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The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Imagine School

Charter sports league enjoying growth

October 9, 2019 By Kevin Weiss

The Tampa Charter Athletic League (TCAL) started with just five middle schools when it launched in 2013.

In a few short years, the league has ballooned to 22 schools and nearly 5,000 athletes throughout Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

Ten-year-old Agustin Aljure of Plant City, center, cheers on his older sister, Sophia, as she runs the track for the Tampa-based Trinity School for Children. His friend, 11-year-old Tyler Faucett of Tampa is on his right. (Christine Holtzman)

Of those schools, seven are in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area: Carrollwood Day School, Imagine School Land O’ Lakes, Learning Gate Community, Lutz Preparatory, North Tampa Christian, Sunlake Academy and Union Park.

Sports offerings include basketball, cross country, flag football, soccer, street hockey, track and field, and volleyball.

Other sports are on tap, with baseball and softball possibly next.

The upstart league is chaired and founded by Lutz Preparatory athletic director/physical education teacher Chad Mollick.

In designing the league, he envisioned something that would create more extracurricular activities for students and also foster some healthy competition.

The message spread quickly.

Simple “word of mouth” among other Tampa Bay area charter schools has grown the league where it is now, he said.

“It’s amazing to see just the massive amount of growth. I honestly never thought it would get to being this big,” Mollick said.

The league generally follows the rules and regulations of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) “with a couple of small twists,” Mollick said.

For instance, the TCAL allows schools to field multiple teams for a sport, so that a large group of students that try out don’t have to get cut. Another wrinkle different from traditional public schools — fifth graders are grouped in as middle schoolers, so they can join teams and get in on competitive play earlier on.

“The biggest thing for me is just having more opportunities for the kids,” he said. “We pretty much added one or two (new) sports every other year.”

Before the league formed, Mollick said there really weren’t any organized leagues for charter middle schools. A couple schools would scrimmage some Tampa Bay area private schools, but that was the extent of it.

“Six years ago, no one did anything. There was nothing, really,” he said.

A recent cross country meet at Lutz Preparatory School underscored the league’s expansion and reach.

Holding on to his megaphone, Coach Chad Mollick jokes around with one of the parents in the crowd, after the start of the Boys cross country race. Mollick is the athletic director and physical education teacher at Lutz Preparatory School, as well as chairman of the Tampa Charter Athletic League.

Roughly 300 boys and girls runners across a dozen schools (and at least another 100 spectators and volunteers) turned out for a regular season meet on a steamy Friday afternoon in September.

Mollick was on the front lines, working out race logistics with a walkie-talkie and golf cart and, setting up the course, corralling volunteers and getting everything else in order.

It’s the TCAL chairman pulling events together like that, which has impressed other charter middle school athletic directors.

“He does an incredible job,” said Bill Martin, athletic director/coach at Imagine School. “We all are really thankful that he’s able to do so much and really be able to keep things organized and everybody engaged. Every season’s always been successful. We make it work one way or another.”

Trinity School for Children athletic director/coach Kara White added this: “Chad puts in so many hours. I mean, we all do as athletic directors, but that man goes above and beyond, and if it wasn’t for him, this wouldn’t happen. We help, but he doesn’t get enough credit for what he does. I don’t think there’s anyone in the league who’d step up to do what he’s doing, and, teaching. It’s not easy. It’s a full time job.”

White, who’s been at Trinity for nearly two decades, also mentioned the league’s competition level “has come a long way” in the last few years.

“The schools that have been in it long enough now are understanding what they need to do to be competitive,” she said. “In different sports it varies, but I think it’s a pretty high level for middle school sports in Hillsborough County; I think we’re pretty far ahead.”

With the added competition, natural school rivalries have formed, also.

Lutz Prep and Imagine School is one of the more notable.

“We’re always battling for first or second place in two or three sports throughout the year,” Mollick said. “When you start seeing the competition in the championship games, it gets pretty intense.”

Meanwhile, Mollick said the “biggest issue” for the expanding league is finding enough gym and field space to put on events.

The league chairman said most charter schools don’t have their own gyms, so they have to go about renting county facilities which he said can cost anywhere from $50 to $150 per hour to put on sporting events.

“The hardest thing for us is facilities are hard to find,” he said. “These schools, every game they play, they’re paying to play.”

