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2020

Character Challenge

Although the St. Johns County School District was not able to host its annual Character Cup, a team of elementary school coaches, under the guidance of the K-12 Physical Education Program Specialist, Antonio Scott, came up with the idea to do a virtual fitness challenge. Each event was based on one of the pillars of Character Counts. We are so proud of our fifth grade students across the district who took on the challenge!

Thank you to the following elementary school coaches who helped organize this event: Ashley Mahaven at Valley Ridge Academy, Kurtis Wright at Freedom Crossing Academy, Robin Mace at Durbin Creek Elementary School, Angela Miller at  South Woods Elementary School, Cindy Anderson at Palm Valley Academy and Jessica Lane at Timberlin Creek.

https://vimeo.com/420803124

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Message from the Superintendent – May 27, 2020

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Dear SJCSD Parents and Guardians,

Today marks the end of the school year. The end of this school year has been like no other with the impact of COVID-19. As we begin to plan for August and a new school year, we need your input. Please visit our District website to take a brief survey that I would like you to complete. Please complete a separate survey for each of your children. This is relative to our school district unlike the previous survey sent to all districts by the Florida Department of Education. There will likely be additional surveys this summer that will be sent to you as we refine the operational plan for the new school year. Thank you for your continued support and input.

Sincerely,

Tim Forson
Superintendent of Schools
St. Johns County School District

Message from the Superintendent – May 27, 2020 Read More »

Secondary Grading Update

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Dear Parents and Guardians of Students in Grades 6-12,

I hope that all of you are staying safe. As we move toward the end of the 2019-2020 school year, I would like to share some additional information regarding 4th quarter grading.

The following protocols are now in place to ensure our goal to exercise care and compassion for our students. Our intent is to recognize the challenges of the sudden move to distance learning, but also to be clear that students are expected to engage in learning during the 4th quarter.

For middle school students who are demonstrating their best work, attempting assignments and communicating with teachers, grades will be addressed as follows:

  • Yearlong courses: the Q4 grade will be no lower than average of Q1, Q2 & Q3.
  • Second semester middle school courses: the Q4 grade will be no lower than the Q3 grade.
  • High school courses taken in middle school: refer to the high school student section below

For high school students who are demonstrating their best work, attempting assignments and communicating with teachers, grades will be addressed as follows:

  • Yearlong courses that have an EOC exam: the Q4 grade will be no lower than the average of Q1, Q2 & Q3.
  • All other high school courses: the Q4 grade will be no lower than the Q3 grade.

For any student in grades 6-12, who willfully refuses to complete schoolwork during the 4th quarter, teachers may, in consultation with the principal, assign an F for Q4. The F will be recorded as a 59%.

Algebra 1

For students enrolled in Algebra 1 or Algebra 1 Honors during the 2019-2020 school year, the requirement to take the EOC and the requirement that the EOC counts as 30% of the final grade have been waived. However, there is still a math graduation requirement that must be met via one of the following options: passing score on a future Algebra 1 EOC, passing score on a future Geometry EOC, approved math concordant score on the PSAT/NMSQT, ACT or SAT.

SJCSD Students who take the Algebra 1 EOC during the summer 2020 administration or the fall 2020 administration will be eligible for the opportunity to include the EOC score in the Algebra 1 grade. Only if the score raises the final grade, will the grade be changed. Testing date information will be provided by each school.

Thank you for supporting your children with online learning! Our success has been a team effort and from my seat, SJCSD teachers, parents and students have been virtually amazing!

Together,

Tim Forson
Superintendent

Secondary Grading Update Read More »

Instruction Continuity Parent Survey

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Dear SJCSD Parents and Guardians,

As we progress through the last quarter of this school year, I ask that you continue to stay connected with your child’s teachers and encourage your child to keep giving his/her best effort. I am so appreciative of the commitment you have made to assist our teachers in providing valuable learning experiences for your child. The interaction between teachers and students has been remarkable even in this remote world.

Please take a moment to complete the Instruction Continuity Parent Survey. This brief survey that will assist us when making adjustments to our virtual platform. Thank you for taking the time to give us your feedback. Please stay safe as we work together to rid the community of COVID-19.

The survey will be open until noon on Friday, April 24.

Working together,

Tim Forson
Superintendent of Schools
St. Johns County School District

Instruction Continuity Parent Survey Read More »

Message from the Superintendent – April 17, 2020

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Dear SJCSD Parents,

I hope that you and your child are becoming more confident and comfortable in this virtual environment. If you recall, we began this online learning at the beginning of the fourth grading period and teachers continue to review and assess work completed in this virtual model.

There are several adjustments to grading that will be implemented this grading period. I am also providing some clarification to other related issues such as interim reports, final exams, and promotion. The documents included on this web page provide information that you should find helpful.

Elementary Parent Guide on Exams, Grading & Promotion
Secondary Parent Guide on Exams, Grading & Promotion

 

While we have not received guidance from the state regarding a recommendation to end school closures on May 1, we will continue to communicate what we know in a timely manner.

