News Slices:
Florida Teacher of the Year Provides Clean Water Challenge
Major Areas of Interest (MAI) Submission Deadline Approaching
Broward Community College Students Face Tremendous Obstacles on the Path to Graduation
Poster Contest Deadline for National Missing Children's Day
 
Seeds of Success:
Bay County Sunshine State Scholar Award Recipient
Two Florida Students Named Exemplary Migrant High School Scholars of the Year
Ten Brevard Schools Named as Statewide Music Demonstration Schools for 2008-2011
 
 
Branching Out:
League of Environmental Educators in Florida Annual Conference
Just Read, Florida! K-12 Leadership Conference

 

January 4, 2008

Vol. 2, Issue 1

News Slices

Florida Teacher of the Year Provides Clean Water Challenge
Florida Department of Education/Macy's 2008 Teacher of the Year Richard Ellenburg challenges his fourth graders about water pollution and reclamation. During his class, Mr. Ellenburg tasks students with taking dirty water and cleaning it. The students are then given the tools for "cleaning" the water, including a strainer, coffee filters, funnels, extra cups, straws and a spoon.

The challenge not only teaches the students about the fragility of Florida's water resources, but they also gain hands-on experience with distillation, learn of energy consumption and water reclamation.

Major Areas of Interest (MAI) Submission Deadline Approaching
On January 2, 2008 the web-based Major Areas of Interest (MAI) submission site will be unlocked to give districts the opportunity to update MAIs to be made available at each high school. Working with their districts, schools will have the opportunity to identify their MAIs and respective courses for the 2008-2009 school year. The web-based system to update high school MAIs opened at 8:00 a.m. eastern standard time (EST) January 2, 2008, and will remain open through 5:00 p.m. EST February 29, 2008.

Please contact Heather Kelley at (850) 245-0509 or via e-mail at Heather.Kelley@fldoe.org, or Lillian Finn at (850) 245-0509 or via e-mail at Lillian.Finn@fldoe.org. To access the MAI submission site, please visit http://fldoe.org/APlusPlus/.

Broward Community College Students Face Tremendous Obstacles on the Path to Graduation
Of the 600 students participating in Broward Community College's graduation ceremonies, two young women overcame overwhelming obstacles to receive their diplomas. Victoria Croasdale, diagnosed with cancer at the age of six, and Nathalie Pluviose, who is deaf, relied on BCC's Disability Services to help them succeed. For more information, please visit www.broward.edu.

Poster Contest Deadline for National Missing Children's Day
In honor of National Missing Children's Day, the U.S. Department of Justice is sponsoring a nationwide poster contest for fifth grade students. A ceremony will be held on May 25th in Washington, D.C. to honor the winner, as well as recognize both law enforcement and citizens who are instrumental in the safety of children. The theme for the poster contest is "Bringing Our Missing Children Home". The Florida Department of Education, Florida Department of Law Enforcement/Missing Children Information Clearinghouse (FDLE/MCIC), AMBER Alert partners, and other organizations are working together to select a winner to represent the state of Florida. For more information, please visit http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/programs/postercontest.

Seeds of Success


Bay County Sunshine State Scholar Award Recipient
Crawford Mosley High School senior John Hawk is a recent recipient of the 2007-2008 Sunshine State Scholar Award. This award acknowledges outstanding performances academically in mathematics and science. A student from each high school in Bay District Schools is nominated and a selection committee comprised of teachers, parents, and community members choose the recipient. John will now represent Bay District Schools at a regional competition in January with the possibility of further competition at the state level. For more information, visit www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2007/11-27.asp.

Two Florida Students Named Exemplary Migrant High School Scholars of the Year
Mirna Martinez, a graduate of Glades Central Community High School in Palm Beach County, and Lucio Martinez, a graduate of Immokalee High School in Collier County were recently named as the 2007 Florida Migrant Exemplary High School Scholars of the Year. The awards were presented during the 2007 Florida Migrant Education Conference held in Orlando. School districts throughout Florida nominated students for the statewide competition. The winners were selected by a group of educators, college professors and agribusiness representatives and associates based on students' academic achievement, leadership skills and community involvement. Student winners received a scholarship and a car purchased through donations by the agribusiness community. For more information, visit www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2007/11-27-2.asp.

Ten Brevard Schools Named as Statewide Music Demonstration Schools for 2008-2011
The Florida Department of Education has awarded 10 Brevard schools the prestigious Music Demonstration School (MDS) title for 2008-2011, listing them among the best schools in the state for music instruction. This year, Brevard added three new MDS sites, and re-designated seven sites. Brevard now has a total of 23 of the 31 Music Demonstration Schools statewide and all five honorable mention sites, leading the state in this program. For more information, please visit www.fldoe.org/SuccessStories/2007/12-03.asp.

Branching Out

League of Environmental Educators in Florida Annual Conference
March 27-30, 2008
Camp Crystal Lake
Clay County

Join park naturalists, outdoor educators and K-12 teachers at the 28th League of Environmental Educators in Florida Annual Conference, held at Camp Crystal Lake in North Central Florida. Various speakers and breakout sessions will provide attendees with a greater understanding of environmental education.

Please visit www.leef-florida.org/net/content/default.aspx?s=0.0.110.37432 for registration and conference information.

 

Just Read, Florida! K-12 Leadership Conference
June 29 - July 2, 2008
Orlando World Center Marriott
Orlando, Fla.

The 2008 Just Read! Florida! K-12 Conference offers a variety of opportunities for educators and administrators. More than 300 breakout sessions will be geared toward providing essential information to school leadership in the area of reading and literacy. There will be numerous sessions presented by fellow principals, reading coaches, and district leaders, giving you the opportunity to hear about the great literacy initiatives taking place in schools throughout our state. Go to www.justreadflorida.com/conference to learn more or register today!

 
 
 
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