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Seeds of Success:
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| Princeton Elementary To Receive Award For Recent Renovation |
| Lee County Teacher Selected For Review Committee In International Baccalaureate Program |
| Lake Brantley Senior Wins New Car |
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| Branching Out: |
| 2007 K-12 Conference & Innovation Fair |
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September 7, 2007 |
Vol. 1, Issue 17 |
News Slices
Hispanic Heritage Month Contests
for Students and Teachers
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationwide
and begins on September 15. In honor of this celebration, Gov. Charlie
Crist is inviting all Florida students in kindergarten through 12th grades
to take part in the Florida Hispanic Heritage Month essay
contest. One winner will be selected from each of the three grade-level
categories, elementary (grades K-5), middle (grades 6-8) and high school
(grades 9-12). Winners will receive a full four-year tuition scholarship
to a Florida college or university of their choice, provided by the Florida
Prepaid College Foundation, and a computer. Essays should answer the question:
“In what way will you impact the future of the Hispanic community
in Florida and why?”
The Governor is also encouraging students, parents, teachers and principals to nominate Hispanic, full-time educators in elementary, middle or high schools for the inaugural Hispanic Heritage Month Excellence in Education Award. Three winners will be selected: one elementary school (K-5) teacher, one middle school (6-8) teacher and one high school (9-12) teacher. Winners will receive a check for $1,500 and a $500 gift card for classroom supplies.
The contests are the first in a month-long schedule of events planned to commemorate Florida’s Hispanic heritage. For more information on both contests, visit the Governor's Web site at www.flgov.com/search. To download contest entry and nomination forms, click here.
Education Commissioner Blomberg Announces Hispanic
Heritage Month Recommended Reading List
Education Commissioner Jeanine Blomberg recently
announced the Just Read, Florida! recommended reading list in celebration
of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 – Oct. 15. The
literary works in this year’s recommended reading list feature Hispanic
authors and were selected to help increase students’ interests in
Hispanic culture. The reading list contains appropriate selections for
all ages, kindergarten through adult. For the full reading list, visit
www.justreadflorida.com.
More Florida
Students Take SAT and AP Exams Than Ever Before
According to a national release of SAT results, 97,366 of Florida’s
2007 high school graduates took the SAT – the largest number of Florida
students to ever take the test. This number equates to an increase of
3 percent (2,765 graduates) over the previous year, which surpasses the
national increase of 2 percent. In addition, the number of Florida test
takers as a percentage of high school graduates was up slightly –
from 63 percent to 63.6 percent – whereas the national percentage
dipped slightly (down to 48.1 percent from 48.2 percent in 2006). The
College Board also released Advanced Placement (AP) results, and for the
second year in a row, Florida had the greatest one-year increase in the
number of public school AP exam-takers when compared to all other states
from 2006 to 2007. To read the full story, visit www.fldoe.org.
Florida School Breakfast Week
School cafeterias across Florida will celebrate
the first annual Florida School Breakfast Week, September 17-21, with
the theme “Excellence Begins with School Breakfast.” Florida
School Breakfast Week promotes the availability of breakfast for all students
at school and the strong link between eating a nutritious breakfast and
improved academic achievement and physical performance.
Research conducted by the University of Minnesota and Harvard University concludes that students who eat breakfast are more alert, have improved memory and problem-solving skills, and perform better on standardized tests. Other research shows that behavioral, emotional, and academic problems are more prevalent among children with hunger, and academic performance and readiness are enhanced when students start their day with a nutritious meal.
The Florida Department of Education Food and Nutrition Management section, responsible for the administrative and financial oversight of the federal Child Nutrition Programs in Florida, expects to narrow the gap between the number of Florida students eating breakfast at school and the number of students eating school lunch. In Florida, more than 488,000 school breakfast meals are served each day to students, whereas the school lunch program serves an average of 1.28 million lunch meals each day to Florida students. Only 38 percent of the students who eat lunch also eat breakfast.
For more information about food and nutrition in Florida schools, please visit www.fldoe.org/FNM.
Lake-Sumter Community College Unveils New Science-Math
Building
A new, 52,000 square-foot Leesburg Campus structure
is now the Lake-Sumter Community College (LSCC) state-of-the-art Science-Math
Building. The building has 12 large labs for classes in chemistry, biology,
physics, anatomy and physiology, microbiology, physical science, geology
and environmental science, as well as 10 multi-functional math and science
classrooms. The new building was opened as students ushered in the fall
semester. To learn more about LSCC, visit www.lscc.edu.
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Princeton Elementary To Receive Award For
Recent Renovation Princeton Elementary won the ABC Excellence in Construction Eagle Award for Historical Renovation in the $1-$5 million category. Wharton-Smith, Inc. was in charge of the project, which took about eight months to complete. For the full story, visit www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2007/08-10.asp. Volusia County Names Superintendent’s
Outstanding Achievement Award Winner Lee County Teacher Selected For Review Committee
In International Baccalaureate Program Lake Brantley Senior Wins New Car The program is open to high school seniors and juniors in both public and private schools throughout Orange and Seminole counties and is designed to encourage students to work harder in the classroom. Entry is based on students earning A’s, B’s and/or maintaining perfect attendance during the school year. |
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Branching Out |
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The 2007 K-12 Conference will be held at the Caribe Royale in Orlando Oct. 2-5. The Conference will focus on innovative approaches to improving student achievement, secondary public school career, collegiate, and magnet academies; and redesigning teacher compensation. This conference will be an opportunity to highlight the state’s best model academies and programs to other schools looking to implement such programs of their own, and discuss how various ways of compensating our teachers lead to the improved achievement of our students. To view the agenda, visit www.fldoe.org/schools/conference. Florida College Access Network Conference The Third Annual Florida College Access Network (FCAN) Conference "Appreciating the Past: Building for Our Future" will be held at the InterContinental Hotel, Tampa, Fla., Oct. 10-12. The FCAN Conference is the Florida Department of Education’s flagship event for schools, colleges, educational institutions and organizations that promote improving college access for Florida’s students. FCAN encourages collaboration among people who are committed to increasing the number of Florida's college-bound high school graduates. Individuals interested in intercultural issues, parental involvement, and ways to improve student achievement should attend this event. The Network focuses primarily on services and educational resources that address specific needs of historically underrepresented students: racial and ethnic minorities, English language learners, economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities. To learn more about the Conference or to register, visit www.fldoe.org/FCAN/conference.asp. |
For more information on this electronic newsletter, please e-mail thecore@fldoe.org.