December 2013
message from
School Board Elects Chairman
Superintendent
Dr. Margaret A. Smith
Ms. Candace Lankford was elected as chairman of the
school board and has been a school board member since 2002. Mr. Stan
Schmidt was named vice-chairman and is beginning his eighth year on
the school board. Ms. Lankford and Mr. Schmidt will serve in their new
roles, effective immediately, until the next organizational session meeting on
November 18, 2014.
Teacher of the Year Finalists
Each of Volusia County’s public schools has completed the process to
select its Teacher of the Year. The 70 winners, chosen by their peers, are
nominated to compete for the honor of Volusia County School District’s
2015 Teacher of the Year (see list of names below). The current Volusia
County Teacher of the Year is Emily Edwards, who teaches fourth grade at
Citrus Grove Elementary in DeLand.
The 2015 district Teacher of the Year winner will be announced at a
gala banquet on Friday, February 28, and will be nominated for the state
Teacher of the Year program.
Dear Staff,
During
this
holiday
season, as we near the end
of the 2013 year, it is the
opportune time to express
deep appreciation to all school
district staff for your dedication
to our schools and students.
I am thankful to work with
so many individuals who give
their best each and every day
to enrich the lives of Volusia
students.
It is my hope that the
2014 New Year will bring you
the best year ever full of bright
expectancies. I wish you a
wonderful holiday season with
all of life’s satisfactions and a
happy, happy new year!
Yours in Education,
(continued on page 3)
Margaret A. Smith, D.Ed.
Superintendent of Schools
Page 2
the Educator
Winter Holiday Closings
In order to continue to benefit from the
considerable energy cost savings all district offices
will be closed to the public Monday, December
23 through Tuesday, January 7. Schools will be
closed December 23 through January 6. Students
and teachers will return to school January 7.
School Board of Volusia County
Ms. Candace Lankford, Chairman
Mr. Stan Schmidt, Vice Chairman
Mrs. Diane J. Smith
Mrs. Linda Costello
Mrs. Ida D. Wright
Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Margaret A. Smith
We wish you a
happy and safe
holiday season.
Address correspondence to:
The Educator
Editor, Liz Perpiñan, Human Resources
[email protected]
Contributing Editors:
Brenda Brett, Technology Services
Denise Dietrich, Superintendent’s Office
Evette Gonzalez, Human Resources
Dana Paige-Pender, Human Resources
Pat Travis, Community Information
Nancy Wait, Community Information
Log on to
the ePortal
often to
review
payroll
information
and more!
Page 3
December 2013
Teacher of the Year Finalists
(continued from page 1)
Be sure to congratulate all of the
2015 Teacher of the Year Nominees
(Alphabetical by School)
Alternative Education (Riverview Learning
Center), Carolyn Williams Horne
Atlantic High, Ursulyne Van Meter
Blue Lake Elementary, Dora G. Freed
Campbell Middle, Sandra Quijano
Champion Elementary, Emily Kristine Light
Chisholm Elementary, Diane R. Griffin
Citrus Grove Elementary, Angela Young
Coronado Beach Elementary, Cori Winch
Barnes
Creekside Middle, Rachel C. Bogdanoff
Cypress Creek Elementary, Terri Suydam
DeBary Elementary, Camille Austin
DeLand High, Melinda D. O’Neill
DeLand Middle, JoAnna Elliot
Deltona High, Barbara A. Bates
Deltona Lakes Elementary, Jennie Marie
Maldonado
Deltona Middle, Derek O. Travis
Discovery Elementary, Claudia K. Holcomb
Edgewater Public, Michelle Amanda Lindsey
Enterprise Elementary, Marjorie E. Henderson
Forest Lake Elementary, Johanna Cosentino
Freedom Elementary, Angela Arico Jones
Friendship Elementary, Nancy Rodriguez
Galaxy Middle, Leslie L. Derochers
George Marks Elementary, Diane Simon
Heritage Middle, Amy M. Dempsey
Hinson Middle, Nita T. Manis
Holly Hill School, Ericka N. Christian
Horizon Elementary, Carol J. Crain
Indian River Elementary, Ann Marie Flanagan
Longstreet Elementary, Loretta Del Greco
Mainland High, Lisa Alexander
Manatee Cove Elementary, Susan M. Carlisle
McInnis Elementary, Paula Alexandra OutzenFerrentino
New Smyrna Beach High, Grace Kellermeier
New Smyrna Beach Middle, Ann M. Jones
Orange City Elementary, Tonya Akins
Ormond Beach Elementary, Robbin M. H.
Durden
Ormond Beach Middle, Kristen D. Pirkey
Ortona Elementary, Elizabeth Zain Austin
Osceola Elementary, Kathy G. Szlosek
Osteen Elementary, Michelle Polgar
Palm Terrace Elementary, Jessica L. Werdann
Pathways Elementary, Ellen L. Trexler
Pierson Elementary, Michelle Holland
Pine Ridge High, Michelle Swint
Pine Trail Elementary, Katherine Grindle
Port Orange Elementary, Debra L. Sobien
Pride Elementary, Jared Andrew Taylor
Read-Pattillo Elementary, Letasha Robertson
River Springs Middle, John M. Darby
Seabreeze High, Lorraine Lewis Miklos
Silver Sands Middle, Robert J. Voges
South Daytona Elementary, Lianne Fernández
Southwestern Middle, Sean A. Richter
Spirit Elementary, Rosey Soto
Spruce Creek Elementary, Debra Abadia
Spruce Creek High, Leesa Holloway
Starke Elementary, Monica J. Welcher
Sugar Mill Elementary, Melissa J. Dirlam
Sunrise Elementary, Sarah Mateer
Sweetwater Elementary, Marc Fox
Taylor Middle High, Ian S. Jackson
Timbercrest Elementary, Deborah Jean Smith
Tomoka Elementary, Susan M. Fox
Turie T. Small Elementary, Danaya Jackson
University High, Laura A. Kieselbach
Volusia Online Learning, Amy Blowers
Volusia Pines Elementary, Christopher James
Madzik
Westside Elementary, Marcy R. Hall
Woodward Avenue Elementary, Lynn Sapp
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the Educator
Five Star
m
Schools
For the past nineteen years the Five Star School Award has been the highest award for exemplary community
involvement bestowed by the Florida Department of Education. To qualify for this award, a school must achieve and
document 100% of 29 criteria in the categories of business partnership, family involvement, volunteers, student community
service, and school advisory councils. The
following schools were recognized by the
school board on September 24, 2013.
