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Cox Elementary

Parent input sought for grant application

March 2, 2016 By B.C. Manion

Pasco County Schools is seeking federal grant money for a before- and after-school program for some students at Cox and Quail Hollow elementary schools, and wants to hear from parents during the process.

The application requires community input, said Tony Harroun, a senior grant writer for Pasco County Schools.

So, a community night is planned for March 3 at 6 p.m., at R.B. Cox Elementary School, at 37615 Martin Luther King Blvd., Dade City.

Quail Hollow’s community night was set for earlier in the week, on March 1.

The idea is to give parents a chance to weigh in on what they would like to see offered as part of the program, Harroun said.

The emphasis of the before- and after-school program will be on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics, he said.

But, children may be interested in specific topics in science or other subjects, and the district would like to hear parents’ suggestions, Harroun said.

If the district receives the grant, he estimates that the program at Cox and at Quail Hollow possibly could accommodate about 50 children each.

The district hopes to receive funding for both schools, so it can provide additional ways to engage children in learning and make it more interesting and fun for them, Harroun said.

The district already has this program at one elementary school and at an afternoon program at three middle schools, including Stewart Middle School, Harroun said.

The application will be submitted for a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant.

The program it would fund is called STAR, which stands for Success Through Academic Readiness.

Children from private schools also are eligible for the before- and after-school program, but the school district would not be able to transport them, Harroun said.

Parents of private school children who are interested in learning more about the program and who would like to offer suggestions about the programming are invited to the community meeting, he said.

What: Community meeting
Why: To solicit parent input on a potential before- and after-school program.
Where: Cox Elementary School, 37615 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., Dade City
When: March 3 at 6 p.m.

Published March 2, 2016

Pasco expands magnet options

December 30, 2015 By B.C. Manion

Pasco County Schools is expanding its magnet school options beginning next school year, and is holding a series of community meetings to explain the additional options.

Sanders Memorial Elementary School is Pasco County’s first magnet school. It offers a curriculum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. The district is converting Centennial Middle School in Dade City into a science, technology, engineering and mathematics magnet school. (File Photo)
Sanders Memorial Elementary School is Pasco County’s first magnet school. It offers a curriculum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.
The district is converting Centennial Middle School in Dade City into a science, technology, engineering and mathematics magnet school.
(File Photo)

The district is converting Centennial Middle School, in Dade City, into a STEM Magnet School. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

A series of community meetings, with each beginning at 6 p.m., will give parents a chance to learn more about the new middle school magnet program.

  • Jan. 11 in the cafeteria at Raymond B. Stewart Middle School, 38505 10th Ave., in Zephyrhills
  • Jan. 12 in the auditorium at Pasco Middle School at 13925 14th St., in Dade City
  • Jan. 13 in the cafeteria at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School, at 30649 Wells Road in Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 19 in the cafeteria at Dr. John Long Middle School cafeteria, 2025 Mansfield Blvd., Wesley Chapel
  • Jan. 20 in the cafeteria at Centennial Middle School, at 38505 Centennial Road in Dade City
  • Jan. 21 in the cafeteria at Chester W. Taylor Elementary School, at 3638 Morris Bridge Road in Zephyrhills

Parents of sixth- and seventh-graders at the host schools, as well as parents of current fifth-graders that feed into those schools, are encouraged to attend.

Elementary schools feeding into Centennial Middle School are Centennial, Cox, Double Branch, Lacoochee, New River, Pasco, Quail Hollow, San Antonio, Seven Oaks, Veterans, Watergrass, Wesley Chapel, West Zephyrhills and Woodland.

At each meeting, Superintendent Kurt Browning, the magnet school principal and district staff will discuss the STEM magnet theme and programs that will be offered.

Parents also will hear about magnet school application timelines and options for transportation.

Fifth- through seventh-grade students may apply for acceptance to the magnet school during the magnet school application period, Jan. 18 through Jan. 31, 2016. Students and parents not listed are welcome to attend the meetings, but will need to apply for acceptance through the regular school choice period, which begins Feb. 1.

In addition to the new middle school magnet, the district also has an elementary STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) program at Sanders Memorial Elementary in Land O’ Lakes.

Parents of prospective students to Sanders are invited to tour the school, at 5126 School Road in Land O’ Lakes, on Jan. 8 at 10 a.m., and 1:30 p.m.

