Media & Communications

SANTA CLARA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION 1290 Ridder Park Dr., San Jose, CA 95131

COMMUNICATIONS STYLE GUIDE AND USE

OF LOGO

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Introduction 4 Purpose of this stylebook 4 Vision, mission, goals, values, and principles 5

Vision 5 Mission 5 Goals 5 Values 5 Principles 5

Use of vision, mission, goals, values, and principles 6 Publication requirements 7

Equal Employment Opportunity statement 7 Publication Guidelines 7

Planning Your Publication 7 Administrative Regulation 1270 7

Basic Questions 7 Translation and Interpretation Services 8 Image diversity 8 What to call us 9 Board of Education 10 Legal Use of Board Members’ Names/Photos 10 SCCOE Logo standards 11

The Horizontal Logo 11 The Stacked Logo 11 The Rectangular Logo 11 The Flame Only 11

Color standards 12 Size 12 Spacing 12 Resizing 12

Color standards 12 Division and/or department logos 12 Font and Typography Guidelines 12

The following are approved fonts for use on SCCOE collateral materials: 13 Communications Standards 14

Letterhead 14 Selecting Letterhead 14 Block Style 14 Margins, Spacing, and Alignment 14 Font and Type 14 Dateline 14 Inside Address 14 Salutation 14 Message or Body 15 Complimentary Closing 15 Enclosure Notations 15

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Copy Notation 15 Paper Quality 15 Heading 15 Message or Body of the Second Page 15 PowerPoint guidelines 16

Dictionary of Usage, Guidelines, and Titles 17 Abbreviations 17 Academic degrees 17 Academic Titles 17 Acronyms 17 Bulleted Lists 17

Complete sentences 17 Fragments 18

Capitalization 18 Gender 18 Governmental bodies 18 Jargon 18 Phone Numbers 19 School/Department/Office/Committee Names 19 Terminology 19 Times, dates, and years 19

Internal communication channels 21 All-Staff Messaging 21 News Roundup 21 Monday Memo 21 Jobs Bulletin 21

External Communication Channels 22 External Newsletters/Mass Market Email Communication 22

Audience 22 Title 22 Content 22 Be concise 22 Design 22 Links 22

Education Bulletin 23 Learn Forward 23

Professional Learning Style Guide 24 Event Registration Guidelines 24 Registration Description 24 Cancellation Guidelines 24 If Applicable 24 Flyer Guidelines 24

Email 26 Signatures 26

Using Strengths in Signatures 26

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Pronouns in signatures 26 Website 28

Web Content Guidelines 28 Links 28 The SCCOE Brand 28 URLs 28 Design 29

PDF Accessibility 30 News and Media 32

Social Media 32 Social Media Guidelines 32

Promotion requests 33 Hashtags 33

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Introduction At the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE), we are a team of diverse experts from varying fields of academic expertise. As such we each have a favored literary style. Some use Chicago, and some prefer MLA, while others prefer APA or AP. This SCCOE Style Guide exists to ensure that we are consistent and communicating in one language as one organization.

Please consult our guide on a regular basis.

Thank you,

Dr. Mary Ann Dewan

County Superintendent of Schools

Purpose of this stylebook This stylebook should serve as your guide to the SCCOE brand, graphics, and communication standards.

To present SCCOE professionally and to communicate our identity quickly, consistently, and clearly to our customers, the Media & Communications Department has prepared the SCCOE Communications Style Guide and Use of Logo. This guide will provide you with a set of standards for writing and design, as well as uniformity in style and formatting of documents.

If you have questions about the brand, graphics, or communications, please contact Media & Communications at 408-453-6824

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Vision, mission, goals, values, and principles Vision Transforming Education through Leadership, Service, and Advocacy

Mission The Santa Clara County Office of Education is committed to serving, inspiring, and promoting student and public school success.

Goals Improve access to inclusive, equitable, high-quality education.

Provide quality support to districts, schools, students, and communities.

Be a premier service organization.

Values • Students First: Focus on Student Success • Collaboration: Leverage Collective Capacity • Innovation: Champion Creative Thinking • Service: Exceed Expectations • Strengths-Based: Engage Strengths to Improve Results

Principles • Equity • Diversity • Inclusion • Partnership

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Use of vision, mission, goals, values, and principles Santa Clara County Office of Education has one mission and vision. As such, we do not allow the use of independent department or division statements.

A department may make a statement of purpose, objective, or intent, but cannot have a separate mission or vision statements.

Examples of a statement of purpose:

The Inclusion Collaborative of SCCOE promotes a culture that values all children by strengthening, sustaining, and ensuring inclusive practices. We believe every individual regardless of abilities and disabilities has the right to full access to quality inclusive learning and community environments.

