Letter from the Editor
It was a busy Spring at SUHSD for Work-Based Learning (WBL) activities, with a combination of both online and in-person volunteer programs, we engaged more than 500 professionals and had over 4000 interactions with students. Volunteers, whether they participate in a one-day symposium or our 7-month-long mentor program during junior year, always tell me the same thing, "I wish I had something like this when I was their age." and I can't agree more! How lucky are these students? There are so many different career paths students can take, and through these experiences, they get greater insight and direction. Many of the jobs they eventually have may not even exist today, but the information they are gathering will help them to develop those pathways and roles. For me, work-based learning, actually hearing about what a professional does on a day-to-day basis, the pros & cons of their job and their own educational and career journeys can be the most influential information because it's hard to be what you don't know exists. Our volunteers represent a wide range of careers and specialties and are truly some of the nicest people. They make a big, positive impact on students. But, don't take my word for it, here's what one student shared with us after a virtual field trip: "The zoom meeting with the IT department in class was a massive help, though, because some of the things that I have been shown and tasked with here at Kaiser I had already seen and learned from that zoom meeting." Thank you to all of the volunteers mentioned in today's edition—we couldn't do this without you! -- Faith Velschow, Work-Based Learning.
Note: The cover photo is TIDE Academy students at Foothill Community College for a career fair on 04/29/22. Dressed professionally and carrying their resumes in folders, students listened to a keynote presentation by Dr. Sandie Anderson, a proven innovator and program management leader with 20+ years of experience, then they toured the campus, explored various college curriculum pathways, and participated in 2 mock interviews. We held 3 different career fairs this year, with the help of over 100 volunteers who came in to interview students, thank you!
What is Work-Based Learning?
Work-Based Learning is an educational approach or instructional methodology that uses the workplace or real work to provide students with the knowledge and skills that will help them connect school experiences to real-life, work activities and future career opportunities. A quality work-based learning program, when feasible, should be an integral part of a more comprehensive program that integrates academic courses and career technical education. Students benefit from work-based learning that connects to classroom instruction. EC 51760 (a) (d) 51760.1 (e) (4-6)
Partnerships
The Career Fairs are good examples of our partnerships with local community colleges. Another strong partnership is our work with Sequoia Hospital and Wender Weis Foundation for Children (WWFC). Their Corporate Experiences extend WWFC’s confidence-building work with low-income kids into high school via their new STEM-focused career awareness program. Below are photos from the Sequoia Hospital IT Services Video.
Student Work
What we learn to do, we learn by doing. -Thomas Jefferson
Redwood High School Building & Construction Trades
Teacher, Jim Bender, and his students followed a formal building plan for this amazing Chicken Coop, with guests popping in along the way from industry.
Woodside High School's Graphics & Tech Academy
In partnership with the Jewish Family & Children's Services Holocaust Center Speaker's Bureau, we hosted a holocaust survivor to share her story with students.
WHS Teacher, Denise Lipiansky, had her students create digital artwork using some of the speaker's inspiring words.
WHS Audio Production
Students hosted a weekly Friday music series, with each show increasing the complexity of the sound system they set up. The photos below show a group of singers and guitar players; the following one included a full band. For this show, they used a Behringer X32 digital mixer set up with a local area network for remote control via an iPad app.
Guest Speakers
"Guest speakers are fundamental in breaking down the barriers of the classroom walls to deepen learning. The experience gives students the opportunity to connect with professionals and create meaningful learning connections." -- Mar 2, 2022, Edutopia.org
Mentor Programs
SUHSD has 8 small-learning communities in which students choose a pathway and stay in it for 3 consecutive years. A key component of these programs is the mentor program during the student's Junior year.
- Carlmont High School: Biotech Institute
- Menlo-Atherton High School: Computer Academy
- Sequoia High School: Digital Arts Academy & Health Careers Academy
- TIDE Academy: Computer Science & Marketing Pathways
- Woodside High School: Graphics & Tech Academy and Green & Environmental Academy
Each program runs a little differently, but the key deliverables align around: Elevator Pitch, SMART Goals, Resumes & Mock Interviews.
Pictured here are BTI students meeting with mentors at small round tables to learn more about the myriad of careers available in the biotech industry.
Thank you BTI Mentors 2021-22
Pre-Internship Training Pilots
This summer we piloted 2 sections of a Pre-Internship Training Program. One section was held at TIDE Academy, for TIDE students only, in partnership with GenesysWorks and Meta. 22 students participated. The program ran Monday - Friday, June 13 - July 8, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm.
The second section, in partnership with Canada College and BGCP, was held at the Boys and Girls Club Redwood City Clubhouse. 26 students participated in the dual enrolled course, 17 of which were part of the full pre-internship program. The program ran Monday - Thursday, June 13 - July 21, 9 am - 2 pm with 9 am - 11 am being the dual enrolled course, CRER 137 Life and Career Planning, taught by Canada College Counselor, Janette Linares (pictured to the right with students) and 11 am - 2 pm being the Workplace Skills training curriculum taught by Faith Velschow, SUHSD Work-based Learning Specialist, and Christy Latai of the Boys and Girls Club.
The curriculum included topics such as teamwork, time management, stress management, resume writing, networking, and interviewing skills.
