Santa Clara County Office of Education Packs Back-to-School Kits with Synopsys Outreach Foundation
SAN JOSE, CA – On Friday, August 4, 2023, the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) partnered with the Synopsys Outreach Foundation to pack 200 Back-to-School kits for new teachers for the 2023-2024 school year.
“The SCCOE is committed to enhancing the learning experience for new teachers and students. We appreciate the opportunity to work with our partners at Synopsys Outreach Foundation to make a positive impact for educators and their students,” said Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mary Ann Dewan.
The kits include school supplies such as pencils, rulers, and clipboards for the classroom. Each packed box also contains a folder called the “happy folder” which consists of a RAFT membership discount, happy notes for teachers and gift cards. Kits will be distributed over the next few weeks as Santa Clara County educators start the 2023-2024 school year.
The 200 kits will be distributed to elementary schools in Alum Rock Union School District, Berryessa Union School District, Franklin-McKinley School District, Gilroy Unified School District, Morgan Hill Unified School District, Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District and Oak Grove School District.
“Teachers may not have access to these supplies, and we are trying to support [reducing] the lack of resources they may face,” said the Synopsys Outreach Foundation CEO, Lauren Foote, a former teacher from the Oak Grove School District. “Our goal is to provide equitable support for teachers.”
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a former east San Jose middle school teacher, stopped by and joined in the effort to pack the kits.
SCCOE leadership team members volunteered and worked alongside the volunteers from Synopsys Outreach Foundation to ensure all 200 kits were ready to go.
The Synopsys Outreach Foundation, which focuses on providing equitable and inclusive opportunities in project-based learning in science, technology, math, and engineering (STEM), partnered with the SCCOE’s Integrated STEAM (iSTEAM) Department to incorporate learning materials to support STEM lessons. Additional STEAM (science, technology, math, arts, and engineering) resources for educators can be found by visiting https://www.sccoe.org/isteam/Pages/default.aspx
Photos and videos are available at https://sccoe.to/BacktoSchoolKits.
This press release was originally posted on the Santa Clara County Office of Education website and reprinted with permission.
