Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis announced the launch of a resiliency initiative for Florida schools to emphasize key character development skills including volunteerism, teamwork and problem solving, with major sports teams, organizations and athletes uniting to support the initiative to empower Florida students. "Our goal is to rethink and reframe the way we talk about mental wellbeing in schools by promoting topics such as critical thinking, problem solving,...
Applications are now being taken online for Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) for the 2021-22 school year. The VPK application process is now being conducted entirely online. Applications will no longer be accepted in person or by mail. To obtain and file a VPK application, visit polkschoolsfl.com/vpk and follow the instructions. Applications will be reviewed and sorted by school VPK program locations for the process of selection. Selections will be based on the time and date...
There are many components that combine to create a successful virtual learning experience for your child. Navigating the change from in-school learning to at-home learning requires that children receive a wide range of support from academic to technical, from motivational to psychological, and beyond. For those parents forced to navigate this changing learning environment, creating a separate quiet workspace for their children, conducive to focused, effective learning, is the...
(Editor's Note: Lake Wales High School is not included in this report, since it is part of the charter system and not considered a traditional Polk high school. Its graduation rate will be reported separately.) Polk County Public Schools' graduation rate jumped to 86.5 percent last year - a new record high - even as seniors faced unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic. The district's latest graduation rate was a 5.3 percentage point increase from the previous year (81.2...
Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland has been named one of the five best universities in the Southern states for tech students by Deep South Magazine. Florida Poly, the only public university in Florida exclusively dedicated to STEM, shares the top 5 spotlight with renowned institutions like Georgia Tech and the University of South Carolina. The University was also recently recognized as No. 14 in student career outcomes, right behind Harvard and ahead of Stanford...
Open enrollment at Polk County Public Schools will take place Nov. 10 - Jan. 12. During open enrollment, families can apply for their students to attend Cambridge AICE, choice schools, career academies, pre-academies, International Baccalaureate, and magnet schools. Application instructions and more information can be found at polkschoolsfl.com/schooloptions. Parents must apply through Parent Portal. For instructions on how to create a Parent Portal account, visit...
Polk County Public Schools and the Florida Department of Health-Polk have partnered to create a COVID-19 call center that opens Monday, Nov. 2. The call center will be open from 12:30 to 8 p.m., seven days a week, except for school holidays. The phone number is 863-298-5206. "The school district and the Florida Department of Health in Polk County have been great partners since the very beginning of the pandemic. Working together, we recognized that we could do more to...
Enrollment for Polk State College's Spring Semester will begin on Monday, Oct. 26 with priority registration for students who have completed at least 50 percent of their program requirements. Open enrollment will begin on Monday, Nov. 2. Classes start January 6. Students can check the status of their program requirements and whether they qualify for priority registration on Passport. Currently enrolled students may register for classes through their Passport accounts. Dual...
Florida Polytechnic University has taken on a new initiative to support high schools throughout the state by providing a virtual network of trained learning assistants. More than a dozen Florida Poly students are now working as virtual tutors to help high school students stay on track in their studies, specifically in calculus and other STEM disciplines. The program, recently featured in an article in Forbes, not only increases academic preparation for college and develops a...
Florida Polytechnic University is starting the academic year with a strong commitment to an environment of respect, support, and adequate representation of minorities on campus. The University created the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to play a critical role in supporting students and employees of all races, ethnicities, genders, faiths, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds. "We highly value diversity as an academic institution and it is important that all of our...
Polk County Public Schools has created a new resource for parents, employees and members of the public who seek further information about the impact of COVID-19 on their school communities. In conjunction with the Florida Department of Health, PCPS has created polkschoolsfl.com/covidschoolcommunications. "We know how important it is to communicate with our community and to keep them as informed as possible during these very uncertain times," said Rachel Pleasant, senior...
Cyber Florida at University of South Florida and the Florida Center for Instructional Technology at USF are pleased to announce that Polk County has joined the partnership to prepare Florida's high school students to pursue careers in the high-paying, in-demand field of cybersecurity. Beginning in fall 2020, the course "Cybersecurity Essentials" will be available to high school students across Polk County. This effort is part of a statewide initiative that will serve as a mode...
The Aug. 11 Polk County Public School Board meeting featured only two agenda items: updates on COVID-19, and following its lunch break, the search for a new superintendent. As has come to be "par for the course," it was not without acrimony. For the first part of the meeting, dealing with COVID-19 and the re-opening of school, Superintendent Jackie Byrd welcomed Dr. Joy Jackson, director of Polk County's Department of Health, as well as an assembled group of doctors, six altog...