These 51 schools exemplify a dedicated
commitment to the value of community
involvement by following Five Star’s 29
best practices.
Blue Lake Elementary, The Chiles
Academy, Chisholm Elementary, Citrus
Grove Elementary, Coronado Beach
Elementary, Creekside Middle, Cypress
Creek Elementary, DeBary Elementary,
Deltona High, Deltona Lakes Elementary,
Discovery Elementary, Edgewater
Public, Enterprise Elementary, Forest
Lake Elementary, Freedom Elementary,
Friendship Elementary, Galaxy Middle,
George Marks Elementary, Heritage
Middle, David C. Hinson, Sr. Middle,
Horizon Elementary, Indian River
Elementary, R.J. Longstreet Elementary,
Manatee Cove Elementary, New Smyrna Beach Middle, Orange City Elementary, Ormond Beach Elementary, Ormond Beach
Middle, Ortona Elementary, Osceola Elementary, Osteen Elementary, Pathways Elementary, Port Orange Elementary, Pride
Elementary, Read-Pattillo Elementary, River Springs Middle, Seabreeze High, Silver Sands Middle, Southwestern Middle, Spirit
Elementary, Spruce Creek Elementary, Spruce Creek High, Sugar Mill Elementary, Sunrise Elementary, Sweetwater Elementary,
Timbercrest Elementary, Tomoka Elementary, Turie T. Small Elementary, Volusia Pines Elementary, Westside Elementary, and
Woodward Avenue Elementary schools.
Stetson Wins Award for
Partnership with VCS
The Florida Campus Compact (FLCC) presented Stetson University the top 2013 Campus-Community Partnership award for partnership
with the Volusia County Schools, at the FLCC Annual Awards Gala. This video, featuring Karen Beattie, professional development
coordinator with Volusia County Schools, was shown at the awards ceremony, highlighting Stetson’s partnership with Volusia County
Schools. For 16 years, through Stetson’s Nina B. Hollis Institute for Educational Reform, the university’s education department and the
Hollis Team have helped reform education in K-12 classrooms through the Professional Development Schools (PDS).
PDS are schools that work on a deep level with universities in education reform through the establishment of common goals, such as
implementing critical inquiry between teacher and student, providing optimum sites for teacher candidate preparation, offering educator
professional development, maximizing student outcomes, and much more.
The initiative has created innovative programs such as the Starke Elementary S.T.A.R.S. (Students Turning Around and Reaching Success)
at-risk intervention program, the Blue Lake Elementary DaVinci Club afterschool literacy enhancement program, and the single gender
option of Woodward Avenue Elementary. The Stetson student-teacher candidates also benefit from integrated field experience that is
aligned with course work across their education program. The relationship is wholly symbiotic because while Stetson students majoring
in elementary education participate, they also receive hands-on experience that will prepare them for their future careers.
Let Your Voice Be Heard…If you have enjoyed this edition of the Volusia County District Newsletter, The Educator, let us know. If you didn’t, tell us that as well. Your
opinion is important and your feedback will help to provide insight about what is important to you. Have an idea for an article? Or perhaps you’d like to write an article
yourself! Send your idea and/or information to the editor at [email protected]. You may see your idea (or your article) in an upcoming issue!
December 2013
On behalf of the School Board of Volusia County
and Superintendent of Schools
Page 5
Page 6
the Educator
afternoon for duty. As time went by, the
children and parents became accustomed
to Silver’s presence as Carolyn’s assistant.
Carolyn purchased Silver his own “crossing
belt” making him Chisholm’s first official
“crossing cat.” Carolyn recently adopted
Silver at the request of the former owner.
Carolyn said, “Silver’s duties are to watch the
children and make them smile.” Be sure to
watch for Silver while driving by Chisholm
Elementary, he will make you smile too.
AREA I NEWS
Mr. Tom Russell
Area Superintendent
Atlantic High School
•
•
The “Sounds of the Atlantic” chorus
announced that after passing a series of
rigorous tests, two singers were chosen to
represent Atlantic High in the Florida All
State Choirs; Brittany Dufoe for the All State
Concert Chorus and Charity King for the All
State Women’s Chorus. Congratulations to
both young ladies.
DeBary Elementary School
Atlantic High’s STAR Club (Students
Together for Autism Recognition) announced
that they participated in the Walk Now For
Autism Speaks event in Port Orange on
Nov. 16, and the team raised $4,839 for the
Autism Speaks organization. A huge thank
you to Miss Iris and Miss Elaine, friends of
the club, for raising the majority of the funds.
DeLand Middle School
•
Chisholm Elementary students in third to
fifth grades recently received Red Ribbon
bracelets from the People for Drug Free Youth
and signed pledges to live drug free. Jenn
Fike, D.A.R.E. officer from the New Smyrna
Beach Police Department, was on hand for a
variety of activities that students and teachers
participated in during Red Ribbon Week.
Arriving at Chisholm Elementary prior
to the start of school or dismissal time
will definitely brighten your day. Carolyn,
the school crossing guard with the Volusia
County Sheriff’s Department, will very likely
be accompanied by “Silver, the Crossing
Cat.” Silver, a neighborhood cat, befriended
Carolyn when school started this year.
He began joining her each morning and
News and events/activities provided by each school. If
you wish to share information regarding your school,
please contact “The Educator” editor via email at :
[email protected].
Deltona High School
•
•
DeBary Elementary is proud to share
the wonderful charitable events students are
participating in this year. First students raised
$1,638 for Pasta for Pennies. The money raised
goes toward blood cancer research and providing
education and support for young patients afflicted
with cancer. Students are also collecting plastic
bottle caps that will help a little girl in the
community who has extensive medical expenses.
This is a collection that was started at Discovery
Elementary, and DeBary Elementary is adding to
their cap collection to help support the family.
Thanks to the DeBary family for stepping up to
help those in need.
•
Chisolm Elementary School
•
were harsh and cold, but most of them made
it successfully.
•
Mrs. Gifford and Mr. Russell’s eighth grade
American History classes
at DeLand Middle
recently put on a Colonial
Fair as a culmination
of the colonial studies
unit.
Collaboratively,
the students chose a
colony to market. The
students had jingles or songs, colonial games,
brochures and food representing their colony
(e.g. Swedish fish for Rhode Island) at their
station. Other students had the opportunity
to visit the fair and participate in a scavenger
hunt while learning about the original 13
colonies.
