SJCSD

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First Lady Ann Scott Kicks off 10^th Annual Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! in St. Johns County

Ponte Vedra, Fla., January 22, 2018 – Today, First Lady Ann Scott kicked off 2018 Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! at Ponte Vedra High School in St. Johns County. The First Lady was joined by St. Johns County Superintendent Tim Forson, Department of Education and Florida Lottery officials, and Ponte Vedra High School students and staff. The 10^th annual theme is “Find Yourself in a Book.”

First Lady Ann Scott said, “This is my eighth Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!, and I am thrilled for the opportunity to spend time with hundreds of Florida students and their outstanding teachers and principals throughout the week. I look forward to this event every year because it draws attention to the invaluable role of reading and literacy in every facet of our lives.”

Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart said, “In order for students to reach their full potential, they must continually hone essential reading and literacy skills. First Lady Ann Scott’s passion for literacy motivates students to love reading as much as she does, and I am so appreciative of her support of Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!”

Following the kick-off event, First Lady Ann Scott will visit the following schools on her literacy tour:

• Ponte Vedra Palm Valley Rawlings Elementary School
• Robert Willis Elementary School
• Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary School
• Tara Elementary School
• West Navarre Primary School
• Oriole Beach Elementary School
• Bennett C. Russell Elementary School

Since Governor Rick Scott took office in 2011, First Lady Scott has prioritized reading and literacy, and she has visited all of Florida’s 67 counties sharing her passion for reading with Floridians. During the school year, First Lady Scott visits schools throughout the state, where she reads to Florida’s students and thanks their hardworking educators for helping to prepare them for lifelong success. Over the summer months, she partners with the Departments of Education and Environmental Protection to encourage students to remain focused on reading all year.

Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida! is a week-long celebration each January designed to raise awareness about the importance of literacy and to inspire Florida’s students and families to make reading a part of their daily routines. The week’s events are made possible by participating sponsors: Florida Lottery; LEGOLAND Florida Resort; and the Florida Education Foundation.

For more information about Celebrate Literacy Week, visit Just Read, Florida!

Students in the Flagler Hospital Academy of Medical & Health Careers at Pedro Menendez High School demonstrate skills they have learned during the St. Johns County School District High School Programs of Choice Showcase on January 18, 2018.

The St. Johns County School District High School Programs of Choice Showcase on January 18, 2018 highlighted Career Academies and specialized programs available to 9th and 10th grade students throughout the district.

St. Johns Virtual School coordinator of virtual instruction, Michael Eisen, speaks with attendees of the St. Johns County School District High School Programs of Choice Showcase on January 18, 2018.

High School Showcase 2018
January 18, 2018 3:30-7:00pm
World Golf Village Convention Center

Did you know that over 40% of all high school students in St. Johns County are enrolled in one or more of our Programs of Choice? Programs of Choice provide excellent options for the students of St. Johns County. To help families learn more about the Programs of Choice, each high school displays their programs at the St. Johns County School District High School Programs of Choice Showcase. This year, the High School Showcase will be held Thursday, January 18, 2018 from 3:30 – 7:00 pm at the World Golf Village Convention Center.

This event highlights Career Academies and specialized programs available to rising 9th and rising 10th grade students who live in St. Johns County. All high school programs to which current 8th or 9th graders can apply for next school year will have booths to share information. These programs include the Career Academies; Accelerated Programs – International Baccalaureate (IB), and Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE); JROTC – Navy, Army and Air Force; and the St. Johns County Center for the Arts (SJCCA). Seventh graders and their parents are also welcome to join us as they gather information for their future planning. Students can apply to any of these programs no matter which school they are zoned to attend, although some program exceptions apply to this process. For example, students will need to apply and audition to be considered for the St. Johns County Center for the Arts at St. Augustine High School. Auditions will be held on Monday, January 29, 2018 at St. Augustine High School. For more information about the audition process, go to the St. Johns County Center for the Arts (SJCCA) website.

For additional information on program exceptions and considerations, please visit the Career Academy of St. Johns website. Families must make transportation arrangements for students who attend schools other than their zoned school. Out-of-zone transportation is only provided to students attending St. Johns Technical High School.

If you are unable attend this event, additional information is available on the Career Academy website. Each school also has a video overview of the programs offered at their school. Furthermore, each high school will have an Academy Night at their school to allow prospective students to tour the school, visit the classrooms, and hear more in-depth in formation about the programs from teachers, current students and business partners.

Academy Nights will all be held at 6:00 pm on the dates and at the locations listed below.
*St. Johns Technical High School Academy Night begins at 5:30 pm.

Jan. 22 – Bartram Trail
Jan. 30 – Allen D. Nease
Feb. 5 – Creekside
Jan. 23 – St Augustine
Feb. 1 – Pedro Menendez
Feb. 6 – Ponte Vedra & St. Johns Tech

Students currently in 8th or 9th grade who wish to enroll in one of the Programs of Choice for the first time MUST apply between January 18, 2018 at 8:00 am to February 8, 2018 at 5:00 pm. (Current high school students already in programs do not need to reapply.) Current SJCSD students must apply online through the student’s Home Access Center (HAC) and directions can be found at on the Career Academies website. Home School, Private School or Virtual School students who are interested in enrolling in a Program of Choice at one of the SJCSD high schools next year need to pre-register at the CURRENT zoned school your child would have attended in the SJCSD this school year. After registering as a potential student, the currently zoned school will provide you with a paper application to complete and return. The due date to apply is still February 8 at 5:00 pm. Only students residing in St. Johns county are eligible to apply for any of these programs.

