Volume 2.8 July 2011
&
“A” Schools
Graduation Engagement, Safety, Performance
Rates Up
Crescent City Jr./Sr. High Graduates
Urged to a Mission of Kindness Looking out at the Crescent City
Jr./Sr. High School football field June 9, Judy Gillins smiled waiting for her daughter Shanice Gillins to walk with her graduating class. “She’s an A/B student and she wants to go to college,” Gillins said of her daughter. “I’m very proud of her and I’ve had no trouble out of her.”
pen. With a little help from God, you can do it.” Rogers encouraged graduates to return and contribute to Crescent City. “It is remembering our roots and returning to them that will stimulate this community,” she said, calling her home “this little town on the lake.” “Do something incredible and stay wonderful.”
Graduate Rosario Tipton, said she “Because you sit here tonight, is headed to St. ready to safely celebrate Johns River State your hard-won victory, we College, then know the best of the qualities the University of God made for man to realize Central Florida reside within each of you.You on a dual scholarembody the best of this place, ship for graphic Nearby, Monica Baez its loyalty and cooperative design and phowaited for two of her spirit – its quiet and humble tography. Tipton children to graduate – beauty.” praised her years Raul Velasquez Jr. and – Superintendent at the South Tom Townsend Margarita Hernandez. Putnam school “I’m nervous for them,” and her days with she said. “I’m excited, its longtime art also. They’re my oldest kids.” teacher Esme Coward. “They’ve been amazing,” she said. “Especially being Summa Cum Laude graduate, with Mrs. Coward. Those times in Tina Williams addressed her class. her classroom were the best ever.” “Through the tears, the smiles and the heartbreaks, we’re still standing,” Dr. Grace Thomas, PCSD’s Assistant said Williams, who PCSD SuperinSuperintendent in charge of Curtendent Tom Townsend recognized riculum and Instruction who retired in his greeting for the charity in her goal of running a low-cost veterinary practice. Gillins graduated with more than 100 fellow classmates among the school’s Class of 2011 – receiving their diplomas as a warm breeze replaced smoke from area brush fires.
Fellow Summa Cum Laude graduates, Luis Guerrero and Rikki Rogers also addressed classmates. Guerrero said that as a junior at last year’s ceremony, he made a decision. “That day I said ‘I will give the graduation speech for my class in 2011,’” he said. “If you have a dream, make it happage 2
July 2011
in June, encouraged graduating seniors to employ kindness throughout their lives. “Kindness is timeless, its impact goes on forever,” Thomas said. Thomas told the class about her seventh grade teacher, Ms. Woods, who, when a young Thomas felt low one day, bent down to her and whispered “Just keep trying, Grace.” Thomas said as an adult, her mother helped her find Woods in a nursing home. She called the teacher who influenced her life with that simple and kind act.
“Even in her old age, she was still one of the kindest ladies,” said Thomas, who told the graduates she broke down in tears after the phone call. “That’s the language that never dies. Kindness is the greatest form of all wisdom.”
Interlachen High Graduates
District Basks in Graduates’ “Reflective Glory” Sarah Ogle, Jeannie Gelis and Tar-
gie Rhim each stood on land they said felt like home at Interlachen High School’s 2011 Graduation Ceremony.
Rhim taught a math class the first day IHS opened in 1968. She continued teaching at the school for 38 years. “My heart is here,” Rhim said before IHS Dean Sharon Spell led the school’s 2011 Graduating Class onto the football field. “My whole life is at Interlachen High School.”
A mild Spring breeze moved through the stadium with the start of “Pomp and Circumstance” as Ogle – the Summa Cum Laude Graduate set to pursue a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s in physical and occupational therapy – said her high school years were filled with the feeling of family. “I can’t really begin to describe how great my four years at this school were,” Ogle said. “It’s a place where everyone is kind to one another and you feel like you are among family.” Gelis, who graduated Magna Cum Laude, said her time at the school seemed to pass in a flash. “There are so many special things about this school,” Gelis said. “I definitely have a lot of memories and made a lot of friends. It’s crazy how fast it goes by.”
