District Honors Volunteers, Mentors and Partners
The District recently honored the volunteers, mentors and business/community partners who dedicate time and effort to expanding the educational opportunities of students. The Community Involvement Awards event took place at the Broward County Convention Center.

VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR
ADULT: Rosa Vasquez, Palm Cove Elementary
OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER ORGANIZER: Renee Herman, Western High
SENIOR: Peter Kennedy, Everglades Elementary
STUDENT: Clarke Bowman

VOLUNTEER SERVICE LAPEL PIN AWARDS
Nancy Munson, Silver Trail Middle, 15-year lapel pin honoree
Maryann Cockerille, Harbordale Elementary, 20-year lapel pin honoree

MENTORS OF THE YEAR
ELEMENTARY: Dr. Arnold Miller, Nova Blanche Foreman Elementary
SECONDARY: Dr. Daniel Austin, Piper High
CO-MENTOR TEAM: Iris Kauffman and Dr. Phyllis Schiffer-Simon, McFatter Technical High

PARTNERSHIPS OF THE YEAR
School-based Partnership of the Year Award Winners

ELEMENTARY LEVEL
Coconut Palm Elementary with Florida Atlantic University’ Men’s Basketball Team
Cooper City Zone with the City of Cooper City
Indian Trace Elementary with Multiple Partners
Larkdale Elementary with World Avenue

MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL
New River Middle, Sawgrass Springs Middle and Westglades Middle with Wheelabrator Technologies Inc.

HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL
Northeast High with EDSA

ADULT, TECHNICAL AND SPECIAL STUDENT CENTERS LEVELS
Bright Horizons School with Publix Super Market at Lighthouse Point

DISTRICT LEVEL OUTSTANDING PARTNERSHIPS OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Broward County Public Schools with All County Music
Food and Nutrition Services with the Junior League of Greater Fort Lauderdale

EVENT SPONSORS
Broward County Public Schools thanks the following event sponsors for their commitment to the students, families and communities of Broward County.

Platinum Sponsors
Fischler School of Education & Human Services
Nova Southeastern University
Sunshine Child Programs

Gold Sponsors
Vista Healthplans

Silver Sponsors
After School Programs, Inc.
BrightStar Credit Union
YMCA of Broward County

Copper Sponsors
All County Music
Florida Marlins
Hinson Office Supply

Bronze Sponsor
Florida Power & Light

District 4th and 8th Grade Students Increase FCAT Writing Scores
For the fifth consecutive year, Broward’s fourth and eighth grade students demonstrated increased performance in the FCAT Writing examination. According to results released by the Florida Department of Education, 89 percent of fourth grade students and 94 percent of eighth grade students produced writing prompt scores over 3.5, the level for demonstrating proficiency. Eighty-three percent of the District’s 10th grade students scored at 3.5 or higher on the 2009 FCAT Writing test, a one percent drop from last year. Overall, there has been a four percent increase in 10th-graders who reached or surpassed the writing proficiency level since the 2006 school year, when 79 percent of students scored a 3.5 or above.

Overall, 100 elementary schools, 46 middle schools and 18 high schools saw increased percentages in proficiency in the 2009 FCAT Writing test, when compared to results from the 2008 exam. The District’s fourth, eighth and 10th grade students all surpassed state averages, which showed 85 percent of fourth-graders, 90 percent of eighth-graders and 77 percent of 10th- graders demonstrated proficiency on the test.

Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week
Teaching nutrition lessons, preparing healthy school meals and offering a friendly greeting are all in a day’s work for the District's Food and Nutrition Services employees. The non-profit School Nutrition Association recently celebrated this professional commitment with Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week. The week provided an opportunity for parents, students, school staff and communities to thank those who provide healthy school meals to our students. School nutrition employees must balance many roles and follow numerous federal, state and local regulations to ensure that safe and healthy meals are available in schools. They are trained sanitation and food safety experts and must manage financially self-sufficient programs. School nutrition professionals also provide nutrition education to students. They use their creativity to make the cafeteria a fun and welcoming place all year long and perform their jobs each day because they care passionately about the children they serve. For many children, school lunch is the most important and nutrient-rich meal of their day. Children depend upon school lunch for a third to half of their daily nutritional intake.

District Partners to Offer Asthma Management and Education Training
The Health Education Services Department has partnered with Memorial Health Systems and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Texas Chapter to present a continuing education program for nurses, nurses’ aides, respiratory therapists, teachers, school staff and coaches involved with asthma disease control and management. The event, “How to Help Your Patients Take Control of Their Asthma,” will be held Saturday, May 30, 2009, 9 a.m. – Noon, at Memorial Regional Hospital South, Auditorium #1-3, 3600 Washington Street, Hollywood. Participants will receive a program syllabus, NHLBI 2007 Guidelines, peak flow meter and three CEUs (Continuing Education Unit). Fees for CEU credits will be waived for those who register by May 20. To register, send E-mail to (info@aafatexas.org). Include the program date (May 30), your full name, degree, mailing address, daytime phone and your E-mail address, for an E-mail reminder. For more information, contact the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America at 817-297-3132 or at the E-mail address above.

