STEPPING IB UILD 2 A CHIEVE B UILD 2 A CHIEVE NW 67 Avenue Miami, Florida 33167 Assistant Principal Carla Patrick, 500 Principal Bertholly LaFrance, RAIDER gazette Winter 2018 EDISON PARK K-8 500 NW 67 STREET MIAMI, FLORIDA 33150 305-758-3658 RAIDER GAZETTE TEAM JOURNALISTS Shanaiyah Carmichael Elizabeth Champagne Stephanie Duroseau Talica Duroseau Jessica Jeanty Leonce Luma Stephanie Seraphin Photographers Cynthia Jean Pierre Elijah McCantos Coordinator Sharon Simmons B UILDING 2 A CHIEVE
Dear Parents/Guardians, IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE THIRD NINE WEEKS HAS ALREADY ENDED AND WE ARE NOW AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FOURTH NINE WEEKS. THE FLORIDA STANDARDS ASSESSMENT IN WRITING FOR ALL 3RD -8TH GRADE STUDENTS WAS IN MARCH. THE STUDENTS WERE ASSESED THROUGH WRITING THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO READ A VARIETY OF SELECTIONS. THEY ALSO DEMONSTRATED THEIR ABILITIES TO USE INFOR- MATION FROM VARIOUS SOURCES TO RESPOND TO WHAT WAS ASKED OF THEM. ADDITIONALLY, THE STATE ASSESS- MENT, THE FLORIDA STANDARDS (FSA), FOR GRADES 3-8 IN READING AND MATH WILL BEGIN IN APRIL AND WILL END IN MAY. I HOPE THAT BY NOW ALL PARENTS HAVE PICKED UP RE- PORT CARDS AND ARE TRACKING THEIR CHILD S (REN S) PROGRESS. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF HOW THEY ARE DOING IN ALL CLASSES. OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO PASS ALL OF THEIR COURSES BEFORE THEY CAN MOVE ON TO HIGH SCHOOL. IF YOUR CHILD HAS FAILED THE FIRST TWO NINE WEEK PERI- ODS, IT IS A STRONG POSSIBILITY THAT THEY MAY BE RE- TAINED. PLEASE SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR CHILD S TEACHER TODAY!!! ADDITIONALLY, SUPPORT IS BEING PROVIDED TO ALL STUDENTS WHO NEED EXTRA HELP DURING AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING ON MONDAY, TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY FROM 3:05-4:05. DURING THE WEEK OF SPRING BREAK, MARCH 23-MARCH 30, 2018, PLEASE EN- SURE THAT YOUR CHILD READS A BOOK AND COMPLETES IREADY SESSIONS IN READING AND MATH. TO FIND OUT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THESE PROGRAMS PLEASE CALL THE SCHOOL AT (305)758-3658 AND WE WILL BE HAPPY TO ASSIST YOU! SINCERELY, CARLA PATRICK B UILD 2 A CHIEVE!!!!!! 2
Message from the Assistant Principal Mr. Bertholly LaFrance Dear Parents, Welcome to Edison Park K-8 Center, your child s home away from home where educational excellence and a caring atmosphere permeate every aspect of the school. Through great planning and meticulous execution, our classroom teachers, faculty and staff work in concert with Administration to provide our students a quality education in preparation for their future in a highly demanding and technologically challenging environment. As they say it takes a village and everyone at Edison Park takes pride in building students confidence for them to achieve measurable success while meeting very high expectations. It is my hope that you will continue to be a reliable stakeholder and a genuine partner in this crusade vis-à-vis greater student achievements by ensuring your child s attendance in school every day. With all of us working together, we will collectively, reach our goal of achieving a B towards that ultimate A while fostering the lifelong learner residing within your child. Sincerely, Mr. Lafrance EDISON PARK K-8 CENTER Bell Schedule Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st Grade 8:15 a.m. to 1:50 p.m. (Monday through Friday) 2nd to 8th Grade 8:30 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) Pre-K to 1st Grade 8:15 a.m. to 1:50 p.m. (Wednesdays) 2nd to 8th Grade 8:30 a.m. to 1:50 p.m. (Wednesdays) 3
Dedicated Coach Transforms Teachers! provided to students during a 30-minute intervention block. Those students who have been identified as needing this Tier 2 intervention are closely monitored by the teacher and myself through bi-weekly assessments. Greetings Parents, Students, and Additionally, our students participate in Staff of Edison iready. iready is a computer based program Park K-8 Center. that provides lessons to students that are tailored to their needs. The students begin My name is Pamela the program with a diagnostic assessment N. Brown, Literacy that places them on their instructional level. Transformation The program then gives lessons on the five Coach, servicing domains of reading: Phonemic Awareness, grades kindergar- Phonics, High Frequency Words, Vocabulary, ten through fourth. Comprehension (Literature) and ComprehenMy duties include sion (Informational). There is a reward proassisting the classroom teacher in the inter- gram for our students to encourage them to pretation of student assessment data and pass lessons by a certain date. So far, we supporting the teacher in planning appropri- have celebrated many of our students beate lessons to support the academic needs of cause