Fellow graduates Evan McInnis, Summa Cum Laude, and Caitlin Owens, Cum Laude, gave welcome addresses at the ceremony. McInnis said his speech about life being quite unlike a highway came to him watching the 2006 animated hit
movie “Cars,” while loudly belting out a cut from its
“She’s had a hard time in life. She’s a good kid and she’s done it.” Summa Cum Laude Graduate Ileah Bradshaw gave the invocation and sang a moving rendition of “Wind Beneath my Wings,” the song made a hit by both Lou Rawls and Bette Midler.
soundtrack. In her speech, Owens pulled from some of history’s greatest artists, including arguably the 19th Century’s greatest writer, and unquestionably its most skilled conversationalist, Oscar Wilde. “Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit,” Owens quoted the Irish playwright saying.
Wilde once called youth “The Lord of Life,” and the gift of youth abounded Tuesday as graduates hugged, laughed and cried saying goodbye to their high school home.
Introduced by IHS Principal Thomas Bolling, Summa Cum Laude Graduate, Taylor Alexander gave a tearful speech, urging her classmates not to waste life on regret, and recognizing the “ladies I now consider among family” from her two years on the school soccer team. Andrea Purdey walked Tuesday for her grandfather, Walt Purdey, who was unable to attend the ceremony due to a serious illness. “I’m very proud of this child,” said Purdey’s mother Alicia Rousseau.
In his address, PCSD Superintendent Tom Townsend urged graduates to let character be their guide, praising them for their charity including championship blood drives and making Christmas for local elementary school students. “You have everything it takes to be leaders in this world; but the world will not wait on you,” Townsend said. “It is up to you to stay faithful to your sense of right and wrong.” Townsend told graduates wherever life leads, qualities fostered in their community will guide them. “To those who tell you Interlachen limits you – tell them it emboldens you, that your time in this place God has made is the rock upon which your character is built,” Townsend said. In her address, Summa Cum Laude Graduate Monika Tilton, who is two classes from earning her AA degree, thanked her family – including her four grandparents – for supporting her. “Take chances,” Tilton told her classmates. “Life is way too short to pass up opportunities that come your way. Don’t let the fear of messing up keep you from living life to the fullest.” July 2011
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Palatka High
Graduates Rejoice
J
ordyn Revels returned to the field on which she walked one year ago to see friends Lydia Hough and Cum Laude graduate Herbie Fridy III receive diplomas at Palatka High School’s June 10 Graduation Ceremony. “I miss high school,” said Revels, now playing volleyball at Embry-Riddle University. “But I had to grow up.” More than 300 members of the PHS Class of 2011 walked at the football field, cheered on by parents and friends packing the stands.
“I’m very proud,” Patricia Miller said of her daughter Ja’Mesha Robinson, who graduated at the ceremony. “She loves to dance. She can get a beat to anything. She’s my only one, but she’s good.”
Before the graduation, Harmony Word and De’Maundria Wright stood among classmates in the Beasley Middle School Gymnasium waiting to start the ceremony. Nearby, Kutara Wilford, who heads to the University of Florida to study nursing, then law, laughed with friends. Wilford graduated Magna Cum Laude. Missy Miller, a Cum Laude graduate, said she will miss the high school but feels ready for life’s next step. “It’s been a long, crazy four years, but it’s been fun,” Miller said. Terrence Jevon Fells got a loud ovation from fellow graduates and the crowd for his rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” before Senior Class President and Summa Cum Laude graduate Adrianna Janay Campbell spoke. “It has been a privilege to serve as class presipage 4
July 2011
dent to the greatest group of graduates in the history of Palatka High School,” Campbell said.
PHS Principal Debby Decubellis, thanked the senior class for its contribution to the school. “Take pride in who you are and fulfill your dreams,” Decubellis said. “I thank you for showing us how to have fun and still achieve greatness.”
