Parents who didn’t qualify for free and reduced price meals for their child now have another chance. Broward County schools are letting families who’ve recently had a change in financial status to reapply this semester.

To receive free and reduced price breakfasts and lunches, Broward residents must satisfy household size and certain income criteria determined by the United States Department of Agriculture.

More than 123,000 students received benefits for the 2008-2009 school year, an increase of 10,000 over the last year, according to a district report.

To reapply and read menu prices, visit the Broward School’s Food & Nutrition Services Web site to download an application form, or call 754-321-0250.

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The Broward County School Board has approved the 2009-2010 school calendar. Classes for the new school year will start on Aug. 24 and conclude on June 9, 2010.

Winter Break starts on Dec. 21, with classes resuming on Jan. 4. Spring Break begins March 29, with classes resuming on April 6.

Additional holidays and days off in 2009 include Sept. 7, Sept. 28, Nov. 11, Nov. 26 and Nov. 27. In 2010, days off include Jan. 18, Feb. 15 and May 31.

Employee planning days during the school year are Oct. 23, Jan. 19, March 26 and May 28. The district also has six early release days scheduled for Sept. 24, Oct. 22, Jan. 15, March 25, April 22 and June 9.

Report card will be issued on Nov. 12, Feb. 4, April 13 and June 25.

In case of hurricanes, there are also four hurricane make-up days: Jan. 15, Oct. 22, April 22 and March 25.

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Students from Laurie Rosenberg and Robin Rosenberg’s Kindergarten, first and second grade writing classes at the Imagine Charter School at Broward gathered at the Northwest Regional Library in Coral Springs recently for a “writing celebration.”

The students’ festive holiday writing will remain on display at the library throughout the holiday season. School Principal Kevin Sawyer congratulated the students on their fine creative displays. The Imagine Charter School at Broward is in its inaugural year as a public charter school for children in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.

Registration for the 2009-2010 academic year will begin in January. Call the school office at 954-255-0020 or visit www.imagineatbrowardpto.org.

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Mary Help of Christians School, which has had a boys’ varsity basketball team for only three years, has won its first district championship.

The MHOC Panthers’ Varsity Basketball team played in the All Broward Catholic Conference and ended the regular season with a 9-1 record. The Panthers won the district championship defeating St. Andrews Catholic School. After that, the team continued on to the county playoffs where their record was 5-1. The Panthers beat St. Anthony’s to win the county championship.

The Panthers were led by Brandon Diaz who had 33 points, 13 rebounds and 10 steals in the championship game, giving him a triple double. John David Brady added to the win with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Member of the team include seventh-graders Kyle Lewis, Garrett Middleton, Kevin Novak, Brian Novak, Joe Swiderski and Nick Ferngren, and eighth-graders Zach Sammons, Tanner Knight, John David Brady, Brendan Collins, Christopher Delinois, Austin Kramer, Cameron Reynolds and Brandon Diaz. School Physical Education Coach Marc Kiar was the head coach while Jon Lewis, a parent, served as assistant coach.

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Sawgrass Springs Middle School’s Save What’s Left Club and the Sutton children from Coral Springs recently visited Acqua Liana in Manalapan, which is the world’s largest certified green mansion.

While on the tour, students learned different methods employed to make the $29 million home environmentally friendly. They also learned about different green programs, such as the LEED program and the Certified Green program by the U.S. Green Building Council.

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It’s not every day that someone kisses a pig and still retains a smile, but Maplewood Elementary School principal Sherry Bees managed to do just that.

Dressed in pajamas and with the entire school watching her in action, Bees kissed Lola the pig twice on its head and once on its snout.

“It was fun. She was very cute and well trained," Bees said. "The kids enjoyed it. I don’t know if the pig liked it though."

Bees was keeping her promise to students after their collective success in the school’s Accelerated Reader program. The students went past the 20,000-point mark that had been set and ended the year with 21,500 points.

“The kids enjoy reading, but we wanted to motivate them as there are so many distractions like movies and video games,” Bees said. “From August to December, they got only about 4,000 points. From January to March, they added another 6,000 points. After that, they started reading like crazy to make sure I kissed the pig.”

It was the students who decided what the principal would do if they reached the target, said Judy Slade, reading resource specialist. “We wanted to ensure they would reach the mark," she said. "All the students were part of the program, but kindergarten students did not start until January. The deadline was May 16. We allowed students to wear pajamas to school the day Lola came.”

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Great schools are one reason young families flock to Coral Springs and Parkland. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and J.P. Taravella High School have been named two of the best high schools in the country.

The two high schools are on a list of eight Broward County Public Schools that were recognized by Newsweek magazine as the top high schools in the nation. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland was ranked 25th in Florida and 136th in the nation, while J. P. Taravella High was ranked 80th in the state and 656th in the country.

The achievement was recognized by the Coral Springs City Commission at a recent meeting.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas Principal Ann Andersen-Kowalski thanked the community and the parents for the award. “We’re very fortunate to have such a supportive community and parents who actually enable us to have the kind of programs, rigor and relevance that we do,” she said.

Schools in Coral Springs feel the support of the City Commission throughout the year, said Shawn Cerra, principal at J.P. Taravella High. "We are blessed to have outstanding students and a great faculty. The award is about their hard work and effort,” he said.

For details, visit www.browardschools.com.

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Tears welled up in Migdalia Acevedo’s eyes as she spoke of the day when the school bus refused to take her physically and mentally challenged daughter, Abigail Acevedo, in because the brakes of her wheelchair were not working.

“I drove her to school and told [her teacher] about it,” Migdalia Acevedo said, as Abigail, a seventh-grader at Coral Springs Middle School, sat in the new wheelchair gifted to her by teachers and students of the school Friday. “It’s wonderful that you have people in the world who see a need and do not close their eyes to it.”

Students and teachers raised $1,900 in the the last three months, through a fundraiser the school’s National Junior Honor Society organized for Abigail. An anonymous donor pitched in the rest of the money for the wheelchair that cost $4,900.

Roxanne Rubiano, Abigail’s teacher, said it was a joint effort. “The students were so wonderful in their generosity towards my little girl," Rubiano said. "Sean Flignor, a seventh-grader, donated $200, his birthday money. A parent donated a bike to raffle off. A girl I met in the hallway told me she bought beads so that Abigail could get a new wheelchair. This is the perfect end to a perfect year."

Read the detailed story in the June 5 issue of the Coral Springs Forum.

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Here is one story to warm your heart, coming straight from an elementary classroom in Coral Springs. Two Parkside Elementary School teachers, one a fourth-grade teacher and the other in charge of the autism programs in the school, have implemented a project that has, besides inspiring a movie, worked wonders for a bunch of autistic and regular students.

"The Perfect Fit," a 40-minute movie that captures the essence of the project, was premiered at the school last week. The students involved in the project were also given trophies.

The program took shape when Schulson, who was a special education teacher before she joined Parkside Elementary, opened her classroom door to eight autistic fourth and fifth grade students in Corri Lohr’s class. Marlene Sotelo, who works with the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD), worked with the teachers.

“The evening was a big success,” Schulson said. “People loved the movie. We also had an exhibition of self-sculptures made by the students. It felt great seeing the students so happy.”

For the detailed story, read the May 29 issue of the Coral Springs Forum.

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