Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 10-27-17

Features
District Ordered To Fix 7 Failing Schools
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Earlier this month, the Florida Department of Educa- tion issued an ultimatum to the Hillsborough County School District. The letter, which was dated October 16th, gave the District a deadline of Friday, October 27th, (Phase 1) to provide the TOPs (Turn- around Option Plan) to be im- plemented into seven (7) failing schools.
The letter was signed by Florida Department of Educa- tion Chancellor of Public Schools, Hershel Lyons and sent to Jeff Eakins, Superin- tendent of the Hillsborough County School District.
The letter stated that the “district must select one of the three options to be imple- mented during the 2018-2019 school year:
“1. Close the school, trans- fers the students to a higher performing school(s) and monitor the students for a three-year period;
“2. Close the school and re- open the school as one or more charter schools, with a govern- ing board that has a demon- strated record of effectiveness; or
“3. Contract with an out- side entity that has a demon- strated record of effectiveness to operate the school; this may include a district-managed charter school in which all in- structional personnel are not employees of the school dis- trict, but are not employees of the school district, but are em-
ployees of an independent gov- erning board comprised of members who did not partici- pate in the review or approval of the charter.”
The ultimatum pertains to the turnaround options for the following seven schools: Fos- ter Elementary, Mort Elemen- tary, Oak Park Elementary, Potter Elementary, Sheehy El- ementary, and B. T. Washing- ton Elementary Schools. Memorial Middle School is the only secondary school on this list.
During the last grading pe- riod, Foster, Mort, Oak Park, Sheehy, and Memorial all re- ceived a “D.” Potter and B. T. Washington received an “F.” The state’s order mandates that all of the grades for these seven schools be raised to at least a “C” grade by the end of the school year.
The deadline of November 15, 2017, was issued to submit a signed TOPs plan (Phase 2), of the order.
Potter Elementary School
RN, Cancer Survivor Wants To Educate About The Importance Of Early Detection
Information will be shared at a dinner on Sunday in New Port Richey.
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Julie Williams, a Regis- tered Nurse and Nurse Practi- tioner (33 and 22 years, respectively), will be the host- ess on Sunday, October 29th, at the Soulful Supper With Der- rick Williams at a restaurant in New Port Richey.
The event, a celebration of all cancer survivors, families affected and caregivers, is 3-6 p. m., at Dulcet Restaurant, 6220 Grand Blvd. The dress at- tire is pink. Entertainment will be by Mrs. Williams’ hus- band, Derrick Williams and the Gospel Voice Band, their daughter, Jordan Denise (a recording artist), and others.
For more information, visit www.thegospelvoicetvshow.co m or Facebook: Sunday’s Soul- ful Supper.
Mrs. Williams, a survivor of Vulvar Cancer, “wants to raise awareness and educate guests about the importance of early detection and prevention for all gynecological cancers, and bring in spiritual aware- ness, faith and hope!,” she said.
The American Cancer Soci- ety has donated pamphlets to distribute and resources for free mammogram referrals and information.
Mrs. Williams has lost 2 friends to breast cancer in less
JULIE WILLIAMS
...A cancer survivor to host Sunday’s Soulful Supper
than a year, and a third was re- cently diagnosed. This past Au- gust, Mrs. Shelley Ellis lost her second battle with breast cancer. Sunday’s dinner is ded- icated in her honor. Her hus- band, Robert Ellis, will assist the Williamses in honoring his wife. He has donated so that families can attend Sun- day’s dinner.
“One thing I will always re- member about Shelley is her caring and supporting love and telling me that my survivorship represented hope for someone else,” Mrs. Williams stated.
“As an active patient, my faith is what holds me to- gether. The fear of a reoccur- rence is a reality you live with every day. But my faith strengthens me and gives me hope,” she says. “I believe any- one who has been diagnosed with any type of cancer would agree.” She recently completed 18 months of a 5-year follow- up plan at Moffitt Hospital.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017