Putnam County School Superintendent, Tom Townsend, congratulated graduates for bettering their school. “I know all of you will lead us into a brighter tomorrow because you have led this school to a better today,” Townsend said. “You have fostered a more civil, mature and cooperative environment in the halls and classrooms of a school you must be proud to say flourished in your final year as Panthers.”
After turning the tassels of their mortarboards and singing “Our Palatka High,” graduates broke into a celebration that included dancing the “Cupid Shuffle” with their former guidance counselor Jane Crawford.
Among the dancers was Cum Laude graduate Trista English, who will attend St. Johns River State College in the fall – inspired to become a flag football coach by her year as a wide receiver on the first PHS flag football team. “It was an exuberant experience,” English said of her time at PHS. “It feels amazing to graduate.”
E.H. Miller Graduates
Ready for the World “But we are not anxious,” Townsend told the graduates. “We do not worry about your ability to overcome any obstacle . . . who would dare doubt you?”
Mary Morin smiled at her grandson, 2011
E.H. Miller graduate Nick Edwards as he celebrated with classmates, kissing his diploma at the school’s June 8 graduation ceremony. “He worked hard,” Morin said of her grandson. “Hopefully now he’ll get a job and go into the world and make it on his own.” Fellow graduate Shawn Sapp is set to make it on his own, too. Sapp has been awarded a full scholarship to First Coast Technical College, where he will hone his skills in auto mechanics. E.H. Miller Principal, Faye Davis told parents that staff at the school celebrate upon learning of graduates progress in the world and they grieve when a student is lost.
“It is imperative to learn, as soon as possible, what our students’ gifts are,” Davis said. “When you learn a child’s language, then you are able to motivate them – and they motivate us as well.”
Davis urged the students to stick to the plan they and the school made. “We have no doubt that each of you will be successful in his or her own way,” Davis said. “We love you and we want you to succeed.” In his address, Putnam County School Superintendent Tom Townsend highlighted qualities in each student. He told the graduates, who he said are the inspiration of an entire community, they might be a little anxious to leave a place feeling so much like home.
July 2011
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New Dress Code Policy What Parents Need to Know
I
t is uniformity, not uniforms that will fill the hallways and classrooms of Putnam County schools this year. A uniformed dress code passed May 19 by the Putnam County School Board requires students to wear collared shirts – tucked into approved pants (including jeans and kakhis). Other requirements are outlined in the new dress code policy, which can be accessed by clicking the link titled “Dress Code approved at 5-19-2011 Board Meeting ...” on the front page of the PCSD website www.putnamschools.org Many changes to the dress code were discussed and adopted, allowing a variety of colors and patterns. Understandibly, questions remain among parents and guardians preparing to send children off to a new school year this fall.
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July 2011
Frequently Asked Questions: Question: W hy do my children have to wear uniforms in public schools? Answer: They don’t.
The dress code policy is titled “Uniform Dress Code.” The word “uniform,” as it relates to the new dress code, refers to consistency of dress, not sameness of dress, such as that adhered to by members of a band, football team or cheerleading squad. The meaning of the word “uniform” as used in the dress code is perhaps expressed best on the website freedictionary. com as “Conforming to one principle, standard, or rule; consistent.”
FAQ Continued ... Question Do shirts have to be Polo?
Answer
NO
There is some confusion as to the difference between a polo style shirt and the brand commonly referred to as Polo, which is made by Ralph Lauren. Students are certainly not required to buy or wear any type of designer clothes, nor does the new policy require that students wear polo style shirts. The requirement related to shirts is that the shirts have collars and be tucked in to pants or skirts.
Do shirts have to be tucked in? YES
Are there changes to the type and style of shorts students can wear?
Must shirts be a solid color?