Aside from the league as a whole, Mollick has gone about increasing athletic participation within the Lutz Prep student body.

Mollick said roughly 90 percent of the school’s middle schoolers, or about 250 students, are now involved in some type of athletics.

Mollick also has developed an intramural sports program at Lutz Prep — including a running club for the school’s elementary student body, or grades one through four.

It’s something Lutz Prep parent Shelly Walsh appreciates, in getting students to take pride in the school and ingrained in sports programs.

“It’s a great way to get the kids to love it,” said Walsh, who has two sons at Lutz Prep. “They do a little bit of it in P.E., but not as much as coming after school, they get that feeling of, ‘This is fun, I like staying after.’”

That’s the way Lutz Prep sixth-grader Eva Hsi sees it. She plays flag football and soccer, and runs cross country for the school.

“I have fun,” Hsi said. “To get to meet the older kids and play with them, and not just stay with my grade, I enjoy it.”

So, too, does fellow Lutz Prep sixth-grader Declan Heuman, who runs cross country and track for the school, and plays baseball outside of it.

He said Lutz Prep “is really fun with all the sports we have here.”

He added cross country is his favorite because “I like how you get to run and meet all your friends doing it.”

Tampa Charter Athletic League schools

  • Avant Garde Academy
  • Carrollwood Day School
  • Classical Preparatory
  • Community Charter
  • Hillsborough Academy
  • Henderson Hammock Charter
  • Imagine School Land O’ Lakes
  • Learning Gate Community
  • Legacy Prep
  • Lutz Preparatory
  • New Springs
  • North Tampa Christian
  • Pepin Academy – Hillsborough
  • Pepin Academy – Pasco
  • SLAM Tampa
  • Sunlake Academy
  • Tampa Day School
  • Terrace Community
  • Trinity School for Children
  • Union Park
  • Village of Excellence
  • Woodmont

Published October 09, 2019

Filed Under: Local Sports Tagged With: Bill Martin, Carrollwood Day School, Chad Mollick, Declan Heuman, Eva Hsi, FHSAA, Florida High School Athletic Association, Imagine School, Imagine School Land O' Lakes, Kara White, Learning Gate Community School, Lutz Preparatory, North Tampa Christian, Shelly Walsh, Sunlake Academy, Tampa Charter Athletic League, Trinity School for Children, Union Park

Pine View Elementary becomes Primary Years program

July 3, 2019 By B.C. Manion

Pine View Elementary School has received its official authorization to offer the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme.

The school, at 5333 Parkway Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes, has been working for three years toward attaining the authorization. It is the first public school in Pasco County to achieve the distinction.

Pine View Elementary Principal Kay Moore is delighted that her Land O’ Lakes school has achieved its official authorization to offer an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. Pine View Elementary is only one of 504 schools in the United States authorized to offer the IB PYP, which uses an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning. (B.C. Manion)

As of May 1, there were 1,716 schools offering the IB PYP, in 109 different countries worldwide, according to the IB Organization’s website. In the United States, there are 504 public schools offering the IB PYP.

Pine View Middle School already is operating as an IB Middle Years Programme, and Land O’ Lakes High School offers the IB Diploma Programme, as well as a pre-IB programme for ninth-graders.

Pine View Elementary Principal Kay Moore said being a PYP candidate school has been a journey.

“One of the requirements to be authorized is that 100 percent of your staff has to go through International Baccalaureate training. So, we spent a lot of time and resources to train teachers,” Moore said.

Initially, the elementary school was looking for a way to provide a choice option for parents.

“We had declining enrollment over the past few years,” Moore explained, noting that Pine View was losing students to Sanders Memorial Elementary, a STEAM Magnet School, and charter schools, such as Imagine School and Classical Prep.

“We wanted to offer choice, and IB seemed to be a natural fit because of the middle school and the high school,” Moore said. “It completed a feeder pattern.”

While Pine View’s motivation was to be competitive, the experience has been illuminating for everyone involved, Moore said.

“We learned that this is a teaching style that’s good for kids,” Moore said.

It also “was a great growth opportunity for our staff,” she added, noting that as teachers became more familiar with the PYP, they embraced it.

Their attitude was: “This is the kind of teaching and learning we want for children.’

