Thank you to all of the families that attended our first STEM Family Festival.  I hope you had a great time learning about science with your children.  We were able to host such a wonderful event thanks to a grant from the National PTA and Bayer.  Thank you to all the ASM Gators (from Microbiology and Cell Science Dept. University of Florida) for volunteering their time to teach families about science concepts while having fun. Thank you to our school district and community partners for joining us for such a fun night!

I am so proud of our local unit PTA’s, Meadowbroook Elementary PTA, Archer Elementary PTA, and Gainesville High School PTSA for also winning grants from the National PTA. Meadowbrook Elementary hosted a math night with Mathnasium.  Archer Elementary won 50 Little Bits Invention Kits for their school, and Gainesville High School PTSA won a grant from Facebook to host a Digital Families Community Expo.  By applying for and winning these grants, these PTA’s were able to bring new opportunities and resources to their schools and communities.

This past week, I was in Tallahassee for Florida PTA’s Legislative Conference and Children’s Week.   It is a very busy time, and things change very quickly in the capitol while they are in session.  Please keep an eye out for our Legislative Action Alerts updates, and check your email for Voter Voice updates.  Your voice makes a difference for all of our children.  We are also celebrating Public Schools Week (March 25th to 29th) this week. Did you know 9 out of 10 children attend public school?  By continuing to advocate for public schools and making our public schools strong, we will strengthen our community.   I hope you will you celebrate Public Schools with us.

Summer is just around the corner, and I hope you will join us at the Florida PTA Leadership Convention in Innisbrook.  This is a great way to learn how to become an advocate for children and build your leadership skills.  Registration is now open.  Our goal is to double the attendance from Alachua County this year.  Please help me reach that goal and join us in Innisbrook.

Thank you all for making our community a better place for children, and thank you for advocating for all children.  I hope you all have a happy and safe spring break!

Sincere regards,

Pam Korithoski

President

Alachua County Council of PTA

Greetings,

As we move towards to the end of 2018-2019, it is exciting to consider all of the projects and improvements coming to all of our school sites. The Half-Cent sales tax was made possible by your advocacy and the vision and commitment of the voters of Alachua County. To keep up with what will be happening at each school, please visit https://fl02219191.schoolwires.net/Page/29150.

Of the approximately $240 million raised over twelve years, 6% is earmarked for the forthcoming new elementary school, while 94% will go towards renovations and modernization of our existing schools. It is easy to follow both planning and progress by accessing the link provided above.

As we are well into the Florida Legislative Session, please stay up to date with the bills concerning K-12 education. Please make your concerns and thoughts known both to local representatives, along with leadership and the governor. As parents, your opinions and advocacy should matter the most. Beware of train bills such as SB 7070. It is chock full of significant, if not radical, changes. The first thing we should ask is to “do no further harm.”

Thanks to ACCPTA and the wonderful PTA members throughout Alachua County. Your School Board appreciates your willingness to do what is needed to help our children, teachers and public schools.

Robert P. Hyatt

Chairperson, Alachua County School Board

It doesn’t seem right to mention ‘Spring Break’ and ‘state testing’ in the same sentence, but the fact is that right after the break Alachua County students, including my son, will begin taking the first round of Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) for this school year.  That includes the 3^rd grade reading test and the 4^th-10^th grade writing tests.

Then in May students will be taking more state tests, including reading, math and science tests, and a variety of end-of-course exams. Which tests they’ll take depends on their grade level and the courses they’re taking. You’ll want to pay close attention to the information about the testing schedule that will come home from your child’s school.

Testing days can certainly be stressful for students (and, of course, for parents and teachers!) We can make things a little easier on our children by ensuring they get a good night’s sleep, eat a good breakfast, and get to school on time without being rushed. Most of all ,we can be positive and let them know that while there may be questions on the test they can’t answer, they should not become discouraged. (Yes, I know, easier said than done!)

On a very different topic, you should have received a message from the district about active threat drills at our schools. The state requires that they be conducted every month. Beginning in April, we’ve standardized the process for notifying parents about the drills. If you’ve opted in to our School Messenger texting system, you’ll get a text from your child’s school about five minutes before the drills. You’ll also get an email message the day of the drill.

If you want to get the text messages but haven’t yet opted in to the system, you can do so by texting ‘yes’ or ‘y’ to 67587. Be sure to use a cell phone number on file with your child’s school, or call the school if your number has changed.

Finally, you may not be aware that the district’s calendar for the 2019-20 school year has been revised. After our initial calendar was approved in February, the University of Florida announced that Homecoming will be on October 5 this year. That means the district’s annual Homecoming holiday will be Friday, October 4. You can find the full calendar on our website at: http://bit.ly/2HYEGsx.

I hope you and your children enjoy your Spring Break!

Karen Clarke