Students currently not attending a SJCSD school need to pre-register. Please visit the school district’s website for the required documentation that you will need for preregistration. If accepted into one or more of these Programs of Choice, the family will need to complete the application process by bringing additional registration documents (such as transcripts, immunization records, etc.) before the start of the 2018 -2019 school year.

Eligibility to apply to the Career Academies and JROTC Programs is open to all 8th or 9th graders who reside in St. Johns County who apply during the application dates. IB and AICE have academic eligibility requirements as they are accelerated academic programs. Teacher Recommendations Forms must be submitted to the IB or AICE Coordinators at the schools for which the student is applying by Feb. 8th.

Each Program of Choice has a limited number of space for new students, so applying does not guarantee acceptance in to a program. An automated lottery system is used to select the students who will be accepted. All families will receive email notifications by the end of February as to whether their child has been accepted into one or more programs or not for the next school year.

By law, students of active military parents receive additional consideration to Programs of Choice. Active military parents of applicants should go to their child’s current school office before February 8th and show their military card to the office staff to have their military expiration date updated in the student’s eSchool records.

For questions about the SJCSD Programs of Choice that cannot be found on the website, please contact our office at 904-547-4870.

The St. Johns County School District uses SchoolMessenger for notification to parents/families via text, email and phone.  Previously when phone calls were initiated, a school phone number was displayed on the receiver’s phone.  Starting Friday, November 3^rd, the number that will display when a call is generated from any school in the district will be (844) 309-7699.   This change will enable the person receiving the message to call this number back and hear the most current messages received.

This change will assist us in furthering our efforts to ensure that mass phone messages are accurate and consistent. Thank you for your continued support.

The Nease High School Football team and coaching staff organized Victory Day, a field study experience for students with disabilities from Timberlin Creek, Wards Creek and Valley Ridge Academy.

During Victory Day, students participated in football drills, tried on equipment and scored touch downs against the Nease High School Panthers.

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Students from Sebastian Middle School’s SWAT Club (Students Working Against Tobacco) gave a presentation at the St. Johns County Legislative Delegation Meeting on October 20th. In their presentation, they called attention to the increased prevalence of vaping among youth and the need for smoke-free parks and beaches.

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Free school meals provided through the FEMA Major Disaster Declaration will end on October 20, 2017 and students will revert to their normal lunch status on October 21, 2017. If you have questions, please call 904-547-8931.

The Annual UpLift with A.S.S.I.S.T. Dinner/Silent Auction is scheduled for Thursday, October 19 from 6-9 p.m. at the Character Counts Conference Center on the FCTC campus.  Tickets are available for a $25 donation at INK-Stjohns.org. This year’s theme is “Breaking Down Barriers…One Student at a Time.”

The Attendance Zoning process for 2018-2019 now includes a proposed Plan C posted here https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/zoning/. This plan is a third option to Plans A and B. Plan C addresses proposed changes for the schools in the Northwest. For the first time, Plan C also includes students currently zoned to Hickory Creek Elementary from the RiverTown development.

This attendance zoning proposal is a part of the process to establish Attendance Zones for the two new K-8 schools. These K-8 schools are currently under construction and will open for the 2018-2019 school year. K-8 School KK is located at 2135 Palm Valley Road, Ponte Vedra, FL, 32081 and is being constructed using monies from the school impact fees, school proportionate share mitigation fees and the half-cent sales tax passed in November 2015. K-8 School LL is located at 1365 Shetland Drive, Saint Johns, FL, 32259 and is being constructed using monies from half-cent sales tax. Other possible attendance zone changes relate to Heritage Park located off of Woodlawn Road and the Sawmill Lakes development located off of SR 207, both in St. Augustine.

At this time, one of more of the proposals impact the current attendance zones and students at Cunningham Creek Elementary, Durbin Creek Elementary, Fruit Cove Middle School, Hickory Creek Elementary, Alice B. Landrum Middle School, Otis A. Mason Elementary School, R.J. Murray Middle School, Ocean Palms Elementary, Palencia Elementary School, Pacetti Bay Middle School, Patriot Oaks Academy, Sebastian Middle School, Switzerland Point Middle School and Valley Ridge Academy.

View Zoning Plan C

As a result of days lost due to Hurricane Irma the SJCSD will make up two school days on Monday, October 16 and Friday, November 10. Information on how to make up lost time between Friday, September 8, and Friday, September 15 will be shared with all employees soon.

St. Johns County is one of the 37 counties designated in the FEMA Major Disaster Declaration. All students in St. Johns County can receive free school meals (breakfast and lunch) from September 18 through October 20, 2017. A la carte menu items will still be available for purchase. If you have questions, please call 904-547-8931.