2009 ACCLAIM AWARD Nominations Sought
Principals and Assistant Principals set the tone and direction for their schools – and in Broward County, school leaders set the standard for others across the country to follow. To honor them for their excellence and outstanding commitment to education, the School Board created the ACCLAIM Award. The award seeks to recognize school leaders who excel in the following areas: Achievement, Communication, Compassion, Leadership, Accountability, Innovation and Motivation. Nomination statements of 50 words or less will be accepted from school staff, students, parents or community members. To submit nomination online, go to (www.getinvolvedineducation.com/acclaim_nomination.htm).
Individuals should nominate Principals and Assistant Principals who exhibit outstanding talent for educational leadership in a complex and diverse environment. Nominations will close on Friday, February 20, 2009.

The Broward Principal of the Year 2009 and Broward Assistant Principal of the Year 2009 will be announced at a gala celebration to be held on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Signature Grand in Davie. If you have questions, contact Janet Del Pinal, Coordinator, Parents, Business and Community Partnerships at 754-321-1970 or (janet.delpinal@browardschools.com).

Public Hearings on Proposed 2009/10 School Boundaries Scheduled
The District will hold two public hearings to discuss possible 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.

Public Hearings will take place at Plantation High School Auditorium
6901 Northwest 16th Street, Plantation

Public Hearing I, Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 5:30 p.m.
Public Hearing II, Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 5:30 p.m.

Families May Apply for Free/Reduced Priced Meals Throughout School Year
Parents who did not qualify earlier in the year and have experienced a change in financial status may apply again for free and reduced price meals – breakfast and lunch. Applications are available at all schools throughout the District or by calling 754-321-0250. Application forms and information are also available on the District’s Food & Nutrition Services Web site at (www.broward.k12.fl.us/foodservice/). To apply for free and reduced price meals, households must complete the application and return it to school. The information provided on the application is confidential and is used for the purpose of determining eligibility. Applications may be verified at any time during the school year. Eligibility for free and reduced price meals is determined based on household size and income criteria. Children from families whose income is at or below specified levels may be eligible for free and reduced price meals.

Workshops Offered for Parents of Students With Disabilities
The District’s Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Department and Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System are presenting a second series of workshops 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 preschool to 12 years old and a second for parents of teens, ages 12 – 18 years old, consists of two-hour sessions. All Active Parenting workshops are being offered free of charge. For a complete list and additional information on these and Weekend With the Experts workshops, go to ESE Web site (www.browardschools.com/ese). Click on “Student & Parent Info” and select “Parent Workshops.” To register for a workshop, contact Kimberly DiLuzio, 754-321-2211 or (Kimberly.diluzio@browardschools.com).

High School Students Witness Open-Heart Surgery
Hundreds of high school students recently had the chance to watch an open-heart surgery at Memorial Regional Hospital. Health and science students from several Broward high schools filled an auditorium at the hospital while students from several other schools watched via videoconference. Chief adult cardiac surgeon Dr. Gary Allen fielded questions from students as he worked while Dr. Michael Cortelli, another cardiac surgeon, answered questions from students in the auditorium about recovery, stitches and anesthesia. For more than two hours, the more than 200 students watched the procedure. This was the first time the hospital teamed up with the District for a project like this. Industry experts predict a severe shortage of cardiac surgeons in the future. Organizers hope to motivate and encourage students to be surgeons.

Superintendent's Advanced Placement Art Exhibition
Broward County Public Schools and the Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University present the 2009 Superintendent’s Advanced Placement Studio Art Exhibition, February 11 – March 1, 2009, at the Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University. The Studio Art Exhibition will showcase original artwork of talented high school students participating in advanced placement art classes. A judge and panel of jurors judged 57 submissions to select the 45 Advanced Placement Studio Art students representing 19 high schools that were accepted for the 2009 Superintendent’s Advanced Placement Studio Art Exhibition. Students winning Honorable Mention will be awarded half scholarships to the Museum’s Studio Arts Program. The District will also award four graduating seniors Arts for the Future Scholarships in the amount of $1,000 for their continuing education.

