C&I Science Communication for Teachers and Administrators

Announcements!

1. 🔰Ordering Spring ‘26 Consumable Materials:  As the spring semester winds down, it's time to think about the materials used this semester and place an order so those materials can be refurbished for the next school year. The form link was shared at our last HS Dept. Chair/Lead Meeting on 4/15/25(calendar invites have been sent out). Please gather with your content teams and place one order per site for Spring consumables materials, due before Friday, May 9, 2025. Click here to see if your site (content) still needs to submit an order.
   • If you don't need any Spring materials, submit a Spring form indicating zeros for accountability purposes. Thank you!

2. 🧪Chemical Inventory Updates: Department Chairs/Leads and Chemistry teachers - Please be sure to update your site’s chemical inventory by Thursday, May 15, 2025. Visit your calendar invite/Department Chair meeting minutes for instructions and links. Once you have completed the update, type your name and date in Column N. Thank you!
   
    
3. ☣️ Summer Break Chemical and Biological Waste Pickup: Department Chairs/Leads - The last waste pickup of the 24-25 school year will be during summer break. Keep your hazardous waste forms up-to-date and link/sign off that materials are ready for pickup here by Friday, May 23, 2025. Visit your calendar invite/Department Chair meeting minutes for instructions and links. Thank you!
   
    
4. 🎤Call to Action! Please share this with your site counselors. 
   • There is a virtual Spring workshop on April 30th, specifically designed for counselors to integrate computer science education effectively into their counseling practices, the Spring Workshop For Counselors. See flyer for more details. 
     
      
5. 🕵🏼 Site Inspections: Department Chairs and leads were notified that the third round of inspections is here, and their site will be inspected during the summer. Please help your sites prepare for inspections as facilities and DPH coordinate dates; see here. 

6. 2025-2026 Open Science positions document was shared; please keep this up-to-date so that we can ensure that positions are filled quickly!

7. 🔬Secondary Science Equipment Exchange sheet: Have extra materials at your site that you’re not using? Looking for some random science equipment for your class? Check out our sheet and sign up.

Teacher Opportunities!  Be sure to check the Bay Area Science Calendar for additional science-related events and activities. 

1. NEW! Chemical Safety Grant: Middle or high school science teachers can request up to $3,000 to fund actions or opportunities that will improve chemical safety in their teaching environment. 
   • Deadline: August 15, 2025

2. AEOE Environmental Educator Certification Program (EECP): The Environmental Educator Certification Program (EECP) recognizes experienced environmental educators for their skills and contributions to the field and draws together stewards and educators of the environment into a structured and effective initiative. The EECP is an 11-month program in which environmental educators demonstrate their competency through group discussion, individual reflection, submission of assignments, and the completion and presentation of a community action project. EECP is conducted online over Zoom and utilizes Canvas as its learning management platform. Applications will open on May 1 (deadline June 30). Interest form sign up   

Information sessions will be offered on the following dates:

• Tuesday, April 22 from 4-5PM | Click here to register
• Wednesday, May 14 from 4:30-5:30PM | Click here to register
• Monday, June 2 from 4-5PM | Click here to register

3. June Professional Development / Field Test Opportunity: The UC Berkeley Department of Integrative Biology, along with the Understanding Evolution project, is seeking 15 Bay Area high school or community college instructors of biological, integrated, or environmental science to participate in a professional development workshop June 20-22, 2025, and to field test a 4-hour lesson sequence/wet lab on climate change and animal physiology using lady beetles. The workshop will include talks from renowned scientists and tours of lab and museum facilities. 
   • Selected participants will receive a kit with lab supplies, support from scientist and teacher project personnel, and a $300 honorarium. 
   • More information about the Beetle Project can be found at the UCMP website here.
   • Get more information and apply here before May 5.

4. NEW! BioLink Depot Teacher Open Houses: As the school year winds down, you might be looking for labware and equipment to be utilized next school year. Check out and register for future BioLink Depot Teacher Open Houses here. 
   
