Welcome!

Welcome to all the new teachers and staff members joining “Team Broward” – and welcome back to returning members of “Team Broward.” Best wishes for a stimulating and productive 2008/09 school year.

Classes Underway After Two-Day Delay
Summer vacation, extended by Tropical Storm Fay, was finally brought to an end on Wednesday, August 20 as 231,208 students reported for the first day of school. The 2008/09 first-day enrollment count reflected a slight decreased of 2,704 (1.16%), compared to last year's 233,912 first-day enrollment mark. The student enrollment count includes all students reporting to all schools, including charters and centers. Broward Virtual Middle and High School and schools operating on a year-round schedule, will be included in the District's tenth-day enrollment count. The final student enrollment count is expected to be approximately 258,000.

New Principals Eager to Begin School Year
When school finally opened this week, not only were there new students, but also new faces in some principal’s offices. In all, 26 schools opened the 2008/09 year under the leadership of new principals. Some arrived as first year educational leaders and others were reassigned from other schools or positions in the District, but all have one thing in common – a commitment to their new schools and an excitement about the year ahead.

Elementary schools with new principals are:
Castle Hill Elementary, Frances Fuce-Ollivierre (Interim Principal)
Charles Drew Elementary, Angeline Flowers (Interim Principal)
Cypress Elementary, Paulette Samai
Eagle Point Elementary, Linda Chuckman
Fairway Elementary, Josetta Campbell (Interim Principal)
Forest Hills Elementary, Elise Portman
Fox Trail Elementary, Lynn Burgess (Interim Principal)
Larkdale Elementary, Valoria Latson
Martin Luther Elementary King, Marvis Ward (Interim Principal)
Peters Elementary, Kathleen Sedlack
Pompano Beach Elementary, Michelle Garcia (Interim Principal)
Riverside Elementary, Julianne Smith
Sunland Park Elementary, Mattie Benson
Westwood Heights Elementary, Gwen Burney

Middle schools with new principals are:
Coral Springs Middle, Ian Murray (Interim Principal)
New Renaissance Middle, Janet Morales (Interim Principal)
Plantation Middle, Patricia Hague
Ramblewood Middle, Christine Recchi (Interim Principal)
Sunrise Middle School, Oslay Gil (Interim Principal)

High schools with new principals are:
Blanche Ely High School, Karlton Johnson (Interim Principal)
Coconut Creek High School, David Jones
Coral Springs High School, Susan Leon-Leigh (Interim Principal)
Fort Lauderdale High School, Marielena Wright (Interim Principal)
West Broward High School, Dan Traeger

New principals also at:
Broward Virtual School, Christopher McGuire (Interim Principal)
Community School North, Wade Edmond

Student Make-up Work Impacted by Change in Attendance Policy
Beginning this school year, students with unexcused absences will be unable to make-up schoolwork for credit or grade. According to the recently amended attendance policy, make-up work for credit and grade will only be allowed for students who miss school for one of eight allowable reasons. Absences will only be considered excusable for: illness of the student; illness of an immediate family member; death in the family; religious holiday of the student’s own faith; required court appearance or subpoena by a law enforcement agency; special event (e.g. conferences, state/national competitions, exceptional cases of family need); scheduled medical or dental appointments; and the student having or suspected of having a communicable disease or infestation. If a student misses school or is going to miss school, parents will need to let the school know which of the eight reasons caused or will cause the absence. Otherwise, the absence will be counted as unexcused and make-up work will not be counted for credit or toward the student’s grade. Questions about the District’s attendance policy should be directed to the School Social Work and Attendance Department, 754-321-2490 or for additional information, visit the department’s Web site at (www.broward.k12.fl.us/studentsupport/sswad).

Workshops Offered For Parents of Students with Disabilities
The Exceptional Student Education, Parent Services Department, will present a series of workshops for parents of students with disabilities beginning in September. Although targeted for parents of students with disabilities, the workshops are open to all interested parents. Two series of Active Parenting workshops, one for parents of children ages five to 12 and a second for parents of teens, ages 12 – 18, will consist of six, two-hour sessions. Both series will help parents learn non-violent discipline techniques that work; improve communication; teach responsibility; handle problems; cope with difficult topics such as drugs, violence and sex; defuse power struggles; stimulate independence; and encourage students to do their very best. All Active Parenting workshops are offered free of charge. To register for Active Parenting, Active Parent of Teens or any of the Weekends with the Experts workshops, or for more information, contact Kimberly DiLuzio, 754-321-2211.