The sixth graders in Mrs. Mann and Ms.
Cohen’s World History classes at DeLand
Middle spent a day climbing Mt. Everest.
As a class they held a rope and trekked up
to Base Camp (wearing their jackets and
holding their supplies in their backpacks).
They traversed the Hillary Step, the Khumbu
ice fall and walked across a crevasse using a
ladder. At the end, each student rolled a die
to see if they summitted, had to turn back or
perished on the mountain. The conditions
Congratulations to Deltona High student,
Joey Dies, on making the Florida Music
Educators’ Association All-State 9th & 10th
Grade Symphonic Orchestra. Not only is
this ensemble reserved for the best of the best,
Joey received first chair on his instrument.
Deltona High’s new online literary arts
magazine, Howl (DeltonaHowl.com), is an
after-school organization staffed by students
and advised by English teacher Dylan
Emerick-Brown. The goal of Howl is twofold: 1) to teach high school students how
to write creatively and clearly in their own
voices; analyze, evaluate, and edit others’
work; learn about the writing/editing field
as a career option; and overall, expand their
minds to the world outside of Deltona and 2)
to provide the world with quality selections
of literature to read and learn from. They also
have partnered with Other Press, Chicago
Review Press and other publishers to read
advanced copies of books and write real book
reviews. The staff of Howl does everything
that a professional literary magazine does,
and then some. The experience they gain
is valuable for continued success in the
classroom as well as for future endeavors in
the literary arts.
Deltona Lakes Elementary School
•
•
In October, the Deltona Lakes Elementary
PTA hosted a fall carnival for the school’s ESE
students. All 60 students rotated through
the festive carnival room and played games,
earned prizes, then enjoyed cake and freshpopped popcorn. They had a great time
playing and mingling with each other. Each
child was given a goody bag filled with treats
to take home.
October 30 was Vehicle Day at Deltona Lakes
Elementary. Students in all grades visited the
10 different vehicles as a career awareness
activity sponsored by the school district.
Vehicles in attendance included: American
Red Cross, Bright House, Deltona Animal
Control, Deltona Fire Services, Florida Forest
Service, Beach Patrol, Mosquito Control,
Sheriff ’s Office, VCS Maintenance and
Votran. The representatives spoke briefly to
students about their respective careers then
welcomed questions from the students.
Page 7
December 2013
Deltona Middle School
•
•
Participants in the Deltona Middle “Think
Before You Throw” poster contest, were
celebrated at a Deltona City Hall Commission
Meeting. The following students, who are art
students in Ms. Neal’s class, were recognized:
Catherine Quinones (7th grade), Nicolle De
Hoyos (8th grade), Jason Cooper (8th grade),
Sunna Ferraioli (8th grade), Autumn Taylor
(8th grade), Serena White (7th), Nina Shields
(7th grade), Katherine Cintron (7th grade),
Brianna Whaley (8th grade), and Mckenzie
Oden (8th grade).
November 14 was STEM Day at Deltona
Middle, led by STEM Committee Chair
Ms. Jaclyn Myers. The day featured a
collection of district personnel, experts,
business partners and teachers. Students
engaged in interactive stations that brought
together STEM concepts. Students actively
participated in learning how things worked
and created lasting memories.
and listening to music. The event kicked off with
Jessica Cavazos, the Executive Director of the
Volusia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, giving
an inspirational opening speech. It continued
with choral reading from the 4th and 5th grade
ESOL students; Typical dance from Costa
Rica by 4th grader Jaclin Mata Castro; Zumba
demonstration by Jessica Clukey and Melanie
Haynes, both Deltona YMCA Instructors; and
concluded with a feast of Hispanic Heritage dishes
the families brought in. A huge thank you to
Maria Cintron, Liz Harkness, Marge Henderson,
Vilma Otero, Kristina Schmitt, Madeline Torres
and all of Enterprise’s fabulous cooks for the
Hispanic heritage luncheon. The decorations
were beautiful, the music made it festive, the
camaraderie was magnificent and the food was
amazing.
Votran and many more. The kids learned
about different vehicles and their uses. They
also learned about community helpers. The
classes will extend their learning by writing
thank you letters including the information
they found most interesting.
Friendship Elementary School
•
Edgewater Public Elementary School
•
•
Jacob B., a third grade student at Edgewater
Public, won one of three premiere awards
given at the Halifax Art Show in Daytona
Beach the first
weekend
of
November. Jacob
was awarded a
$280 cash prize
and the honor of
being chosen from
1200 paintings.
His painting will be
on display at the
Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona for
one week and then will be on display for a
month at the ArtHaus in Port Orange. Great
job Jacob!
Edgewater Public’s Parent Teacher Association
recently hosted the annual Thanksgiving
Feast. Over 400 guests enjoyed roasted
turkey, prepared by the New Smyrna Beach
High School’s Culinary Department,
mashed potatoes, corn, green beans and
assorted desserts. Different grade levels were
responsible for the side dishes, desserts were
supplied by the Edgewater Public faculty
and staff and the PTA supplied the turkeys.
Safety Patrols, Kiwanis Kids, and the faculty
and staff served at the event. It was a
wonderful event and the family atmosphere
at Edgewater Public School was confirmed
once again.
Forest Lake Elementary School
•
•
Heritage Middle School
•
Freedom Elementary School
•
Enterprise Elementary School
Enterprise Elementary held “Taste of Flavor
of Hispanic Culture,” which was attended by
families gathering together to celebrate the school’s
Hispanic culture. Students dressed to put on
a Hispanic performance they had practiced for
numerous weeks leading up to the night. Families
happily conversed with each other, while laughing
Forest Lake Elementary students and staff
participated in the Students Reach Out Food
Drive. This successful annual event provides
non-perishable food items to families in the
Deltona area. This year, Forest Lake collected
over 500 items. The Student Council
counted all of the items for delivery. The
top three participants were Ms. Neidrick’s
class, the staff of School Way Café and Ms.
Haines’ class.
Once again, Forest Lake Elementary art
teacher, Shannon Lasher, and her team of
Panther artists have outdone themselves. This
year’s display for the Volusia County Fair,
themed around the discovery of Florida,
features the ships of Ponce de Leon and a
plethora of student created fish highlighting
the ocean life in our local waters.