These attributes, painted on wooden boards beneath a covered walkway at Pine View Elementary, are qualities that prepare IB students to make exceptional contributions on campus.

“It was, ‘Wow, this is just good teaching’,” the principal said.

“So our staff buy-in was 100 percent because of that,” the principal said.

Moore credits Erin Greco, the school’s IB coordinator, as playing a pivotal role in the school’s transition to becoming a PYP.

She described Greco as being a catalyst.

“She’s been going through extensive training and studying, and is very self-motivated,” Moore said.

Teachers are pleased to be able to offer this educational approach, she added.

“One of the teachers got up at a parent meeting and said, ‘Just think, we’re going to offer your child IB, without the expense of IB,” Moore said.

Parents are enthused by the program, too.

“The IB team came in and interviewed the parent groups. They said that is our strength. Our parent support is truly our strength.

“I think a lot of them recognize that this is something special, that their children and they get to be involved with,” Moore said.

Besides achieving the PYP designation, Pine View is also a magnet school now.

Students within the school’s normal boundaries are automatically in, but others living outside the boundaries can apply to fill vacant spots. The vacancies are filled through a lottery.

When parents inquire about the program, they often have questions about the curriculum, Moore said.

“The curriculum is not different. We still do the state standards. The difference is we teach in an interdisciplinary fashion, where we integrate reading, writing, science, social studies — with a focus on connecting kids globally,” she said.

“Delivery is different because we try to do it on an inquiry basis, so that kids have choice and voice. When they do have choice and voice, they own it. We encourage them to go beyond the lessons that teachers may give and do their own inquiry,” she said.

There’s also more hands-on learning, Moore added.

The students aren’t the only ones learning in a new way, the principal added.

The teachers also are true IB learners, Moore said. “They’re inquiring, ‘How can I make it better? What can I read, what can I study — to make this experience better for kids?’”

And, they aren’t the only ones who are welcoming opportunities for new growth.

Moore, an educator for 38 years, said she feels invigorated.

“We are definitely not at the end of this journey. Every year, we are going to refine and make things better.

“The world is a lot smaller now, because of all the connections.

“This allows us to have that global perspective and really help children see and accept differences, and tolerate — and yet be discriminators of their own learning. That’s what excites me,” Moore said.

For more information, contact Pine View Elementary at (352) 524-0600.

What is the Primary Years Programme?
The Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a curriculum framework for young learners aged 3–12 designed by the International Baccalaureate (IB).

Founded on a philosophy that recognizes a child’s natural curiosity, creativity and ability to reflect, the PYP generates a stimulating, challenging learning environment to nurture those assets and foster a lifelong love of learning in every child.

The PYP, like all IB programmes, is transdisciplinary, meaning students learn across subject areas, while investigating big ideas.

Does the PYP have a specific set of standards?
In the PYP, students learn about significant concepts through units of inquiry.

The six transdisciplinary themes that guide units of inquiry and compose a year of study are:

  • Who we are
  • Where we are in place and time
  • How we express ourselves
  • How the world works
  • How we organize ourselves
  • Sharing the planet

Units of inquiry interweave subject areas, such as mathematics, language arts, science and social studies.

This approach encourages students to make their own connections between what they learn in core subject areas and how it relates to the world around them.

Source: International Baccalaureate website

Published July 03, 2019

Filed Under: Education, Land O' Lakes News, Local News Tagged With: Classical Prep, Erin Greco, IB Diploma Programme, Imagine School, ine View Elementary School, International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, Kay Moore, Land O' Lakes High School, Parkway Boulevard, Sanders Memorial Elementary

Enrollment growth in Pasco highest since recession

September 2, 2015 By B.C. Manion

Drive through Pasco County and it’s easy to see the signs of growth.

New houses are popping up in subdivisions. New apartment complexes are being built, and land is being cleared for more development.

And now that school is back in session, some of that growth is beginning to show up in classrooms, too.

These children are among the 718 students who arrived at Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet Elementary School on the first day of classes in the 2015-2016 school year. This is the Pasco County school district’s first magnet school. (Courtesy of Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School)
These children are among the 718 students who arrived at Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet Elementary School on the first day of classes in the 2015-2016 school year. This is the Pasco County school district’s first magnet school.
(Courtesy of Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School)

For the first time since 2007, the enrollment figures for the first day of school in Pasco County Schools increased by more than 1,000 students compared to the first day of school during the previous year.