Parents will have a chance to learn more about the school’s programs, facilities and unique features.

Sanders has unmanned aerial systems, solar panels, and other high tech devices, as well as computers and iPads for each student.

Published December 30, 2015

Ornaments reveal history, raise money

October 23, 2014 By B.C. Manion

When the Dade City Garden Club began selling an annual holiday ornament to raise money for the club, the decoration was simple: a two-dimensional square.

That didn’t matter.

The ornament’s theme — the Historic Pasco County Courthouse — touched a chord among area residents and quickly sold out, recalled Pat Carver, who was involved in getting the ornament sales off the ground.

The Dade City Garden Club sells a holiday ornament each year to honor a local place or organization. Proceeds help pay to maintain the garden club’s facilities and support its community projects. (Courtesy of Dade City Garden Club)
The Dade City Garden Club sells a holiday ornament each year to honor a local place or organization. Proceeds help pay to maintain the garden club’s facilities and support its community projects. (Courtesy of Dade City Garden Club)

When people bought the ornament, they would say things like, “This was the room where I got married,” or, “this was where my mother was a secretary,” Carver recalled.

The garden club didn’t originate the fundraising idea, but it recognized its potential, Carver said. Jackie Preedom, a fellow garden club member, heard about it when she attended a convention. Since then, the ornaments have been popular with the community.

“There are people who anxiously look forward to what the next ornament is going to be,” Carver said.

That’s because Dade City is a place where people still feel a connection with each other, and with the town’s landmarks and institutions.

“We love our community,” Carver said.

Apparently, the idea of selling an annual ornament to raise money for the club has had staying power – the tradition has been going on for two decades now.

Proceeds help pay expenses to maintain the garden club’s building, grounds and botanical garden to support club projects, according to club member Sally Redden. Those projects include floral, horticultural and environmental programs, flower shows, garden tours, and civic beautification projects.

The entire garden club votes on what the ornament should feature. Each is accompanied by a card stamped with a picture of the ornament on the front and contains a brief historic account on the back.

This year the garden chose to pay homage to the Pasco County Fair. Like the garden club, the fair has deep roots in the county. Both got their start in 1947.

Fairs in Dade City date back to 1915, but there hadn’t been any for a long time. The Pasco County Fair evolved from the Pasco’s participation in the Florida State Fair, according to the ornament’s fact sheet, and was designed to showcase county resources.

Rancher D. E. Cannon led the efforts, with the help of Jimmy Higgins, George Nikolai, Bob Williams and Joe Collura. They found a 40-acre tract along State Road 52 and raised $3,500 to purchase the site.

The Kiwanis Club and the Chamber of Commerce were instrumental in helping raise the money from local businesses and the community.

The first documented Pasco County Fair began on Jan. 20, 1948.

Ornaments are available for purchase through garden club members and at the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce, 14112 Eighth St., in Dade City.

The ornaments are $22 each, and checks should be made payable to the Dade City Garden Club.

Here are some of the ornaments the Dade City Garden Club has sold over the years:
1994: Pasco County Courthouse
1995: Dade City Grammar School (Cox Elementary)
1996: Dade City Garden Center
1997: First Presbyterian Church of Dade City
1998: Historic Pasco County Courthouse
1999: Dade City Woman’s Club
2000: Pioneer Florida Museum
2001: Edwinola
2002: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
2003: St. Leo Abbey Church
2004: First United Methodist Church of Dade City
2005: National Guard Armory
2006: Atlantic Coastline Railroad Depot
2007: First Baptist Church of Dade City
2008: Williams/Lunch on Limoges
2009: Pasco High School
2010: Lacoochee School House at the Pioneer Museum
2011: Pasco Packing Plant
2012: Pasco County World War II Memorial
2013: 1913 Pasco High School
2014: Pasco County Fair

Published October 22, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Cox Elementary principal wins new state honor

January 15, 2014 By B.C. Manion

Yvonne Reins, principal at Cox Elementary School in Dade City, has been named an “Elite Principal.”

She is being honored as part of a new program that’s a collaboration between Florida TaxWatch and Learning Systems Institute Principal Leadership Initiative.

TaxWatch is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit taxpayer research and government watchdog. The Learning Systems Institute is part of Florida State University.

