The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Education

Chalk Talk 08/29/2018

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(Courtesy of Patricia Serio)

Sixty years, and still going strong
Members of the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club donated enough school supplies to fill two SUVs. The supplies and teacher-needed items, collected over the summer by the club’s Education Committee, were delivered to Lutz Elementary and Shady Hills Elementary schools. The woman’s club has supported education through scholarships, and assisted local schools and libraries in the community for nearly six decades. Pat Wagner, left, and Marcy Edmonson with one of the filled SUVs.

New academic year
Saint Leo University’s main campus, 33701 State Road 52 in St. Leo, was filled with students finding their classes and learning what was in store for the new academic year, as classes began Aug. 21.

More than 2,100 traditional undergraduates are studying at University Campus this fall, with more than 1,400 students living on campus.

First-year and transfer students moved in Aug. 16.

For information, visit SaintLeo.edu.

Looking for sponsors
Bexley Elementary’s PTO (parent-teacher organization) is planning to host a Movie Night on Sept. 14 at 6:30 p.m., for all students and their families, and is looking for a local business to help sponsor the event.

A donation of $500 will cover the cost of the blow-up screen and projector.

The movie will be free, including popcorn, and will be in the school’s cafeteria.

Families who would like to eat dinner, can buy pizza, a cookie and soda for $3.

Bexley also is open to ideas on sponsorship benefits. Some of these ideas include: the business/logo mentioned as a sponsor in all promotions leading up to movie night; a Thank You message with logo displayed on the screen prior to the movie; a table on-site with information about the business; and, the business could provide branded popcorn bags or could provide stickers to put on the bags.

For information, email Kathy Hrach at .

Patel Conservatory classes
Registration is now open for 2018 fall classes that start Sept. 4, in dance, theater and music at the Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

More than 100 classes are offered in age-specific categories, ranging from prekindergarten to adult. Sequential curricula are designed to accommodate students of all skill levels, from novice to professional.

Patel offers master classes with performers, field trips to professional performances, and celebrity question-and-answer sessions, as well as other activities. Auditions are required for some classes.

Registration is available online, by calling (813) 222-1040, or in person at the Patel Conservatory.

For information, and a full list of classes, descriptions and schedules, visit PatelConservatory.org.

SAT/ACT boot camp
More than 50 local students can now get help with free SAT/ACT prep.

Scholarships are available to students from low-income families.

Andrea Catsicas, of Mindworks Prep, is offering the scholarships for eligible students to attend one of her Tampa area boot camps.

Local students currently on free or reduced lunch can apply.

There will be a one-day boot camp at the University of South Florida Alumni Center on Sept. 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For information and to apply, visit MindworksPrep.com.

Performance funding
Pasco-Hernando State College recently placed in the silver category for state college performance funding, as announced by the Chancellor’s Office, Division of Florida Colleges.

The college will receive Institutional Investment Funds of $799,073, as well as State Investment Funds of $799,073, to support college operations for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Performance funding is relative to the metrics of student retention, completion, job placement and starting salaries for graduates.

For information PHSC programs and services, visit PHSC.edu.

Recycle with Crayola
Crayola ColorCycle was launched as a way to help kids understand the importance of their role in protecting the environment.

Through the initiative, students in kindergarten through 12th grade in schools across the United States and parts of Canada can collect and repurpose used Crayola markers.

Teachers and students have the opportunity to explore eco-friendly practices through specially developed standards-based lesson plans to enrich instruction and promote lively class discussion.

There are four steps to becoming an Eco-Cool School.

  • Inform the school administrators or parent-teacher organization about participating in the ColorCycle program.
  • Set up a collection station in the school for used markers. Count up all the markers.
  • Pack markers in a cardboard box (with minimal outer markings). Print out a shipping label.
  • FedEx Ground will pick up the markers – Crayola pays all the shipping charges.

For information and to get started, visit Crayola.com.

Serving in the Navy
Petty Officer 3rd Class Patrick Reina is a gas turbine systems technician aboard one of the four advanced warships forward-deployed to Rota, Spain.

He is participating in a NATO ballistic missile defense mission, while assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Ross.

A Navy gas turbine systems technician is responsible for the health of the engines and the propulsion of the ship.

Reina is a 2015 Sickles High School graduate and Tampa native.

Annual school photos capture moment in time

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Those annual photos that parents, grandparents and friends take on the First Day of School are a fun way to mark the beginning of a new year of learning.

They also offer a way to record changes in height, hair styles and fashions, over time.

Taking a First Day of School photo is a tradition for many families and, as the years roll by, they become miniature time capsules — offering a visual reminder of the children that were, and the young adults they’ve become.

