I am passionate about education. My career in marketing began in educational publishing and I’ve never lost my love for education and training. Now that I have children, I have learned a ton about the public education system. Read my recent blog post about gifted services and resources in St. Johns County.
One of my most favorite subjects of all time is Marketing. I love talking about Marketing! I have a Masters degree in Marketing, Global Marketing to be exact. I worked in Global Marketing for years, and now I teach Marketing at the college level. I just love all things Marketing. Check out my post about the Google Home mini here.
If you are into marketing like I am, you really should consider joining the AMA (American Marketing Association). They have excellent publications and articles written by scholars and field professionals. The in-person local meetings can be fun and informative as well.
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RESOURCES I LIKE:
St. Johns County ESE resources page – one of the major things I like about this page is the “parents as partners” quarterly newsletter. It’s posted on this site, along with lots of links to resources, seminars, focus groups, etc. offered throughout the county to residents. If your child is exceptional in any way, and THEY ALL ARE, then you can find great resources here to help them thrive, most are FREE with your school tax dollars.
Gifted Student Resources – read my blog post about attending gifted resource meetings in St. Johns County, and many links and insights provided from my point of view.
INK! – Investing in Kids! Mission: To provide innovative programs and classroom resources to promote the academic success of St. Johns County public school students. Offering grants to teachers for their excellent work! Please visit https://ink-stjohns.org/ for all details and submission guidelines.
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FUN STUFF
TAG children’s museum – coming soon! Dedicated to the growth of children through play-based learning experiences, located in St. Augustine.
St. Augustine Mom’s Blog – awesome Facebook group as well
I Love St. Augustine, FL – because it’s true, I do! (Facebook group)
St.Augustine News – making headlines since 1565! (Facebook group)
Jacksonville News – Jax Daily Record, because sometimes you just gotta go into the “big city”
School District boundaries map – enter your address and this link will show you exactly what schools are in your zone. Or use these School Attendance Zone Maps to see where the boundary lines are for specific schools.
Florida School Board – association link that provides updated information on Florida education laws as they are lobbied and legislated.
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COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
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BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
To keep up with what is going on in St. Johns County, I subscribe to the local board of county commissioner’s email newsletters. You can subscribe based on your district of residence, or sign up for all 5 districts to stay informed on the entire county. As a Realtor, I am signed up for all 5, and gain valuable insight and information when they are sent out quarterly. There is an archive of each newsletter by district also available on the website, but it is not as up to date as getting it in real time. Stay informed so you can advocate for your district needs!
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SJCSD: ST. JOHNS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
The St. Johns County School District website has a plethora of relevant and timely information for use by parents and community members. I regularly attend the SJCSD Focus Group meetings held quarterly at the Fullerwood Center at 10 Hildreth Drive in St. Augustine. Below are my summary notes from those meetings.
SJCSD Focus Group meeting notes
Since Coronovirus shut down schools in March 2020, the school board has been opening their meetings to online participation for the general public. Below are my summary notes from those meetings:
The enrollment window for the St. Johns Virtual School (SJVS) full-time program opens on May 1 and will close on July 10th.
The SJVS full-time program is a Program of Choice meaning that students must apply and meet high standards for acceptance. SJVS offers a unique online program that provides students the flexibility to learn on terms suited to their needs. A full-time virtual student is expected to complete a minimum of six courses per semester. Online students must be self-disciplined, self-motivated, responsible, and challenged by rigor. Parents and guardians must play an active role in monitoring their child’s progress and make sure their child maintains a regimented schedule.
While the full-time program does allow students to establish their own weekly schedule as to what day and time they complete schoolwork, students must achieve adequate weekly progress in order to continue with SJVS as a full-time option. Adequate weekly progress is defined as 6% completion per class per week. Students who fall behind in their weekly progress will be required to complete schoolwork at the SJVS office until they reach and maintain the proper pace. Students not able to maintain the proper pace will return to their zoned school.
SJVS has seen students reach extraordinary goals with teacher and family support through the full-time program. If you would like to learn more about our virtual program, do not hesitate to contact me directly.
See below for more information on Full-time St. Johns Virtual School (SJVS)
See below for more information on Part-time St. Johns Virtual School (SJVS)
- Information
- Register for Courses (please see information above first before registering)
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MILL CREEK ACADEMY
For my Mill Creek Academy friends, due to my wide range of age of my own children, I usually attend almost every meeting they have for MCA parents and community members. Summaries of meeting notes are in the links below, as they occur throughout the year, so check back frequently!
MCA 6th grade transition night notes
MCA 7th and 8th grade transition night notes
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JACKSONVILLE HISTORY
A little Jacksonville history included in this article of upcoming development in Jax that I found interesting – Hodges and Butler PUD expansion