Stay iNformed and Connected

Another school year is behind us, wrapped in a whirlwind of visits to 30 graduation ceremonies. This year, 21,000 students received diplomas, and I shook the hands of thousands of excited, bright-eyed students in just six days.

Learning continued this summer through our iSummer Learning-on-the-Go program, and innovative summer camps such as SEA Corps, where students studied and researched how the rising seas may change our local landscape. At the District level, we completed an ambitious five-year Strategic Plan to ensure that our best, most efficient effort is put into providing students the highest quality education. A recent reorganization, approved by the School Board, streamlined our organization and will save $6.5 million as we move forward.

We are also exploring the monetization of 10 acres of prime development land at our downtown headquarters to help provide educational opportunities for students for years to come. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their own dreams, and our students—our graduates—fit that description well.

As we quickly approach the 2015-2016 school year, we will be expanding and enhancing bilingual education services to give students a foundation in language that will serve them in the future. New choice offerings and internships that explore career fields will give students exposure to the world of work. Take a peek inside our latest iNews edition to find out more about the great things happening @MDCPS and all of our new programs and initiatives for the upcoming school year.

New School Year, New Offerings On The Horizon

When more than 340,000 Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) students walk into their classrooms in just a few short weeks, they will find more choices, more opportunities, and more innovation at their fingertips. Classroom technology is being enhanced with more than 40,000 devices deployed to schools, including tablets and computers, bringing cutting-edge digital convergence to the forefront of instruction. Our educational programs are relevant and rigorous and have been customized to meet the needs of our students to provide them with the necessary resources to excel academically. Safety, security and providing a supportive learning environment for our students remain a top priority for M-DCPS and we are implementing new programs to increase efficiency, address school needs and increase student learning.

Fifty-three new choice/magnet program offerings, the most ever, were created for the 2015-2016 school year, bringing the total of choice programs to over 500. This total includes 16 magnet programs at 12 schools in the areas of Science, Mathematics, Multimedia Entertainment Technology, Legal Studies, Bilingual Education and Visual Arts; 37 choice programs at 30 schools, which include Advanced Placement (AP), Capstone Diploma, Cambridge, International Studies including Spanish, Italian and French, and Cybersecurity. New magnet programs will focus on areas such as Global Trade & Logistics, Communications, Digital Media Technology, Robotics, and Forensic Sciences. In addition, we are implementing a pilot program to expand the opportunity for students to participate in choice programs by increasing access to transportation.

Our new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) School Designation Program, designed to promote STEM education in all schools, prepares students for careers in emerging job markets and aligns to the Miami-Dade County One Community, One Goal initiative. As coding becomes increasingly important in the global technology-based marketplace, we are implementing initiatives that will expose students to enrichment opportunities in coding, programming, and robotics. Through our use of mobile technologies, we are striving to eliminate digital deserts and are increasing learning opportunities for all students, both through digital content and devices. In addition, our WiFi-on-the-Go pilot program creates opportunities for mobile learning by providing mobile “Hot Spots” on District-owned school buses which may be accessed by students on their way to and from school.

This is just a glimpse of our record-breaking robust expansion of educational programs and innovations. As we continue on the path to educational excellence, M-DCPS remains committed to providing students with 21st Century learning, empowering our future leaders with the latest tools and resources for long-term success.

#MDCPSGRAD, An Unforgettable Milestone In Our Students’ Lives

Success is what defines the 2015 M-DCPS graduate class. Over 21,000 students from more than 50 high schools across the district received their high school diplomas this year and nearly 94 percent of seniors plan to attend college. The graduation ceremonies were filled with touching moments, including surprise visits from family members who serve in the military overseas, diplomas that were received by the parents of students who were lost to senseless street violence, and the miraculous strength of a young lady with a physical challenge who chose to walk across the stage on her own.

We have given our students gifts that will serve them all their lives: a love of exploration gained from blended learning, technology skills to help them research, and character education that gives them a sense of what is right and wrong. These students are well on their way to becoming tomorrow’s leaders, helping our community to achieve new success. Our graduates radiated hope and promise, ready to take on college and career, with more than $315 million in scholarships to assist them. And for some graduates, their college education has already begun as they have already earned Associates in Arts degree through dual-enrollment programs, which allow them to enroll in college courses for credit prior to high school graduation.

The accomplishments of the graduates are very impressive. Students have been accepted to the top 50 colleges in the nation including all eight Ivy League schools. The accomplishments of our students couldn’t have been possible without the support of one of the most important foundations of our district, our teachers. By providing students with the academic tools necessary to succeed, our teachers have helped pave the way for a smooth transition for the next step in the graduate’s life.

At M-DCPS, we understand that the key component for success after a student graduates high school is how well-rounded the individual has become. For this reason, we strive to create partnerships throughout the community and provide our students with opportunities that will expand their horizons. Partnerships such as the dual enrollment program with Miami Dade College allow our students to gain a head start when it comes to their college career. In addition, through our Office of Community Engagement, students have the chance to participate in various internship programs, pairing them with community professionals to gain experience and first-hand knowledge on their intended collegiate field of study. We are confident that our graduates were provided with the tools to succeed and look forward to hearing about their great feats.