The data-driven awards were based on the ability of students to surpass predicted scores, given their prior achievement, and other student and school characteristics. The predicted student achievement scores were determined by using previous Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores.

Yvonne Reins has been named an Elite Principal in a new awards program that is based entirely on academic gains being made by students in Florida’s high-risk schools. (Photo by B.C.  Manion)
Yvonne Reins has been named an Elite Principal in a new awards program that is based entirely on academic gains being made by students in Florida’s high-risk schools. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

Two elementary, two middle and two high school principals of high-risk Florida public schools will be honored in a Jan. 23 ceremony in Tallahassee, where they will receive statewide recognition and a $5,000 cash prize.

Reins, who is from a family of educators, said her mother will accompany her to the ceremony.

The award aims to acknowledge that schools that perform well require great leadership, said Dominic M. Calabro, president and chief executive officer of Florida TaxWatch. A principal has to balance many competing demands. Principals are the CEOs of their school.

While teachers are on the front lines delivering instruction, it takes excellence at the top to create the atmosphere that nurtures, advances and retains great teachers, he said.

High-risk schools were selected for the award because the idea is to demonstrate that all students can, in fact, learn – regardless of language barriers, income level or other potential obstacles, Calabro said. An outstanding leader can turn around a school that’s not working, but a poor leader can quickly undo excellence, he added.

The goal of the program is to study what these principals are doing and to replicate successful approaches elsewhere. It’s also important to include these principals in discussions about state educational policy, he said.

The principals will be incorporated into a five-year study performed by the Learning Systems Initiative to identify a principal’s role in recruiting, retaining and developing outstanding teachers.

The awards are based solely on state Department of Education data.

When Reins received word she’d been named an Elite Principal, she was shocked.

“I had no idea that that award even existed,” said Reins, who has been at the helm of Cox Elementary for five years. “What’s so nice about this award is that it is based on data. Not nominations. It’s based on facts. The data doesn’t lie. It is what it is.”

She said her school uses a team approach.

“This is a tribute to the hardworking staff that I have,” Reins said. “I told the teachers, ‘It’s because of you. This is our award, not mine.’”

But it’s not just the teachers who deserve kudos, she said.

“Everybody here in this school is very dedicated to our students in more ways than one,” she said. “We all truly care about them — everyone from the cafeteria staff, who provides nutrition to our students, to the custodial staff that maintains a clean and safe learning environment.”

There is a culture of high expectation, coupled with support, Reins said. “There are no excuses. We know that our children can rise to the occasion, rise to our expectations. We just need techniques and strategies to help them move along.”

Teachers meet weekly to share strategies and do grade-level planning. It allows them to talk, solve problems, and plan lessons to meet the needs of each and every student, she said.

“There may be a child that is low in reading, but high in math. They’re going to emphasize those strengths,” Reins said. “This significantly affects their (students’) self confidence and their eagerness to learn. It affects their whole attitude about school and its relevance to their lives.”

The teachers use data to inform their instruction. They seek advice from other teachers for strategies to help students succeed.

“That’s all part of being a professional,” Reins said.

Teachers also pay attention to what students already know, so they can build on that, Reins said.

Cox qualifies for additional funding because it is a school serving many children from low-income households. This year, the priority is to use those funds for additional staff and for professional development for teachers, Reins said.

Involving parents is important, too.

“The teachers try to develop a strong school-home relationship,” she said. “They want their parents to become more involved in their children’s education.”

The school soon will host a night for parents of kindergarten, first- and second-grade children to help parents learn how they can help their children with reading strategies.

“Many parents don’t know how to help their children, and it’s through no fault of their own,” Reins said.

While the school is committed to academic success, it still has a long way to go, Reins said. This award, however, is appreciated.

“It’s encouraging,” Reins said.

Pasco Schools’ five-year building plan gets OK

October 2, 2013 By B.C. Manion

When Sanders Memorial Elementary School reopens in 2015-16, the Land O’ Lakes campus will have an entirely new look. It’s undergoing a $16.9 million renovation.

Quail Hollow Elementary School in Wesley Chapel is undergoing a $10.5 million makeover. It, too, is expected to reopen in 2015-16.

