San Benito County Office of Education

Strategic Arts Education Plan: Arts Forward

We are excited to share the San Benito County Office of Education’s Strategic Arts Plan: Arts Forward. Our mission is to ensure that all students have equitable access to arts education and the opportunity to fully engage with a standards-based arts education that will support all of our students in building better communication skills-with a particular emphasis on reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Now more than ever, all of our students need access to the healing aspect of arts education. The arts help students build self-confidence, relieve anxiety and stress, and explore personal and social identity.

We know that students who receive consistent access to the arts show increased academic achievement, a broader range of workplace skills, and more civic engagement. The research  clearly shows by providing all of our students a quality, consistent arts education, our county will see higher GPAs, graduation rates, and school engagement. To prepare our students for the workforce, students deserve access to an arts-rich education that will build and bolster their 21st Century Skills, such as teamwork, perseverance, creativity, and character building. 

Through the implementation of this Arts Forward Plan, all students will have access to art’s transformative power. Thank you for sharing in our collective mission and vision to empower classroom teachers, uplift the voices of our students and their families, and build sustainable systematic practices and partnerships in Arts Education throughout San Benito County.

Krystal Lomanto
San Benito County Superintendent of Schools

Engage, Encourage, Empower... Educate!

The San Benito County Office of Education is proud to share our January newsletter with you. Each month, we update you on programs, events and news in the county office and the districts we serve in San Benito County. In addition, we invite you to stay connected through our various social media platforms.

We look forward to continuing to work with you and our students across San Benito County as we Engage, Encourage, Empower...Educate!

The San Benito County Office of Education is proud to share our December newsletter with you. Each month, we update you on programs, events and news in the county office and the districts we serve in San Benito County. In addition, we invite you to stay connected through our various social media platforms.

We look forward to continuing to work with you and our students across San Benito County as we Engage, Encourage, Empower...Educate!

The San Benito County Office of Education is proud to share our November newsletter with you. Each month, we update you on programs, events and news in the county office and the districts we serve in San Benito County. In addition, we invite you to stay connected through our various social media platforms.

We look forward to continuing to work with you and our students across San Benito County as we Engage, Encourage, Empower...Educate!

SBCOE October Newsletter

The San Benito County Office of Education is proud to share our October Newsletter with you. Each month, we update you on programs, events and news in the county office and the districts we serve in San Benito County. In addition, we invite you to stay connected through our various social media platforms.

We look forward to continuing to work with you and our students across San Benito County as we Engage, Encourage, Empower...Educate!

The San Benito County Office of Education is proud to present our 2020-21 Annual Report to the Community. This report provides an overview of the programs and services offered by the San Benito County Office of Education as well as a summary of key accomplishments in 2020-21.  

Please join us in celebrating the many ways our schools, districts, community agencies and county office work together to support student learning.  We are committed to Engaging, Encouraging, and Empowering families and educators across San Benito County with the resources they need to Educate ALL students.  

Thank you for your continued support and interest in the education of our children.  Your ideas, suggestions, and feedback are welcome and appreciated. Please contact the San Benito County Office of Education at 831-637-5393 with any input you have that would help us to further the success of children in our county.

SBCOE September Newsletter

The San Benito County Office of Education is proud to share our September newsletter with you. Each month, we update you on programs, events and news in the county office and the districts we serve in San Benito County. In addition, we invite you to stay connected through our various social media platforms.

We look forward to continuing to work with you and our students across San Benito County as we Engage, Encourage, Empower...Educate!

San Benito County Superintendent of Schools

Announces 2021 Summer Reading Challenge Results

San Benito County Superintendent of Schools, Krystal Lomanto is excited to announce the results of our 2021 Summer Reading Challenge!  During the challenge, which ran from June 1 through July 31, 2021, students from across the county were challenged to collectively read 10 million words and individually read 100 thousand words using Footsteps2Brilliance.  The students across the county read an amazing 9,224,796 words.

Superintendent Lomanto is also excited to announce that 5 students across the county met and exceeded the 100,000 word challenge individually.