Countywide, the district’s enrollment was 66,059, on the first day of classes, not counting four schools that had not yet submitted enrollment figures.

District schools gained a total of 1,138 students, while charter schools operating in the county picked up 441 — bringing the total to 1,579.

The increased enrollment exceeded the district’s expectations. Officials had projected an increase of 1,490.

Elementary schools experienced the biggest gain, picking up 672 more than last year. Middle schools experienced a slight decline, tallying seven fewer students than the previous year, and high schools gained 526.

The district’s education centers also saw a slight decrease, dropping by 53 students.

Some schools experienced increases, while others saw declines across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

The opening of Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School, with 718 students, in Land O’ Lakes had an impact on enrollments at several area schools.

Connerton Elementary School’s first day enrollment was 770, down from last year’s first-day count of 890.

Oakstead Elementary also experienced a decline from its enrollment of 1,123 on the first day of school last year, compared with 1,000 this year.

Pine View Elementary, also in Land O’ Lakes, reported an opening day enrollment of 530, down 100 students from the prior year.

Lake Myrtle Elementary, also located in Land O’ Lakes, had a decline of 73 students, going from 639 last year to 566 this year.

Denham Oaks Elementary, in Lutz, saw its enrollment drop by 56 students, going from 669 last year to 613 this year.

Other schools experienced enrollment declines as Quail Hollow Elementary reopened in Wesley Chapel, with 380 students on its first day.

Watergrass Elementary School’s first-day enrollment of 592 reflects a decrease of 114 students from its first-day figure last year.

Wesley Chapel Elementary’s first-day enrollment dropped by 191 students, as compared to last year.

Two elementary schools reported enrollment gains of 50 students or more. Sand Pine Elementary, in Wesley Chapel, increased by 51 students and Woodland Elementary, in Zephyrhills, experienced an uptick of 83 students.

Most of the middle schools in the central and east portions of Pasco County saw changes that were within 25 students of last year, plus or minus.

Pine View Middle School was the only school that experiencing a bigger change. Its first-day enrollment decreased by 65 students, compared to last year.

Among high schools in central and east Pasco, those charting the largest gains were Land O’ Lakes High, with an increase of 155 students, Zephyrhills High, with a boost of 119 students, and Sunlake High, with an uptick of 78 students.

Charter schools in the newspaper’s coverage area also reported gains. Academy at the Farm picked up 119 students, Imagine School in Land O’ Lakes reported 50 additional students, and Countryside Montessori, also in Land O’ Lakes, increased its first-day enrollment by 29.

The largest elementary schools in the newspaper’s coverage area are Oakstead, with an enrollment of 1,000; Seven Oaks, with an enrollment of 1,065; and Woodland, with an enrollment of 929.

The largest middle schools in central and east Pasco are John Long, with an enrollment of 1,665; Rushe, with an enrollment of 1,299; and Weightman, with an enrollment of 1,102.

All of the high schools in east and central portions of the county having enrollments exceeding 1,450, with Wiregrass Ranch High topping the list, with an opening day count of 2,272.

Published September 2, 2015

Filed Under: Education, Local News Tagged With: Academy at the Farm, Connerton Elementary, Countryside Montessori, Denham Oaks Elementary, Imagine School, John Long MIddle School, Lake Myrtle Elementary, Land O' Lakes, Land O' Lakes High, Oakstead Elementary, Pasco County Schools, Pine View Elementary, Quail Hollow Elementary, Rushe Middle School, Sand Pine Elementary, Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School, Seven Oaks Elementary, Sunlake High, Watergrass Elementary, Weightman Middle School, Wesley Chapel, Wesley Chapel Elementary, Wiregrass Ranch High, Woodland Elementary, Zephyrhills, Zephyrhills High

Imagine student spearheads clothing drive

May 27, 2015 By Kathy Steele

The first visits to ask local business owners for donations took a special effort from an 11-year-old who is shy. But Alexandra Westcott had a good reason to get a little help for Pasco County’s foster children.

“I felt bad for the kids who didn’t have much in life,” she said. “I wanted to help by allowing people to donate things.”

