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NorCal Educator's Digest
November 2025
Quick Access | Main Sections
- COE Spotlight Feature
- Ed. Professional Spotlight
- Professional Development Opportunities & More
- Seeking Survey Responses
- Articles
- Resources
COE Spotlight Feature!
Building Belonging Through Community
Modoc County of Education’s Community Schools Carnivals Bring Families and Partners Together
The Modoc County Office of Education (COE) is bringing the spirit of Community Schools to life, literally, through vibrant community events that connect families, students, and local agencies in meaningful ways. Modoc COE Deputy Superintendent, Misti Norby, shared the success of Modoc’s Community Schools Carnivals. This year’s Community Schools Carnivals, held in partnership with Tulelake Basin Joint Unified district and Modoc High School, among others, drew hundreds of families for afternoons of fun, learning, and connection. The Tulelake event alone welcomed nearly 350 community members, while Modoc’s carnival saw more than 800 attendees come together. Each booth offered engaging, hands-on activities, like measuring pumpkins to practice math skills, alongside booths with resources and services from over 30 local agencies. From free school supplies and haircuts to food cooked by Cal Fire and local firefighters, every detail reinforced a shared commitment to supporting students and families.
These events, funded in part by California’s Community Schools grant and local community donations, have become a cornerstone of local engagement and a powerful example of what’s possible when schools truly serve as community hubs. Norby shared, “It’s all about creating spaces where families feel connected and kids feel celebrated.” As the initiative expands to include more districts, including Surprise Valley next year, Modoc COE continues to model how education systems can foster belonging, partnership, and joy at the heart of rural communities. To see resources and photos used to bring forward the Community Carnival, check out this folder from Modoc here.
Another source of pride is how Modoc County’s preschool and after-school programs are helping students learn the power of service and community connection. Through projects like Holiday for Heroes, where students and families fill stockings for deployed soldiers, and Blankets for Veterans, which began in the after-school program and now includes preschoolers, young learners are giving back in heartfelt ways. Students also visit local hospitals to read to elderly residents and create cards for community celebrations - like the 100 cards they made for a local man’s 100th birthday. These efforts, supported by local agencies and families, show how even the youngest learners can make a big impact in their community.
Norby also discussed challenges faced by Modoc County schools—these resonate in many rural areas—ongoing difficulty with staffing, particularly in special education, where only about 65% of positions are currently filled, and the number of students continues to rise. To address this, the county is partnering with Cal Poly Humboldt State University to help educators earn Special Education Credentials. Despite these challenges, the County Office of Education continues to prioritize professional learning that supports both academic and social-emotional needs. Key focus areas include AVID schoolwide implementation, the use of Reading Difficulties Screeners, and a major expansion of mental health supports through trauma-informed practices.
In Tulelake, the addition of Wellness Assistants, Coaches, and Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) Counselors, along with two school nurses, has been transformative for this rural district that lacks a local hospital. These services, funded through Community Schools and mental health capacity grants, have strengthened student well-being and access to care. Looking ahead, Modoc COE plans to build a community of practices around the new Math Framework, while exploring braided funding strategies to sustain and expand these vital supports, even amid staffing shortages.
If you have questions about any of Modoc’s work and offerings, please contact Misti Norby at mnorby@modoccoe.k12.ca.us.
Ed. Professional Spotlight
NorCal ELC Administrator Dr. Michelle Farrer is Named ACSA’s 2025 Superintendent/Principal of the Year!
Congratulations to one of our very own NorCal ELC Coaches and local leaders, Dr. Michelle Farrer, for winning the Association for California School Administrator’s (ACSA’s) 2025 Superintendent/Principal of the Year for her “unwavering dedication to student success, guiding schools through natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic, and societal challenges” and overall, “outstanding leadership.” After years at Children’s Community Charter School in Paradise, Farrer recently moved to a new position and currently serves as the director of Student Support Services at Penn Valley Union Elementary School District.
