District Participates in EPA’s National Symposium for Indoor Air Quality
Broward County Public Schools is proud to be a leader in the national Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools arena. For the past four years, Jeffrey Moquin, Executive Director of Support Operations, has presented at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Symposium in Washington, D.C. For his most recent seminar, “Managing an IAQ Crisis Before You Get A Management Program in Place,” Moquin presented to approximately 200 participants from across the country. He shared his experience in addressing immediate IAQ concerns and how the District used that as a springboard to launch a permanent program. Also on hand to answer questions were other key IAQ representatives from the District: Mark Dorsett manager, Physical Plant Operations; Robert Krickovich, coordinator, Facilities & Construction Management; and Marvin Quittner, IAQ subcommittee chair. For more information or assistance with your location’s IAQ efforts, contact Edward See, Project Manager, Risk Management, 754-321-3219.

2008 Women’s History Month Match Game and Contest
In celebration of women’s accomplishments throughout history, March has been designated as Women’s History Month. The Diversity & Cultural Outreach Department sponsors the annual Women’s History Month Match Game to promote and embrace the contributions women have made to society. This year’s Match Game display will be located in the lobby of the Kathleen C. Wright Administration Building during the month of March. The rules, game, and entry form are available on the department’s Web site at (www.broward.k12.fl.us/diversity/Contests08.htm). The answers will be posted in April, along with the name of this year’s winner. Only District employees may enter the contest, play for fun, and/or use the Match Game as a learning tool. Entry forms will be accepted through March 31. For additional information, contact Nancy Weintraub, Community Liaison, Diversity & Cultural Outreach Department, 754-321-2090.

District Holds Public Hearings on Proposed 2009/10 School Boundaries
The public is invited to discuss 2009/10 school year school attendance boundaries and school usage recommendations at the second of two public hearings on Wednesday, March 25 at 5:30 p.m. The hearing will be held at Plantation High School Auditorium, 6901 Northwest 16th Street, Plantation. This is the second of two public hearings to discuss proposed changes to elementary, middle and high school boundaries for the 2009/10 school year. School Board members, District administrators and staffs, parents, students, community members and municipalities will participate in reviewing proposed boundary scenarios currently being considered. School Board members will approve the adoption of the 2009/10 school boundaries with two consecutive votes before attendance areas are adopted for the upcoming school year. This is the final opportunity for public input on boundary scenarios currently being considered. The proposed boundary scenarios may be viewed on the School Boundaries Web site at: (www.browardschools.com/schoolboundaries) or contact the School Boundaries Department, 754-321-2480.

ERP Project Recognized as Best in Class for 2009
The ERP Department was recently announced as a 2009 Elluminate Center of Excellence for using curriculum distance learning tools such as Elluminate Live in the implementation of the District-wide ERP Project. The Elluminate Center of Excellence program exists to highlight best practices and to recognize institutions that are at the leading edge of adopting Elluminate for teaching, learning and other business processes.

Office of Prevention Programs Receives Bullying Prevention Program Award
The District’s Office of Prevention Programs recently received the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP) award. The OBPP is a comprehensive, school-wide program designed to reduce and prevent bullying issues among school children and to improve peer relations at school. The award, presented to Prevention Specialist Aimee Wood, qualified her to join 30 staff from other Florida school districts in becoming certified Olweus trainers, as part of the Florida Bullying Prevention Initiative. The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program’s Training of Trainers took place last month in Orlando. Following preparation to become a trainer, Wood will provide services to the two schools – Attucks Middle School and Horizon Elementary School - that applied for and received the Olweus school-wide training award. As part of the overall initiative, Wood will work very closely with these schools for three years – enough time to effectively imbed a culture of respect and safety amongst the staff and students.

Signed Employee Confidentiality Agreements are Due Now
All District employees have privacy rights, and all District employees must respect the privacy rights of others. This includes protecting health information, as described in School Board Policy 4019. To ensure awareness and compliance, all principals and administrators have been asked to direct all staff members to view a 10-minute video on the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) and then sign an Employee Confidentiality Agreement (http://www.browardschools.com/pdf/eca09.pdf) The video, with an introduction by Superintendent James F. Notter, is accessible on the District’s streaming video server. Type (http://ets-tcs-admin) in your browser and in the search box, type “privacy” and the video will appear.

After viewing, all employees must sign the Employee Confidentiality Agreement and forward the original to Todd Sussman, Privacy Officer, Risk Management Department. The signed agreements will be tracked in BRITE and maintained in Risk Management. If you have not send in your signed agreements, please do so as soon as possible. For more information, contact Todd Sussman, 754-321-3220.

Falcon Cove Duo Win C-SPAN’s StudentCam Contest
Falcon Cove Middle School eighth grade students Robert Levinson and Adam Zionts recently placed second in the national C-SPAN StudentCam contest. C-SPAN’s 2009 StudentCam winners were announced this week on-air during C-SPAN’s morning call-in program. The students’ winning entry was a video interview with U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Shultz, titled "Healthcare Viewpoints A Message to President-Elect Barack Obama.” In addition to receiving a $1,500 cash prize, Robert and Adam’s winning video will air on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal, Wednesday, April 22 at 6:50 a.m. The video can also be viewed on C-SPAN’s StudentCam Web site at (http://www.studentcam.org/)

South Plantation High School Magnet Students Tour Environmental Firm
In celebration of National Engineering Week, 12 students in the Environmental Science and Everglades Restoration magnet program at South Plantation High School participated in CDM’s Engineering Day for Girls. CDM is an environmental engineering firm in Fort Lauderdale that specializes in water projects. “I never realized how complicated it was to get clean water,” said student participant Vivian Gil. “I even learned how to make my senior project more professional because of the blueprints we studied from one of CDM’s projects.” The first half of the day was devoted to the technical aspects of engineering presented by female employees of CDM. In the afternoon, the girls visited the Pompano Beach Water Reuse facility to see how water was cleaned for reuse on the nearby golf course and other landscaping areas. “CDM has made a commitment to reach out to young women to educate them on the engineering opportunities available to them,” said Allyson Nunes, the coordinator for the special day.

