The district had nearly 2,900
high school students graduate
on May 31, 2013!

Important Dates

Way of Work - Collier

WAY OF WORK – COLLIER outlines the roles of the Superintendent and School Board. Learn more by using the link under Find It on our website home page or click here to view.

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Announcements

Message from the Superintendent

It is hard to believe another school year is complete! We are proud of our nearly 2,900 students who participated in high school graduations held on May 31, 2013. It was a thrilling experience for me to see all of the smiling faces and proud family members at the Gulf Coast High and Immokalee High school graduations I attended. I know that the school board members and cabinet members who attended graduations at our other high schools felt the same. I also enjoyed attending my third Project Graduation. We would like to thank the community partners that support our seniors with both their time and donations to make Project Graduation such a wonderful experience for our seniors! We know that learning does not stop when the class bell rings. Summer months provide rich opportunities to keep students engaged, excited, and inspired. You can find reading and other learning resources as well as information about summer programs, enrollment, and more on our Summer Information page by clicking on the graphic above. Have a safe and happy summer. I am looking forward to another successful school year beginning when students return to school on August 19, 2013. ~ Dr. Kamela Patton

Message from a School Board Member

The end of each school year is a mixture of what we have accomplished and planning for what we can do in the future. Over the past month all of our schools recognized the accomplishments of their students. The elementary schools held moving-on ceremonies and recognized all of those who excelled over the past year. Middle schools prepared for incoming fifth or sixth graders, recognized the eighth grade students, and prepared them for their transition to high school. High schools recognized student achievement for the year and then celebrated the graduation of the class of 2013. Needless to say, this is a gratifying time in our schools. The State Legislature is wrapping up its business in Tallahassee. The district has been given their budget for next year and changes have been made to state laws and mandates. We are thrilled that the support for education increased this year, although it is still way below 2007 levels. A lot of the new money is mandated to specific programs, so flexibility by local school districts is not available. SB 1076 provides some major changes to the education landscape. In the area of testing, passing an end-of-course test in Civics is no longer required to move on to the ninth grade. The test will now count for 30% of the student’s grade. All high school end-of-course tests will count for 30% of the student’s grade and are not required to pass the course, with one exception. Students will still be required to pass the Algebra I end-of-course test in order to pass the class. Another area impacted by SB 1076 is the pathway to graduation. There are now two routes a student can follow to qualify for a high school diploma. One is the original academic pathway and the other is a career pathway. The Florida Department of Education will provide further clarification this summer. I want to thank all school personnel for their hard work this school year. I would also like to particularly thank our students and their teachers for a job well done. ~ Roy M. Terry