Students from the future Dinuba High School Academy of

Engineering and Construction Management have been asked to

create a museum. On May 14, teachers and parents will step

through the doors of their museum to view dozens of

student-created projects which demonstrate a mastery of the 21st

Century Learning Skills – collaboration, creativity, communication

and critical thinking.

For one night only, the Heritage Complex in Tulare will be

transformed into this showcase of student work as part of a new

event entitled A Night at the 21st Century Museum. According to Joy

Soares, the Tulare County Office of Education’s Project Based

Learning staff development and curriculum specialist, A Night at the

21st Century Museum was created with two big ideas in mind: offer a

format where students and teachers can share their high quality work

and create an event where parents, community members, and other

teachers and students can gain an understanding of Project Based

Learning. “What has evolved with this event is much more than

that,” says Mrs. Soares. “We are building this museum as a learning

tool for all!” Read more at www.tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

April 2014

A Night at the 21st Century Museum to showcase student work using Project Based Learning

Students ready projects for 21st Century Museum

T H E N E W S L E T T E R o f T H E T U L A R E C O U N T Y O F F I C E o f E D U C A T I O N

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(top photo) Students from Countryside High School in Tulare are preparing to exhibit their restaurant design project at the first annual A Night at the 21st Century Museum event May 14 in Tulare. (lower photo) Joy Soares, curriculum specialist for Project Based Learning, discusses the new event with students from Dinuba High School. The students will be designing the exhibition space for the projects displayed at the event.

Public invited to visit newly expanded museum, exhibits during annual barbecue this month

SCICON Museum expansion completedEvery five years, publicly-operated outdoor science schools, such as the Tulare County Office of Education’s SCICON program, undergo a certification process through the California Outdoor School Administration (COSA), a partner with the California Department of Education. In the COSA report on SCICON completed earlier this year, reviewers praised the program, saying “Prominently displayed with the SCICON logo in the lodge is the phrase, ‘SCICON is people working together.’ This expression illustrates the leadership, vision and systems that underlie the obvious success of SCICON as the ‘gold standard’ outdoor science school program.”

One of the features that has made SCICON the “gold standard” in California outdoor education programs has been its natural history museum. The museum was built in 1971 in honor of Phyllis Wall (a granddaughter of Clemmie Gill). Read more at www.tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

April 2014

National History Day – Tulare County (NHD)

was held last month, attracting 80 elementary,

middle and high school projects from throughout

the county – a 33% increase in projects compared

to last year. The theme of NHD was Rights and

Responsibilities in History. Students developed

projects relating to the national theme by

incorporating events in local, state, national and

international history. The projects ranged from

performances and exhibits to website

development and documentaries.

A panel of judges from the community selected

23 Tulare County projects as finalists. Among

them was My Name Is..: The Rights and

Responsibilities of Achieving the American Dream.

Read more at www.tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

Julissa Lopez, Isabel Magana, Skyler Mattos, Jairo Aguilar and Ignacio Ramos from Kings River Union School were among 23 finalists in the National History Day competition.

Emily Ponce from Woodlake Valley Middle School generates power for a new SCICON electricity exhibit by peddling a stationary bicycle. The exhibit can be found in the recently completed gallery expansion at the Phyllis Wall Museum. Visitors to the annual SCICON barbecue April 13 are encouraged to visit the museum and enjoy the new and renovated exhibits.

Twenty-three Tulare County history projects eligible to compete at state level this month

National History Day projects headed for state

Read more at www.tcoe.org

New musical is part classic fairy tale and part action adventure, with old favorites mixed in

My Son Pinocchio features cast of 100 students

Spring Conference helps parents prepare children for Common Core and college

Migrant Ed empowers parents and students

This month, the Theatre Company will perform Disney’s My Son Pinocchio Jr., complete with a cast of 100 Tulare County students. The program will offer three 7:00 p.m. evening shows April 10-12. A 2:00 p.m. matinee will also be offered Saturday, April 12.

My Son Pinocchio Jr. is the classic tale of toymaker Geppetto and his little wooden puppet, Pinocchio. In this new musical, the story is given new life and is told from Geppetto’s perspective. The production features the beloved classic songs When You Wish Upon a Star and I’ve Got No Strings, plus a host of new songs by Oscar- and Grammy Award-winner and master melodist Stephen Schwartz.

Show director Nicole Zweifel invites the public to join Geppetto as he travels beyond the toy shop to discover the meaning of family. To read more, visit www.tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

Noah Peltzer and Owen Webb (l-r) star as Pinocchio and Geppetto in Disney’s My Son Pinocchio Jr. this month as part of the Theatre Company’s spring musical production. A cast of 100 Tulare County students will perform the musical four times April 10-12 at the El Diamante Theater in Visalia.

