School selections vary greatly in their demands on students and parents.
By DONNA WINCHESTER
Published August 29, 2004
[Times photo: Douglas R. Clifford]
Second-graders, from left, Jeremiah Lewis, 8, of Clearwater, Brock Borowczyk, 8, of St. Petersburg, Jacob Kobach, 8, of Palm Harbor, Vanessa Singh, 8, of St. Petersburg, and Zeenath Mohammad, 8, of Pinellas Park dance together while singing Spanish songs in May at Ridgecrest Elementary School in Largo. The school houses the Center for Gifted Studies.
OVERVIEW: There are more than 90 schools in Pinellas County that serve elementary-age children. Most are choice attendance area schools spread over four attendance areas. They are open to all children who live within the attendance area, as long as the school has room and is in compliance with a federal court order that mandates the ratio of black to nonblack students. Some elementary choice attendance area schools have special programs designed by the schools to make them attractive to parents. (Please see information about school attractors on Page .)
There are three ways to apply to choice attendance area schools, but not everyone can use each option. (Please see the procedures for applying to choice attendance area schools on Page .)
MAGNET SCHOOLS: Four of the choice attendance area schools also have countywide seats. Known as magnet schools, they offer a specialized area of study and are open to students across the county. Many of the available seats are filled during the magnet application period, but a percentage of the seats at each school are reserved for children who live in the attendance area.
Parents who live in Attendance Area A (Please see map, Page ) can apply to the three magnet schools in St. Petersburg - the Center for Advancement of the Sciences and Technology at Bay Point Elementary, the Center for Communications and Mass Media at Melrose Elementary, and the Center for the Arts and International Studies at Perkins Elementary - either through the magnet application process or the choice application process. (These are just two ways of getting in; once admitted, the student is treated the same either way.)
Families living outside Attendance Area A can apply only through the magnet process.
Ridgecrest Elementary School in Largo houses the Center for Gifted Studies, the county's only full-time gifted program. Students who wish to attend the gifted program at Ridgecrest, which begins in first grade rather than kindergarten, must be formally assessed and receive a qualifying IQ score. Students can gain access to the gifted program at Ridgecrest only through the countywide application process. There are no attendance area seats in the gifted center, but there are attendance area seats at Ridgecrest Elementary. They are available to families who live in Attendance Area B. (Please see map, Page .)
The only way parents can apply for magnet schools is by using an automated phone system. (Please see the procedure for applying to countywide programs on Page .)
FUNDAMENTAL SCHOOLS: There are five fundamental schools for elementary children: Bay Vista Fundamental, Lakeview Fundamental and Pasadena Fundamental in St. Petersburg; Curtis Fundamental in Clearwater; and Tarpon Springs Fundamental. Fundamental schools stress discipline and parental involvement. Children can be asked to leave if they do not comply with fundamental school policy, or if their parents fail to attend regularly scheduled meetings.
The only way parents can apply for fundamental schools is by using an automated phone system. (Please see the procedure for applying to countywide programs on Page .)
PARTNERSHIP SCHOOLS: These schools are run by the county in cooperation with local businesses. They are on or near the business partner's site and usually are limited to employees' children. Pinellas has four partnership schools: Bay Park in St. Petersburg, a partner of Bayfront Medical Center, which serves Bayfront's employees; South Ward Elementary in Clearwater, which serves children of Morton Plant-Mease Hospital employees; North Ward Elementary School in Clearwater, which serves children of Pinellas County government employees; and Modesta Robbins School in Clearwater, a dropout prevention program for fourth- and fifth-graders sponsored by the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation.
Parents interested in these programs should get in touch directly with the schools.
CHARTER SCHOOLS: There are four charter schools for elementary children. Academie Da Vinci in Dunedin, for grades 1-5, concentrates on fine and performing arts. Athenian Academy, also in Dunedin, is a Greek language and cultural immersion program for children in grades K-5. Pinellas Preparatory Academy in Largo is designed for creative students in grades 4-8. Plato Academy in Clearwater uses the Socratic method to teach children in grades K-2.
Parents interested in charter schools should get in touch directly with the schools.
EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT EDUCATION: All elementary schools have programs for students with special needs, but different schools serve particular populations. Customer service representatives at the Family Education and Information Centers can tell parents about their options.
Several schools cater solely to children with physical, mental and learning disabilities. Hamilton Disston Exceptional Student Education Center in Gulfport, Richard L. Sanders School in Pinellas Park and Calvin Hunsinger Exceptional Student Education Center in Clearwater serve emotionally disturbed students in grades K-12. Nina Harris Exceptional Student Education Center in Pinellas Park and Paul B. Stephens Exceptional Center in Clearwater serve mentally and physically disabled students from prekindergarten to age 22. Parents can learn more about these programs at www.pinellas.k12.fl.us/ESE/
DROPOUT PREVENTION: About 50 elementary schools have a dropout prevention program called Students Targeted for Achievement, Recognition and Success, or STARS, for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders who are showing signs of academic failure. Additionally, the Alpha Center program at Blanton Elementary School serves fourth- and fifth-graders from Blanton and several nearby schools.