they met the criteria for the first restudents. ward. During the months of January May 2018, our students will be participating in several assessments that will determine mastery of the English Language Arts Standards (ELA). The ELA standards are taught throughout the year by your child s teacher utilizing a research-based reading program titled McGraw-Hill Wonders. The reading program gives our students the opportunity to read literary and informational passages that are on their grade levels. The McGraw-Hill reading program also provides an intervention program titled McGraw-Hill Wonder-Works. Wonder Works helps our students who are below grade level to read material that is on their instructional level. This program helps the teacher remediate standards that are taught on the student s grade level. The program mirrors the passages that are taught during the 90-minute reading block and is Our next reward will be a popcorn and movie celebration if your child passes the lessons required to participate. Please encourage your son or daughter to do well on iready. Parents, if you are interested in your child s results of these assessments please feel free to set up a parent conference with your child s teacher or myself. Cont. on page 5 4
Promoting Academic Success! Cont.from page 4 The Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) will be administered to all students in grades three through eight. Students in grades kindergarten through second will be administered the Stanford Achievement Test-10 (SAT-10). These assessments provide the school and you, parents, with data that determines if they have mastered the Florida Standards that were taught throughout the school year. Notices will be provided on the assessment dates and days that testing will begin. Here s a look at what s expected: Assessment Dates Subject Tested 3rd Grade Portfolio Assessment January 22 May 5, 2018 Students who pass the portfolio will be promoted to the 4th grade. K-2 Stanford Achievement Test-10 April 4 10, 2018 Reading and Mathematics 3 rd FSA English Language Arts Reading Test 4 th 8 th Grade FSA English Language Arts Writing Component 4 th 8 th grade FSA English Language Arts Reading and Mathematics 5 th and 8 th Grade FCAT 2.0 Science Test End of Course Assessments: Algebra 1, Geometry, and Civics EESAC By: Jackie house April 17 20, 2018 March 6 9, 2018 April 16 May 18, 2018 May 1 May 4, 2018 April 16 May 18, 2018 Reading Writing Reading and Mathematics Science (Eligible enrolled students only) ON THE MOVE!!! EESAC members and parents discussed the School Improvement Plan and the New Action Plan during the December 20 th meeting. Having a quorum, several EESAC proposals were funded including the iready Challenge Student Incentives, the 2 nd Fun Field Day, and the Music Express Curriculum. Thank you to all parents, students and faculty who attended. We look forward to your future input. 5
SPED IS ON THE MOVE By: Shanaiyha Carmichael Contributing to this article: Elizabeth Champagne and Jessica Jeanty SPED is on the move and can t be stopped! SPED stands for Special Education Department. This department teaches and provides students with special services and programs to address their individual needs. Ms. Vickers, a SPED instructor at Edison Park K-8 Center (EPK8), loves and enjoys spending time with her students so much that during the 2017-2018 school year she has planned many exciting and educational field trips for them. Many of these field trips are held on weekends and during vacation time. On January 4, 2018, during winter break, students from different grade levels teamed up with Ms. Vickers and Ms. Pierre, a SPED paraprofessional at EPK-8 to raise money for Special Olympics Athletes. Publix Customer Service Manager and Ms. Vickers with Edison Park Students, N. Belizire, J. Joseph, Q. Bell, C. Walker, M. Louis This fundraiser took place at Publix Supermarket in Miami Shores. Students volunteering their time to help were Quanisha Bell, Nathan Belizire, Joanna Joseph, Kristina Walker, and Matthew Louis. They raised a total of two hundred and one dollars. Afterward, Mrs. Vickers treated all of the students to lunch for donating their service to this worthy cause. The adventures continued. On January 13, 2018, SPED students visited a farm in Amelia Earhart Park where they saw horses, geese, ducks, iguanas, and cows. They eagerly petted pigs and goats and went on an old-fashioned hayride. Fun was had by everyone, but it didn t stop there. On January 19, 2018, SPED traveled to the Florida Memorial University Stadium to compete in a Special Olympics Basketball Skills Competition. Winning first place was Bryan Miller and Joshua Makeyra. As you can see, SPED is on the move, and they won t be stopped! 6
