November 18, 2022

Each week, we receive questions for the Superintendent from students in pre-K through 12th grade. In this video series, Ms. Beamon will answer these questions and help our families and the community we serve get to know the leader of our public schools.

There is no doubt that cell phones are wildly popular and nearly every teen in the US has one. For the benefits they provide, there are also consequences for unsafe usage of cell phones. In this week's tips with Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D. and Justin W. Patchin, Ph.D., learn about the top tips for teen cell phone safety.

Casselberry Elementary Tatiana Dennard

Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies

1st Grade

Crystal Lake Elementary Leanne Briatico

Elementary Education

3rd Grade

Hamilton Elementary

Amy Sink

Elementary Education

Kindergarten to 2nd Grade

Longwood Elementary

Alicia Martinez

Elementary Education Kindergarten to 5th Grade

Spring Lake Elementary Janan Hodges

Elementary Math & Science 3rd Grade

Wilson Elementary

Jeannine D’Agostino Elementary Education Instructional Coach Kindergarten to 5th Grade

Milwee Middle

Joshua Autrey

Music (K-12)

Band (6th to 8th Grade)

Sanford Middle

Courtney Friedman

Pre-Veterinary Medicine

6th to 8th Grade

Educational Support Center Jillian Orleman

School Social Work

K-12

Hagerty High

Matthew Thompson

Family & Consumer Science 9th to 12th Grade

Lake Brantley High

Britney Lacarte

Early Childhood Ed, Young Men of Excellence

9th to 12th Grade

Seminole High

Kelly Meahl

ELA IB English III, Theory

of Knowledge

11th and 12th Grade

The 2024 SCPS TOY Celebration is presented by the Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools. It will take place in early February. During this event, the overall SCPS TOY will be named and will go on to represent the district at the state competition.

Congratulations to all of our semi-finalists!

Southeastern Consortium for Minorities in Engineering (SECME) is a yearlong course in which students study the design process, Newton’s Laws, force and motion, energy and alternate energies and the electromagnetic spectrum. Students use their knowledge of these topics to design and build items to enter various competitions. Students participated in the American Water Works Association Model Water Tower Competition. The objective of the competition is to make participants aware of the importance of reliable drinking water and the opportunities available in the water profession.

Milwee won 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place and received the award for Best Design. 

Students Get In-Person Lesson About Lawmaking Process 

Students at Milwee were excited to learn that their civics teacher, Mr. Dalesandro, made a request for a special guest to help his students learn about the lawmaking process in an unforgettable way. Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy came to their classroom to share her experiences in the U.S. House of Representatives and answer student questions.

Congresswoman Murphy spoke about her love and appreciation of American democracy, freedoms, and diversity - and her experience as an immigrant refugee. She stressed the importance of bipartisan compromise, the value of public service, and how students can participate in making positive change in their community. 

SCPS Hosts "Teach-In" Day

Students of all ages had unique opportunities to learn about different career paths from local community members, business leaders, law enforcement and safety professionals. We appreciate the way Seminole County supports our public schools and invests in our children and the future of our community.

Indian Trails Middle School - Mrs. Onderdonk, Indian Trails Middle School J.R.O.T.C./World history teacher, along with I.T.M.S. School Resource Officer Deputy Bryant Ortiz, held an epic event during our annual Teach-In this Tuesday. In partnership with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office Aviation unit, an S.C.S.O. helicopter landed on campus for over 60 J.R.O.T.C. students. They were able to witness an actual landing of a Sheriff’s Office helicopter and had the opportunity to ask questions. The event included the flight crew explaining the responsibilities of an aviator and allowed students to view the inside of the helicopter. It was an incredible opportunity for students to experience just one of the exciting perks of working in the field. 

Rainbow Elementary School - Rainbow Elementary School students were able to participate in presentations from a variety of speakers including our Seminole County Fire Department, nurses, engineers, and many more!

Carillon Elementary School - At Carillon Elementary, students were able to learn about building bridges, video game design, law and jury, yoga and mindfulness, firefighter safety, CPR, STEM careers, and so much more! Some "teachers" of the day were relatives of students, and some even got to surprise their kiddos in the classroom!

With over 15 guests of honor, and over 30 classrooms visited, it was a great day for our Carillon Comets!

Lake Howell High School - Lake Howell had a great variety of speakers at its Teach-In. Speakers included firefighters, a chef, an English professor from UCF, a cosmetologist and a nurse.

For more photos from this year's Teach-In, please visit our social media and Flickr pages.

Winter Springs and Lake Howell Honor Societies Partner with VFW to Care for Deployed Soldiers

The National Honor Societies at Winter Springs High School and Lake Howell High School teamed up with VFW Post 8207 to create 200 boxes for deployed service members around the world. The boxes were painted by an assortment of WSHS organizations and others from across SCPS.

Hagerty High School Marching Band Named Recipient of Prestigious Award 

This year, Hagerty High School became a Southern Division Winner of the Program of Excellence Blue Ribbon Award, awarded through the National Band Association (NBA). This award recognizes “programs and educators which challenge students and promote standards of excellence” both regionally and nationally. 

