Damon Weaver To Speak About His Interview With

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 17, 2009

Damon Weaver To Speak About His Interview With

President Obama At Board Meeting



Among the highlights of this Wednesday's School Board Meeting at 5:00 pm at School District headquarters will be a presentation by Damon Weaver, the 11 year old K.E. Cunningham/ Canal Point Elementary student who made history by becoming the youngest reporter to conduct a one on one interview with a sitting President. Other presentations include:



100th Anniversary of the NAACP and its contribution to public education for all
National Board Certified Teachers Summer Program at Highland Elementary
Spirit Airlines’ Donation of a MD-80 Simulator to Boynton Beach High School
School Bus Operator Kendra Weatherspoon Hankerson
Facilities Management Interns and Sponsors
Community Blood Centers of South Florida

Tuesday August 17 Schools Open

Tuesday August 17th marks the first day of school in Palm Beach County. Below we have provide quick links for parents. These links will be available all year long in the right hand column of the site. We found the District site difficult to navigate and thought you would like these direct links...

2009-10 School Calendar http://www.palmbeachschools.org/Calendar.htm

School Locator: Just enter your address to find the schools your zoned for http://gis.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/addresslocator/

What's for lunch? http://sdpbc.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/sites/pub/9151/menuinfo/default.aspx

Back to School Health Fair Set for August 1

St. John Missionary Baptist Church will be holding a Back to School Health Fair on August 1, 2009 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. at 900 North Seacrest Blvd., Boynton Beach. Free backpacks with school supplies, hair cuts, medical screenings, entertainment and youth activities will be available. For more information, please contact Kemberly Bush or Rev. Ben Dixon at (561) 732-2377.

Back to School Information for Palm Beach County

Important Back to School Information from the Palm Beach County School District

BACK TO SCHOOL2009-2010

Find My School

School Directories

Student & Family Handbooks:English Spanish Creole

Student Registration

Immunization Requirements

Physical Exams

Bus Routes/Transportation

School Food Services

Open House/Curriculum Nights

School Advisory Council (SAC) Meetings

School Calendar

Cashless Schools Program

Wide Range Of District Academic Initiatives, Educator Training Underway

Wide Range Of District Academic Initiatives, Educator Training Underway - Research-Based Reforms Target Improved Student Achievement, Higher Standards


Public Affairs - (561) 434-8228
July 8, 2009

The School District of Palm Beach County stands alone among all of the urban districts in Florida, having earned 5 consecutive A ratings from the State Department of Education. However, we are keenly aware that we must continue to improve to allow all of our students in all of our schools to achieve their full academic potential.

To that end, the district has hired a new Chief Academic Officer and has embarked on an aggressive series of academic reforms aimed at continually raising student achievement and preparing all teachers, students and administrators for the new higher state standards taking effect in 2010. Training, preparation and implementation of these initiatives are occurring during the summer and will continue throughout the next several school years and beyond. The response from teachers and other staff has been overwhelmingly positive and cooperative, and the training schedules and difficult work involved is occurring at a rapid and intense pace. The attached information is intended to help you and your readers and viewers understand these initiatives and their relationship to students in the classroom.

Read the June 2009 Edition of the Chief Academic Office Newsletter. Included within this month’s edition are detailed discussions about the following topics:

·A message from the Chief Academic Officer;

·Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test Executive Summary;

·Why a “Total Curriculum” Approach;

·Key Strategic Pillars:

-Align curriculum and structure to support effective instruction using the Florida Continuous Improvement Model

-Tailor professional development through school-based support team

·VPK Initiative;

·Secondary Reading Programs;

·Intensive Mathematics Programs;

·New Teacher Mentor Program; and

·Summer Professional Development Opportunities.

While much of this information was intended for internal use, a goal of Chief Academic Officer Jeffrey Hernandez and the Department of Public Affairs is to continue to make all information not specifically exempt from public records laws available to all of our stakeholders. This information has been and will continue to be posted on the District's and Public Affairs' websites. The district will continue to proactively send this and all academic reform information to all internal and external constituents to ensure that the entire community is informed, involved and connected to the process of providing the best possible education for our students.

