Stay iNformed and Connected

The 2015-2016 school year already promises to be another stellar year of instruction and learning with some major achievements under our belt. The enthusiasm across the District among students, teachers, and parents has been palatable. For the 5th year in a row, M-DCPS continues to increase Advanced Placement exam passing rates, while also increasing AP enrollment. This will allow many of our students to start their post-secondary education with college credits, saving them both time and lots of money!

Our students also showed remarkable gains in the recently released National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, also known as the nation’s report card. In all tested areas, M-DCPS bucked national and state trends outperforming large American cities. This is a true testament to the hard work of our educators, students and parents.

This past month, I had the honor of being appointed to the National Assessment Governing Board, which makes objective information on student performance available to policymakers and the public at the national, state and local levels. At M-DCPS, we understand the need for respectful and sensible accountability, and through this appointment, we will ensure that we have a voice at the national level. We want our students to benefit from as much learning time as possible, without the burden of redundant and unnecessary testing.

Teaching our children to make right choices in an effort to safeguard their personal well-being is also among our top priorities. Through our Values Matter campaign, we are highlighting the importance of citizenship, cooperation, fairness, honesty, integrity, kindness, pursuit of excellence, respect, and responsibility. These are core values that will benefit our students long after they have graduated from our schools to pursue their personal and career goals.

With more than 500 academic choices, we are allowing students to truly design their educational experience based on the personalized needs of our diverse student population. We continue to develop rigorous, relevant curriculum with immense focus on digital convergence initiatives. We are also building capacity and creating access to transform digital deserts into spaces of digital exploration for students. With our heroic educators at the helm, we are creating a standard of excellence that dignifies and elevates the quality of education for our students.

#iAttendMDCPS – Students who are not at school cannot learn

To succeed in life, first you have to show up. On any given day 5.7 percent of our students are absent from Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS). That’s over 20,000 children who are missing valuable instructional time! When students are not in school, they are not learning, and this means that our future scientists, engineers, doctors, lawyers and many others are not making their dreams and goals a reality. At M-DCPS, we understand that our kids are the hope for the future, and they are the reason we launched the innovative iAttend M-DCPS initiative this year.

Attending school is one of the most important factors to a child’s academic success. There is a direct correlation between student success and absenteeism. Studies show that reading and math proficiency in the 3rd and 6th grades and reading in 10th grade take a sharp decline the more days students are absent from school. In addition, research shows that with only 0-4 days of absence, student proficiency is above 50 percent. On the other hand, when a student is absent 30 days or more during the school year, proficiency drops to 30 percent and lower. Absenteeism is a shocking reality for many students at M-DCPS and we are working hard to change that.

The school District has taken the initial steps to combat absenteeism by implementing a comprehensive attendance monitoring and reporting system in our schools. On the first absence, parents will receive a phone call. Subsequent student absences may include; home visits, a phone call to parents, letters home, attendance conferences with parents and referrals to outside agencies. Additionally, the District has implemented the Schools iAttend M-DCPS challenge- schools will be recognized on a monthly basis for improved and high attendance, including recognition to students. Furthermore, the District's targeted communication plan aims at creating awareness of the iAttend M-DCPS initiative through daily calls- personal and Blackboard connect messaging from celebrities and sports figures.

To get kids in schools and learning, we need your help. Community organizations such as the Miami Marlins, Miami Heat, Miami Dolphins, and the Miami City Ballet have committed to partnering with us in this important endeavor. The Miami Marlins through their Ayudan Program have partnered with schools near the stadium to work closely with staff to address student and school needs. The Miami Heat has the HEAT Academy at Dunbar and Riverside elementary schools. The Dolphins have partnered with schools surrounding Sun Life Stadium to recognize student performance, bringing students to Dolphin home games and visiting schools. The Miami City Ballet Bus Program helps M-DCPS students reach their dreams by providing them with free ballet classes.

At M-DCPS, we understand that community organizations play a crucial role on creating awareness of this campaign. However, the backbone of the iAttend M-DCPS initiative depends on parents, grandparents, uncles, aunties, cousins, brothers, sisters, and neighbors. Our community needs to work together to encourage kids to attend school. The skills and knowledge that are learned in our classrooms are essential for personal development. We are a factory of dreams, but this factory only runs when students are present. Get involved and make a difference in a student’s life!

#iChooseMDCPS - Become a part of our Family

Join the thousands of students, employees, parents and volunteers, who choose Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS). Whether it is because of a Medical Magnet program, a great volleyball team or an outstanding after school cooking program, there are options for everyone at M-DCPS.

It is not only parents who choose to send their children to M-DCPS. Employees, teachers, alumni and community members choose to be a part of the M-DCPS family through their specific roles and responsibilities. Whether it is through Parent Teacher Associations, mentoring programs like Big Brothers and Big Sisters, or volunteering opportunities, there is always a way for the community to become active at M-DCPS.

Even local artists and professionals return to Miami-Dade to give back, especially if they have been successful in their careers. Recently, DJ Khaled, a Miami native, made a generous donation to the music education program at Citrus Grove Middle School, to inspire students to pursue their dreams in the music field.

Through posters, videos and flyers on social media, we will be highlighting the roles many individuals play in making M-DCPS the best choice for quality education for all students. We will also be sharing these promotional items at school and career expos, and any other public events around the community.

We need your help to promote our schools. We need to share your story of why you CHOOSE M-DCPS!

Active Kids Do Better!

At Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), we take the health and well-being of each child very seriously. We want our students to become productive members of society once they graduate from high school, but research indicates that one out of six children are affected by obesity and that number increases dramatically for children living in poverty. That is why the District continuously looks for different ways to fight childhood obesity and offer students opportunities to improve their health and become more physically fit.

M-DCPS is a proud participant of the Let’s Move! Active Schools initiative. The initiative is a new collaboration with the private sector to increase physical education in public schools across the country. The initiative addresses these challenges by spurring innovative solutions and offering customized tools every step of the way to empower schools to create low-cost or free active environments where students get 60 minutes of physical activity before, during and after the school day.

Superintendent of Schools Alberto M. Carvalho and school district officials hosted representatives from SHAPE America, the President’s Council on Fitness and NIKE at North Beach Elementary to launch "50 Million Strong by 2029" campaign, a national movement to ensure that by the time today's preschoolers graduate from high school in 2029, all of America's students will benefit from the skills, knowledge and opportunities to enjoy healthy, meaningful physical activity.

In addition, Frances S. Tucker Elementary School in Coconut Grove was the recipient of a $100,000 Live Positively Fitness Center from the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Council. The lucky school is one of three winners in the state and the only winner representing South Florida. The 960 square-foot fitness center will feature children’s weight machines, treadmills and Xbox exercise games. Frances Tucker’s nearly 400-member student body has physical education classes every day. The fitness center will be particularly valuable when students are unable to exercise outside.

Physical activity in schools provides many benefits to students, including improvement in academic achievement, test scores, attention, concentration and on-task behavior. These initiatives will provide youth with the knowledge and skills to be active for a lifetime, and assures them the opportunities to engage in 60 minutes of physical activity associated with the school day.

“If You See Something, Say Something”

Last school year, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) became the first school district in the nation to partner with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and adopt the “If You See Something, Say Something,” campaign. The initiative encourages men, women, and children to report suspicious activity and behavior.

This is the first phase of a comprehensive school safety initiative titled “Campus Shield,” which relies on our school community of parents, students, staff, and visitors - the eyes and ears of our schools and neighborhoods.

This campaign will help reinforce the role that communities play in working together with the Department of Homeland Security as well as local agencies. It also raises public awareness of the behavioral indicators of terrorism and emphasizes the importance of reporting suspicious activities to local law enforcement. Schools received posters that were placed in areas around campus that are frequented by students, staff, parents, and visitors.

“We need our community to be our eyes and ears and to have the courage to break the silence,” said Superintendent of Schools Alberto M. Carvalho. “If you see something, say something, for the safety of our children. We cannot do this alone.”

Already the program has been put to the test when a Miami-Dade middle school student demonstrated tremendous courage and integrity by coming forward and reporting a threat to his school. As a result of this brave student “seeing something and saying something,” Miami-Dade Schools Police was able to quickly and safely eliminate a potentially dangerous situation on school grounds.

See Something Say Something is just one of the many District-wide programs and partnerships that focus on building a positive school culture, ensuring students are provided with a safe learning environment.

Students, parents, employees, and the community are encouraged to report any suspicious behavior or activity in and around schools to 305-995-COPS or 855-FLA-SAFE.

iNspiration @MDCPS

A student leader and community advocate, Elias overcame adversity by helping other students. Learn more about Elias, a true role model.

Name: Elias Rosenfeld
School: 12th grade student at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High
Accomplishments: Elias is a top-performing student at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High, where he has taken 13 Advanced Placement Courses and is within the top ten percent of his graduating class. From his personal struggles as an undocumented student and losing his mother to cancer, Elias founded USI (United Student Immigrants) to assist students in applying to colleges and scholarships, as well as gathering students from across the state to lobby local, state, and federal legislators in support of the DREAM Act.

Fun facts About Elias:

• Elias moved from Caracas, Venezuela to the United States at the age of six.
• Elias is highly involved in his community. He serves as the Public Policy Chair for the Children’s Trust Youth Advisory Committee, the Miami-Dade Student Representative for the Homeless Trust, Community Service Chair for the Student Government Association, and President of the Speech and Debate Club and Social Studies Honor Society.
• He is a Bank of America High School National Student Leader and spent last summer interning and studying nonprofit work with the Boys and Girls Club of Miami-Dade. Due to his involvement, he was selected as a Nordstrom Scholarship Recipient in October and was surprised with a $10,000 check for his college education.

iNspiration @MDCPS

After more than 25 years teaching at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, we proudly introduce you to one of our veteran art educators.

Name: Beth Goldstein
Occupation: Art Educator at Miami Springs Senior High School
Accomplishments: Ms. Goldstein’s passion for what she does with each and every student is inspiring to faculty, staff and students alike. Some highlights from her career include: her students hand painted over 2,000 pairs of shoes delivered to those in need after the earthquake in Haiti and her art classroom was featured in the North American Agricultural Conference to show how the agricultural sciences can be successfully infused into other classes. This year, Ms. Goldstein was honored as “Florida Art Educator of the Year” by the Florida Art Education Association.

Fun facts About Beth:

• An M-DCPS alumna, she graduated from Miami Sunset Senior High.
• Ms. Goldstein has taught at West Homestead Elementary School, Miami Central Senior High School and hopes to conclude her career with the Miami Springs Senior High school family
• “Yes, I will”, “Yes, we Will”, and “Let’s try it this way” are mottos she fully embraces.

iNfact

iChoose M-DCPS