What is FCAT?

HOW IS FCAT IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER TESTS?

Why do Students take FCAT?

Journey of a Thousand Miles, begins with a Single Step

101 FCAT Tips

Narrative Story and Expository Essay

A narrative story tells a story based on a real or imaginary event or recounts a personal or fictional experience. It should include specific detail to liven up the story. It requires a beginning, a middle, and an end of some kind that wraps up the story. Dialogue is a good idea, and the narrative should be less structured than the essays. The idea is to tell a coherent story in chronological order that is interesting, provides good detail and description, clearly expresses the writer's voice, is imaginative, and does not contain extraneous side stories. It is not an essay, and therefore paragraphing is not as important.

An expository essay instructs, gives information, or explains something as, as for instance, "Why one particular year was your best school year." It also can clarify a process such as making school rules or defining a concept like "beauty." The support in the middle of this essay should provide specific examples or relate an incident to further clarify or explain the topic without straying from the topic. The author is explaining, not arguing or taking a side.

Schools that Submitted the Greatest Number of Valid Survey Forms

Parent feedback is critical to the continued improvement of the Parent Resource Guide.Thank you to all of the parents who filled out the survey, as well as to all of the media specialists who collected and submitted the surveys on behalf of each school. Funding for the Parent Resource Guide 2006-2007 was provided by Presenting Sponsor ING and the ING Foundation. Additional support was provided by Miami Children's Hospital. Media sponsors include The Miami Herald, El Nuevo Herald, CBS4, Univision 23, MY33, Telefutura 69, and WLRN-FM 91.3. The Education Fund is proud to announce the following schools to have submitted the greatest number of valid survey forms. They each win $1,000.00 from the Education Fund to spend on media center supplies.

1. ELEMENTARY: Village Green Elementary School
2. MIDDLE: Southwood Middle School
3. SENIOR HIGH: Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School

The following six families were drawn at random from valid survey entries. They each win a $250.00 Target gift card.

1. Family of Ravindra Persaud - student at South Miami Heights Elementary School
2. Family of Alexandra & Lissandra de la Rosa - Students at Jack D. Gordon Elementary School
3. Family of Yanise De La Fe - student at John F. Kennedy Middle School
4. Family of Savion Garland - Student at Norland Elementary
5. Family of Jeremy Betancourt - student at Kinlock Park Middle School
6. Family of Justin M. Docal - student at Bob Graham Primary Learning Center

If you have questions, please contact Tim Dodson, The Education Fund, 305-756-0735.

Edison Park Elementary

Congratulations to Mrs. Gross, (Mrs. G.) the counselor of Edison Park who has been inducted into Who's Who for Outstanding Guidance and Counseling as well as Educational Consulting for three years in a row. Mrs. Gross is the only counselor who has achieved this distinction. Additionally, Mrs. Gross has received a personal call from the elite Cambridge Who's Who for Outstanding Professional Women organization informing her that she has been inducted the 2006-2007 school year. Cambridge Who's Who induction represents the "highest achievement for women" in their professional careers. This is a very special honor for a very special counselor.

Avocado Elementary School

At the present time Mr. Arthur Gladney is not only the president of Avocado Elementary School PTA, he also serves in EESAC (Advisory Council), is a substitute teacher, a classroom volunteer, chaperones field trips, attends the Chamber Business & Education Coalition Committee meetings, and strives to create partnerships in the community to work together toward a common goal. He has taken it upon himself to single handedly design create and edit a monthly parent newsletter and has been instrumental in coordinating many school activities, most recently Red Ribbon Week. Parents of diverse backgrounds have been able to work together harmoniously and cooperatively to improve our school in every way. Mr. Gladney deserves this award because he does go above and beyond the call of parenting duty. He is totally devoted to his two children and has purposely taken a job that affords him the opportunity to work weekends and nights so that he can spend his “spare time” at his children’s school. Mr. Gladney with his positive attitude and smiling face has brought lots of positive energy to our PTA and to Avocado Elementary school.

William Lehman Elementary School

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina led Mrs. Quinones and her family to relocate. Without family and friends, the Quinones headed for Miami to start a new life. Mrs. Quinones initiated volunteering at William Lehman Elementary to distract her from the trials and tribulations of adjusting to her new home which afforded her the opportunity her to relax in the school environment. With little time to waste, Mrs. Quinones quickly became actively involved at William Lehman Elementary as a way to generously give back to a community that welcomed her family. Classroom Helper – prepares projects, gluing booklets, cutting preparations for lessons. Picture Day – Assists with procedures necessary to organize classes. Courteous Me Program – The Courteous Me Program enables her to visit classrooms to help build student’s ethical and moral character around value awareness. United Way -Assisting her child’s teacher to help with students. Mrs. Quinones selflessly has donated her time at William Lehman Elementary under endless stressful conditions during her first year in Miami. Mrs. Quinones has gone above and beyond the call of parenting duties. William Lehman Elementary is proud to nominate her as the “December Parent of the Month”.

