Posted on May 31st, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
Citrus County School Board Summer Communication
(Please click here to download a PDF version of the full communication which provides next years calender, summer reading list, open house dates and much more! Below is just the introductory.)
We are fortunate to be part of a community that values education, supports education, and is firmly committed to helping students succeed. The accomplishments and achievements featured in this special publication are the result of the combined efforts of talented teachers, excellent instructional leaders, quality staff, hardworking students, and involved parents and families. In addition, we have many community volunteers and business partners who never stop giving! Just this year our graduating students in the Class of 2015 received over $550,000.00 in scholarships from local clubs, groups and affiliations.
We plan to provide information to our community three times a year to celebrate and to better understand Citrus County Schools and our mission – to educate ALL students through relevant curriculum and experiences for life in an everchanging world. This may include district goals, curriculum,
instructional practices, assessments, technology, resources, and achievements that contribute to the successes of Citrus County Schools. This inaugural publication spotlights outstanding accomplishments throughout the school year and additional information for this summer and next school year.
Please click here to download a PDF version of the full communication which provides next years calender, summer reading list, open house dates and much more!
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Filed under: News & Updates
Posted on May 26th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
What a great Graduation Week!!
One of the best weeks of the year for me as a School Board member is high school graduation week. It has been tradition long before I was elected to the school board for all the School Board members to attend each of the Senior Awards Ceremonies and each of the High School Graduations. Each year the schools rotate the order of the graduations. This year CREST was the first on our list, followed by Withlacoochee Technical College, Citrus High School, Lecanto High School and finishing this year at Crystal River High School.
Each school’s graduation is filled with unique and distinctive traditions which make each event so special. It is a night that the surrounding communities pause to also participate and support the graduations. It is an honor to get to play a small role in attending these special memorable events. We are grateful as board members to have an opportunity to be close enough to offer a simple, “congratulations” to the graduates—perhaps give a hug and often “hoot and holler”. For these are the most special of moments not to be taken for granted. Most of these students have struggled in one form or another to get to this day. They have been challenged more than they could have ever understood when they began as freshman— and they have persevered.
We want to also take this time to thank some people that made this day special for our students— the marvelous district and school staff at each of the schools who worked so hard to again give our students’ and their families a successful and memorable graduation. Each day at the three main high school football fields a large stage for the graduation is installed and the field is filled with chairs for the graduates and their families. Through the outstanding work of John Colasanti, Coordinator of Maintenance for the School District and his staff; the high school Athletic Directors, Tony Stukes, Ron Allan, Larry Bishop; and the school Head custodians, Larry Summerlin, Robert McKinnon, and Jeff Fisher. These individuals and their teams are amazing as immediately following the graduation ceremonies they begin to break down the stage, chairs and sound systems, and relocating them to the next school. They repeat this all week until the last ceremony is over, then pack everything away for next year. There work is essential in creating important positive memories for our students and their families. We thank them for the work they did this past week and each day for our kids!
We want to congratulate each of the students in the Class of 2015, and wish them the best as they continue in their individual successes.
CHS Class of 2015
LHS Class of 2015
CRHS Class of 2015
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Filed under: News & Updates
Posted on May 19th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
FL-DOE: Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry EOCs will NOT count for 2014-2015 school year
Today the Florida Department of Education released an important memorandum entitled; ‘Preliminary Technical Assistance on House Bill 7069’, where FL-DOE states; “For the 2014-2015 school year only, because of the unavailability of independently verified statewide assessment results in Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry, the statutory requirements to include these results in the final course grade are inoperative. As a result, school districts should calculate final course grades and make promotion decisions without regard to the 30 percent requirement that typically applies.”
I am most pleased that Florida Educational Commissioner Pam Stewart and her team understood what students’ and school districts’ have been facing due to the numerous state assessment issues that Florida has struggled with this school year.
While I am relieved for our students regarding these End of Course Exams (EOCs), many other State Assessments will still be used for determining students’ grades, course requirements, and/or graduation requirements.
Further, I am greatly concerned that neither HB 7069 nor any other action today has relieved districts from the requirements of using these same State Assessments for determining teacher/administrators evaluations or school grades. We still need either the Governor or FL-DOE to suspend the use of these assessments for any performance pay requirements for teachers and administrators, as well as suspend the use of these assessments for school accountability/school grade for the 2014 – 2015 school year.