Thanks, to our readers, who shared their First Day of School photos with us.

Julia O’ Connor on the first day of school. She is a first-grader at Sand Pine Elementary School, in Wesley Chapel. (Courtesy of George O’ Connor)
Baylor Frisco, wearing a gray shirt, on his first day of his senior year at Sunlake High School, along with his brother, Cannon, who is in his freshman year at the school, located in Land O’ Lakes. (Courtesy of the Frisco family)
Nicholas Chapman heads to his first day of third grade at Sanders Memorial Elementary School in Land O’ Lakes. (Courtesy of Kimberly Chapman)
Kate Murdock has her photo taken near the sign at Learning Gate Community School, in Lutz, on the first day of the 2018-2019 school year. (Courtesy of Betsy Murdock)
Nathan Crowder and his little sister, Delanie Hadley, give each other encouragement as they head to fourth grade and kindergarten, respectively, at Sanders Memorial Elementary School in Land O’ Lakes. (Courtesy of Sarah Crowder)
Thirteen-year-old Colin Mendoza and 10-year-old Kayla Mendoza on the first day of school. Colin is in eighth grade at John Long Middle School and Kayla is in fifth grade at Seven Oaks Elementary School. Both schools are in Wesley Chapel. (Courtesy of Rowena Mendoza)
Liam Perkins, of Zephyrhills, on his first day as a sixth-grader at Stewart Middle School. (Courtesy of Amanda Perkins)

 

 

 

 

 

Chalk Talk 08/22/2018

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Outstanding alumna
Ania McNamara, of Odessa, received the Outstanding Young Alumna Award from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, during the school’s Reunion Weekend.

Ania McNamara, far right, was the recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumna Award from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. Other award winners, from left: Judy Mullins Lucas, Alumni Appreciation Award; Sarah Bellingham Laitinen, Lasallian Service Award; Ann Merchlewitz, Saint Mary’s interim president; Bobbie Smith Gostout, Distinguished Alumna Award. (Courtesy of Saint Mary’s University)

The award honors a young alum for outstanding accomplishments within the first 10 years of graduation whose professional accomplishments, service to the alma mater, or selfless and caring work to benefit society are distinctive.

McNamara has found success in her career and in her personal passion by providing gifts to orphans throughout Poland. A senior marketing professional, specializing in digital marketing, McNamara has broad perspective on the marketing needs of small companies, as well as the complex world of modern marketing and technology.

In 2016, she found McNamara Marketing, a flexible marketing resource firm providing full-service marketing to businesses worldwide.

In her spare time, McNamara organizes the CCF4Orphans Project, a 10-year initiative sending Christmas gifts overseas to children in Polish orphanages. The cause is particularly close to her heart as she and her sisters were adopted as young children from an orphanage in Poland.

For more information, visit CCF4Orphans Project on Facebook.

Recycle with Crayola
Crayola ColorCycle was launched as a way to help kids understand the importance of their role in protecting the environment.

Through the initiative, students in kindergarten through 12th grade in schools across the United States and parts of Canada can collect and repurpose used Crayola markers.

Teachers and students have the opportunity to explore eco-friendly practices through specially developed standards-based lesson plans to enrich instruction and promote lively class discussion.

There are four steps to becoming an Eco-Cool School.

  • Inform the school administrators or parent-teacher organization about participating in the ColorCycle program.
  • Set up a collection station in the school for used markers. Count up all the markers.
  • Pack markers in a cardboard box (with minimal outer markings). Print out a shipping label.
  • FedEx Ground will pick up the markers – Crayola pays all the shipping charges.

For information and to get started, visit Crayola.com.

Patel Conservatory classes
Registration is now open for 2018 fall classes that start Sept. 4, in dance, theater and music at the Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

More than 100 classes are offered in age-specific categories, ranging from prekindergarten to adult. Sequential curricula are designed to accommodate students of all skill levels, from novice to professional.

Patel offers master classes with performers, field trips to professional performances, and celebrity question-and-answer sessions, as well as other activities. Auditions are required for some classes.

Registration is available online, by calling (813) 222-1040, or in person at the Patel Conservatory.

Open houses for the school year will be Aug. 23 at 6 p.m., and Aug. 25 at 10 a.m.

For information, and a full list of classes, descriptions and schedules, visit PatelConservatory.org.

Wiregrass open house
Wiregrass Ranch High School will host an open house Aug. 27 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., for all students.

Participants can learn about the academic and athletic programs available, as well as clubs and booster programs.

Teachers will be in their classrooms to meet with families and answer any questions.

For information, call (813) 346-6000.

AFIRE of Pasco
All Pasco County Tax Collector offices will be accepting donations for AFIRE of Pasco during the month of August.