RAIDER ROOKS By: Ms. McIntosh A big shout out goes to the Edison Park K-8 CHESS team, Stephanie Duroseau, Talica Duroseau, Leonce, Luma, Elijah McCantos, Paulie Hypolite and Cynthia Jean-Pierre for an outstanding job at the Central Regional Tournament, Saturday, January 20, 2018, at Miami Central Senior High School. Under the leadership of Ms. McIntosh, Edison Park K-8 Center placed third out of thirty participating schools in the team challenge, and this placement allowed us to qualify for the upcoming District Tournament in April at Miami Jackson Senior High School. Kudos to the Edison Park K-8 Center Raider Rooks CHESS team!!! Ms. Moton poses with supporter at CELEBRATING LITERACY WITH BOOKS Impact Dinner Reception. Edison Park s Media Center celebrated Literacy during January with students participating in Reader Theatre presentations of The Monkey s Paw and giving each child who visited the media center a free book of his or her choice. Excitement filled the room as children perused through childhood favorites and selections of fiction and nonfiction novels to take home.. 7
SEWING CLUB Sewing club is a fun motivated inspirational club that build confidence and reaches out to youth inner creativities while teaching the importance of basic training on how to sew every day little wardrobes and most importantly HAVING FUN WHILE DOING IT. Sewing Club meets every Thursday from 3:20 until 5:00 pm in Room 102. If you are interested in joining, please see Ms. Pericles, Sewing Club Coordinator. Sewing club is a fun motivated inspirational club that build confidence and reaches out to youth inner creativities while teaching the importance of basic training on how to sew every day little wardrobes and most importantly HAVING FUN WHILE DOING IT. Sewing Club meets every Thursday from 3:20 until 5:00 pm in Room 102. If you are interested in joining, please see Ms. Pericles, Sewing Club Coordinator. 8
BY: MRS. DELOUIS In mid-december, the ladies of the Etiquette Club had the privilege of traveling to the Aventura Mall for their first field trip. The Etiquette Club is a group of 20 5th- 8th grade students who strive to learn more about themselves and their community through mentorship, guest speakers, outreach activities, and volunteering. On their field trip, the ladies were able to experience life outside of their community, and have fun while shopping, eating, and viewing a movie. Students and chaperones traveled together and spent the day enjoying each other s company and learning about one another. The girls in the Etiquette Club are excited for their next field trip which will be coming up at the end of January. Students and chaperones traveled together and spent the day enjoying each other s company and learning about one another. The girls in the Etiquette Club are excited for their next field trip which will be coming up at the end of January. Home Depot On December 14 th 2017, the first graders at Edison Park were able to partake in a Kid s Workshop led by the Home Depot. A team of 4 members came in from a local Home Depot (store #209) along with parents from the community, to assist students in making their own bird houses. Each student was given tools and materials and was guided through the process of creating the final product. This project allowed students to explore and create in a hands-on way, and it also helped to bring the school and local community together. Students had so much fun hammering the wood and putting the pieces of the house together, and at the end of the workshop they got to take their finished birdhouse home. 9
Working Together for Fitness By: Coach House It is time for a new year of health and fitness. Students from Mr. Pressley's PE class make good use of the wellness center's cardio bikes, treadmills and elliptical machines, as well as "old school" strength building with sit-ups and pushups. Ms. Vicker's class uses parachute exercises to build teamwork skills and to improve their fitness levels. Make sure you are physically active for at least 60 minutes a day, get plenty of sleep, and eat nutritious meals for a healthy mind and body in 2018. FACULTY FEATURE MOTIVATING STUDENTS THROUGH ART By: Talica Duroseau Contributing to this article: Journalism Team Creative, motivated, and laid-back are three characteristics that describe Edison Park K-8 Center s one and only art teacher Ms. Farr with two r s. She is a young African American woman who was born in Miami Florida. She graduated from American Sr. High school and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Central Florida in Emerging Media Arts Management. When asked why she chose to be a teacher, she responded, Art was always a passion of mine, teaching was not. However, I became an art teacher to inspire young children that there are other avenues to success outside of sports and entertainment. I had an art teacher at Norland middle who told me I had a lot of potential, and this, in turn, motivated me to take art more seriously. I can only hope to inspire some of my students to do the same. 10