Best Practices Repository Open for Submission of Projects
The Best Practices Repository Web site is open for District-wide submission of projects and activities worthy of best practice status in the following categories:
Academic Programs
Operational/Management
a. Finance
b. Safety
c. Health
Environmental Stewardship Projects
Innovation
Parental or Community Involvement
Partnerships
The Best Practices Repository has been established to support Goal #4 of the District’s Strategic Plan, which is “to promote innovation which focuses on best practices and quality efforts that improve our best-in-class position.” A Best Practice is defined as a specific action or set of actions with proven evidence of success and the potential for replication or adaptation. Evidence of success is demonstrated through qualitative and quantitative information. For additional information, log on to the Best Practice Repository at (www.broward.k12.fl.us/bcpsbestpractices). The Repository will be open for submission of projects and activities through September 15.

Stranahan High Science/Engineering Students Accepted into Top Ten
Among the 25 graduating seniors in the Science/Pre-Engineering magnet students at Stranahan High School, six have received acceptance into "Top Ten" Colleges of Engineering according to US News & World Report. Bryan Amador has been accepted at both the University of Illinois and Columbia University, Christopher Foy, Eric Fructer, Rita Garrido, Juan Medina, and Kenneth Saelee have all been accepted at Georgia Tech. Medina was also accepted at Carnegie Mellon University. Each of the students have benefited from the Science/Pre-Engineering magnet program at Stranahan High, which offers a four-year accelerated college preparatory program for students who plan to continue their education in the fields of engineering, science, mathematics, architecture or technology. Students receive honors or college level instruction in all required academic courses.

Fort Lauderdale High Students Training to Become 911 Dispatchers
Thanks to a partnership with the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO), 13 Fort Lauderdale High School seniors will graduate with some very specialized skills. The students are in training to become 911 dispatchers. BSO deputies visit the school to teach the course in conjunction with Magnet Coordinator, Frank DeRusso. All 13 students in the class have passed their Law Enforcement Dispatch certification exam with 12 also passing Fire Dispatch certification exam. The students are continuing to prepare for the Emergency Medical Communications certification exam. To pass that exam, the students need to learn how to talk callers through emergencies that require basic first-aid or CPR, while callers wait for the first responders to arrive. Fort Lauderdale High Interim Principal Dr. Marie Wright said, “We are very proud of these seniors who will be certified with the state for employment as 911 dispatchers. This is the true meaning of school to work transitions.”

Parkway Middle School Artistic Students Exhibit Work at Juried Show
Artwork by students from Parkway Middle School of the Arts is on exhibit at a juried show through May 25 at the African-American Research Library, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. The special juried exhibition of student art includes paintings, sculptures, ceramics, drawings and mixed media. Winners will be announced at the Lauderhill City Commission meeting, 3800 Inverrary Blvd. in Lauderhill on May 11 at 6:30 p.m.

Cousteau Honors South Plantation High Team as Winner of $50K Eco Grant
Fabien Cousteau, third-generation environmentalist and grandson of the legendary Jacques Cousteau, recently joined South Plantation High School students, parents, teachers and community leaders to celebrate the "Eco-Geeks" team's recent victory in the Lexus Eco Challenge. The school was named one of two national $50,000 grand prizewinners. This national education program was designed by Lexus and Scholastic to educate and empower middle and high school students to take action to improve the environment. The nine-member Eco-Geeks team, lead by teacher advisor Allan Phipps, won for a plan to help hurricane relief efforts in Haiti by sending solar ovens, seedlings and a compilation of recipes with low-impact to the environment to Haiti’s hurricane refugees. Cousteau spoke about what it's like being part of a family with multiple generations of environmentalists, and how the next generation can help make a difference for the planet.

Sheridan Technical Center and Wurth USA Collaborate on 1969 Mustang Restoration Project
WURTH USA Inc. and Sheridan Technical Center have partnered to restore a 1969 Ford Mustang, in celebration of WURTH’s 40th Anniversary in the United States. The Auto Body Repair students at Sheridan Technical Center in Hollywood will perform the restoration of this American classic. Using as many WURTH USA products as possible, students will work to completely refurbish this 40-year-old classic. The renovation will result in a top of the line machine. The refurbishing process and progress updates will be available for viewing at (www.MakeItWurth.com). Upon completion of the restoration, the Mustang will be auctioned by WURTH USA and the proceeds will be donated to Sheridan Technical Center to support their scholarship programs for Automotive Education.

Sensory Room for Special Needs at Hollywood Park Elementary School Opens
Hollywood Park Elementary School will celebrate the grand opening of its new Sensory Room for special needs students on Thursday, May 14 at 5:30 p.m. The Sensory Room is designed to stimulate and organize the senses of Special Needs students and lead to overall development and academic learning. The room is equipped with a sound responsive light panel, which reacts to the students’ vocalizations, a ball pool that vibrates, lights-up and has music; an area with switches to activate music, lights and fans; and a fine motor and gross motor area. The Sensory Room was made possible with grant funds from Lowes, the Florida Marlins and the city of Hollywood.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary Students Take Historical Tour
The fourth and fifth grade students of Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School recently became the first elementary school in the District to embark on an academic exploration taking them to several sites and landmarks – many made infamous and historic by their school’s namesake, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The historical tour took students to Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Montgomery and Selman, Alabama; and Tallahassee, Florida. The students’ visit took them from the home, church and resting place of Dr. King to various landmarks in Alabama where they journeyed the path of the Civil Rights movement.