Human Resources handles SCCOE's personnel activities, including recruiting and selecting employees, maintaining employee records, and collective bargaining agreements. The department also coordinates compensation and benefits. Credentialed staff, hired by the public school system in Santa Clara County, register their credentials with this office.

A multi-sector initiative, however, may have a separate Mission Statement. For example:

Power of Democracy: Civic Engagement Initiative

OUR MISSION: In partnership with districts and communities, provide access to high-quality civic education by means of programs and resources that encourage student civic engagement and civil discourse.

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Publication requirements Equal Employment Opportunity statement The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition.

Anisha Munshi, Ed.D. Assistant Superintendent – Personnel Services/Title IX Compliance Officer

Phone: 408-453-6841

Publication Guidelines Planning Your Publication This section provides guidelines for planning publications such as brochures, newsletters, and manuals, as well as printed materials like name tags and certificates.

For your convenience, templates for various types of publications are also provided. For letters, a template for one- and two-page correspondence are included. Also, a “hard copy template” is available for letters that will be published on pre-printed letterhead. A “soft copy template” is available for use of letters that will be sent electronically.

Please contact the Office of Media & Communications at 408-453-6824 for additional clarification and advice.

Administrative Regulation 1270 Administrative Regulation 1270 requires employees to obtain approval from their supervisor and the Office of the Superintendent before releasing discretionary information to people and agencies outside of the County Office.

Basic Questions Before designing a publication, you should know the answers to these basic questions:

• Who will receive the publication? • What is the purpose? • What kind of publication is it? (brochure, newsletter, flyer, etc.) • Do you have samples of similar publications? • Is this part of a larger packet of information or part of a special event? • When do you need the publication to reach the receiver? • How many copies will you need? • Who will sign off on the various approval stages? • Which account structure will be used to pay for it? • What is your budget for the project (including design and printing)? • Who will write the text for the publication?

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Translation and Interpretation Services To assist with communicating with our diverse stakeholders, Media & Communications provides translation and interpretation services. Dozens of languages are spoken in Santa Clara County, with English, Spanish, and Vietnamese being the three most widely used.

We offer translation of vital county office and school-based documents for public distribution and for our website.

We also offer interpretation services to support communication during board meetings, IEP, DELAC, and other important oral communication.

To ensure that communication is clear, quality, and consistent across the organization, we ask that you use translations provided by Media & Communications Translation Services. The department can also provide assistance in locating translation support for languages other than Spanish and Vietnamese. Be sure to allow time for translations when planning your communications.

Documents submitted for translation are processed in the order received. Document translation is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

To request this service, complete the Project Request Form available on the Intranet.

Our primary manual for the Spanish language is the Real Academia Española Diccionario de la lengua Española.

While there are many schools of thought on translation, the SCCOE does not advocate for a word-for-word translation but rather a sense-for-sense translation. In other words, it is more important for the reader to have an understanding of the meaning within the actual context of the document than to have a word-for-word translation which can be simply provided through online services such as Google translate.

The SCCOE does not advocate for creating phrases that do not exist. As such, we do not translate the names of organizations unless the organization is an international organization that uses an official and recognizable translation of their name.

Example:

We do not say “Manzana” when we are looking for Apple products.

The Santa Clara County Office of Education does not have an official translation, when translating a document into Spanish do not say “Oficina de Educación del Condado de Santa Clara,” say Santa Clara County Office of Education.

Image diversity Photos should reflect our diverse population, and they should inspire the community to use our services. Should you require images, please contact Media & Communications.

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What to call us To avoid confusion with other offices of education, the preferred name is Santa Clara County Office of Education (not the County Office of Education). Should you wish to abbreviate the name, please use SCCOE not COE. Should you wish to say our abbreviated name, the corrected pronunciation is spelled out S-C-C-O-E.

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Board of Education Always use the "Santa Clara County Board of Education” on first reference. On subsequent references, “County Board of Education” or “the board" is acceptable.

The County Board of Education is the elected governing body of the SCCOE. The seven members serve four-year terms and are elected by different regions in the county.

Board President and Vice-President are elected annually by the board, normally during the board organization meeting held in December of each year. There have been instances where elections have been postponed.

When listing board members names in text, list in alphabetical order by trustee’s last name.

When mentioning a board member in text, use the title President, Vice-President, or Trustee. For example:

“President, Jane Doe” or “President Doe”

“Vice President, John Doe” “Vice President Doe”

“Trustee, John Doe” or “Trustee Doe” not “John Doe”

Legal Use of Board Members’ Names/Photos California Government Code #89001-89003 carries restrictions regarding how elected officials are identified publications produced with public funds.