Last month, over 150 parents and students served by the Migrant Education program in Tulare and Kings counties attended the program’s spring conference at the Holiday Inn in Visalia. Parents and students had the opportunity to attend a variety of breakout sessions, including presentations on reading, science, the Common Core State Standards and preparing for college.

Migrant Education program staff collected comments from parents. One parent reported that she felt empowered to “motivate my daughters to have a better future and to attend a college or university.” Another attendee said she was motivated to “know what my daughter likes and where her talents are, and to support her to achieve her goals.” Read more at www.tcoe.org/NewsGallery.

Paul Reagan assisted in a workshop for students in kindergarten and first grade to learn several basic physical science concepts.

(photo 1) Read for Life Vice President Susan Graves receives a donation from Beth Fisher, a fourth-grader from St. Paul’s School in Visalia who gave some of her books to the Be Inspired Community Book Drive held last month at College of the Sequoias, Visalia. The book drive was sponsored by ABC30 to benefit the Read for Life organization. To aid the book drive, ABC30’s parent organization The Walt Disney Company, along with First Book, donated 10,000 books for distribution to children in Tulare County. Read for Life staff members report that an additional 8,000 books were donated by community members during the 12-hour book drive. Several TCOE programs benefit annually from Read for Life donations. Nearly 1,400 students participated in the 30th Annual Poetry & Prose event, held over six days in March. Elementary and middle school students performed individually or in groups before a judge who offered positive critiques on their recitation performance. (photo 2) McKenna Phillips, granddaughter of Shirlee Nishimine who along with event coordinator Nancy Bellin helped create the program, performed a poem her grandfather wrote in honor of Mrs. Nishimine. (photo 3) This year, 40 Tulare and Kings county schools sent teams of seventh- and eighth-grade students to the annual Math Super Bowl. Students competed individually, in teams with their classmates, and in teams with students from other schools to solve a series of mathematical challenges. For a list of Math Super Bowl winners, visit www.tcoe.org/MathSuperBowl. (photo 4) Raveena Mahal, a sixth-grade student at Westfield Elementary in Porterville, developed one of six projects selected as finalists in the Tulare County Science & Engineering Fair. As a finalist, Raveena is eligible to compete at the California State Science Fair April 28 - 29. This year, over 170 projects were entered in the competition. For a list of finalists and award winners, visit www.tcoe.org/ScienceFair. (photo 5) Karina Arenivaz, a sophomore at Orosi High School, is pictured with Tulare County Superintendent of Schools Jim Vidak and Steve Godlin, president of the Tulare County Farm Bureau Executive Committee. Karina’s artwork was selected for the cover of the annual Farm Bureau Student Art Calendar entitled Discover the Treasures in Tulare County Agriculture. The calendar, which is distributed to teachers throughout the county, is an educational tool with nutrition, and state and local agricultural facts. (photo 6) Last month, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson visited the Central Valley to assess the impact of the statewide drought on school attendance. His visit to Tulare County included a stop at Earlimart Middle School where he spoke to district officials and representatives from the Tulare County Office of Education and the Migrant Education Program. Pictured with Mr. Torlakson (c) are (l-r) Jim Vidak, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Guadalupe Solis, Migrant Education area administrator Shantall Porchia and Migrant program administrator Tony Velásquez.

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Read more at www.tcoe.org

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For more events, programs and meetings, visit our online calendar at www.tcoe.org/CalendarOfEvents

upcomingevents

Planetarium Public Show7:00 p.m., Earth, Moon & Sun8:00 p.m., Saturn: Jewel of the HeavensPeña Planetarium, 2500 W. Burrel, VisaliaFor more information, call (559) 737-6334

Science Olympiad (Division A for grades 3-6)8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., El Diamante High School, 5100 W. Whitendale Ave., VisaliaFor information, call Michelle French at (559) 651-3031

Theatre Company Spring Musical: Disney's My Son Pinocchio Jr. Evening shows: April 10-12 at 7:00 p.m.; Matinee: April 12 at 2:00 p.m.El Diamante High School Theater, 5100 W. Whitendale Ave., VisaliaFor information, call Brian Roberts at (559) 651-1482

Friday Night Live Lip Synch Contest6:00 - 9:00 p.m., Visalia Convention CenterFor information, call Adam Valencia at (559) 651-0155

26th Annual Child Care Conference7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Visalia Convention CenterFor information, call Elvira Barron at (559) 651-0185