The new school board dress code states that all shirts must be “tucked into the waistband of the pants or skirt.” Exceptions for individual cases must be decided upon by the principal. In addition, Florida Senate Bill 228, often referred to as the “Droopy Drawers Bill” has passed and is state law. The law, enforceable in every county in Florida, requires “each district school board to adopt a dress code policy that prohibits a student, while on the grounds of a public school during the regular school day, from wearing clothing that exposes underwear or body parts in an indecent or vulgar manner or that disrupts the orderly learning environment; providing disciplinary actions for students who violate the dress code.”(excerpted from Florida SB 228)
YES
The policy states “students may wear hemmed walking shorts or Bermuda shorts, only if the wearing of shorts has not been revoked and they are appropriate for safety or training purposes.” It also states “In all situations in which shorts are permissible to be worn, the shorts shall touch the knee.” If any school principal or Student Advisory Council determines too many students have abused the shorts policy, the principal may revoke the privilege of wearing shorts throughout the school during the following semester. Examples of shorts Not allowed under the policy are: “spandex-style “bicycle” shorts, cut-off jeans, frayed jeans or pants, cut-off sweat pants, short-shorts, running shorts, and see-through boxer-type shorts.” Holes and/or tears are not permitted as part of any attire.
NO YES
Does the new policy apply to all schools in Putnam County? Even kindergarten classes Are piercings or tatoos banned NO in the new policy? But if any principal determines tatoos, piercings or hair dye to be disruptive to the learning environment, or offensive, including promoting drugs, alcohol, violence or Does the new policy ban the discrimination, those tatoos will be covered, hair changed and piercings removed. dying of students hair? May students wear flip-flops? Allowing the wearing of flip-flops is determined by an individual school’s policy and High-heels?
its principal. From the dress code policy: “Heel height shall not exceed three (3) inches. Shoes that are unsafe, such as bedroom slippers and Heelys (Heelys are shoes to which wheels are affixed), will not be allowed.”
Do dresses have to touch YES the knee? What about logos on clothing? School logos are permitted. Other logos must not distract from the learning enviWill my child face disciplinary action if he or she does not comply with the dress code?
ronment and may be prohibited by a school principal or designee. From the school board policy: “Repeated violations of the Dress Code Policy shall be treated as disruptive behavior and submitted to the principal ... repeated violations of the Dress Code Policy shall be treated as disruptive behavior under the Code of Student Conduct. Repeated violations ... within a semester shall be treated as defiance of authority under the Student Code of Conduct.” July 2011
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Progress
picks up speed in Putnam Schools
Financial Management
$20 Million (approximately) in competitive grants won by PCSD’s grant writing team
u $7.3 million Teacher Improvement Fund Grant award from the U.S. Department of Education, which cited PCSD’s “innovative approach” to student performance assessment and its commitment to collaboration with all stakeholders. u Will be used to reward high-performing teachers.
u 21st Century After School Program starting its third year with after-school tutoring, sports and a safe, productive environment. At a recent board meeting, Lisa Parsons, Vice Chairman of the Putnam County School Board, said that for years she publicly called for the District to hire staff to pursue available grant dollars, and praised the current administration for hiring the team.
Curriculum In local classrooms, FCAT scores, while mixed, show overall improvement over last year, especially in writing and math. Graduation Rate Rates spiked year-over-year in the three categories. u Increase from 78.4 percent in 2008-09 to 82.01 percent in 2009-10 by state measure.
u Increase from 69.9 percent in 2008-09 to 71.19 percent in 200910 by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. u The biggest jump – from 70.4 percent in 2008-09 to 74.64 percent in 2009-10 by the National Governor’s Association – the toughest calculation for “on-time completion” criteria.
