Recap of School Board Special Meeting & Workshop on 4/24/2012

“The digits are coming… the DIGITS ARE COMING…”

Tuesday was a Special Board Meeting and Board Workshop. At the Special Meeting the board approved the appointment of Ms. Donnie Brown as the new principal of Crystal River Primary School, effective July 1, 2012. The board also approved the appointment of Suzanne Swain to the position of Coordinator of Certification and Professional Standards, effective July 1, 2012. I am excited about both of these appointments as I know these educators personally and I look forward to them beginning their new roles.

Also, at the Special Meeting the board was presented with a presentation of the new administrative appraisal system which was required to be changed under the new “Student Success Act” law (a.k.a. 2011 SB736) like the teachers’ appraisal system was earlier in the school year. After the presentation the board approved the appraisal system

During the Workshop portion of the meeting Assistant Superintendent Ken Blocker gave a 2012-2013 budget update. As I have shared previously, at this time the school board has agreed to keep things in “status quo” for the 2012-2013 school year

One of the most exciting news items was the announcement of a special pilot project shared by Dr. Mike Geddes, the Director of Instructional Technology. A new and recent Florida statue has expedited the implementation of school district’s transition from print to digital curriculum. As a result, last year the school board set funds aside from the Race to the Top Grant to pilot one student and one digital device. This is often referred to in education as a “One-to-One” pilot initiative. Dr. Geddes formed a Technology Standards Committee (TS) who was charged with recommending a digital device. I am the Board Member Representative on this committee. After great research, and even some debate, the committee recommended the Apple iPad. Next, middle and high schools in our district were encouraged to apply for the pilot program. The objective of being the pilot was to use a digital device (ex. iPad) to impact approximately 200-300 students by transitioning them from print to digital curriculum. Additionally, the pilot would track the results of the one-to-one pilot program and compare a digital curriculum to the traditional print curriculum. The TS committee reviewed and scored the pilot applications and the school with the highest score was recommended by the TS committee to be awarded the pilot program. After the scoring was completed, all thirteen TSC members gave Citrus Springs Middle School the top highest number of points and CSMS was awarded the pilot program

For the 2012-2013 school year 7^th graders at Citrus Springs Middle School will each receive an iPad. The iPad will replace the textbook for Social Studies and will supplement the textbooks for other subjects. A great deal of curriculum planning is underway to maximize the use and effective learning using the iPads. Teachers are already scheduled for training in the use of the iPad in their classrooms. Students will be given training for the use of the iPad when they are issued their iPad in the Fall. As a school board and district we have been developing new technology policies and guidelines for the use of these emerging technologies. This year a special filter student wall-to-wall wireless network was installed in all of our middle and high schools. Many details of this initiative and pilot will be released in the coming weeks and months.

I am tremendously excited about this pilot study and initiative. I strongly believe that in order for our students to be competitive in college and in the job arena they must learn for the world of the future instead of the world we have come from. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read my blog post “Steve Jobs on Education”, Posted on February 16th, 2012.

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CREST Playground Project Needs Your Help!

“All students can achieve regardless of their disability!”

The Citrus Resources for Exceptional Student Transition (commonly known as CREST) is a center school for students with severe disabilities and is part of the Citrus County School District.  Children come from all over the county to attend CREST.  The mission of CREST is to provide an enriching special day school environment in which all students achieve their potential. By addressing each students’ unique educational needs, they facilitate successful integration into the community. The belief is that all students can achieve regardless of their disability. Innovative programs, instruction, and curriculum are defining components of CREST.

The student population at CREST ranges from birth to age twenty-two years of age. Students attending CREST are classified as having an Intellectual Disability (InD) or an Emotional Behavioral Disability (EBD). Under those two classifications are students with physical disabilities, autism, conduct disorder, compulsive disabilities, speech and language disabilities and more.

What does “61 – 100 – 12” mean at CREST?

The students at CREST have significant disabilities so much so that they find it challenging to function in a regular school setting. Sixty- one percent (61%) of CREST students are on free or a reduced lunch plan.  A hundred percent (100%) of our students have some form of disability. Twelve percent (12%) of our population is in wheelchairs.

The current status of the CREST playground is not adequate to facilitate all the need of the broad spectrum of student population. Currently there is no wheelchair accessible equipment. An age appropriate safe area specifically designed to foster the physical development of our early childhood students is needed. There isn’t any fitness equipment to address the needs of our older and more physically active students. Many of the medically fragile students are hypersensitive to light and due to the lack of shaded areas, they are unable to enjoy an outdoor play area with their peers.

In Citrus County there are no playgrounds that serve the needs of children with disabilities, especially children in wheelchairs. It is CREST goal to offer a playground with equipment that will be accessible for all children with disabilities.

CREST would like to develop a playground that offer swings made to accommodate wheelchairs and ramps that will make play areas with sensory, music, and learning panels easily accessible as well.

Students in wheelchairs have shared that the playground is boring because they can only sit under a pavilion due to no ramps or sidewalks to get to anything else. Other students have said that they do not even want to go to the playground because they just sit there in their wheelchair with no place to go and nothing to play with. As for our ambulatory population, CREST aims to have up to date equipment to not only facilitate physical development but also to provide a safe environment to stimulate positive social interaction.

Many Local organizations that have contributed to the CREST Playground Project:

• American Legion
• Wal-Mart
• SunTrust Bank
• Crystal River Rotary Club
• Gulf to Lakes Pilot Club
• iH hhhjh Historical Kenwood Garden Club of St. Pete
• Lecanto High School Video Productions
• Lecanto High School Drama Club
• Citrus County Cruisers

HOW can you help?

When you would like to participate in volunteering at an upcoming Playground fundraiser or by opening your wallet and making a monetary contribution of any amount CREST needs your help.

Contact Kelly Daugherty at CREST School (352) 527-0303 ext. 6114 or by email DaughertyK@citrus.k12.fl.us

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FCAT 2012!

As FCAT testing begins I want to thank the educators of Citrus County for their hard work with our students.  As a direct result of their influence and strategies students are less anxious or worried about the FCAT tests, rather they feeling more confident and optimistic.  That is a credit to the labor and preparation these teachers have each done with them.

For the last number of weeks and months my own children have brought home practice work done in class or for them to do at home.  With the urging of their teachers they have used our home computers to access online FCAT resources such as Study Island and FCAT Explore.  They have been taught test taking strategies and in many cases teachers and/or administrators  have met with them privately to make them aware of the expectations we have for them individually and to let them know that they are capable of success.  In 3rd grade families were given FCAT packages with helpful tips, suggestions and even letter paper and envelopes with instructions for give each family member to provide their student an inspirational encouraging note before taking the FCAT.  In addition to that my own children’s mother is a Citrus County educator who further requires enrichment learning at home. (my poor kids 😉 )

All of these efforts are not unique rather they are the norm.  I am encouraged for our students’ results and our students are blessed to have these dedicated educators in their lives.

I thank the educators of Citrus County for what you do each day for the students of Citrus County!

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