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School Zone
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Schools
Find SPIRIT
Students, administrators and teachers at several Duval
County Public Schools have participated in the SPIRIT
(Student Problem Identification and Resolving Issues
Together) Program and found it to be a “phenomenal”
experience and “one of the best student-driven programs”
in which one administrator has ever participated.
SPIRIT is a two-day program where students learn to
solve problems around the issue of race and other
related topics. The program brings together students,
administrators, teachers, and sometimes parents, to
identify issues, develop solutions, and take action on
conflicts within their schools.
SPIRIT was created by the
United States Department of Justice’s Community
Relations Service (CRS) division. For more than 35
years, CRS has offered racial/ethnic conflict prevention
and management programs for schools and school
districts. The program improves communications among
diverse student leaders, reduces racial tensions in
schools, and prevents violence and conflict among
students in schools with changing demographics.
The Duval County Public
Schools which have participated in the SPIRIT program
include First Coast High, Forrest High, Jefferson Davis
Middle, Lake Shore Middle and Wolfson High schools. If
you are interested in learning more about the program,
contact Josephine Jackson at 390-2181, or send Josephine
an
e-mail.
Wolfson
High School Teacher Appears on Teacher Talk
2005 Duval County Teacher of the Year Chip Leonard was a
guest on the Florida Department of Education’s monthly
television show, Teacher Talk: An Inside Look at
Florida Education. Chip talked to host, Nicole
Flesvig, about the importance of allowing high school
students to focus on an area of interest. The episode
will air on the Florida Education Channel 9418 (DISH
Network 62.5) on the following dates and times:
- April 3 at 2 p.m.
- April 4 at 2 a.m.
- April 5 at 11 a.m.
- April 5 at 11 p.m.
- April 11 at 9:30 p.m.
- April 12 at 9:30 a.m.
For additional information,
please visit
this web page.
Fishweir
Elementary Turns 90
On Sunday, April 29 from 2 – 6 p.m., teachers and
students (past and present) will gather at Fishweir
Elementary to celebrate the school’s 90th
anniversary. The school’s students and staff will open
the doors to the school and host an open house. Past
students, such as Ander Crenshaw, Tommy Hazouri and Fred
Schultz, and community members have been invited to
attend. Please consider joining Fishweir Elementary for
this monumental occasion and fun celebration. Happy
Birthday! You look great for your age!
EAP Lunch
N’ Learn Programs
Employee Assistance Program Supervisor Terri Cicero will
conduct two Lunch N’ Learn programs at DCPS’
administrative building in April. Each Lunch N’ Learn
will be conducted in two sessions with the first session
will be from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., and the second
session will take place from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. If you
are interested in attending one of the sessions, please
call Terri at 390-2441, or send her
an e-mail.
- Wednesday, April 4—Positive
Language—Language is a powerful tool. This
workshop will look at ways to communicate in a more
positive way that will elicit cooperation rather than
argument and confrontation.
- Tuesday, April 24—Short
Version of Myers-Briggs—This workshop will allow
you to take a look at your personality preferences,
and give you a better understanding as to why you
think, feel and act in a certain way.
DCPS’
Certification Newsletter
Click here to access the annual DCPS Certification
newsletter. In this issue, you will find valuable
information concerning new developments in
certification, reminders, and various options for
completing State certification requirements.
Press Fast
ForWord to Engage Your Students’ Brains
Pending Duval County School Board approval, Fast ForWord
wave four labs will be operational by August 27. Fast
ForWord (FFW) is a specially-designed, patented software
program which uses the principles of neuroscience to
build an individual’s learning capacity. The program’s
visual design was crafted to benefit students from
pre-Kindergarten through high school. Because FFW
actually rewires the brain to be more receptive to
learning, its benefit can last a lifetime!
This school year, FFW
technology has helped students at 35 of Duval County
Public Schools (with more schools to follow as funding
is acquired). Typically, gains are seen in 8–12 weeks.
Early reports show progress similar to what has been
documented in more than 90 national school-based
research studies. For more information about Fast
ForWord,
click
here.
April 2007
DCPS Health and Wellness Newsletter
To read the latest issue of DCPS’
Health and Wellness Newsletter,
Health e-Links,
click here.
Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Inclusion Community
Meetings Duval County Public Schools
will present a series of meetings to educate parents and
community members on its plan to move selected
elementary students receiving ESE services back to their
home schools for the 2007-2008 school year. If you are
interested in learning more, please attend one of the
meetings listed below, or call 390-2071.
- Tuesday, April 3, 6:30 –
7:30 p.m., Andrew Robinson Elementary, 101 West 12th
Street
- Tuesday, April 3, 6:30 –
7:30 p.m., Hyde Grove Elementary, 2056 Lane Avenue,
South
- Thursday, April 12, 6:30 –
7:30 p.m., Love Grove Elementary, 2446 University
Boulevard, South
- Thursday, April 19, 6:30 –
7:30 p.m., Sallye Mathis Elementary, 3501 Winton Drive
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration will begin the week of April 2
– 6 at all elementary schools. Click
here to view a flyer with requirements for
kindergarten registration.
Prom
Dresses for High School Seniors
University of North Florida students are collecting
slightly used prom dresses to donate to local high
school girls. If you are interested, please call Karen
Hanson at 390-2335, or send an
e-mail.
Majigeen—A
Play for Middle and High School Students
The University of North Florida’s Fine Arts Center will
present Majigeen at 9:30 and 11 a.m. on Thursday,
April 12. For $5 a student, you and your middle or high
school students can see an intriguing and educational
play based on the life of Anta Majigeen Njaay (Anna
Kingsley of Kingsley Plantation). The play is narrated
by a fictitious character, Mamadou Seck, who is a griot
(traditional African storyteller).
During the play, Mamadou
takes the audience on a journey of Anta’s life. Moments
from Anta’s life, including her baptism as a young
Muslim, capture from Senegal, marriage to plantation and
slave owner Zephania Kingsley (of Kingsley Plantation on
Fort George Island) and her years as a mother, slave
owner, and grandmother, are recounted for the audience
through song. As Mamadou introduces you to each
character, you learn of Anta’s perspectives on polygamy,
slavery, Christianity, Islam, betrayal and loss.
Through the wisdom and humor
of Mamadou, you and your students will learn of the many
similarities between the issues that are on the social
forefront today and those from 200 years ago—issues that
remind us of our membership in the same race—the human
race. If you are interested in learning more or
purchasing tickets, call UNF’s Fine Arts Center at
620-1898.
Books-A-Go-Go Book Drive
Betty Metz wholeheartedly believes that books can change
a child’s life. As a result, she has started a
book-collecting crusade, so she can provide much-needed
books to disadvantaged students on the First Coast.
And, Betty is not doing it alone. Her Books-A-Go-Go
book drives have the support of local businesses,
including four DriveTime dealerships and Bella Candles
and Gifts. Even Mayor John Peyton is participating
through Rally Jacksonville. He committed to passing
along any book, which was donated to the Jacksonville
Public Library in March, to Betty and the Books-A-Go-Go
program. If you would like to join Betty’s crusade and
host a Books-A-Go-Go Book Drive at your school, call
292-4633 or 655-5716, or send
an e-mail to Betty.
Education Today Television Show
Education Today, created by the Florida
School Boards Association (FSBA) and the Florida
Education Channel (FEC), brings together top Florida
Legislators to discuss educational issues. The program
airs on FEC 9418 (DISH Network 62.5) at noon every
Friday during Florida’s Legislative Session. For a
schedule,
click here.
Do You
Need Money to Help Promote Tolerance?
Teaching Tolerance offers
grants of $500 to $2,500 to Pre-Kindergarten through 12
grade classroom teachers for projects designed to reduce
prejudice among youth, improve inter-group relations in
schools and/or support educator professional development
in these areas. If you are interested in learning more
about these grant opportunities,
click here to visit the Teaching Tolerance web
site.
HateHurts—Tools
and Resources for Teachers
HateHurts is a program started by Gift of Life in
America to spread the message of forgiveness. Henri
Landwirth, founder of HateHurts, survived unimaginable
hatred and cruelty during the Holocaust, and yet he
blames no one. By promoting Henri’s story of
forgiveness, HateHurts is determined to help each of us
realize how important it is to forgive those who have
hurt us and end our own acts of hatred, no matter how
small they are. By making these small efforts everyday,
we can make the world a better place.