Deerfield Park Elementary Receives Surprise Donation
In celebration of National Library Week and as a kickoff of TD Bank’s Summer Reading Program, TD Bank regional vice president Frank Spinosa read the financially-savvy book Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn to students at Deerfield Park Elementary School. Following the reading, Spinosa presented the school with a $5,000 donation from the bank’s charitable giving arm, the TD Charitable Foundation. The $5,000 donation from the TD Charitable Foundation will be used toward the purchase of new books or technology resources, or to support the school’s existing library programs.

Glades Middle School Parades For “Teacher Of The Year”
Glades Middle School students, faculty and staff recently held their annual Teacher of the Year Parade honoring their Teacher of the Year Angine Tyghter. With the school band playing, students paraded in front of Tyghter shaking her hand and giving congratulatory cards, flowers, balloons and other gifts. Students presented her with scrapbook pages made to commemorate the school year, as well as their appreciation. The school choir serenaded her with songs of appreciation and the cheerleaders, step team and JROTC performed to show their appreciation. Tyghter is in her eighth year of teaching and her fifth year at Glades Middle, where she teaches geography. She has served the school community as SAC Chair and is currently the Social Studies Department Head.

Unsung Hero Awarded to Wingate Oaks Teacher
Jorge Rios, teacher at Wingate Oaks Center, Adults with Disabilities program, will receive the “Unsung Hero” award at the Sixth Annual Sistrunk Historical Festival Gala on Saturday, May 30 at the Broward County Convention Center. Rios is active with the Broward Parks and Recreation Department and is an employee at West Ken Lake Park just adjacent to Wingate Oaks Center. He is also active with Kiwanis and leads a group of adult students with disabilities in the Kiwanis Aktion Club, a service organization and he helps students practice for Special Olympics. As a teacher, Rios is respected by his peers and is loved by his adult students. Among the programs that he has implemented for his students are a horticulture program and an engraving lab. His students have helped to beautify the school grounds and have demonstrated entrepreneurship by creating and providing plaques and trophies to business and organizations.

BrightStar Credit Union Collects Donations for Homeless Education Program
More than 1,800 of our students are classified as homeless. The District’s Homeless Education Program supports these students with systemic and direct services. BrightStar Credit Union is collecting donations for the Homeless Education Program. All proceeds will go to the program and no donation is too small. Donations are tax-deductible. Donations will be collected through May 29. To make a donation, visit any BrightStar branch or call 954-486-2728. For more information on the District's Homeless Education Program, go to the District's Web site (www.browardschools.com).

Old Dillard Museum Presents “Un-Murdered”
The exhibition “Un-Murdered” – is on display at the Old Dillard Museum, 1009 NW 4th Street in Fort Lauderdale, through June 5. The exhibition of art and poems features the works of award-winning Haitian artist Nzingah and internationally acclaimed Ghanaian poet Heru, who together present a stirring series of portraits and poems that give a glimpse into a world where victims, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy, have lived beyond their untimely deaths. For information, call 754-322-8828.

Sun-Sentinel News in Education (NIE) Provides Complimentary Newspapers to Schools
The Sun Sentinel News in Education department (NIE) is offering complimentary copies of the newspaper to schools for the 2009/10 school year. The Sun Sentinel Digital edition is educational, efficient, and easy to use. It makes learning fun for students by reaching them where they live – in an increasingly digital world. Features of the Digital Edition include: access to back issues of the Sun Sentinel, translation of articles, audio, enlarge font, print photos or articles, emailing articles, hyperlinks, and much more! Quantities are limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. To register, visit (www.SunSentinel.com/nie). A Teacher Letter and Order Form for 2009/10 may be found on the top left corner.

Additionally, Sun Sentinel NIE will continue to create and deliver curriculum guides throughout the year. Be on the lookout for E-mail communications regarding upcoming programs, and visit (www.SunSentinel.com/nie) to view curriculum guides, interactive activities, Tell Me a Story (Read with Me), News Bytes for Digital Editions, lesson plans, online tutorial for the Digital Edition, and the program schedule for 2009/10.

New Contact Information for Privacy Officer
The Risk Management Department, including the District’s Privacy Officer, Todd Sussman, has relocated to the KCW building. Sussman’s new direct line, 754- 321-1914, and address, 600 SE 3rd Avenue, 11th Floor, Fort Lauderdale, 33301. The Privacy Officer is here to ensure that your health information, which may be used and disclosed by the Benefits Department in carrying out its operations, is protected in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). For additional information about your privacy rights, contact Sussman at 754-321-1914.

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.