AFIRE of Pasco is a day-training program for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. It is geared specifically for people 22 years of age and older who have completed all school district programs for individuals with disabilities. AFIRE provides service five days per week to enrolled adults.

Services include basic academics, one-on-one computer instruction, training in daily living skills, and recreation and social outings/activities.

For information on donating, visit PascoTaxes.com, or call Greg Giordano, assistant tax collector, at (727) 847-8179.

For information on the organization, visit AfirePasco.com, or call Denise Haystrand at (727) 849-8982.

Insurance company steps up
American Income Life, a provider of life, accident and supplemental health insurance, made a $25,000 contribution to Step Up For Students, helping lower-income children attend the kindergarten through 12th grade school that best fits their learning needs. The donation will fund three scholarships for the 2018-2019 school year.

This is the first time American Income has partnered with Step Up For Students, a nonprofit organization that helps manage the income-based Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program.

The tax credit program is for financially disadvantaged schoolchildren, and allows parents and schoolchildren to choose between a kindergarten through 12th grade scholarship that helps with private school tuition and fees, or one that assists with transportation costs to out-of-county public schools.

Student attends summer orientation
Zane Tarrance, of Odessa, attended Newberry College’s Wolf Pack Welcome, the college’s summer orientation.

The welcome is a one-day program designed to help first-year students transition smoothly from high school to Newberry College (South Carolina).

Activities included a team-building session, an academic session, a technology session, and an advisement session with an academic advisor.

Dean’s List honorees

  • Connor O’ Keefe, of Lutz, made the Dean’s List at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, for the spring semester.
  • Em Ovalle, of Lutz, was named to the Dean’s List at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Ovalle is a graduate of Freedom High School.
  • Jordan Wheeler, of Land O’ Lakes, made the Dean’s List at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Wheeler is enrolled in the university’s School of Engineering and Applied Science.

 

Woodland Elementary School gets new look

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Students and staff arriving this week at Woodland Elementary School for a new academic year found a campus that has undergone a substantial renovation.

The $12 million project included $9 million in construction costs and $3 million for other expenses, including furniture, architectural fees, materials testing, telecommunications, district staff and other costs, according to Mike Gude, director of construction services and code compliance for Pasco County Schools.

An exterior view of a new building at Woodland Elementary School in Zephyrhills.
(Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

The renovation of the school at 38203 Henry Drive included the addition of more than 100 paved parking spaces, a new and expanded administration suite, 12 additional classrooms, a new art room, two new music rooms, an expanded student drop-off loop for parents, and a renovated kitchen and cafeteria, with a multipurpose room and stage, according to a school district news release.

Woodland Principal Shauntte Butcher recently gave a look at the upgraded facility to school district officials, including School Board member Allan Altman and schools Superintendent Kurt Browning. That tour was recorded on a video that’s available on YouTube.

During that video, Altman recalled visiting Woodland in 2007 to meet with the former principal Kim Poe, who showed him the school’s need for renovations.

Funding for the improvements came through the passage of the Penny for Pasco, which voters extended in 2012.

Cafeteria workers have a renovated kitchen at Woodland Elementary School.

“Today is just so exciting,” Altman said on the video, referring to the project’s completion.

He noted he was pleased “to see a beautiful school that’s going to serve the students and the families of the Zephyrhills area for years and years to come.”

As Butcher made her way around campus, she said the new cafeteria can serve twice as many students at once, allowing the school to trim down time needed to serve lunch each day.

The old cafeteria is now four classrooms, and the old kitchen is now a lab for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Other improvements include new furniture for the school’s existing classrooms, media center and teacher workroom, Butcher said.

Restrooms were updated, too.

When the school was built in 1976, it was designed for 652 students. As enrollment grew, more and more portable classrooms were moved onto campus to accommodate students.

The school’s new capacity is 900.

Published August 15, 2018

Pasco schools adopt tentative budget

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The Pasco County School Board has adopted a tentative budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, with a final public hearing set for Sept. 18.

The proposed general fund budget for 2018-2019 is $630,860,337. That’s a $15.2 million increase over last year’s general fund, which represents roughly a 2.47 percent increase.

The capital projects funds in the budget for 2018-2019 total $244,516,610, which reflects an increase of $31.5 million or 14.78 percent above the 2017-2018 budget.

Capital Projects Funds are used to account for expenditures on acquisition or construction of major capital facilities and improvements to existing facilities. The funds also are used for the maintenance of approximately 2,400 buildings across the district, to purchase land and to pay for equipment, technology equipment, buses and vehicles.

Under the proposed rate, the owner of a $125,000 home, after deducting the $25,000 homestead exemption, would pay $627.90 in school taxes — a decrease of $28.60 from last year.