2009 Superintendent’s Advanced Placement Studio Art Exhibition winners are:
Roque Silva, Piper High, Best of Show
Sarah Luggery, Piper High, First Place
Brooke Shaw, Coral Springs High, Second Place
Charlecia Paul, Dillard Center for the Arts, Third Place
Juan Morales, Cypress Bay High, Honorable Mention
Amoreena Marciano, Dillard Center for the Arts, Honorable Mention
David Bustamante, Hollywood Hills High, Honorable Mention
Sarah Varipapa, Northeast High, Honorable Mention

2009 Broward County JROTC Drill Team Championships
More than 1,200 Junior ROTC cadets from 27 District high schools recently participated in the 2009 Broward County JROTC Drill Team Championships hosted at J.P. Taravella High School. The event consisted of more than 400 individual competitive performances in 17 categories. The awards ceremony, which took place at the conclusion of the competition, honored 15 high schools winning individual and/or team event trophies. Winning schools included Cypress Bay, Deerfield Beach, Everglades, Flanagan, Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale, Monarch, Northeast, Piper, South Broward, South Plantation, Stoneman Douglas, Stranahan, West Broward and Western high schools. The 27 JROTC programs in Broward County also were competing for the overall ranking and success at the meet based on the participation and placement of their individual teams in the 17 competitive categories. The top six schools were:

1st Place: Deerfield Beach's Marine JROTC Program
2nd Place: Everglade's Army JROTC Program
3rd Place: Monarch's Army JROTC Program
4th Place: Stranahan's Marine JROTC Program
5th Place: Piper's Army JROTC Program
6th Place: Flanagan's Navy JROTC Program

U.S. News & World Report Names Five Schools Among 2009 Best
Five Broward County high schools – Atlantic Technical Center, Nova High School, Pompano Beach High School, Stranahan High School and William T. McFatter High School – were named among the Best High Schools 2009 in a recent analysis conducted by U.S. News & World Report. The five Broward schools on the list mark the second-largest single-district total in Florida. U.S. News & World Report – in collaboration with School Evaluation Services, a K-12 education and data research and analysis business that provides parents with education data on schoolmatters.com – analyzed academic and enrollment data from more than 21,000 public high schools in 48 states to identify the best across the country. Schools were placed into gold, silver, bronze, or honorable mention categories. All five Broward schools received silver medals – representing the top 3% of high schools in the country.

Parkway Middle School Winner of Samsung’s Hope for Education Program
Parkway Middle School of the Arts is a winner in Samsung’s fifth annual Hope for Education essay contest. Samsung’s Hope for Education Program awarded the school $61,000 in Samsung technology, Microsoft software and a DirecTV educational programming package. Parkway was one of four schools in Florida and the only one in Broward County to receive a prize. Winners were chosen based on an essay submission. The essay question was “How has technology educated you on helping the environment, and how or why has it changed your behavior to be more environmentally friendly?” Thousands of essays were submitted through students, parents, teachers and principals looking for their schools to benefit from this unique program. Cathy Keeler, curriculum facilitator, submitted Parkway’s winning essay. Samsung provided Parkway with four plasma-screen televisions, 15 laptops and digital camcorders and cameras. DirecTV provided its School Choice programming package, which features a combination of news, educational and informational programs to complement and enhance learning. Microsoft will provide the school with $30,000 worth of software.

Two Broward Magnet Schools Win Magnet Schools of Merit Awards 2009
Virginia Shuman Young Elementary School and South Plantation High School have been selected for Magnet Schools of America (MSA) 2009 Merit Awards. Virginia Shuman Young Elementary – Montessori Magnet – was named a Magnet School of Excellence, the top award given by MSA based on a commitment to high academic standards, curriculum innovation, successful desegregation/diversity efforts and the consistent delivery of high quality education to students. South Plantation High – Environmental Science & Everglades Restoration Magnet – was awarded in the second category of awards by MSA – Magnet School of Distinction. Representatives from both schools will attend the awards luncheon at the 27th National Conference on Magnet Schools, hosted by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in Charlotte, North Carolina on April 28. Virginia Shuman Young, one of 53 schools from across the country named Magnet Schools of Excellence, is eligible to receive the top Magnet School of Excellence Award – Dr. Ronald Simpson Distinguished Merit Award, which includes a cash award of $5,000. The winner will be announced at the national conference.