The sixth-grader at Imagine School of Land O’ Lakes knows what it means to not have a home. Her parents, Tara and Rick Westcott, adopted her from China when she was a 15-month-old toddler.

Rick and Tara Westcott are proud parents of 11-year-old Alexandra Westcott, who received a certificate of appreciation from Eckerd Raising Hope. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Rick and Tara Westcott are proud parents of 11-year-old Alexandra Westcott, who received a certificate of appreciation from Eckerd Raising Hope.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

“I think she wanted to give back because she feels fortunate to have a forever home,” her mother said.

So, Alexandra spearheaded a clothing drive, from May 1 through May 12, to benefit Eckerd Raising Hope.

Eckerd is a national nonprofit organization that provides assistance and resources to more than 18,500 children and families annually.

The organization’s Raising Hope program operates “Rooms of Hope” where foster children and their caregivers in the Tampa Bay community can shop free of charge. They fill their carts with new or slightly used clothes, toiletries, baby items, school supplies, duffel bags and comfort items such as blankets and stuffed animals.

Boxes of donated items were picked up at the school on May 18. The donations included several boxes of infant formula provided by a local doctor. Several National Junior Honor Society students, including Alexandra, helped load the goods into a van for delivery.

Alexandra learned about Eckerd Raising Hope while talking with her mother about her parents’ experience taking foster parenting classes.

The Westcotts had tried for a long time to adopt. A parent in one of the classes told them she was adopting a child from China and suggested the Westcotts do the same.

Tara Westcott also remembered information about the Eckerd charity. “We had learned foster children who were taken out of their home would take all their belongings in a garbage bag,” she said.

The nonprofit seemed a good project for Alexandra who is a member of the National Junior Honor Society. Honor students are challenged to be active in school activities and in their community. This is the first year Imagine has sponsored an honor society chapter.

Imagine principal Aimee Williams quickly gave permission for Alexandra to enlist students in grades six through eight for the project.

About 120 students from Imagine brought in donated items.

“Each of our grade levels has to do something,” Williams said. “We would rather kids pick the project than us. I would hope they could learn they can be decision makers,” the principal said.

Alexandra, who will turn age 12 in June, has volunteered in the community before, including performances with other students at the Ronald McDonald House.

“This is her first really big thing,” her mother said.

She was up to the task.

She explained in detail to classmates what the project was and how it would operate. Kelly Rossi, who is the charity’s director, recalled that she didn’t have to add much to Alexandra’s presentation.

“It was definitely my first event with a student this young,” Rossi said. “But I really gave her the tools, and she did all this. She’s so mature.”

Eckerd Raising Hope serves about 200 to 225 children a month at each of three locations in Trinity, Dade City and Largo. There are about 6,000 foster children in the Tampa Bay area.

Rossi said the supplies collected from Alexandra would be given to children in Pasco.

“Often times they come with nothing. The state doesn’t fund those extra things,” Rossi said. “I can’t have them going to school without shoes and clothes.”

Alexandra created a flier with a personal essay on why she wanted to help foster children. Knowing that children often left their homes with their clothes in garbage bags “really pulled at my heart,” she wrote. New duffel bags would help them “keep their dignity at a very hard time of their lives.”

She also told her mother she wanted to collect stuffed animals, or plush toys, as handouts because she knew how frightened the foster children would be. At Rossi’s suggestion, she asked donors to shop at Dollar Tree to maximize the number of items they could give. From a list provided by Rossi, Alexandra also put together a gift set of Dollar Tree items including toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorants, shampoos, African-American hair products and hairbrushes.

Toiletries especially are needed items, Rossi said.

Alexandra’s drive and determination did not surprise sixth- grade science teacher Adrian Denson, who serves as her advisor.

“She is definitely diligent,” he said. “She’s a really good kid.”

Rick Westcott said he and his wife drove their daughter to local businesses but left everything else up to her.

“She personally has gone in and asked for donations,” he said. “If a child is going to volunteer, they should do the work and not let parents do it for them,” he added.

The best thing about the project was seeing people give so much, Alexandra said.

And, she isn’t finished yet.

Alexandra dances five nights a week at Contempo School of Dance in Lutz. Owners and students there are gearing up for more donations to Eckerd Raising Hope.

For information about Eckerd Raising Hope visit Eckerd.org, or call (855) 450-4673.

