The Connection
Connecting you to the School District of Indian River County
Welcome to the Connection!
Welcome to The Connection, our new weekly newsletter connecting you to important news, events, and activities happening in the School District of Indian River County. This newsletter will highlight events throughout all grade levels and include district news. We are looking forward to your input in The Connection and hope that you will submit important news and information to be considered for publishing. Please email socialmedia@indianriverschools.org to submit potential highlights.
Congratulations to our SDIRC Teacher and Employee of the Year!
Nicole first got into education teaching English in South Korea, through a Fulbright Scholarship. This was in 2003-2004 after graduating with her bachelor's degree from the University of Scranton. When she returned to the States, she realized how much she loved the education field, and moved to Sebastian with her future husband in January 2005. Nicole was hired at the Vero Beach High School (VBHS) Freshman Learning Center to teach science very soon after moving to Sebastian. She took a 5-year hiatus from 2007-2012 to pursue a doctorate in ecology at Florida Institute of Technology, where she studied how climate and plant communities changed in the Andean forests of Peru and Ecuador over the last 1,500 years. Nicole knew she wanted to return to teaching at the high school level after receiving her Ph.D., and was lucky enough to return to the VBHS family in the fall of 2012. Dr. Mosblech been teaching there ever since, getting her dream job of teaching environmental science and helping students to become “global citizens” who learn how to be better stewards of our planet. Nicole teaches AP and Honors-level Environmental Science (11-12th grade), as well as Honors Chemistry (10th grade). She is also the sponsor for the VBHS Green Team and the Q+ Acceptance Club at the high school. Nicole’s husband, Eric, is a Spanish teacher, also at VBHS, and at home, they have two sons, Kieran (6) and Lucas (2).
Dr. Nicole Mosblech, Teacher of the Year, said, “Being chosen as the Teacher of the Year is an experience that I can’t easily put into words, but I’ll try! The amount of support, enthusiasm, encouragement, and love I’ve received is overwhelming and absolutely a reflection of why I earned this award. Every day, I’m inspired by the people with whom I share my time—my amazing colleagues and students. My motivation each day is to be a positive influence on those individuals, whether it’s sharing knowledge, sharing frustrations, or sharing kind words and laughter, and to be a positive influence for the community as a whole, improving sustainability and reducing environmental impacts. I consider myself extremely fortunate, and I am humbled, to be chosen as a representative of my VBHS and SDIRC families.”
Daisy Rios, Fellsmere Elementary School
Daisy Rios was born in Texas, but raised in Fellsmere. Her parents were migrant workers, so Daisy had the opportunity to attend different schools between Texas and Florida. Her family decided to call Fellsmere home in 2000. Daisy earned her Associates degree from Hillsborough Community College in Tampa where she lived for a few years. She has been married to her husband for 10 years and they have a 7-year old son, Esteban. Daisy has been working as a secretary at Fellsmere Elementary for almost 4 years now. She has participated as a coach for Girls on the Run, a teacher assistant in Moonshot Academy, and has had the privilege to give back to her community, as she once was a student, herself, at Fellsmere Elementary.
Daisy Rios, Employee of the Year, said, “I am both overjoyed and humbled to be the SDIRC Employee of the Year! I am so proud to be able to represent our incredible school, our community, and my fellow, amazing colleagues, at Fellsmere Elementary.”
18 indian river county schools recognized as five-star schools
Stars of the Year Gala Video
Student Spotlight: Antony Magellan, Tag Art Winner, Fellsmere Elementary
Pizza Party for Tax Collector Tag Art Contest
Fourth grade student, Antony Magellan, at Fellsmere Elementary, won the contest to name the turtle logo for the county tax collector’s Tag Art program.
Mrs Sandy Bachmann, on right, with Antony, and Priscilla from the Tax Collector office, had her 5th grade students compete in the Tag Art program in which 4 of those students won top awards. Naming the turtle logo was a contest for 4th grade art students to help excite them for next year’s art
contest. The whole 4th grade enjoyed a pizza party on the front lawn of the school thanks to Antony who won the contest by naming the turtle “Marco Angelo”.
Fourth grade at Fellsmere enjoys a pizza party
Student Spotlight: Jeffrey McCue and Alexander Ortiz-Velez, SRHS
All-State 2019, "Artistry: Teaching and Performing"! Congratulations to Sebastian River High School Choral Department students Jeffrey McCue and Alexander Ortiz-Velez for earning a spot in the prestigious Florida Vocal Association (FVA) All-State Men's Choir; the FVA is a component of the Florida Music Education Association (FMEA). They joined other young men from around the state to perform in the All-State TTBB Concert in Tampa's own Straz Center for the Performing Arts during the FMEA's Annual Professional Development Conference, January 9-12, 2019. What an honor it was for Jeffrey and Alexander to participate in this event; the concert was amazing and it made a lasting impact on the singers and the audience.
student spotlight: Shelby Muir, Glendale Elementary
Shelby, with art teacher, Ms. Medina
Shelby Muir, from Glendale Elementary, won the 1st place blue ribbon for the Centennial Art Contest organized by the Vero Beach Art Club. Shelby's watercolor hibiscus was awarded 1st place in the K-5th grade division for the district. Her art, along with all participants, will be used to create a Centennial poster for Vero Beach.
