The closing of the school year gives me another opportunity to offer my sincere gratitude to the many dedicated people who make our district the success that it is.<\/p>\n
From our incredibly bright and enthusiastic children who come to school each day eager to learn, to our supportive parents and families who not only offer assistance to our schools but make sure their children arrive at school prepared to meet the challenges of each day, to our amazing teachers whose dedication and commitment are awe inspiring.<\/p>\n
I am especially grateful to work for a district with such devoted and talented people whose focus remains steadfastly on the success and well-being of students. While there is no doubt we continue to be faced with many challenges beyond our control, I am confident in the ability of our teachers, administrators, staff members, students, parents and community to forge ahead and continue our tradition as a top-performing district.<\/p>\n
The end of this school year is especially meaningful as I reflect on my first graduation ceremonies and first several months as your superintendent. It is an honor and privilege to serve in this capacity and there is nothing I take more seriously than the care and education of your children and young adults.<\/p>\n
It was exciting to witness nearly 2,000 graduates walk across the stage to receive their diploma. They are now equipped with the essential knowledge, skills and strength of character to excel in the next stage of their young lives.<\/p>\n
I also want to say special thanks to our support staff. From bus drivers, to cafeteria workers, to administrators, to clerical staff, to custodians, we have the very best. Thank you for all of the hard work you put forth for our children.<\/p>\n
We are fortunate to have a school board who makes decisions based on a philosophy of \u201cchildren first.\u201d Their leadership during difficult times has demonstrated the true character of our board, and I am honored to work with each of them.<\/p>\n
Best wishes for a relaxing and enjoyable summer, and I look forward to an outstanding 2017-2018 school year.<\/p>\n
<\/u>Instructional Television<\/strong><\/p>\n Jim Harbin Awards<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The video production team is in the midst of judging regional entries for the annual Jim Harbin student-produced video contest. St. Johns County students have produced a number of high-quality videos that will most certainly do well on the state level. Other counties from our judging region including Clay, Marion, and Flagler, have also submitted a wide array of outstanding videos to be judged alongside the St. Johns County winners.<\/p>\n Graduation Videos<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Graduation is here and videos of the ceremonies for St. Augustine, Pedro Menendez, St. Johns Technical, and St. Johns Virtual high schools are being produced by the district. These videos will be posted online to the district video library at\u00a0www.stjohns.k12.fl.us\/video\/<\/a>\u00a0which can be downloaded for free. The videos are also available for purchase on DVD for $10 each. Please contact your student’s school for more information.<\/p>\n Webmaster<\/strong><\/p>\n The Community Relations Department recently launched the new website for Picolata Crossing Elementary School at www-pce.stjohns.k12.fl.us\/<\/a>. Also, several improvements have been made to the online Pre-employment Information Course which new employees use to learn about school district policies and procedures. The course now caters its content to four different types of new\u00a0hires to ensure that they only see the information they need to complete the pre-employment process.<\/p>\n Character Education<\/strong><\/p>\n Student Leadership Over 90 students from Gamble Rogers Middle School spent an entire day being trained in the Where Everybody Belongs (WEB) program that will welcome incoming sixth graders to their school. The program is comprised of eighth-grade students who have applied and gone through an interview process at their school to be considered a WEB leader. These WEB leaders are eager to mentor the incoming sixth graders for the 2017- 2018 school year. Other middle school WEB\u00a0trainings will take place in early August.<\/p>\n Pillar Patrol RSVP and Volunteer Services<\/strong><\/p>\n RSVP of St. Johns County<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) members have been very busy this year fulfilling their mission to assist students in their educational pursuits, and assist not-for-profit agencies in St. Johns County with special support. These volunteers have made a huge impact on academic achievement this year. Hundreds of students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade received literacy enhancement, tutoring, and\/or mentoring services. The results were higher achievement levels\u00a0and increased academic engagement. Volunteers also took part in special activities with community partners including ASSIST, St. Augustine Historical Inns, CHARACTER COUNTS! and EPIC Behavioral Services. To read more details about this active group, visit the RSVP website at www.rsvpstjohns.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\nRecently over 300 Link Crew Leaders from Allen D. Nease, St. Augustine and Bartram Trail high schools spent a weekend at a Link Crew retreat. The goal was to train the new student leaders for this student-to-student mentoring program that matches upperclassmen with incoming freshmen. This helps new students acclimate to the high school campus, culture and routine. Aside from this valuable training, the retreat serves to form a bond among the leaders. These student leaders can now bring this spirit of togetherness back to their respective high schools for the upcoming school year.<\/p>\n
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\nThe CHARACTER COUNTS! Steering Committee of St. Johns County is pleased to announce that the new CC! the Pillar mascot has arrived! \u201cCC! the Pillar\u201d has been active in celebrating students who display great character during their monthly school-wide recognition programs. CC! has also been spotting good character at several fifth-grade completion ceremonies encouraging students to continue to make good choices as they enter middle school.<\/p>\n