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New School Year Kicks Off with New Leaders, New Options, and New Opportunities
AUG. 9, 2022 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kevin Christian, APR, CPRC, Director of Public Relations
352.671.7555 ◊ FAX: 352.671.7735 ◊ CELL: 352.840.3265
Email: Public.Relations@Marion.k12.fl.us
NEW SCHOOL YEAR KICKS OFF WITH NEW LEADERS,
NEW OPTIONS, AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES
MARION COUNTY – A projected 43,778 students will attend Marion County Public Schools this year with tomorrow marking the first day of class.
Attendance usually peaks in October when official student counts are taken for funding reasons.
New this year – students at all 52 MCPS schools will receive free breakfast and lunch meals thanks to MCPS taking part in the Community Eligibility Provision, a program funded by the United States Department of Agriculture. No student/family application is required to participate.
As well, the Fordham Early Learning Academy opens its doors for the first time, welcoming the community's youngest learners including four-year-old students. Located just north of Ocala, the school is named for former MCPS teacher and administrator Edmond Fordham and honors his legacy to public education. The school will add first and second grades in coming years and is under the direction of Jennifer Beck.
New teachers started their orientation early this month while returning teachers headed back to their classrooms Aug. 3. To date, the district has hired more than 400 employees, including 320 new teachers at every grade level. As of today, approximately 150 teaching positions remain open.
Around the district, 14 schools have new principals this year thanks to leadership changes made by Superintendent Dr. Diane Gullett. Of these, six are first-time principals (noted with an asterisk*) and some are home-grown leaders who graduated from Marion County Public Schools:
- Anthony Elementary School – Gay Street
- Dr. N.H. Jones Elementary School – Rob Hensel
- East Marion Elementary School – Sarah Dobbs*
- Forest High School – Lamar Rembert
- Fort King Middle School – Michael Carter*
- Harbour View Elementary School – Joy Baxley
- Howard Middle School – Suzette Parker
- Lake Weir Middle School - Jason Jacobs*
- Marion Technical College – Gary Smallridge
- North Marion Middle School – Matt Johnson
- Romeo Elementary School – Jennifer Houle
- Shady Hill Elementary School – Dr. Anna Streater-Mcallister*
- Sparr Elementary School – Renee Johnson*
- Wyomina Park Elementary School – Victoria Hunt*
Most elementary schools operate 7:40AM-2:05PM daily. Middle schools range from 7:45AM – 4PM. High schools vary from 7:30AM – 3:40PM.
Elementary schools also offer “stagger start” for kindergarten students, meaning one third of students report to school either Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. On Monday, Aug. 15, all kindergarten students report to class. Staggering times like this gives students more personal time with their teacher to make the adjustment to school easier.
Students, especially seventh graders, must have their immunizations up-to-date by August 10 as required by Florida law. Otherwise, they are not allowed in class on the first day. Last year, only 95 seventh graders, a record low, lacked proper immunizations and were not allowed to attend first-day classes. Outreach efforts to reduce this number started back in the spring with in-school clinics and continued this past weekend with phone calls and immunization clinics for incoming seventh graders.
To date, parents have submitted 9,485 applications for their students to use “School Choice” and other reassignment options for out-of-area schools. Criteria are strict and not everyone who applies receives approval.
Marion Afterschool Programs enrollment is already at 2,568 students. The popular program offers adult supervision of students before and after school. As of today, all MAP sites already have waiting lists before school even starts.
Technology continues to be interactive for enhanced communication. For example, parents can sign up for and use “Family Access” for complete 24/7 access to student grades, attendance records, and other important academic information. Parents can register at one school with a valid photo ID and access all their children’s records with a single convenient sign-on.
Marion County Public Schools’ complete calendar and other valuable information can be found at www.marionschools.net.
Regarding bus transportation, many buses are late the first few days of school due to unexpected student riders and loading times. Bus drivers also utilize colored armbands to help identify bus riders and routes. Local drivers should stop for flashing red lights on school buses and slow down for flashing yellow lights in school zones. Otherwise, the blue lights of law enforcement may hand out hefty fines. Most importantly, observing these lights helps keep students safe.
Meantime, here are some things to consider about Marion County Public Schools’ bus transportation program:
- “Here Comes the Bus” free mobile app offers families the ability to track their child’s bus location on any mobile device in real time thanks to GPS service
- 69th largest public schools bus fleet nationwide
- 45% of students ride buses
- 236 buses on road daily
- 100% of buses with GPS
- 82% of buses have seat belts
- 90% of buses use digital cameras
- 957 bus routes
For more information, contact the MCPS Public Relations Office.
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