Veteran of the Month: Command Sergeant Major Edgar “Ed” Britt.
Introducing our Veteran of the Month for the month of January, Command Sergeant Major Edgar “Ed” Britt.
CSM Britt is very active in the veterans community in Indian River County. He actively mentors young people who volunteer at the Victory Center Military Store. As a Special Forces soldier, (US Army Green Beret,) he participated in the SON TAY Raid to rescue American Prisoners of War from Hanoi, North Vietnam.
CSM Britt is a role model for engagement with the community and how to shape the lives of young people through mentoring.
Magnet School registration
The School District of Indian River County will be accepting magnet school applications between December 1, 2018, and February 1, 2019, for the kindergarten classes of 2019 – 2020. In order to enter kindergarten for the next school year, students must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2019. Applications will be accepted until February 1, 2019, at 5 p.m. Kindergarten slots are filled by a lottery conducted in mid February. Families may indicate only ONE choice of a magnet school. The three magnet schools in Indian River County are Osceola Magnet, with a math and science focus; Rosewood Magnet, with a Core-Knowledge curriculum; and Liberty Magnet, with an international studies focus. Families who apply for their student to attend a magnet school must agree to follow the requirements of the Magnet School Commitments. Applications can be picked up at the School District office at 6500 57th Street or any of the magnet schools.
Student applications will be given a computer generated number to determine their rank in the lottery. Families will be notified by mail of their acceptance or non-acceptance. Kindergarten siblings of students currently attending one of the three magnet schools will automatically be accepted, if they have an application on file by 5:00 pm on February 1, 2019.
SDIRC Job Fair
SDIRC cordially invites you to participate in our 2019 SDIRC Teacher Job Fair on Wednesday, February 13, 2019, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
January's Casual for a Cause
Research
LLS is at the forefront of the fight to cure cancer. Compared to other blood cancer nonprofits, LLS is the largest funder of cutting-edge research to advance cures. We have invested more than $1.2 billion in research. We are leaders in advancing breakthroughs in immunotherapy, genomics and personalized medicine. This research saves lives. These revolutionary new treatments originally discovered through blood cancer research are now being tested in clinical trials for other cancers.
Patient Access
As the leading source of free blood cancer information, education and support for patients, survivors, families and healthcare professionals, LLS helps patients navigate their cancer treatment and ensures they have access to quality, affordable and coordinated care. Research will help us achieve an end to cancer. In the meantime, patients need help before, during and after their diagnosis and treatment. LLS is the leading nonprofit that does just that.
Policy and Advocacy
Through our nationwide grassroots network of more than 100,000 volunteers, we advocate for policies at the state and federal level in a commitment to remove barriers to care for cancer patients. Our efforts have helped increase federal research funds, speed the review and approval process of new therapies and ensure patients are able to access lifesaving treatments. Many of the policies that we advocate for, at the state and federal levels, are universally beneficial for all cancer patients.
support education tags available now!
Each time a tag is sold $20 goes toward the Education Foundation of Indian River County to fund classroom and school grants!
The full release was on December 14th. Hurry, and buy your plate today!
fortifyFL security app
We are pleased to announce that the FortifyFL app is LIVE. Now, any student, educator, parent, or member of the public can report school safety concerns directly to law enforcement and school administrators anonymously and easily through the FortifyFL app or www.getfortifyfl.com. The app, which is available for download on Apple and Android mobile devices, is critical to ensuring all Florida schools are safe environments where students and educators can experience and share the joy of learning without fear. We hope that you will become familiar with this tool and help us spread the word about it with our students and their families. Please note that the official app’s logo will look exactly as it does in the graphic above.
The scholarships are worth $500 each and can be used for reimbursement for the following:
*Tuition and fees for part-time tutoring provided by a person who holds a valid Florida educator’s certificate, a baccalaureate or graduate degree in the subject, an adjunct teaching certificate, or has demonstrated mastery of the subject area knowledge.
*Fees for summer education programs designed to improve reading or literacy skills.
*Fees for after-school education programs designed to improve reading or literacy skills.
*Instructional materials and curriculum related to reading or literacy.
Click to apply: https://www.stepupforstudents.org/for-parents/reading-scholarship/how-the-scholarship-works/
IRCSO Tips Hotline and School Tips Email
School information
Posting of flyers does not imply endorsement or recommendation by the School District of Indian River County.
School District of Indian River County's Strategic Plan
Click below to see our District's Strategic Plan
Follow Us!
The School District of Indian River County
Email: cristen.maddux@indianriverschools.org
Website: www.indianriverschools.org
Location: 6500 57th Street, Vero Beach, FL, USA
Phone: 772-564-3000
Facebook: facebook.com/SchoolDistrictofIRC
Twitter: @IRCSchools