FACULTY FEATURE CALM, COMPETENT, AND CLASSY MRS. HUDSON DOES IT ALL BY: STEPHANIE SERAPHIN In January, members of the Journalism team sat down with one of the busiest people at Edison Park K-8 Center, Mrs. Hudson. During the interview her phone rang constantly, staff members continuously asked her questions as requests for information boomed from her two-way radio. She is the schools treasurer, Ms. Patrick s secretary, and sometimes perform double duties in the front office, when the Registrar has to be away from her desk. Mrs. Hudson attended Norland Senior High School and majored in Business Administration at Florida A&M (FAMU). Her extracurricular activities at FAMU were modeling and being a member of the Step Team. As EPK-8's secretary-treasurer, she has many responsibilities, one of the most important ones is to make sure that all employees are paid accurately and on time. This includes maintaining the staff sign-in sheet where staff members sign in and out daily, keeping track of overtime hours worked and entering the correct data in her computer. She is the school s treasurer as well, so she doesn t deal with the staff s pay, but school expenses. Whenever equipment, supplies, food, buses, must be purchased, Mrs. Hudson is in charge of it. This job keeps me busy; my day goes by fast. When asked how she deals with a busy day, she stated, Juggling... I m pretty good at, so I enjoy it. I work well under pressure, so a busy day for me is a normal day. Like today is a very busy day, but I knock assignments out one by one. She then demonstrated how she does this. Mrs. Hudson pulled out her planner and explained how she works. At the end of every day, I look at the notes I've written and highlight all the goals that I accomplished. I look at the past and say okay, wow all of this happened today. Mrs. Hudson believes she s still in training and is constantly learning new things about her position. As long as you re willing to learn that s all the training you need, she says. One piece of advice she d give to the kids of this generation is to take your time. Don t rush anything. I m talking about success, your personal life, relationships, everything. Just take your time. MS. FARR Cont. from page 10 As a first-year teacher at Edison Park, she has created the Rising Artist s art club for middle school students, as well as a small group of fifth grade students. The purpose of this club is to not only sharpen the skills that the students already possess but to also teach beginners basic drawing techniques. She has also entered her fifth-grade students in the Bringing Our Children Home Poster Contest sponsored by Florida s National Missing Children s Foundation. The finalists will win a trip to Tallahassee and the winner a trip to Washington. Ms. Farr s favorite quote that she lives by is Adapt and overcome, don t make excuses. 11
ignited a flame that I wish will never burn out because it is my outlet to release my deepest emotions, all thanks to to fate. It s also the reason why I was placed in Edison Park, which for almost a decade has given me teachers that never gave up on me while having an ever-growing impact on me. Fate s the reason every bad decision and every mistake I ve made taught me a lesson for the future. So, thank you fate, no matter what unknown force you are for giving me everything I ve done, in the past future and present and teaching me all the life lessons I need to know. FATE BY: STEPHANIE SERAPHIN Fate doesn t ask you what you want. Fate knows what s best for you, even when you don t. I was assigned to write an article about what I m grateful for. I instantly thought, Well I m grateful for my family, my friends, the food on my table, the roof over my head and all the other clichés we are grateful for. Although I am truly appreciative of all the topics I just said, I am thankful for so many more, but I can t write a paper for each. So, to gather them all under one category, I have chosen fate. I am grateful for fate because it is the reason I was blessed with everything I have. Fate is the reason I was born into my Haitian-American family that guides me in the right direction, with parents willing to risk their lives to get the chance to give my siblings and I a better life. They are generous enough to sacrifice anything for me to make sure I have what I need. Their love wraps me in a warm blanket, on a dark, scary night. Fate is the reason I received the chance to meet some of the most breathtaking, trustworthy, humorous, and sympathetic friends that I have. They are my shoulders to cry on, the reason I smile in the morning, and why I stay up all night laughing, although they may annoy me sometimes I wouldn t want it any other way. Fate is the reason I ve been able to wake up every morning, with the chance to sleep every night. Fate is what introduced me to the musicians and artists and influencers