Published May 27, 2015

Filed Under: Land O' Lakes News, Local News Tagged With: Adrian Denson, Aimee Williams, Alexandra Wescott, Contempo School of Dance, Dade City, Dollar Tree, Eckerd Raising Hope, Imagine School, Kelly Rossi, Land O' Lakes, Largo, National Junior Honor Society, Rick Wescott, Ronald McDonald House, Tara Wescott, Trinity

New schools, new programs on tap for 2014-15 school year

August 7, 2014 By B.C. Manion

The days of relatively easy rush-hour commutes are approaching an end as students, teachers and other employees gear up for a new school year.

Students in Pasco County Schools begin the 2014-15 school year on Aug. 18, and Hillsborough County public schools begin classes a day later.

These children arrive at school at Quail Hollow Elementary School on the last day the school had classes before closing down for renovation. Quail Hollow is slated to open in the 2015-16 school year. (File Photo)
These children arrive at school at Quail Hollow Elementary School on the last day the school had classes before closing down for renovation. Quail Hollow is slated to open in the 2015-16 school year.
(File Photo)

Wiregrass Ranch High School already is urging students and parents to give themselves ample time to arrive.

“Traffic in the morning is always busy,” Robyn White, the school’s principal, noted on the Wiregrass Ranch website. “With 40 buses arriving, 500 student drivers, 200 employees and hundreds of parents driving to school, you must arrive early to prevent being late to school.”

If that’s the scene at just one school, imagine how it will play out across two massive school districts.

In addition to traffic generated by Hillsborough and Pasco public schools, there also are thousands of students in both counties attending private schools and charter schools, including Academy at the Lakes, Land O’ Lakes Christian School, Countryside Montessori, The Reading Corner, Learning Gate Community School, Imagine School and Academy at the Farm, just to name a few.

The traffic jams will begin in earnest when students return to classes, but the volume will pick up a bit earlier as teachers and other school employees begin reporting back to work to get ready for another year.

Many parents are already hitting the malls, discount stores and local shops to buy their kids new school clothes and supplies for the coming year. Parents who want to be in the know should check their school’s website to make sure they are getting the supplies that their kids will need. Most websites offer a list of supplies that differentiates between grade levels.

Parents also can benefit from attending “meet the teacher” day at elementary schools and orientation sessions for older students to get a better feel for their child’s campus and the school’s rules. Again, all that information is available on schools’ websites.

The coming school year is ushering in new educational options for students in both school districts. Pepin Academies has a new public charter school in New Port Richey that will serve students with special learning needs throughout Pasco County.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the county, Darby Christian Academy in Dade City will offer a community school model, based on a biblical worldview. That school, a ministry of Darby Community Church at 14745 Bellamy Brothers Road, offers instruction for kindergarten through 10th-graders.

Stewart Middle School and Zephyrhills High School are adding The Infinity Academy, a program that blends online instruction with classroom learning to give students the chance to quickly move through material they master, but spend more time on lessons that cause them to struggle.

Both schools also are offering a program called AVID, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. At Zephyrhills High, AVID will be available for 60 incoming ninth-graders who will take it as an elective. The class will focus on organizational skills, text coding, reading and writing coaching, and math and science tutorials.

At Stewart, the AVID elective will be offered for students in grades six through eight.

In Hillsborough County, the public charter Lutz Preparatory School has added a middle school. This year, the school will serve sixth- and seventh-graders. Next year, it intends to add eighth grade.

Three elementary schools in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area have new principals.

Claudia Steinacker will lead Cox Elementary School, and Christina Twardosz is at the helm of Centennial Elementary School, both in Dade City. Gretchen Rudolph-Fladd is the new principal at Veterans Elementary School in Wesley Chapel.

This school year also signals the first full year of operation for Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, a new satellite of Pasco-Hernando State College.

The college campus is next door to Wiregrass Ranch High and not far from Wesley Chapel High School, which is expected to lead to enhanced educational opportunities for the high school students and to give the college a chance to recruit more future students.

