This Week
September 13, 2019
Honor Roll Teachers Named in Florence 1 Schools
Florence 1 Schools is closer to selecting its 2019-20 Teacher of the Year. Each school year, four finalists are selected in the Florence 1 Schools Teacher of the Year Program.
An outside panel of four selection committee members reviewed all school teacher of the year application packets and rated each one using specific selection criteria. The teachers whose packets received the highest ratings have been named Honor Roll Teachers. Florence One Honor Roll Teachers for 2019-20 include (pictured left to right below): Valerie Church, McLaurin Elementary; Katharine Bobbitt, Royall Elementary; Susan Bigham, Timrod Elementary; Alvinise (Nicole) Scipio, West Florence High.
This week, the teacher of the year selection committee visited the teachers' classrooms and will interview the teachers separately at the Florence One Schools Administration Building. Scores will be calculated, and Florence One's Teacher of the Year will be announced at a later date.
The Florence One Teacher of the Year's name will be submitted to the South Carolina Department of Education, and she will then vie for the title of South Carolina Teacher of the Year, having until December 2019 to complete the South Carolina Department of Education's application packet.
Parents Encouraged to Attend Listening Session
Wilson Students Named National Merit Semifinalists
Three Florence 1 high school seniors have been named semifinalists in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program. Florence One congratulates (pictured above left to right) Rebecca Liu, Saloman Campos-Rice and Isabell Ouyang all of Wilson High School for their selection as semifinalists, an honor that less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors achieve.
Nationwide, more than 16,000 seniors are competing in this prestigious national program which awards scholarships to academically talented students. In this high-stakes competition, students will compete for 7,500 scholarships worth $31 million. Finalists will be selected in February of 2020, and scholarship winners will be announced in the spring and summer.
Fellows in Education to Visit Schools this Year
Through a three-way partnership among Florence One, the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce and The School Foundation, a program designed for business and community leaders to spend time getting a unique, behind-the-scenes look into schools in Florence One continues in its fourth year. The program, known as the Fellows in Education Program, began with an orientation today for its members. this week.
During the duration of the program, there are plans for business and community leaders to see first-hand some of the successes and daily challenges educators face in the classroom. Within this program, there will also be an opportunity for interested participants to take part in a “Principal for a Day” exercise where the local leader will spend a portion of the day with a school principal as he or she conducts the duties of running the school.
Organizers of the program say the ultimate goal of Fellows in Education is to create a cadre of local leaders who will be able to collaborate with policymakers and community members in developing better education policies in the local community. In its third year, the Fellows in Education Class of 2018 held an orientation for group members today at the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.
The first of eight school visitations will begin on Tuesday, October 1 at Sneed Middle, and sessions will be held thereafter on the first Tuesday of each month through the month of May at different Florence One schools. (See schedule.)
For this fifth class of Fellows in Education, members of the three-way partnership have again sought after a select group of over twenty community and business leaders whom they believe are civic-minded supporters of the need for expansion of local educational resources.
The 2019 Fellows in Education Schedule
1. October 1, 2019 Sneed Middle School
2. November 5, 2019 Timrod Elementary School
3. December 3, 2019 Carver Elementary School
4. January 7, 2020 Williams Middle School
5. February 4, 2020 Greenwood Elementary School
6. March 3, 2020 South Florence High School
7. April 14, 2020 Briggs Elementary School
8. May 5, 2020 McLaurin Elementary
Parent Workshop Offered
Thursday, September 19
Meet Helle Heckmann
Meet Helle Heckmann on Wednesday, September 18 for coffee from 8:00 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the RN Beck Child Development Center, 1001 West Sumter Street.
Who should attend:
Parents of children under 6, grandparents, child care providers, teachers, and community advocates.
Open Enrollment: October 1 through October 31
If it’s fall in South Carolina, it’s open enrollment time. *PEBA has your ticket to selecting employee insurance benefits for 2020.
Open enrollment is a window during which employees may add or drop their health insurance, or make changes to their coverage.
Open enrollment is October 1 through October 31, 2019. However, the Colonial Life benefits counselors will visit all locations beginning this month (September).
If you are satisfied with your current coverage, you don’t need to do anything. Your coverage will continue in 2020. Keep in mind, though, you must re-enroll in MoneyPlus flexible spending accounts each year. You will soon be receiving an e-mail so you can schedule your appointment to meet with a benefits counselor at your location to re-enroll in MoneyPlus and make any other eligible changes. If you are unable to schedule an appointment or do not wish to meet with a benefits counselor, you may make your Open Enrollment elections online using MyBenefits at MyBenefits.sc.gov .
For more information, call Renee Prosser in the Florence 1 Schools Office of Human Resources at 843-662-3306.
*Public Employee Benefit Authority