Check with the Office of the Superintendent whenever your publication will include board member names and/or photos. The SCCOE website maintains up-to-date information on board members.

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SCCOE Logo standards Always use the SCCOE logo on all marketing materials.

Allow ample space or cushion around each logo.

Use of the Santa Clara County Office of Education logo is coordinated by the Office of the Superintendent and Media & Communications. The logo is available as an EPS or PNG file. Questions on appropriate file format should be directed to Media & Communications.

The Horizontal Logo The Horizontal logo is a one-line, horizontal image.

Placement: The logo looks best centered at the top or bottom of a page, and when it is in proportion to the text accompanying it on the page.

The Stacked Logo Placement: Bottom center or in dominant corner of the page.

The Rectangular Logo Placement: Left side of page is best.

The Flame Only Placement: See Media & Communications regarding the use of this logo.

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Color standards The logo may be reproduced as blue, black, or white.

Size The flame portion of the logo should be no smaller than .375 inch (3/8”).

Spacing The logo should always have at least .25 inch (1/4”) of white space between it and any other text or design element in the document. A good reference for this spacing can be found on the SCCOE letterhead.

Resizing When enlarging or reducing the logo, make sure to drag from the corner and hold down the “Shift” key to retain correct proportions.

Note: Please consult Media & Communication with any questions regarding logo usage. You may also go to our SCCOE Website, click on “About the SCCOE,” and scroll down. On the right side, under “SCCOE Hi-Res Logos” you will find our logos to download.

Color standards The logo may be reproduced as either blue, black, or white.

Our official shade of blue is

• PMS 307 Blue • RGB 0 105 167 • HSV 202° 100% 65% • HEX #0069A7 • CMYK 100% 37% 0% 34%

Please consult Media & Communications with any questions regarding logo usage. You may also go to our SCCOE Website, click on “About the SCCOE,” and scroll down. On the right side under “Artwork” you will find our logos to download.

Division and/or department logos The County Superintendent of Schools has eliminated the creation of new or updated departmental logos to ensure the Santa Clara County Office of Education is clearly communicated on all printed and digital collateral.

For SCCOE programs or initiatives that have an existing logo, please contact Media & Communications for guidance. All determinations of whether a logo may be used are subject to approval by the Office of the Superintendent.

Department logos must always include the official SCCOE logo and cannot be used separately.

Font and Typography Guidelines Fonts should maintain consistency across all marketing materials.

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The following are approved fonts for use on SCCOE collateral materials:

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Communications Standards Letterhead All letters and correspondence should be printed on the SCCOE letterhead shown below. Templates are available on the Intranet.

Selecting Letterhead The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) letterhead with department name, mail code and telephone number should be used for external correspondence and formal recognition of SCCOE employees. Letterhead developed for a specific project or grant may be used instead of SCCOE letterhead, but must include a reference to the SCCOE.

Block Style Block style is the recommended format for letters. The entire letter is aligned with the left margin (or adjust as necessary).

This style of letter is written as follows:

Margins, Spacing, and Alignment Use the following margins:

• Top – 1.5 inch (1 1/2”) • Left and right – 1 inch • Bottom – 1.25 inch minimum (1 1/4”)

Double space between paragraphs that are aligned with the left margin.

Font and Type Specifications Cambria 12-point font is recommended for letters.

Dateline Type the date on the third line below the letterhead, or on the first line two inches below the top of the paper.

Inside Address Triple space between the date and the inside

address. Type the recipient’s full name, title, address, and ZIP code.

Salutation Place the salutation two spaces below the inside address. The salutation contains the person’s gender title (if known) and name, followed by a colon. If you are on a first-name basis with the recipient, include the full name and gender title in the inside address, but use only the first name in the salutation. In the case where you are not sure of the gender, use the person’s first and last name. If you do not have the person’s name, then use a generic title.

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Address women without a professional title as Ms., whether they are married or unmarried. If a woman expresses a preference for Mrs., Miss, or Ms., then honor her request. Avoid vague salutations like “To Whom It May Concern,” or “Dear Sir.”

Message or Body Start the body of the letter two spaces below the salutation. Type paragraphs flush left; do not indent them. Single space within paragraphs, and double space between paragraphs. Leave two spaces between the body of the letter and the closing.

