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Did You Know...?

We’re a B district for the second year in a row!

100+

Career Academies

150+

Schools

86.5%

Graduation Rate

Top 30

Largest Districts in the Country

6

Florida Arts Model Schools

This instant at PCPS

Every year, the staff in our Public Relations and

Every year, the staff in our Public Relations and Workforce Education departments participate in a holiday door decorating contest to benefit the United Way of Central Florida.

The doors are usually quite festive and bright! But not always.

We won't mention any names, but some people — Leann Bennett, teacher resource specialist with Workforce Education — can be a real Scrooge this time of year!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Even you humbugs.

@uwcf #lovePolkschools #polk #polkcounty #polkcountyschools #polkschools #polkcountyfl #polkcountyflorida

It’s an unfortunate fact that many students in o

It’s an unfortunate fact that many students in our community don’t expect to receive any presents during the holidays — but PCPS social workers are doing their best to help, and your donations can make a difference.

This is Joy Box season for the staff working with PCPS’ TASSEL Project. Every year, our school social workers visit our stash of donated toys and other items, wrapping them up as gifts for students in need.

“Our goal is to build relationships and connect to our students in a way that shows we’re here for them. Providing this support at Christmas is just one more way of doing that,” said Shannon Gillespie, PCPS’ senior manager for social work services.

Students and families are often surprised and overwhelmed when they receive a Joy Box, Gillespie says.

“It’s truly unexpected. They don’t expect for the schools to provide something like this,” she said. “For many of our families, this is going from nothing to something for the holidays.”

The TASSEL Project can always use more donations for Joy Boxes. We accept new, unwrapped toys, clothing, books, school supplies and other items for students of all ages.

If you’d like to contribute or want more information, please email shannon.gillespie@polk-fl.net or amanda.jackson@polk-fl.net. You can also follow and connect with our social workers through the “Polk Schools Tassel Project” Facebook page.

#lovePolkschools #polk #polkcounty #polkcountyschools #polkschools #polkcountyfl #polkcountyflorida

It's a BEAutiful day for reading outside at Bartow

It's a BEAutiful day for reading outside at Bartow Elementary Academy!

#lovePolkschools #polk #polkcounty #polkcountyschools #polkschools #polkcountyfl #polkcountyflorida #bartow #bartowfl #bartowflorida

Welcome to third grade at Combee Academy, are you

Welcome to third grade at Combee Academy, are you ready to do some orthopedic surgery?

Combee staff recently transformed a classroom into an operating room to give students an opportunity to sharpen their math skills. These third-grade "surgeons" had to solve division problems labeled on paper bones to bring their patients back to health.

Excellent work by these division docs!

#lovePolkschools #polk #polkcounty #polkcountyschools #polkschools #polkcountyfl #polkcountyflorida #lakeland #lakelandflorida #lakelandfl

When it's lunchtime at Highland City Elementary, t

When it's lunchtime at Highland City Elementary, the girls in the cafeteria aren't just there for chocolate milk.

They're learning valuable tech skills as part of Girls Who Code, an initiative to build the "world's largest pipeline of future female engineers."

The effort at Highland City is being guided by teacher Cynthia Kuhlman, who has assembled an army of more than 30 girls in grades 3-5. Working on laptop computers, they take part in Girls Who Code programs as an extracurricular club during lunch, since some students do not have the option of staying after school.

"The response has been awesome," Kuhlman says. "The students seem happy and engaged, and another teacher recently sent me a note that said, 'My girls love going to your class.'"

Kuhlman is working to expand the club's activities, and she has help. A $15,000 grant from the George W. Jenkins Fund within the GiveWell Community Foundation is being used to acquire more laptops for Highland City's cafeteria coders. Kuhlman also hopes to invite female professionals from STEM fields to speak with her students about the real-world applications of the skills they're learning.

Although her "real" job is teaching gifted students, Kuhlman says she has a "passion for all students to have access to computer science and technology innovations."

"Some of these traditionally lower-performing students are shocked and quite pleased at their success in these activities," she says. "It's incredibly rewarding to facilitate that kind of growth."

@girlswhocode #lovePolkschools #polk #polkcounty #polkcountyschools #polkschools #polkcountyfl #polkcountyflorida #lakeland #lakelandflorida #lakelandfl

PCPS employees: Welcome to Selfie Season! From now

PCPS employees: Welcome to Selfie Season! From now until winter break, our Teacher Engagement team will be hosting daily prize drawings.

To enter:

1. Take a selfie based on the theme of the day (see calendar below).
2. Post it on your social media platform of choice (Facebook, Twitter or Instagram).
3. Tag the Teacher Engagement account: @teachengagepcps. You can also tag any other colleagues featured in your selfie so they'll be entered too.
4. Make sure the post is public so we can see it.
5. Visit the PCPS Teacher Engagement FB page each day to see the winners announced (Facebook.com/teacher engagement).

Employees are welcome to participate as many times as they like to increase the chances of winning.

That's it, let the selfies begin!

#lovePolkschools #polk #polkcounty #polkcountyschools #polkschools #polkcountyfl #polkcountyflorida