Around the District

Elaine Heyler

Coral Springs Middle ESE Teacher Honored
Coral Springs Middle School ESE teacher Elaine Heyler was recently presented with the Broward County Office of Equal Opportunity/Disability Affairs Section’s Teacher of the Year award. She accepted the award in mid-December at a ceremony held at the Broward County Convention Center.

A Special Education teacher for 32 years and a District employee for the last two and a half, she credits her honor to helping 69% of last year’s students – including those with severe learning disabilities and emotional handicaps – make tremendous gains on the FCAT. She also credits Coral Springs Middle School principal Vicky Kaufman for the support she has provided.

Job Shadowing, Virtual Classroom

Students at Davie Elementary School who participated in “Job Shadowing, Virtual Classroom”

Language Learning Disability (LLD) cluster students at Davie Elementary School recently participated in “Job Shadowing, Virtual Classroom.” This exciting program – coordinated with the Home Depot store in Davie – enabled 12 students to learn how school relates to the real world using communication, reading, math, writing, listening, social skills and technology.

Each student was paired with a Home Depot employee for six weeks to “job shadow” and learn the skills necessary to do a particular job. Prior to going to Home Depot, students had four weeks of training, including filling out a job application, learning how to use a digital camera, understanding how to dress appropriately, role-playing situations, learning money skills and journal writing. This mentoring process linked learning to earning. It also highlighted the need for safety and safe work procedures, helped students understand the skills needed for a particular job and demonstrated effective work methods.

Throughout the program – funded through grants from A Business in Education and Citibank – students were responsible for keeping an ongoing journal of their experiences by taking pictures with a digital camera and writing about what they had learned. The program concluded with an invitation to parents to observe the students at work, view their portfolios and celebrate the childrens’ graduation from the “Job Shadowing, Virtual Classroom” program. To learn more about this effort, please contact Helaine Korba at 754-323-5400.

Student Art Featured on Buses, in Main Library
Most Broward County Transit (BCT) bus riders don’t encounter artwork on their commute, but that will soon change. Five students from Dillard Center for the Arts Magnet School will have their art displayed on 500 BCT buses throughout the county as winners of the “Teen Read Week” initiative. Coordinated by the American Library Association, Team Read Week is a national event that focuses on the importance of recreational reading. The winning students’ artwork will be reproduced onto bookmarks and posters that will be distributed at the Broward County Main Library and displayed on the buses. With the theme of “moving on,” the students will soon have thousands of patrons viewing their artwork as they move forward with their own lives.

Linda Reihs with a student in a Japanese classroom

Media Specialist a Japan Fulbright Memorial Scholar
After achieving her goal of becoming a Nationally Board Certified Teacher, Coral Springs Middle School Media Specialist Linda Reihs began working on her next feat: that of becoming a Japan Fulbright Memorial Scholar. The 27-year District employee didn’t have to wait long. With the support of Principal Victoria Kaufman, she completed and submitted the lengthy application. Out of more than 2,500 applicants, Linda along with 199 other educators were given the chance to spend several weeks in Japan. While there, she toured the country, experienced the culture and visited schools of every level where she collaborated with administrators and teachers and interacted with students. She attended various lectures, visited an active volcano and even spent a weekend with a Japanese host family.

The Japanese Fulbright Memorial Foundation Program is intended to provide teachers with a professional development opportunity to raise awareness of and interest in Japan and to directly or indirectly apply this cross-cultural experience in the teachers’ home schools and communities. Back home again, Linda is already sharing her experience with her fellow administrators, teachers and staff.

Autism Organization Salutes ESE Specialist
David Riddle, an ESE Specialist at Wingate Oaks Center in Fort Lauderdale, was recently named Broward County Educator of the Year by the Center for Autism Related Disabilities (CARD). A 10-year District employee, David was nominated for the award by parents of students he taught while an autism coach at Silver Lakes Elementary School (where he worked until moving to Wingate Oaks Center this school year). A resident of Coral Springs, David will receive a plaque at CARD’s upcoming awards ceremony and his name will be on a display at the main CARD facility at the University of Miami. He’ll also be a guest of CARD at its next annual conference.

76 Schools Honored for Collaboration with Communities
Seventy-six schools were honored at the annual Five Star School Awards luncheon held at the Signature Grand in Davie. The award is a statewide initiative to recognize the effective utilization of community resources in supporting students and schools. In order to earn the award, schools must prepare a portfolio documenting their community involvement activities. They are required to meet 100 percent of 40 rigorous requirements in the areas of community and business partnerships, family involvement, volunteers, student community service and school advisory councils. For more information on the Five Star School Award, visit the Volunteer Services Web site (www.getinvolvedineducation.com).