Complimentary Closing Use a formal closing, such as “Sincerely.” Type your full name four lines below, aligned with the closing. Type your business title on the next line. Sign the letter in the space between the complimentary closing and your typed name. If you are writing to someone with whom you are on a first-name basis, sign only your first name. In all other cases, sign your full name. Note: If the superintendent will be signing the letter, type the superintendent’s name and title.

Enclosure Notations Notations indicate that the writer is enclosing materials along with the letter. There is not a standard form for the enclosure notation; select the form that seems most helpful to the reader. For clarity, the enclosed material should be mentioned in the body of the letter.

Copy Notation This notation indicates who will receive copies of the letter. Use a copy notation (cc) for photocopies.

Paper Quality The second page of your letter should be typed on plain paper of the same paper quality as the letterhead stationery.

Heading At the bottom of the first page, at least three spaces below the message or body, using a justified right margin, type the words “(continued next page).” Type the heading three lines below the top of the second page.

The heading should include:

• Name of person to whom letter is addressed • Date • Page number

Example:

Janice Smith February 14, 2020 Page 2

Message or Body of the Second Page Always include at least two lines of body text. Begin typing the text three lines below the page number line.

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PowerPoint guidelines The official PowerPoint template for SCCOE is available for download from the Intranet in PPT and PPTX format. The color logo should appear on all slides of your presentation. This template provides ample room for text, photos, clip art, and graphs.

It is strongly suggested that Calibri font be used for headlines and all other text.

Should you require an alternate template, please work with your division head and Media & Communications for approval.

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Dictionary of Usage, Guidelines, and Titles The following publication guidelines should be applied to all materials created by divisions, departments, and sites of the Santa Clara County Office of Education. They are based on the Greggs Reference Manual, which is widely used by universities and academic presses. For consistency, please refer to this section when writing:

Abbreviations Abbreviations such as SCCOE can be used after you spell out the full name on the first mention.

Before a name: Abbreviate the following titles when used before a full name outside direct quotations:

Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Mr., Mrs., Rep., the Rev. and Sen. Spell out all except Dr., Mr., Mrs., and Ms. when they are used before a name in direct quotations.

After a name: Abbreviate junior or senior after an individual’s name, but don’t precede it with a comma. Abbreviate company, corporation, incorporated and limited when used after a corporation name, but don’t set off the term with commas.

Academic degrees Capitalize the formal name of a degree (Bachelor of Arts, Master of Library Science); use lowercase for generic references (a bachelor's degree, a doctoral degree). Abbreviate on subsequent references (B.S. degree, Ph.D. degree). Abbreviations are also acceptable in a long list, where spelling them out would be cumbersome.

Academic Titles Capitalize professional titles only when used immediately before a name. Do not capitalize generic, unofficial titles. Example: County Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Mary Ann Dewan or Principal Phil Morales; the superintendent, the principal. Formal titles should appear on first reference only, particularly in material for news media. Do not hyphenate vice principal.

Acronyms If names of offices, agencies, and programs are spelled out on first reference, it is acceptable to use an acronym thereafter. To link the acronym with the office in question, list the acronym in parentheses immediately after the full name. Depending on the audience, the generic term may be a better choice; it doesn't send the reader back in search of the meaning of the acronym, and it avoids confusion when two agencies share the same acronym. People tend to read acronyms as letters or as a separate word. Example: The Santa Clara County Office of Education is SCCOE, not the SCCOE.

Bulleted Lists Complete sentences Introduce a bulleted list with a colon:

• Capitalize the first letter of the first word of each bulleted item.

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• Bulleted items must be parallel in construction. • End bulleted sentences with periods.

Fragments Introduce a bulleted list with a colon and use semicolons:

“Specifically, we honor students for their:

• Academic improvements and & achievements; • Leadership skills; • Good attendance, good citizenship, and character; • Community service accomplishments; and • Perseverance in pursuing their studies and their goals.”

Capitalization Where a company name is spelled with an initial lowercase letter, do not capitalize the name at the beginning of a sentence.

Gender In general, avoid words that indicate specific gender in general references. Plural nouns often work better. Using students instead of student allows the use of non-specific reference such as, them and their in place of his or her. Avoid gender-biased words (chair rather than chairman, staff the desk instead of man the desk, etc.)

Governmental bodies • Capitalize the full name of governmental departments, agencies, and offices:

o California Department of Education; o Santa Clara County Public Health Department.

• Lowercase state if it is used in place of California: o The grants are funded by the California Department of Education and the U.S.

Department of Education can be re-written as “The grants were funded by the state Department of Education.”

• Lowercase state of, city of, town of, etc.: o The town of Los Gatos; o The city of San José; o The state of California.