2009 Student Volunteer Fair
The 2009 Student Volunteer Fair, presented by Volunteer Broward and Broward County Public Schools, will provide an array of exciting volunteer opportunities for students to gain service-learning hours. The first of two fairs will take place on Wednesday, April 29 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at McArthur High School cafeteria, 6501 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. A second fair will take place on Wednesday, May 6 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at J.P. Tarevella High School cafeteria, 10600 Riverside Dr., Coral Springs.

Deerfield Beach High School New Stadium in the Making
Ground has been broken for a new Deerfield Beach High School Bucks stadium. The $4.2 million, 4,000-seat stadium and athletic facility project is a joint venture between the City of Deerfield Beach and Broward County Public Schools. The project is being managed through a partnership with the City of Deerfield Beach, where the City will serve as contract manager for the new construction and renovations. The first phase of the project – demolition of the current stadium facility – is already underway. The new facility will include expansion of polyurethane track to eight lanes for field events, new bleachers, new drainage system, and renovation of press box, bathrooms and concessions. The stadium is scheduled to be ready for the Bucks opening home game of the football season.

Groundbreaking for New Elementary School in Hollywood
Ground was recently broken for the District’s newest building project – Elementary School “C” in Hollywood. The school is located at 2230 Lincoln Street, adjacent to Lincoln Park. The new school represents a $25 million investment in the community by the District and will become Hollywood’s first new elementary school in more than 40 years. The 111,795 square-foot, two-story school facility will serve over 800 students in kindergarten to fifth grade. In a joint venture between the School Board and the city of Hollywood, the project will also include extensive re-landscaping and other improvements to Lincoln Park. The new school is scheduled to open in 2010.

Coral Glades High School Hosts Parent Workshop
Coral Glades High School is hosting a parent workshop, “Springs into Respect” on Saturday, March 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The workshop aims to bring together leaders who are experts within the community to help educate parents in understanding the social and educational issues facing students today. In addition, parents will learn about a variety of programs available in the Coral Springs community to help with their school-aged children. Breakout session topics include: “How To Talk So Your Kids Will Listen”, “Parenting 101,” “Healthy Eating Choices For Kids”, “Preparing Kids for Life” and more. Middle and high school students are invited to attend the breakout sessions with their parents. Childcare is available for students, ages 5-11, who attend a Coral Glades Innovation Zone School. Activities for kids include Hip-Hop for Kids, Tae Kwon Do, Fit Wise and more. The Coral Glades Innovation Zone includes five schools: Parkside Elementary, Coral Springs Elementary, Westchester Elementary, Sawgrass Springs Middle and Coral Glades High. Coral Glades High is located at 2700 Sportsplex Drive, Coral Springs.

Office of Prevention Programs Specialists Honored
Two District Office of Prevention Programs specialists have been honored by Connect to Protect, an organization dedicated to protecting the heath of today’s young people. Suzanne Edgar, a District Prevention Specialist, received an award in recognition of her efforts towards community mobilization, “Bringing the community, youth and partners together to create healthier environments for our youth and our future.” Tresha Fletcher, a Positive School Culture Specialist, received a Certificate of Appreciation recognizing her “for all the consistent support” she has “provided to create healthier environments for youth by continuing her commitment to reducing HIV/AIDS in Broward County.” The Office of Prevention Programs partnership began with Connect to Protect in an effort to dually promote missions of preventing destructive decisions by today’s youth and promoting the health and wellness of all Broward County students and families. For more information about Office of Prevention Programs, visit (www.browardprevention.org). For more information on Connect to Protect, go to (www.adolescentaids.org/c2p.html).

In Case of Emergency (ICE) Program
In the event of an emergency situation or an accident where an individual becomes unable to communicate, local emergency service agencies will be checking cell phones to notify family members or designated emergency contacts. For emergency services to notify emergency contact persons, they will type in the letters “ICE” in the individual’s cell phone. To assist the emergency service responders with this ICE Program:

• Add a new contact to your phone book and name the contact ICE.
• List the name of the emergency contact person and phone number for notification in case of emergency.
• You can list more than one emergency contact person by adding additional contacts, ICE, ICE1, ICE 2, etc.

If you have questions, or require additional information, contact Jerry Graziose, Director, Safety Department, 754-321-4200.

Broward Schools is Twittering
Broward Schools has initiated a Twitter account to keep students, parents and the public updated with the latest news and information.The District’s free Twitter account provides a variety of information, including the latest press releases, notifications, changes in School Board schedules, emergency updates and more. Twitter users who choose to follow the District through the account called "browardschools" will get these updates or “tweets” on their Twitter home page. Users can also receive tweets through a variety of methods, including text messaging, RSS aggregators and third-party applications. This provides the District an additional method to deliver information expediently and directly to students, parents and the community. For more information or to sign up for Broward County Public Schools on Twitter, visit (www.twitter.com/browardschools) or the District’s Web site (www.browardschools.com) and click on the Twitter link on the home page.

The 411 Newsletter and News & Views Available Online
For environmental and budgetary reasons, The 411 is no longer printed. The quarterly newsletter is now published only online at (www.browardschools.com). Just click on “Employees” and click on “The 411” banner to read current and back issues. News & Views is also available online. Just click on the News & Views banner next to The 411 banner. Both newsletters are in CAB’s District Announcements. If you have any questions or suggestions concerning 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.