School Zone
Points of Pride
DCPS' Students Attend 7th Annual Reading Celebration
On Saturday, May 30, more than 3,000 students gathered at Metropolitan Park to commemorate their reading success at the 7th Annual Reading Celebration.
Throughout the 2008-2009 school year, DCPS' students had a chance to join the Superintendent's Star Reader Club by reading 25 or more books. All members were invited to the annual event to celebrate their reading achievement.
Superintendent Pratt-Dannals opened the celebration by congratulating the students on their accomplishments. He was also the first celebrity reader in the "Share a Story" portion of the event. After reading, Superintendent Pratt-Dannals was joined by Board members Betty Burney, District 5, and Vicki Drake, District 6, in the presentation of medals.
The fun-filled day was packed with activities for the entire family to enjoy. Activities included a parade lead by members of Sandalwood High School's marching band; free books donated by Books Bonanza; and prize giveaways from participating vendors.
Vendors such as the Jacksonville Zoo, Publix Supermarkets and the DCPS' Title One Parent Involvement Center provided participants with exciting hands-on activities.
The reading celebration is organized by WJCT, the Jacksonville Public Libraries, ARAMARK Corporation and Duval County Public Schools.
89 Duval County Public Schools Receive 2008-2009 Volunteer Awards
This year, the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) honored 89 Duval County public schools with awards for their acts of volunteerism.
Eighty-one schools received the Golden School Award, which recognizes public schools with exemplary volunteer programs. The honor is presented to schools that meet the following criteria: provides faculty training/orientation on volunteerism, designates a school volunteer coordinator to provide leadership for the school volunteer program, and fulfills a total number of hours in volunteer service that equals twice the number of students enrolled in the school. Hours donated from all forms of volunteering (i.e., mentors, tutors, advisors and advocates) are included.
The FLDOE also presented eight schools with the Silver School Award. This award is presented annually to secondary schools whose students provide exemplary volunteer services to elementary and other secondary schools. The award is presented to the schools that meet the following criteria: the sending school must have a school volunteer coordinator; the receiving school must have a volunteer coordinator; student volunteers and the receiving faculty must both receive orientation and training; student volunteers must receive continuous supervision; and the composite student volunteer hours must equal at least one half the total number of students in the sending school.
These are two of the five annual awards coordinated by the office of Community and Family Engagement (CFE). The mission of CFE is to assist Duval County public schools in developing strong, innovative, collaborative partnerships within the community, which include parents and families, educators, nonprofits, for-profits, faith-based, civic groups and government agencies, to enhance the quality of instructional services provided to Duval students. To learn more about CFE and the services they provide, click
here to visit their web site.
Click
here for a list of this year’s Golden and Silver school award winners.
DCPS Receives Worksite Wellness Award from Mayor Peyton
On May 20, Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton presented Duval County Public Schools’ (DCPS) Department of Employee Wellness with a Jacksonville's Healthiest 100 Worksite Wellness Bronze Award during the inaugural First Coast Worksite Wellness Conference.
“It is amazing the growth that our wellness program has experienced this past year,” said John Radcliffe, DCPS’ director of technical & logistical services.
“With the direction of the program resting with Tonya Hill and Crystal Wright, the district has made significant progress in bringing personal wellness to the forefront. This will have a positive impact not only on an individual’s personal health, but also help to reduce future health care costs for the district.”
DCPS’ Department of Employee Wellness was one of many wellness worksites throughout Jacksonville to be recognized by the Mayor’s Council on Fitness and Well-Being. Jacksonville’s Healthiest 100 awards are designed to commend and formally recognize companies and organizations of all sizes for their commitment to improving employee health.
To qualify for the bronze award, DCPS had to have a health promotion program with employee health and wellness as the underlying goal.
The conference, a first for Jacksonville, was coordinated and supported by the Mayor's Council on Fitness and Well-Being in partnership with the First Coast Worksite Wellness Council and the University of North Florida. The goal of the conference was to provide employers with tools and resources for establishing and/or enhancing worksite health promotion programs.
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