March 18, 2011 |
Vol. 5, Issue 6 |
News Slices
Special Teacher Talk Show Available for Viewing
The teacher appreciation episode of the popular Teacher Talk television show that featured nearly 100 Florida educators broadcast on the Florida Knowledge Network on March 8, 2011. The surprise show, themed as an “Oprah-Style” giveaway, was taped at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and began as a workshop on teaching resources for the classroom. It ended up as a teacher appreciation extravaganza and the amazed teachers left with free products from 19 different education vendors who wanted to extend their appreciation to Florida educators and support education in the Sunshine State. To view the special Teacher Talk show, visit www.fldoe.org/justforteachers.
Florida College System Joins Education Leaders to Encourage College Completion
The Florida College System (FCS), along with 23 other members of the Complete College America Alliance, recently met in Miami to discuss a renewed focus on helping students finish their college degrees. A Florida initiative called “Finish Up Florida” will assist the more than 73,000 students who left the FCS in the last three years without completing their degree. Through this and other initiatives, the FCS hopes to double the number of graduates to 146,283 by 2019-20 by removing barriers and assisting students in re-enrolling in one of the 28 colleges in the system. For more information about “Finish Up Florida,” visit www.FACTS.org.
DOE Teams Up With NFL Teams for 2011
Attention all football fans! The Florida NFL teams have partnered again with the Florida Department of Education to offer discounted tickets to teachers this coming fall! Now, all three teams – the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins – will offer these specially-priced tickets to key games. Be on the lookout for the discounted rates at the start of the 2011-2012 school year.
Vote for a Florida School in the Healthy Kids Competition
Liberty Middle School in Orange County is a semi-finalist in the Recipes for Healthy Kids competition sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and First Lady Michelle Obama. The school created the Roasted Fish Crispy Slaw Wrap in the Dark Green and Orange Vegetable category and now needs your vote to win cash prizes to create nutritious school lunches that kids love to eat.
The competition was launched last September and challenged teams of school nutrition professionals, chefs, students and community members to develop creative, nutritious and kid-approved recipes that schools can easily incorporate into National School Lunch Program menus.
Vote for your favorite recipe until May 15, 2011, at http://www.recipesforkidschallenge.com/submissions.
Call For Presentations: Florida Council for Exceptional Children
The Florida Council for Exceptional Children (FCEC) invites all interested individuals to submit proposals for the 65th Annual FCEC Conference in Jacksonville in Oct. 2011. The conference theme, Rally on the River with Florida CEC, will focus on collaborative efforts among school districts, universities, family organizations and others with nine strands of interest. Presentations should target the specified topics listed for each strand and be postmarked by May 15, 2011. For more information, contact Conference Program Chair Kimberly Pawling at FCECconference@gmail.com.
Call For Submissions: Best Practices in Arts Integration
The Florida Alliance for Arts Education (FAAE) is seeking submissions that highlight the good work under way in Florida schools for the 2011 Florida Compendium of Best Practices in Arts Integration. Of particular interest are arts programs that go beyond the work of one person in one classroom and some may be selected for presentation at the FAAE Leadership Summit in June, 2011. The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2011. Complete information and submission forms can be found at http://faae.org/compreg2011.cfm.
National Juried Exhibition Seeking Emerging Artists
Emerging artists with disabilities ages 16-25 are encouraged to submit original artwork from a variety of mediums to Momentum, a visual arts exhibition. Fifteen artists will be selected for the exhibit and will share $60,000 in cash awards. The program is presented annually by VSA and Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. The exhibit will be displayed at the Smithsonian Institute from Sept. 2011 through Jan. 2012, and will then travel to college and university galleries and art museums. The deadline to submit entries is June 10, 2011. For more information, visit http://www.vsarts.org/x5796.xml or contact Marian Winters with VSA Florida at (813) 558-5095 or winters@usf.edu.