• Capitalize legislature when the name of a state precedes it, or when the state name is dropped, but the reference is specific to that state’s legislature:

o The California Legislature is expected to review guidelines of early education; or o The Legislature is expected to pass stiffer graduation requirements for California

schools.

Jargon Avoid the use of jargon unless absolutely necessary. Documents should be readable to all readers.

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Phone Numbers Always include area code. To prevent the accidental separation of the area code from the other digits, use a dash instead of parentheses. Example: 408-453-6000.

School/Department/Office/Committee Names Full formal titles of departments, divisions, offices, committees, and schools are capitalized. Generic and descriptive terms are lowercased when used alone.

Examples:

Capitalize

• Santa Clara County Office of Education • Opportunity Youth Academy • County Committee on School District Organization • Office of the Superintendent • Special Education Department

Do not capitalize

• the office • the school • the committee • superintendent' s office • special education

Terminology The following list contains words and phrases commonly used in education and the preferred spelling/usage:

• Email, and website are the preferred spellings. • Database and Internet are single words.

Times, dates, and years Except for formal uses (such as invitations) and news releases, to avoid confusion, use the date without the day of the week. Avoid using the year in reference to the current calendar year, unless such reference would be unclear. Always double check to make sure the date is correct. Do not put apostrophes in dates unless it represents missing numerals or clearly indicates a possessive reference. Examples: '80s, not 80s 1980s, not 1980's.

• Always capitalize the names of months. • If the month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and

Dec. • Do not use a comma between the month and year: January 2020

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Times should be formatted as such:

• 8 a.m. • 8:30 a.m. • noon not 12 p.m. • 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. • 1 to 4 p.m.

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Internal communication channels All-Staff Messaging All-Staff messaging is reserved for information that impacts at least the majority of staff members or emergency situations. It is not to be used for staff announcements, retirements, car lights left on, discounts, marketing, or other messaging that only applies to a small percentage of the staff.

News Roundup News Roundup is the semi-monthly dedicated internal newsletter sent to all SCCOE staff. It is sent on the first and third Tuesday of the month. Staff may contribute material to Roundup by sending an email to communications@sccoe.org. Not every contribution will be printed.

The deadline to submit content for News Roundup is the Thursday preceding the publication date. Anything received after 5 p.m. on the preceding Thursday will be held until the next publication date.

The audience for News Roundup is broad and as such content must be relevant to the majority of SCCOE staff.

Monday Memo Monday Memo is a weekly communication prepared by the County Superintendent of Schools. It is delivered every Monday.

Staff may contribute material to Monday Memo by sending an email to communications@sccoe.org.

Content is determined by the Office of the Superintendent, and submission is not a guarantee of inclusion. The deadline to submit content for Monday Memo is 5 p.m. the Wednesday preceding publication.

The audience for Monday Memo is broad and as such content must be relevant to the majority of SCCOE staff.

Jobs Bulletin Jobs Bulletin is a weekly communication prepared by Human Resources. It is delivered every Friday.

Material is prepared by Human Resources. Content is determined by Human Resources and is not open to submissions.

The audience for Jobs Bulletin is SCCOE staff. The content is sharable with the general public.

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External Communication Channels External Newsletters/Mass Market Email Communication To refine our branding, we ask that SCCOE communicates with one voice. Newsletters provide an excellent opportunity to interact with customers while promoting Santa Clara County Office of Education’s services and products. Whether printed or web-based, these publications vary greatly in size and content, but still must maintain the SCCOE’s branding and image.

To maintain consistency of message and to meet standards, any SCCOE department that is considering publishing a newsletter must first contact Media & Communications for a design consultation. Call 408-453-6514 to schedule an appointment.

Following are guidelines for developing newsletters:

Audience Defining who will read the newsletter helps drive its title, content, mission, theme, and appearance.

Title Choose a short and simple title that conveys the newsletter’s mission. Skip jokes and puns, which don’t always translate. Avoid time references like weekly, monthly, quarterly in titles unless committed to publishing that often.

Content Informative, entertaining, useful, and timely stories can help make a newsletter a must-read, and something a reader might pass on to a friend or colleague.

Be concise A newsletter is comprised of short snippets of information, a quality even more crucial with electronic newsletters. Each story should be about 120 words or less. Use hyperlinks to direct e-newsletter readers to more information on your department webpage. Big blocks of text lose readers, limit paragraphs to about two sentences. Break up copy with bullet points, headlines, and sub-headlines. Headlines must also be concise, no more than six words.

Design Visual interest is critical to a newsletter’s success. Use well-scaled and appropriate graphics and photographs that follow copyright. Choose simple fonts and eye-pleasing colors. Busy designs, elaborate type, and too much or too little color contrast make reading difficult in print and online.