Quail Hollow Elementary School was closed at the end of last school year to enable the school district to renovate the school. The school was built at a time when open classrooms were in vogue. Classrooms will have windows, walls and doors when the project is completed. It is expected to reopen for the 2015-16 school year. (File photo)
Quail Hollow Elementary School was closed at the end of last school year to enable the school district to renovate the school. The school was built at a time when open classrooms were in vogue. Classrooms will have windows, walls and doors when the project is completed. It is expected to reopen for the 2015-16 school year. (File photo)

Work already is underway on a new gymnasium at Stewart Middle School in Zephyrhills. That $4.6 million project is slated for completion in time for next school year, said Chris Williams, director of planning services for Pasco County Schools.

Those are just three of the scores of projects contained in the $192 million five-year work plan approved by the Pasco County School Board on Sept. 17.

One big-ticket item on the list is an $18.8 million elementary school planned in Wiregrass, which is earmarked for the 2014-15 school year.

The district also expects to spend $10.7 million to acquire school sites and $10 million on school buses within the next five years.

One of those sites is on the south side of State Road 54, across from the Ballantrae subdivision, in Land O’ Lakes.

Another elementary and high school are also expected to be needed to serve the Land O’ Lakes and Trinity areas in the future, Williams said.

It typically takes about 12 to 15 months to build an elementary school, about 18 months to build a middle school and about 18 to 24 months to build a high school, Williams said. That’s not counting all of the other work that must be done to get a school ready for construction, including design, site work and so on.

The district’s five-year work plan includes money to build or renovate schools, add classrooms, acquire new sites and complete sizable maintenance projects.

Some other notable projects on the district’s five-year plan include:

• West Zephyrhills Elementary School, a major renovation between 2014 and 2016, at an estimated cost of $8.2 million.

• Cox Elementary School, a $6.8 million makeover including a new cafeteria, removal of concrete portables, replacement of its old windows, parking and traffic improvements, and a new security system, slated for 2016-17.

• Pasco Elementary School, a major makeover in 2017-18, for an estimated $5.9 million.

• Woodland Elementary School, a $4.8 million upgrade to the school’s air-conditioning, heating and ventilation systems, anticipated in 2016-17.

• John Long Middle School, eight additional classrooms at an estimated cost of $4.4 million, expected to begin in 2017-18.

• Pasco High School, new bleachers, a concession stand, public restrooms and lockers, for an estimated $2.6 million in 2015-16.

• San Antonio Elementary School, upgrades in the heating, air-conditioning and ventilation systems estimated at $1.25 million, expected in 2014-15.

Dozens of schools in east and central Pasco will also get facility improvement under the district’s five-year plan.

More than $11.2 million in roofing work is scheduled over the next five years, including projects at Land O’ Lakes High School, Moore-Mickens Education Center, Pine View Middle School and West Zephyrhills.

The district has also allocated more than $9 million for technology infrastructure upgrades, including projects at Centennial Elementary and Centennial Middle schools.

District plans also include nearly $7.4 million on heating, ventilation and air-conditioning work, including projects at Pine View, Stewart and Weightman middle schools, and Sunlake, Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills high schools.

More than $4.5 million in athletic improvements are also planned across the district, including projects at Centennial, Rushe, John Long, Pasco and Weightman middle schools, and Land O’ Lakes, Sunlake, Wesley Chapel High, Wiregrass Ranch and Zephyrhills high schools.

Cafeteria renovations totaling more than $6.4 million are planned, including work at Chester Taylor, Fox Hollow, Lake Myrtle, Cox, West Zephyrhills and Woodland elementary schools; Pasco, Pine View and Weightman middle schools; and, at Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills high schools.

Dozens of schools in east and central Pasco will be getting safety improvements, parking improvements, electrical upgrades, alarms, telephone and intercom repairs and closed-circuit television projects. A slew of painting projects are planned, too.

The district also plans to do playground renovation projects at about two-dozen schools in east and central Pasco, out of the $1.1 million the district has earmarked for projects in that category.

The district has also allocated $527,080 for energy retrofits, which will include two-dozen schools in east and central Pasco for those projects.

Some projects made it onto the district’s list, but have not yet received funding.

• $4.4 million to add a classroom addition at Wiregrass Ranch High

• $20.6 million to renovate Land O’ Lakes High

• $22.4 million to renovate Zephyrhills High

• $4.1 million to renovate San Antonio Elementary

Some projects on the district’s list are not funded, but sales tax proceeds from Penny for Pasco are expected to cover it, Williams said.

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