School Zone
Chalk Board
86th Annual Fire Prevention Week
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department will host the 86th Annual Fire Prevention Week Kick-off, Thursday, October 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Metropolitan Park, 1410 Gator Bowl Blvd. The theme for this year’s event is “Prevent Home Fires.”
Come out and enjoy appearances by Smokey the Bear and Sparky the Fire Dog. Fire truck demonstrations will also be available. For more information, contact Cynthia Downer at 904.630.0445.
Global GreenUp, LLC has released the detailed planning of the first-of-its-kind green-living and sustainability showcase being held October 18 and 19 at the Morocco Shrine Auditorium, 3800 St. Johns Bluff Road.
Jacksonville Green Expo is scheduled to kick-off its inaugural two-day event by hosting a colorful reception breakfast at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 18 with a celebration honoring local companies, sponsors, exhibitors and attendees for their partnership and contribution to the growing environmental and sustainability awareness in Jacksonville.
Global Greenup is looking for adult and student volunteers to help with the events. All volunteers will receive a free t-shirt (while they last) and a community service hour certificate. Click here for more event information and advanced volunteer registration.
Jacksonville’s First Go Green Expo Set to kick off with a Two-Day Event
Global GreenUp, LLC has released the detailed planning of the first-of-its-kind green-living and sustainability showcase being held October 18 and 19 at the Morocco Shrine Auditorium, 3800 St. Johns Bluff Road.
Jacksonville Green Expo is scheduled to kick-off its inaugural two-day event by hosting a colorful reception breakfast at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 18 with a celebration honoring local companies, sponsors, exhibitors and attendees for their partnership and contribution to the growing environmental and sustainability awareness in Jacksonville.
Global Greenup is looking for adult and student volunteers to help with the events. All volunteers will receive a free t-shirt (while they last) and a community service hour certificate. Click
here for more event information and advanced volunteer registration.
2008-2009 Benefits Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment is finally here! Employees will again have the opportunity to enroll or make changes to their benefits online. One-to-One consultations with a Flexible Benefits Enrollment Counselor will also be available during Open Enrollment. To find out when enrollment counselors will be at your work locations, go to
www.myenrollmentschedule.com.
This year “After Hours” appointments (formerly known as Beat the Rush) will be offered at the Central Administration Building. If you would like to schedule an appointment, contact Risk Management at 904.390.2353.
More information, including informational seminar dates, can be found on the Web site.
Click
here to see answers to frequently asked questions regarding benefits and open enrollment.
Awards for Student Volunteers
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, sponsored by Prudential Financial and administered by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, recognize middle and high school students for volunteer community service. Eligible applicants include any young person in the United States who is in grades 5-12 and has engaged in a volunteer activity that occurred at least partly during the 12 months prior to the date of application. Local honorees are selected in November, and from these winners, two state honorees are chosen in each state and the District of Columbia. Out of the state honorees, 10 national honorees are selected and announced at a ceremony in Washington, DC, in May of 2009. State Honorees receive an award of $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC, for national recognition events. National Honorees receive an additional award of $5,000. The application deadline is October 31, 2008. Visit the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards website at
http://www.prudential.com/spirit/ for program details.
Duval Art Teachers Raise Funds for Art Scholarships
The Duval Art Teachers Association (DATA) will once again hold its annual “Fabulous Florida Flamingo Fete.” The Fete typically is a venue to raise dollars for the Leslie Beddard Scholarship Fund through a silent and live auction of hand-painted furnishings and donated work by local artists. This year’s Fete will boast of an additional method of raising money through raffle tickets for “Painterly Palettes.” Click
here to see the palettes, which have been artistically enhanced by a local artist/art educator. Raffle tickets are $1 each or 25 tickets for $20. The association will be selling tickets at local venues such as the Wednesday Art Walk, or you may purchase tickets through the art teacher at your school, or by calling Jack Matthews at 390.2677.
The Flamingo Fete will take place on Saturday, December 6, 2008 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Genesis Café, located at 8725 S. Old Kings Road near Baymeadows Road.
Important Information regarding MAP
On Friday, September 26, 2008, MAP
performance pay bonuses for the 07-08 school year will
be paid to over 2500 teachers and school based
administrators by direct deposit. A few people may get
paper checks if they are in the process of changing
banks. The bonus is $2,318 (minus taxes) for all who
qualify.
The bonuses will be paid to:
Teachers – The top 25% of approximately
165 silos/groups based upon:
(a) Teacher evaluation with a minimum
rating of satisfactory Competencies B through I and a
high performing rating in Competency A; and
(b) Student learning gains.
Principals – The top 25% of elementary,
middle, and high school silos/groups based upon:
(a) Overall evaluation of distinguished
or proficient;
(b) Student learning gains (true gains).
True gain is defined as a student improving his/her
achievement level or showing more than a year’s growth
on the FLDOE Developmental Scale.
Note: MAP replaced the Appraisal/Plus bonuses
this year.
Ps/VPs- The top 25% of elementary,
middle, and high school silos/groups based upon:
(a) Overall evaluation of distinguished
or proficient;
(b) Student learning gains (true gains).
True gain is defined as a student improving his/her
achievement level or showing more than a year’s growth
on the FLDOE Developmental Scale.
Note: MAP replaced the Appraisal/Plus bonuses
this year.
Attached is a MAP Appeal Form with specific
directions for staff members who feel they did not
receive the MAP bonus due to a mistake. This appeal form
must be completed and e-mailed as specified on the form
by September 23rd at 11:59 p.m. Appeal forms
can also be found on the District website.
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