•
•
Kelly Hickox, school guidance counselor at
Freedom Elementary, organized a week of
special activities in honor of Red Ribbon
Week. Freedom students, faculty and staff
took part in daily spirit events including skits,
bookmark drawings for prizes, classroom
door decorating, wearing theme apparel and
so much more to encourage and teach, “Say
No To Drugs!”
Freedom Elementary kindergarten and first
grade classes participated in Vehicle Day last
month. Students heard presentations from
many companies and organizations including
the DeLand Police Department, the Red
Cross, BrightHouse, Mosquito Control,
New teachers at Friendship Elementary were
recently offered the opportunity to join Pride
Elementary teachers at a Kagan Cooperative
Learning training. Throughout the day,
teachers learned the importance of classroom
management, team building, class building,
and more importantly, the true meaning
of cooperative learning. The teachers
transformed into students as they learned
the Kagan structures by actually engaging in
the activity itself. The instructor modeled
each of seven activities, explained why the
activity was important and listed the benefits
of implementing them in classrooms. Not
only did teachers learn how this will work to
improve student achievement, but how it will
improve the overall classroom environment.
This training was a great benefit to the
teachers who look forward to turning their
classrooms into “Kagan classrooms.”
During the month of November, Valerie
Fernandez-Pardo, ESOL (English for Speakers
of Other Languages) teacher at Friendship
Elementary held an ESOL Parent Leadership
Council luncheon for the parents of the
students she serves daily. The goal of the
meeting was to educate parents on Common
Core State Standards, media resources
and a FUTURES literacy grant earned by
Mrs. Pardo. Parents were also educated on
FCAT and CELLA (Comprehensive English
Language Learning Assessment) testing. Mrs.
Clark, a representative from Daytona State
College, provided parents with information
on ESOL classes and financial assistance
offered to adult learners of English at the
Deltona branch.
•
Heritage Middle congratulates Jaylis Collazo,
6th grader, and Elizabeth Teresi, 7th
grader, who were recognized by the city of
Deltona as Super Star winners for October
and November, respectively, for academic
excellence and citizenship.
Ms. Jennifer Stewart, Heritage Middle teacher,
has been recommended as an Exceptional
Student
Education
Demonstration
Classroom Teacher for the 2013-2014 school
year.
Indian River Elementary School
•
Karen Chadwick, coordinator and director
of Indian River Elementary School Extended
Day Enrichment Program (EDEP), recently
won the 2013 Florida After-School Alliance
(FASA) Conference Award of Excellence for
Page 8
•
the Educator
the school’s EDEP program. Karen has won
this award ten years in a row. Mrs. Chadwick
is constantly bringing speakers and adding
educational programs to the extended day
program. Recently, Mr. Steve Lampkin,
co-director of Daytona Beach Learning
Rx Brain Training Center, visited to help
students begin a Chess Club. Mr. Lampkins
feels Chess teaches strategy, problem solving
and self-control - all skills needed for life-long
learning. Congratulations to Mrs. Karen
Chadwick for the award winning job she does
with students every day.
Indian River Elementary made a difference
this holiday season. Students, staff and parents
helped school families in need through a
program called Thanksgiving Basket Brigade.
This was a volunteer effort which involved
anonymous deliveries of Thanksgiving dinner
baskets to school families in Volusia County.
Mr. Maman, guidance counselor, Mrs.
Theresa Cameron and Ms. Wendy Wilson,
FFEA advisors, FFEA members and their
parents were responsible for collecting the
food and gift cards and assembling the baskets.
given the opportunity to sit in a vehicle and
text with a simulator running to show how
dangerous texting and driving at the same
time can be. The students were very engaged
and asked many questions. The school is
hoping to hold another event in the spring.
New Smyrna Beach High School
•
Rue and Ziffra Law Firm sponsored a
texting simulator event for New Smyrna
Beach High recently. The students were
Orange City Elementary School
•
•
•
New Smyrna Beach High School received
a $2,000 grant from National FFA
Organization’s Living to Serve: Environmental
Grant Program. The chapter has developed a
year-long service-learning project to meet
local environmental needs.
New Smyrna Beach Middle School
•
•
The Extended Day program of Indian River
Elementary collected 85 jackets, 85 jeans/
pants, 75 shirts. two pairs of shoes, eight
hats, six pairs of gloves and over 30 pounds
of food and personal items to be donated the
Gifts of Love Food Bank and the homeless of
the Edgewater and New Smyrna Beach area.
day event co-sponsored by SGA and the PE
department, chaired by Stephanie Morang
and John Lengyel.
New Smyrna Beach Middle’s Student
Government Association hosted a teacher
talent show to raise money for student
scholarships for grade level field trips to
places like Tallahassee and Washington, D.C.
Teachers volunteered their time to perform
for students with student X Factor style judges
on hand to evaluate teacher performances.
The Student Government Association at
New Smyrna Middle hosted fun lunchtime
activities to support the annual Red Ribbon
Week Events with the theme “a Healthy Me
Is Drug Free.” In addition to the dress up
days, face painting and drug free pledges
the school usually hosts, competitions were
held during grade level lunches. Students
competed in “Don’t Let Drugs Throw You
For a Loop,” hula hoop contests, “Push
Drugs Out of Your Life,” push-up contests,
and “Stand Up To Drugs,” balancing contests
to win Red Ribbon Week bracelets. The
week ended with a Red Ribbon Run field
Parents to Kids Program
This fall, Chelsea Cinkosky, teacher at Orange City Elementary, and Holly
Hepburn, teacher on assignment at Friendship Elementary, wrote and piloted a new
Primary Parents to Kids and an Intermediate Parents to Kids program at Orange
City Elementary. These programs help to instruct parents on how to best assist their
children with learning the Common Core English Language Arts Standards. The new
and improved Parents to Kids creates a bonding experience between parent and child
that will last a lifetime.
The DeLand Area Chamber of Commerce
Education Committee proclaimed Orange
City Elementary as its School of the Month for
October. Several members of the Education
Committee visited Orange City Elementary
and presented the school with a donation
of supplies and a banner that proudly hangs
from the historic main entrance to the school.
Leah Lucy, intervention teacher at Orange
City Elementary and Yearbook Club sponsor,
wrote a project proposal on donorschoose.
org and was fully funded for $700 worth
of equipment including four cameras, two
tripods and various accessories that will be
used by Orange City Elementary students
in the Yearbook Club. The students in the
Yearbook Club will be completing a “Thank
you” project for the donors as their way of
giving back for the funding.
