Charlotte County Schools in the News
Peace River Elementary PAWSitive Readers' Club Wrote Over 125 Letters to Veterans!
To celebrate and honor our veterans, the Peace River Elementary PAWSitive Readers' Club created oversized post cards and wrote over 125 letter to say THANK YOU to so many of our local veterans. The students were very proud and poured their hearts into the creation of these cards. The letters were hand delivered to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Punta Gorda to celebrate Veterans including those from the local VFW, the American Legion, the Cultural Center in Port Charlotte, and the VA Clinic in Port Charlotte.
CCPS Unveils Hurricane Charley Memorial Wall
Hurricane Charley was a historic event - the category 4 hurricane which devastated more schools than ever before in US History. The immediate response by CCPS employees to get students back in classrooms within two weeks was an act of individual and collective leadership and will forever be a part of our school district's history.
To commemorate this event, a committee was developed to create the Hurricane Charley Memorial Wall. The committee to oversee the project included Deputy Superintendent Donna Widmeyer, Assistant Superintendent Jerry Olivo, Curriculum Specialist Ellen Harvey and Harvard Jolly Architect Jack Williams.
Thanks to Jerry Olivo and his relationships with the construction companies and the architect firms who helped rebuild the schools, Mr. Olivo was able to procure funding for the photo panels that make up the memorial wall.
The memorial is currently displayed at the CCPS district office and a reception was held for unveiling on Tuesday, October 18, 2011. Attendance was great and included former District Superintendent Dr. Dave Gayler, former School Board Member Sue Sifrit, the Sun newspaper, and Channel 2 News.
Neil Armstrong Elementary Designated as a Lighthouse School from Franklin-Covey
Neil Armstrong Elementary celebrated their 40th Anniversary and Leadership Day on Friday, October 7, 2011. During the celebration, a special announcement was received.
On behalf of Franklin-Covey & Mr. Stephen R. Covey, author of "The 7 Habits of Happy Kids" and "The Leader in Me," Mr. Tom Osborn announced that Neil Armstrong Elementary School has received the designation of a Lighthouse School. This is a distinguished honor and Neil Armstrong Elementary is now one of only 17 schools world-wide to receive this prestigious title.
This accomplishment was possible due to the collaborative efforts of students, staff, parents, volunteers, and community supporters who have embraced the 7 habits and who continue to synergize and work together to embed the 7 habits into the school's culture.
Charlotte Tarpons Visit Sallie Jones Elementary!
Synergizing is about working together to be stronger than the sum of our parts. Thursday September 29th, the Charlotte High School Tarpons teamed up with Sallie Jones Elementary to encourage family involvement and promote reading. Under the direction of Jeana Kukuk and backed by Coach Waldrop and his Fighting Tarpons, over 200 parents and children visited the Family Center to get a free "keeper" book and the autographs of one of the best football teams ever produced in Charlotte County. Twelve Tarpons donated their early morning to encourage children and parents to visit this Title 1 supported, and relatively unknown literary resource center. Children who had never even visited, came to get their keeper books and perhaps have had it signed by a future professional NFL star. Many boys who are already involved in Pop Warner were excited to be with their high school hero's. More that just a Friday night attraction the Tarpons pull together and entire community. Fans include old, young, graduates, non-graduates, faculty, and some who just enjoy a great football experience. The Tarpons do more than play football. They encourage and support. This was most evident at the Sallie Jones Elementary book signing event. Pre-K to grade 5 students lined the halls to wait for a chance to meet our hometown hero's. They weren't disappointed. Children and Parents are encouraged to visit the SJE Family Center on Tuesday or Thursday from 7:30 - 8:30. You just never know who you are going to meet!
Charlotte County Public Schools Receives $18,000 in Awarded Grants from the Suncoast for Kids Foundation
On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, 22 Suncoast for Kids Foundation Mini-grants were awarded to teachers in 10 Charlotte County Schools by Mr. Richard Ruppert, Regional Vice-President of Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union. The awards totaled almost $18,000. The individual grant amounts ranged from $160.00 to $1200.00, and were selected in a competitive process.
The projects being funded through these grants will provide a wide variety of exciting learning experiences for CCPS students. Click here for details and information about the projects.
Many thanks to Suncoast for Kids Foundation and Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union for the strong, continuing support of Charlotte County students and teachers.
