Florida High School Students Win Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest
Secretary of State Kurt S. Browning recently announced the winners of the state finals of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, which took place at the R.A. Gray Building, in Tallahassee in celebration of National Poetry Month. To see the winners, go to www.fldoe.org.

AAA Auto Club Honors Local Fifth-Grader
Oakland Park Elementary School fifth-grade student Trevor Martin was named the AAA School Safety Patrol “Patroller of the Year” by AAA Auto Club South. AAA Auto Club South honors one patrol winner in its territory, consisting of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Puerto Rico, for the annual award. More than 100,000 patrollers were nominated for the recognition. For the full story, go to http://fldoe.org/successstories/2007/03-08-3.asp.

Zoo Animals Help Promote Literacy
Third-grade students at Lake Forest Elementary School in Alachua County are taking a different approach to reading. The Rotary Reading Safari is an after-school literacy project that encourages students to read by allowing them to visit the zoo. During the visits, students read books about animals, visit a wide variety of exhibits, and in some cases, interact with them. For the full story, visit http://fldoe.org/successstories/2007/03-05.asp.

DeSoto County High School Journalism Class Earns “All-Florida” Honors
Journalism students at DeSoto County High School were recently recognized by the Florida Scholastic Press Association (FSPA) for a job well-done on its magazine. Pedigree, published since 1977, was honored as the sole “All-Florida Literary Magazine.” The winning edition focused on the “Best of the Best,” and includes writings and artwork from the journalism students. Read the full story at http://fldoe.org/successstories/2007/03-02.asp.

Super Saturdays Increase Parent Involvement
Bethune Elementary in Hollywood, Fla., recently set-in-motion a program aimed at helping increase parental involvement in student education. “Super Saturdays” ran from Jan. 27 to Feb. 17, and allowed parents to learn about using computers and other learning resources at their children’s schools. See the details at http://fldoe.org/successstories/2007/03-01.asp.

i-SAFE America Internet Safety Education and Training Available for Florida School Districts
April 25, 2007
Over the past year, i-SAFE America, Inc. has partnered with the Florida Department of Education to provide a prevention-oriented Internet safety education program for students in grades K-12, which includes professional development, K-12 curriculum, leadership opportunities for students, and resources for parents and the community at large.

i-SAFE is a non-profit foundation whose mission is to educate and empower youth to safely and responsibly take control of their Internet experience. The program provides awareness and knowledge that enables students to recognize and avoid dangerous, destructive, or unlawful online behavior and to respond appropriately. Training for i-SAFE America is available and open to school district personnel. The next virtual training date is April 25 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. EDT, exclusively for Florida. Go to http://vta.isafe.org and include event ID number 20797 to register. If you prefer to learn through a series of video modules, which can be completed individually online at your own pace, go to http://ilearn.isafe.org. For more information, contact Amy Kirn at akirn@isafe.org or visit www.isafe.org/pdf/working_with_i-safe.pdf.

13th School Attendance Symposium: Linking Attendance to Positive Engagement
Oct. 29-30, 2007
Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Sponsored by the Florida Department of Education, the Student Support Services Project, and the Florida Association of School Social Workers, the Symposium provides a statewide forum for sharing and promoting proven practices that positively impact school attendance and student achievement. The program agenda will also include information updates on state and federal requirements that impact school attendance policy, and district implementation.

Attendance specialists, child protection services providers, juvenile justice agencies, school health coordinators, teachers, parents, and principals should attend. For more information, or to register, visit http://sss.usf.edu/AttendanceSymposium/2007/index.html.