Osteen Elementary School
The curriculum enrichment club at Osteen
Elementary held a pet food drive to collect dog
and cat food for
local shelters. The
students
really
stepped up and the
school collected 320
pounds of pet food.
The classroom with
the most donations
received an ice cream party. Kudos to Osteen
students for helping needy animals!
Pierson Elementary School
Two teachers at Pierson Elementary recently
received special recognition. Laura Bechard,
4th/5th grade gifted/step-up teacher, was
named Volusia County’s PRISM award winner
for outstanding teaching of science. She was
recognized at a School Board meeting for her
achievement. Jose Alfredo Cortés, ESOL teacher,
received the Florida Education Association Service
Award at a luncheon at the FEA conference in
Orlando. Mr. Cortés was also appointed by Andy
Ford to serve a three-year term on the FEA statelevel Human and Civil Rights Committee.
River Springs Middle School
Amanda Wiles, principal intern at River Springs
Middle, is trying something new to help to increase
test scores and promote academic success for their
students with disabilities. ESE case managers are
Page 9
December 2013
meeting with their students twice every nine weeks
and conducting data chats. During these chats the
teacher and student discuss the student’s academic
performance and set attainable goals for the school
year. Students have been given a data chat
notebook which they use to record their FCAT
and FAIR scores, along with district and classroom
assessments. Case managers have already reported
that they are seeing these chats have an impact on
student engagement and student interest in selfassessment. Students are eager to report their test
scores and to work with their case managers on
ways to improve their performance on upcoming
assessments and high stakes tests. Students receive
incentives for keeping their notebooks with them
during the school day. Ms. Wiles and the ESE
teachers at River Springs are confident that these
chats will help students take ownership of their
academic success and that positive results will be
evident in the classroom as well as on the FCAT.
•
•
Former WWE and WCW Wrestling
Champion, Marc Mero, “Champion
of Choices” program was held at Spirit
Elementary recently. Marc’s assembly was
very moving and took students on a roller
coaster ride of his good and bad choices in
his journey of life. He has an extraordinary
ability to connect with young people sharing
his personal story of overcoming mistakes
throughout his life to become successful.
Marc shared his idea of how “Your friends
are like elevators; they either take you up,
or they take you down.” Marc’s goal is
to change students’ thinking of how they
perceive themselves and others. Students
thought his program was inspiring,
entertaining, humorous and moving.
•
•
•
The Florida Department of Health Dental
came to Spirit Elementary and provided
dental check-ups for over 200 children.
Students that needed
sealants received them
and parents were
notified of any other
diagnosis that needed
further
evaluation.
Thank you to all the
hygienists and Dr. Allen
for coming to the school
and treating so many. Spirit truly is the place
where every student shines…especially their
teeth!
Sunrise Elementary School
Sunrise Elementary held their first Parent
Information Night recently to inform
parents on the use of Pinnacle and media
their pirate-themed thesis statement teamteaching day. The students were told
their “pirate names” by their teachers who
dressed as pirates, and then the students
had to create sophisticated thesis statements
and defend them. Successful students
received Pirate Booty snacks.
Arrrgh,
the Language Arts department deserves a
round of applause and a hearty “Hi-ho!”
Timbercrest Elementary School
Spirit Elementary School
•
resources available. Parents found this to be
an enlightening event, as Pinnacle is new at
the elementary level and many had no idea
of the different functions available to them.
Once again the students and faculty at
Sunrise Elementary are Falling for Fitness
as they gear up to participate in the NFL’s
Fuel Up to Play 60. All students at Sunrise
participated in a kick-off event by running a
lap and then playing soccer, Hornet tag, jump
rope, 4-square, hula hoops, bucking broncos,
and tossing and catching. At the conclusion
of the event, the winning classes will be
presented with a Sunrise Champions Cup.
Recently, Timbercrest Elementary’s 4th and
5th grade music club performed for family
and peers. Music club members have been
meeting for an hour after school every Friday
with the help of Linda Zaudtke, music
teacher, Heather de Rose, 2nd grade teacher,
and Laurie Hess, 2nd grade teacher. In
addition to learning how to sing, students
learned about stage presence, performance
readiness, voice control and self control.
The students opened their We Honor Our
Veterans Show with the National Anthem
Star Spangled Banner by Frances Scott Key
singing and signing this well-known patriotic
tune.
Ronald McDonald visited Timbercrest
Elementary to put on a fun-filled show for
students in grades K-3 called “It’s Book
Time with Ronald McDonald.” Ronald
encouraged students to follow directions, to
read every day because “Readers are Leaders”
and to prevent bullying by being a “School of
Super Heroes” against bullying. This exciting
and educational half-hour show kept the
students engaged through music and song,
audience participation, magic and special
effects. Thank you, Ronald!
Champion Elementary School
Excited, surprised and happy are just some of the
emotions Champion Elementary fourth graders
felt when they met Sports Illustrated Kids (SIK)
Writer, Christina Tapper. Ms. Tapper visited
Champion Elementary yesterday and taught 85
fourth graders different ways to improve their
writing. She shared four articles that she wrote
for SIK and discussed different techniques she
incorporated into her stories. Students learned
about leads (the first sentence) and kickers (the
last sentence) along with using colorful language
and five senses to make their writing interesting.
Ms. Tapper also encouraged students to read
books and write often to improve their writing
skills. Afterward, five students interviewed Ms.
Tapper for the morning news segment which was
shared with the school community. Ms. Tapper
visit was arranged by fourth grade teacher, Kathy
Roam. Mrs. Roam wrote a FUTURES grant
which involved writing, and Ms. Tapper’s agreed to
mentor the students through e-mail. Ms. Tapper,
who resides in New York City, was in Orlando
working on an assignment for SIK and was able
to spend an extra day in Florida to visit the school,
which was an unexpected surprise for everyone.
AREA II NEWS
Mrs. Vickie Presley
Area Superintendent
News and events/activities provided by each school. If
you wish to share information regarding your school,
Congratulations to Karen Kepner and please contact “The Educator” editor via email at :
Campbell Middle School
•
the Language Arts Professional Learning [email protected].