SCICON BBQ & Wildf lower Festival11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., SCICON Campus, SpringvilleFor information, call Rick Mitchell at (559) 539-2642

Día de los Niños/ Día de los Libros1:00 - 4:00 p.m., Manuel Hernandez Community Ctr., 247 W. Ferguson Ave., VisaliaFor information, call Shelley Chappell at (559) 651-3042

Battle of the BooksMay 7: Middle Schools (grades 6-8), 8:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m.May 14: Elementary Schools (grades 4-6), 8:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m.TCOE, 7000 Doe Ave., VisaliaFor information, call Shelley Chappell at (559) 651-3042

Step Up Youth Challenge Awards6:00 p.m., Fox Theatre, 308 W. Main, VisaliaFor information, call Robert Herman at (559) 733-6606

Arbor Day9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., Mooney Grove Park, VisaliaFor information, call Jared Marr at (559) 651-3047

Robot Riot8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., 7000 Doe Ave., Elderwood Rm.For information, call Will Kimbley at (559) 651-3047

A Night at the 21st Century MuseumHeritage Complex, 4500 S. Laspina, TulareFor information, call Joy Soares at (559) 651-0501

Slick Rock Film Festival7:00 - 9:00 p.m., Fox Theater, 308 W. Main, VisaliaFor information, call Adam Valencia at (559) 651-0155

Special Services Graduation (Visalia-area programs) 10:00 a.m., College of the Sequoias (Visalia), Sawtooth Bldg.For information, call Linda McKean at (559) 730-2910

University Preparatory High School Graduation7:00 p.m., College of the Sequoias (Visalia), Porter Field HouseFor information, call John Kelly at (559) 730-2529

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Tulare County Board of Education

News Gallery CommitteeEditor: Robert Herman, Public Information OfficerContributors: Marlene Moreno, Jennifer Fisher, Lorena White, Shelly DiCenzo, Joy Soares, Tony Velásquez, Shantall Porchia, Rick Mitchell, Nicole Zweifel, and Charlotte Garcia.

The News Gallery is published monthly with the exception of double issues printed for July/August and December/January. If you would like to receive The News Gallery, visit www.tcoe.org/GetTheGallery or contact Jennifer Fisher at (559) 733-6172, or at jenniferf@tcoe.org.

Seven teams of high school students and a team from Porterville College competed in the 8th Annual Southern California Gas Company Challenge for Student Entrepreneurs on March 25. The event also featured the presentation of the Tulare County Student STEM Entrepreneur Scholarships. The $1,000 scholarships, which are sponsored by TUCOEMAS Federal Credit Union, were awarded to Sharanya Thiagarajan from Harmony Magnet Academy and Evan Morritse from Redwood High School.

Stephanie Caldera, a parent liaison with Special Services’ Bright Start Program since 1998, has been selected to receive one of First 5 Tulare County’s Hands-on Hero Awards for 2014. As the liaison for Bright Start, Stephanie is a positive resource for parents, guiding them through a complex system of care. She started her own support group for parents of children with Angelman’s Syndrome and she leads a monthly support group for parents of children who have Down’s Syndrome. She will be honored at an awards dinner hosted by First 5 Tulare County on April 10.

On March 8, 29 teams of middle and high school students gathered at the College of the Sequoias Visalia Campus to compete in the annual Science Olympiad. The results from the individual and group competitions revealed that the Gold Team from Exeter High School placed first in the Division C (high school) category, while the Green Team from Green Acres Middle School (Visalia) placed first in the Division B (middle school) category. The Division C high school teams representing Tulare County at the NorCal State Science Olympiad are Exeter Gold Team, Redwood High School (Visalia) Blue Team, University Preparatory High School (Visalia) Black Team, and Mt. Whitney High School (Visalia) Maroon Team. The Division B teams representing Tulare County at the NorCal event are St. Aloysius School (Tulare), Wilson Middle School (Exeter) Blue Team, Divisadero Middle School, (Visalia), and Sundale Union Elementary School (Tulare). The Division A competition for students in grades 3-6 will be held April 5 at El Diamante High School. For information, call Michelle French at (559) 651-3031.

Tulare County Superintendent of Schools: Jim VidakPresident: Joe Enea, Trustee Area No. 5Vice President: Chris Reed, Trustee Area No. 6; Trustees: Celia Maldonado-Arroyo, Trustee Area No. 1; Debby Holguin, Trustee Area No. 2; Tom Link, Trustee Area No. 3; Judy Coble, Trustee Area No. 4; and Patricia Hillman, Trustee Area No. 7

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