By Superintendent James Tager
Flagler Schools gets an A!
For the first time in eight years, Flagler Schools is an A-rated district. “I am absolutely elated for our students, their families, our faculty and staff, district and school administration, and our Flagler County community. It is something to celebrate,” Superintendent James Tager said upon receiving the news. “Teamwork is the key. I can’t say enough about the people within our school buildings that do the hard work every day.”
Among the schools within Flagler County, Indian Trails Middle School, Belle Terre Elementary School, and iFlagler, the district’s virtual school which was recently named the “Best Small Franchise” by Florida Virtual School were all “A” schools. Old Kings Elementary, Rymfire Elementary, Wadsworth Elementary, Flagler Palm Coast High, Matanzas High, and Imagine Town Center (the lone charter school in Flagler County) all earned a “B.” Buddy Taylor Middle and Bunnell Elementary received a “C” but both were within two points of a “B.”
Diane Dyer, Teaching and Learning Executive Director of Flagler Schools, points to four items Superintendent Tager has been stressing with the schools during the 2018-2019 school year. “Focus on literacy and high expectations, pay attention to the early warning system and identify students who need the most support, increase the graduation rate, and stress acceleration. We made gains in all those areas and it paid off.”
Flagler aims for mental health awareness
We applaud Governor and First Lady DeSantis’ commitment to the mental health of our children, as well as Education Commissioner Corcoran’s stewarding it through the process to bring it to the State Board
of Education.
Flagler Schools has already taken proactive steps to promote mental health awareness in our schools by placing additional mental health counselors and school psychologists on our campuses. We have also asked members of our community to help mentor students of all ages. We have already begun the process of rolling out a number of mental health programs from the Sandy Hook Promise, to include S.O.S. Signs of Suicide Prevention Program, which is aimed at our high school students. Flagler Schools is also an active partner in the Flagler Cares Program, which aims to bring better health care, to include mental health care, to all citizens of Flagler County.
While we await further guidance from the Florida Department of Education as to how and when this new mental health curriculum should be implemented on a local level, we are moving forward with the initiatives already in place to fill a critical need for our students and look forward to adding and expanding mental health supports.
Kindness Campaign Uplifts Students
Staff members from Painting with a Twist – Palm Coast painted bathrooms throughout the Flagler School District in 2018 – 2019 with uplifting messages as part of their “Kindness Campaign!” Volunteer artists were Ginny LeJeune, Niki Normandin, Don Kight and Sara DeLong.
Elementary Yoga Class
Children learn how to focus and relax through mindfulness, meditation, crafts, friendship, physical benefits from postures, and more at the Grade K-5 Yoga Class at Peace by Pieces Wellness!