As a division winner and one of five schools in the nation to be the recipient of this distinguished award, the Hagerty band program will now be considered for the National Award. The application process for the Blue Ribbon award was extensive and included recordings, honors and awards, five years of concert programming, music performance assessment ratings, repertoire lists, participant lists of students in honor bands, and more. Division Blue Ribbon Award winners receive a framed certificate and recognition at the NBA General Membership meeting held at the Midwest Clinic in December. 

The Hagerty High School band program consists of the Marching Huskies, two jazz ensembles, three concert bands, and a percussion ensemble. They have an extensive history of superior performances playing a variety of music. Last year, all ensembles earned superior ratings at their district music performance assessment. Recipients of the Otto Krausharr Award, the Wind Ensemble has earned straight superior ratings in all district and state performances in 2013, 2017, and 2018. This year, the marching band celebrates its 18^th consecutive year of earning a superior rating at their district marching performance assessment.

Hagerty High School band students continue to perform at both the state and county level year-round. This year, seven students will perform with the Florida All State Ensembles and 38 students will join the Seminole County All County Band. Students seek opportunities in the community by performing in jazz combos, saxophone ensembles, clarinet ensembles, the Florida Youth Jazz Ensembles, and the Florida Youth Orchestras. 

The band travels both nationally and internationally, having performed in the Thanksgiving Parade in Silver Spring, Maryland, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, and Nuremberg, Germany at the Nuremberg Christmas Market.

Under the direction of Brad and Brian Kuperman, the program employs the philosophy to excite students about music, develop outstanding young musicians, and create well-rounded individuals. Students are pushed to not only become great musicians, but great people. It is with parent and administrative support that Hagerty High School continues to be successful.

The Oviedo Woman's Club 48^th Annual Great Day in the Country was held on Saturday, November 12th. The event features arts and crafts and a variety of vendors. The proceeds from the event are awarded as scholarships to high school students and other designated community needs. 

Hagerty and Oviedo High School were invited to participate by displaying student artwork to be judged.

Best of Show: Brook Meyer (OHS) (pictured to the right)

1^st Place: Kip Leblanc (OHS)

2^nd Place: Eleanor Russo (HHS)

3^rd Place: Brook Meyer (OHS)

Honorable Mentions: Marcella Carrasco (HHS), Andrea Torres (HHS), Jared McNally (HHS), Gabriela Ayala (OHS), Kip Leblanc (OHS), Sidney Nieves (OHS), Rachel Lattimer (OHS) 

SCPS School Board members Kristine Kraus and Abby Sanchez, along with Superintendent Beamon, celebrated the scholarship winners.

Thank you for providing your feedback with items you want to learn about for our Parent Mental Health Web Series! We have taken this feedback and are working on creating additional educational opportunities around those requests. 

Upcoming course Information:

11/30/22

6:00PM-7:30PM: Dealing with Bullying & Other School Safety Issues 

Learn how to support students struggling with bullying and other issues pertaining to student/school safety

We want to give a huge "thank you" to retiring board members Dr. Tina Calderone and Karen Almond for their unwavering service to our SCPS community and School Board for over 12 years. Throughout their years, they have helped to provide the best education possible for all of our students and strived to ensure that they graduate future-ready and prepared for success. Their dedication to our students, families, staff and community will forever be appreciated. We wish them the very best as they embark on a new chapter.

Our Mission

The mission of the Seminole County Public Schools is to ensure that all students acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to be productive citizens.

400 E. Lake Mary Blvd. 

Sanford, FL 32773

407-320-0000

www.scps.us

Seminole County Public Schools

Educational Equity - Notice of Nondiscrimination

The Educational Equity Administrator for Seminole County Public Schools has the responsibility of assuring compliance with the educational equity requirements by providing technical expertise, monitoring activities or programs related to compliance, and responding to equity complaints. One of the responsibilities is to administer the Educational Equity Complaint/Grievance Procedures as adopted by the School Board.

It is the policy of the School Board of Seminole County, Florida, that no employee, student, or applicant shall be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination and/or harassment under any educational programs, activities, or in any employment conditions, policies, or practices conducted by the District. The School Board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, transgender status, or gender identity), disability (including HIV, AIDS, or sickle cell trait), pregnancy, marital status, age, religion, ancestry, or genetic information which are classes protected by State and/or Federal law in its programs and activities, including employment opportunities. Additionally, the School board of Seminole County provides equal access to public school facilities for the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups as required by 34 C.F.R. 108.6. 

Every employee, student, or applicant for employment at Seminole County Public Schools has a solemn right to be treated fairly, equally, equitably, and with dignity. If for any reason you - the employee, student, or applicant for employment - find that you have been victimized by acts of discrimination and or harassment, whether intentional or unintentional, you are strongly encouraged to file an Educational Equity Complaint or Grievance with the Educational Equity Administrator, or any county or school-level administrator. All such complaints must be immediately forwarded to the Educational Equity Administrator for dissemination, action, and resolution. Forward to: SCPS Educational Equity Administrator, Seminole County Public Schools – Human Resources, Educational Support Center, 400 E. Lake Mary Blvd., Sanford, FL 32773-7127. 407.320.0317.

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