Pasco County Schools Calendar 2014-15
Aug. 18 — Students’ first day
Sep. 1 — Labor Day
Oct. 20 — Teacher planning day
Oct. 27— Report card distribution
Nov. 24-28 — Thanksgiving break
Dec. 22-Jan. 2 — Winter break
Jan. 5 — Teacher planning day
Jan. 12 — Report card distribution
Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 16 — President’s Day
March 16-20 — Spring break
March 23 — Teacher planning day
March 30 — Report card distribution
April 3 — Non-student day
May 20 — Seniors’ last day
May 25 — Memorial Day
June 3 — Students’ last day
June 11 — Final report card distribution

Hillsborough County Schools Calendar 2014-15
Aug. 19 — Students’ first day
Sept. 1 — Labor Day
Oct. 20 — Teacher planning day
Nov. 3 — Elementary report card distribution
Nov. 7 — Secondary report card distribution
Nov. 11 — Veterans Day
Nov. 24-28 — Fall break
Dec. 22-Jan. 2 — Winter break
Jan. 19 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan. 20 — Non-student day
Feb. 2 — Elementary report card distribution
Feb. 10 — Secondary report card distribution
March 9–13 — Spring break
March 16 — Student’s return to school
April 3 — Non-student day
April 13 — Elementary report card distribution
April 17 — Secondary report card distribution
May 25 — Memorial Day
June 5 — Elementary report card distribution
June 5 — Last day of school
June 12 — Secondary report card distribution

– Compiled by Ashley Schrader

Published August 6, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Filed Under: Education, Local News Tagged With: Academy at the Farm, Academy at the Lakes, Centennial Elementary School, Christina Twardosz, Claudia Steinacker, Countryside Montessori, Cox Elementary School, Dade City, Darby Christian Academy, Darby Community Church, Gretchen Rudolph-Fladd, Hillsborough County Schools, Imagine School, Land O' Lakes Christian School, Learning Gate Community School, Lutz Preparatory School, New Port Richey, Pasco County Schools, Pasco-Hernando State College, Pepin Academies, Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, Robyn White, Stewart Middle School, The Infinity Academy, The Reading Corner, Veterans Elementary School, Wesley Chapel, Wesley Chapel High School, Wiregrass Ranch High School, Zephyrhills High School

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01/23/2021 – Adult craft

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will offer a virtual craft at home for adults on Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. Participants can learn to make fireworks in a jar. To view the video, visit Facebook.com/cplib. … [Read More...] about 01/23/2021 – Adult craft

01/23/2021 – Dumpling soup

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present “Cook-a-Book: Soup” on Jan. 23 at 11 a.m. This month the book, “Dumpling Soup” by Jama Kim Rattigan will be featured. Participants can hear the story and then learn to make a kid-friendly dumpling soup. For information and to see the presentation, visit Facebook.com/regencyparklibrary. … [Read More...] about 01/23/2021 – Dumpling soup

01/23/2021 – Hobby Circle

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will offer a Hobby Circle on Jan. 23 at 3 p.m., for anyone who wants to share a hobby or learn about a new one — from a work of art to a new recipe, to a favorite video game. The group will meet via Zoom. For information, email . … [Read More...] about 01/23/2021 – Hobby Circle

01/23/2021 – Star Wars Night

The Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI), 4801 E. Fowler Ave., in Tampa, will host a Star Wars Family Night on Jan. 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., for ages 7 and older. Guests can take part in intergalactic adventures and hands-on activities, such as build-your-own lightsaber and train in the art of dueling. Participants also can control a droid through an obstacle course, learn about traveling to other planets in the Saunders planetarium, and navigate through exhibits. There also will be a game called Beat Saber on the Oculus Rift. Preregistration is required. For information and tickets, visit Mosi.org. … [Read More...] about 01/23/2021 – Star Wars Night

01/25/2021 – Fizzy bath bomb

The Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, will offer an adult fizzy bath bomb craft, through curbside pickup only. The kit will include lavender Epsom salt, citric acid, a reusable mold, instructions and more. Pickup is from Jan. 25 through Jan. 30. Registration is required through the calendar feature on the library’s website, or by calling 813-929-1214. … [Read More...] about 01/25/2021 – Fizzy bath bomb

01/25/2021 – Lego building

Mr. John from Bricks 4 Kidz will show participants how to become a Lego Master Builder with an online class that teaches various building methods and techniques. The program will be presented on Jan. 25 at 4:30 p.m., for ages 5 to 12. Registration is through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/25/2021 – Lego building

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