    
5. Lights, Data, AI! Code and draw smart notebooks! In this virtual workshop, we’ll introduce you to the Tekniverse LEDcard - a physical computing toolkit for transforming sensor data into visual stories—powered by creativity and code! You will illuminate paper and use Tekniverse software to program custom light patterns and explore built-in tools for analyzing data with AI. Each lesson can be adapted to a STEAM and CS curriculum and is NGSS and CSTA (grades 6-10) aligned. Participants receive a FREE starter kit. No prior experience required, all sessions are recorded for flexible asynchronous participation, live attendance is not mandatory.  Dates: June 23-27th.
   • Open to any K-12 public or charter school teacher, librarian, community librarian or district tech specialist in the USA. 
   • There is no cost to participants, and they get free supplies, a pretty sweet deal. Also it's all recorded so they don't have to participate live. 
   • More information: https://www.teknikio.com/pages/pathfinders
   • Sign up: https://forms.gle/r6apae6E58qVBchL7

6. TEACH CLIMATE NETWORK The Summer Institute: The Teach Climate Network's three-day climate change education conference is built by educators and climate change professionals from across North America! We are planning the 2025 Summer Institute now from July 14-15th. On July 16, join  the California Cohort Day, hosted by Ten Strands! Participants will take part in sessions focused on integrating trauma-informed practices into climate literacy and will hear from presenters from Ten Strands' Climate Change and Environmental Justice Program. Register by June 27.
   
    
7. ASRT STEM Educator Summer Training @ Randall Museum: Register for this FREE, 4-day workshop from July 14-17. Focus: Providing high school teachers with manable strategy, tools, and support to either include STEM research in the classroom or help students start a STEM club. 
   • Informational Flyer
   • July 14-17, 2025
   • Register here

8. The EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park: The EcoCenter located in Heron’s Head Park serves as a classroom for many local schools, community-based organizations, and government agencies. The EcoCenter hosts field trips for K-12 school groups where youth volunteers spend 2 to 3 hours gardening and restoring the wetland habitat of the Heron's Head Park.  If you are a school teacher and would like to submit a request for a field trip, please complete the Group Request Form. See more information here.

9. SF Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) offers FREE field trips, classroom presentations and curriculum on water, power, and sewer operations and environmental stewardship. 

10. UnitedHealth Group MindIgnite Program: has created an excellent opportunity for your class (4-12th grade) to have a health professional visit your classroom VIRTUALLY.

Registration is now open; sign up here. See flyer for more information.

 

11. ♻️♻️♻️Zero Waste Education Stipend for Teachers: Stipend Opportunity for Teachers: The Clean California initiative Keep California Beautiful campaign is offering a $150 stipend for teachers that incorporate a litter reduction activity into their education plans e.g., litter-related lesson, cleanup, or data collection. Find more information and complete the incentive application. 
    
     
12. Inspire Creative Science Communication with Media Projects on KQED Teach: Learn how to bring media projects to science topics with this free self-paced online course. 
    
     
13. GenAI Professional Development: AI & Student Voice: Generative AI is reshaping education, and it’s essential that teachers feel equipped to harness its potential while safeguarding student creativity and critical thinking. Our new free course, Partner with GenAI to Elevate Authentic Student Voice provides educators with practical strategies for integrating AI responsibly to create media in grades 6-12 classrooms. This free online course aligns with best practices in AI literacy and ethical use. 
    
     

Current Opportunities for Science Students - Please share with your students! 

1. Deadline tomorrow! The 2025 Estuary Youth Council Program is a hybrid program that will run from June 2025 to December 2025.The program will accept 9 youth aged 17-24 on a 6.5-month program to learn about the San Francisco Estuary, the environmental challenges it faces, and how it impacts its surrounding communities. Youth will go on educational field trips, receive leadership development and professional development opportunities, and work in teams to complete an original capstone project that addresses a current environmental issue facing the San Francisco Estuary and its watershed communities.
   • For more information and to apply: https://www.sfestuary.org/estuary-youth-council/
   • Deadline: Tuesday, April 29, 2025

2. NEW! Calling all students! A University of San Francisco student is asking all SFUSD students to complete this climate literacy survey.  Teachers, please distribute this climate literacy survey to all the SFUSD science teachers. The survey closes on April 28, 2025. Thank you! Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWZx7oKo_oACeeJGnNxPONawVYSiuQpkhIgqoPHpRy2RFgzw/viewform
   