Community at Campbell Middle for
Page 10
the Educator
Citrus Grove Elementary School
•
•
Once again, the art department of Citrus
Grove Elementary created a booth for the
Volusia County Fair. The theme was “500
Years of Florida History.” Since the school is
named Citrus Grove Elementary, the display
features the citrus industry. Fifth grade
students painted beautiful citrus still life
and Art Club members made papier-mache
oranges to hang from the orange tree.
Citrus Grove Elementary Extended Day
students
recently
welcomed
docents
from Central Florida
Zoo for a program
about different animals,
their habitats and the
continents where they
are found. Students got
an up-close view of a
hornbill, chinchilla, giant African millipede
and other animals while learning about
them. Zoo staff also brought in animal skins,
feathers and eggs for the program.
•
of Transportation. Congratulations to these
super Otter artists and their teacher, Ektemal
Francis-Hanna!
Cypress Creek Elementary fifth grade student,
Sophia Zimonopoulos, received an Award of
Excellence at the recent Halifax Art Festival
student display. Along with the award she
received $190. Her proud teacher is Ektemal
Francis-Hana
DeLand High School
The DeLand High Communications Academy
proudly hosted the C-SPAN Interactive Bus this
week. The C-SPAN Interactive Bus is equipped with
multi-media and guided presentations regarding
programming and resources offered by the C-SPAN
Network. Students from the Communications
Academy learned about C-SPAN’s commitment
to public affairs programming as well as getting a
glimpse of their technologies, educational resources
and student contests. DeLand High is only one of
fewer than a dozen schools in Florida chosen for a
visit by the Interactive Bus.
Creekside Middle School
•
•
In early November, Mrs. Sparger’s 8th grade
students at Creekside Middle worked with
Amy Monahan to build robots out of Legos.
The students worked in pairs to create
the robots with scanners and wires. The
students then created computer programs
to give directives to their robots to turn and
successfully get through a maze.
Amazing ..…in just seven short days, almost
$2,500 was collected by Creekside Middle
students for the Pasta for Pennies campaign.
The proceeds benefit the Leukemia and
Lymphoma Societies. The largest donations
were from Ms. Triboletti’s class, Ms. Bianchi’s
class and Ms. Caton’s class.
Cypress Creek Elementary recently had
eight students honored at a School Board
Meeting. These talented students placed in
their respective divisions for the School Bus
Safety Poster Contest. The budding artists
honored were: Lindsey Larrimore- first place;
Ria Kolluru - third place; Carson Wright second place; Jennifer Russell - first place;
Josh Alexander - third place; Merissa Austin
- second place; and Ja’ Niya Williams - first
place. The three first place winners went
on to compete at the national level and all
three won third place. Each student will
receive $50 from the National Association
The McInnis Elementary PTA recently sponsored
its first school-wide Walk-A-Thon. The event was
a fundraiser for classroom supplies and to ensure
available funding for students
who cannot afford field trips.
Students recruited sponsors
to donate cash for them to
walk the track. The top
fundraising students were
eligible for prizes and the
opportunity to receive a free
ice cream.
Ortona Elementary School
Ortona Elementary School PTA kicked off the
fall in a great way with the First Annual Harvest
Moon Festival. Thanks to parents, volunteers,
administration and staff, the event was an
overwhelming success. With inflatables humming,
the smell of cotton candy wafting through the
hallways and squeals of excitement, the Ortona
Elementary School Campus was rocking! The
free event was attended by more than 62% of the
school’s families and stayed busy throughout the
entire three hours of carnival games, a new soda
pop walk, the very popular fishing booth, bounce
house, inflatable slide and all of our amazing grade
level booths. The event raised money which will
go directly to benefit classrooms and additional
student events.
Osceola Elementary School
•
Hinson Middle School
•
Cypress Creek Elementary School
•
McInnis Elementary School
•
Hinson Middle’s orchestra, led by Ms.
Finn, has been working hard in anticipation
of auditions for the annual Volusia AllCounty Middle School Orchestra. The
following orchestra students auditioned and
were selected to perform at the All-County
Orchestra in January, representing Hinson
Middle School. First Violins: Brenda Hwang,
Sharadha Sreenivasa, Camryn Biza; Second
Violins: Julia Fedorova; Violas: Catherine
Contino, Keniyah Smith, Lexi Torres; and
Cello: Brittany Jones. Congratulation to
these students and their orchestra teacher
Ms. Finn.
Hinson Middle’s Culinary Arts classes
have once again risen to the challenge in
their Fall Food Drive. Mrs. Mittelhaeuser’s
classes sponsored the annual food drive
which benefits the Jerry Doliner Food
Bank. Students donated over 600 items to
be distributed to families in need in Volusia
County during this holiday season.
•
Recently, students at Osceola Elementary
participated in a “Take a Hike” walk-athon. Students in kindergarten through
fifth grade walked or ran around a course
set up on the PE field. They enjoyed the
festive beats of music
being played and the
encouragement of
many staff members
and parents who
cheered them on.
Some parents and
staff members even
jumped in and
walked or ran with the students! This event
was a wonderful way to encourage healthy
habits in exercising and to raise funds towards
a PE Pavilion for the students.
Osceola Elementary is exploding with
innovative ideas to get the entire school
focused on writing. On October 31, the first
grade team: Kim Fischer, Meredith Gilbert,
Melissa Heller, Kathy Szlosek and Lynn Evans
displayed a gallery walk along the wall of the
Page 11
December 2013
first grade wing. This display highlighted
work samples of the first grade students from
the planning stage through to the publishing
stage in a creative way centralizing around bats
and spiders. At the beginning of November,
Ann Greene, academic coach, facilitated the
first Osceola Writes activity with the entire
fourth grade. This activity focused on potato
chip openers where Mrs. Greene connected
the idea of not being able to eat just one
potato chip to the way an effective grabber
will keep your reader wanting more. Osceola
4th graders will be participating in an Osceola
Writes activity weekly to focus on improving
their writing skills.
Pathways Elementary School
•
•
The Student Council at Pathways Elementary
purchased and planted a crepe myrtle on the
school grounds. The tree was dedicated to the
memory of Gene Russo during a ceremony
on Monday, November 25. Miss Gene was
a beloved office volunteer for several years.
Her giving spirit, her vitality and her can-do
attitude will always be remembered. At the
age of 97, Mrs. Russo continued to come into
the office to volunteer as often as she could.