RSVP and CTC Recognizes 9/11 First Responders
Over the week-end of 9-11, members of Charlotte County Fire, EMS and Sheriffs Departments were treated to some home baked goods compliments of Charlotte County Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and Charlotte Technical Center’s Culinary Arts Program in recognition of the role that their organizations played on September 11, 2001.  In total, more than 300 people working in these critical organizations received muffins, cookies, brownies, and other sweets to thank them for the important services that they provide to our communities, not only in times of crisis, but every day.Â
Charlotte County Takes Pride in ACT Results!
Charlotte County Public Schools is pleased with the release of ACT scores, and the progress that is being made in our schools. Specifically, we noted the increased participation of students over the last few years, especially students who have not participated in traditional college preparatory course work. This increased participation provides greater opportunity to our students as they make decisions about their future.
Chuck Bradley, Executive Director of Learning notes that, Florida also utilizes the ACT as one avenue to high school graduation, as a "concordant" score that may be used in lieu of a passing score on the tenth grade FCAT. In other words, students may achieve a passing score on the ACT and use this score instead of their 10th grade FCAT scores to meet graduation requirements. Because Florida is the only state that we currently know of that utilizes the ACT in this way, comparisons with national data appear skewed. When comparing only Florida's college prepared students with their national counterparts, our students are quite competitive. However, we have noted in the district data with the concordant score students included, Charlotte County Public Schools performed better than, or at the state average in almost every area, and in many areas exceeded or matched the national average which includes a vast majority of states that only provide the ACT to college prepared students.
Barney Duffy, Principal of Charlotte High School says, "I am very pleased with the results of the most recent ACT data. If one looks at the five year trends on the ACT averages, CHS surpassed the state average in all areas which include English, Math, Reading, and Science. I believe our results speak volumes about the rigor of the courses we offer at CHS. It also points strongly to the hard work of our students and staff. We can and will not become complacent. We will continue to raise the academic bar and keep post-secondary readiness on the front burner during the 2011-12 school year. We, as a staff, will look at areas in need of improvement and make those areas a priority."
Michael Riley, Mgr. of Adult Ed./Community Liaison, notes that we had over 300 of our lower performing students who had not passed parts of the 10th grade FCAT test take the ACT and earn a Concordant Score that allows them to graduate from high school. The percentage of students taking the ACT varies widely across the country, from a high of 100 percent in Illinois, for example to a low of 9 percent in Maine making state-by-state comparisons difficult. About 66 percent of Florida's 2011 graduates or about 117,500 students took the ACT, approximately 15 percent, or 810 Charlotte County graduates took the ACT this past year.
Traditionally students who are headed to the military, technical schools or into the workforce do not take this test.
Local Radio Station Collects School Supplies for Kids in Need!
Big Mama and The Wild Bunch at B103.9 broadcasted live for five days from a house made of Pepsi boxes in a Walmart parking lot in an effort to collect school supplies for students in need. It's the first time the station, owned by Beasley Broadcast Group, has camped out at Walmart for a good cause.
They put up with heavy rains and intense heat. "It's hard to do a charity event outside in the middle of summer, but it doesn't matter," said Big Mama, which is his radio name. "Rain or shine, we're not giving in. Every kid should have school supplies." People who donate get something, too: a can of Pepsi for every item they donate.
"One woman couldn't afford to buy school supplies for her children last year," Babs Littleton, a member of The Wild Bunch and show's producer, said. "But she could this year. She was paying it forward."
All supplies went to area schools in Charlotte, Collier and Lee Counties. Charlotte County received two pallets of school supplies, which have all been shelved at the Teacher Supply Depot. We're looking for shoppers Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3pm-6pm. For more information, please contact Mary Fred Clemmons at mary_clemmons@ccps.k12.fl.us or 255-0808, x3113.
CCPS Recognized by the Department of Education as a Consistently High Performing District Since 2004!
In a press release from Tallahassee on Thursday, July 28, 2011, Charlotte County Public Schools was recognized for not only being one of Florida's highest performing school districts, but also for maintaining that status with a grade "A" since the inception of district grades in 2004. CCPS is one of only 13 schools in Florida to claim this impressive status.
John L. Winn, Education Commissioner was quoted saying, "It is my pleasure to honor these high-performing districts and schools for the incredible work they do to ensure our students are being prepared for success in life. Achieving these kinds of results takes a coordinated effort at all levels and I couldn't be more proud of what these students, teachers, school leaders and other dedicated stakeholders were able to accomplish during the last school year."
For more information about school and district grades, visit http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/.
For more information about school news, or if you would like to post news information to this page, please contact:
Mike Riley
Manager of Adult Education/Community Liaison
941-255-7430
Michael_Riley@ccps.k12.fl.us