The state’s basic student allocation for the 2018-2019 school year is $4,204.42. That’s 47 cents more per student than last year. But, since the state applies a cost of living adjustment, Pasco’s base student allocation for the coming year is $4,144.72.

Here are some big-picture highlights of the proposed budget:

  • Teaching makes up 61.78 percent of the district’s expenditures
  • Teaching combined with other school-level programs, including transportation, media, counseling, psychological services, school administration, capital outlay, community services, and operations and maintenance, makes up 92.38 percent of the operating budget
  • Curriculum development and staff training make up 3.26 percent of the operating budget.
  • Human resources, finance, purchasing, warehouse, data processing and mail services
    make up 4.36 percent of the operating budget.

While the state provides funding for schools, it also dictates how much of that money is spent.

For instance, during the 2018 session, the Florida Legislature passed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which addresses gun violence on school campuses and promotes school safety. The bill requires armed security guards at every school. Each of those officers is required to undergo training, a background check, drug screening and psychological evaluation.

Pasco already has School Resource Officers at its middle schools and high schools, and is adding school security safety guards at its elementary schools this year.

The public safety act also requires the development of a mental health assistance plan, which will establish or expand school-based mental health care, through assessment, diagnosis, intervention and treatment.

The Safe Schools allocation of $3,725,606 will be used for school resource officers, school safety guards, traffic control and year-end security.

The Mental Health allocation of $1,721,460 will be used to expand school-based mental health
care.

In another area, the district must provide an additional hour of intensive reading beyond the normal school day, for the entire year, at 10 schools that were identified as low-performing schools.

The district also intends to spend its Digital Classrooms allocation of $1,419,851 for computers, iPads and digital devices to support the district’s classrooms.

The budget also includes $80,459,730 for debt service, which is an increase of $5.9 million or nearly 8 percent higher than 2017. The district must repay debt service before making other expenditures.

The budget also lists scores of capital projects, including several in central and east Pasco.

They include:

  • Major renovation/remodeling of Land O’ Lakes High School, Woodland Elementary School and Zephyrhills High School
  • Construction of the new Cypress Creek Middle School
  • Design of a kindergarten through eighth grade school at Starkey Ranch
  • Cafeteria renovations at several schools, including Denham Oaks Elementary, Chester W. Taylor Elementary and Lacoochee Elementary
  • Replacement/repairs of heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems at Centennial Elementary and Sand Pine Elementary
  • Site improvements at Wendell Krinn Technical High School, a new technical high school that is opening this fall in the former Ridgewood High School, which was closed and refurbished, in New Port Richey

Published August 15, 2018

Chalk Talk 08/15/2018

By

Al Hernandez

Three reappointed to district board
Gov. Rick Scott announced the reappointment of Al Hernandez, Lee Maggard and Robin Schneider to the District Board of Trustees for Pasco-Hernando State College. All three have been reappointed for a term ending May 31, 2022.

Alvaro “Al” Hernandez, of Odessa, is vice president of marketing at Humana, and received his bachelor and master degrees from Nova Southeastern University.

Lee Maggard

Lee Maggard, of Zephyrhills, is the assistant vice president and commercial relationship manager for CenterState Bank in Dade City. Maggard received his associate degree from PHSC in 2007 and a bachelor degree from the University of Florida in 2009.

Robin Schneider

Robin Schneider, of Spring Hill, is marketing coordinator at Medical Center of Trinity. Schneider currently serves as the PHSC District Board of Trustees vice chair.

“We are very pleased with the reappointments of our board members and look forward to their continued leadership and commitment to higher education in our communities,” said Timothy Beard, PHSC president, in a release.

 

 

Backpack blessing
Keystone Community Church, 21010 State Road 54 in Lutz, will host a Back to School Dedication Aug. 19 at 10:30 a.m., with a special service in support of and to pray for children and teachers as they begin another school year.

Children are asked to bring their backpacks for a special blessing.

Following the dedication, there will be a festival, including lunch, bounce houses, a dunk tank for a teacher, and more.

For information, call (813) 948-4522.

Childhood center course
Pasco-Hernando State College will offer a course for child care directors to become credentialed.

The new course, Operation of an Early Childhood Center, meets Florida Department of Children and Families requirements for the director credential.

Interested child care workers can enroll for the course, which runs Aug. 20 to Oct. 10 at the Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

The class will meet on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:45 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.

A second course will be offered on Oct. 16 to Dec. 6, on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., at the West Campus, 10230 Ridge Road in New Port Richey.

For information or to enroll, visit PHSC.edu/academics/continuing-education.