South Tech Academy Student Wins Gold Medal At National SkillsUSA Competition

Public Affairs - (561) 434-8228
July 7, 2009

Matthew Vicari, recent South Tech Academy graduate and winner of the Pat Oliphant award, scored big as Florida’s representative in the National SkillsUSA Internetworking Competition in Kansas City last week. The SkillsUSA Internetworking competition is considered one of the most challenging competitions conducted by Cisco Systems, Inc. with Fluke Networks, Panduit. SIGMAnet, Inc.and NDG.

The Secondary-High School Competition had 34 states competing over a three-day period. Each competitor was scored in nine areas of skill, including Structured Cabling (Cablemaking & Punchdown), Network Troubleshooting & Monitoring, Basic Router Configuration, Advanced Router Configuration, LAN/WAN Design, End to End Networking, Online Written Test, Technical Assistance Call (TAC), and Professionalism.

Matthew’s seriousness about winning, coupled with long hours of study, resulted in his attaining the highest score in six out of the nine skilled areas. Program instructor, Clarence Vaughn, said that “Matthew is truly a South Tech success story and a prime example of what our program produces”.

One of the judges commented; "Congratulations! From my point of view, the level of proficiency you exhibited was at the highest level I have observed since the competition began in 1998. I was especially proud of the professional manner that you demonstrated throughout the competition. You should be proud of your performance and I hope that you are eager to continue the commitment to excellence.”

The 1st place Industry awards consist of an expense-paid trip for two (2) to Cisco corporate headquarters in San Jose, California and he was also awarded undisclosed equipment relative to the industry.

South Tech Academy president Jim Kidd said, “Matthew is another example of the level of commitment our students achieve in our various academies, creating ‘success stories, one student at a time”.

Boca Raton High Teacher Receives Fulbright Award

Public Affairs - (561) 434-8228
June 18, 2009

Hakima Mazouz of Boca Raton Community High School has been awarded a Fulbright Teacher Exchange grant to teach in France, the United States Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced recently.

Ms. Mazouz is one of approximately 60 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2009-2010 academic year through the Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program.

The Fulbright Program, America's flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Since its establishment in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has provided approximately 294,000 people – 111,000 Americans who have studied, taught or researched abroad and 183,000 students, scholars and teachers from other countries who have engaged in similar activities in the United States – with the opportunity to observe each others' political, economic, educational and cultural institutions, to exchange ideas and to embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world's inhabitants. The Program operates in over 155 countries worldwide.

Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. Among the thousands of prominent Fulbright alumni are: Muhammad Yunus, Managing Director and Founder, Grameen Bank, and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006; Javier Solana, Foreign Policy Chief, European Union; Ruth Simmons, President, Brown University; Craig Barrett, Chairman of the Board, Intel Corporation; Shamshad Akhtar, the first woman to hold the position of Governor, State Bank of Pakistan; Alejandro Jara, Deputy Director-General, World Trade Organization; Raoul Cantero, Justice, Florida Supreme Court; Renee Fleming, soprano; Gish Jen, Writer; Daniel Libeskind, Architect; Aneesh Raman, CNN Middle East Correspondent; and Sibusiso Sibisi, President and CEO, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa..

Fulbright recipients are among over 40,000 participants annually in U.S. Department of State exchange programs each year. For more than sixty years, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has supported programs that seek to promote mutual understanding and respect between the people of the United States and people of other countries. The Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program is administered by the Academy for Educational Development.

For further information about the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, please visit the website at http://fulbrieht.state.gov or contact James A. Lawrence, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, telephone 202-453-8531 or e-mail fulbriuht@state.gov.

For more information about Ms. Mazouz please contact Boca Raton Community High School Principal Geoff McKee at 561-338-1400