FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
and custodians are on site to help with whatever needs
attention. Volunteers including teachers, support staff,
administrators and community members provide additional
support for shelter residents. Of course, none of this could
be accomplished without the assistance of our St. Johns
County Emergency Operations Staff. Their assistance with
infrastructure and materials for set up and operations is a
necessity. A huge THANK YOU to those who served and to
those we were able to serve!
Hurricane Dorian caused a disruption and one that
happened early in our school year which caused many
of us to restart this year in many ways. In our elementary
and K-8 schools we made a concerted effort to spend
additional time reinforcing procedures and expectations to
help our students be successful. Our children are bright and
resilient, and they found their stride very quickly.
R
ecently, we experienced Hurricane Dorian, and while
its impacts were not widespread or excessive regarding
damage, it did put a stress on our community. Making the
decision to close schools is always a very difficult one and
requires the input of city and county officials and agencies. I
am grateful for the support we received to open the shelters
and subsequently close them when it was determined that
we were out of Hurricane Dorian’s impacts. We live in a
wonderful community that supports one another in times of
need.
As I continue to offer my thoughts and prayers to those in
the Bahamas who were so tragically impacted by Dorian,
I would like to thank the staff members who worked at
the Emergency Operations Center and shelters during
the storm. Many do not know that our principals serve
as shelter captains and open their schools to manage
the operations. Our bus drivers help to transport those
without means of getting to shelters and this includes their
pets. Food service workers are responsible for ensuring
that shelter residents are fed while maintenance managers
Lastly, I want to encourage you to volunteer your time and
talents within our schools. Your efforts make a huge impact
for our students, teachers and support staff. Academic
tutoring, chaperoning field studies, mentoring, participating
in parent teacher organizations and booster clubs, are just
some of the activities that resulted in 26,905 community
members giving more than 264,000 hours of service in St.
Johns County schools during the 2018-2019 year! While
these numbers are impressive, there is still a spot for more
parents and volunteers. The biggest prerequisite needed
to volunteer is having a heart for students. To become a
volunteer, you must have school access and can sign up
through this link https://stjohns.keepntrack.com/apply. I
sincerely hope you take this opportunity to be engaged with
children in their learning environments.
Sincerely,
TIM FORSON, SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS,
ST. JOHNS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
VIS IT U S ONLI NE AT WWW.PARE NTM AGAZINE FLORIDA .COM
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