DELTA SIERRA SECTION PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Dear CASCWA Community

Hello from the Delta-Sierra Section!

My heart goes out to everyone right now. Despite wildfires, power outages and a relentless global pandemic, those in the education system continue to persist. It certainly has not been easy.

In recent months, there seems to be more and more pressure for punitive action from the schools with respect to attendance. Despite years of working to get the message out that family engagement and service provision is the best remedy for attendance issues, there are still those that want to see punishment administered.

I am blessed to be working with a supportive Superintendent, who also believe that meeting the needs of families takes priority over sanctioning. Together, we are working to tighten as many screws as possible on the referral process and coaching schools to review and refresh their efforts to address the attendance challenges at hand. However, in a rural community many folks argue that there is nothing left that they can do to help a family and say that “lack of resources” is to blame. So, I have leaned closer in on my relationships with local community service partners to help dispel those myths and get needs met. I wondered if there was more that could be done and reached out to some of my CASCWA support system.

It is also In October, Joan Jeffery (Shasta County), Jane Loomis (Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District), Sheila Silan (El Dorado County office of Education), and I (Nevada County Office of Education) got together via Zoom to have an open dialogue about what smaller, rural counties are doing with respect to attendance interventions, limited resource challenges, and SARB practices during COVID. It was so very helpful to converse with others in like settings and to learn from one another. If you are interested in a similar opportunity, please feel free to reach out to me or any other CASCWA member.

Delta-Sierra members have been busy sharing their time and expertise by speaking at a variety of recent online events. Long-time CASCWA member, Erica Peterson, National Education Manager for School Innovations & Achievement, recently partnered with Hedy Chang (Executive Director and President, Attendance Works), Bryan Campoy (Supervising Administrator of Innovative Programs, Kern High School District) and Randy Miller (Opportunity Classes Administrator, Panama-Buena Vista Union School District) to present the online webinar "Insights & Data Tracking: Eliminating Barriers to Attendance and Participation".

Erica also presented at the November State SARB meeting, in which she shared out current trends in chronic absenteeism within California and interventions that work. Fellow Delta-Sierra members, Dan Sackheim and David Kopperud from the California State Department of Education (CDE) have also been providing online trainings throughout the region on the successful attendance intervention strategies, Model SARB application process, etc.

For those of you who work with homeless student populations, I’d like to remind you that the Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) RFA is available on CDEs website. LEAs are now able to apply separately from their COEs without being in competition with one another. Award amounts are based upon prior year homeless student counts. However, if you are from a small district or county do not be discouraged. You do have the ability to collaborate with others and apply as a consortium.

Many thanks to Rick Reigel, Southern Section President, for opening their conference planning meetings to Delta-Sierra in order that we may learn from them and prepare for 2022 conference planning.

Happy Holidays,

Melissa

Melissa Parrett

Student Services Program Coordinator

Nevada County Superintendent of Schools Office

380 Crown Point Circle., Grass Valley, CA 95945

Tel. (530) 478-6400 ext. 2021 Fax (530) 478-6410

Melissa Parrett is the Student Services Program Coordinator for the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools Office. Prior to entering the field of education she spent 10 years working for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges in close partnership with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. In this role, she traveled the nation extensively conducting a variety of research and program evaluation projects related to child abuse and neglect, foster care, adoption and court procedure. These projects touched a broad range of areas including social psychology/sociology, child development and family dynamics, organizational behavior, and systems change. Roughly 14 years ago, Melissa joined the staff at the Nevada County Superintendent of Schools Office. Overtime, she has acquired many “hats” as is typical in smaller rural county offices. She is President of the California Association of Supervisors of Child Welfare and Attendance, Delta-Sierra Section. Melissa and her husband have been married for fifteen years and have two school aged children and a newborn at home.

Delta-Sierra Executive Board Meetings

All regularly scheduled meetings are from 1:30-3:00

You can contact our secretary direct at EricaP@sia-us.com

2021-2022 Meetings ARE being scheduled

stay tuned for more information

Please RSVP to attend. MINUTES OF MEETING WILL BE emailed upon request.

DELTA SIERRA Professional Development Events

Attendance Certification Training - February 23, 2021

On February 23rd, CASCWA's Delta Sierra Section hosted an "Attendance Certification Training." The presenters were CDE's David Kopperud and Dan Sackheim. It was and excellent presentation and we wish to thank David and Dan for sharing their "Power Point": Supervision of Attendance Training.pptx

Click here for a listing of Dora Dome's 2020-21 Sacramento County Office of Education Workshops!

CASCWA's Delta Sierra Section Board