Links Direct e-newsletter readers to other websites whenever possible through hyperlinks. The sites can be SCCOE-related but also external, so long as containing relevant and appropriate information.

Newsletters vary greatly in size, look, and content. The Santa Clara County Office of Education publishes the Education Bulletin, an e-newsletter distributed to staff, educators and community leaders throughout Santa Clara County.

Any newsletter issued on behalf of the SCCOE must meet standards for grammar, spelling, style, clarity, design, etc. In order to maintain consistency of message and to meet standards, all newsletters

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emanating from the SCCOE—whether in print or Web-based—are subject to review and approval by the Office of the Superintendent prior to distribution.

Always check with Media & Communications to determine how best to meet your communication needs. All newsletters produced by and for SCCOE programs should contain the following minimum information:

• The Santa Clara County Office of Education logo • Publisher information: Publication name, issue number, date, and number of copies if applicable • Publishing department’s name, address, mail code, phone number, and web address • Board of Education names (optional for in-house publications; required for any publications

intended for distribution outside the SCCOE). • Superintendent’s name and title • Additional publishing department information (optional)

Education Bulletin Education Bulletin is the monthly dedicated external newsletter sent to all SCCOE staff, community partners, school districts, and other members of the community. It is sent on the 30th of the month or the last day of the month during the month of February. Staff may contribute material to the Education Bulletin by sending an email to communications@sccoe.org. Not every contribution will be printed.

The deadline to submit content for Education Bulletin is the 25th of the month. Anything received after 5 p.m. on the 25th will be held until the next publication date if still relevant.

The audience for Education Bulletin is very broad and as such content may vary by edition.

Learn Forward Learn Forward is the monthly external newsletter dedicated to professional learning offerings at the SCCOE. Learn Forward is sent to school administrators, teachers, and other education professionals. It is sent on the third Tuesday of the month.

Each month highlights a different department. Content is managed on a rotating basis by various departments. Learn Forward is managed by the Professional Learning & Instructional Support Division. For information or to contribute content, please contact 408-453-6508.

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Professional Learning Style Guide Event Registration Guidelines The event registration should be created first. Content for the flyer, registration, and future online professional learning catalogue should be consistent.

Registration Description • Write in the third person (“participants will...” as opposed to “you will…”) • Learning goals should be included in the description (two to four goals, each beginning with an

action verb). This will be transferred to the flyer. • Use consistent verbiage, (i.e., if the course description includes “Grades K – 5,” do not

interchange with “K-5th Grade”). • The registration deadline must align with the cancellation guidelines.

Cancellation Guidelines Verbiage for Event Registration: Participants must cancel ten (10) working days prior to the event by email to avoid being billed for the registration fee. Workshops are subject to rescheduling or cancellation if a minimum number of participants have not registered ten (10) working days prior to the event.

Additional Procedure Information (Internal): The guideline will require that the minimum number of participants be five (5) for sessions presented by internal staff. Exceptions are allowed if indicated by a contract or if there are fees associated with external vendors. It will be posted in the PL Style Guide and included in the training.

If Applicable Verbiage regarding title/grant funding: Funding may be available for this workshop. Check with your site administrator for more details.

Flyer Guidelines There is a selection of four templates: https://www.sccoe.org/supoffice/comserv/Pages/default.aspx. Select the Word template that best suits the event to create flyers for workshops, networking events, and Community of Practice meetings. The templates have been created so that events held at the SCCOE display a unified brand and reflect SCCOE values.

The event planner can:

• Create your online event registration • Update event information in the blue bar. Include at least one contact - content and/or

registration. • Add a QR code to the registration page at the bottom of the blue bar • Add event-specific content in the white space • Replace the image with one that’s visibly appealing, sized appropriately, and adheres to

copyright.

Do not change the color of the blue bar, the font style within the blue bar, or SCCOE logo.

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Do not add partner logos anywhere except within the white space.

The flyer can be included in the registration page and eCommunications. For large events such as conferences, teacher preparation programs, etc., the Media & Communications department can assist with flyer creation.

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Email Signatures As an organization, our email signatures should be consistent. Please do not modify the fonts, font sizes, or logos.

The images on the left-hand side of the email signature all contain live links to our website, social media, and strategic plan. Some departments have a logo that they would like to include in the email signature.

All specific, individual department logos will replace the small flame in the social media line and contain a live link to the department’s webpage. If you are one of the few departments with an individual logo and you would like to include it on your email signature, please contact Media & Communications to create the email template for your team.