Pathways Elementary student council
members from 3rd through 5th grade
collected canned goods and purchased 36
turkeys to help make Thanksgiving a little
more special for some of our families. During
the month of November, the school held a
very successful canned food drive in order
to help some of our own families in need at
Pathways. Student council voted to use some
of the funds raised to purchase the 36 turkeys
to help make our Thanksgiving baskets
complete. Student council sponsor, Mr.
Kent, was pleased that the student council
representatives voted to continue this very
worthwhile event. “It always makes me proud
when these students step up to the plate and
knock it out of the park for others in a time
of need”. Thanksgiving baskets went home
with families before Thanksgiving.
Pride Elementary congratulates 3rd grade teacher,
Melanie Roberts. Melanie ran in the Chicago
Marathon on October 13.
This was Melanie’s 7th
marathon and one that she
had wanted to do for more
three years. She said it
was her dream marathon.
Melanie’s finish time was
4:33:16 which was her
fastest marathon time. She
placed 21,114 overall out of
approximately 45,000 runners. She placed 7,540
out of 17,393 women. Melanie shared, “It was a
really fun race! The highlight at the end was that
I got to meet the female first place finisher Rita
Jeptoo who finished in 2:19:57.”
•
Pine Trail Elementary students help to make
the Thanksgiving holiday a little brighter for
families needing some help this year. Students
brought in enough food and holiday items
to fill eight nicely wrapped Thanksgiving
baskets.
Pine Trail Elementary principal, Susan
Persis, was selected by the Florida Council
of Instructional Technology Leaders (FCITL)
as Volusia County’s Innovative Principal of
the Year. She now proceeds to the state level
competition. Mrs. Persis has made great
strides to ensure that Pine Trail is a school for
21st century learners and the students, staff
and faculty are proud of her for “pioneering”
the trail in the area of technology.
Pride Elementary School
Spruce Creek Elementary School
•
Outstanding Bobcats is a monthly
recognition incentive program implemented
by Spruce Creek Elementary.
Each
teacher submits a student’s name and that
student is presented with an “Outstanding
Bobcat” yard sign for the month. The
students place the signs in their yard for
the community to see their achievements.
•
Ms. Bowers, a first grade teacher at Spruce
Creek Elementary, saw a news spot light
about how the Halifax Humane Society
was having trouble filling their shelves with
cat and dog food. Having three cats of her
own made her want to do something to help
them. Her class was studying baby animals
and their moms and dads, as well as the lifelong guideline of caring. She thought this
was a great way to incorporate a teachable
moment of helping our community within
her classroom curriculum. Her students were
excited and posters were handed out all over
the school. Parents and students dropped
off food and supplies the week of October
14 - 18. Ms. Bowers filled up the back of her
SUV with many large bags and cans of cat
and dog food, cat litter, grooming supplies
and a few toys. Her students got so excited
each time another delivery came to their
classroom. A local pet supply store even gave
a discount to parents who mentioned Spruce
Creek Elementary and what they were doing
to help the Humane Society. When Mrs.
Bowers delivered the food, the volunteers
and employees were so grateful to have such
Silver Sands Middle School
Teachers along with principal, Rose Roland, were
on stage showing everyone how to “Cut Loose,
Footloose” as part of Silver Sands Middle’s annual
Dinner Theatre. This year’s theme was 80’s
Celebration as the school celebrates its 30th year.
Students performed while the guests dined on
Italian food from Manny’s and dessert from Silver
Sands culinary arts classes led by Jeffrey Turek.
There were also performances by the Lady Warriors
dance team, sponsored by Beth Mott; Jazz Band,
sponsored by Mike Williams; and Show Choir,
sponsored by Tosha Williams. The finale was
exceptional as the song Footloose played with
teachers and the principal dancing away on the
front of the stage so that everyone could see their
“rad” moves.
Southwestern Middle School
•
Pine Trail Elementary School
•
trivia. Students were able to perform scenes
from the book William Shakespeare’s “Star
Wars: Verily, A New Hope.” At one station,
students were introduced to the themes and
variations present in John William’s musical
scores for all six movies. There was even food
for sale, including pizza, snacks and Star Wars
cookbook treats like Yoda Soda and Wookie
Cookies. The Force was with Southwestern
Middle!
•
Members of the Southwestern Middle model
airplane club, known as “Southwestern
Airlines” have been attending “Young Eagle”
flights this past year. Recently, five students
attended this event and after their flights
went to the DeLand Model Airplane Club
where they flew with the “Southwestern
Airlines” trainer and former Southwestern
Middle School student, James Stewart, as the
instructor. On the third Saturday of each
month youth ages 9 to 17 may go to the
Experimental Aircraft Association hanger at
the DeLand Airport (east hanger complex)
for a free ride in a private aircraft owned by
the EAA members. A breakfast of pancakes
and sausage is available for purchase at $3.
In November, Southwestern Middle held
a “Star Wars Reading and the Arts” event
after school. The goal of the event was to
show how Star Wars connects to just about
every subject area. During the school day,
there was a Star Wars costume contest with
prizes. After school, stations in and around
the media center allowed students to match
Star Wars events to real historical events on
a time line, to visit the different geographical
settings on various Star Wars planets, to
identify Star Wars characters, themes, and
mythic archetypes, and to play Star Wars
Page 12
a large donation. A few students and parents
helped unload the donations and pile them
up for the employees. It was a great way to
show our community how much our Spruce
Creek Bobcats care. Ms. Bowers can’t wait
to do it again with her future class next year!
Spruce Creek High School
•
•
Congratulations to Cadet Kevin Tierney of
Spruce Creek High for receiving a four-year
Navy ROTC scholarship from Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University worth $180,000.
In November, Spruce Creek High’s Academy
of Finance (AOF) hosted its biennial
Leadership Conference for the students
enrolled in the academy. The conference
featured keynote speaker, Joe Coury, who
spoke about “Effective Leadership Qualities.”
Several AOF students presented a skit entitled,
“What Not To Wear” which provided the
audience with examples and non-examples
of appropriate professional attire. Following
the keynote speaker’s address, students
attended two breakout sessions. There were
18 business community members (five of
them AOF alumni) who spoke on topics
such as communication skills, career options,
networking and first impressions/interview
skills. The conference concluded with a
dinner catered by Olive Garden.
Sugar Mill Elementary School
Kindergarten students at Sugar Mill Elementary
participated in the Kindergarten Nursery Rhyme
Dress Up Day in October. They learned five classic
nursery rhymes that they recited and sang during
a presentation for parents. Dressed as a character
from Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Little Miss
Muffet, Lil’ Bo Peep or Hickory, Dickory, Dock
each student joined their group on stage for this
5th annual event.
