San Mateo County’s current COVID Community Level is LOW, and face masks are strongly recommended but not required while indoors any SMCCCD facility. As the San Mateo County community level changes, information will be provided to students, employees, and visitors.

As a reminder, the updated masking requirements, as outlined below, are effective until further notice, and apply to all students, employees, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. Masking requirement signage will be posted throughout all campuses.

CDC COVID Community Level	SMCCCD Face Masking Requirement
LOW	Face mask is recommended, but not required.
MEDIUM	Face mask is required while indoors in any District facility.
HIGH	Face mask is required while indoors in any District facility.

To track the San Mateo County’s COVID Community Level, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

COVID-19 forced the SparkPoint Food Pantry to close in March 2020 and it remained closed for 2 full years. We re-launched this service this past spring and we are excited to share that from between March 22 and June 30, 2022, we distributed 33,487 pounds of groceries. Unlike our Drive-Thru Grocery Distribution, the SparkPoint Food Pantry only serves students. This means that our students saved an estimated $49,369.30 on grocery costs during this time, which is money that can go to other important expenses such as books, gas, rent or saving for the future.  This represents a great start for this new iteration of the SparkPoint food pantry and we plan to try to get back to a pre-pandemic level of service by the end of the fall semester.

The SparkPoint food pantry is currently open Monday-Friday and offers free groceries to all students!   If you know a student who may be interested in picking up free groceries, please have them make an appointment by filling out online order form.

Some things to remember:

• No ID required. A car is not required.
• Groceries will be pre-bagged (no substitutions at pick up)
• Items vary, but typically can include fruit, vegetables, canned goods, dry goods, milk, meat, and snacks
• This will not affect your food grant or financial aid in any way
• SparkPoint is located in building 1, room 1-214

Please visit our website to learn more about SparkPoint’s other food, housing and financial services: https://skylinecollege.edu/sparkpoint/

Thank you to the whole SparkPoint and Dream Center Team for their support in this effort.

Article by Chad Thompson

SparkPoint at Skyline College is currently accepting scholarship applications for 25 Career and Technical Education (CTE) students for the Fall 2022 cohort. Grove Scholarship applications are available online at skylinecollege.edu/sparkpoint and are due by 3:00 p.m. on September 14, 2022.

Eligible students will be selected for the program based on three short personal statements that describe who they are, why they have chosen their career path and why financial literacy is important to them. Academic standing and GPA are not a factor in selection, as long as the student meets the minimum requirements of a 2.0 GPA and a 75% completion rate. Once selected for the Grove Scholars Program, students will receive individualized financial coaching and career counseling, as well as a $2,000 scholarship for the semester.

If you would like to refer a student to the Grove Scholars Program or if you would like a SparkPoint staff member to share scholarship information or other SparkPoint Services with your class or program, please call (650) 738-7035, or send an email to grovescholar@smccd.edu.  Additional information and support can also be found through the SparkPoint website.

Article by Chad Thompson

On August 9, 2022, the International Student Program (ISP) hosted the Welcome Day for new international students! This fall, Skyline College is welcoming over 85 students from 20 different countries, a record high number of new international students since the Pandemic. The event provided the students with an opportunity to make friends with people from all corners of the world, connect with campus resources and see our beautiful campus in person. The event kicked off with a warm welcome from Dr. Vinicio Lopez, Vice President of Instruction, and Zaid Ghori, Interim Dean of Global Learning Programs and Services, and a series of fun activities such as a Bingo Game and Campus Tour Scavenger Hunt followed were led by ISP Student Ambassadors.

During lunch time, students also had a chance to meet with representatives from key student service offices such as STEM Center, Career Readiness & Job Placement Office and Health Center. Sebastian, a new international student from Indonesia, said that he was “surprised to see other students from Indonesia” as he thought he would be the only one. He was also able to make new friends with students from Myanmar, Nepal and China at his lunch table. After lunch, students who are participating in the district’s Homestay Program attended the Homestay Orientation conducted by the district’s homestay team. Julius, another new student from Indonesia, said, “My host family is the best! They are like my real family.”

Many students also signed up for the Serramonte Shopping Mall Tour, which took place later that week. Sirreck Brown, ISP Retention Specialist, led the tour along with a student ambassador, Kaitlyn Huang. They started the tour from campus so new students learned how to ride a bus. Sirreck and Kaitlyn took the students to a bank and cellphone company, and most importantly, they all enjoyed shopping at Target, a true American experience.

This series of welcome events helped new international students navigate their campus life, find communities and make friends. Special gratitude to the Strategic Partnerships & Workforce Development Division, Health and Wellness Services and STEM Center for sharing their information and resources! This event would not have been possible without their support.

ISP is part of the Global Learning Programs and Services Division at Skyline College. ISP will continue to provide services and programs for international students as well as for the entire Skyline College community. If you are interested in learning more about future ISP programs and events, contact ISP office at skyinternational@smccd.edu

Article by Chikako Walker

Skyline College Administration of Justice student Andrew Mendoza was awarded a $2,500.00 Educational Scholarship at the 2022 Daly City PAL fundraiser banquet held at the Pomeroy Center in San Francisco on July 25^th.  Mr. Mendoza was recognized by the Daly City Police Department’s Police Athletic League (PAL) Organization for his educational and community achievements while pursuing his career aspirations in the fields of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, and is the organization’s 19^th recipient of the DC-PAL Educational Scholarship.

Mr. Mendoza has also been hired by the Daly City Police Department for the position of Police Officer and is currently attending the Basic Police Academy for six months of initial training by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), after which he will attend several months of additional agency-specific training in the Daly City Police Department’s Field Training (FTO) Program.

The Daly City PAL, a partnership involving community leaders and the Daly City Police Department, is a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting, inspiring, and helping young people to become healthy, social, and caring individuals through athletics.  The Daly City Police Department’s PAL Program was the first of its kind in the State of California, established in 1957.

ADMJ Professor Steve Aurilio, and member of the Daly City PAL board, instituted the Daly City PAL Educational Foundation (PAL-Ed) in 2007 as an auxiliary component of the PAL organization to help provide financial assistance to career-minded students who are interested in the justice field.  To date, all of the award recipients have been Skyline College ADMJ students.

To qualify, students must be interested in a Criminal Justice career and either be a graduating high school senior or enrolled in a college Administration of Justice studies Program.  They must also have a qualifying GPA, have performed community service work, and undergo an interview.

Article by Steve Aurilio