that continue to impact me on a daily basis in so many ways I will never be able to express with words. Their music makes me feel so many different emotions, and I will forever be grateful for that. I found the beauty within a pen and paper to draw and write because of faith bringing those passions into the light for me. Finding these passions within me has MY FRIEND BY: SHANAIYAH CARMICHAEL Everyone has something to be thankful for. Today, I know what I m thankful for. I am thankful for you. Being diagnosed with mood depression has always made you a tough target because you never smiled or laughed. Day after day you would sit lonely, depressed, and moody. However, after your car crash, everything changed drastically. The day before your accident I remember you saying that you had nothing in this world and it was time for you to say farewell. In response, I advised you to grow up and change your perspective on life. After everything, I said you stormed out of the house. I called your phone, but there was no answer. That evening, my phone rang, and it was your mom calling to tell me that you had been in a terrible accident. My heart sank because I felt that I was the reason for your accident. Your mom texted me the address of the hospital you were in. Sobbing viciously walking in the cold hospital room, I noticed your bruised and battered body. For two weeks, I waited for you to wake up from your coma. Your mom and I were so relieved when you finally opened your eyes. At first you were confused and unaware of your surroundings, but then you cracked the biggest smile that anyone had ever seen from you in the past two years. Seeing your smile, I knew you would have a successful recovery from your accident and your mood depression. After this traumatic experience, I am thankful for pain because without pain it would be difficult to appreciate life s joys. Without pain, it would be hard to realize that life is worth living for, and without pain, no one would learn how to be resilient when faced with the tough obstacles in their lives. Sincerely, Your best friend, Shanaiyha 12
MY BROTHER BY: TALICA DUROSEAU June 10, 2017, was the day my older brother died of an asthma attack. From the moment he was admitted we prayed that he would make it out alive, but he let us down and left our entire family heartbroken and devastated. Heartbroken, because we lost someone we cared for and will love for eternity. Devastated, because we got our hopes up, but our hopes were soon crushed. My brother was loved and known for being intelligent, cocky, persistent, arrogant, and an overall good person. Sometimes he was too playful, he was funny and hyper, it was his nature, and I understood that. He attended this school and was labeled one of the smart kids. He was a member of the Raider Rooks Chess team, the WEPC News team, Robotics, and the 5000 Role Models. It s funny because I am apart of all the same activities except 5000 Role Models because that's for boys only. You can say that I m following in his footsteps. He wanted to become an engineer while I chose the path to become an allergist. He had asthma, and one of my sisters suffers from eczema; this inspires me to study to become an allergist. If my brother were still here today, I would tell him how he motivated me to be better in school, how I always wanted to be as smart as he was since he was constantly praised. I would tell him about the multiple times that he helped me grow as a person,... the impact that he had on me. I want to accomplish everything that he did and more. He helped me in all the ways an older brother would; once my dad bought us a bike and since I didn t know how to ride it, my brother offered to teach me. I fell multiple times, and even though he laughed at me, he told me to get up and try again. I m very grateful for the fact that he did because it s why I can ride a bike today. So you could say that I m grateful for my brother and how he unintentionally encouraged me to become a smarter and better person. Even though he would mess with me, I will forever and always appreciate and love him. A SEASON OF GIVING Edison Park K-8 Center celebrated the season of giving with song, dance and dramatic presentations performed by students in Pre-K and Kindergarten. A scrumptious Thanksgiving lunch provided by EPK8 s parents was enjoyed by all of the performers. In addition, under the guidance of Ms. Marseille, seventy five families received turkeys with bountiful food baskets. It was a wonderful season of giving. 13