Clarice Smith National Teacher Institutes
Secondary teachers of core subjects are invited to apply as individuals or as part of a team for the week-long Clarice Smith National Teacher Institutes at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Participants will learn to use art to incorporate 21st century skills into the classroom, make interdisciplinary connections between art and core subjects, develop and share lesson ideas, experiment with a range of technologies and create a podcast inspired by art, and engage in online professional development activities and assignments before, during and after the Institute. The Institutes are offered twice during the summer (July 18 – 22, 2011, and August 1 – 5, 2011,) and interested educators should submit a completed application by April 8, 2011. For more information, visit http://americanart.si.edu/education/dev/cs/.
Norman Mailer High School and College Writing Awards
The Norman Mailer Writers Colony and the National Council of Teachers of English encourage high school and college students to submit an entry of creative nonfiction for a chance to win up to $10,000. Students should submit original work in any of the subgenres of creative nonfiction by April 28, 2011. For complete guidelines and information, visit http://www.ncte.org/awards/student/nmwa. If you have questions, send an e-mail to nmw@ncte.org.
Miami Dade College President Elected Chair of American Council on Education Dr. Eduardo Padrón, president of Miami Dade College, was elected Chair of the Board of Directors for the American Council on Education (ACE) during its 93rd Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1918, ACE is a the major coordinating body for all the nation’s higher education institutions and represents more than 1,600 colleges and university presidents, and 200 related associations across the country. Pensacola State College Student Garners Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship Pensacola State College student Wesley Greene is one of 20 students nationwide selected as a 2011 Guistwhite Scholarship recipient. The scholars are chosen by a panel of independent judges based on the applicant’s academic achievement, participation in Phi Theta Kappa programs, and service to their college and community. Recipients receive a $5,000 scholarship for baccalaureate studies, a medallion and are recognized during a special reception at the Phi Theta Kappa Convention in April 2011. Polk County Student Plays Carnegie Hall Jacob Booher, a senior at Winter Haven High School in Polk County, was selected in 2010 for the American High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall which showcases talented high school performers. Through a nomination and selection process that included an audition, Jacob played principal trumpet in the honors orchestra that featured accomplished student musicians from across the country. Jacob has earned all-county and all-state music honors and plans to continue his music career in the U.S. military. Seminole County Middle School Receives Honorable Mention The Magnet Schools of America recently honored Milwee Middle School in Seminole County with an Honorable Mention based on the school’s commitment to high academic standards, curriculum innovation, successful diversity efforts, and the consistent delivery of high quality education to students. The school will be recognized during the Opening General Session at the National Conference on Magnet Schools in May 2011. Lee County High School Receives National Award Dunbar High School Academy for Technology Education has been selected for a Magnet School of Excellence Award by Magnet Schools of America. Dunbar was recognized not only for its Academy, but for the Academy for Digital Excellence program and the new Computer Game Design and Programming Academy. Students have the opportunity to earn more than 18 recognized industry standard certifications through the various programs. Seminole County Teacher and Student Honored with Technology Award Lake Brantley High School teacher Seth Richardson and student Nicole Edelstein have been recognized by the National Center for Women and Information Technology for support and involvement in encouraging more young women to choose careers in technology. Richardson was one of 20 educators nationwide selected and will receive up to $1,000 in reimbursement for travel and registration expenses to attend professional development in computing or information technology. Edelstein was one of 35 students chosen nationwide and will receive a $500 cash award, laptop computer, trip to attend the Bank of America Technology Showcase and Awards Ceremony in Charlotte, N.C., and an engraved award. |
| Branching Out |
League of Environmental Educators in Florida 31st Annual Conference 13th UCF College of Education Literacy Symposium National Poem in Your Pocket Day Florida Association for Staff Development Spring Forum International Reading Association Convention Engineering Technology Summer Institute Florida Alliance for Arts Education Leadership Summit National Agriculture in the Classroom Annual Conference National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar |
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