The Monroe County School District and The United Teachers of Monroe, Florida will hold Collaborative Bargaining Sessions on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, beginning at 9:00 AM and again on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 beginning at 1:00 PM at the A. J. Henriquez Administration Bldg., 241 Trumbo Road, Key West, in the Superintendent’s Planning Room.  

A Regular Business Meeting and Public Hearing on Job Descriptions and Policies will be held on Tuesday, May 28, 2013, beginning at 5:00 PM in the Marathon High School Media Center, 350 Sombrero Beach Road, Marathon.

 

 

Florida Commissioner of Education Tony Bennett will be the guest of honor and speaker at the 13th Take Stock in Children graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 1st at 11:30 AM at Marathon High School.   “I’m very excited to be part of this ceremony and looking forward to my first visit to Monroe,” Dr. Bennett said. “With the support of their Take Stock mentor and their families, these graduates have excelled and become models for all of their peers.”   

 

“We’ll be honoring the accomplishments of the 52 graduates in the Class of 2013,” explained Mark Porter, Superintendent.  “Take Stock provides an unbelievable opportunity for motivated scholars from lower-income families to realize their dreams. Having Dr. Bennett here will make the event very special.”  

Click here to read the press release.

 

The Monroe County Teachers Federal Credit Union and Stand Up For Education, Inc. (SUFE, a non-profit organization which supports and promotes educational programs and activities in the Florida Keys) were proud partners with BW Promotions in the recent Race Around the Rock, held in Key West on April 14.  Two of the many volunteer groups, the KWHS Class of 2015 and the KWHS Football team, were recipients of $250 each for their help in supporting the race.

 

 

The Marathon Middle/High School Mathematics Department held an after-school Algebra I and Geometry “Boot Camp” for students.  The purpose of the camp was to help students review content material for their upcoming End-of-Course Exam.  MMS/MHS math teachers were on site to help students work through problems. Over 50 students attended the two camps.  Centennial Bank will be sponsoring an after-EOC party for all students who attended the required number of days of camp.

Photo courtesy of Jessica Richard

Stanley Switlik Elementary - Friday, May 10 at 10 AM
Sugarloaf School - Friday, May 17, 8:45 - 10:30 AM at the Sugarloaf Cafeteria
Gerald Adams Elementary - Friday, May 24 at 9:30 AM
Horace O'Bryant/Glynn Archer Elementary - Friday, Mary 24, 9-11 AM at the HOB Cafeteria

If you wish to register your student at Key Largo School, Plantation Key School, or Poinciana Elementary, please contact the school office directly to make an appointment for registration.

Congratulations to the following individuals who have gained District-Wide Recognition.  They will be recognized at the Employee Recognition Banquet on May 17, 2013.

Teacher of the Year:  Stacey Milchman, Plantation Key School

Inclusion Teacher of the Year – Jane McGill, Key West High School

Principal of the Year:  Dr. Fran Herrin, Gerald Adams Elementary

Assistant Principal of the Year:  Wendy McPherson, Sugarloaf School

Guidance Counselor of the Year:  Vicky Cooper, Key West High School

Management Employee of the Year:  Pansy Wang, Staff Accountant

Instructional Employee of the Year:  Christina McPherson

Superintendent Mark Porter spoke to students at the Marathon Middle/High School media center on Tuesday, May 7th. Mr. Porter was on hand to present awards at the Superintendent's Young Readers Awards annual ceremony. Over 110 MHS/MMS students were honored for their reading accomplishments.

Photo courtesy of Kathy Lancaster

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Students in Ms. Mulvihill's class at Key Largo School were recipients of a grant from Florida Agriculture in the Classroom to explore gardening microgreens.  With the generous support of Tiki Water Sports in production of a vertical planter, and KLI for garden supplies, the class compared broccoli grown in an organic raised bed to broccoli microgreens grown in the vertical planter in 21 days. Taste tests confirmed microgreens as "The Ultimate Fast Food."

As the 2012-13 school year draws to a close it is my privilege to announce to you the School Related Personnel of the Year.  Each of these individuals provides outstanding service “behind the scenes” to assure that our teachers and students have all they need to create effective learning opportunities.  People, and the work they do, are the heart of the Monroe County Schools and I am truly grateful for the efforts of these named individuals as well as the hundreds of others who work so hard each and every day on behalf of our students and families. 

 

Thank you and congratulations,

Mark T. Porter

Superintendent

Marathon eighth grader Yansi Franco enjoys reading with visiting therapy dog, Cali, at the school’s media center. Cali is a rescue pet and a registered therapy dog owned by Marilyn Allen. The pair visited the school recently as part of a project to encourage reading and literacy. For more information, contact Marathon Middle/High media specialist Dr. Kathy Lancaster at 305-289-2480 x55364.

Thirty-five students from Monroe County High Schools are preparing for their adventures overseas in July.  These students are participating in the Experiment in International Living cross-cultural experience.  Twenty of these high school students are in the Take Stock in Children (TSiC) program and will travel abroad in a cultural immersion program within 14 different countries. 

The Budget Planning web page that was previously linked on the left navigation panel under Superintendent is still available online through the Finance Department website.  Click on Departments - Financial - Finance.  The link to Budget Planning is in the Links section under Budget - Budget Building and Amending.  You may wish to bookmark this page (a direct lnk to the Budget Planning page) for future reference.

GEMS stands for Great Educational Moments for Monroe County Students. It is an effort to shine a light on the great things happening in the District Schools.  This is an initiative from the Curriculum Department led by Mrs. Theresa Axford, Chief Academic Officer, which recognizes the GEMS in Monroe County. 

In order to create a GEM, it takes the leadership of a great principal, the expertise of wonderful teachers and the commitment of outstanding students.

Pictured:  Odyssey of the Mind students from Gerald Adams Elementary School were recognized at the March School Board meeting.  Attending the upcoming OM trip to Orlando: D. Pepper, G. Rodriguez, A. Castellanos, M. Gonzalez, D. Michaud, Y. Camejo, and A. Fisher.

Photo courtesy of Katrina Madok

Click Here to view the GEMS web page and see the latest MCSD GEMS for 2012-13! 

Marking the Text is an active reading strategy that asks students to identify information in the text that is relevant to the reading purpose.  Encouraged in classrooms district-wide, Marking the Text uses selective underlining and highlighting as a study and comprehension tool.  For more information on Marking the Text, click here.

Through a generous grant from the Batchelor Foundation, Monroe County is one of four school districts in Florida that has been selected to participate in Differentiated Learning and Effective Learning Professional Development trainings. The trainings will be offered on January 22, April 1, and June 7, 2013, at Coral Shores High School and at the Sugarloaf School Media Center, and are available either as “stand alone” or participants can sign up for all three sessions.  Teachers and staff can register for the training sessions through MyLearningPlan. In addition to the Professional Development for teachers, there will be parent meetings the night before each Teacher Professional Day listed above. 

For more information on this PD opportunity or for parent information, please contact Sharon Day, MCSD AT Specialist at 293-1418 ext. 66305 or Kellie Niles at 293-1400 ext. 53375.

The Monroe County School District announces its policy for Free and Reduced-Price Meals for students under the NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH AND BREAKFAST PROGRAMS. Any interested person may review a copy of the policy by contacting Deb Stecklein, 241 Trumbo Rd. Key West, FL 305-293-1400 x 53343.

Parents can sign up for the Free and Reduced-Price Meals program online.  Click here to access the online application.

Click here for the district's press release regarding the Free and Reduced-Price Meals Program.