My plate is full. My blog has been neglected. Hopefully things will calm down over the next few weeks.

Some housekeeping issues:

- All late work was to be turned in by March 6th to avoid zeros. Students that have maintained D's or F's have received weekly printouts and I have been very upfront about their academic status throughout the semester. Everyone has had the opportunity to turn in late work.

- Our FCAT Reading test was completed today. The students were well prepared for this day and I know that they each gave their best effort. We will always continue to work on becoming better readers, building our reading stamina, and going deeper into our reading. Our learning never stops!

- Congratulations to our very own Matt McKetty. Earlier in the year I nominated him for a "Kids Only" Town Hall Meeting to be held in Tallahassee. This event provides a forum for students from across the state to pose poignant questions to the Florida Children and Youth Cabinet about the state of children's issues and services. The 20-member Cabinet chaired by Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp, is comprised of government officials, policy makers, and children's developmental and advocacy experts. Matt has been participating in several meetings that will lead up to a real town hall meeting that takes place on Tuesday, March 31 from 10a.m. to 11:30a.m. at Tallahassee City Hall during Children's Week "Children's Capital for a Day". The event will be filmed for statewide broadcast on The Florida Channel. Directly following the "Kids Only" Town Hall Meeting, the Florida Children and Youth Cabinet will conduct their general meeting from 12:30p.m. to 4:30p.m. Matt is part of the 12-member student panel that was chosen out of several hundreds of applicants throughout the state. Matt will be a great representative for not only his family but his family here at Julia Landon College Preparatory and Leadership Development School. A leader in the making!

- I have recently finished a Beginning Podcasting class at the Schultz Center. The class culminated in the creation of our very own podcasts. I am currently working on the Intermediate Podcasting class where I will learn how to broadcast and provide a subscriber's feed to my podcast. I plan on using the podcast to augment my current blog and will keep you posted on when it will be broadcast for your enjoyment!

- I have several creative in-class projects planned for the duration of the semester. Students must remain diligent and focused on learning. I have taken the opportunity to use the time prior to Spring Break to provide more creative outlets to demonstrate their learning. I hope that they enjoy this time in the classroom.

- Remember to check the calendar for Early Release and Homework information.