Cheat Sheet: Quick Back To School Facts You Need To Know To Survive
August 18, 2008
Here’s the last minute cheat sheet on things you need to know on this first day of school:
School Start Times Are Different
Most elementary schools in Escambia County have a morning start time of 7:30 and an afternoon dismissal time of 2:00. The earliest students can be dropped off at the elementary schools, including Bratt and Molino Park, is 7:05.
Carver/Century has an 8:55 a.m to 3:25 p.m. day for both elementary and middle school students, with an early drop time of 8:30. Byrneville Elementary has a start time of 7:45 a.m. with an early drop time of 7:15. Dismissal time at Byrneville is 2:00.
At Ernest Ward Middle School, the morning start time will be 8:30 and the afternoon dismissal will be 3:10. The earliest students can be dropped off will be 8:15. At Carver/Century, morning start time will be 8:55 and the afternoon dismissal will be 3:25. The early drop time for middle school students at Carver/Century will be 8:30. Most of the rest of the middle schools in the county will have a 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. school day.
At Northview High School, the school day will run 7:40 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. The earliest students will be allowed on campus will be 7:25. Most other high schools in the county will run 8:30 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.
Buses Run At Different Times Too
Since school starts at a different time this year, buses will run at different times too. Questions about your child’s bus? Call your child’s school
Breakfast and Lunch Cost More For Some
Unless your child qualifies for free and reduced meals, both breakfast and lunch will cost more this year.
Lunch for elementary students that pay regular, full price will jump 20 cents to $2.00. The price of breakfast for elementary students will remain $1.
Breakfast for middle and high school students will be up a nickel to $1.50. The middle and high school lunch price will jump 35 cents to $2.50.
Reduced price breakfast will remain at 30 cents and lunch will stay at 40 cents. The school district can’t raise those prices; they are set by the federal government.
School district officials say the rise in cost for students that don’t qualify for the free and reduced price program is simply due to the rising cost of food. Students that qualified for free and reduced price meals last year must complete an application again this year.
An extra milk at the elementary level will remain at 50 cents.
The price for adult meals, those meals for teachers and staff, will go to $1.80 for breakfast and $3.00 for lunch.
You Can Pay For Meals Online
You can prepay for your child’s breakfast and lunch at mealpayplus.com. You’ll need their student number. That will be sent home with your child, or you can call your school to get it. You can use any major credit card. It’s the cost of the number of meals you choose plus a small service charge per student. But there’s no sending money to school and hoping it arrives or is spent for lunch.
The Breakfast And Lunch Menu
Here is the breakfast and lunch menu for elementary students for the first two days of school:
The elementary menu for breakfast on the first day of school…August 18, will be Pop Tart, cheese wedge and mixed fruit. The lunch menu will be cheese pizza or corn dog, corn, mixed vegetables, peaches and a cookie. Day two, August 19, will have breakfast pizza and pears in the morning. For lunch on the second day, the menu includes BBQ chicken sandwich or grilled cheese sandwich, green beans, carrots, fresh fruit and strawberry Jello.
The Rules And The Dress Code
Each student will receive a copy of the Escambia County Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook during the first few days of school. Take a moment to look at; it can save one of those unwanted calls from the principal.
The biggest change this year? The school day dress code for students in grades 6-12 now applies to every activity after school too, even ball games. Leave the short shorts and baggy pants at home.
If you are just dying to read the handbook before it comes home with your child, click here.
Communications
Communications is a two way street. Make sure you have your child’s school phone number in your cell phone in case you need it one day.
Make sure your child’s school has correct phone numbers for you, both your landline and cell phones. There will be forms sent home the first few days of school asking for the information, and you can send a note to your child’s teacher anytime.
Speaking of the teacher, ask him or her for their extension number at school, and trade email addresses with them. That way you have easy access to your child’s teacher(s).
Checkout List
Make sure you have an updated list of people allowed to check your child out of school. You don’t want to send grandma to school to checkout the kids for her to be told no.
Fall Break
If you are planning ahead for Fall Break, don’t expect it to be a long one this year. The school district has taken the normal Thursday and Friday Thanksgiving break and tossed Wednesday in for a three day Fall Break. It will be November 26-28.
Last Day Of School
Ready for next summer again? The last day of school will be May 29, 2009.
Pictured above: A bulletin board greeting new kindergarten students today at Molino Park Elementary School. NorthEscambia.com photo
Getting Ready: School Start And Dismissal Times Are Different This Year
August 17, 2008
Students across North Escambia will return to school on Monday, with each school starting and dismissing at a different time than last year.