Sports at Lake Wales High School are on the shelf for the time being as the result of a vote Tuesday, Aug. 4 by the charter system's Board of Trustees. The group unanimously voted to immediately suspend all athletic activity during a specially called board session to discuss the system's reopening plan, which originally called for following recommendation of the Florida High School Athletic Association. The meeting was electronically attended by almost 200 school officials,...
Stephen Cornelius had big plans to grow the Lake Wales High School Highlander Band, and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Now starting his second year as director, Cornelius is trying to remain optimistic about the band's future. Cornelius had to cancel marching band camp this summer, but he said marching is still part of the curriculum. Cornelius will be teaching only at Lake Wales High and Janie Howard Wilson Elementary this year, as his recent intern from Warner University,...
Polk County Public Schools School Board members received an initial look at parents' intentions for the 2020-21 school year during the board's work session on Tuesday, July 28. The district also asked employees about their assignment preferences for the upcoming school year. For a summary of the results so far and more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/y5kh99vl The parent survey originally was set to close on July 27. That deadline has now been extended to 11:59 p.m. on...
FREE MEALS: With the start of the PCPS school year delayed to Aug. 24, Polk County Public Schools is extending its summer meals program to Thursday, Aug. 6. The meals program was originally scheduled to end July 23. Food sites will now continue distributing meals on Mondays and Thursdays from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. through Aug. 6. Please see polkschoolsfl.com/lunchlocations for a complete list of sites and other details. Book donation BOOK DONATIONS: The United States Marine Corps Res...
Lake Wales Charter Schools has announced an amendment to its policy for serving meals to students under the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs for the 2020-2021 school year. All students will be served lunch and breakfast at no charge at the following sites: Dale R. Fair Babson Park Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, Janie Howard Wilson Elementary, Polk Avenue Elementary and Victory Ridge Academy. In addition applications for free and reduced price lunches at...
Gov. Ron DeSantis' recently signed budget includes a multimillion-dollar hit to Polk County Public Schools - and district administrators caution the fiscal future could be even more dire. "The coronavirus pandemic has inflicted unprecedented damage to our state's economy. We are moving forward cautiously, knowing that later this year, or next, we could face major cuts," said Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd. PCPS will have to pay an additional $9 million this year in required co...
The 2020-21 school year will begin in August. Options will be a choice of on-campus, online, or a combination of both. These are the results of a survey taken by a task force created by Polk County Public Schools for the purpose of planning for school to resume amid the coronavirus pandemic held a survey to determine what direction to take. The survey focused on potential safety measures being used in response to COVID-19 for the 2020-21 school year. More than 37,000...
Lake Wales Charter Schools officials have selected a contractor to do phase one and phase two work this summer in getting the new Bok North Academy campus ready for opening this fall. Whitehead Construction has been awarded the contract that includes converting the former Boys and Girls club building into classroom space, and potential renovation and updating work on the old cafeteria building at the historic 1919 Building site, which the charter system purchased from the...
McLaughlin Middle School & Fine Arts Academy in Lake Wales is seeking volunteers to paint indoor hallways and lockers at the school. Work shifts are planned from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 15-18 at the school, located at 800 S. 4th St. The work will qualify students for community service hours. People interested in volunteering or wanting more information should contact Billy Dee Washington at 863-678-4233 (work), 614-733-8536 (cell) or by emailing billy.wash...
Enrollment is open at Polk State College for the Fall 2020 Semester, which will start on August 17. Students currently enrolled at Polk State may register for classes through their Passport accounts. Dual enrollment students should email [email protected] for assistance with registration. Prospective students must submit a free online application to the College at www.polk.edu. More information about the application, orientation, and registration processes are available...
In a special meeting on Tuesday, May 28, the Polk County School Board voted unanimously to sign and send an open letter to Governor Ron DeSantis. The aim of the open letter was to encourage DeSantis to veto HB5007. It also urged the governor to meet the application deadline for education funding through the CARES Act that was passed in late March. HB5007 was passed Feb. 13, a full month before COVID-19 struck. If passed, the bill would increase the rate that state employers...
Polk County Public Schools is surveying students, parents, employees and stakeholders about their thoughts on reopening school in the fall. The online survey will close on Friday, June 12, and can be found at https://polkschoolsfl.com/ The survey takes about five minutes to complete, is anonymous, and is available in multiple languages. Participants will be asked how comfortable they feel with students returning to school in the fall, students wearing masks while on buses and...
