SCHOOL SHOUT
Shouting Loud & Proud about Hillsborough Schools!
IN OUR JUNE EDITION...
SAVE THE DATE! Who makes the school calendar? A behind-the-scenes look at the process.
FREE screenings & supplies at our Back to School Bash!
Congratulations graduates! Looking back at some of the best moments from the Class of 2019 graduations!
THANK YOU HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY! New Air Conditioners Being Installed at 21 Schools This Summer
For everyone who asked why we had to wait until summer break to start replacing A/C units—this is why.
Blake High School has huge cranes lifting and lowering large pieces of metal.
Lithia Springs Elementary has the entire ceiling removed and chunks of insulation and tiles dropping from the rafters.
Walker Middle Magnet has dozens of construction crew members coming and going from all parts of the building.
To put it plainly, it wouldn’t have been safe for our students or staff to be on campus during all this construction.
So, it’s exciting to see the incredible progress now going on at so many of our schools this summer thanks to the Half-Penny Sales Tax.
Right now, 21 of our schools are getting brand new A/C units and MANY more are getting new roofs, along with smaller projects like new tracks, gym floors and security system upgrades.
Read more HERE
Watch the beginning phases of installation at Blake High School below
FREE SERVICES & SUPPLIES AVAILABLE AT OUR BACK TO SCHOOL BASH!
Join Hillsborough County Public Schools for our Back to School Bash and Kickoff Classic
This is a FREE event—Saturday, August 3rd at Raymond James Stadium from 8:01 a.m. until 2:01 p.m. The :01 start and end times are symbolic to support coming together as ONE for change.
Once on site, parents and guardians can register their child to receive FREE school physicals, eye exams and haircuts. School supplies will be available while they last.
SUMMER CAMPS & OPPORTUNITIES
CREATING THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL CALENDAR
So, who exactly makes the decisions about the school calendar?
Ever wonder how the school calendar is made? Ever wonder who proposes to the School Board which days students and staff should get off for Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break or teacher planning days?
Well, there’s a committee—and a lot of rules—and a lot of planning. In fact, the Calendar Committee met a couple weeks ago to start discussing the calendar for the 2020-2021 school year!
The committee is diverse. It includes students, parents, teachers, support personnel, representatives from both labor unions, principals, community members and district representatives.
On June 5, they all gathered in the School Board auditorium to begin setting the calendar.
There was a lot of spirited, respectful discussion.
Under state law, school cannot begin before August 10. Also, most state year-end tests cannot begin before May 1—and all those tests must be given within a four week window. In addition, our district made a commitment to our middle and high school families several years ago to have semester exams BEFORE Winter Break so students can take exams and then have a full two week break without worrying about studying for exams.
This means the Calendar Committee has a lot of decisions to make, and not a lot of wiggle-room to make them.
Over the course of an hour and a half, the committee made solid progress on a calendar for the 2020-2021 school year. However, there are some issues that still need to be ironed out—for example, the Super Bowl is in Tampa in 2021, which has to be taken into consideration when it comes to security and transportation.
After those issues are resolved, the calendar will be presented to the superintendent and the School Board for approval.
We know the calendar is crucial to all our students and families—please know the process to create it is a long and thoughtful one with input from MANY different perspectives.
2,340 DAYS OF SCHOOL—A PERFECT REWARD FOR PERFECT ATTENDANCE!
One by one, each with a key in their nervous hands, several recent graduates walked up to a shiny, white 2019 Toyota Yaris. They put their key in the lock.
These students all had one thing in common. They had perfect attendance from kindergarten through 12th grade.
And, because of that dedication to education, Toyota of Tampa Bay chose to honor one of them with a brand new car.
The first six students tried their keys. They wouldn’t turn.
Then Megan Graves, who recently graduated from Bloomingdale High, walked quietly up to the car. She stuck her key in the lock and wiggled it around a bit.
The door opened!
Read more HERE
Watch video of the key-turning event HERE
CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2019!
What an exciting and extraordinary few weeks for Hillsborough Schools! More than 14,000 seniors walked across the stage to accept their high school diplomas!
These students are off to do incredible things and change the world for the better.
Every graduation is special, but this year we experienced some truly exceptional moments as our graduates walked across the stage.
Below are just a few of the ones that really made an impact—not just locally, but across the country and even around the world!
An inspirational moment at Durant High School's graduation when Kolton Smith WALKED across the stage. Kolton was paralyzed from the waist down after a horrible car crash last summer.
Riverview High School Senior Ridhwani Fleurival passed away unexpectedly just days before graduation. His father accepted his son's diploma on his behalf.
Watch the video HERE
Proof it's never too late to graduate. Joe Perricone is 95 years young, and he walked across the stage to accept his diploma from Hillsborough High School. Mr. Perricone graduated in 1943 but was serving in WWII during graduation.
Attend Graduation—Or Play in the State Championship Game? For Six Plant City High Seniors, The Choice Was Simple
A Message From Our Superintendent
Dear Families,
Earlier this month, I announced that I will be retiring when my contract concludes at the end of the 2019-2020 school year.
This is not a decision that came easily.
Serving our community and making an impact on our students’ lives has been the most fulfilling experience of my life. However, as much as I love being your superintendent, I must remember I am a husband, son and brother first.
My wife and I evaluated the two most important priorities in our lives—faith and family—and made this decision together.
I have given a full year’s notice, to make sure our School Board has plenty of time to find a new superintendent and make the transition a smooth one. I have no doubt the members of our School Board will find the right successor to maintain Hillsborough County Public Schools’ positive momentum.
I am looking forward to the next school year, my final one serving as your superintendent. I am excited about big things ahead—and I know, together, we will continue to make great strides in Preparing Students for Life!
Twitter: @jeff_eakins
MAKE A DIFFERENCE—TEACH IN TAMPA
We are putting our best leaders and teachers into our 50 schools with the highest needs, providing the right resources, offering staff incentives and implementing programs for sustained student success.
Join us: TeachInTampa.com. For more information about Achievement Schools and our goals: hillsboroughschools.org/AchievementSch
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