School Zone
Points of Pride
Hundreds of Teachers Flock to New Teacher Supply Depot
DCPS’ new Teacher Supply Depot officially opened on August 8 with a Back to School Giveaway. More than 800 teachers waited in line for hours for the opportunity to get free school supplies for this year.
The Teacher Supply Depot recently relocated from John Gorrie Middle School to the former Lackawanna School at 3108 Lenox Avenue. The Depot is a warehouse of reusable materials donated by businesses and community members. These materials are distributed free to DCPS teachers to enhance instruction in their classroom and promote student achievement.
The depot opened at 9 a.m., but teachers started lining up around 5 a.m. to be near the beginning of the line for the first opportunity to see what was available.
All the donated supplies were organized in 11 rooms throughout the school, including a paper room, arts and crafts room, and rooms that had shelves full of office supplies.
Teachers were able to bring three tote bags to carry their free school supplies. Many took advantage of the opportunity and stuffed each bag to the top.
One teacher in the arts and crafts room included ‘Just Married’ wrapping paper in one of her bags. “You need to be creative and use whatever you can to decorate your classroom,” she said.
Chris Buckley, the on-site manager of the Depot, and Larry McDonald, the director of consolidated services for DCPS, coordinated the efforts of the transition from Gorrie to Lackawanna, supervising hundreds of hours from all the volunteers who contributed to the project.
More than 40 volunteers from the Duval County Council of PTAs/PTSAs were on hand for the opening of the Depot to assist teachers as they moved from room to room. Several volunteers also took care of the loading dock, an area where teachers could drop off their bags of supplies and drive their cars around to have the materials loaded.
Once school starts, the Depot will be open one day each month. Click
here to see the depot opening dates for the 2008-2009 school year.
First Coast Students 'First' to Study Portuguese
This year, students at First Coast High School will be the first in the district to have the opportunity to study Portuguese as part of the district’s new language program.
First Coast High School Principal Debbie Smith and district representatives met with members of the Jacksonville Port Authority to learn about the major role Brazil plays in Florida’s economy and the impact it has on the First Coast.
During the meeting, Joshua Rodriggs, manager for trade development and marketing for the Jacksonville Port Authority, pointed out the direct connection Jacksonville has to Curitiba, Brazil, via economics, trade and education business interests.
Brazil is the number one trading partner in Florida and number two in Jacksonville, behind Puerto Rico.
A knowledge of Portuguese will give students increased employment opportunities throughout the state, and will connect them to Brazil, both economically and educationally.
"The extraordinary role Brazil is playing in the Jacksonville economy warrants the inclusion of a Portuguese language program, and we are excited to start one at First Coast High School," said Dr. Joanne Davis, supervisor of world languages for Duval County Public Schools. "It is important to implement language programs that benefit students who seek employment immediately after high school and those entering the workforce after pursuing a higher education."
Students at First Coast High School will have two options to study Portuguese: they can sign up for a year-long language class taught by Sueli Wilkerson, a teacher from Brazil, or they can take an intensive 12-week language program that will be administered by a business professional or parent.
The students enrolled in the language program will be matched with students from a sister school in Positivo, Brazil. Each classroom will create a small business corporation, electing leaders, developing a product and selling stocks to raise funds to purchase the goods or raw-materials to make the products. Students from Brazil will export their products and sell them to the students in Florida, and visa-versa.
The program will be administered by Junior Achievement of Florida’s First Coast and the Junior Achievement program coordinator for the Curitiba, Brazil local area.
DCPS’ Employees attend the 2008 Employee Summer Health Fair
Last month, hundreds of Duval County Public Schools’ 12-month employees ventured to the Schultz Center for Teaching and Leadership for the Annual Health and Wellness Fair.
Through the event, employees gained a better understanding of their health status and received important information, including ways to reduce health risks by adopting healthy eating and exercise habits.
Employees also received free transportation to and from the event, courtesy of First Student/Laidlaw and Durham.
Several employees expressed their appreciation for the free health information and stated they look forward to the next one.
Here’s what employees had to say:
...I was very impressed. This was a very thorough screening. The vendor fair was really cool AND the follow-up with prizes were awesome too (even though I didn't win anything)!
...Better than last year because there were vendors that gave health insights. Hope to have a little more time next year to give allowance for the bus transportation in case there is a delay.
...The drawing is a great idea! The massage therapy - well - I LOVE IT! The more we have those folks come out the better. This is a way the district says, "We care about the well being of our employees!"
DCPS Employee Wellness will also host regional health fairs throughout the 2008-2009 school year, in an effort to give all DCPS’ employees an opportunity to participate.
Click
here to read the August 2008 Wellness Newsletter.
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