Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Florida Polytechnic University has been ranked as No. 25 in the United States among the 100 most affordable computer engineering programs by University HQ, an independent educational organization. With low in-state tuition and a robust program, Florida Poly's computer engineering program ranks ahead of institutions such as the University of Central Florida, Tennessee State University, and the University of Texas at Dallas. "Our affordability, selectivity, and rigorous,...
Polk State College will be moving to Phase III of its Return to Campus Plan on Monday, August 2, 2021, with the majority of services returning to campus and more face-to-face class options available for the Fall 2021 Semester, which starts on August 16. Phase III is a return to traditional operations; however, while all student and academic services will be available on campus, they will also continue to be offered via remote options so that the College may serve all students...
Polk County Public Schools is finalizing plans for the 2021-22 school year and will offer two learning options for students. The first option will be traditional campus learning with face-to-face instruction. The second option will be Polk Virtual School, the district's longstanding program that allows students to take online lessons. Students have flexibility in their daily work schedule and may work at an accelerated pace, so time management and self-motivation are...
Defying national trends in higher education, Florida Polytechnic University is enjoying a significant increase in the number of students applying to and committing to attend the University. Applications at Florida Poly are up 17% over fall 2020 and new student deposits for fall 2021 have increased by a hefty 48%. In addition to a spike in interest from first-year college students, Florida Poly also is experiencing an increase in applications and deposits among transfer student...
Polk County Public Schools is no longer requiring students and staff to wear face coverings. During its June 8 meeting, the Polk County School Board voted unanimously to lift a requirement that students wear face coverings. The requirement for PCPS employees to wear face coverings is also being lifted. Beginning June 9 face coverings will no longer be mandatory in PCPS schools, offices, and buses. Face coverings will be optional for students and staff members for the 2021-22...
A new partnership between Florida Polytechnic University and the prestigious Centro Universitário Facens in Brazil is off to a strong start with the completion of a project that promises to improve traffic congestion in the bustling Brazilian city of Sorocaba. Diego de Paula '21, who recently his completed his master's degree in computer science on Florida Poly's data science track, worked throughout the spring semester to provide data visualization of 49 traffic sensors in...
The McLaughlin Middle School and Fine Arts Academy Theatre Department is presenting a free presentation via the online ZOOM platform. The students will perform H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds at 6:30 p.m. May 20 and May 21. The ZOOM link is available on the McLaughlin Facebook and Instagram pages. "The War of the Worlds" was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series The Mercury Theatre on the Air directed and narrated by actor and future filmmaker Orson Welles...
I, Betty Bent, represent the Higher Learning Academy of Central Florida. Located in Lake Wales, FL my Preschool not only teaches from a diverse curriculum that covers a range of learning for all the race history point of view, teaching each and every child to be proud of who they are at a very young age. We start learning here at the tender age of 1 years old. We expose the young brains to absorb knowledge while the synapses in the brain are just soaking up everything that is...
As part of their initiative to give back to the community students from the McLaughlin Middle School & Fine Arts Academy are offering a free pre-Mother's Day car wash. Mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters and aunts are invited to bring their cars to the school at 800 S. 4th St. in Lake Wales from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 1. The Divas of McLaughlin club will host a concession stand. For more information, contact the school at 863-678-4233....
Shapes, colors, math and words are important, but Betty Bent says so are manners and respect. The director of Higher Learning Academy in Lake Wales says educators at her school recognize they play a vital role in shaping the future of youth. "We want our kids to enter the school system with respect for others and with the knowledge that there are consequences for your actions so make the best choices for each situation you may find yourself in," Bent said. The faith-based...
Dr. Debra Wright-Hudson is on a mission. The acting principal of McLaughlin Middle School & Fine Arts Academy is reaching out to the Lake Wales community to share the good news about her students' success. Like the school's phoenix mascot, McLaughlin has spent the last two years rising from the ashes of an F-rating from the state. Wright-Hudson said she expects the school to soon achieve at least a C rating, and possibly be in reach of a B, while striving for an A grade....
The Polk State College District Board of Trustees (DBOT) will consider changes in lab fees for college credit, Kenneth C. Thompson Institute of Public Safety, and Educator Preparation Institute courses offered at the College at the May 24 board meeting. Each year the college evaluates all fees to ensure that charges accurately reflect any changes in the cost of instructional materials or supplemental items required for courses. Polk State has a total of 224 lab fees for the...
Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis announced the launch of a resiliency initiative for Florida schools to emphasize key character development skills including volunteerism, teamwork and problem solving, with major sports teams, organizations and athletes uniting to support the initiative to empower Florida students. "Our goal is to rethink and reframe the way we talk about mental wellbeing in schools by promoting topics such as critical thinking, problem solving,...
Applications are now being taken online for Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) for the 2021-22 school year. The VPK application process is now being conducted entirely online. Applications will no longer be accepted in person or by mail. To obtain and file a VPK application, visit polkschoolsfl.com/vpk and follow the instructions. Applications will be reviewed and sorted by school VPK program locations for the process of selection. Selections will be based on the time and date...
There are many components that combine to create a successful virtual learning experience for your child. Navigating the change from in-school learning to at-home learning requires that children receive a wide range of support from academic to technical, from motivational to psychological, and beyond. For those parents forced to navigate this changing learning environment, creating a separate quiet workspace for their children, conducive to focused, effective learning, is the...
(Editor's Note: Lake Wales High School is not included in this report, since it is part of the charter system and not considered a traditional Polk high school. Its graduation rate will be reported separately.) Polk County Public Schools' graduation rate jumped to 86.5 percent last year - a new record high - even as seniors faced unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic. The district's latest graduation rate was a 5.3 percentage point increase from the previous year (81.2...
Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland has been named one of the five best universities in the Southern states for tech students by Deep South Magazine. Florida Poly, the only public university in Florida exclusively dedicated to STEM, shares the top 5 spotlight with renowned institutions like Georgia Tech and the University of South Carolina. The University was also recently recognized as No. 14 in student career outcomes, right behind Harvard and ahead of Stanford...
Open enrollment at Polk County Public Schools will take place Nov. 10 - Jan. 12. During open enrollment, families can apply for their students to attend Cambridge AICE, choice schools, career academies, pre-academies, International Baccalaureate, and magnet schools. Application instructions and more information can be found at polkschoolsfl.com/schooloptions. Parents must apply through Parent Portal. For instructions on how to create a Parent Portal account, visit...
Polk County Public Schools and the Florida Department of Health-Polk have partnered to create a COVID-19 call center that opens Monday, Nov. 2. The call center will be open from 12:30 to 8 p.m., seven days a week, except for school holidays. The phone number is 863-298-5206. "The school district and the Florida Department of Health in Polk County have been great partners since the very beginning of the pandemic. Working together, we recognized that we could do more to...
Enrollment for Polk State College's Spring Semester will begin on Monday, Oct. 26 with priority registration for students who have completed at least 50 percent of their program requirements. Open enrollment will begin on Monday, Nov. 2. Classes start January 6. Students can check the status of their program requirements and whether they qualify for priority registration on Passport. Currently enrolled students may register for classes through their Passport accounts. Dual...
Florida Polytechnic University has taken on a new initiative to support high schools throughout the state by providing a virtual network of trained learning assistants. More than a dozen Florida Poly students are now working as virtual tutors to help high school students stay on track in their studies, specifically in calculus and other STEM disciplines. The program, recently featured in an article in Forbes, not only increases academic preparation for college and develops a...
Florida Polytechnic University is starting the academic year with a strong commitment to an environment of respect, support, and adequate representation of minorities on campus. The University created the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to play a critical role in supporting students and employees of all races, ethnicities, genders, faiths, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds. "We highly value diversity as an academic institution and it is important that all of our...
Polk County Public Schools has created a new resource for parents, employees and members of the public who seek further information about the impact of COVID-19 on their school communities. In conjunction with the Florida Department of Health, PCPS has created polkschoolsfl.com/covidschoolcommunications. "We know how important it is to communicate with our community and to keep them as informed as possible during these very uncertain times," said Rachel Pleasant, senior...
Cyber Florida at University of South Florida and the Florida Center for Instructional Technology at USF are pleased to announce that Polk County has joined the partnership to prepare Florida's high school students to pursue careers in the high-paying, in-demand field of cybersecurity. Beginning in fall 2020, the course "Cybersecurity Essentials" will be available to high school students across Polk County. This effort is part of a statewide initiative that will serve as a mode...
The Aug. 11 Polk County Public School Board meeting featured only two agenda items: updates on COVID-19, and following its lunch break, the search for a new superintendent. As has come to be "par for the course," it was not without acrimony. For the first part of the meeting, dealing with COVID-19 and the re-opening of school, Superintendent Jackie Byrd welcomed Dr. Joy Jackson, director of Polk County's Department of Health, as well as an assembled group of doctors, six altog...
