TAVARES – Lake County students will start the new school year on Monday, August 12. Teachers, administrators and support staff have been planning and preparing over the past week for the return of about 44,000 students.
With the additional traffic expected as families enroll, drop off and pick up students during the first week of school, roads may be congested around school start and end times and school buses may be delayed. Motorists are advised to drive with caution and to watch their speed.
The City of Leesburg recently installed school zone speed cameras to monitor drivers. The Leesburg program will begin on August 12 with a 30-day warning period to introduce the community to the new system. Starting September 10 they will begin issuing citations through the mail with a $100 fine. Eustis installed cameras last school year, and countywide law enforcement officers will be monitoring the roads to help keep students safe.
Another safety measure new this year is the integration of the district’s existing panic-button alert system with the security cameras on school campuses. This new integration will immediately give first responders the exact indoor or outdoor emergency location and real-time camera feeds, saving crucial minutes in a crisis situation.
New academic programs this year include the advanced manufacturing program at South Lake High School, an electrical program at Tavares High School, and in partnership with Lake-Sumter State College and their new elementary education bachelor’s degree program, the district will open its second teaching academy at Eustis High School. The Tavares High School Teaching Academy was the first, and this year the first graduate of that program, who has since earned her degree, has returned to start her teaching career at Astatula Elementary.
Additionally, the district recently signed an agreement to form a partnership with Space Florida, the state’s aerospace finance and development authority, to begin implementing the Space Florida Academy Program. That makes Lake an official “Florida Space Academy School District,” which will connect Lake students with the high-demand credentials and skills necessary to work in the aerospace industry.
For younger students, the district has expanded access to VPK so that there is a free pre-kindergarten program on every elementary school campus. The district is also launching a new online learning platform for reading this year that will help elementary teachers provide interventions specific to grade-level academic standards as well as accelerate learning for students who have already mastered a particular skill or standard. Additionally, a task force is piloting a program to prepare students for higher-level math, including Algebra 1, by helping them develop mathematical thinking and reasoning as early as second grade.
Lastly, some students will return to find new leadership at their schools. Schools with new principals this year include the following:
Mount Dora High – Kyle Bracewell
Tavares High – Dr. Stacy Keaveny
Eustis Heights Elementary – Dr. Juanita McCall
Sawgrass Bay Elementary – Gary Locuson
Seminole Springs Elementary – Dr. Terri Soos