After taking office in 2008, Townsend took the local school district from a projected budget deficit of $13 million to a $4.2 million surplus, instituting a number of costsaving measures including reducing top administrator salaries and creating an energy efficiency policy saving “The improvements in our graduathe school district close to $1 million. tion rates – especially given the more stringent measures in calculating page 8
July 2011
Elementary Schools earning “A’s” jump from three in 2010 to seven in 2011! Graduation scores increase above the state average, while a District budget goes from millions in the red to a surplus. them – illustrate the strides our students are making and the commitment of our teachers leading them,” Townsend said. Community involvement Collaboration forming the District’s Strategic Plan, the essential blueprint for Putnam schools. u “New Tech” high school considered for Putnam County.
u New data information system featuring a Parent Portal, allowing secured users access to their children’s real-time classroom activity.
u Dramatic increase of parents presence in schools with OASIS – making parents an everyday part of students’ lives and learning. u Parent mentors also providing assistance to teachers and school administrators.
Technology Revolution Equipping every teacher with an Apple laptop computer and placing iPads and Mac labs in schools
u Increased classroom technology including interactive whiteboards.
u Project Lead the Way, a national curriculum program centered on project-based (hands-on) learning, will be instituted throughout the District next year. PCSD is first in the nation to implement the program district-wide.
“A” Schools On June 30, The Florida Department of Education released data confirming what educators throughout Putnam County already knew – our students are on the move. u Superintendent Tom Townsend named Florida’s District Data Leader of the Year by the Florida Department of Education. u The Parent Portal providing parents insight into the everyday lives of their children at school.
u Traveling to help tornado victims in Joplin, MO, and other fund-raising drives for various charities.
u IHS students top regional schools in blood donations and provide Christmas for local elementary school kids. Successes New curriculum •M ath, Discovery Science and Language Arts.
The Portal includes real-time attendance and grade access along with an online gradebook. Students can also access assignments online so they do not fall behind when absent. Student Leadership u Link Crew, a program in which upperclassmen ease the transition for incoming freshmen with mentoring and other activities. The program expands to Interlachen High School. u Students create dishes becoming part of the school’s lunch menu at Crescent City Jr./Sr. High. u Students Working Against Tobacco group push for the board-approved ban on tobacco throughout the district.
• “ Teacher Report” increases student engagement with new textbook lessons using the whiteboards. Carol White Grant • PE for kids
• Better lunches
•G ardening for elementary students At the Schools • School Safety Team • Energy Savings
The number of “A” schools in the Putnam County School District went from three in 2010 to seven this year. Among elementary schools graded, six of nine schools earned an ”A” as Mellon Elementary School rose from a “D” in 2010 to an “A” this year, Melrose Elementary School went from a “C” to an “A” and Browning-Pearce Elementary School also rose from a ”C” to an “A.” From graduation scores increasing above the state average, a District budget taken from millions in the red to a surplus, to students at all three Putnam high schools besting others throughout the region in blood donation drives, our students, teachers, administrators and staff are shining in challenging times. Through changes in curriculum, higher state standards and obstacles created by limited funding, an overriding theme prevails in Your School District –
progress!
• Cleaner schools Teacher Tools for Better Instruction •H omework help with New Pacing Guides, available to parents and the Essential Components for each standard in Math and Reading/ Language Arts. •D istrict Assessments aligned to benchmarks.
Join us on Facebook Putnam County School District July 2011
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PCSD and Palatka Daily News
Top 50
Eye-popping GPAs, thousands of community service hours and proud family members were the order of the night at the Putnam County School District’s 27th Annual Top 50 Scholars ceremony.
Interlachen High School’s Aaron
Kanouse cares for a disabled neighbor around the clock and missed one question on his fourth-grade FCAT math test.
Crescent City Jr./Sr. High School’s Tina Williams wants to open a low-cost veterinary practice for those who cannot afford average costs of animal care.
