Help Wanted

HISTORIAN:
Kernan Trail PTA is looking for someone to be our Historian and create this year's scrapbook.  The PTA provides the materials and photos and you provide the creativity!  If you are interested in preserving our school's memories this year, please contact PTA president Patricia Beeman at ktepta@gmail.com or at 616-3071.

YEARBOOK COORDINATOR:
Our yearbook editor is "graduating" to Middle school with her son next year.  If anyone is interested in learning the ropes and becoming our future yearbook editor, please contact Patricia Beeman at ktepta@gmail.com and I will forward your information to Paige (current editor.)    Now would be a great time to learn since the yearbook is being put together as we speak.

Yearbook Orders

Don’t miss out on all the memories captured in the 2010-2011 Kernan Trail Elementary Yearbook! Orders are now being accepted for the yearbook at a cost of just $20.00 per book. Yearbooks are available while supplies last, so to ensure your child gets a yearbook, please send in your money today.Note to all 5th grade Parents: Dedications to 5th grade students are available at a cost of $5 per 25 words. Dedication forms are due back by March 4th.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the following students:

Charisma Colbert, 2nd grade

Jennifer Pann, 5th grade

 for receiving an Award of Merit for their submissions to the Reflections program this year.

We applaud their success in acheivement in the Visual Arts.

Congratulations!!

PTA Member Perks

Are you a PTA member?  Make sure you take advantage of these great offers for PTA members:

• All year long, PTA members can eat at Tropical Smoothie Cafe' and get 15% off. Be sure to show your PTA card when you order your meal.

• February 2011 is PTA month at Jacksonville Zoo. Show your PTA card when purchasing  entrance tickets and each member of your party will receive a $2.00 discount.  (Discount applies to up to 4 people.)

• PTA day at the Jacksonville Suns game in May. Details will be available soon.

PTA Reading Night

PTA Reading Night at Kernan Trail will be held tomorrow night, January 20th, beginning at 6:30pm.  Join us as we host accomplished illustrator and local artist Laurie Klein.  Click here to see some of her work http://www.lauriekleinart.com/.

Pizzas are available for dinner that night from CiCi's pizza.  Send in money by Thursday morning - cheese and pepperoni are available for $6 each. 

Department of Education Launches New Web Tool for Parents

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LAUNCHES NEW WEB TOOL FOR PARENTS


TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Department of Education launched a new web resource today designed with parents in mind. The new "Success Measures" website was crafted to help parents understand how changes to Florida's standards and assessments in the months and years to come will impact their children. The most critical element of the site is the newly created "Success Measures Pathway Tool," which is designed to provide parents and students with personalized reports detailing what is being taught and tested in our classrooms on a student-by-student basis.

"Providing a user-friendly resource that allows our parents and students to understand Florida's curriculum standards and assessments is critical to our efforts to make them more informed about their schools," said Education Commissioner Dr. Eric J. Smith. "As we move forward with national standards in our classrooms, this new tool will help us to better work with parents to prepare our children for their continued educational achievement and future workforce success."

Through the Success Measures Pathway Tool, users can submit the school year, grade level and the anticipated courses their student will be taking. With this basic information, the Pathway Tool then generates a brief report detailing the assessments aligned with the courses selected at the time the courses will be taken, as well as a thorough listing of the content covered on those assessments. Parents and students can use the Success Measures Pathway Tool to learn about current and future assessments and coursework.

The Success Measures website is aimed at educating parents and students about how Florida's curriculum standards and assessments system combine to produce statewide measures of student success. Presently, the website focuses on student assessments such as the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), FCAT 2.0, and End-of-Course assessments. In the future, the Success Measures website will encompass all Florida assessments including postsecondary readiness and certification exams.

Visit the Florida Department of Education website for Success Measures at www.fldoe.org/SuccessMeasures

We need volunteers!

We love our volunteers at Kernan Trail and we rely on your support.  Volunteers make a big impact on the quality of education our students receive. The PTA needs volunteers for a few upcoming dates.  Please consider volunteering for any of the following:

February 10: Vision Screening
March 1st: FCAT Writes

April 11th-April 15: FCAT week

If you are able to volunteer a little of your time, please contact Karen Stephan at kmstephan@comcast.net or at 904-382-7161 or at ktepta@gmail.com.

Please have your blue DCPS Volunteer Identification card with you (or wear it) when volunteering.  If you do not have your volunteer card, applications are available in the front office or you can apply online at http://www.duvalschools.org/.

Join the PTA

It's 2011 a there is still time to join the PTA.

We need 164 more memberships to reach our goal of 100% PTA membership at Kernan Trail Elementary.  Join in the fun and help support our school...send in your $5 membership fee with your child today!