Glades Middle School

Mr. Richard Santiago is an extraordinary school volunteer at Cypress Elementary School. He has been volunteering for the past six years for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Richard volunteers between 15-20 hours per week. Richard started volunteering at Cypress Elementary School where he was a member of the Parent Teacher Association. This year Richard is our Parent Teacher Student Association (P.T.S.A) President. Mr. Santiago has gone above and beyond as a school volunteer. Last year he worked nights for five straight weeks, so he could be at Glades during school hours. Mr. Santiago has assisted with welcoming back our staff with breakfast and goody bags filled with school supplies for our teachers. Mr. Santiago is part of our school family. It is with great pleasure that Glades Middle School nominate Mr. Richard Santiago for the December Parent of the Month Award.

Lawton Chiles Middle

Mrs. Laurie Tyburski volunteers approximately twenty to twenty-five hours a week at Lawton Chiles Middle School for the Eagles Sound Band Booster program and for the SECME club. Mrs. Tyburski’s dedication to the band program is not limited only to school activities. Absolutely, it is a must in middle school. Her dedication to our band group has encouraged other parents to become active participants with our band program. Our student’s success at Lawton Chiles Middle School is definitely a work in progress and one that Mrs. Tyburski tends and nurtures daily: Our success is well driven upon her unselfish commitment. Needless to mention, four of our students won prizes in the SEME Olympiad. Additionally, Laurie is the school’s recording secretary for our Educational Excellence School Advisory Council (EESAC). The uniform vests which have approximately six buttons each times 66 students are her favorite. Laurie Tyburski sets an excellent example in volunteering not only at school but in her family’s life. Her daughter and son volunteer in several schools, Joella C. Good Elementary School, Lawton Chiles Middle School, and MAST Academy, and they are involved in community activities. Every band event you find Laurie along with her two children carrying heavy boxes of ice-cream, sodas, candies, and the like for fundraising activities. Her children greet the parents, sell, and collect the concert tickets. Just picture for a moment handling alone the band booster program at the end of the 2005 and 2006 school-year, producing an exceptional band concert, and producing an outstanding band banquet, it is indeed a tiring experience. It is even hard for our energized middle school students to keep up with her.

Edison Park Elementary School's Dade Partner

Edison Park Elementary is proud to have Susan Shavin of ZBSL Designs as its Dade Partner. The Savin family contributed all the money needed this year to construct the first and only marquee that Edison Park Elementary has had. It serves as an effective communication tool for the families of the children at Edison Park and would not be a reality without her generosity. Susan also had contributed designer T-shirts to our Special Olympics team and for the last three years she has been the Dade Partner Volunteer in our career program known as Kapow. Susan has orchestrated field trips with ou counselor, Mrs. Gross and has taken children to visit her factory to learn hands-on about the world of work. Each child is given a designer T-shirt and is treated to a special lunch with prizes. Additionally, Susan has given money to help send children on their class field trip. Edison Park is truly proud to have this wonderful Dade Partner at our side.

January 2007

Families, please make an effort to attend the meetings that are being held near your home school. For more information about each activity, please contact your child's school or the Office of Parental Involvement at 305-995-1233.

• January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, No School
• January 16: Regional Center IV Teacher of the Year Breakfast, (Doral Hilton)
• January 17: Regional Center V Teacher of the Year Breakfast, (Parrot Jungle)
• January 18: FCIAC Meeting, Credit Union, 9:00- 11:30. Secondary School Early Release
• January 19: Deadline for Parent of the Month Application
• January 20: Parent Conference (Advanced Academics). Title I Chess (North Miami Middle).
• January 23: Regional Center I Teacher of the Year Breakfast (Rusty Pelican)
• January 25: PTA/PTSA General Meeting Reflection Program (Coral Reef Senior High, 6:00 pm)
• January 27: Super Tax Day, Stephen P. Clark Gov. Center, 111 NW First Street, 10:00-4:00pm
• January 30: District Teacher of the Year (Sheraton Mart, 6:00 pm)

• January 31: Regional Center III, Superintendent's Annual Meeting (Doral Middle School, 6:00-9:00pm)

Please Help!

Dear Grammie: I’m tired of the homework battle! My eight-year old son hates to do homework, puts it off until bedtime, forgets his books, and can’t seem to understand that this is important. We’ve tried punishments, time-out, anything we could think of. Help!!

Frustrated Mom Dear Mom: Those nighttime battles are probably making your family’s evenings very unpleasant. Take a deep breath and try some of these ideas. First of all talk to your son’s teacher. Find out if he is having similar problems in school, which could mean that he’s experiencing vision or learning problems. Ask for some assistance. Lots of eight year olds find it difficult to settle down, so the teacher will have lots of experience from which to make suggestions. Next, be consistent and firm. Homework should be done at the same time each day, and in the same place. Rather than send your son to his room to work (too many distractions there) have him sit at the kitchen table while you work or read nearby. Make sure the TV is turned off and that other interruptions are kept away. Work together to make a plan. For example, on Monday, he will start with spelling and work for 15 minutes. Set the oven timer or some other alarm to clearly mark the time. Don’t lose your temper or try to do his homework for him. And most of us respond better to rewards than to punishments. Keep a chart on the refrigerator. Each time an assignment is completed at the agreed upon time, give him a check or a sticker. Set a goal, say for every ten checks, he can have a special treat (something that he wants but that you approve of.) Don’t forget to give him a hug for a job well done! Grammie