Palatka High School: Courtney Allison Adams, Logan Thomas Barber, Timothy Richard Blount, David Edward Bower, Jacob Craig Boynton, Anastasia Christine Calhoun, Kyle Gregory Coleman, Jana Marie Dumas, Kathryn Deanna Fields, Dane Fishburn, Ricky Wayne Gibbs, Mehreen Haq, Clifford, Ryan Holloway, Sameria Nacole Johnson, Taylor Michael Maloy, Kailyn Nicole McNeal, Briana Jordan Mellon, Taylor Marie Michael, Yvan Learies Moore, Heather Danielle Payne, Andreas Stefano Piazza, Brittany Nichole Riley, Wesley Michael Schroeder, Billy Joe Shinn, Ernie Deleon Silcox, Elizabeth Marie Smith, Daniel Robert Starr, Loran Casey Strunk, Angelica Rene Thomas, Jareisha Shante Vickers, Michael Ryan Welch and Ashleigh Logan Williamson. From Interlachen High School: Taylor Dawn Alexander, Logan Alexandra Andreasen, Jasmine Michelle Beamon, Ileah Bradshaw, Matthew Aaron Carter, Christopher Lee Gilmore, Aaron Joseph Kanouse, Aaron Michael Motes, Victoria Christine Motley, Sarah Ellen Ogle, Dalton Glen Terrell, Monika R. Tilton, Lyndsey Danielle Westmoreland and Lauren Renee Woodworth. From Crescent City Jr./Sr. High School: Nicholas Alexander Cisneros, Luis Guerrero, Rikki Leigh Rogers and Tina Sherree’ Williams.
Palatka High School’s Courtney Adams holds a 4.763 weighted GPA and has served more than 1,600 hours of community service.
The annual Top 50 event is sponsored by the Palatka Daily News. Its award for the district’s top scholar, the Robert W. Webb Award of Excellence, bears the name of the longtime business and community leader. Webb’s son, Doug represented his father at the ceremony. PCSD Associate Superintendent Sam Foerster, the 1988 award of excellence winner, spoke to the students about the combined role of fortune and hard work in fostering success. Foerster told the scholars that with his accomplishments, including earning degrees from Stetson University and Cornell University, his path would have been different if not for help from those
who took an interest in his progress. “The harder you work, the luckier you will be,” Foerster said. “Have faith others will help you. Follow your heart.”
PDN Publisher Rusty Starr addressed the honorees, among whom was his son, Daniel. “I encourage you to find a place in this world where you can apply your raw intellect and your gained knowledge,” Starr said. Foerster and Starr both encouraged the scholars to pursue happiness, seek out their life’s work and, if possible, return to again serve Putnam County – for which Starr praised Foerster.
Honoree Loran Strunk’s mother Terre Strunk said she stressed the importance of education to Loran, the regional soccer star who will attend the University of Florida. “Finishing your education is so important,” Terre said. “It’s something you have to do if you want to reach your highest goals.” Fellow scholar Elizabeth Smith is accepted to UF’s College of Engineering. “I think we pushed her, but she’s always had the drive,” Smith’s mother Victoria Smith said.
Top 50 Scholars continued Chris Adams, other family members and classmates. “I’ve grown up around it and it gives me the opportunity to impact the world.�
Students honored have cumulative high school GPAs between 4.192 and 4.763. Criteria for nomination includes weighted GPA, community service hours and school leadership activities.
It wasn’t until Starr mentioned agriculture in reading her biography when Courtney Adams realized she was PCSD’s top scholar. “When he started talking about Ag, I knew,� Adams said, getting hugs from her mother Paula Adams, father
Courtney – who is a veteran of the 4-H Youth Development Organization and has dreams of being a largeanimal veterinarian – said juggling a list of activities too long for Starr to complete was not easy. “I’ve had to keep myself really motivated,� she said. Her mother said Courtney has always been an independent and driven person, as the top scholar was embraced by grandmothers Carolyn Adams and Merley Plymel, along with her sister Ashley and brother Austin.
