The Firebird Focus

Greetings Firebirds!

As we move into the dynamic final eight weeks of the 2024-2025 school year, we're navigating a busy period of testing, graduation preparations, and continued communication with our students and families. Your dedication to ensuring a smooth and enriching conclusion to the academic year is invaluable.

A Huge Thank You!

A huge THANK YOU to all of our teachers who have volunteered to be Test Administrators for the various assessments coming up over the next few weeks! Your support with this essential task is greatly appreciated.

We also extend our sincere THANK YOU to all Homeroom teachers for your diligent communication with parents regarding testing locations. Your efforts in keeping everyone informed are crucial for a smooth testing process.

For any questions regarding testing, please refer to the FAQ document, contact Collin Campbell, or reach out to your assigned Assistant Principal.

Planning for the Future: Intent to Return & Post-Graduation Plans

The Enrollment team is currently working diligently to collect "Intent to Return" forms from families through the FOCUS parent portal. This data is crucial for our planning for the 2025-2026 school year. Your awareness of this process and any support you can provide in encouraging families to complete these forms is appreciated.

Additionally, we are gathering information about our graduating seniors' post-high school plans to support their transition. Your collaboration in ensuring seniors complete these surveys is vital.

Important Deadlines & Upcoming Events:

• Senior Coursework Deadline: May 9th - All senior coursework must be completed by this date to ensure accurate class rank calculations and timely graduation clearance by our school counselors.
• All Other Students Coursework Deadline: May 23rd - This is the deadline for all other students to complete coursework and qualify for A or A/B honor roll.

Thank you for your unwavering commitment to excellence; teachers lead students to success! Please reach out to me if you need assistance; I am always available to support you. It is an honor to serve as your principal!

Warm Regards,

Suzanna Pacheco

Principal, FVHS

A huge THANK YOU to Rachel Bramlett, River Cloum, Crystal Dougherty, Renee Griffith, Kristen Kimes, Sheena Mincy, Rose Rodriguez, and Missy Verville for taking the time to put together these awesome school t shirt designs for next year.

It is difficult to choose just one, so please select your top 2 favorites! Please respond to the survey by COB Wednesday, April 2nd. We will announce the winning shirt during the staff meeting on Thursday.

25-26 FVHS T Shirt Designs

We're planning an unforgettable 2025 graduation ceremony, and we need your help to make it spectacular! Your participation is greatly appreciated. Join us on Tuesday, May 27th, at 2 PM at the UCF Addition Financial Arena in Orlando.

The schedule is as follows:

11:00 A.M. Staff Arrive

12:00 P.M. Students Arrive

1:00 P.M. Doors Open for Guests

2:00 P.M. Ceremony Begins

5:00 P.M. Must be out of Arena

Please RSVP by April 15th using the form below. We can't wait to see you there! More details to follow soon.

FVHS Graduation RSVP

Happy Assistant Principal's Week! Your dedication to creating a safe and inclusive learning environment, your focus on student success, and your support for our teachers and staff are truly valued. I am so thankful to have each of you on the team! You each bring your own special talents and gifts that make our school stronger. Your professionalism and genuine care for our community are evident every day. Your hard work and commitment make a real difference in the lives of our students and contribute significantly to our school's success. We are grateful for all you do and are delighted to celebrate you this week!

From Left to Right: Michelle Anderson (AP), Nicole Elenzweig (AP), Corey Johns (AP), Suzanna Pacheco (Principal), Kaleigh McCoy (AP), Natalie VanHook (AP), Deanna DeFilippo (AP), and Collin Campbell (AP)

I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to all of our volunteer field trip chaperones this year. Your dedication and support have made our trips to universities across the state, the Jacksonville Zoo, Universal Studios, and GradBash possible.

The picture above was taken during our USF college tour last week, and we especially want to thank Tiffany Springsteen, Danielle Pugh, Taylor Williams, Lori Griggs and Nicolette Hewitt for making that event a success. Your efforts are truly appreciated!

The picture below was taken at the Jacksonville Zoo on Friday, 3/28. Thank you to Kirsten Cockriel, Alicia Miller, Gina Baker, Morgan Hunter, Shannon Brant, and Kinsey Gulamali for making this event a success for our students!

April is Autism Awareness Month, and we're kicking it off by wearing blue on April 2nd! Join us in raising awareness and fostering a culture of acceptance. Together, we can build a more inclusive community.

The Month of the Military Child in Florida gives communities an opportunity to emphasize and recognize the sacrifices of military children while their parents serve our nation. Florida is committed to being the most military-friendly state in the nation.

Join us in celebrating by using by wearing purple on April 15th to show your support and recognize military children.

