Pasco provides Wi-Fi hubs
Pasco County Schools has established community-access Wi-Fi hubs at five school sites, as of May 6. The hubs make it possible for families to easily access the internet.
The sites are available from 9 a.m. to 6 pm., Monday through Friday.
Starting on June 8, the sites will be available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
The community-access hubs can be found at these schools:
- Cox Elementary School, 37615 Martin Luther King Blvd., Dade City
- Lacoochee Elementary, 38815 Cummer Road, Dade City
- Pasco Elementary, 37350 Florida Ave., Dade City
- Woodland Elementary, 38203 Henry Drive, Zephyrhills
- Cotee River Elementary, 7515 Plathe Road, New Port Richey
At each school, a designated parking lot area will be clearly marked, and Wi-Fi access information will be displayed.
Families are asked to follow social distancing recommendations while on campus and remain in vehicles, as much as possible.
Those using the hub sites also should make sure their devices are fully charged before arriving.
Community input needed
Pasco County Schools’ After School Enrichment Programs department (ASEP) is looking for input from the community through an online survey, as the district gets ready to apply for a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant from the Florida Department of Education.
The purpose of the grant proposal is to extend the district’s before and after school academic enrichment opportunities for students by providing a new and free academic support program at three select elementary schools and four select middle schools.
The new program will focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) curriculum and offer enriching hands-on experiences.
If the grant is awarded, the program would start next school year.
Families are encouraged to share their input to help identify specific needs and potential offerings.
Parents and students who wish to participate in the survey can visit MyASEP.com, and click on the Parent or Student icon next to the “thoughtexchange” logo.
Student of the Year
Cameron Farquhar, a senior at Wesley Chapel High School (WCHS), was named the Pasco County School District’s High School CTE (Career and Technical/Adult Education) Student of the Year.
Farquhar found out about the honor through a Zoom video conference with WCHS principal Matt McDermott.
Other special guests in on the announcement were Kim Moore, assistant superintendent of career and innovative programs; Lori Romano, director of CTE; and Superintendent Kurt Browning.
Honor Society inductees
Three local students were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, at the University of South Florida:
- Victoria Gonzalez, of Lutz
- Nikhil Kulkarni, of Odessa
- Amber Pirson, of Lutz
Local graduates
Tallahassee Community College (TCC) will recognize more than 3,000 candidates in the graduating Class of 2020. The local students earning degrees are:
- Morgan Blomberg, of Lutz
- Brian Castro, of Odessa
- Kallie Cook, of Odessa
- Natalie Dambrosio, of Lutz
- Madison Davidson, of Odessa
- Ryan Fischel, of Lutz
- Jason Fishman, of Lutz
- Matthew Julian, of Lutz
- Mikiah Peeples, of Lutz
- Carolyne Rogers, of Odessa
- Kamaria Sherman, Of Odessa
Julianna Mitten, of Odessa, graduated from Cedarville University in Ohio with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
And, the University of Mississippi-Oxford awarded degrees to Timothy John Elko, of Lutz (Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science); and, Kyle Allen Langiotti, of Odessa (Bachelor of Business Administration-Marketing).
Vendor training
Pasco County Schools is scheduled to present a vendor training on June 24 (date may change), to give vendors a chance to familiarize themselves with how to do business with the school district.
The event is planned at the district office, 7227 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Building 2, in the Mangrove Room. The morning session is from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and the afternoon session is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
To register, visit EventBrite.com, and search for ‘Vendor Co-LAB.’
Kindergarten registration
Pasco County Schools’ kindergarten registrations will now be on July 8, at all Pasco elementary schools.
Registration requirements include:
- Must be 5 years of age by Sept. 1
- Birth certificate or other proof of birthdate
- Health examination – HRS Form 3040
- HRS Certificate of Immunization
- Three different proofs of residency, including deed or property tax assessment or lease, current utility bill, and an additional document supporting stated address: auto registration, driver’s license or voter registration.
To preregister, visit Pasco.k12.fl.us/forms/view.php?id=227457.
Florida education status
The personal-finance website, WalletHub, released its report on 2020’s Most & Least Educated States in America.
In order to determine where the most educated Americans live, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 18 key metrics. The data set ranges from share of adults age 25 and older with at least a high school diploma to average university quality to gender gap in educational attainment.
According to WalletHub, this is how educated Florida is (1=Most; 25=Average)
- first in gender gap in educational attainment
- third in average university quality
- 21st in racial gap in educational attainment
- 29th in percentage of graduate or professional degree holders
- 30th in percentage of bachelor degree holders
- 32nd in percentage of associate degree holders or college-experienced adults
- 33rd in percentage of high school diploma holders
For a full report, visit WalletHub.com/edu.
Financial aid tip
The federal government requires many students who submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to verify the information included on the FAFSA. The students requiring verification are chosen by the U.S. Department of Education.
Used to apply for most federal and many state student aid programs, the FAFSA asks detailed questions about the income and financial resources of students.
The parents of dependent students must provide that information, too.
Students are considered dependent if they are undergraduates younger than 24 years of age, not married, have no dependents, are not veterans, or were not orphans or wards of the court until age 19.
The college or an agency working with the school will let students know if their information is being verified.
According to the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA), students and parents need to take this process seriously. Until the verification process is complete, students cannot receive financial aid. The information should be provided as soon as the students are contacted about verification.
KHEAA is a public, nonprofit agency established to improve students’ access to college. It provides information about financial aid and financial literacy, for free, to students and parents.
For more about KHEAA services, visit KHEAA.com.
Saint Leo summer institute
Saint Leo University’s Department of Criminal Justice is converting its Summer Institute to a seminar delivered through a digital platform.
This summer’s topic is “The Art of Identifying, Investigating and Apprehending Serial Killers, Spree Killers and Murderers: An Interactive Learning Experience.”
The four-day seminar will take place May 18 through May 21, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., online via Zoom.
The event will include lectures from prominent speakers on profiling, and small group discussions.
Certificates of completion will be available.
Registration is open at SaintLeo.edu/cj-events.
