May 2016

ISSUE
No.10

ADMIN  ADVANTAGE UPDATES 
 
Administrators in the 
Success Partners network stay informed of the latest information, events and support using this monthly 
Admin Advantage Update email. 
Within a week of receiving this email, you and your entire staff will receive Success Stories newsletter in an email.
UPLOAD YOUR PSPP 
Schools implementing 
Success Partners
modules develop a Parent School Partnership Plan which is then implemented and studied for its impact on engagement and student achievement.  
Please take 10 minutes and upload your Parent-School Partnership Plan to our new online database.  Don't worry - this is very easy!  
No passwords required! Follow these steps below:
 
  •  Go to www.stepupforstudents.org/successpartners
  •  Click on the link that says "Share your Parent-School Partnership Plan Here!"
  • Enter all the information that you can. Some schools are beginning their first year, while others are revising their existing PSPP. 
  • All schools uploading their PSPP using this link by September 30 will have their names entered to win a kindle! 

WELCOME SUCCESS PARTNERS 
Cohort 6


Congratulations! Hundreds of Success Partners administrators join us in welcoming our newest 110 schools to our network! Beginning with your summer institute and subsequent modules you will facilitate with your staff during the 2016 -2017 school year, we know there will be strengthening of your parent engagement for student success! 
To keep our communication up to date, administrators and facilitators will receive monthly Admin Advantage and Success Stories newsletters. When you enroll your staff in the TLE, we will also enroll them in our monthly Success Stories newsletter. 
Last Call!!! 
Administrator customization onboarding  sessions
Before your teachers set up their classes for 2016 - 2017, administrators MUST set up their customized grading periods, grading scale, attendance and report card functionality. 
Regional onboarding sessions will be held in July, all session will run from 9:00 - 11:30 am. 
CLICK ON THE DATE AND LOCATION LINK TO REGISTER 
GARDINER SCHOLARSHIP NEWS  
FIRST Gardiner Networking Meeting a SUCCESS!
On Monday, May 23
rd, school leaders from several schools who serve students with special needs, Step Up for Students staff, and Laura Harrison (from the DOE Choice Office), gathered to kick off what we hope will be an ongoing professional learning community who focuses on issues and services related to students with special needs.  A huge THANK YOU to Morning Star Catholic School in Orlando for hosting this initial event.  We enjoyed our tour of your fabulous school and hearing about the upcoming development of a Transition House that will serve as a Life Skills & Independent Living teaching and learning model for your students.  There is a range of Transition services across the state and our next work will be to help each other identify the components of transition services and share best practices and "lessons learned" among each other to support this very critical educational component. 
Another THANK YOU to Dr. Rebecca Hines for her presentation on the newly, developing Center for Students with Unique Abilities at UCF, a new legislative initiative in SB 672.  This was ground breaking, "hot-off-the-press" information and we are thrilled to learn of these resources as students with intellectual disabilities complete high school and venture into "life!"    We are excited to learn that Dr. Paula Kohler will be coming on board in July as the Director of the Center and brings a tremendous amount of expertise in Transition services.  
Dr. Kholer's vita can be viewed at http://homepages.wmich.edu/~kohlerp/ .

To find out more about the scholarship opportunities for both colleges and universities as well as for students IND who have completed high school and wish to pursue a college experience, visit the center's new website at http://fcsua.com/

We also had a chance to discuss Gardiner specific questions with our SUFS Policy and Public Affairs staff, and identify some next steps for this very important group of leaders to continue their work!  Stay tuned for our next Gardiner Networking Event! 
 
It's not a "disability". It's a different ability!
Inspirational Story: Doctor with Spina Bifida Defies Expectations
Take a few minutes to read this article about a family and individual who never let Spina Bifida get in the way of her dreams.

Administrators, there are two student contests available with a
September 9 deadline. 
 

Art Contest Grades K-3
  
Governor Rick Scott's Hispanic Heritage Month Art Contest is open to all K-3 students in the state of Florida. Two winners will be selected and will be notified after 
September 9, 2016.
Winners will be recognized and receive a prize at the Governor's Hispanic Heritage Month
celebration to be held in Tallahassee during Hispanic Heritage Month. Reasonable travel and lodging
expenses will be paid for the winners and one immediate family member.
Essay Contest Grades 4-5, 6-8, 9-12 
G overnor Rick Scott's Hispanic Heritage Month Essay Contest is open to all 4th through 12th grade students in the state of Florida. Three winners will be selected: one elementary (4-5) student, one middle (6-8) student, and one high school (9-12) student. Winners will be notified after
September 9, 2016
Winners will receive a four-year Florida College Plan scholarship provided by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation
      Information and application:                                                                                
PROFESSIONAL READING CORNER
Why Silence is Good for Your Brain 
We live in a loud and distracting world, where silence is increasingly difficult to come by -- and that may be negatively affecting our health.
Are you inspired this summer to take daily 10 minute quiet breaks, or a day listening to the waves at the beach?  Inspired to go find some peace and quiet? Here are four science-backed ways that silence is good for your brain -- and how making time for it can make you feel less stressed, more focused and more creative.
  1. Silence relieves stress and tension.
  2. Silence replenishes our mental resources. 
  3. In silence, we can tap into the brain's default mode network.
  4. Getting quiet can regenerate brain cells.  
Office of Student Learning Team
Dr. Carol Thomas, Vice President   727.409.9137     
  Dr. Scott Beck, Coordinator   386.873.8024  
Dr. Lauren Barlis, Director    352.233.6523  
Meredith McKay,Coordinator    941.737.4303  
Kaethe Perez, Director   727.647.3496
Erica Peron, Coordinator    786.273.8131   
Paula Nelson, Director    727.772.3235
Renee Stoeckle, Coordinator on Assignment   813.766.1049
Nina Gregory, Instructional Technology   727.451.9816
Melanie Schneider, Coordinator   561.818.3453
OSL FAX: 708.776.0852

Judi Duff, AmeriCorps Achieve  Program Manager
813.541.8553