Florida Virtual School

http://www.flvs.net/
Middle and High School

http://www.connectionsacademy.com/state/home.asp?schoolCode=fca
K-8, see flyer
http://www.connectionsacademy.com/pdfs/20080808-flvsca-press-release.pdf

I don't know about you but I have had it with the typical Florida classroom. The disruptions, lack of assistance, lack of teaching, lack of (fill in the blank) is horrifying. I am looking at fundamental, charter and even changing my work hours so I can home school. I can clearly see FLVS in our future.

I'd like to hear from you.

Oh Lord!

http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/2008/12/thousands-of-pi.html

"More than 18,000 Pinellas elementary school students would be forced to change schools next year under a plan that the Pinellas School Board gave tentative approval to today."

I like this statement: "We have to strap in because it's going to be a rough ride," board member Carol Cook said."

Me thinks the shit will be hitting the fan.

Here is some more...

http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/article922708.ece
Just a little summary.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/article928798.ece
Oh puleeze. Stop already people.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/article928242.ece
Yes, Please. Start with the administration building in Largo. Find better and more efficient ways to manage.

Glenn Beck-Worst Teacher Ever

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/17923/

GLENN: This is going to blow your mind and we have posted this video on our website at GlennBeck.com. This is a "Must see" video. This is the video. It comes from a Finnish documentary about the American election. Now, why we have to go to Finland to get information like this, this should shock and horrify every single person in America, especially because it's from a teacher, it's from a public school, it is -- it was never ratted out. It was never shown on any of our television sets. We never heard this, although we all know it's going on. And worse, the unions are going to grab us by the throats. The teachers unions have our children. Listen to the audio of a teacher here in America talking to her class. Looks to be maybe third or fourth grade maybe, probably fourth grade, about the election. Watch this.

Sadly, I believe this happened alot in schools and it angers me.

School Changes

Key Components of the new Pinellas County School Plan

• Transition from the Pinellas County Choice Plan


• Getting Back to Close-to-home schools or zoned schools


• Predictable feeder patterns


• Multiple choice options


• Reduce transportation issues and costs


• Diversity


• Equitable distribution of resources

What Pinellas County Home Buyers / Residents Should know during the Transition Period

• All students except those entering Kindergarten, 6th grade and 9th grade - will stay where ever they were last year


• Students entering Kindergarten, 6th grade and 9th grade will get their close-to-home school this year (or they can also opt for an older sibling’s school)


• New students (not in one of the 3 grades listed above) are assigned on a space available basis to the close-to-home school or the next closest school. The challenge here is that the Florida Class Size Amendment limits the number of students that can be assigned to a school.


• 3 schools were closed this year - South Ward, Largo Central and Riviera Middle that are impacting mid county assignments

Parents - Got More Questions?

1. If you have any questions you can contact Jim Madden directly at 727-588-5186 or email him at maddenj@pcsb.org or


2. Call the Student Assignment Department at 727-588-6210 or


3. District Call Center at 727-587-2020


4. Visit their website at www.Pinellask12.fl.us

What do you need to enroll in school? Proof of residency - a power bill, rent receipt, cable bill, phone bill, etc. - in some cases a purchase contract to buy a home or a lease agreement will also be accepted. Exceptions handled on a case by case basis.

You Could Have Heard A Pin Drop

When in England , at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building' by George Bush. He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.'




You could have heard a pin drop.
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There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he in tended to do, bomb them?' A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use intransporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'



You could have heard a pin drop.
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A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.' He then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speakingFrench?' Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied 'Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'



You could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE . . . Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate hispassport in his carry on. 'You have been to France before, monsieur?' the customs officer asked sarcastically. Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously then you should know enough to have your passport ready.' The American said, "'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it. "Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on arrival in France !' The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hardlook. Then he quietly explained, "'Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country , I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to.'



You could have heard a pin drop.
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I don't feel the need to discuss what this has to do with education!

New Orleans repeating deadly levee mistakes

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26365406

"Signs are emerging that history is repeating itself in the Big Easy, still healing from Katrina: People have forgotten a lesson from four decades ago and believe once again that the federal government is constructing a levee system they can prosper behind.

In a yearlong review of levee work here, The Associated Press has tracked a pattern of public misperception, political jockeying and legal fighting, along with economic and engineering miscalculations since Katrina, that threaten to make New Orleans the scene of another devastating flood."

Imagine that! A city under sea level flooding and we can’t build the levees right? I’d like to say that I thought they would get it right this time, but I didn’t. I had zero expectation that New Orleans would be rebuilt into a safe place to live. The insanity of spending billions upon billions of dollars year after year is frightening.

We have been cut millions of dollars for education, public K-12 and colleges. The federal government never did fund No Child Left Behind, yet they can find the money to build a wall that is going to come down. Not if it will come down, but when. Think about the education our children could be getting. Our schools could become beautiful inside and out. Our teacher could teach with the supplies and materials they need. Our children could learn with the supplies and materials they need. Centers of Excellence, gifted, interventions to help the struggling and the misguided could be implemented, and so much more.

In short, history is about to repeat itself.

What Bush Got Right

http://www.newsweek.com/id/151731

"For the next president, simply reversing this administration's policies is not the answer."

"Compared with the flutters and flurries of the near-daily polls in the presidential race, one set of numbers has stayed fixed for months, even years. President George W. Bush now enters his 23rd consecutive month with an approval rating under 40 percent. (It currently stands at 32 percent.) No matter what he does, or what happens in the world, the public seems to have decided that Bush has been a failure. As a result, both candidates are promising a change from the Bush presidency. Barack Obama, of course, promises a wholly different approach to the world. But even Bush's fellow Republican, John McCain, has on several issues suggested that he would depart from the administration's policies. McCain was last seen with the president at a fund-raiser more than two months ago at which no reporters or photographers were allowed."

I read this very interesting article in Newsweek and thought I would share it. Regardless of who becomes our next president. He will do well to remember, "...simply reversing this administration's policies is not the answer."