Most elementary schools in Escambia County have a morning start time of 7:30 and an afternoon dismissal time of 2:00. The earliest students can be dropped off at the elementary schools, including Bratt and Molino Park, is 7:05.
Carver/Century has an 8:55 a.m to 3:25 p.m. day for both elementary and middle school students, with an early drop time of 8:30. Byrneville Elementary has a start time of 7:45 a.m. with an early drop time of 7:15. Dismissal time at Byrneville is 2:00.
At Ernest Ward Middle School, the morning start time will be 8:30 and the afternoon dismissal will be 3:10. The earliest students can be dropped off will be 8:15. At Carver/Century, morning start time will be 8:55 and the afternoon dismissal will be 3:25. The early drop time for middle school students at Carver/Century will be 8:30. Most of the rest of the middle schools in the county will have a 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. school day.
At Northview High School, the school day will run 7:40 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. The earliest students will be allowed on campus will be 7:25. Most other high schools in the county will run 8:30 a.m. to 3:35 p.m.
The district expects changes in bus routes to accommodate the new school times to save about $1 million and take 30 buses off the roads. The change also adds 30 more minutes of instructional time at the elementary level.
Pictured above: Carver/Century K-8 School Pre-K teacher Tegan Stephens makes some last minute preparations and decorations in her room prior to the the start of school on Monday. NorthEscambia.com photo.
Parents, Staff Learn About Next School Year At Carver/Century; School Needs 65 More Kids
August 15, 2008
About 40 people attended a meeting Thursday night at Carver/Century K-8 School to learn more about the upcoming school year that begins Monday, and to learn about what the principal believes is needed to keep the school open another year. The closure of the school for the 2009-2010 school year is on Monday’s agenda for the Escambia County School Board.
The night’s meeting began by celebrating the fact that the school has improved from a status grade of “F” to a “B”.
“I want to say thank you to the parents; you have an active roll in making this possible,” Principal Jeff Garthwaite said. “We have shown the world that this is not an “F” school. We have proven that. We have ruffled some feathers here and there.”
But to avoid closure, the school needs another 65 or so students…fast. School begins Monday, with about 235 students currently enrolled. Garthwaite said that number would need to be at about 300 for the school to remain open.
“There’s a rich cultural heritage in being a Century Blackcat,” he said. “We need to bring people back to this school from communities like Bratt, Byrneville and McDavid. We need those students back to continue Blackcat pride.”
He asked the parents, faculty and community members at the meeting to tell their friends, family members and neighbors to return their children to Carver/Century.
“It’s going to be an exciting year at Carver/Century,” Garthwaite said.
Budget cutbacks have led to the elimination of 12 positions at the school. The assistant principal, four teachers, front office staff, food service workers and a custodian are all gone this year.
Without the 65 or so additional students, those cuts wont’ be the end; the school will close, Garthwaite said.
“We are down to the wire. It’s is time to have a really heart wrenching discussion about what is wrong and how we can fix it. We need the students that have left this school to come back, and we need them to come back now.”
Pictured above: Carver/Century staffer Judy Bakers listens to Principal Jeff Garthwaite at a Thursday night meeting at the school. NorthEscambia.com photo.
NHS Chiefs Release Football Schedule; Will Travel Many Miles
August 9, 2008
The Northview Chiefs have finalized their 2008 football schedule, and NHS fans that attend all of the games will rack up over 1,200 miles during the season.
The season will kickoff September 5 on the road at Pensacola Catholic. The first home game won’t be until September 19 against Walton County, and the first district game won’t be until September 26. The complete schedule is below.
The longest road trip will be to Blountstown, a 344 mile round trip from Bratt. Three other games — Chipley, Holmes County and Marianna — are over 200 miles round trip. The total round trip miles from Bratt to all of the away games will be about 1,260.
NorthEscambia.com is looking for a reporter/photographer to help us cover Northview High School football this fall, along with some other sporting events. If you are interested, or know someone that might be, email news@northescambia.com with your information.
First Dolly Imagination Library Books Arriving In North Escambia Mailboxes
August 6, 2008
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library arrived in North Escambia back in late June, with plans to provide a free book every month for every child under five years old.
Now, just over a month later, the books are set to start arriving the mailboxes of about 300 children around Escambia County. Roughly half, about 150 of them, are in the area in and around Century, according to Diane Hutcherson, executive director of the Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County. The coalition administers the program locally.
In 1996, Dolly launched a new effort to benefit the children of her home county in east Tennessee. Dolly wanted to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families. She wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. And she wanted to insure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.