Working together,

Tim Forson
Superintendent of Schools
St. Johns County School District

Message from the Superintendent – April 17, 2020 Read More »

Message from the Superintendent – April 15, 2020

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Dear SJCSD Parents,

How quickly we have found ourselves in the world of virtual learning. I hope that your child has been able to engage with his/her teacher and has received meaningful feedback regarding academic progress. Since transitioning to a virtual platform I expect that you and your child are receiving confirmation of assignments being accepted as well as feedback on quizzes and assessments.

Given the structure of this virtual environment, you will not receive interim reports in the format you have received in the past. If you do not feel you have received adequate feedback on a specific class, please email your child’s teacher.

Over the next few days, I will share additional information regarding fourth quarter grading, promotion decisions, and other policy considerations to be reviewed or revised while using the online format. Presently, I do not know if we will continue in a virtual platform after May 1. As soon as we receive state guidance on this issue, we will share our decision with you. At this time, we also do not know how summer programs and camps will be impacted. I appreciate your patience as we navigate through this situation.

Working together,

Tim Forson
Superintendent of Schools
St. Johns County School District

Message from the Superintendent – April 15, 2020 Read More »

Message from the Superintendent – April 2, 2020

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Dear SJCSD Parents and Guardians,

I hope you and your child are starting to adapt to the online environment. This has been a learning week for everyone, and I am confident that the problems we have faced are being resolved. Our teachers continue to do amazing work for the benefit of all children.

Today, I have made the very difficult decision to cancel all traditional high school graduations. The UNF arena is no longer available and I believe our high schools need to be consistent in how we celebrate the Class of 2020. In addition, COVID-19 could still be a threat into the summer, we simply do not know. Your school will communicate virtual graduation plans as soon as they are finalized.

Have a great Friday, and a restful weekend. Stay safe and enjoy your family.

Sincerely,

Tim Forson
Superintendent of Schools
St. Johns County School District

Message from the Superintendent – April 2, 2020 Read More »

Message from the Superintendent – April 1, 2020

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Dear SJCSD Parents and Guardians,

Today we faced additional challenges with connectivity to Schoology. I share this frustration with you and assure you that we are working with the vendor to solve these issues. In the meantime, I encourage you and your child to reach out to his/her teacher via email. As I wrote yesterday, patience and flexibility are paramount. We will keep getting better.

Meal service will continue at designated school and community sites until further notice. This is an essential service offered to children 18 years or younger in need of breakfast and lunch while we are closed. In the last few days there have been posts on social media encouraging others to visit specific schools to receive these meals. Some of these posts encourage community members with children to drive through more than once to prevent the service from ceasing and preserve job functions at these sites.

While we want families who need the meals to receive them for their children, prompting the community to show up just to get meals puts a strain on distribution. It prevents us from allocating funding, efforts and resources where the need is greater.

Today Governor DeSantis issued an executive order to stay at home except for individuals who are essential employees providing essential community services as defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In this guidance, “educators supporting public and private K-12 schools, colleges, and universities for purposes of facilitating distance learning or performing other essential functions” is included in the essential critical infrastructure workforce. We are continuing to review and define essential staff through job functions while promoting a work at home model for employees who can.

I appreciate your commitment to your child’s education. I value the support and trust you have placed in the St. Johns County School District to instruct your children while we continue to learn in this new environment.

Sincerely,

Tim Forson
Superintendent
St. Johns County School District

Message from the Superintendent – April 1, 2020 Read More »

Meal Service

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services and USDA have approved meal service during the time of unanticipated school closures. This program focuses on areas of eligibility based on economic need. For meal service locations, please refer to the website, http://www.summerbreakspot.org.

  • Meals will be provided through a walk-up and drive-thru service in the parent drop off loop at the participating locations.
  • The meals will be provided to children 18 years or younger. Children must be present to receive meals.
  • Children may receive meals at the nearest participating site, even if it is not where they attend school. This eliminates the need for families to drive to multiple schools.
  • Each day, lunch for that day and breakfast for the next day will be provided at the same time.
  • All school sites will operate from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., March 23 – 27.
  • All community sites will operate 11 a.m. to Noon, March 23-27.

The following sites will be participating under this program:

Schools:

John A. Crookshank Elementary Gamble Rogers Middle
The Evelyn Hamblen Center Sebastian Middle
Otis A. Mason Elementary South Woods Elementary
R.J. Murray Middle The Webster School
Osceola Elementary

Community Sites:

W.E Harris Community Center in Hastings Woodlawn Apartments

Meal services will be provided at select schools that are not included in the need-based Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and USDA programs.

  • These meals are intended for children in need of meals during the unanticipated school closings, typically those who participate in the school lunch program based on need.
  • Meals will be provided through a walk-up and drive-thru service in the parent drop off loop at the participating schools.
  • The meals will be provided to children 18 years or younger. Children must be present to receive meals.
  • Children may receive meals at the nearest participating school, even if it is not where they attend school. This eliminates the need for families to drive to multiple schools.
  • Each day, lunch for that day and breakfast for the next day will be provided at the same time.
  • All sites will operate from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., March 23 – 27.