To read the entire ‘Preliminary Technical Assistance on House Bill 7069’ memorandum, follow this link: https://thomastalks.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/HB-7069-TA-Memo-5-18-15.pdf
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Filed under: Blog Posts
Posted on May 17th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
Citrus’s Top 15 in 2015
On Sunday, May 17th, 2015 Citrus’s Superintendent of Schools Sam Himmel shared the Top 15 graduates for 2015—five students from each of the three high schools who have earned distinguished rankings.
Superintendent Himmel explained, “many high school students, including these esteemed scholars, select the most rigorous courses available such as; college level classes that are identified as dual-enrollment classes, Advances Placement (AP) classes that award college credit should the student achieve a college-ready score on an AP standardized test, International Baccalaureate (IB) classes that also require a selected score on international tests for college credit and may lead to a prestigious International Baccalaureate Diploma, and Industry Certification classes that lead to licensing, certification, and possibly college credit.” And went on to say, “some of our students exit high school with an equivalent of two years of college studies completed — close to 60 college credits.”
To read the complete story follow this link: http://www.chronicleonline.com/content/top-15-2015
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Filed under: News & Updates
Posted on May 16th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
Parents and others, email Gov. Scott
Following the Citrus County School Board’s letter to Florida Governor Rick Scott earlier this week requesting that he suspend testing consequences, others are following Citrus’s lead. The Tampa Bay Times is reporting that Leon County School Superintendent Jackie Pons is calling on Florida Gov. Rick Scott to scale back the use of state testing results this spring.
It is vital at this time for parents and members of the public to support the School Board’s actions and individually email Governor Rick Scott asking him to immediately sign an executive order that would suspend testing consequences. (See Excerpt from the CCSB letter below.)
I humbly ask you do this immediately!
Excerpt from the CCSB letter:
We therefore are imploring you to use the authority of your office to immediately sign an executive order that would suspend:
- the use of these assessments for students’ grades,
- the use of these assessments for course requirements,
- the use of these assessments for graduation requirements,
- the use of these assessments for any performance pay requirements for teachers and administrators
- the school accountability/school grade for the 2014 – 2015 school year.
Follow this link to download the CCSB 5/12/2015 Letter to Gov. Scott: https://thomastalks.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/201505130857_Sign-CCSB-Letter-to-Gov.-Scott.pdf
Tampa Bay Times Story: Leon County superintendent calls for easing of Florida testing consequences
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/leon-county-superintendent-calls-for-easing-of-florida-testing-consequences/2229828
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Filed under: News & Updates
Posted on May 15th, 2015 by
Thomas Kennedy
Students’ Summer Food Service Program
Citrus County School’s Food and Nutrition Services will participate in the Summer Food Service Program during the months of June and July.
Nutritionally balanced meals will be provided free to all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability during summer vacation when school breakfasts and lunches are not available. All children 18 years old and younger are eligible for meals at no charge at an open site, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. The programs are only approved for geographical areas of need where 50 percent or more of the children qualify for free and reduced-price meals during the school year.
There will be four open sites throughout the county: Lecanto Middle, Inverness Primary and Crystal River Middle School, which will be open Monday through Friday from June 1 through July 24. Hernando Elementary is also an open site. It will be open
Monday through Thursday and will run from June 1 through July 23. Breakfast will be from 8 to 8:30 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to noon. All meals must be consumed on-site.
The goal is to make sure no child goes hungry. The schedule is available on the Food and Nutrition Services website at www.cafe.citrus.k12.fl.us. The menus will be available to view on https://Citrus.Nutrislice.com. For more information, call Lora Fredrikson at 352-726-1931, ext. 2451.
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Filed under: News & Updates
We are fortunate to be part of a community that values education, supports education, and is firmly committed to helping students succeed. The accomplishments and achievements featured in this special publication are the result of the combined efforts of talented teachers, excellent instructional leaders, quality staff, hardworking students, and involved parents and families. In addition, we have many community volunteers and business partners who never stop giving! Just this year our graduating students in the Class of 2015 received over $550,000.00 in scholarships from local clubs, groups and affiliations.
We plan to provide information to our community three times a year to celebrate and to better understand Citrus County Schools and our mission – to educate ALL students through relevant curriculum and experiences for life in an everchanging world. This may include district goals, curriculum,