PTA Presents Series of Family Involvement Workshops
The Broward County Council PTA will present the first in a series of Family Involvement Workshops – “You are an Essential Piece” – on Saturday, September 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Piper High School. A continental breakfast, box lunch and childcare will be provided with advanced registration. Keynote Speaker James Amps, is a forerunner in his field, acting as a catalyst for building skills, spirit and community at work and in life. His personal accountability message helps individuals to replace blame and finger pointing with accountably thinking and action. Parents, principals, teachers and staff are invited to attend. For additional information and advanced registration, contact Shirley Lewis at (SLKimbo46@aol.com) or call 954-303-2123 or 954-485-3497.

New Breakfast and Lunch Prices for 2008/09 School Year
The District is increasing meal prices for the 2008/09 school year because of escalating food and fuel prices. Effective on the first day of school, breakfast prices increased by 10 cents and lunch prices increased by 15 cents. Reduced price meals are not affected. Following is a list of the 2008/09 breakfast and lunch prices:

Free and Reduced Price Meals
Students will take home a Free and Reduced Price Meal application the first week of school. The United States Department of Agriculture provides free and reduced price meals to students whose families meet income requirements. This helps to assure that all students have access to nutritious food during the school day. Students need proper nutrition to grow, be healthy and learn. Last year, over 110,000 Broward County students took advantage of this great program. Only one application per household is necessary. Information provided is confidential. Non-citizens and non-residents may also apply for benefits. For additional information or an application, contact your child’s school, the Meal Benefits Department, 754-321-0250 or visit Food and Nutrition Services online at
(www.broward.k12.fl.us/foodservice/).

Financial Assistance Available for Parents to Attend Workshops
Pending the availability of grant funds, financial assistance may be available for families of students with disabilities who wish to attend local, regional, state or national conferences or workshops that promote collaborative educational partnerships. The workshops or conferences must be held between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009 and assistance is limited to $1,000 per family within a single school year. Special consideration will be given to parents who have not previously accessed funds, to those who are school volunteers and to those who are actively involved in one or more of the following: ESE Advisory Council, School Advisory Council, School Improvement Team, PTA/PTO, and local or state parent support groups. Childcare expenses for families attending workshops or conferences may be reimbursed at a flat rate of $50 per day, or $8 per hour for a maximum of six hours. An original receipt must accompany the reimbursement request. For additional information and an application, contact Kimberly DiLuzio, 754-321-2211 or (kimberly.diluzio@browardschools.com). Additional ESE Parent Education Workshop information and registration are available online at
(www.broward.k12.fl.us/studentsupport/ese/html/workshop.htm).

Stoneman Douglas High Students Put Summer to Good Use
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students Ben Gajus and Bill Strode put their summer to worthwhile use by making life better for young patients at the Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Fort Lauderdale. The football teammates spent several weeks collecting gently used and new items for the children at the Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center. The medical facility provides care for uninsured and under-insured children with chronic illnesses. Each week, the duo distributed fliers to solicit used clothes, shoes, toys, games, books, sporting equipment, and baby items. They collected more than 6,000 toys and clothes items. The two are hopeful that the school’s football team will join them in making this an annual project.

South Plantation High Students Capture Solar Car Challenge Prize
The South Plantation High School - Solar Knights - captured third place at the Texas Dell-Winston School Solar Car Challenge this summer at the Texas Motor Speedway in Dallas. The annual challenge brings together high schools from throughout the country, all competing to create the most efficient solar car. South Plantation was the only high school from Florida to compete. Solar Knight II, South Plantation’s three-wheeler solar car, finished third among the 13 teams in their category. The team also won a trophy for the most laps in one of the daily distance challenges. The team of 13 students built the car in their Solar and Alternative Energies class, under the direction of Allan Phipps, team adviser and teacher. It took them six months of research and design to create the one-passenger car, which runs on six solar panels. In January the Solar Knights will begin working on building a faster, lighter new car for next year's challenge: a road race between Texas and Colorado.