Through all her efforts outside the walls of Palatka High School, Courtney said school came first. “I make it a point to help the community that’s made me who I am,� she said. “But before I have any fun, I do all the work.�
ASBESTOS  NOTICE  There  are  asbestos-Ââ&#x20AC;?containing  building  materials  located  in  a  number  of  facilities  throughout  the  Putnam  County  School  District.  The  type  and  location  of  those  materials  are  identified  in  each  facilityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  Project  Manual  located  in  the  front  office.  For  further  information  please  contact  Scott  Gattshall  at  386-Ââ&#x20AC;?329-Ââ&#x20AC;?0501.   Hay  materials  de  construcciĂłn  de  asbesto  localizados   en  unas  instalaciones   en  todo  el  Distrito  Estudiantil  del  Condado  de  Putnam.   El  tipo  y  ubicaciĂłn  de  dichos  materials  son  identificados  en  cada  Manual  de  Esquemas  de  la  instalaciĂłn,   el  cual  se  encuentra  en  la  Oficina  Principal.   Para  mĂĄs  informaciĂłn  por  favor  ponerse  en  contacto  con  Scott  Gattshall  al  telĂŠfono  386-Ââ&#x20AC;?329-Ââ&#x20AC;?0501.     Putnam: 0& 2 . '#& ! 2 7 0& 4 8 ! &*= ( >&4 " <1 9 $&6 ?5-  Scott  Gattshall  %,+ ;3/ ) 386-Ââ&#x20AC;?329-Ââ&#x20AC;?0501.  Â
District FCAT Scores Trend Higher Overall Putnam County School District FCAT scores released by the Florida Department of Education show a slight increase in Putnamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall reading and math scores over 2010, despite the increased rigor of Next Generation Sunshine Standards that Florida Department of Education Commissioner Dr. Eric Smith notes is responsible for a slight drop to the state average in reading and math scores. Scores were also generally stronger than last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s results across the Putnam school district in math, science and writing. PCSD congratulates the teachers, school administrators and the students who worked so hard to improve scores while working with the increased rigor.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;The hard work of teachers, staff and students, along with the decisions made by the District are responsible for the results that confirm we are on the road to success,â&#x20AC;? PCSD Superintendent Tom Townsend said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The bar has been raised and we are getting closer, every day, to clearing it while operating with $14 million less than in the 2008-09 fiscal year.â&#x20AC;? In the math portion of the FCAT, the percentage of fifth graders scoring Level 3 or higher went from 53 percent in 2010 to 67 percent this year. The sixth grade percentage went from 45 percent to 49 percent, grade seven dropped a point, from 48 to 47 percent, and third grade rose a percentage point, from 80 to 81 percent. In reading, the percentage of fifth grade students scoring Level 3 or
higher went from 60 in 2010 to 65 in 2011, sixth gradersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; percentage slipped from 57 to 55 and the percentage of eighth graders scoring Level 3 or higher in reading rose from 40 to 44 percent. In writing, fourth graders achieving a Level 3 or higher went from 93 to 97 percent year-over-year, tenth grade percentage went from 92 percent to 91 percent and eighth graders went from 97 to 98 percent. In science, among fifth graders, the percentage of students achieving a Level 3 or higher rose from 38 in 2010 to 44 percent in 2011. Eighth grade science students scoring Level 3 or higher went from 30 to 33 percent and 11th grade science percentages in the category remained the same. July 2011
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Putnam County Schools 200 South 7th Street Palatka, FL 32177 386-329-0510
www.putnamschools.org
Students from Mellon Elementary School teacher Amanda Lusk’s class at Mellon’s annual Reading Week parade. At the event, students walk school halls dressed as characters from books they have read. Volume 2.8 July 2011
Your Issue
School Lunch Week
Superintendent Tom Townsend serves lunch to Kelley Smith students during National School Lunch Week. Townsend also cooked, cleaned and washed dishes before sitting down to lunch with students. Latest District News Blogs www.putnamschools.org Friend us on Facebook!
Help Wanted We need individuals with:
• A Positive Attitude • Willingness to Learn • Desire to Help our Children – No Experience Required We have many scheduled days for the 2011-12 school year. Training is available for these paid duties. Positions available at all schools across the district. For more information to work with our students in your local schools, call the Federal Programs Office at 386-329-0543.