    
3. The Stanford Program for Inspiring the Next Generation of Women in Physics (SPINWIP) is a virtual summer outreach program hosted by the Stanford Physics Department, designed to get high-school girls excited about physics. This 3-week program is completely free to participants, and is held through video chat.  First-generation students and students from underrepresented backgrounds in physics are particularly encouraged to apply. Absolutely no prior knowledge of physics or coding is required. Students will learn about cutting edge research in physics in fields such as quantum physics, quantum computing, astrophysics, and cosmology. They will learn how to code in Python, and then apply their coding skills to physics-based projects. Students will attend lectures by Stanford professors and researchers and work in small groups led by Stanford undergraduates, as well as attend college planning and career development workshops. Students will have the opportunity to form mentorship relationships with Stanford students and professors. 
   • Applications will be accepted until May 1, 2024
   • More information & to apply: https://eso.stanford.edu/programs/high-school-students#:~:text=The%20Stanford%20Medical%20Youth%20Science,is%20no%20cost%20to%20participate. 
     
      
4. This weekend! Stewardship Saturday events with The Marine Mammal Center: Join Latino Outdoors, Greater Farallones, and The Marine Mammal Center as we head to the shore to study tidepools and adventure along one of our local beaches. Through this event you will have the opportunity to explore tidepools with experts in the field, learn more about the value tidepools have for our marine mammals and community, and take some time to traverse other coastal areas to understand how all components of this ecosystem are interconnected. We hope by the end of this event you will have a deeper understanding of the value and importance of all components of our coastal ecosystem, and will have some goals for next steps to take on your conservation journey. 
   • Theme: Investigating Tidepools for Ocean Health
   • When: Saturday, May 3rd, from 9am-1:30pm
   • Where: Shell Beach, Bodega Bay
   • Cost: FREE (free meals and snacks will be provided)
   • Event Registration Link: bit.ly/maystsat2025

5. Climate Storytelling Contest for California middle and high school students. WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS TOWARDS CLIMATE CHANGE? HOW CAN THOSE FEELINGS BE TURNED INTO ACTION? Climate change, caused by the burning of fossil fuels like oil and gas, is impacting communities in California and across the globe. Different feelings often come up when thinking about climate change and it's easy to get lost in the data, graphs, and scientific literature. What if storytelling can help us understand those feelings and teach us something about climate change? Deadline: May 29, 2025. More information here. 
   
    
6. Summer Teen Research Programs Summer 2025: Students entering grades 7-12. Explore world-class, cutting-edge science with The Lawrence at UC Berkeley! Elevate your teen’s learning journey through our unrivaled, hands-on, research-based approach that brings science to life with real-world applications. In one dynamic week, your teen will delve into the college experience, conducting real scientific research in a university lab, networking with esteemed students and faculty, and exploring diverse STEM career paths. 
   • Last day to register for Session 1: Jun 16, 2025. 
   • Last day to register for Session 2-4: Jun 29, 2025. 
   • More information.

7. 🦭🦦The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC) Upcoming Events: 
   • Marine Science Sundays: Join us in person at the TMMC hospital and visitor center in Sausalito on the second and fourth Sunday of each month. Anyone can participate in the program, but you must reserve a general admission ticket to visit The Marine Mammal Center that day.
     • May 11 at 10:30am, 12:30pm or 2:30pm  |  Saving Species
     • May 25 at 10:30am, 12:30pm or 2:30pm  |  Saving Species

1. Science Safety Resources (student contracts, letters, assessments, etc.) are available to you. Safety is an essential part of all sciences classes. All students should be provided with a contract, participate in safety lessons, and pass a safety quiz at the beginning of the year. Please note this requires use of a district login. If you have a science Safety question, email: Priscilla Perez at perezp2@sfusd.edu. 
   • HS Student Safety Contracts have been translated into simplified Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Samoan, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Russian. See folder
     
      
2. ☣️Waste labels & containers: If you need to request additional labels and containers for the upcoming year, please fill out this form for your site (1 submission per site). 
   
    
3. 📖 Accessing HS Science Curriculum: 
   • Teacher Editions (TEs): You can access all student and teacher editions electronically via Google Drive. If you are new to a site, please check-in with your science department chair/lead about a printed teacher edition. 
   • Students must be logged in to their SFUSD student accounts to access their science books. Link: https://www.sfusd.edu/learning/curriculum/high-school/science 
   • If you have a student teacher or know of a new teacher without an SFUSD email who needs access, please email Priscilla Perez (perezp2@sfusd.edu) with their Google email and the circumstances.