SCHOOL SHOUT
December 2019
In our December edition of School Shout...
These students from Pizzo K-8 have NO IDEA the surprise in store for them...
We're on break but your Referendum dollars are not—check out the huge projects going on the next couple weeks
Flexible seating is catching on in our schools—what is it and what are the benefits?
STAYING SHARP WITH TWO WEEKS OFF!
It is time for your much deserved Winter Break.
In case you and your children haven’t checked the calendar, that’s 17 days (including weekends) of no school.
That’s a long time to go without any math, reading and writing.
However, there are ways to sneak some education into your fun, everyday activities..
Here are four of our favorites, courtesy of Scholastic.com:
- Cook up an easy lesson. Bake with your child! Make some special holiday cookies or a special dish for dinner. Have them help you with the measuring and reading the recipe. Have them double the recipe for extra thinking. A great math and reading lesson!
- Have a family game night. Choose a game that requires money and counting, like Monopoly. Or maybe a fun guessing game that requires them to read words and act them out. Gather the whole family to play games you usually don’t have time for on school nights.
- Write thank-you notes. This is a lost art—but one that can really help improve your student’s writing skills. Have them write thank-you notes for their presents or perhaps to that special teacher or staff member who has helped them so much the first half of the year!
- Give them a gift-giving budget. Give your child a set amount of money and have them look through ads for the best deals and coupons. Once the list is complete, hit the stores to burn off some extra energy.
And remember to maintain a reasonable bedtime… Especially those last three or four nights before your child returns to school. It doesn’t take long for their little body clocks to get all mixed up.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR OUR FAMILIES
Early Release Mondays will begin again in the New Year
Early Release Mondays will resume in 2020 for every Monday our students are in school. On Early Release Days, students are released one hour before the normal end of school bell time.
Because of days we had to make up from Hurricane Dorian, Early Release Days were made full days in the first semester... But, beginning January 13, 2020, Early Release Mondays will begin again.
The rebuild of Tampa Heights Elementary School is well underway. The school was destroyed by fire after Hurricane Irma but 51,000 bricks were preserved from the old school and are being included in the rebuild. Tampa Heights Elementary will reopen to students in January 2021.
The School Choice window is only open for a few more days. The window closes December 31st at midnight. Check out all our options including 10 brand new programs headed to Hillsborough County Public Schools for the 2020-2021 school year.
Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis heard students' perspectives on mental health during a round table discussion at Hillsborough High. After the discussion, she announced three new efforts to connect kids with support and encourage them to reach out to one another.
REFERENDUM DOLLARS AT WORK DURING WINTER BREAK
We may be on break, but construction crews will take the opportunity to work on projects using Half-Penny Sales Tax dollars...
During the Winter Break, the following projects will take place:
- Colson Elementary - Receiving a new air handler
- McDonald Elementary - Demolition is done, starting framing for classroom renovation
- Burnett Middle - Generator work will be done
- Sickles High - Will receive three air handling units
- Alonso High - Air handler unit in kitchen will be replaced
- Dickenson Elementary - Will receive a TECO transformer
- Riverview High - Air handlers being replaced
- Lithia Springs Elementary - Ductwork, VAV equipment and grills for library air conditioning
- Bellamy Elementary - Student tunnel to prepare for second side of school renovation
So far, our district has received $93.6 million in tax revenue and more than $82 million has already gone back into our schools!
A HOLIDAY SURPRISE THESE STUDENTS WILL NEVER FORGET
Students in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program at Pizzo K-8 got a holiday surprise they'll never forget...
Thanks to a partnership from Netflix, 19 students were presented with brand new Amazon Fire tablets during a special party set up for the "Littles" of the program.
But another big surprise was awaiting them!
Buccaneers superstar Lavonte David walked into the room to hand out the gifts, and students ran toward him for hugs and autographs. David spent time with students afterward to chat, take pictures and spread holiday cheer.
The event was spearheaded by Netflix, which started similar events across the country called "Letters to Klaus."
WHAT'S COOL IN OUR SCHOOLS
SURPRISE, Bianca! Florida's Teacher of the Year awards King High Senior Bianca Mateo an $8,000 scholarship!
Two best friends have made it their mission to make books accessible to every student
Wobble chairs, bean bags & a couch! Students in Mrs. Price's 5th grade class at Lanier Elementary love flexible seating
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM YOUR SCHOOL BOARD
Dear Families,
We are putting the bow on a very busy and exciting year for Hillsborough County Public Schools and we want to thank you for all you have done to help make our schools so successful.
The year 2019 saw so many achievements made by our schools, students and staff that it would be impossible to name them all! However, we would like to highlight three of the successes we, as a school district, have accomplished together in 2019.
Marking five straight years of graduation rate growth. Final numbers will be out soon, and it appears our district’s graduation rate will have increased for the fifth time in a row. This increase has set thousands more students onto a more successful path in life with their valuable high school diplomas.
The safety of our students is our number one priority. In 2019, Hillsborough County Public Schools became the first large school district to be fully compliant with every part of Florida’s new School Safety law.
Thanks to your support in passing the Half-Penny Sales Tax for schools, we have been able to invest more than $82 million into our schools for necessary improvements. Those funds have gone toward new air conditioning units, replacing roofs and updating our technology and security. The independent Citizen Oversight Committee reviewed every project and every dollar spent.
The year 2020 is also going to be a very important year for all of us. Superintendent Eakins is preparing to retire on June 30. With input from our families, staff and community, your School Board is hard at work choosing our next superintendent. We will continue working over the Winter Break to make sure we hire the very best person for the job of Preparing Students for Life.
We hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable Winter Break with your friends and family and we will see everyone back to school, refreshed and ready to learn, on Tuesday, January 7, 2020!
Happy Holidays,
Your Hillsborough County School Board
Melissa Snively, Chair
Steve P. Cona III, Vice Chair
Lynn L. Gray
Stacy A. Hahn, PhD
Karen Perez
Tamara P. Shamburger
Cindy Stuart
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Email: newsletter@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Website: HillsboroughSchools.org
Location: 901 East Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, FL, USA
Phone: 813-272-4000
Facebook: facebook.com/HillsboroughSch
Twitter: @HillsboroughSCh