Sweetwater Elementary School
Sweetwater Elementary had great participation
in the FUTURES 5K/8K run in November.
Dominica Stanger, a fifth grade teacher, won the
8K 25-29 female race (after she ran an earlier
race that morning) and Kristiana Cummins, a
fifth grader, won the female 14 and under 5K
race. She has been training at Sweetwater through
the Girls on the Run Program this fall. A huge
congratulations to these runners from Sweetwater.
Tomoka Elementary School
Tomoka Elementary’s gifted fourth grade class of
Ms. Sherwin has had several service projects this
year. The October project was an in-school literacy
activity called “Spooky Story Night.” Fourth
graders wrote spooky stories and helped each other
edit them. Select students from the classes of Ms.
Sherwin, Ms. Fox and Mrs. McAndrew read their
stories to 1st and 2nd grade students and their
parents in a very spooky and packed media center.
Adults and students came in costume to enjoy the
event. The students had fun and will remember
that reading and writing are important life skills for
everyone. Students also enjoyed terrific stories read
by staff members Mrs. Beverly Horn (“Witch”),
Mrs. Bunny Wing (“Gladys Funkhouser”), Ms.
Megan Martens (“The Old Lady Who Swallowed
a Bat”), Ms. Selina Pantely (“Skeleton”), Mr. Jim
Ravede (“Superman”) and Ms. Monica Sherwin
(“Evil Queen”).
Turie T. Small Elementary School
Dr. Earl Johnson, principal of T.T. Small
Elementary, and Bethune-Cookman University
have partnered to celebrate the accomplishments of
students in grades 3-5 who have made honor roll
or shown improvement in academics, behavior and
attendance. Yesterday, a special luncheon with Dr.
Edison Jackson, President of BCU, was held for the
students and their parents.
Westside Elementary School
On November 5, Westside Elementary had the
pleasure of welcoming author Janeen Mason. The
school was given this opportunity by Ms. Dianiki
Lourore, a Bethune Cookman University (BCU)
student who interned at Westside Elementary and
won a special guest visit from the nationally award
winning children’s author/illustrator and speaker.
Ms Lourore chose to share this special gift with
Westside because of the school’s relationship with
BCU as a Professional Development School. The
presentation was based on Janeen Mason’s book
“Ocean Commotion: Caught in the Currents.”
The presentation incorporated art, geography,
storytelling, math and conversation. In addition,
she used readers’ theater and a giant map to track
the journey of the rubber ducks. Science, social
studies and conservationism was also implemented
within the presentation. She offered three
presentations which were attended by first, second
and third graders as well as a large cadre from BCU
made up of students, instructors and deans.
the Educator
Page 13
December 2013
Cookin’ Corner
THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES
American Christmas cookies, like Americans
themselves, have a fusion of cookie tastes and styles
originating with the colonialists. With the complexity
and aftereffect of many immigrant culinary contributions,
and refined through many American kitchens.
Neolithic farmers used to bake food comprising
of grain, water paste on hot stones about 10,000 years
ago. It is thought that cookies are the descendants of
this food.
It is Lebkuchen (gingerbread) that was the first
cake/cookie to be traditionally related with Christmas.
The spicy cookies spread all over Europe by 1500.
Quickly, every house made or baked cookies, which
were either Lebkuchen or buttery Spritz Cookies. The
people of Sweden preferred Papparkakor (spicy ginger
and black-pepper), while the Norwegians took to the
liking of Krumkake (thin lemon and cardamom-scented
wafers). So it is seen that the cookies of one place was
different in form and shape from another.
It is the Dutch who gave America the word
Christmas Cookies. The word Cookie comes from
the Dutch word Koeptje [koekje], meaning small cake.
However, the word was first used by the people of
the Persian Empire of the 7th century AD. The recipe
books of the Renaissance period had many cookie
recipes dealing. By the middle of the 19th century of
the industrial revolution made it possible for cookies to
be manufactured in factories.
There are hundreds upon hundreds of cookie
recipes in the United States. Recipes that were brought
with immigrants from Australia, Italy, Germany, Holland
and more. Each of us has our favorite Christmas
cookie.
Source: http://www.examiner.com/article/christmas-cookie-history
Classic Gingerbread Cutouts
Recipe provided by allrecipes.com
Photo By: cookiechick
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 12 Minutes
Ready In: 1 Hour
Servings: 36
INGREDIENTS:
Gingerbread
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Icing
1 pound confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 egg whites
“These cookies are so versatile! They are delicious,
naturally low-fat and even make terrific Christmas
ornaments that keep for years. Royal Icing is best for
decoration. CAUTION: These cookies have a way of
disappearing!”
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and
brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the molasses and eggs.
Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, baking soda, salt, allspice,
cloves, cinnamon, and ginger; beat into the molasses mixture.
Gradually stir in the remaining flour by hand to form a stiff
dough.
3.
Divide dough into 2 pieces. On a lightly floured
surface, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired
shapes using cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart onto
ungreased cookie sheets.
4.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before
removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
5.
In a medium bowl, sift together confectioners’ sugar
and cream of tartar. Blend in egg whites. Using an electric
mixer on high speed, beat for about 5 minutes, or until
mixture is thick and stiff. Keep covered with a moist cloth until
ready to frost cookies.
Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Classic-Gingerbread-Cutouts/?prop24=hn_slide3_Classic-Gingerbread-Cutouts&evt19=1
Page 14
the Educator
December 2013
Page 15
2013-2014
District Activities
DECEMBER
FEBRUARY
10
School Board Meeting
12
High School Showcase
7
Grade Period Begins
15
Bill of Rights Day
Martin Luther King’s Birthday Holiday
19
Grade Period Ends
20
25
31
Volusia County EMS/Military Expo
20-Jan. 6
Winter Holiday
JANUARY
All-County Orchestra Festival
1
All-County Elementary Music Showcase
All-County Vocal Music Festival
2
Ground Hog Day
3-7
National School Counseling Week
Student Services Week
8
Volusia County Dance Performance
Assessment
12
Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday
14
St. Valentine’s Day
VIPS Recognition Day
15-22 National FFA Week
17
President’s Day Holiday
National PTA Founders Day
22
George Washington’s Birthday