Saint Leo ready for students
Saint Leo University will welcome close to 700 first-year students, as they officially move into their residence halls Aug. 16. Classes will start Aug. 21.

Move-in day for those first-year students will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., at University Campus, 33701 State Road 52 in St. Leo.

The new Lions, and parents, can take part in a reception Aug. 16 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., in the Marion Bowman Activities Center gym. For students, there will be a mini pep rally at 4 p.m.

Orientation for international and Honors Program students, as well as Emerging Mathematics and Computer Science scholars will be Aug. 14 to Aug. 16.

Incoming biology students can take part in Bio Boot Camp. The camp is a pre-semester primer, and students can get familiarized with the laboratories, attend lectures and learn study skills.

All students can join in a sing-along with the movie, “The Greatest Showman,” Aug. 20 at 7 p.m., in Selby Auditorium in Lewis Hall, hosted by the Department of Language Studies and the Arts.

On the first day of classes, Aug. 21, Student Activities will host a welcome back event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., near the Student Community Center. Students can get shirts spray painted, take first-day-of-school photos, and have smoothies and ice pops.

Throughout the first week of school, various campus groups will host events.

For more information, visit SaintLeo.edu.

Free college workshop
Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts will offer “College Bound: Figuring It Out, Part 2” Aug. 23 at 7 p.m.

The free workshop is for students interested in musical theater, music, theater and dance programs, at the college and university level.

Students and parents will be provided with the tools and knowledge to navigate the performing arts programs, submit a solid application, and prepare for prescreen and entrance auditions.

For information, call (813) 222-1040, or visit PatelConservatory.org.

Back 2 School campaign
Eckerd Connects, which helps vulnerable and troubled children, is hosting a “Back 2 School” campaign in an effort to support local programs: Project Bridge, Raising Hope, E-Nini-Hassee, Challenge Youth Academy, and foster children in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties.

To support the campaign, school supply donations can be made at any drop-off center. Locations can be found at Eckerd.org/Back2School.

Monetary donations can be made on Eckerd.org. A $25 donation can support a child with either one school uniform or one backpack full of supplies.

The campaign runs until the end of August.

Pasco Schools’ Citizens Academy
Pasco County Schools is launching a Citizens’ Academy to educate the public on the operation of the public school system.

The academy will consist of seven monthly meetings: three during the day and four in the evening.

The mornings will be school visits around the county, while evenings will be classroom lessons on budget, school choice, planning, construction and maintenance, transportation, school safety and more.

Each academy class will have 30 to 50 members from the community.

For information, visit PascoSchools.org, and click on the Citizens’ Academy banner at the top.

Students ring in the 2018-2019 school year

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As a new academic year begins, students heading to Florida public schools will be welcomed to campuses that are now protected by armed security.

The Florida Legislature mandated the armed guards at public school campuses across the state in response to the Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that left 17 students and staff members dead, and 17 others injured.

But, the additional security is just one of many changes awaiting students at schools across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

Some students will be heading to entirely new campuses.

The North Tampa Christian Academy, is opening at 5619 E. County Line Road in Wesley Chapel. It will serve students from age 2 through 12th grade.

Union Park Charter Academy, a charter public school, is another new school. It is opening, at 32775 Oldwoods Ave., in Wesley Chapel. It is a kindergarten through eighth grade school, but this year will be serving only students in kindergarten through sixth grade.

Meanwhile, in Land O’ Lakes, students and faculty arriving at Land O’ Lakes High School will continue to see a campus in the midst of a major makeover. There’s still a considerable amount of work left to do, but the project involves a substantial upgrade of the facility.

Students and staff at Woodland Elementary School in Zephyrhills will find a campus that has already undergone a massive makeover.

And, while it’s not noticeable yet, Zephyrhills High School is gearing up to begin a renovation that also will breathe new life into the facility.

There are changes on the academic front, too.

Cypress Creek Middle High School, in Wesley Chapel, for instance, will have its first senior class.

And, Pine View Middle School, at 5334 Parkway Blvd., is starting the new school year as Pasco County’s first authorized IB Middle Years Programme World School.

The middle school has worked long and hard to achieve the distinction, dating back to May of 2015 when it became an IB candidate school.

In addition to that new distinction, Pine View also has been named a magnet school, which means that students who live outside of the school’s attendance zone can apply to attend the school.

On another front, Pasco County Schools offers a variety of enrichment programs before and after school for elementary-age children.

The district’s afterschool enrichment department also manages five other programs.