She decided to mail a brand new, age appropriate book each month to every child under five in Sevier County, Tennesee. With the arrival of every child’s first book, the classic The Little Engine That Could, every child could now experience the joy of finding their very own book in their mailbox. These moments continue each month until the child turns five,and in their very last month in the program they receive Look Out Kindergarten Here I Come.
Now children under in Century and the surrounding North Escambia area can signup for the same program under the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. They will receive a new age appropriate book each month until they turn five…all at absolutely no cost. And, there are no income requirements for the program.
“Parents will not pay a dime for the program,” said Larry Kenny, special projects director for the Early Learning Coalition. “They will not be added to any kind of mailing list; their information is kept private and used only to mail the books free of charge to their homes.”
The coalition recently purchased the 12 books that would typically be sent to a two year old participating the program. “It was $225 for us to buy the books locally at retail,” Hutcherson said. “And any parent can get these books mailed to their home for their child for free.”
Century area parents were able to enroll their children in the program for the first time during a celebration the the Campfire USA Child Development Center back on June 28.
Parents can continue to enroll their children in the free program during regular business hours at Campfire USA on Industrial Boulevard, at the Century Pharmacy on Mayo Street, at New Life Baptist Church and at the Century Branch Library.
Funding for the program in the Century area is provided by the Teaspoon Foundation and Century Pharmacy.
“It’s exciting to me how well this has gone,” Jack Moran of Century pharmacy said. “This is going to go a long way toward improving school grades.”
Hutcherson said the group is looking for more funding to allow more children to receive the books. Right now, the program has been rolled out only in Century and at a few Pensacola locations due to limited funding. The cost per child, she said, is about $30 per year. For more information, contact the Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County at 595-5400.
Pictured above: Jared Bevan, 4, enjoys reading one of the books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at Campfire USA in Century on June 28. Pictured below: Some of the books from the program. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Only Two People Show Up For Carver/Century School Support Rally
July 25, 2008
Only two people showed up Thursday night at a community rally in support of keeping Carver/Century K-8 School open beyond this school year. The two people that attended the meeting are both members of the 10 member committee that sponsored the rally.
When NorthEscambia.com arrived at 6:20 Thursday evening at Carver/Century for the 6:30 meeting, we could find no one. The cafeteria where the meeting was to be held was locked and dark.
Century Blue Ribbon Committee members Laura Nelson and Brenda Spencer arrived a short time later, but nobody else showed up. Nelson and Spencer are just two of the 10 member committee that was formed by the town council to work toward saving the school.
Escambia School Superintendent Jim Paul had announced his intentions to call for the closure of the school back in May. That recommendation from Paul to the school board was delayed, with Paul deciding to keep the school open for the 2008-2009 school year. He is now expected to recommend closing the school for the 2009-2010 school year at the school board’s August 18 meeting. In the meantime, Carver/Century’s school grade from the Florida Department of Education soared from an “F” to a “B’.
Both Nelson and Spencer agreed Thursday night that people did not show up for the rally in support of the school because of the increased school grade and the fact that the school will be open this school year.
“We need to get the community together,” Spencer said. “It is not over yet. They are still going to try to close this school.”
“Before he (Paul) announced that the school would be open this year, it was an emergency situation and over 70 people came out in support of the school at our last meeting,” Nelson said. “People still need to get involved; it is still important.”
“We need to try to get the community to rally together and have something to lean on,” Spencer said. “It is important that people don’t forget about the school. Don’t relax; don’t let your guard down. We can’t relax.”
The Blue Ribbon Committee has other community events planned, including movie nights every Friday night at New Life Baptist Church and a Community Market Day in the Park at Roadside Park every other Saturday. The next market day will be August 2.
The members of the Blue Ribbon Committee are Mayor Freddie McCall; Principal Jeff Garthwaite, Paula Jernigan, Rev. Wiillie Carter, Laura Nelson, Brenda Spencer, Henry Hawkins; Mrs. Reginald McCants, Marilyn Robinson and Rev. Irwin Stallworth.
We did not have phone numbers immediately available for all of the Blue Ribbon Committee members, but NorthEscambia.com attempted to contact some of the eight committee members not present at the rally. As we stood outside the locked school Thursday evening, we were not able to reach anyone but Mayor Freddie McCall.
McCall said he was planning to attend the meeting. But he said he had a last minute family emergency that prevented him from attending.
Nelson and Spencer said they would attempt to reschedule the rally in the near future.
“B” Grade Might Not Save Carver/Century; Paul Still To Recommend Closure
July 15, 2008
Improving from an “F” school to a “B” school is not likely to save Carver/Century K-8 School.