High School Seniors Receive College-Sponsored National Merit Scholarship Awards
Ten Broward County high school seniors were among 182 Florida winners of College-Sponsored Merit Scholarships. National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced more than 1,900 additional nationwide winners of college and university-financed awards. Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among finalists in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution. College-sponsored winners of the National Merit University Florida Scholarship were:

Jasmine R. Moorer, College Academy at BCC
Thilan K. Wijeratne, Cooper City High School
Vincent N. Parra, Coral Springs High School
David A. Wolfe, Cypress Bay High School
Jordan M. Draper, Deerfield Beach High School
Andrew M. Shaw, Nova High School
Jordan J. Peters, Pompano Beach High School
Pedro A. Varona, South Plantation High School
Erin N. Heim, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Saahil Panikar, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Groundbreaking Event Launches New Elementary School in Parkland
Ground was recently broken for the District’s first energy efficient school – Elementary School “Z” at 11010 Nob Hill Road in Parkland. The new school, which will sit on a 12-acre site, will have space for 960 students in grades kindergarten through fifth. Barring any major delays, Skanska USA Building, Inc., general contractors for the project, will complete construction on the 126,376-square-foot campus facility in time for the 2009/2010 school year. The new school will be the first in the District to have a photovoltaic roof system that collects solar energy as a source of electricity. Special energy efficient transformers have also been included in the school’s design. The latest state-of-the-art information technology standards by the District have been incorporated into the classroom design to provide an ideal high-tech learning environment. The same building design will also be used to construct a new school in Sunrise – Elementary School “A” – with a groundbreaking event scheduled for September 24.

Sheridan Technical Center Launches State’s First Gaming Repair Program
Sheridan Technical Center has launched the first Gaming Repair Technician training program in the state of Florida. Classes are underway for the program’s first 25 students who will prepare for entry-level slot technician positions servicing electronic equipment in the casino/racino industry. Broward County voters passed gaming in 2004,allowing the local dog and horse racetrack owners to offer slot machine gaming. Sheridan is the first educational facility in Florida to receive a gaming license and to offer training in this emerging South Florida industry. The nine-week program is designed to provide education and training in the installation, repair and maintenance of casino gaming machines. Students of the Gaming Repair Technician training program will prepare for careers and employment in casinos, racinos, hotels on cruise ships or at a tropical resort. For additional information on gaming repair or any of the more than 30 career training programs offered at Sheridan Technical Center, contact Kim Curry, 754-321-5521 or visit online at (www.sheridantechnical.com).

Deputy Superintendent Honored for Outstanding Community Achievement
Dr. Earlene Smiley, Deputy Superintendent of Educational Programs/Student Support, was recently honored for Outstanding Community Achievement 2008 at a Community Empowerment breakfast event celebrated at the Boca Raton Marriot Hotel at Town Center Circle. Dr. Smiley, who has served in public education for over 30 years, was recognized for her contributions to the community and to humanity.

Stoneman Douglas Teacher Attends Seminar on the Age of Exploration
This summer, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Advanced Placement World History teacher Diane Wolk-Rogers traveled to the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University to attend a weeklong competitive application seminar entitled "The Age of Exploration,” led by Ted Widmer, Director and Librarian of the John Carter Brown Library. The seminar, sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, examined the origins, character, and legacies of European empires in the Americas. The Gilder Lehrman Institute’s summer seminars are designed to strengthen educators' commitment to high quality history teaching. Public, parochial and independent teachers are eligible to apply. The seminars provide intellectual stimulation and a collaborative context for developing practical resources and strategies to take back to the classroom.

The 411 Newsletter No Longer Printed – Available Online
For environmental and budgetary reasons, The 411 will no longer be printed. The quarterly newsletter will now be published only online at (www.browardschools.com). Just go to the “Employees” link and click on “The 411” banner to read current and back issues. Employees will receive CAB E-mail alerts each time a new issue is posted online. You will also now be able to read News & Views online. You’ll find it next to The 411. News & Views, which is published every other week, will continue to maintain its CAB posting. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these publications, contact Communications & Media Relations, 754-321-2300 or (news@browardschools.com).

Submissions for News & Views
Send articles and suggestions for News & Views to (news@browardschools.com) or contact the Communications & Media Relations Department, 754-321-2300.