The top reader in the county was Mc Gresan Cadabona, a 3^rd grade student who attended Gabilan Hills Elementary School. Mc Gresan read a total of 150,402 words!  The school with the most words read in the county was Hollister Dual Language Academy, led by Principal Monique Ruiz. The students at Hollister Dual Language Academy read 2,092,356 words. Congratulations! Superintendent Lomanto will be providing special recognition to the students who read during the summer as well as recognizing Hollister Dual Language Academy for winning the school challenge.

Listed below are the 100,000 word list of students and the school they attend. Congratulations to everyone who participated and best of luck to students with the upcoming Fall Reading Challenge which begins September 22, 2021.

The San Benito County Office of Education “Building Bridges 2 Literacy” initiative that was launched in 2016, partnered with Footsteps2Brilliance. The FREE App offers books, games and activities in English and Spanish for children from birth to 3^rd grade. Footsteps2Brilliance features pre-reading, learn-to-read and general reading programs, as well as newly added science activities.  The program can be downloaded on any electronic device and once downloaded, no internet connection is needed. 

For information about how you can register your child for FREE, please visit www.myf2b.com/register/SanBenitoCOE.

100,000 Words Read Student List

Congratulations!

San Benito County Students Read at Record Levels

Students across San Benito County in grades Pre-K through 3^rd are reading at record levels compared to previous years using Footsteps2Brillance, an award-winning Bilingual Early Literacy System that all students and families have access to in San Benito County. Footsteps2Brilliance is part of San Benito County Office of Education’s Building Bridges 2 Literacy initiative that begun in 2017. Krystal Lomanto, County Superintendent of schools  believes that “Literacy is one of the key components to the success of our students and that is why the SBCOE launched the Building Bridges 2 Literacy initiative.” The San Benito County Office of Education would like to thank our district and community partners who have worked with us to ensure literacy is a focus for ALL students across San Benito County.

The San Benito County Office is excited to announce that between August 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021 students read an amazing 328,050,940 words compared to the same time period last year when they read 121,318,511 words. Students also spent more time reading, increasing from 34,618 hours last year to 97,873 hours this year. As a result, the number of books read also increased from 159,977 books read last year to 473,362 books read this year. Students and families across San Benito County continue to focus on literacy as the data indicates. The San Benito County Office of Education encourages all students to read each day. Students can also be part of our Summer Reading Challenge by simply logging in and reading. Footsteps2Brilliance can make reading and learning to read fun not just for students, but for parents as well! Register for FREE at www.myf2b.com/register/SanBenitoCOE.

San Benito County Office of Education Announces, “TIME TO SPRING INTO A GOOD BOOK!”  Spring 2021 Results

San Benito County Office of Education County Superintendent Krystal Lomanto is excited to announce the results of our “TIME TO SPRING INTO A GOOD BOOK!” Spring County Challenge!  During the challenge, which ran from April 1, 2021 – May 31, 2021, students from across the county were challenged to collectively read 50 million words and individually read 100 thousand words using Footsteps2Brilliance.  The students across the county read an amazing 73,630,091 words. Superintendent Lomanto is also excited to announce that 154 students across the county met and exceeded the 100,000-word challenge individually.

The top reader in the county was Jeremy Mendez, a Kindergarten student who attends Sunnyslope Elementary School. Jeremy read a total of 911,782 words!  The school with the most words read in the county was Cerra Vista Elementary, led by Principal Colleen Myers. The students at Cerra Vista Elementary School read an incredible 13,366,032 words. Click Here for the list of students who read 100,000 words and the school they attend. Congratulations to everyone who participated and best of luck to students with the upcoming Summer Reading Challenge which begins June 1, 2021.

Footsteps2Brilliance offers books, games and activities in English and Spanish for children from birth to 3^rd grade. Features include pre-reading, learn-to-read and general reading programs as well as newly added science activities.  The program can be downloaded on any electronic device and once downloaded, no internet connection is needed.  For information about how you can register your child for FREE, please visit www.myf2b.com/register/SanBenitoCOE.