, and thinking critically. Still others will need help reading with greater stamina or in new genres. Some students need explicit decoding strategies when they come across an unknown word, and others need the confidence to employ those strategies in a variety of contexts. All students need more help tapping into the serious joy of reading—finding engaging stories that speak to their own experiences and spark their imaginations." Read more on her research, experience and tips here.

Join Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher from Stanford's REACH Lab, on October 23, 2024 – 11:00am – Noon (PST), where she will provide “Straight Talk About the Triangulum of Nicotine, Vaping, and Cannabis”, ranging from the impact on teens and adolescents, harm-reduction strategies, and educational resources and interventions available to educators, students, parents/guardians, and anyone else who is interested in these topics. Dr. Halpern-Felsher is a Professor in Pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, at Stanford University. Dr. Halpern-Felsher is a developmental psychologist with additional training in adolescent and young adult health. Funded by the NIH and many foundations, her research has focused on understanding and reducing adolescent and young adult tobacco use, alcohol and marijuana use, and risky sexual behavior. Her research, including about 200 publications in journals such as JAMA Network, Pediatrics, and the American Journal of Public Health, as well as her committee and policy work, have been instrumental in setting policy at the local, state, and national level. She has been an active member on several national campaigns to understand and reduce adolescent tobacco/e-cigarette use. She has testified in several states and at the FDA arguing for more tobacco/e cigarette regulation, served on six Institute of Medicine/National Academies of Medicine committees, and contributed to three Surgeon General Reports, all focused on reducing adolescent risk behavior and promoting health. Click here to register.

• Did you know that more than 500 million people around the world speak Spanish? It is the 4th most spoken language in the world behind English, Mandarin and Hindi.
• Besides its Latin roots more than 4,000 Spanish words are derived from the Arabic language. For example "azucar" comes from the Arabic word "al-sukkar".
• Spanish is the official language of 21 countries! Can you name all of them? Hint there is one in Europe, 1 in Africa, and the rest are in North America and South America. Click here for a full list.
• Spanish is the only language that uses upside punctuation marks at the beginning of their sentences or questions to indicate to the reader that there is a question or an exclamation to influence the intonation of the speaker. For example ¿Cómo está? or ¡Gracias!
• The Royal Spanish Academy governs the Spanish language, approving or denying what can be added to the dictionary and declares the rules of grammar.

• Are you interested in teaching preschool , TK or Kindergarten? MCOE has grant funds available to support individuals pursuing a teaching credential or working on units towards the TK standards. Earn $1,000.00 per nine course units. The funding is available for the next three years and there are opportunities locally and remotely to earn credits. Contact Tammy Nguyen or Ana Danielson for more information.