Two of those programs are funded through 21st Century Community Learning Centers federal grants. Those programs are the STAR Academy, for elementary students; and DELTA Academy, for middle school students, according to the district’s website. Both are free and are aimed at academic enrichment.
The STAR Academy programs are located at Gulf Highlands, Quail Hollow, and Rodney B. Cox elementary schools. The DELTA Academy programs are located at Gulf, Hudson, and Raymond B. Stewart middle schools.

Two afterschool fee-based programs also are being offered at some district schools.

Beyond the Bell is an afterschool program for middle school students that incorporates homework assistance, sports, music, dance, leadership development and community service activities, the district’s website says. It will be offered at Charles S. Rushe Middle School, in Land O’ Lakes and River Ridge Middle School in New Port Richey.

Explorations will be offered at Wiregrass Elementary School, in Wesley Chapel. The program operates Monday through Thursday, from 4:10 p.m. to 5:10 p.m. The program includes a variety of enrichment activities for children, such as coding and robotics, dance, Spanish, and sports drills and skills.

School’s back in session: Drive safely
As school bells ring in another academic year, motorists and pedestrians are reminded to be cautious to help keep everyone safe.

Here are some tips for drivers from AAA, North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization:

  • Observe the speed limit. School zone speed limits are purposefully set low. Children are unpredictable, and may have difficulty gauging the distance and speed of an approaching car.
  • Look for AAA School Safety Patrollers. They’re a sign you are approaching a school zone.
  • Stop completely at intersections with stop signs.
  • Always stop for school buses that are loading or unloading. Going around a stopped school bus is not only dangerous, it’s against the law.
  • Eliminate driver distraction. Keep your eyes on the road. Put your phone down, and keep an eye out for other drivers and pedestrians.
  • Plan Ahead. Build in extra time for congestion.

Published August 8, 2018

Chalk Talk 08/08/2018

By

(Courtesy of Florida Hospital)

Christian academy will open for new school year
North Tampa Christian Academy, on East County Line Road in Wesley Chapel, will open its doors this month for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Orton Varona, who previously served as the Head of School at North Dallas Adventist Academy, has been named as the school’s president. To learn more about the school, and to take a visual tour, visit SeeThisSchool.com.

Teacher lists available
Parents from local schools can access supply lists online for the 2018-2019 school year.

With just one or two clicks, parents can find their child’s exact supply list and then click right over to prefilled shopping carts on Target, Walmart, Office Depot, Amazon and more, to purchase the list and have it shipped right to their home.

Store pickup also is available.

More than 50,000 schools have now posted lists on the website, which include required and requested items, as well as specific notes and clarifications from teachers and school staff.

Complete details and all the lists are available at TeacherLists.com/parents.

Academy ribbon cutting
New L.E.A.P.S. Academy will host a ribbon cutting Aug. 9 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at its new location, 21754 State Road 54 in Lutz.

Festivities will include food, drink, music, raffles and prizes.

Hawaiian shirts and hula skirts are optional.

For information and to RSVP, call Megan Carrillo or Terie Alonso at (813) 973-7938, or email or .

New start times for Hillsborough schools
Changes in start times take place for the first day of school in Hillsborough County on Aug. 10.

All campuses open 30 minutes before the first bell for free breakfast and a range of enrichment activities.

Most schools will operate on these schedules:

  • Elementary: 7:40 a.m. to 1:55 p.m. (12:55 p.m. on Mondays)
  • Middle: 9:25 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. (3:20 p.m. on Mondays)
  • High: 8:30 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. (2:25 p.m. on Mondays)
  • Magnet elementary: 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. (2 p.m. on Mondays)
  • Magnet middle and high: 8:30 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. (2:25 p.m. on Mondays)

To confirm school bell times, and to check out before and afterschool care options, visit SDHC.k12.fl.us.

Back-to-School celebration
Bank of the Ozarks, 4/One The Gentlemen’s Quarters and Goin’ Postal will host a Back-to-School Celebration Aug. 12 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 4/One, 38435 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills.

Students can receive a free haircut, and a bag of school supplies (while supplies last).

On-site activities will include a bounce house, giant games and puzzles, corn hole, a baseball pitching contest, hockey and soccer goal contests, chalk art, hula hoop contests and more.

School supply donations will be accepted through Aug. 10 at 4/One, and at the Bank of the Ozarks branch, 7435 Gall Blvd., Zephyrhills.

Share-A-Haircut
Hair Cuttery will support underprivileged children with its Back-to-School Share-A-Haircut program.

For every children’s haircut (up to age 18) purchased before Aug. 15, a haircut certificate will be donated to a child in need.

For locations, visit HairCuttery.com.

Back 2 School drive
Eckerd Connects, which helps vulnerable and troubled children, is hosting a “Back 2 School” campaign in an effort to support local programs: Project Bridge, Raising Hope, E-Nini-Hassee, Challenge Youth Academy, and foster children in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties.