Using Strengths in Signatures The five strengths listed at the bottom of the signature are your Gallup Strengths Finder Top Five Strengths. If you have not completed Strengths Finder assessment, you may omit that line from the signature. If you would like to complete Strengths Finder Training, please contact Workforce and Organizational Development in Human Resources.

Pronouns in signatures As an inclusive organization, the Santa Clara County Office of Education supports team members using their email signatures to declare gender pronouns to avoid misgendering and affirm the gender identity

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of ALL SCCOE team members. This aligns with the SCCOE goals of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity and aligns with 21st Century Thinking.

If you would like to include pronouns to your signature, please use this template below.

Below is a list of commonly used pronouns and how they are used. However, this list is not exhaustive. It is best practice to ask which pronouns a person prefers.

Subject Object Possessive Possessive Pronoun Reflexive

He Him His His Himself "He studied" "I called him" "His pencil" "That is his" "He trusts himself" She Her Hers Hers Herself "She studied" "I called her" "Her pencil" "That is hers" "She trusts herself" They Them Their Theirs Themselves "They studied" "I called them" "Their pencil" "That is theirs" "They trust themselves" Ze (or Zie) Hir Hir Hirs Hirself "Ze studied" ("zee") "I called hir" ("heer") "Hir pencil" "That is hirs" "Ze trusts hirself"

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Website The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) website is managed by Technology Services and Media & Communications, and departmental staff.

Technology Services is responsible for the operation of the website, building frameworks, and assisting and empowering SCCOE staff to create departmental content.

Media & Communications manages content for the social media feeds, News Releases, home page, and pages with no clearly defined manager.

Departmental staff may be trained to create and maintain pages. To receive training, please contact Technology Services. Departmental staff is responsible for maintaining content and removing old and outdated material.

Departmental staff are responsible for ensuring that their PDFs are readable and accessible for a variety of abilities.

Web Content Guidelines The SCCOE Website — www.sccoe.org — reaches a large and diversified audience - staff, parents, educators, politicians, business leaders, and many more individuals and groups. This presents an excellent opportunity to promote the SCCOE brand and to put in place a complementary marketing plan in which one site promotes another. Ideally, everyone at the SCCOE would be working to advance the services of the entire organization, rather than focusing solely on the enterprises of the various divisions and departments. A consistent and unified approach to SCCOE web enterprises is one step in that direction.

Links Due to the high volume of requests, the SCCOE does not accept unsolicited requests from outside organizations to link to our webpages. Any links added must be approved by a department supervisor or manager and must have an obvious alignment with SCCOE mission, vision, and values. If there is a concern regarding a potential link, please contact Media & Communications at 408-453-6824.

The SCCOE Brand The SCCOE brand should be immediately apparent at any Website operated by the SCCOE, or featuring products, services or enterprises of the SCCOE. That means that the site’s design should feature the SCCOE logo, accompanied by the words “Santa Clara County Office of Education,” with a link to the SCCOE home page (www.sccoe.org) all at the top of the site’s home page. This applies to any and all sites.

New Websites produced by the SCCOE will predominantly conform to the design of the main SCCOE site.

Variations must be approved by the Office of the Superintendent and will be done on a case-by-case basis.

URLs Websites produced by the SCCOE should include “sccoe” in their URLs. If there is a need for a distinct or simpler URL, the user can be routed to the “sccoe” URL via the other URL.

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Example: typing in www.sccoe.org/supoffice/comserv/Pages/default.aspx takes the user to our Media & Communications page.

Design There are existing SCCOE Websites, with distinctive designs, that market products or services. In those cases, the SCCOE title, logo, and link should be included, as outlined above under “The SCCOE Brand.” As of December 2007 existing sites that do not conform to the design of the main SCCOE site may maintain their designs, provided they add the required SCCOE logo, title, and link.

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PDF Accessibility Websites must be fully accessible to people with disabilities. Each department that creates PDFs is responsible for ensuring their PDF is accessible and compliant with PDF/UA and WCAG 2.0 standards.

It is easier to create your document correctly than to try to fix it.

Item Applies to

Headings are formatted with built-in heading styles, not changed through font size and formatting.

Word, PowerPoint, HTML, PDF

Levels of heading are accurate and were not skipped. For instance, the top level heading is Heading 1, the next level is Heading 2, etc.

Word, PowerPoint, HTML, PDF

Descriptive hyperlinks are used rather than “click here” or the whole URL.

Good example: For more information, read the WebAIM page on hyperlinks.

Bad example: For more information, click here to read the WebAIM page on hyperlinks.