• Thursday, April 3rd: FVHS Staff Meeting at 12:30 PM
• Monday, April 7th through Wednesday, April 9th: Principal & APs at FT/IL F2F in Orlando
• Thursday, April 10th: Data Team Meetings at 1 PM
• Thursday, April 17th: PLC Meetings at 1 PM
• Monday, April 14th through Friday, April 18th: Firebird School Spirit Week
• Thursday, April 24th: Professional Development Meetings at 1 PM
• Friday, April 25th: School Advisory Council meeting at 9 AM
• Thursday, May 1st: FVHS Staff Meeting at 12:30 PM
• Thursday, May 1st: FVHS Awards Ceremony for Grades 9-11 at 6 PM

Check your notifications in Workday regarding mandatory trainings. The number of trainings will depend on your role and will cover topics such as policy and best practices. Make sure to complete all training in Workday by May 2. For questions, contact the Learning and Development team.

As we begin the countdown to the end of the school year, we want to ensure you feel supported every step of the way. Check out our ISC April Update to help you finish strong, and please continue booking appointments with us. You can book us through our Coaching Connection website. We love seeing your faces!

Thank you for continuing to teach our families how to access information about the opportunities we provide. Please continue to direct families to the Week at a Glance and Family Resource Center.

Please visit the FVHS School Counseling site which includes lots of information about college and career planning, graduation requirements, community service/ work hours, and more. Please be sure to bookmark the site and refer to it often as it will answer many questions.

Families can visit our Dual Enrollment site for information about our partner colleges, eligibility requirements, steps to apply, and deadlines. The deadlines are as follows:

- Indian River State College: May 2.

- Daytona State College: April 30

- Polk State College for SLS1101 Only: April 30

You can also plan to attend one of the Q&A sessions that Ms. Chu holds to help get your questions answered and for assistance in completing your DE application. The next Q& A session will be held Wednesday, 4/9. Please consult the Focus calendar for the link.

Please visit our of scholarship site for information on scholarships, financial aid, and other educational opportunities that have been shared with us to advertise to FVHS students.

School counselors host Counselor Café sessions on a variety of topics to support student success. Information on topics and links to join sessions can be found HERE.

School counselors host Friendship Crew for grades 9 and 10 on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month at 12:30. The next Friendship Crew meetings are April 10 and April 24.

Interactive Literacy Calendar

• Are you interested in deepening your practice and providing a literacy-rich environment for your learners? Your literacy coach is happy to help you! Please visit this Reading Room and explore the links and resources provided. Want to learn more? Book your literacy coach using the calendly link provided in the reading room!
• Did you know the FLVS Family Literacy Site creates a monthly interactive calendar for Secondary Students? Take a look at all the Family Literacy Resources HERE !

Student Services

• Click HERE for the Student Services Week at a Glance
• April 4th at 11:30 Positive Psychology: Recap and Wrap-Up (#23640): In this session we will review the previously learned skills of three blessings, signature strengths, active constructive responding, savoring, kindness, getting out of thinking traps and mindfulness. We will discuss what strategies work and which ones don't as well as which ones they’d like to improve upon. Takeaways will be discussed. This session is focused on supporting self-care for educators.
• April 30th at 12:00 PM The Teenage Brain (Pathways Course # 11574): In this session we will explore the myths and facts surrounding brain development in teens. Strategies will be shared on how to support teens during this critical time of development.

ESOL

• ESOL Translation and Support

Here is your monthly preview from the world of Learning and Development!

April PD Sessions:

• April 2 @ 10:00 am | Teamwork Toolbox: Communication Skills

• April 3 @ 1:00 pm | Comprehension: Discussion

• April 4 @ 11:30 am | Positive Psychology Recap and Wrap-up

• April 8 @ 10:00 am | Everybody Loves Seniors: Tips for Supporting Seniors (Virginia O from McGovern SH, Windy L from Lauterwasser SH and Jen C from Forestner SH are leading breakout rooms)

• April 8 @ 11:00 am | Mindfulness for Self Care and Productivity

• April 10 @ 4:30 PM | Optional External Social Studies Webinar Opportunity: Literacy in Social Studies: The Walls Can Speak: Making Learning Visible in Social Studies

• April 11 @ 10:30 am | Innovation in Math - April Edition

• April 11 @ 11:00 am | Communicate with Confidence in a Virtual World - Presented by Lorraine K. Lee

• April 15 @ 12:30 | Parodies for Participation: Engaging Students with Video in Online Learning

• April 16 @ 11:30 am | L & D Job Shadowing: Summer & Fall 2025

• April 17 @ 1:00 pm | Empowering Conversations Through Positive Intent

• April 24 @ 12:30 pm | Own Your Own Path - LeadershipU Learning Lab 4/24/25

• April 24 @ 7:00 PM | Optional External Science Web Seminar: Energy: The Pus from Non-Renewable to Renewable Resources

• April 25 @ 11:00 am | Designing and Facilitating Online Student-Led Discussions - Presented by Dr. Catlin Tucker

• April 30 @ 12:00 pm | The Teenage Brain

Professional Development Opportunities Interactive calendar (be sure to bookmark) and our *updated* OnDemand Library

Professional Development On-Demand

Did you know that the L&D team has a Microlearning video library available for instructors aligned to the FLVS handbook? Topics in production: Strong start, Timely grading, motivating students, availability at work.

April PD Calendar

For the most up-to-date information, be sure to bookmark the Monthly PD Menu