The Runaway Time Traveler By: Leonce Luma The day is April 7, 2102, 11:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. You may wonder why am I so far in the future. Well to answer that question; I am a time traveler who used to work for an organization called the Time Travel Protection Agency or the TTPA. I lived in the twenty-first century when I was recruited into the TTPA who uses high tech watches to transport people through time. Today, I m no longer apart of the TTPA. I broke the number one rule of time travel: Do NOT change the past in a way that would affect the present or future. Allow me to take you back to January 15, 2017, the day I was recruited. I remember it like it was yesterday. At the time, I was working with the CIA and was on a mission to find a well-known dangerous assassin who had terminated over 10,000 people. Two of his victims were my parents, and I was determined to avenge their death. While searching an abandoned warehouse that was said to be the assassin s hide-out, a bright blue light suddenly materialized; a man slowly appeared and in a majestic voice stated: We ve been watching you for quite some time. I was confused, and I wanted to ask many questions; Who are you?, How is this even possible?, Am I dreaming? I rubbed my eyes, Who's we?, I stuttered fearfully. We are The Time Travel Protection Agency also known as TTPA, he roared, We want to recruit you. We ve chosen you because you fit our perfect profile. You have no siblings, and your parents are dead, meaning no one will miss you when you re gone. I was extremely offended by the last remark, but then he said, Incredibly you have mastered every single fighting style from boxing to the martial arts, which makes you a valuable asset. The last statement convinced me to join the TTPA. The man continued excitedly, Where are my manners, my name is William Keen, there s no need to introduce yourself, we all know who you are... Mr. Kevin Yagher, now follow me. I tried explaining to him that I was in the middle of a mission and that I couldn't leave right away. He shouted angrily, "We have to go now, follow me! Not having a choice, I dashed after William into the blue light and was immediately transported into the future. He took me to Connor Luma, the founder, and leader who was excited to see me. Jumping up, he hugged me stating, We ve been waiting for you He guided me through intense training to enhance my fighting skills, taught me the rules of time travel and how to use the time travel watch. Finally, I was ready. My crew and I set the time traveling watch to December 10, 1943, 11:30 a.m. and set the location to Dallas, Texas. The mission was to investigate the Junior Frank Kenneth assassination. It was 11:45 a.m., my crew and I spread out and searched the Texas Book Depository, which was the supposed location of the assassin Steen Harley Boswell. Suddenly I noticed a suspicious looking man who fit the description of Boswell heading towards an open window with a loaded rifle pointed in the direction of JFK s motorcade. I informed the others of my suspicion, telling them to remain hidden until he fired. The clock struck noon, and Boswell was beginning to inch his finger towards the trigger. I was ordered to grab him as soon as he fired so that we could interrogate him. I was infuriated knowing that I didn t complete my previous mission, locating my parent's assassin and now I was about to let JFK get assassinated. I never felt so angry and conflicted in my life. Instead of following orders, I pushed Boswell which forced him to fire his shot into the air. Deep down on the inside, I knew what I did was wrong but I couldn t let JFK die. 14
The Runaway Time Traveler Cont. from page 14 Law enforcement rushed towards the building. The captain of my crew looked at me in shock and began screaming furiously at me: Do you know what you just did? You ve broken the international law of time travel, and the consequence for that is banishment into the outer galaxy belt field. Out of nowhere, I was knocked out by one of the crew members and transported to April 7, 2102. When I gained consciousness, everything was a nightmare. People were dead, rotting animals were strewn on top of each other giving off the worse stench imaginable, and there were hardly any live trees or plants within a 50- mile radius. My selfish actions caused this horrific event to take place. One crew member tried to contact the TTPA, but there was no response. Bound in cuffs, I couldn t move at all. As I struggled, I overheard one of the men reading information online about WWIII, stating that it began when JFK sent a nuke to Russia in response to his attempted assassination. This conflict between the U.S. and Russia led allied nations to turn against each other resulting in a war that has been lasting for centuries. Suddenly the TTPA arrived, but just before they took me in, a female appeared in a bright blue light followed by one hundred soldiers dressed in high tech gear. Let him go, she screamed demandingly. The TTPA's troop was outnumbered, so they had no choice but to obey. I was uncuffed, and the mysterious woman said, come with me if you want to live. I had no idea who this lady was; I hesitated to follow her. She kindly expressed, It s ok you can