Word, PowerPoint, HTML, PDF

Use bold or italics for emphasis rather than underlining. Avoid using all caps. Word, PowerPoint, HTML, PDF

Bulleted lists were created using the bullet function, not dashes or tildes (~) Word, PowerPoint, HTML, PDF

White space is added through styles and formatting, not by inserting tabs or using the space bar.

Word, PowerPoint, HTML, PDF

Color was not the only method used to convey meaning. Avoid red, green, or orange in general.

Word, PowerPoint, HTML, PDF

Sufficient contrast in color is used - for instance black text on a white background or white text on a black background.

Mostly PowerPoint, but all

Scanned PDFs have had the accessibility checked via the Action Wizard in Acrobat Pro to become readable.

PDF

In D2L (or another LMS), set documents to open consistently either in a new window or same frame so students know what to expect.

D2L etc.

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In online courses, consider the necessity of synchronous activities such as web conferencing or chat. Provide options whenever possible.

Any course

Tables are not used for formatting only, are created through the Table function, and are designed as simply as possible. Merging cells is avoided.

Word, PowerPoint, HTML, PDF

The Outline View was used in PowerPoint to identify unreadable text or incorrect reading order.

PowerPoint

Videos are captioned or, if appropriate, a transcript is provided (ideally both). Video

Scanned PDFs have been checked to ensure correct reading order and headings were tagged accurately.

PDF

Images have alternative text describing the content for students with visual disabilities.

Word, PowerPoint, HTML, PDF

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News and Media Media & Communications manage News Releases and other publicity. Should your department be contacted by the news media, please contact Media & Communications at 408-453-6824.

Social Media “The Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools or designee shall establish strategies for effective two-way communications between the SCCOE and the public.” Board Policy 1100 BP

You must go through Media & Communications to establish a social media account.

Media & Communications must be added as an account administrator and given login credentials to all Social Media Accounts.

• Keep your social media activity appropriate, professional, and transparent. • Avoid online interactions with current students, recent former students, volunteers, and alumni

under the age of 18, on social networking sites outside of those websites/webpages dedicated for educational use.

• Work accounts are not an appropriate place to share non-work related content, especially endorsements of political ideas and opinions.

• Ask how does this content tell the story of our school or program? • Limit the personal information about the child in the photograph. • Avoid posts about specific students. • Any time you post a photo of a child, you must ensure that a talent release form has been

signed. • Proofread and always have at least one other person proofread. • Read for content. • Read again for accuracy.

Social Media Guidelines The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is a regional service agency that provides instructional and business services to the 31 school districts of Santa Clara County. The SCCOE serves students through special education programs, alternative schools, Head Start and State Preschool programs, migrant education, and Opportunity Youth Academy. The Office also provides curriculum support, staff development, and technology support and training directly to teachers and staff in schools countywide. The Board of Education serves as an authorizer for county-approved charter schools.

Our social media accounts are designed to share news and information about the initiatives of the SCCOE and our community partners.

We welcome and encourage conversation with our online community; however, our page is a moderated online discussion site, not a public forum.

As an organization who puts students first, we ask all users to keep comments appropriate and civil.

We follow the community standards established by Facebook and other social media platforms, and ask our users do the same.

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SCCOE reserves the right to remove any content deemed as bullying, intimidation, or harassment; content deemed hateful, libelous, slanderous, or hostile.

We will immediately remove material which is obscene, pornographic, contain nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence. Any content which contains proprietary or unauthorized self-promotion and/or solicitations whether for profit or not, such as spam or comments which include links to other sites which are not community partners will be removed. Repeat contact or engagement to drive traffic to a non-partner account, product, service or initiative will be removed. If a user has multiple infractions, the individual will be blocked from the social media platform.

Please note that the comments expressed on this site do not reflect the official opinions and position of Santa Clara County Office of Education, the County Superintendent of Schools, or Santa Clara County Board of Education.

We thank you for helping promote respectful behavior online.

Promotion requests Due to the high volume of requests, the SCCOE does not accept unsolicited requests from outside organizations to promote outside services via social media. Any non-SCCOE social media content must be approved by a department account supervisor or manager and must have an obvious alignment with SCCOE Mission, Vision, and Values. If there is a concern regarding a potential link, please contact Media & Communications at 408-453-6824.

Hashtags We currently have four hashtags we use across Social Media. We welcome you to use them when sharing our good news.

• #WeAreSCCOE – to be used for any post that tells the story of SCCOE, who we are, and what we do.

• #TeamSCCOE – to be used for large group functions and posts that show our collaborations. • #SCCOESpirit – to be used for holiday and charitable giving. • #CivicSCC – To promote Civic Engagement.