To support the campaign, school supply donations can be made at any drop-off center. Locations can be found at Eckerd.org/Back2School.

Monetary donations can be made on Eckerd.org. A $25 donation can support a child with either one school uniform or one backpack full of supplies.

The campaign runs until the end of August.

Saint Leo appoints vice president
Dr. Jeffrey D. Senese, president of Saint Leo University, announced the appointment of John Nisbet as vice president of business affairs and chief financial officer, effective July 1.

Nisbet will be responsible for the university’s financial staff, Human Resources, and University Technology Services. He also will create a five-year fiscal plan, including operating and capital budgets, revenue, and strategic investments.

Previously, Nisbet served as vice president for finance at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

Prior to Creighton, he had leadership roles in finance and administration at Ohio State University, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, OhioHealth, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Nisbet has a Master of Business Administration from Ohio State University, and a Master of Science in molecular and cellular physiology from the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine.

He also has a Bachelor of Science in zoology from Ohio State University.

Pay raises elusive in Pasco schools

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Pasco County school officials are still searching for ways to provide some sort of raise for district employees — although the prospect did not appear promising at a board meeting last week.

At the board’s July 24 meeting, numerous teachers and other support personnel took turns urging the Pasco School Board to make employee pay a budget priority.

The current budget proposal does not include pay raises for any district employees.

Christine Goddard, a Spanish teacher at Land O’ Lakes High School, urged the board to make salary increases a budget priority.

Pasco County School Board member Colleen Beaudoin

She loves teaching in the district, she said, but is disappointed that her salary hasn’t improved much in the past couple of years.

“You can’t put your students first, if you continue to put your teachers last, in budget considerations,” Goddard said.

Sue Jenkins, a bus driver who lives in New Port Richey, said she loves her job and the kids she drives, but has to work two jobs.

“I’m too old to work two jobs for very long, so please make us a consideration,” she said.

Cheryl Vinson, of Lutz, noted that Pasco’s pay is not keeping pace with its neighboring counties.

“At my school alone, we have lost seven teachers who have moved to go back to their home states of New York, of Ohio, have gone to other districts because they can’t afford to live in Pasco County anymore. I have numerous friends who work second jobs.”

Beth Vogel, of New Port Richey, who works as registrar for the district, urged board members to take another look at the pay rate for registrars. She said the starting pay for them is $9.25 an hour.

“Our pay does not reflect the work that we do,” Vogel said. Registrars have extensive responsibilities, handling massive amounts of confidential information.

“It’s an endless, endless task. We are not compensated for what we do,” Vogel said.

Don Peace, president of the United School Employees of Pasco, called for the union and school district to work together to seek solutions.

“I implore all of you to be creative and innovative in your thinking this year, as together we seek to provide meaningful salary adjustments for all employees,” Peace said.

“I would also like to ask for the district to consider forming a joint task force with USEP to investigate the possibility of a ballot initiative and to investigate the processes needed to accomplish that task.

“We should be partnering together to message our legislators both here in the district, who obviously have not been working for us, and also in Tallahassee, to implore changes to public school funding, and to educate the public on the need for properly funding public schools and programs,” Peace said.

School board members Colleen Beaudoin and Alison Crumbley responded to the speakers.

“Your pleas are not falling on deaf ears,” Beaudoin said.

“Every board member here, we did set our priorities months ago, and every one of us said that salaries is our priority,” she said.

“We all know that the quality of the people we want to keep is paramount, and it needs to be commensurate to the pay. We want the best people teaching our kids. We know people are leaving. I was heartbroken last week when somebody asked me for a reference to leave the county,” she added.

“I’m sorry you’re in this position, that you are coming here feeling that you have to beg,” she said. “We’re trying. Staff is working on it.”

Crumbley thanked those who came forward to address the board.

“We’re very determined to do what we can and get employee raises,” she said.

“We know this is essential. We know, from the bottom of our hearts. This isn’t over,” she added.

New safety, mental health programs required
It remains unclear how the district would pay for an employee pay raise.

It costs about $4.1 million to provide a 1 percent raise for district employees, said Olga Swinson, the district’s chief finance officer.

The district won’t know its total enrollment until October, at which point it can take another look at the numbers, she said.

There’s a chance enrollment could exceed projections, or that projected enrollment at public charter schools could be lower-than-expected.

In either case, the district revenue picture would improve.

It is true that this year’s student allocation was at its highest rate, but that figure fails to account for inflation, according to Swinson’s budget presentation to the board.

In 2007-2008, the base allocation per student was $7,306. That compares to a base allocation per student of $7,408 for 2018-2019.

