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 Team
Teri Derrington has been nominated by Principal Sharon Holstege for her contributions to the Sacramento County Office of Education. Ms. Derrington is a Para-Educator at SCOE's Markofer Head Start site, working with children having special needs in an inclusive setting. Her supervisor says, "Teri has a natural ability to teach—she imbeds teaching moments into regular school routines. She has a gentle way of encouraging students to be as independent as possible and to try things that they may be unsure about doing." Ms. Derrington is regarded for her ability to "read" children who may not have any words to tell what they are thinking or wanting, and she can provide the right amount of support for a child to be successful. She encourages and supports children to solve problems themselves. Concludes her supervisor, "Teri is not only a good teacher with her preschool students, but she is a good instructor working with substitutes and newer Para-Educators. She is able to model and support new staff in gaining skills in working with all children. Teri is a team player and is a valuable asset to our preschool team!" Terri Derrington has been a Sacramento County Office of education employee since 1996.
Marcella Stolle was nominated by Principal Sharon Holstege for her contributions to the Sacramento County Office of Education. She serves as a Para-Educator at SCOE's Markofer Head Start site, working with children with special needs in an inclusive preschool program. Ms. Stolle has been a valuable member of the preschool team, working at Prairie Head Start for 10-plus years before transferring to Markofer this school year. Says her supervisor, "Someone not familiar with preschool might picture a job in preschool as fun—playing with children all day. The reality is that while it is fun, it is also challenging—we have students with complex diagnoses and challenging health care needs. We have students who come to preschool who have never been away from mom; who may be held a lot at home and are not yet comfortable sitting in a chair by themselves and may protest long and hard that you are not holding them." Ms. Stolle has helped students progress through many such "firsts." An example of her supportive involved a student with a catheter. Ms. Stolle was instrumental in problem-solving with the nurse and the teacher in providing the support needed for this child to attend school. Concludes her supervisor, "Marcella is a hard worker and she is a valuable member of our preschool team!" Marcella Stolle has been a Sacramento County Office of Education employee since 2002.
Certificated Employee of the Month
Jan Paluck, Preschool Special Education Teacher, was nominated by Principal Sharon Holstege for her contributions to the Sacramento County Office of Education. Ms. Paluck serves students in SCOE's inclusive program at Markofer Head Start. She is a MOVE (Mobility Opportunities Via Education) International Trainer, and the inclusive preschool at Markofer is both a MOVE Demonstration Site and a SEEDS Visitation Site demonstrating exemplary practices in early childhood education. Ms. Paluck has contributed much to the field of early childhood education for the California Department of Education (CDE) in addition to providing high quality education to the preschoolers at Markofer. The Markofer program has been featured in several publications/videos. The Win-Win: Inclusive Preschool Settings video on CDE's Desired Results website [www.draccess.org] features Jan and her colleagues describing the benefits of inclusion for all children; the CDE handbook Inclusion Works uses photos from the Markofer classroom. A video on adaptations for preschool assessment features Ms. Paluck's adaptations, and a textbook by Dr. Mary McClean, nationally renowned Early Childhood Education expert, features pictures from the Markofer classroom. Ms. Paluck won not only first, but also second place, in a video contest held to show the use of video to document student progress. Her supervisor says, "Jan maintains wonderful relationships with the parents of her students—valuing their expertise and partnership. One foster/adoptive parent indicated that she fought to have all five of her children go through the Markofer program because she knew it was the best. Jan's expertise has not only been invaluable in preschool, but she has been a wonderful support to our SH classes on supporting staff to implement MOVE in the school day." Jan Paluck has been a Sacramento County Office of Education employee since 2004.