Pompano Beach Middle Teacher Finalist for 2010 Target Teacher on the Trail
Linda Kal Sander, a reading coach at Pompano Beach Middle School, may need to trade in her “teaching shoes” for extreme weather gear to brave the arctic elements and temperatures far below zero during the Last Great Race – The Iditarod Dog Sled Race. She has been selected as a finalist for the 2010 Target Teacher on the Trail. If selected as the winner in April 2009, Kal Sander will spend about three weeks during the 2010 race in Alaska as a member of the Iditarod’s education team. She will visit schools, present programs in the community and prepare for the teaching adventure of a lifetime – flying in a small bush plane over the terrain from checkpoint to checkpoint during the race. Kal Sander will serve as a race volunteer as needed and learn firsthand what goes on behind the scenes during the race – bringing the sights, sounds and events of the race to classrooms across the country through real-time lessons on the Internet. Kal Sander will travel to Alaska next month to be interviewed by the selection team. She will also serve as a volunteer in the Iditarod computer room during this year’s race, which begins March 7, uploading race data.

Two Broward Teachers Participate in Zero Gravity Flights
Lyons Creek Middle School teacher Frank Krar and West Broward High School teacher Diane Robinson were selected through Space Florida to participate in zero gravity flights. The teachers recently boarded a specially modified 727-200 aircraft – G-FORCE ONEÆ to experience the sensation of weightlessness. The flight took place at the Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville. While on board, Krar conducted an experiment entitled "Falling Objects," to illustrate the effects of gravity on falling objects. Robinson examined the unique properties of water and how it will still exhibit properties of cohesion, adhesion and polarity in a zero gravity environment. Space Florida, an organization that promotes the space industry and education in Florida, accepted applications from more than 220 teachers from across the state. Teachers were invited to attend a workshop training, where they were taught theories and provided background on physics and parabolic travel, while designing personal experiments to conduct during the flight. Parabolic flight is the same method NASA has used to train its astronauts.

For Your Eyes Only: Health Information Won’t Be Shared Without a Release
Has your spouse or partner ever called the Benefits Department on your behalf? Perhaps he or she wanted to know which plan you chose. When did coverage begin or end? When is payment due? How much is owed? Facts pertaining to your health plan enrollment, payment, and treatment are Protected Health Information (PHI). The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires you to provide written authorization before the Benefits Department may share this confidential information with your family members or interested parties.

The Authorization for Release of Health Information form is easily accessed on the Benefits Web site (www.broward.k12.fl.us/benefits/). To authorize disclosures of your PHI: Click “Rates, Forms & Documents” and the Authorization form appears at the top of the list: Authorization For Release of Health Information (HIPAA) Form. Click “Benefits Staff Directory” to locate the specific Benefits staff person to whom you should send the form. (Example: for a COBRA issue Jeanette Castro; for Billing Issues A – G Pauline Herdsman and so forth). Forward a signed, original to that Benefits Department staff member. For additional information on your privacy rights, call Todd Sussman, Privacy Officer, 754-321-3220.

Have You Joined The Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Program?
Fresh indoor air, comfortable temperatures, and healthy students and staff. Schools need to maintain these necessary ingredients for a safe learning and working environment. The Tools for Schools (TfS) program, developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), provides clear and easily applied guidance to help prevent indoor air quality problems and resolve such problems promptly if they do arise. Principals, teachers, facility servicepersons, parents, and students play a proactive role. Since 2003, when the initiative began, 165 schools have become TfS participants. The District is on track to achieve 100 percent of schools in the District participating. For additional information, contact Theresa Coleman, Risk Management Department, 754-321-3210.

Broward College Hosts College Goal Event
Broward College is hosting a College Goal event on Saturday, February 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the A. Hugh Adams Central Campus, Building 19 (3501 S.W. Davie Road) in Davie. The event will provide students and their families with information and assistance in applying for financial aid for any college or university. Financial aid professionals will be available to help individuals file and submit the required federal form, FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). FAFSA is the first step in the process of applying for grants, scholarships, loans and work-study. Workshops will be held every hour until 1 p.m. and computer labs will be available for personalized assistance in filling out the financial aid application. Financial aid presentations will be offered in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. For more information about financial aid, visit (www.broward.edu/sfs) and for more information about the College Goal event, call 954-201-7619.

Broward County's Character Trait for February is Honesty
Honesty: Being truthful, trustworthy and sincere.

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.