Going Green With Compostable Organic Round Plates

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is once again taking the lead in environmental issues in public education, this time with a focus on nutrition and food services. The school district is launching a new pilot program with compostable and organic round plates for use in our school cafeterias beginning August 2015.

The compostable meal plate will allow the district to reduce product into landfill as compostable meal plates provide the ability to compost the plate with organic food waste. M-DCPS is also in the process of developing compost labs for in-house programs connected to school site organic edible gardens and learning labs on campus. This will offer new opportunities for local and regional composting development and other biodegradable waste disposal initiatives.

M-DCPS is joining the five largest school districts in the nation. The school district co-founded the Urban School Food Alliance and created national partnerships to support sustainable initiatives, maximize the value and increase the availability of high quality products in our student nutrition programs.

The Urban School Food Alliance, which also includes New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Orlando, collaboratively developed the shape and design of the plate to serve students meals on round plates. The environmentally friendly plates are replacing the traditional rectangular polystyrene lunch tray.

American public schools use polystyrene trays because they cost less than compostable ones. Polystyrene trays on average cost approximately 4 cents apiece, compared to the compostable plate, which averages about 12 cents each. Together, the Urban School Food Alliance districts used their collective purchasing power to create a compostable round plate at an affordable cost of 5 cents each.

The compostable plates are American-made and FDA-approved. The molded fiber plates are produced from pre-consumer recycled newsprint and are manufactured in Maine by Huhtamaki North America. The plate has five compartments, with the beverage compartment placed in the middle to balance the weight of a typical meal. The innovative design prevents hinging or bending and is easy to handle.

The Department of Food and Nutrition at M-DCPS serves 51 million meals annually at 353 schools with a total operating budget of $189 million. M-DCPS continuously looks for effective ways to reduce the total waste stream, use renewable resources and promote and find solutions to reduce, re-use and recycle in our schools. For more information, visit http://nutrition.dadeschools.net/

Inspired By His Father, Principal Guillermo Muñoz Transforms Homestead Senior High School

Every year M-DCPS principals from around the school district are nominated by their colleagues for the Principal of the Year award. It’s a great honor to receive this award as it is a testament of the hard work, dedication, and superb leadership a principal demonstrates. For the 2015 academic year, selecting one candidate to receive this award proved to be a very difficult task, as all candidates were highly qualified and demonstrated outstanding leadership in their schools.

Serving 1,805 students from communities that include most of Homestead, Florida City, and Leisure City, this year’s Principal of the Year winner was determined to redesign learning at his school. For Guillermo A. Muñoz, principal of Homestead Senior High School (HSHS), this proved to be no easy task, yet, through his dedication and hard work, he was able to accomplish his goal.

Principal Muñoz is an M-DCPS alumnus, having graduated from Booker T. Washington Senior High School. His teachers had such an impact on his life that he decided to pursue a career in education. He often remembers the words of his best friend and late Principal of Hialeah High School, Lorenzo Ladaga, who used to tell him, “lead by example, don’t ask anybody to do anything you are not willing to do yourself."

Principal Muñoz is a true believer that no partnership is more important than that between the parent and school. As such, he implemented programs that provide parental participation regardless of home language, disability, and migrant status. HSHS established a viable Parent Teacher Student Association by holding membership drives that encouraged shared leadership and meaningful parental involvement. Something important to point out is the fact that Principal Muñoz keeps an open door policy with parents and they are never required to schedule an appointment to see him.

With the goal of improving academic performance of students, Principal Muñoz utilized intervention strategies such as Saturday School, City Year, and hourly interventions to provide in-school and after-school tutoring for students whose data indicated a need for more targeted instruction. Additionally, HSHS partnered with Ruth Owens Krusé Educational Center to offer students with disabilities in the deep south of Miami-Dade County the opportunity to acquire employability skills.

Mr. Muñoz changed the climate at HSHS by creating a safe and orderly learning environment, where student discipline does not equal missed instructional time. He improved school safety by achieving a reduction in overall suspensions rates from 1,360 to 724, a decrease of 53 percent.

During his acceptance speech, Mr. Muñoz dedicated his award to his father who once told him, “Don’t ever be outworked. If you give everything you have your biggest effort, you will succeed.” These words are something that he holds dear to his heart, serving as an inspiration in his life. We are proud to have such an amazing principal in our schools.

iNspiration @MDCPS

After dedicating half a century to teaching our children, we offer you a peek into the life of a veteran educator.

Name: Claudia Lewis
Occupation: Teacher at Silver Bluff Elementary School
Accomplishments: After five decades at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Ms. Lewis has served as an inspiration, role model, and favorite teacher to thousands of future doctors, lawyers, educators, athletes, and scientists. She has been selected by her colleagues as “Teacher of the Year.”

Fun facts About Claudia:

• An M-DCPS alumna, she graduated from Miami Northwestern Senior High School
• Ms. Lewis began her teaching career at Silver Bluff Elementary School in 1968. She remained at the school in various roles up until her retirement in the 2014-15 school year.
• Throughout her rewarding career, Ms. Lewis had the unique opportunity to teach three generations of the same family.
• Her favorite saying is “Have you taken the time to count your blessings? He’s been good. Yes, He’s been good.”

iNfact

For the first time ever, M-DCPS is rolling out a healthcare transparency tool, providing employees with precise, personalized and relevant data to ensure lower healthcare costs.

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