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Class notes

By TIMES STAFF WRITER
Published September 6, 2006

The Pinellas County School Board will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the district administration building, 301 Fourth St. SW, Largo.

The meeting is open to the public. Anyone wishing to speak on agenda or nonagenda items can do so by completing a form at or before the meeting.

Residents may speak about an item on the agenda not involving a hearing on employee discipline by registering five minutes before the item is introduced.

The meeting will be televised at 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays for two weeks after the meeting date. Broadcasts are shown on WPDS-Ch. 14, which also appears on Knology Ch. 14.

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Nominations are being accepted for Outstanding Educator of the Year and Support Employee of the Year for Pinellas County schools.

Nomination packets with requirements for both awards can be downloaded from the district's Web site at www.pinellas.k12.fl.us, under "What's New." They can also be obtained through WPDS-Ch. 14 at (727) 588-6357. Nominations must be received by 4:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at WPDS-Ch. 14 at the administration building, 301 Fourth St. SW, Largo, 33770. The Outstanding Educator program is sponsored by the Pinellas Education Foundation, and the winner will be announced at a celebration dinner in mid February at Tropicana Field. The Support Employee of the Year will be announced at a recognition breakfast in late January, sponsored by Achieva Credit Union.

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The Science Center of Pinellas in St. Petersburg will offer science fair classes for homeschooled students beginning Sept. 26. The workshop, held in five sessions, will assist students with science fair projects for the Home School Science Fair, which will be held at the Science Center in January. For elementary school students, workshops are held 1:30-3 p.m. on the following Tuesdays: Sept. 26, Oct. 10, Oct. 24, Nov. 14 and Dec. 12. For secondary students (grades 6-12), workshops are held 1:30-3 p.m. on the following Thursdays: Sept. 28, Oct. 12, Oct. 26, Nov. 16 and Dec. 14.

The fee is $75 for one student and one parent/teacher; a $25 refund will be given once students have completed their projects and registered for the fair. Instruction will include guidance, information on science fair procedures, project work and access to the center's computer lab. For information or to register, call (727) 384-0027.

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The Horatio Alger National Scholarship program is accepting applications from high school seniors through Oct. 30. The program will award scholarships to students who have overcome adversity in their lives and show serious financial need. Students must plan to enter college no later than fall 2007; have a strong commitment to pursue a bachelor's degree at an accredited institution (students may start their studies at a two-year institution and then transfer to a four-year institution); be involved in co-curricular and community activities; have a minimum grade point average of 2.0; and be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. Students must submit an online application, letter of support and certifications page. Application materials can be downloaded at www.horatioalger.com/scholarships/apply.cfm.

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The deadline to register for the Oct. 28 ACT without paying a late fee is Sept. 22. The $29 basic registration fee includes a report for the student, the student's high school and four colleges of the student's choice. The optional writing test is an additional $14; students are encouraged to find out if that portion of the test is required by the colleges to which they are applying. Other national test dates include Dec. 9, Feb. 10, April 14 and June 9. Registration deadlines are generally about a month before the test date. To find a testing center or to register, visit the ACT Web site at www.actstudent.org/index.html.

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The deadline to register for the Oct. 14 SAT without paying a late fee is Sept. 12. The SAT reasoning test costs $41.50 and includes a report for the student, the student's high school and four colleges of the student's choice. The basic registration fee for a subject test is $18, but students are encouraged to check with their potential colleges to see whether subject tests are required or recommended. Other test dates are Nov. 4, Dec. 2, Jan. 27, March 10, May 5 and June 2. Registration deadlines are generally about five weeks before the test date. To find a testing center or to register, visit the SAT Web site at www.collegeboard.com.

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Parents of students in Title I schools are guaranteed annual notification of their "right to know" about teacher qualifications by their school district. Parents may request information regarding the professional qualifications of the student's classroom teachers, including whether the teacher is state certified, whether a teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status, and the baccalaureate degree major of the teacher and any other graduate degree major or certification. For information, visit the federal Department of Education Web site at www.ed.gov/nclb/methods/teachers/teachers-faq.html.

ACHIEVERS

Students from Starkey Elementary, 9300 86th Ave., Seminole, scored highest on the FCAT among all 54 Title I elementary schools in Pinellas County. The students were honored Aug. 30 in an assembly with awards presented by superintendent Clayton Wilcox.

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Six Pinellas County schools were named 2005-06 model schools for implementation of schoolwide positive behavior support by Florida's Positive Behavior Support Project.

The program, which advocates alternative methods of discipline to reduce problem behavior, is part of the Department of Child and Family Studies at the University of South Florida. The schools were Azalea Middle, Jamerson Elementary and Tyrone Elementary in St. Petersburg; and Belcher Elementary, Kennedy Middle and Oak Grove Middle in Clearwater. To qualify for recognition, a school must meet specific criteria and demonstrate innovative, creative and functional ways to support positive behavior.

For information about the project, visit flpbs.fmhi.usf.edu.

[Last modified September 5, 2006, 14:01:48]