Professional Development Opportunities & More
21CSLA Shasta Region, NorCal ELC Presents the Spring 2026 Module Delivery Schedule
NorCal ELC is offering 21st Century California School Leadership Academy (21CSLA) UTK modules in the Shasta Geo Region in the 2025-26 academic year, both virtually and in-person. You can access the 2025-26 UTK Module Event Schedule here to view the modules selected and their respective flyers to register. For each module, NorCal ELC is offering a $250 stipend to participants upon completion.
Looking to Expand Instructional Practices to Support All Learners?
Join this free two-day Universal Design for Learning (UDL) training designed for all educators. There will be another opportunity to join a cohort in March 2026. This course can also count as 12 hours of continuing professional learning (1.2 CEUs).
4th Annual Rural Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Summit
The Population Health Innovation Lab (PHIL) is excited to host the 4th Annual Rural Adverse Childhood Experiences Summit, led by the Northern ACEs Collaborative (NAC). This year’s theme—It Takes a Village: Building Systems of Care that Center Youth and Families—will gather change makers, partners, and community members to share insights, address challenges, and strengthen rural systems of care for youth and families. For more information, access the flyer here.
Bring Crayola Creativity Week to Your School!
Celebrate Crayola Creativity Week, Jan. 26 – Feb. 1, 2026. It's free and full of creative activities and celebrities including soccer/football greats Harry Cane and Matt Turner, astronauts, Questlove, Bindi Irwin and many more! Sweepstakes, prizes, and daily read-alouds available. Register today!
Seeking Survey Responses
California State Board of Education’s Portrait of a Graduate/Learner
The California State Board of Education (SBE) is developing a Portrait of a Graduate/Learner to set a vision of what every California student should know and be able to do when they leave school. The portrait will serve as a guiding framework for the Board. SBE is seeking input from educators, students, families, and community members on developing a portrait. You can participate by completing a 2-minute survey.
Articles
California Pilots High School Learning Redesign
The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) is launching a pilot to overhaul and redesign high school learning. Through this effort, CCEE and its partners will:
- Ensure every student is known and supported
- Redesign learning for deeper knowledge and skills
- Advance pupil success and equitable outcomes through student-centered learning and personalized support
- Promote measurable growth in student engagement and learning
- Design sustainable structures to maintain impact over time
“This pilot program will accelerate the redesign of California’s middle and high schools by investing directly in established networks of schools already engaged in this work. With new resources, these networks will deepen their redesign efforts, enable additional schools to undertake the redesign process with assistance, operate as demonstration sites, and help document both the practices that produce success and the barriers that must be addressed for transformation to last and spread.”
The proposals to join the network have closed and announcements on selected schools will be made soon. For more information, check out this article and the CCEE website here.
Scaffolding Like a Pro: Powerful Ways to Support Learning
This article from Edutopia contains many options, ranging from tried-and-true to lesser known, and strategies for cognitive, metacognitive, and procedural scaffolding will help you set students up for success. Access the Edutopia article here.
Resources
Implementing Universal Design for Learning at your site?
Check out this new resource from CCEE (in partnership with several agencies) on Universal Design for Learning. The UDL: Data Toolkit - Guidance and resources for gathering input, planning, monitoring progress, and measuring impact.
“At its core, this toolkit aims to provide you with the tools and guidance needed to track and measure the impact of UDL across your district. By focusing on the key areas of students, educators, leaders, and the broader system, the toolkit helps you gain a holistic understanding of how UDL is being implemented and its effects on academic, behavioral, and socio-emotional outcomes. It encourages a data-driven approach that leverages insights from various community partners—students, families, educators, and administrators—to ensure that every decision is informed by comprehensive, real-world evidence.”
Access the Data Toolkit here (PDF).
CCEE Introduces Frontline Voices, a New Blog Series
California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) releases its newest blog series spotlighting promising practices and real-time strategies from the field. Whether you're looking for tools, inspiration, or just a fresh perspective, this series is for you. Check it out at Frontline Voices.
21CSLA Webinar on Restorative Leadership
21CSLA’s most recent Research-Practice Webinar explored restorative leadership and equitable student discipline practices, with particular emphasis on supporting African American/Black students. Watch the recording and read the highlights for actionable strategies to enhance your leadership journey.