Escambia School Superintendent Jim Paul is still expected to recommend the closure of the school for the 2009-2010 school year, but that recommendation is now expected to come at the school board’s August 19 meeting rather than today’s meeting.
“His tentative plan is to bring the recommendation to the August 19 board meeting,” Associate Superintendent Ronnie Arnold told NorthEscambia.com.
“He was very happy for the Carver/Century community for the ‘B’ the school received,” Arnold said of Carver/Century’s school grade announced this week by the Florida Department of Education. “The grade itself does not have a bearing on any potential closure recommendation.”
Arnold pointed out that Paul recommended the closure of Pensacola Beach Elementary School in 2001 despite of the school’s grade. In the 1999-2000 school year, Pensacola Beach Elementary was ranked as an “A” school with 100 percent of students scoring at grade level or above on both the reading and math FCAT. In Pensacola Beach Elementary’s last year, 2000-2001, the school had slipped from an “A” to a “B” rating.
“He recommended the closure of Pensacola Beach Elementary in 2001 for many of the same reasons he would recommend the closure of Carver,” Arnold said of Paul’s recommendation. “Simply stated, the cost-per-student to operate schools of such small population.”
Numbers NorthEscambia.com obtained in May from the Escambia County School District indicate that of the 314 elementary age children in the Carver/Century attendance zone, only 126 actually attended the school. Almost 40 percent of them, 121 in all, attended Byrneville Elementary School, a public charter school.
Another 48 attended Bratt Elementary School, and 11 attended Molino Park. There were three at Jim Allen Elementary School, three at Ensley Elementary School, one at N.B. Cook Elementary and one at Warrington Elementary School.
On the middle school side of Carver/Century, about 56 percent of the students that live in the Carver/Century district attended the school last year. The school district reports that of the 159 middle school students in the zone, 89 did attend Carver/Century. Another 68 went to Ernest Ward Middle School and two attended Ransom Middle School.
These numbers do not account for students that may live in theCarver/Century school zone that were home schooled, attended a private or church school, may have attended school across the state line in Alabama, or that may have attended school in Santa Rosa County.
Kindergarten And New Student Registration Underway At Area Elementary Schools
July 11, 2008
Kindergarten and new student registration is going on now at Byrneville Elementary School , Carver/Century K-8 School and Molino Park Elementary School.
For registration information at Byrneville Elementary, visit the school at 1600 Byrneville Road or call 256-6350.
Parents interested in registering their child for Carver/Century should call 256-6380 or stop by 440 East Hecker Road.
Registration will be held Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at Molino Park at 899 Highway 97 in Molino, or call 587-5265 for more information.
At any school in Escambia County, items needed for registration are a birth certificate, social security card, immunization record, a Florida physical form and proof of residence such as a current electric bill or rent receipt.
For more information, call 587-5265.
Pictured above: Melanie Brinker (left) registers her daughter Kaelin Brinker for kindergarten recently at Molino Park Elementary. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com.
School Grades Released; Good News For Most Area Schools
July 9, 2008
The Florida Department of Education has released its annual school grade reports, and it is good news for most area schools.
The biggest gain came from Carver/Century K-8 School, with a jump from being an “F” rated school to a “B” rated school.
Northview High School improved as well, moving from being a “C” rated school last year to a “B” rated school this year.
Byrneville Elementary School improved from a “B” school last year to an “A” rating this year.
Bratt Elementary School, Molino Park Elementary School and Ernest Ward Middle School all remained “A” rated schools for another year.
In the Cantonment area, Tate High School remained at a “C”, and Jim Allen Elementary and Ransom Middle School held steady at an “A” rating.
Over in north Santa Rosa County, Jay Elementary remained an “A” school, while Jay High School improved from a “B” to and “A”.
All Area Schools But One Fail To Make Adequate Yearly Progress
July 9, 2008
Of the schools in North Escambia and in the immediately surrounding area, only one school made “adequate yearly progress”.
According to statistics released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Education, Bratt Elementary School was the only area school that made adequate yearly progress (AYP). AYP is a set of benchmarks from the federal goverment related to the national No Child Left Behind Act.
AYP measurements target the performance and participation of various student subgroups on statewide assessments based on race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability and English proficiency.
The most improved school in the area, Carver-Century K-8 School, still failed to make AYP according to the federal standards despite their letter grade soaring from an “F” to an “B”.
Byrneville Elementary, Molino Park Elementary, Jim Allen Elementary, Jay Elementary, Ernest Ward Middle School, Ransom Middle School, Northview High School, Jay High School and Tate High School all failed to make AYP, despite several of the schools receiving “A” ratings.