To serve as a
resource and learning tool for teachers, HateHurts, in
cooperation with PBS and the
Florida Knowledge Network, is offering teachers the
opportunity to sign up for a live broadcast of Henri
Landwirth speaking with students to share the stories
and lessons he learned from being a Holocaust survivor.
To learn more or to join the movement, visit the
HateHurts web site.
Florida
Economic Educator of the Year
If you know an outstanding economics teacher (K – 12),
please consider nominating him/her for the Florida
Economic Educator of the Year Award. The Florida
Council on Economic Education and Publix Super Markets
Charities will honor up to 20 educators who demonstrate
excellence in financial literacy, free enterprise or
economic education. For award guidelines and an
application, click here. Applications will be accepted
until Thursday, April 5.
Redesign
Your School—A Contest of Scholarly Proportions
The American Architectural Foundation (AAF) and Target
are sponsoring a national contest for high school
students in grades 9 – 12 who have a vision for an ideal
21st century learning space. Scholarships of
up to $10,000 will be awarded, and eight winners will be
invited to Washington, D.C. to present their ideas. To
learn more,
click here.
Shop
Barnes & Noble and Help the Jacksonville Public Library
Barnes & Noble Booksellers of Mandarin will donate 20
percent of its proceeds from book sales during the first
weekend in April to the Jacksonville Public Library
(JPL) Foundation. Present
this voucher at any Barnes & Noble store on April 6,
7, or 8, and JPL’s Foundation will receive up to 20
percent of the proceeds of all voucher sales to help
support various reading programs and literacy
initiatives.
Spelman
College’s Howard Hughes Biomedical Summer Science
Program
From June 17 to July 20, Spelman College is hosting the
2007 Howard Hughes Biomedical Summer Science Program, a
five-week residential program for female high school
students interested in pursuing a career in biology,
biochemistry, medicine or other life-science fields.
Applicants must be rising 12th grade
female students enrolled in an accredited high school
program with a minimum GPA of 3.0, and they should have
an interest in science and mathematics. For more
information and application paperwork,
click here.
State of
Florida Education Budget Updates
Governor Charlie Crist proposed an education budget in
February 2007, which was billions of dollars larger than
the previous year’s budget. In Governor Crist’s budget,
some initiatives remained, such as class-size reduction
and enrollment growth. However, there were several new
elements to the budget. These new initiatives include:
- A reading coach in every
public school in Florida with a cost of $26 million;
- An internet-based program
which would allow parents access to their children’s
academic progress at a cost of $10 million; and
- A modification to the
state’s teacher performance pay plan which would allow
principals to provide bonuses, as high as 10 percent,
to top educators.
Jacksonville Businesses Come to the Aid of Teachers
Volunteer Jacksonville, Kelly Educational Services and
the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce are teaming up to
launch the Teachers RULE! Project. These groups are
soliciting support from local businesses and foundations
to provide funds to Duval County kindergarten and first
grade teachers for classroom supplies. For more
information, contact
Kathy Kanter
at 245-7550, or
Lesley
Wolfson at 332-6767.
2007 Very
Special Arts (VSA) Festival
From April 2 – 5, more than 2,000 special needs’
students from Duval County exceptional education classes
and more than 1,300 volunteers will participate in the
12th Annual VSA Festival at the Cummer Museum
of Arts & Gardens. For twelve years now, the VSA
Festival has been working to introduce the arts to
children with disabilities. The festival is the only
celebration that currently allows special needs’
children to take part in art programs within the
galleries of a museum, and as a result has been a model
for more than 650 VSA festivals throughout the nation.
The 2007 VSA Festival is sponsored by the VSA Arts
Florida – Jacksonville chapter, Citibank and the Cummer
Museum of Art & Gardens. The festival is built around
specially-designed ArtStops, which consist of short,
hands-on activities at various stations throughout the
museum. If you would like to learn more, contact Susan
Law at 348-7221.
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