Meals will be available at the following sites:

Bartram Trail High Pedro Menendez High PVPV-Rawlings Elementary
Fruit Cove Middle Allen D. Nease High St. Augustine High
W.D. Hartley Elementary Pacetti Bay Middle Switzerland Point Middle
R.B. Hunt Elementary Palencia Elementary Timberlin Creek Elementary
Ketterlinus Elementary Palm Valley Academy Valley Ridge Academy
Alice B. Landrum Middle Patriot Oaks Academy

 

Meal Service Read More »

National History Day Winners 2020

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National History Day 2019-2020 Award Ceremony

The SJCSD National History Day competition was held on Wednesday, March 4, at First Coast Technical College and our awards ceremony was held on March 5. Over 100 students presented a total of 64 projects at the competition.

National History Day 2019-2020 District Winner

Adam Bernstein & Sreeniketh Vogoti of Allen D. Nease High School won “Best Overall Project” and 28 other students were named state competition qualifiers.

View the full list of National History Day 2019-2020 District Winners.

 

National History Day Winners 2020 Read More »

Revised Attendance Zoning Proposal

A revised Attendance Zoning Proposal was discussed at the School Board Workshop on March 3rd and is now posted on the District’s website.

The revised proposal would leave River Oaks Plantation (Geocode 050103), Cunningham Creek Estates and Fruit Cove Woods (Geocode 038106) at Bartram Trail High School. This revised proposal creates no changes to the Creekside High School Attendance Zone.

Another component of the revised proposal would split the Orangedale area (Geocode 034109) into two separate areas with Trout Creek as the dividing line. Areas West of Trout Creek are proposed to remain at Bartram Trail High School. Areas East of Trout Creek and along SR 16 are proposed to attend High School HHH.

Revised Attendance Zoning Proposal Read More »

Florida Division of Emergency Management Announces St. Johns County School District Adds More Than 5,000 Hurricane Shelter Spaces

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) announced the St. Johns County School District has completed a two-year shelter retrofit project that added 5,141 additional hurricane shelter spaces and 133 additional special needs hurricane shelter spaces through $1.2 million in funding. The shelter spaces were added to Switzerland Point Middle School and Pacetti Bay Middle School.

“As a state, it is our responsibility to make sure we make every effort to keep people safe, and that includes having adequate shelter space,” said FDEM Director Jared Moskowitz. “This project addresses a need St. Johns County experienced during Hurricane Matthew, and sets an example for how we can learn from past storms to build more resilient communities.”

“We are grateful for the state’s assistance as we work to ensure every County resident has a safe place to go during an emergency,” said St. Johns County School District Superintendent Tim Forson. “Through this program, not only have we added more shelter spaces, but we have the extra benefit of making our schools more resilient.”

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our residents, and we are grateful to the Governor and Division of Emergency Management for supporting their safety through this project,” said St. Johns County Administrator Hunter Conrad. “The additional spaces will allow us to provide improved protection for our special needs populations during future hurricane seasons.”

This project follows Hurricane Matthew’s impact on St. John’s County in 2016 and was funded and supported by the Hurricane Loss Mitigation Program and the Hurricane Shelter Deficit Reduction Program. These programs promote community resiliency through retrofits made to hurricane shelters and to residential and commercial properties.

Since 2016, the number of counties in Florida that have adequate space for Florida’s special needs populations has increased by 60 percent, from 21 in to 34 counties in 2020. Cities, counties and school districts have benefitted from shelter retrofit funding by increasing their community’s hurricane shelter space.

In the last two years, more than 20,000 new shelter spaces have been added in Florida. By the end of 2020, 31,000 additional shelter spaces are expected across the state.

Learn more about the Hurricane Loss Mitigation Program.

Florida Division of Emergency Management Announces St. Johns County School District Adds More Than 5,000 Hurricane Shelter Spaces Read More »

Upcoming Town Hall Meetings on Attendance Zoning

Two Town Hall meetings will be held to discuss potential attendance zoning changes for new High School HHH soon to begin construction and planned to open for the 2021-2022 school year.  High School HHH is located at 11200 St. Johns Parkway (at the intersection of St. Johns Parkway and International Golf Parkway).  Other possible attendance zone changes relate to the SilverLeaf Development.

The two meetings will take place as follows:

  • Tuesday, February 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Allen D. Nease High School, located at 10550 Ray Road, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081
  • Thursday, February 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Bartram Trail High School, located at 7399 Longleaf Pine Parkway, St. Johns, FL 32259

A proposed zoning plan is being finalized and will be shared at the Town Hall meetings, along with an opportunity for the public to provide comment.  The same information will be presented at both meetings.  School Board members and district staff will be in attendance.

At this time, the proposal impacts the current attendance zones and students at Allen D. Nease High School, Bartram Trail High School, Creekside High School, Liberty Pines Academy, Mill Creek Academy, Pacetti Bay Middle School, and Switzerland Point Middle School.

The meeting will also discuss plans for future High School III.  High School III is in the planning stages and expected to be constructed within 3-4 years. The future discussions of High School III could impact areas currently zoned for Allen D. Nease High School and Bartram Trail High School.

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