When cost-of-living increases are included, however, the allocation per student needs to be $8,528, Swinson said.

Superintendent Kurt Browning also noted that the Florida Legislature tied local districts hands by refusing to allow growth to pay for itself.

The required local effort, which was certified by the state, is 4.031 mills, Swinson said. That’s a reduction from the 4.317 mills that it was last year.

If legislators had allowed local districts to keep the same millage rate for required local effort as they had last year, the district would have $8.2 million more to use to support pay raises, Browning said.

That would essentially equate to a 2 percent pay raise for district employees.

Also, although the Legislature provided more dollars to local districts, they also mandated that most of that new money be spent on school security and mental health services, district officials said.

The school board is scheduled to vote on the tentative tax rate for schools at its July 31 meeting at 6 p.m., after The Laker/Lutz News’ press deadline.

Based on the proposed tax rate, the owner of a $125,000 home, assuming a $25,000 homestead exemption would bay $627.90 in school taxes in the 2018-2019 fiscal year. That compares to $656.50 for 2017-2018, a decrease of $28.60. If the Legislature had allowed districts to levy the same millage rate as they did last year, Pasco County would have generated an additional $8.2 million in revenues.

Published August 1, 2018

Pasco school district adopts new mental health plan

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The Pasco County School Board has approved a plan that allocates additional funding provided by the Florida Legislature to address youth mental health needs.

The Legislature’s decision to provide more money to address mental health issues came in response to the Valentine’s Day shooting spree at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent of Pasco County Schools

The Pasco school district was allocated slightly more than $1.7 million in mental health funding, according to Melissa Musselwhite, director of student support programs and services for the district.

Ninety percent of the funding must be spent to provide mental health services and 10 percent can be spent on prevention, she said.

So, the district has designated $1.4 million for services for at-risk youths and slightly more than $150,000 for prevention services. It also has allocated $123,000 for public charter schools.

The district’s plan calls for contracting with Central Florida Behavioral Network to help the district manage access to mental health services and help the district with data reporting.

It also will help the district with wraparound services for students.

“Many times we refer kids out and parents don’t go. We need to be sure that we’re diligent about tracking those kids and following up,” Musselwhite told the Pasco County School Board during a workshop on July 24.

The district’s plan, which required school board approval, was due to the state by Aug. 1.

Board members approved the plan at their evening meeting on July 24.

“There hasn’t be a comprehensive approach to referring kids out for services and support, and the follow-up and the wraparound with the family,” Musselwhite said, noting she would spend close to $100,000 in general fund money every year for a limited number of students.

By working with Central Behavioral Florida Network, the district will be expanding its reach to community resources that it didn’t know about before, Musselwhite said.

The mental health plan also includes:

  • Contracting with behavioral analysts to work one-on-one with students most at risk
  • Training in youth mental health first aid
  • Training in trauma-informed care
  • Training in Positive Behavior Intervention
  • Increased funding for alternatives to suspensions program
  • Additional adult assistance to help with students who are severely at risk for various reasons
  • Increased data collection to help the district make more informed decisions
  • Refining threat assessment procedures to be sure the law enforcement and district personnel are speaking the same language
  • Adding a high-performing school nurse, school psychologist and school social worker who will serve in a coaching/mentoring role for district staff

The district also plans to incorporate Social Emotional Learning across the curriculum, to help kids to learn how to effectively deal with anger, disappointment and difficult situations that arise.

Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent, is a proponent of the approach.

Social Emotional Learning helps kids “deal with the emotions of maybe not being the best player on the team, or not being able to play nine innings every game, or maybe having to sit on the bench for the good of the team,” Gadd said.

“Those things are upsetting to some folks, but how do you learn to handle that because those things that happen in life.

“SEL is trying to help teachers understand how to help kids to build foundational skills so they learn to manage those troublesome behaviors,” Gadd said.

Musselwhite said the district is looking for ways to embed SEL across the curriculum, “so that it’s not something stand-alone, and that it can be holistically done throughout the district, not in one subject or during your time with your school counselor.”

Gadd put it like this: “What we need is more SEL and less people with guns. If I had my choice, I would have rather have seen the Legislature fund a lot of SEL programs all around the state to help kids build those foundational skills so they never get to a point where they want to shoot people.”

Also, the district plans to add another Crisis Intervention Team.

It has four teams and will be adding a fifth.

“There was a huge increase, a 46 percent increase, in our crisis callouts for the crisis intervention team over the last year,” Musselwhite said. “It was pretty taxing last year on the four teams that we had.”

The teams are voluntary and are made up of student services team members and school counselors, who receive additional training to respond to crisis situations throughout the district.

Published August 1, 2018