February 2021

It has been my promise to stay connected with our families and communities as information and changes have been provided to the District that impacts teaching and learning. This update involves the latest developments regarding both the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) and student testing options for college-level courses.

To honor Black History Month, Cypress Trails Elementary School students are compiling artwork and photographs of historical figures as well as their own family members, to celebrate their achievements.

Two School District of Palm Beach County teachers are the recipients of the 2020 Gutterman Family Outstanding Holocaust Educator Award.

Students, administrators, faculty, and staff of the School District of Palm Beach County are encouraged to take part in the countywide Let’s Move: Commit to Change Physical Activity Challenge.

The School District of Palm Beach County is updating its fleet, with the purchase of 53 new school buses. All of the vehicles will be Type C Conventional Buses, with 20 of them containing rear lifts that are used when transporting special needs students.

The Palm Beach County School Board formally thanked the City of Boca Raton for a land donation that will be the future site of a new elementary school. Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer was on hand to receive the honor, as the Board read a proclamation officially noting the District’s appreciation.

The School District of Palm Beach County’s Multicultural Education Department is set to host a Virtual Family Engagement Night for parents on Thursday, February 25 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Each year, Palm Beach County students are invited to present their ideas for community involvement projects before a panel of judges, in a format similar to the Shark Tank television program, to receive funding from the Philanthropy Tank to advance their ideas.

Tiffany Cox was selected from more than 450 music educators across the country. Winners are acknowledged for establishing and growing or improving music education in their schools and communities, as well as proposing and implementing new or bold ideas, among other attributes.

National Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is scheduled for Thursday, April 22, 2021. Students who wish to accompany a parent to a work location outside of the School District of Palm Beach County will receive an excused absence on April 22.

Palm Beach Lakes Community High School is set to offer a new drone course in which students will learn how to fly unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The Grand Battle of the Books is a District-wide competition that celebrates a love of literature. The student participants were asked to read books on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award and Florida Teens Read lists.

The Adult and Community Education program in the School District of Palm Beach County is changing lives for the better. More than 12,000 adult students take classes at 26 locations across the District.

Over the past few months, Power of Purpose (PoP) has helped some School District of Palm Beach County schools raise more than $150,000 in much-needed funds, through its 100% Virtual STEAM Engine Fundraising program.

The School District of Palm Beach County has announced its finalists for this year’s Teacher of the Year and School-Related Employee of the Year, and this year, a pandemic didn’t stop these eight stellar members of Team Palm Beach from giving their all to the students and staff of their respective schools.

The School District of Palm Beach County is receiving recognition for empowering and supporting student health through a comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention curriculum.

As the School District becomes more focused on equity and resolves to continue prioritizing access for all students, the Office of Professional Growth has created an Equity Resource Center to help educators and administrators have the resources they need to teach and lead for the most equitable outcomes.

Pahokee Middle-Senior High School and Park Vista Community High School both recently earned the College Board's AP Computer Science Principles Female Diversity Award

Lauren Tyson is a teacher at Jupiter Elementary School who always loved math. Her skill with numbers, dedication to her craft, and more than a decade of experience, certainly played a role in her being named a state finalist for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

The School District of Palm Beach County hosted the annual Palm Beach County Regional High School Ethics Bowl on February 1, an event held in collaboration with Florida Atlantic University’s LeRoy Collins Public Ethics Academy.

The School District of Palm Beach County School Board approved the academic calendar for the 2021-2022 school year during the special meeting on February 3. Per the calendar, the first day of school will be August 10, 2021 with the last day of the school year falling on May 26, 2022.

The School District of Palm Beach County is proud of its athletes, making their choice for the schools they will be attending. Check out this ceremony at Atlantic Community High School

Students at Grassy Waters Elementary School get to enjoy a brand new television studio, thanks to a generous donation from the student-founded charity, “The Sock Drawer.”

It has been a difficult year for Pahokee High School student Jasmine Calderon and her family. Calderon’s father passed away in June 2020 from coronavirus complications. However, she recently received some good news.

Reading for fun is a great way to develop a love for literacy. The School District of Palm Beach County offers many opportunities to celebrate readers of all skill levels and gives families the tools they need to boost their child's interest and proficiency.

After spending months collecting water samples, trekking through local natural areas, and poring over data, seven students from the Jupiter Environmental Research and Field Studies Academy (JERFSA) presented their own field research to experts at an international event.

Since 2019, Palm Beach County science teachers have had the opportunity to bring scientists from around the state into their classrooms as part of an initiative led by the University of Florida Thompson Earth Systems Institute (TESI) called Scientist in Every Florida School, or SEFS.