trust me, my name is Diana Keen. Confused, I asked, Are you related to William Keen. Diana angrily uttered, "No time to explain, we have to go now. Deep down I wanted to ask, Have we met before? She pulled me into the portal after her. Ever since then, I ve been on the run. Back row : Q. Bell, S. Carmicheal, L. Luma, S. Seraphin, J. Jeanty Front row: D. Fenil. STUDENTS ELECT LEADERS By: L. Luma & S. Seraphin Great leaders don t set out to be a leader. They set out to make a difference. This leadership quote is exactly what Edison Park K-8 Centers Student Council intend to follow. On January 22, 2018, Edison Park held their annual Student Council election. The middle school students elected Quanisha Bell as the 6th-grade representative, Denise Fenil as the 7th-grade representative, Jessica Jeanty as the School Treasurer, Shanaiyha Carmicheal as the School Secretary, Stephanie Seraphin as Vice President, and Leonce Luma as President. They are doing everything in their power to make sure that student voices are heard. The first proposal presented to administration is a request for Free Jean Friday for every student. 15
ATTENDANCE MATTERS BY: STEPHANIE SERAPHIN Our attendance for today is has become a phrase any student attending Edison Park K-8 Center has become familiar with. Attendance is very important when it comes to education because you are more likely to succeed if you attend school every day and on time. Bearing these factors in mind, Edison Park implemented an attendance competition to motivate students to make an effort to attend school regularly. The rules? All you had to do was NOT be absent from November 6th, 2017 until December 22nd, 2017. If you met this simple requirement, you would have been entered in a raffle to win one of 13 fabulous prizes, which included a mountain bike! The delighted winners were Kiyan Turner, Talisha Cleophat, Daniel Pierre, Ossemya Devalcin, Amiyah Fair, Dadid Scipp, Dieunie Souffrant, Bradley Jean-Baptiste, Samari Hall, Ariya Ferguson, Denise Fenil, Leonce Luma, and Stephanie Seraphin. Congratulations to all winners and students continue to come to school every day! Anti-Discrimination Policy Federal and State Laws The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida adheres to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment and educational programs/activities and st rives affirmatively to provide equal opportunity for all as required by: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, or national origin. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended - prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, or national origin. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 - prohibits discrimination on the e basis of gender. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) as amended -prohibits discrimination on the basis of age with respect to individuals who ar e at least 40. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 as amended - prohibits gender discrimination in payment of wages to women and men performing substantially equal work in th e same establishment. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 - prohibits discrimination Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) - prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, public service, public ac commodations and telecommunications. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) - requires covered employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to "eligible" em ployees for certain family and medical reasons. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 - prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical co nditions. Florida Educational Equity Act (FEEA) - prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, gender, national origin, marital status, or handicap against a student or employee. Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 - secures for all individuals within the state freedom from discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, national or igin, age, handicap, or marital status. Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) Prohibits discrimination against employees or applicants because of genetic information. Veterans are provided re-employment rights in accordance with P.L. 93-508 (Federal Law) and Section 295.07 (Florida Statutes), which stipulate categorical preferences for employment. In Addition: School Board Policies 1362, 3362, 4362, and 5517 - Prohibit harassment and/or discrimination against students, employees, or applicants on the basis of sex, race, color, ethnic or national origin, religion, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender, gender identification, social and family background, linguistic preference, pregnancy, and any other legally prohibited basis. Retaliation for engaging in a protected activity is also prohibited. Revised: (05.12 16