The Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE) is one of 58 county offices located throughout the state. Approximately 650 regular and more than 950 temporary and substitute SCOE staff work year-round providing services which complement and supplement those offered by public school districts in Sacramento County. Over 230,000 K-12 students are served by public schools in Sacramento County.
Classified Employee of the Month
Maribeth Krueger, Family Advocate, was been nominated by School Readiness Director Natalie Woods Andrews, Ed.D., for her contributions to the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE). Ms. Krueger works in the Preschool Bridging Model (PBM) administered by the School Readiness Department. PBM, funded by First 5 Sacramento, is a service delivery model supporting year-long professional development opportunities for providers in private early learning centers and family child care homes. Staff provide community resources to providers and families and screenings for young children, birth through age five. In her role as Family Advocate, Ms. Krueger works with SCOE's PBM staff and private early learning providers to share resources that facilitate access to resources throughout Sacramento County. She also conducts vision and hearing screenings to identify children who may potentially need early intervention services. Ms. Krueger's colleagues have spoken of how often she exhibits a willingness to go above and beyond what is expected in her family advocate role. When contacted regarding a variety of requests, Ms. Krueger sets out to meet the "enjoyable challenge" to locate what may be needed to support the PBM staff, early learning providers and parents. During the past year, Ms. Krueger initiated contact with all PBM parents who received referrals indicating that their child failed a hearing or vision screening. While it was not a required task, Ms. Krueger saw this as an opportunity to make sure parents had resources that would support their child and had followed through with the recommended referral. Parents were surprised at the follow-up contact and expressed their great appreciation. During these conversations, Ms. Krueger was not only able to follow up, but was able to hear and share several success stories of children who had received services to support their development and school success. Her supervisor says, "Maribeth Krueger is an original member of the Preschool Bridging Model team, and has been instrumental in helping to establish protocols and implement effective practices that have supported hundreds of families and their young children in Sacramento County. She continually seeks new ways to serve providers more effectively and to connect children and their families with resources for optimal learning and development." Ms. Krueger has been a Sacramento County Office of Education employee since 1979.
Certificated Employee of the Month
Christina Newport, School Nurse, was nominated by Principal Beth Vieira for her contributions to the Special Education Department of the Sacramento County Office of Education. She currently works with SCOE students in the south portion of Sacramento County, serving Galt High, Marengo Ranch Elementary, McCaffrey Middle and Arcohe Schools. As a SCOE School Nurse Ms. Newport strengthens and facilitates the educational process by improving and protecting the health status of children. She identifies and assists in the removal or modification of health-related barriers to learning in individual children. Her role as School Nurse requires for her to be especially prepared for and uniquely qualified in preventive health, health assessment, and referral procedures. SCOE students benefit through prevention of illness and disability, as well as the early detection and correction of health problems. Her supervisor says, "Ms. Newport is an invaluable member of the SCOE team. She is collaborative, proactive, respectful to families, and a team player with staff. She remains calm in crisis situations, and remains professional at all times. She is always a positive entity and kind to others." In addition to her work with students, Ms. Newport supports staff with CPR training, training of blood-borne pathogen risk, and training in universal safety precautions. She protects students' confidentiality while still helping teachers support their health needs. Concludes her supervisor, "Christina is a problem-solver and validates all those involved when coming up with positive solutions. I feel grateful to have her as part of my team in the Galt area, as she is knowledgeable, caring, compassionate and supportive." Ms. Newport has been a Sacramento County Office of Education employee since 2012.